Since paying off my credit cards last Spring, I swore to myself that things would be different. I would never rack up debt again, I would begin to save for the future, and live like a responsible 20something year old. Little did I realize how difficult and stressful that would be.
I set pretty lofty goals for myself regarding saving money, and I feel like shit for not having lived up to these arbitrary objectives. But it's hard out there for a young, irresponsible male in his mid twenties! I have to pay for dinners at mid-range restaurants, cover rounds of shots/drinks at various bars, and empty out my wallet on personal upkeep (clothes, haircuts), and it's hard to skimp on these self-professed necessities. I even promised to pay my girlfriend's cable and utility bills for her apartment. It only makes sense, since I'm practically living there.
Still, due to all these necessary (fine, not-all-that-necessary) expenditures, I am spending more than I am saving, and in the end, I feel like I'm in the same exact situation as I was when I was debt-ridden. I was supposed to be working my way to my goal , like a runner in a marathon pacing his way towards the finish line. Only in my situation, I'm not even in the marathon yet, I'm still running in place. On a treadmill. At the gym.
I'm hoping that things will turn around, that I'll eventually save more money and do what I want to do in life. But I'm also my worst critic, and am pretty skeptical of any change. If my circumstances don't change soon, and if I don't own up to my responsibilities, I'm pretty sure I'll be perpetually stuck in this life-mode for a lot longer.
fingers crossed.
smartypig.com. Its like a piggy bank with 1.75% APY right now. (used to be like 2.25 but everyones APY seems to be low right now)
ReplyDeleteYou choose a goal and the timeframe you need to achieve it and it deducts that amount needed every month or twice monthly. You can have several goals going on at once. It can be debited back into your account in a few days or you can take it back out with big percentage increase gift cards. (e.g. i think if you choose amazon you get your money + 14% if you take it out as a gift card vs. back into bank)
As a crazy person with crazy debt, I still managed to save ~$1000 in like 7 months for a trip I had imagined about while I was still living at home. I ended up having to use it on other expenses since moving out but its really easy to use and to save. Plus if you're having an expensive month, you can just change to goal or elongate the time period so the monthly payment is less. miss you! Hope you find a solution.