What’s Keeping Me Motivated to Pay Off Our Debt

Waking up every morning and deciding that we will not go out and spend money is not an easy task. It takes a lot of motivation to look at the money we have as a way to get out of debt rather than a way to have something we “want.” But somehow, after a year at this, I’m still holding strong and I think I owe a great deal of gratitude for the people/things that motivate me.

There are the sources of motivation that started me on this journey…

Back in April of last year, I sat down and wrote a list of 10 things that keep me motivated to become debt-free. I still do all of those, but as the days are turning into years I am finding that I zero in on certain ones.

Like the sources of motivation that are always there…

My son. My husband. My mom and dad.

Those four people are more than my family, they are the reason that I can do things when I set my mind to them. They are my inspiration for so many things in my life. Whether it’s trying to be a good person or paying off our debt – they are right there with me with unconditional love. They make me want to succeed.

Then there are the stories of others…

Whether it’s stories from other bloggers who are now debt-free or those who are working towards it. I look to their stories for inspiration.

Then there are quotes…

I love quotes and one of my favorites is this one here. It’s amazing what the written word can inspire you to do.

Then there are times where I look everywhere for some motivation…

I look at things differently now. Every movie or show I watch or story I read I look for inspiration. Like how a horse is inspiring me to reduce our debt or how a chipmunk is being frugal.

Last, but definitely not least, I have this blog…

This blog has played a major role in our debt reduction. Writing about our finanical situation daily keeps me focused and the comments of others help to keep me motivated. I do want to see the day I can come on here and write in huge bold all cap letters that I am credit card debt-free. I want to go outside and shout it. I want to hug a stranger on the street and tell them I am credit card debt-free. Okay, maybe I won’t hug a stranger, but it will be a very happy day.

Now that I’ve shared where I get my motivation…what about you? Would you like to share?

Posted by Tricia on March 11, 2007 at 11:20 AM in Keeping Motivated, Reducing Debt | 17 Comments »
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Henry @ Binary Dollar responded:
Posted: March 11th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
The PF blog community will throw you a huge party when you pay off your debt. There’s another piece of motivation.
Leigh Ann responded:
Posted: March 11th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
I know you will pay your debt off. If I can do it…….anyone in this world can!

I am so proud of you! You are doing an incredible job!!
JW Thornhill responded:
Posted: March 11th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
My wife and I feel exactly the same. Our family and children are our motivation. It gets really difficult sometimes but, every time we look at them we get motivation.
MVW responded:
Posted: March 11th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Most of my motivation comes from wanting to start a family and become a stay-at-home mother and wife. I’m putting up with a job I dislike, and my husband works as much as possible, taking all the extra jobs he can, and is getting his master’s degree, so his salary will ultimately increase. This is all so we can finish paying off our debt and have the freedom to enjoy a peaceful, loving and satisfying home and family life. We’ve paid off about $30K in 15 mos., and have about $12K left to go. We should be out of debt by fall 2007.
KMK responded:
Posted: March 11th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
This is great timing for me, I have really been having a hard time staying on track the past couple of months. I particularly appreciate the Bell quote.
AllFinancialMatters » Blog Archive » JLP’s Weekly Roundup responded:
Posted: March 11th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
[...] how Tricia keeps herself motivated to get out of debt. Bookmark to: [...]
db responded:
Posted: March 12th, 2007 at 9:16 am
My motivation comes from 1) wanting to have more freedom to do work I love and not just for the salary, 2) wanting to not be impoverished in my golden years, 3) wanting to move abroad while I’m still young enough to qualify for permanent residency in the country of my choice, and 4) gradually move from being a techie to supporting myself off my art. While I could do all of these with debt, it will be a heck of a lot easier without debt (especially the student loan).

I have a mural I created where I have scenes from where I want to move and a (fake) million dollar bill, and I have other pictures of my country of choice scattered around. Those help me keep motivated. I’m finding the blog is helping keep me honest.

db
Debt Blitzkrieg
Rebel responded:
Posted: March 12th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
That is awesome! I am just getting started on working my way out of debt. Just know you are also inspiring others just getting started to move forward.
Finance Findings For Monday, March 12, 2007 responded:
Posted: March 12th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
[...] Whatâ€™s Keeping Me Motivated to Pay Off Our Debt. [Blogging Away Debt] [...]
Nancy responded:
Posted: March 12th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Your commentary about how difficult it is not to buy “things” was perfectly timed. Today I wanted to order a PDA. My colleagues all have one and it looked so handy to have. No! I remembered your blog entry and just stopped myself from buying something with money I dont have. If all goes well…I will have paid off $ 15.000,– debt on 01 July 2007
(starting 01 aug 2006). I must stay focused.
The Frugal Rebel » Blog Archive » Motivation responded:
Posted: March 13th, 2007 at 9:21 am
[...] you to get started or keep going? I started thinking about this more yesterday after I read an article at Blogging Away Debt. The author writes about how she listed ten things a year ago to motivate she [...]
One Blog That Helped Get Me Motivated To Pay Off My Own Debt … and Write About It « Debt Free For Life responded:
Posted: March 14th, 2007 at 7:27 am
[...] soon) to lay out her debt, income, struggles and successes.Â Â A few days ago she wroteÂ about what is keeping her motivated to pay off her debt — and for her it came back to her family.Â She also goes on to say that writing her blog [...]
Vedis Teh responded:
Posted: March 27th, 2007 at 4:36 am
It’s so motivating to have read your article. I will keep coming back to read our articles.

Honestly speaking , I have just started to view my credit card debts seriously. It has snowballed to more that $50,000 now(Malaysian Ringgit- That means more than US$10,000),excluding home loan and car loan. Can you believe it ?

But, I have faith I can reduce my debts little by little by reading more tips from you guys and doing what you guys are doing.

Thanks
Staying motivated to pay your debt | Foximus Internet Business Blog responded:
Posted: May 28th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
[...] came across an interesting post today on Blogging Away Debt. In this post Tricia talks about what keeps her motivated to continue paying down her debt. Since I have recently finished paying my debt off (YAY!) I [...]
Stephanie responded:
Posted: September 6th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I have about 17,000 in credit card debt. I’ve been working on paying this off (it started at about $25,000) for years. Well it’s time to get serious. Both my husband and myself are in our 50’s and I am tired of being a slave to this debt!
I am down to 4 balances and I’m working with the snowball method. I estimate it will take me approx. 2.5 yrs to pay off this debt. Sooner if I stay focused on it. My motivation is not my children, they’re the ones that usually get me off track. I just want to live a better life!
get out of debt responded:
Posted: March 24th, 2008 at 2:50 am
Inspiring oneself to get out of debt requires self-motivation and self help. Plans are already there but if you are not inspired or interested at all to do the listed plans, there will be no change that’ll happen.
amber responded:
Posted: December 31st, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Neat. We have $100,000 in student loan debt and $6,000 for an auto loan. It will take us about 7 years to pay it off. After that, we will start paying down our mortgage rapidly and be debt free and own a home in 15 years. Right now we are still renting. I figure in about one or two years, we will be making another $1 to $2 thousand a month and can afford a mortgage. If we get lazy it will be more like 20 years. Either way, we will need inspiration to stick to our plans.