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Apr 16, 2009    |       14 comments

Dental Debt and What I Want

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Some people have good teeth.

Some people have bad teeth.

And even still, some people have teeth that make Steve Buscemi look like a Colegate smile model.

I’m in the last category.

Oh, you can’t tell to look at me. I have a beautiful smile – but I’ve spent more on my teeth than most people spend on their first home.

Either:

A) My dentist was an elephant poacher in her previous life and she can’t rid herself of the desire to create enough pure ivory piano keys out of my teeth to furnish a grand piano… or two.

Or

B) My tooth enamel is as effective at preventing cavities as a double fudge cake is to weight loss.

I brush, I floss, and I rinse twice daily. I avoid soda and sugar. BUT… according to my dentist, some people are destined to have bad teeth.

And I am destined to pay her dental school loans.

Obviously my dental woes affect my ability to pay off debt. I recently finished paying off a $1,500 dental loan, but there is always more work to be done.

I also recently interviewed for a job with one of the most inclusive dental plans I’ve ever seen.

They reviewed the information with me at the end of the interview and I’m hoping they didn’t notice I had stars, exclamation points, and highlighted sections around the ‘Dental Benefits’ section.

Ahh. To be free of dental debt – past and future – would help a lot.

Apr 15, 2009    |       7 comments

Where Did They Go?

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I’ve been blogging over three years now. In that time, I have watched many personal finance bloggers come and go. It’s hard, especially when you are really into their story or maybe you just love their style (the Bizarros come to mind – they always cracked me up!).

Sometimes a blog is just abandoned with no new posts. Sometimes a blog is taken offline. Sometimes there is an explanation. Sometimes there is none.

In any case, it’s hard to see them go.

Family Man at Another Day of Life recently decided to stop blogging. His blog is still online, but he wrote a post about what happened…

I am not walking away, just stepping away. Not saying good bye, but also not promising a daily post, or X number of posts each week. For now I need to lay the groundwork for Another Day of Life, my life, my family’s life and build tomorrow for all of us.

I think Family Man is right on the button with thinking that time is a big factor as to why some bloggers have stopped blogging. Then there are bloggers that are forced to shut their blog down (like what happened to JW at Need to Be Debt Free). Whatever the reason, it is sad to see them go and you wonder how they are doing.

The great thing about the blogosphere is that there are so many views…so many people writing about their thoughts and life. I have found so many useful tidbits of information from other bloggers. I have also found inspiration or was led to an “ah-ha!” moment, like this one from Basil Bizarro the day he and Bianca signed off from their blog…

The one thing from this amazing experience that resonated with me deepest is this: gratitude. Look within your lives, because everything you need is right there. And for the most part, free.

I love finance books and I have read some great ones about debt reduction. But bloggers have that personal connection that isn’t normally found in books. I think that’s why I’ve found it so hard when the blogs I used to follow shut down or go on hiatus. At the same time, I understand.

Thanks to the reader who sent me an email about Family Man’s post!

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