Blogging Away Debt Blogging Away Debt follows real people on their journey to debt freedom — with tips on the debt snowball, budgeting, cutting expenses, and staying motivated.

by Tricia

I have had bangs all of my life up until a few years ago. I decided that I was going to tough out the awkward stage and finally have long hair across the board. Bangs were not in-style so it seemed like a perfect time to try to grow them out just to do something different (I’ve had pretty much the same hairstyle since high school).

I grow them out, and what comes back? Bangs. I’m not big on style, but the whole thing makes me chuckle. I seem to have horrible timing sometimes.

It spans over to our finances too. Right now if you have the money, you have some great bargaining power when it comes to real estate. I still regularly check real estate in the area even though we can’t buy anything right now. Wouldn’t you know it…there is a house that has many of the things we are looking for. It’s small, has a nice open layout and has a nice yard for a big garden. Alas, we aren’t in a financial position to pursue the purchase of that home.

We also can’t afford to buy stocks right now. When the markets dip like they have, some say it’s time to buy. I don’t know a lot about the stock market yet, but part of me feels like we are missing out on this.

I try to look on the bright side of things so deep down I know that even though it seems like our timing is off sometimes – things will work themselves out. There will be other opportunities and at some point we will be in a better position to be able to take advantage of them. I just need to have patience (which is tough sometimes!).

by Tricia

During our debt reduction journey, there were times where I became so focused on reducing our debt it started to consume me. When I wasn’t working, I was on the computer trying to make more money or trying to find ways to save more money. Then there were the times that I went around the house room to room looking for stuff to sell. My husband knows something is up when that happens. Maybe we had a little set-back or maybe I was just getting sick of the debt.

It’s hard because you can’t let money take over your life. There should be a balance. I haven’t always been the best at finding that balance. Sometimes life has a way of making you say, “Whoa, wait a minute.” Then things get put back into perspective, at least for a while.

I had a moment like that not too long ago after a friend lost a family member. At the funeral, there were no words said about money. The only words said were about a great person that is no longer with us. The memories weren’t about getting money or spending money. They were about the time spent with that person.

That said, I am taking a complete day off tomorrow. There will be no working on the computer at all. No business work and unfortunately, no blogging on here. I am going to spend the day spending some quality time with my family. I need a mini-break from, well…thinking about money 🙂