Anybody else having issues?

[Mathew Green]

As an addendum to what I said above, over the years I have found 'Life 101' by Peter McWilliams very comforting when things aren't turning out the way I thought they would.

I just posted a link to the Peter McWilliams website in the Freebies-->Books forum. You can download Life 101 and other books there, including several he wrote about depression.

Link to my message: http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/s...7933#post87933

Link to his books online free: http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/books

[Mathew Green]

Back to the original topic:

Yes, we all have issues.

On Wednesday night I had my budget for the next six months all planned out.

On Thursday afternoon I was at the library and in browsing a get-out-of-debt book I was shocked by a chapter that advocates making only the minimum required payment on your installment debts. "What a moron," I thought (and checked the book out to see what other outrageous advice it contained.)

On Friday morning I took my car in for a $200 repair, and it ended up costing me $672 because my muffler was rusting out and other things needed to be done that I had hoped wouldn't fall apart for at least another year. I don't have an extra $472 in my budget to cover the repairs. I don't even have $400 total in my emergency fund!

On Friday evening I began reading the library book, starting at page one, and the more I read the more sense it made to me. I still disagreed with her, but it was starting to make sense, expecially for someone like me who has already knocked off about half his debt and has gotten his interest rates down to 13%-14% instead of 18%-19%. Maybe the flying fickle finger of fate really was trying to tell me something. So I decided to keep my total CC debt steady for a few months while I build up my emergency fund. I will in fact be paying less than the minimum since I'll be buying just enough gas and groceries on the CC to keep the balance from going down, but not enough to make it go up. All the extra money I was planning to send to the CC company, will now be going straight into the emergency fund instead.

Sometimes you've just got to make a decision and do what you think is right, even if it's contrary to something that has proven itself true in the past. So, here I am. I turned my budget upside down, made the e-fund a priority, demoted debt reduction to last place, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It looks good in my excel spreadsheet, but will it work in real life? Only time will tell.

[JanH]

Shengmei, my daughter had a group of people that turned on her and did some awful things to her life. She felt alone and unlikeable. These people weren't the nicest in the world, but she took it so hard. Blaming herself alot too. She has been diagnosed with Social anxiety disorder and medicated for it and her life has changed. She no longer picks people that hurt her and she can deal with the ones who try to. I am amazed. She was already medicated for depression and panic attacks. These things are chemical problems that can be helped. The others are right, please get some help. As someone told me when I went through it, you don't have to feel this way. This may be not seem to apply to your case, but I just want you to find someone who can help your own situation. Things have come a long way in medical care. Unfortunately, there are people who just don't get it. I have had good people say some hurtful things. But we know how you feel. There are more of us than you think. Take care.

[Bookie]

Mathew Green, are you reading a book by Carol Keeffe?

[veronak]

I know what you mean seems like when every I am there or close to being there (debt free that is ) something always come up (Murphy that is) but I am keeping my head up because I have a feeling by 2007 I will be debt free

[Mathew Green]

Originally Posted by Bookie

Mathew Green, are you reading a book by Carol Keeffe?

Yes, but I'm only in the second chapter and not ready yet to post a review of it. All I can say at this point is her advice is making more sense than I thought it would.

[shengmei]

Thanks for all the support guys. You just made me feel much happier

[Elgin526]

Last month was bad for us too! Wedding pictures we had to order ($700, at least that's the END of wedding expenses, we got married last October!), $350 for wood we need for the fence, had to buy it before Home Depot cleared it out for the winter. A few car parts here, a few doctors bills there, pretty soon it all starts adding up to real money!

We didn't charge a dime (and haven't since we came home from the honeymoon) but it reduces what we can pay towards the debt we DO have. Oh well, this month hasn't had any unexpected bills (well, we do have to fix the roof but that wasn't unexpected per sey, it just has to be moved up, we were hoping for next spring) and it's a 5 paycheck month for DH, and my company anounced we WILL get a year end bonus in December, plus December is another month of 5 paychecks for DH and 3 for me (normally two 'cause I get paid every other Friday). So by the end of the year we'll be ahead of the game for paying off debt. But still it gets discouraging when there's a month where everything seems to go wrong at once!