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I've had it!
I wanted to tell everyone the moment I realized I was in trouble.
I worked for a fitness center for many years and I also ran a small business on the side. I rented out a school gym and I had aerobic classes all year round. I pulled in over 50K, then in the mid 90's personal training became popular. Personal training became a big money maker for me for my business and I started making well over 6 figures. The money was good, very good. My favorite past-times were vacations to see my sponsor kids, spas, dining out with friends, gifts to family and friends. I spent, spent and spent.
In 2008, I decided to work at my job only 2 hours a week, just to keep my 401k going and do my business full-time. The money was still good and then the economy crashed. I didn't crash with it but I was nervous. My clients stuck with me and I spent, spent, and spent. Around late 2009, I started having trouble paying my bills and my husband picked up the slack for me. I told him I lost some clients and I'm having a little trouble. My husband would ask me all the time, "how much are you bringing in and how much are you spending?", and I couldn't answer him. My business records were lousy.
Around spring of last year, I was in trouble and I told my husband I couldn't go on our 20th wedding anniversary because of my debt. He was upset and we went anyway along with his brother and his wife. They flew from France just to celebrate with us. I racked up more debt.
In September of 2011, I had promised my girlfriend I would go to Vegas with her. She was there for her job and she had a suite at the Venetian for $92.00 a night. I made a promise so I went broke and all. My hubby gave me $300 for the week-end trip. I was very sad and upset with myself. I couldn't do my favorite things in Vegas, like going to upscale restaurants and do my spa thing. On the second day there is when I had my Scarlet O'Hara moment. My girlfriend had gone to her conference. If you haven't seen Gone with the Wind, let me explain it to you. Scarlett had just arrived home from Atlanta and Sherman's army had just marched through her town. Her mother had just died of typhoid, her dad had gone crazy and all the negro slaves had run off except Mammy, Prissy and Pork. She was starving and she went into the field and found a root and started eating it and it made her vomit, that's when she had her epiphany .
"As God is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!" I started yelling that out loud in the room. I yelled, "As God is my witness, as God is my witness I will never be in debt again."
I came back to home found a book called Zero Debt, I read it cover to cover in two days, I started canceling everything I didn't need, I sold things, I did my business books, I went CRAZY. By the middle of October I heard the DR program for the first time and then I got crazier. By the end of October, I started feeling much better, I was paying bills and the first time knew what my business was really doing. I'm glad I went to Vegas because it made me hit rock bottom and it saved me. If I can do it you can do it.
I wanted to tell everyone the moment I realized I was in trouble.
I worked for a fitness center for many years and I also ran a small business on the side. I rented out a school gym and I had aerobic classes all year round. I pulled in over 50K, then in the mid 90's personal training became popular. Personal training became a big money maker for me for my business and I started making well over 6 figures. The money was good, very good. My favorite past-times were vacations to see my sponsor kids, spas, dining out with friends, gifts to family and friends. I spent, spent and spent.
In 2008, I decided to work at my job only 2 hours a week, just to keep my 401k going and do my business full-time. The money was still good and then the economy crashed. I didn't crash with it but I was nervous. My clients stuck with me and I spent, spent, and spent. Around late 2009, I started having trouble paying my bills and my husband picked up the slack for me. I told him I lost some clients and I'm having a little trouble. My husband would ask me all the time, "how much are you bringing in and how much are you spending?", and I couldn't answer him. My business records were lousy.
Around spring of last year, I was in trouble and I told my husband I couldn't go on our 20th wedding anniversary because of my debt. He was upset and we went anyway along with his brother and his wife. They flew from France just to celebrate with us. I racked up more debt.
In September of 2011, I had promised my girlfriend I would go to Vegas with her. She was there for her job and she had a suite at the Venetian for $92.00 a night. I made a promise so I went broke and all. My hubby gave me $300 for the week-end trip. I was very sad and upset with myself. I couldn't do my favorite things in Vegas, like going to upscale restaurants and do my spa thing. On the second day there is when I had my Scarlet O'Hara moment. My girlfriend had gone to her conference. If you haven't seen Gone with the Wind, let me explain it to you. Scarlett had just arrived home from Atlanta and Sherman's army had just marched through her town. Her mother had just died of typhoid, her dad had gone crazy and all the negro slaves had run off except Mammy, Prissy and Pork. She was starving and she went into the field and found a root and started eating it and it made her vomit, that's when she had her epiphany .
"As God is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!" I started yelling that out loud in the room. I yelled, "As God is my witness, as God is my witness I will never be in debt again."
I came back to home found a book called Zero Debt, I read it cover to cover in two days, I started canceling everything I didn't need, I sold things, I did my business books, I went CRAZY. By the middle of October I heard the DR program for the first time and then I got crazier. By the end of October, I started feeling much better, I was paying bills and the first time knew what my business was really doing. I'm glad I went to Vegas because it made me hit rock bottom and it saved me. If I can do it you can do it.
Dave Ramsey and others feel you should combine your incomes but we have been doing this for 21 years now but maybe one day when my debt is gone..........
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