What a month it has been! Stephanie and I finally moved into
a guest house and made a large payment today towards our debt ($1,000 to be
exact). Our total debt is now a shade under $38,000 which feels great because
we have made a large payment like that for almost 2 months. Hopefully, we are
going to be making at LEAST $1,000/month in payments towards our debt from here
on out, which is fantastic.
I was watching a documentary on the student loan debt crisis
and had to turn it off because of how upset I was getting. I was upset because I
hate that I am one of the many, many Americans having to pay back the government
because I was an idiot and took out loans without knowing how they worked. Can you
imagine buying a house and not EVER being told what your interest rate is or
your monthly payment? Of course not! If you take out a loan, no matter what loan it is, without fully understanding every detail, you might as well be throwing your money down the toilet. Well, unfortunately that is basically what
I did when I took out my student loans.
I have touched on this subject before, but our society sucks
so much at delaying pleasure. We want what we want and we want it now. Saving up
to pay for something sounds stupid to a culture when we can swipe a credit card
and have it this instant. College is the SAME way. Why save your money and pay
for college one class at a time when you can take out student loans right now?
I hate avoidable debt because it just shows how impatient we are.
Stephanie and I are so very thankful for the guest house we
are living in and for the couple allowing us to live there. However, I did not
think I would moving into someone’s backyard 4 months into my marriage because
of debt. Sure, we could buy a house and live paycheck to paycheck and worry
every single month whether or not we will be able to pay our mortgage and take
the next 25 years to pay down my student loans, but I can’t do that to my
family. We are sacrificing, which is a foreign concept to a lot of people.
Stephanie and I are excited for the future and to get out of
debt, but it is a LONG road that we are not taking lightly. Don’t make the same
mistake I made. Avoid debt and don’t buy something unless you can pay for it.
Student loan debt and credit cards are not good things. Don’t be fooled by
them.
-
Brian
