Money, Money, Money!!

It's time to...get serious.

Get serious about my financial life.

Okay, this is where it becomes real. I love Dave Ramsey! I am a HUGE fan! I have and have listened to all of his series on the financial life, and how to get out of debt, and save $$$$$$. I get super excited go on the stream of thinking: I CAN DO THIS!!! And then reality hits....

Here's one of my extreme weaknesses: I LOVE spending money. It's almost an addiction. Okay, I can admit it really is an addiction. I am definitely the "Free Spirit" and "Spender" out of the two categories he provides. The main time I spend money is when I'm upset... I go buy myself my favorite drink (Diet Dr. Pepper) and go shopping! Generally, I stick to buying movies and books. I spend hours upon hours (literally) in these shops when I'm upset-even when I'm not- and end up purchasing more than I should. I unfortunately have what one of my favorite professors calls, "Poverty Mentality" or spend what you make and don't save. (That's scary to type out).

Extreme weakness #2....I can't get rid of things. I'm not a hoarder (yet), but I am a serious pack rat. It's quite frankly ridiculous. I get in moods every so often where I just want to get rid of items, and I do....but that's once in a blue moon.

I've tried to have "Gazelle Intensity" in selling items, but I end up making excuses. Lousy excuses.

One reason it is really easy for me to make excuses for myself right now is I'm not actually SEEING the debt. The ONLY debt I have right now are my feisty student loans. Now, don't get me wrong, it's a chunk of change, but it's the only thing that is on my debt cart. My car was given to me as a blessing (and what a blessing that is!), I have never used or opened a credit card account, and I don't have a mortgage. Since, I don't have payments on them because I'm still in school, and I know I don't HAVE to pay them off currently. So I just don't think about them....until they come into my dreams. Seriously.

You may be wondering-Why are you telling me this, Holly? Well, it's for accountability. You see, I'm a spender, and I have used it as an excuse for far tooooooooo long. It's time to move on from excuses. It's time to get serious.

I look at the accounts....and nothing has changed. I even had to ask for help for what should have been my responsibility. I have justified my actions for far too long. It's time.

SO, I'm going to try something new... I found it on the beloved pinterest.com. It's a blog talking about how she got out of debt, and out of debt FAST! Literally. She did a spending fast. I feel like it takes a different approach from the Dave Ramsey style (which I still adore). Check out her sassy style at andthewesaved.com

I am extremely familiar with fasting. Growing up my family used to do certain fasts-particularly the first few weeks of January. Whether from food, television, soda, movies, books (Mom and Dad never let me fast school...I didn't understand why.) we fasted and used that time to seek God and His will. I NEVER thought to do a spending fast. Now, if you go to this site, she doesn't link it to biblical view or anything, but I am-because that's WHO I am.

God doesn't call us to live in poverty. He calls us to help the poor and the widows. How could I continue to do what I'm called with continuing to be completely irresponsible?

I'm asking you, internet world, to keep me accountable in this process.