Or, actually, until 2017, if I cut out all gratuitous spending. Five years seems likes a long time. A really long time. Or maybe, not really that long, considering I've lived in Utah for eight years....
This post is depressing me.
I've decided that I really need to be grounded. I need to quit charging plane tickets, no matter how much I want to go home for Christmas, (and I need to be more careful about making my flights and scheduling the right itineraries, etc.).
No more eating out.
No more eating period.
No more books.
No more weekend movies. No more full-priced movies.
No more Wicked tickets. Or theater tickets of any kind. And certainly no more extravagant gifts. No more new clothes. Or shoes. Or make-up. Or jewelry.
Back to coloring my own hair. (Shudder. Cringe. Full-blown tantrum.) No more getting pedicures, manicures, and definitely no more considering the idea of waxing, massages, or any other unnecessary beauty treatment.
No more doctor's appointments. And I better not get sick, either, because I'm not going to pay for meds.
Fewer cleaning products. (I buy a surprisingly large amount of these.)
No more dinner parties. Or throwing parties.
If I don't go anywhere, except to work, I won't have to buy as much gas.
I can't keep buying episodes of Suits and Justified on Amazon.com.
No more gym membership (that I don't use, anyway).
Continue to live in student housing, since clearly I can't afford to live on my own, yet.
Basically, I need to lock myself up in a room without internet access, and not come out except to go to work and to church, and then hope, that by 2017, I will be debt-free and not too past my prime that there still might be a chance that I'll find someone to marry. Because, let's face it, if I cut yourself out of 90% of social activities because I can't afford to participate; stop getting my hair done (hello, grays!) and buying my good make-up, and let my eyebrows grow out and my nails to look nasty; stop enjoying all the things I really love, because I don't want to pay for it or feel restless and unhappy because I hate being cooped up in one place for too long...
Once I've done all of that, I might be debt-free, but I'll be a pretty scary shell of a person. Can you just imagine? I'd be... hairy (razors are expensive too, so we might as well just throw them out) with long toe nails and gnawed off fingernails, wearing my $9 WalMart glasses (probably with the wrong prescription), long gray hair, no make-up, raggedy clothes, and completely out of touch with reality. Also, 32 years old.
Holy. Crap.
Yup, I'm definitely grounded. Maybe if I were to give up most of this stuff, then I could cut the five years down to three. The problem is: I know I did this to myself. I'm terrible about managing money. Budgeting is completely lost on me. So yeah, grounded.... No more. This has to end.
But first, I have to prepare for my trip to Hawaii. And I'm definitely going to need a new swimsuit for that. And a floppy hat...
Mint.com is depressing. Cary loves it. I can't handle the glaring pie chart telling me half my income is spent on housing--"SO I DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN A RAT INFESTED HELL HOLE!!!! EXCUSE ME MINT.COM"
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, good luck cutting things out, although I always find it's easier to get a better paying job... or a second job. Then you have more money and less time to spend it.
I forgot I was on cary's computer...
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, I think you can make this happen. You should start a blog focused solely on tackling your debt issues as a modern 20 something girl. You give tips on looking good, frugal clothing finds, what make up to skimp on, how to make it go further, activities for free/cheap, etc. Then you'll start pulling in money through blogging and you'll be learning to manage your spending. win win.
Or go to a library for books. Go to the library for movies. Go to the dollar theatre. Only see shows when you bought tickets via groupon/living social. Skip eating out and then you can also skip the gym. Walk places to save on gas and get exercise since you skipped the gym. Oh and invest in hulu or netflix instead of buying tv on dvd--or wait til they go on sale for $4 on black friday.
OR... marry rich. Looks fade, but money...
I like Carla's ideas! We SHOULD start a blog for both of us. Also - I have a feeling I'm going to avoid mint.com.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to reply to a few things since my monthly expenses just shot up dramatically (my car died 2 weeks ago, so I needed to buy another). I've been looking for ways to save as well.
ReplyDeleteNo more eating out. - This is not fun (I don't like having to cook nearly every day), but totally possible. One of my roommates had a book called $7 meals; maybe that would be a good one to look up at the library.
No more eating period. - See above.
No more books. - I agree with Carla. Library. I have a mini library card on my key ring (cool!) so I don't have to worry about losing my card or not having it with me when the urge to read strikes.
No more weekend movies. No more full-priced movies. - I pretty much gave these up when I moved to Cali. $15 for a movie is just too much.
No more Wicked tickets. Or theater tickets of any kind. And certainly no more extravagant gifts. No more new clothes. Or shoes. Or make-up. Or jewelry. - New clothes? What's that? Haha, kidding. I've usually had a friend or roommate or two that have shared clothing with me; it's a great way to double your wardrobe for free (of course, I shared my clothes with them too).
Back to coloring my own hair. (Shudder. Cringe. Full-blown tantrum.) No more getting pedicures, manicures, and definitely no more considering the idea of waxing, massages, or any other unnecessary beauty treatment. - Find someone who can help color your hair with the dye you buy, and trade services. Do something for her in return. Buy a $2 bottle of nail polish and spend a few minutes doing your own nails.
No more dinner parties. Or throwing parties. - Potlucks-yes, Decorations-no.
No more gym membership (that I don't use, anyway). - Free hiking! Complex swimming pool (when it's open)! Climb a tree! =)
Tweezing your own eyebrows might take practice, but you can do this Shelli!! 2017! Show me the GREEN! (That was supposed to be me cheering for you...)