Can you have debt and peace?
Believe it or not this blog started off as a debt blog. I was divorced with a debt of $35,500. I had come across other debt bloggers and found much knowledge and support from their posts, so I took the plunge and started blogging here. The interesting thing though about all this is if you go way back to my early posts you won’t find many on debt. You see this blog started with me being anonymous. I was probably 5 to 10 posts in blogging about debt, and then like many I discovered my heart and soul was gaining courage and they had a few things to say too. On one eventful night, I took the plunge, removed my mask, changed the blog to FadedJeansLiving.com a “Life Blog”, and in the process DELETED most of the blog entries on my personal debt!
Why you may ask? I was embarrassed by it. The blog now had my real name and even a picture of me. My goodness what would happen if people found out who knew me? You’re probably chuckling after all the “real personal shit” I have since posted. You need to understand though this was over 4 years ago and I was very green about the benefits of being vulnerable and sharing. I wish I had never deleted them now, obviously. It would of been neat to see where I was during those raw moment of my life. Live and learn as they say.
One question I wish I had asked with each new debt was will this bring me peace? Unfortunately, I realize back then I know what the answer would of been. It would of been either well sure it does, OR frick off I don’t have time to think about peace I’ve got living to do! Big sigh. My debt started with college, for that was what you were to do, so I did my part and played along. Then the good job came and a BIG house was needed as dictated in the next part of the song. Buy the biggest you can afford they sang with a 30 year mortgage, you’ll grow into it..trust us. And growing I did. New cars were needed to fill the 2 car garage and with the 3,300 sq ft furniture was needed. Why wait like your parents did and purchase mostly with cash. No problem you now have good credit. Credit is your friend?
So as as the years passed by I kept biggering and so did the debt. I was living the good life so THEY say. Yes, there was some discomforts felt that within this didn’t feel completely right or even good at times, so a bit of action was put in place. Dave Ramsey’s book Financial Peace entered my life, budgets were drawn up, and beans and rice were bought for dinner. Total debt removal was the plan. The problem with plans and actions is you must act. Pull the trigger, live it. Well this other guy also came into the scene named Robert Kiyosaki with his book Rich Dad,Poor Dad. I didn’t want be poor dad, so I said goodbye to old Dave.
I never thought I would ever be a landlord, but at one time I had three houses I “owned” and was renting out. There were home equity loans here and there with credit cards maxed out due to remodeling them and getting them up to snuff. Also I was selling and moving into homes for me and my family along the way. Fixing them up, getting bored, and moving again. Each time going more in debt, but not to worry because I now had investments.
Well, as many of you know, this story didn’t end well. I was divorced in 2015, $35,500 in debt as this story began, had to let go of the big house. I moved into one of our rentals. The ex moved into the other rental. And to top it off they are located one house apart from each other. KARMA. Ha.
Well that’s a good intro to my debt. Have I learned anything from it and do I have any advice? Yes and will share in future posts. In closing, I’m back following Dave. It just works better for me. And just like getting out of the fog from alcohol for me, getting out of debt has brought me peace. Ironically I got sober and paid of that debt both in the same year – 2019.
It will bring you peace, too. You can remove debt from your life.
More to come,
Dwight
