How I Escaped from Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck ∞ Get Rich Slowly
Posted by Rodney | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 01-01-2008
Tags: Blog, Finance
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Digging through some old sites and came across this one. I marked it, but never returned. Good articles here like this one. It bears more exploring.
How I Escaped from Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck ∞ Get Rich Slowly
Monday, 2nd July 2007 (by J.D.)
This article is about Money Hacks, Basics, Budgeting
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Many of you wrote last week to say that I was too harsh on my friend Gillian, the woman with the “I can’t” attitude. Perhaps you’re right — I may have given up too early. I used to live like she does, and if I can turn it around, anyone can.
For a decade I was a deficit spender. I spent more than I earned. I used credit cards to fund a lifestyle that was beyond my means. Eventually I wised up — I destroyed my credit cards and cancelled my accounts, but my worries weren’t over yet. I wasn’t digging any deeper, but I was still stuck at the bottom of a hole: I was living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Twice a month I would deposit my paycheck, pay my bills, and then look to see how much was left. Whether the surplus was $20 or $200, I made plans for it: comic books, video games, clothes, whatever. I used to joke that I was an expert at spending every penny I had. Except that it was no joke. Late at night, when I couldn’t sleep, I would wonder why I could never get ahead.
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