Proving it to myself.....

This month we have officially gone one full year without charging ANYTHING!! Last year at this time we were up to our eyeballs in debt. We had transferred medical bills to credit cards thinking we could take advantage of the 0% interest rates, but that rate expires after a year and then what? They jack those rates up sky high. We were soon caught in the ugly cycle of minimum payments and never getting anywhere. Soon minimum payments were $900/month and I was working solely to pay minimum payments on credit cards. It sucked, we were both working so hard and getting no where. We had struggled for years playing catch up, just when we got a bit ahead of the ball the car broke down or we got laid off. Finally we made the heart wrenching decision that something drastic needed to be done. After seeking financial advice, it was determined our best bet would probably be just to file bankruptcy. So we consulted a lawyer and began the process. I don't want to say this is a good thing, but in the long run I think it will be. I wish we had made better financial decisions, and I wish we hadn't had a very sick child, or lay-offs, or lemons for vehicles. Wish, wish, wish! All we can do now is try to do better. Last year, when I was challenged not to charge ANYTHING I never thought I would be able to do it. No gas charged, but what if I need groceries and the budget is blown? So, I took a deep breath and we cut those cards up. I learned to shop on a budget. If the grocery budget was blown, we lived on toast and milk and cereal for a week. We survived. We learned to make less trips to save gas, or combine several shopping stops into one. I learned that just because I wanted something didn't mean I needed it. I learned that we could get by on a lot less and be just as happy, even more actually. We spent more time together, we talked more, we played games, did puzzles, and ate more meals at home. Now today reading this, I think "Anna, but this is common sense stuff!" I guess we just got caught up in the instant gratification and if you want it, you need it, you deserve it mentality. But the truth is, I don't need it. And if I want it that bad, I can wait, save, and when I finally do get it I'll be that more appreciative of it. So that is how I am looking at this new healthy lifestyle. I want it, it might take time. It might be hard, but in the end it will be worth it. I will appreciate it more because I did the hard work. I earned it. Hopefully, in one year I can look back and write a blog entry on this weight loss journey. On how I thought I would never be able to do it, but in the end the only person I had to prove it to was myself.