Today I was checking out financial blogs. The odd part of my life is that I'm pretty good with money, and always have been, but that the last couple years have brought on a ton of debt. I've been a do-gooder lately; most of the debt was accumulated before I became a professional do-gooder, but the money you receive for doing good is not the kind that helps you pay off the debt. So, each month, I paid my bills and kept things straight. Sometimes, it was tough just to pay all the bills on time, much less try to find time to start retirement savings or pay off debt.
Yet I did manage to start a small IRA this past year, which brought me some comfort. Recently I also began a plan to completely pay off my debt in the next couple of years (without having to live like a total pauper to do it). Both of these facts bring me comfort, even as I'm about to embark on law school and the pile of debt that comes with that. I can forgive myself for the school debt, though. Partially because it's extremely common for people my age, partially because I have no debt from undergrad to build upon, and partially because I am aware of this debt going into it. I'm not stumbling into it accidentally, the way the rest of my debt started -- leaving a long-term relationship, being without a job or a house for several months (but continuing to have bills to pay on things like storage), and when I would find jobs, they wouldn't pay well or last long. When I finally did start making consitently, it was the poorly paying do-gooding. Rebuilding my life from the days when I had nothing has been difficult, and returning to school and a return to forward motion instead of simply picking up pieces. The debt for law school is a step backward, but it is, in some ways, a very important step forward as well. It's a necessary evil for getting to a place where my life will continue into the future, and I'm okay with that.
Nervous, but okay.
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