get serious

Ever have one of those moments where everything comes into focus?

I had one of those a couple of years ago, just before I started this blog. The epiphany was related to working out and being healthy. In previous years, I always had problems sticking to workout plans. I'd do a week or two and then quit.

But, after sitting down with a trainer, I knew that I had to get serious about my health, if I wanted to look like a "leading man" and, more importantly, if I wanted to live longer than many of the men in my family. I radically changed my diet, and got serious about exercise. And those lessons have stuck with me to this day. I may not work out as hard as I used to, but at least now I'm aware of the choices I'm making.

I had a similar one yesterday morning about my finances.

I carry a lot of credit card debt. I'm not ashamed of this (although some people think I should be). I didn't fully realize, when I was an undergraduate, that the things I bought today would eventually have to be paid for. So I ran up quite a sizeable tab. And I've never recovered.

That debt has caused me a lot of grief over the last ten years or so, and has indirectly caused more debt. (You know, not having cash to pay for things because my money was already going towards credit, so you charge more things, etc...) And now I'm in a pretty big hole. Not insurmountable, but daunting.

I realized yesterday that I needed to get serious about paying the cards off. I need to stop wasting money on frivolous things, like beer, or plane tickets, and concentrate on meeting my financial obligations. And I can't afford to waste any more time.

So we're getting serious about budgeting again. It's not going to be particularly fun. But it's gotta be done.