LBYM - Why? Do I have to? Doesn't it suck?

Living Below My Means

I'm getting really tired of hearing people brag about how they'd rather *live* than have to stick to a budget!  They should get to do what they want!  OMG, people, grow up already.  You can't spend more than you make for any length of time.  Basic math should tell you so.  And the longer you do it, the more of your money goes to interest charges instead of living, until even teensy bits of luxury are difficult to afford.  Why are you so broke now?  Because all of your money is paying for your irresponsible spending in the past.  You can't *live* now because you were too eager to *live* before.  So what do you do?  You either make more or spend less.  There just aren't any other choices.

Right now I'm getting out from under a mountain of debt from my marriage.  Does it suck?  Yes.  I'd much rather have the second income, the housekeeper, the new cars, the restaurant meals, the season tickets to the theater, the weekends at the river, etc.  And it frustrates the hell out of me to be paying twice as much on my house as I bought it for because of absorbing all of the debt from xDH's failed business, plus having the $x in credit card debt.  But the reality is that I'm spending $y each month just on minimum payments on this debt, and once that is paid off I can have that same $y each month to *live* with!  I can use it to blow my nose if I want, and not be living any lower than I do now.  And it's certainly enough money to hire another housekeeper and make a car payment if that's what I want to do with it (which it isn't).

But meanwhile, I get to buckle down and cope with less fun money so I can pay off that debt.  It's like, if I were a kid, having to clean my room before I go out to play.  Except that it's not a 1 hour task that I can hurry through, I am going to be on it for a couple more years.  But I'm old enough to know that shoving it all under the bed doesn't actually help.  Yeah, I wouldn't see it anymore - but it would still be there waiting for me and getting dirtier and I'd have to drag it all out if I wanted any of it.  Those are MY things under there that I'd have to do without!  And going out to play right away just isn't important enough to do that - I can go play tomorrow.  And once I finally get my room clean?  I'll still have to pick up after myself, and dust and vacuum regularly, but if I do that basic maintenance it won't ever again be the pigsty it is now.

So - does it suck?  Only a little.  But it's going to be so nice when it's done. And Momma ain't gonna come along and do it for me, so I guess I've got to do it myself.

And tomorrow I'll be outside playing, when a lot of the other kids are grounded.

So nyah!