Is it February already? I love the beginning of the month because it means that I can go shopping. I know what you're thinking, shopping, like heading to the mall and department stores for clothes and other fun accessories.
Nope, I'm talking about grocery shopping, buying everyday basics from Walmart and Target like diapers, lightbulbs, toilet paper, etc. You see, Matt and I have a budget where we allocate a certain amount of money to all of our expenses each month and we try (and for the most part succeed) in keeping to the budget. At the end of the month, we take any left over money and divide into to two funds - savings and debt reduction.
What you need to know about me is that I detest debt. Some might say that I am terrified by it and they're probably right. How I ever agreed to marry a Harvard Law student accumulating a tremendous amount of student loan debt is bizarre in and of itself. Luckily for Matt, his other amazing qualities overshadowed that detail.
So my quest in life, for the time being, is to pay off our debt as soon as possible. This means taking every spare penny and put it towards principle. Other women would like to buy new clothes or nice things for their homes, I just want to write out big fat checks to our student loan creditors.
By the end of the month, we have usually spent most or all of the money that we have allocated for everyday expenses, so I try to avoid going to the store even if it means scrimping and scrounging around for food in my kitchen.* This month is no exception, I have only bought the essentials at the grocery store for the past two weeks. Come the first of the month, I can buy more than just milk at the store.** It's a wonderful thing to look forward to. And even Ellie may get some some new clothes as she is growing out of her current ones.***
*Fortunately, Matt supports me in this insane quest of self denial in order to pay off the debt sooner rather than later.
**I'm truly grateful however, that this budget is personally imposed and not a reality of circumstances. If I really needed to use the money rather than put it towards debt reduction, I could. If some unforeseen cost came up, we could probably handle it. I've been in situations where that wasn't the case and I know how frightening that can be. This is probably why I am so terrified of debt in general.
***Lucky girl, she actually has a good excuse for needing new clothes. I can't justify any new clothes yet.
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