Debt

People seldom talk openly about their finances. So, here’s my net worth from Mint.com from October 2009 until now.

At my worst, I was carrying revolving debt of $9,240 in November 2010. I’ve paid all that off, and I ended the month of September with my Net Worth above nothing and with zero debt.

Even spending modestly living in New York, it is too easy to enter a “debt spiral”. The hardest thing to do but the best thing I ever did was learn how to say Sounds like fun, but I can’t afford to do that so I’ll pass.

I turned down numerous casual weekday dinner invitations, ended nights a little earlier, and didn’t go on weekend getaways. It sucks to have to  say no, but I couldn’t keep up financially with all of the opportunities that were presented to me.

So my advice from exiting the debt spiral:

Don’t be ashamed of your finances and learn to say no. You’ll be richer for it.

If you’re in debt, I’d recommend Ready for Zero as the best tool to track your progress and encourage you as you get out of debt. Also check out my success profile on the Ready for Zero blog.