Comments on: Outstanding Debt as of December 2008

By: How I Save Money Visits: 28 December 2008 | How I Save Money.net

How I Save Money Visits: 28 December 2008 | How I Save Money.net — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:40:58 +0000

[...] “Outstanding Debt as of December 2008” at Debt Reduction Formula. Ryan takes a hard look at what he owes in order to make plans for next year. [...]

By: Ryan Healy

Ryan Healy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:31:35 +0000

@Amy – Hmmm… a rusty car from 1989. Yeah, I think it may be time to replace it. ;-)

@Terry – Thanks for the encouragement, brother! I really appreciate it.

For us, we’ve been taking care of three young kids 24/7 for the last year… and we’re really looking forward to getting our first night away by ourselves since May 2007.

I suspect the urge to splurge is sometimes a way to create perceived excitement in our life when we’re feeling trapped or burnt out. At least for Steph and me.

As you pointed out though, it just feels different when you buy something outright. We did that this past summer when we bought a new bed. We were sleeping on a bed from 1982 that we’d gotten free from our neighbors. So it was time. And it felt great to purchase it with cash.

Thanks for the reminder.

By: Terry Dean

Terry Dean — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:47:42 +0000

Keep up the good work! Resist those temptations. I remember when Julie and I went through that. It was painful at times as you’re resisting the urge to splurge on something. We just found lower cost ways to splurge and celebrate.

But it actually feels so good when you make a breakthrough and buy stuff with cash you used to have to use credit for. For us, one of the first items like that was a new couch we bought. It felt different than when you bought it with credit.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:27:35 +0000

I’m driving a rusty 1989 Toyota! I’m definitely
thinking it’s time to replace it!

By: Ryan Healy

Ryan Healy — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:48:16 +0000

@Leah – Thanks for your comment. You made me laugh. :-)

Certainly, we’ll hold onto the Odyssey for a long time yet. It’s practically brand new.

The Elantra is a bit older. I’ve thought about selling it now because there’s usually a “sweet spot” around the 7-year mark for getting a decent price for your vehicle. After that, it usually takes a big drop in price.

On the flip side, the car only has 81,000 miles on it, so it’s got a lot of life left in it.