Well... I achieved another bucket list goal.

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Well... I achieved another bucket list goal. A couple of years ago, I lost one of my income sources. I had not yet moved into where I am at now...so 90% of my income was eaten up by rent. It was the only place I could find where I could give a weeks noticed when the other place became available. And my lease was on a week to week basis; so I did not have to worry about being locked into a long lease. Unfortunately for a few months, I ended up having to live on my credit card. Plus... During this time, I also needed to replace all four tires; get a new battery, which was not cheap; get new brakes; and repair my air conditioner. Nevertheless... In the end, I had jacked up a $2,000 debt. After I moved into my new place..my goal was to have this debt paid off by June of 2021. That gave me a timeframe of 1.5 years. This was a touch goal due to my income. But I was determined and focused to get the job done! So I increased my monthly payments by approximately $200 to $300 a month; depending upon what my needs were. Sometimes the payments were a little more, and sometimes a little less. But my payments were always more than the minimum. Plus... I still managed to put away almost $2,000 in savings during this time period, too. I just basically lived on less than $100 a month after all my bills were paid. It was the pandemic, so it made it easier to do. It gave me just enough money to eat out every now and then. And many times, I still managed to have as much as $50 leftover each month from that money. Anyway... I am happy to report that I achieved my goal four months early. I made my final $300 payment last month (February). My American Express card is now completely paid off! And I did not use any stimulus money to do it. Every payment came from my income from SSA, and my art sales. It is a nice feeling... It is amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. It also is a good lesson to show how much we spend money on frivolous things. I spent years listening to Suze Orman, and Dave Ramsey. And we Americans waste so much of our money without thinking about it. All we need is a little discipline and a few goals, and you will start to realize you have way more money than you thought you did... I can remember back when I was making a very healthy income, I applied their principles...and in a matter of six months I had saved over $23,000. But when things starting going downhill, and I had more going out then coming in...that savings eventually dried up. Due to my income... I can't come even close to saving that much money short term. But the point is... I am saving something. Their mottos are: give some; save some; spend some. So I started applying those same principles again when I moved to my new place. I give and bless residents every month. I save every month. In fact... Last month I just opened up my first CD account in decades. And I have my $100 a month guiltless money (is what they call it)... It is money we can spend on anything, and not feel guilty about it. I have yet to ever spend the entire $100. I know some of you can't. I was there... For numerous years. So I get it, and I understand. I barely had anything to eat, much less save. But even if you put just .50 in a jar every week. You will be surprised how eventually that money will add up. I started doing that in the beginning...and I ended up with several hundred dollar in my jars, before I knew it. Anyway... I thank the Lord so much. Because even in the middle of a horrible economic crisis; I am doing better now, than I have in years.