congratulations are in order!

very exciting news!

i FINALLY have a zero balance on the most naggiest of credit cards. this isn't the card that had the highest balance or highest interest rate (ah, wait, it DID have the highest interest rate - double congrats for me), but this was the card that had been all too easy to use even after i vowed to "not use credit cards anymore." it was the one that i stupidly kept in my wallet, and pulled out to pay for this and that, then got irritated when i saw the charges had wiped out the payment i had made the month prior. grrr. this one was extra challenging, too, because they didn't have a website where i would have to STARE at my indiscretions.

i don't have all my debt paid off yet, but am getting a lot closer. basically, i've learned my lesson and now know how painful this debt thing is. i was in too deep, but have made huge progress climbing out. by the end of the ordeal, it will have been several years (YEARS) of living more frugally than i should have to based on my salary so that i could rid myself of the weight this puts on my shoulders. it will be worth it. i hate having the debt hanging over my head, so i just got in the habit of throwing money at it every month until it goes away. bear in mind that i've made a point of not completely restricting myself from fun (see: triathlon stuff, trip to mexico, possible trip snowboarding), but have still steadily made progress in a positive direction. as we all eventually learn (and i wish i learned it faster), balance is everything. i've even got a savings plan and a plan for paying for school if/when i go back next fall. life aint cheap, but at least i pay with cash now! i can't even imagine what it will feel like to have it all paid off... i'll probably go ahead and buy myself some laser eye surgery or something!