I Don't Get Debt

I don't understand debt. I really don't. Oh sure, I can understand going into debt to buy a modest home, car, or to get an education. All of those things are important and an education opens doors for the future and increases one's ability to provide for his/ her family. And I know that sometimes life happens, hospital bills for an unexpected illness or sudden job loss can create unwanted debt. Things happen and most of those things cost money. I get that.

What I don't understand is going into debt for unnecessary things. How do you know if something is necessary? Simple. If you have money to pay for it every month once tithing and the basic needs and savings are taken out of your budget then go for it. No brainer, right? If circumstances change and you can't afford it anymore, then get rid of it. It would always amaze me where we could find money in our budget once we cut out the "wants" and dealt with only the "needs". Although having cable was nice, it wasn't necessary so we spent years in law school with the kids wathcing PBS thanks to the good old bunny eared antenna. Yeah, it wasn't what we wanted, but it worked and saved us money every month. In fact, we don't have cable now thanks to Netflix Instant Play that allows us to watch shows and movies through the Wii. So the kids miss out on seeing "Max and Ruby" or some other little show they would only watch twice a week. Big deal! They have a slew of tv shows avaiable to watch through the Wii at any time and I just saved myself $50 bucks. Did we need to? No, but it's always good to take a periodic inventory of the budget and shave off things that are unnecessary.

I am a dork because I find great joy in being able to pay my bills. It was only this past April that I got my own cell phone. Wow! It was such a treat! I think I was the last person on the earth to get one. Why didn't I have one before? Because I didn't need it and couldn't justify spending the money on one. I can think of a bazillion times it when would have been nice to have one, but I lived without it and our budget did well thanks to it. After four years out of law school we felt it was a luxury we could afford. However, if something changed in my husband's work and paying for that cell phone hindered us from paying other more important bills, then "goodbye cell phone!" Simple concept, right?

And yet so many people are in debt over stupid things. I just don't get it. If you can't pay for it, don't buy it! Boom! Problem solved! And if you want something, work hard to get it. I felt like such a queen with my new cell phone because it took hard work and good budgeting to be able to say "Hey, we can afford this luxury." And all the while we are busy paying back those necessary debts of home, van, and education. I love watching those numbers go down!

So what if most all of the furniture in my home are hand-me-downs? So what if I fix things up and use them out, despite not looking the most beautiful, instead of buying something new? So what if we don't have the latest model of car or the biggest newest house? Thanks to being frugal, I've learned some great handy-man skills that have beautified my home for a fraction of the cost and allowed things to last longer. But most importantly, I can pay my bills and go to bed each night knowing I don't have credit card debt or debt collectors after me. You can keep that brand new living room set or big flat screen tv because I'd take my ever growing financial freedom any day!