#61 Carry no personal debt
What I have got, I have got. What I have not, I have not.
Sunday gone I was lucky enough to have a piece I wrote featured on the personal finance website Get Rich Slowly* and it is something I am proud of if I’m honest. Whilst the neverendinglist is all about my journey through life, I have also been on a financial journey for the last few years after seeing the light in no uncertain terms. Now for the first time in a long time I am cash neutral. It would be easy to blame circumstance or external forces for my fiscal woes along the way, but at the end of the day it was ultimately my choices that dug me into debt.
The transcript of my story ‘financial advice for a five year old’ can be found here. Whilst far from being some sort of financial guru I have learnt some important lessons and although the title of the article was designed to provoke a little reaction, the points made are just as valid for anyone trying to lay a financial foundation. This piece is the culmination of 4 long years of hard work, dedication and commitment and will hopefully help someone somewhere avoid some of the simple mistakes that I made as I became constrained by credit.
What I have not, I have not! I don’t intend on carrying the millstone of personal debt again any time soon and that in itself is a very liberating feeling. Now it’s time to start saving and more importantly start living.
*Get Rich Slowly is a personal finance blog offering daily information about personal finance and related topics. The philosophy is that very few people get rich quickly, but almost anyone can eliminate debt and get rich slowly by following some simple rules. It’s well worth a look whatever your financial position.