Well, last week marks the end to another Christmas season. My family really did have a great Christmas. Everyone got most everything that they wanted. The thing that I enjoy most about Christmas morning is seeing the big smiles on my kids’ faces as they open the gifts that I worked so hard to get, hide for weeks, wrap, and place under the tree. I love being behind the magic that makes each Christmas morning special. What I don’t like about the holiday is the sinking feeling of overspending and creating debt that I’ll spend months getting out of.
Let’s face it. I’m an “over” person. As a child, I was an overachiever making straight A’s on my report card, winning the school science fair, and winning the band fundraiser contest by selling the most cheesecake. As a candy striper volunteering at our local hospital after school, I was the first to win the “Volun-teen of the Year” award. As an employee, I have always been referred to as a hard worker and asset to the businesses that I’ve worked for. As a mom, I have been referred to as going “overboard” or “over the top” on birthday parties, holidays, and vacations. Unfortunately, all of that “over” business spills into my finances causing me to be an over-spender, which results in me being overwhelmed with financial stress.
I hate to admit that, but it’s a fact. At this point, I have so many Pay in 4’s, Affirms, One Pay/Klarna’s, and Sezzles that most of my extra money is going to pay those off. Don’t get me wrong. I would much rather use one of these services than a high interest credit card. But being so convenient to just take a large purchase and split it into several payments only works to my benefit when I am not an over-consumer of these services.
One of the things on my Christmas list that I would have loved to have is a trip to Disney World. I would love to take my kids back to Disney before they grow up to be adults, which feels like it is coming up fast. However, with the tiniest bit of restraint that I am holding on to just to keep from overdoing it again, I have decided to put off my next Disney trip until I get my finances straightened out. I will be going back someday, and sooner rather than later, I hope. But, before I go, I need to get financially healthy enough to go and enjoy my trip.
I have had this blog for going on two years. I have not been able to write as much as I would like, because I have been so busy trying to make ends meet. My dream is to share the magic of Disney that my family has experienced with other families. I hope to someday make that my full-time job. I think that the best place to start is by giving you a realistic look into my life as a mom who just wants to give her children a magical childhood, get out of debt, and travel often. I know that it’s a long shot, but with each new year, I grow even more hopeful that I will get closer to the “get out of debt” and “travel often” parts of my dream. Who knows. My overachieving tendencies may help reach my over-the-top dreams!
I hope that you’ll follow along in the new year to see if I am able to reach my goals of paying off debt, maintaining the daily needs of my family and getting financially healthy enough to go back to Walt Disney World. I will share my plans, reveal how I make extra money, and share what debts I paid off each week. I think that sharing all this information in my blog will help to hold me accountable and hopefully help someone else in the same situation. Thank you for taking the time to read my post!