A few years ago we had credit card debt. How did we accumulate it? The same way any “normal” family does – home expenses or some other series of random purchases. We also worked really hard to pay it off. When the debt was finally paid off, it was almost anti-climactic because we didn’t even realize how fast it’d happened. We didn’t really have a plan, but we put as much as we could toward debt and it worked. I think just being aware of the debt was the first step.
This doesn’t mean we are debt-free though. We still have student loan debt and a car loan we’re working to pay off, as well as a mortgage and home equity line. But for some reason paying off the credit card debt felt pretty damn good. When we were in this place, there wasn’t even a thought of stashing cash – we just wanted the debt gone. Yet, as we get older, make more money, and cut our overall debt, I’ve often considered padding my savings over paying down debt.
