Hey everyone! We have a great dear debt letter from Mrs. CTC. A word from her…
My name is Mrs. CTC. I live in Europe with my husband, Mr. CTC, and our beloved children: Teenage CTC and Baby CTC. Due to a combination of bad luck and plain stupidity, we’ve come from a debt amount of roughly 30K, currently reduced to around 14K. This debt has been a part of our lives for a good number of years now, but after making some major changes in our financial situation, we now hope to pay it all off in the next twelve to eighteen months. After killing this debt we aim at getting more (preferably total) financial freedom. We never again want to be in a situation where we can’t pay for our basic needs and lie awake at night because we’re trapped in our financial situation. It’s been an interesting journey that I’ve come to blog about just recently. I have learned so much from personal finance blogs and hope to inspire others just the same through mine: From Cost To Coast.
Dear Debt,
You’re a number. A figure on the statements I receive. You’re an amount of money that I have to repay to a financial institution. A means to an end.
I wish I could play you down by referring to you only like that. But we both know there’s much more to you.
Once I believed you were the only way out, but you were just a different problem to substitute the first. A problem that would only stick around longer, and that would have to be repaid with an awful lot of interest.
But it’s not just interest that you cost me. I paid for you with freedom; I paid for you in tears. You cost me sleepless nights and fearful days. Above all, you made me feel ashamed and like a failure. You turned out not to be just a loan at a bank, but a loan from my future self. I set myself back in life by taking you on.
But there’s no ditching you. I can’t say that I’ve had enough and let you go. I have to go through you, and break you down bit by bit. Every cent I throw at you will be a memory of times past and decisions made, every single euro will symbolize my old sorrow. I’m facing everything and taking lessons while I relive it all.
You’re shrinking, thankfully, I can see past you. I can’t really remember who I was without you but I’m so anxious to learn who I’ll be after you’re gone. I’m looking forward to feeling freedom, possibilities and pride, and loving every minute of it. I now know the true value of those numbers, figures, and amounts of money.
Dear debt, soon we’ll part ways. I can’t say I enjoyed the ride with you, I’m most certainly not looking forward to ever seeing you back. I’ll do virtually anything so I don’t have to walk off with you ever again. But I’d like to thank you anyway. You’ve been a part of my life and I’ve gotten wiser because of you. Here’s to losing you forever.
Mrs. CTC
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2 comments
As someone who has become debt-free (mortgage notwithstanding) within the last week after being there since roughly 2010, I can tell you how amazingly good it feels. Today I got to set up my new budget that makes smart use of the full amount of my income, rather than losing chunks of it to repaying debt, and am staggered at just how much money there is in there. Keep at it with your resilience. You already know you’ll get there, and that in itself is a victory.
Dear Richard,
Thank you for your kind comment! And congratulations on becoming debt-free, I can’t wait to become part of your team. Must feel awesome to have all that money just for yourself, like an enormous raise.
Best!
Mrs. CTC