Debt is a Mean Girl

Hey debt fighters and money mavens! I have another kick ass dear debt letter for you. Get inspired and kick debt to the curb in the New Year. Today’s letter is from Liz, who blogs about DIY and personal finance at www.fridaynightshenanigans.com. If you’d like to dump debt and write a dear debt letter, get in touch!

Dear Debt,

We’ve known each other a long time now. I suppose we kind of grew up together in a way. We first met when I was 18 and had just moved across the country to go to college. I was young and naïve and it was fine because we were really just casual friends then. But when I was 20 and went to law school I ended up seeing a lot more of you. Truth be told I didn’t realize then just how much of you I would see or for how long our relationship would last. For years I went about life just assuming I’d always be stuck with you in my life, the guest from the party that just never leaves.

However, living without a roommate this past summer forced me to take a good hard look at my finances and I realized just how much you were costing me. I thought back to when I was in high school and my plan had been to meet up with you in school, spend my 20’s living on the cheap and paying you off by the time I was 30. Granted I could not have predicted the recession and how it affected my job prospects, but looking at things now, I’m no longer willing to just let you hang around for forever. So from now on I’m going to keep you close. You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Guess what debt – I just became your best frenemy.

I’ll walk next to you for a good long while still, I’ll eat lunch with you and remember to wear pink on Wednesdays, but all the while I’ll be doing everything I can to bring you down. I’ll be making frequent extra payments, cutting you down one loan at a time, until you are no longer relevant in my life. Because honestly debt, you’d be nothing if it wasn’t for your high interest rates on high balances and my poor decisions. Well I’m making better decisions now and they are going to impact the other things you’ve got going on. You are going down.

XOXO,

Your Best Frenemy

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Melanie

Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health. Every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide. In addition to her love of personal finance, art and music, she is also a karaoke master and a cat mom to Miles and Thelonious.

Latest posts by Melanie (see all)

• Talking About Money and Mental Health - September 12, 2022
• Dear Debt, We’re Better Apart - June 27, 2022
• Announcing The Mental Health and Wealth Summit - May 4, 2021