begin again

one of the most defining factors of my 20s was my osap debt. and when I finally got that paid off, I could not have been more relieved. here... read for yourself my blog entry from September 2009. there is truly a sense of earnestness to my words. and that state of euphoria made me NEVER want to go back.

when we decided that it was a good idea for Brendan to go back to school in 2011, we came up with a plan that allowed us to pay for it upfront and avoid needing to take on a loan to pay for it. b has never been in debt, but he's very financially prudent, so he shares my dedication to avoiding taking on debt. we were very pleased that we managed to get it all worked out well without financial aid. so when our car died unexpectedly last year, we were facing the decision of getting a older or smaller car, which would allow us to pay with cash, but probably wouldn't be very dependable. OR do we get a newer, bigger car and apply for financing. thankfully, my mom was able to offer us an interest free loan.

at first I was reluctant. she helped me pay for my first car - a 1987 VW jetta that caused me constant trouble. it was $3,000 in 1999 and I don't think I ever finished paying her back. I felt badly about that, and didn't want her to feel obligated to offer to lend us the money. but when I brought up that past experience, she simply said "that was a long time ago, you've matured and you're good with your money now". so we accepted. we got to decide on the payment terms and chose to be really aggressive with our payments.

I'm telling you all this because... TODAY WE MADE OUR LAST CAR PAYMENT! (less than a year later!!!) HHHOOOOOOOORRRRRRAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we're so relieved. sometimes paying for the car has been a huge frustration and it's been a difficult financial addition to buying a new house. but we were disciplined and managed to meet all our financial commitments. instead, we've had to do without things we want, but thankfully we've never had to do without things we needs. sadly, we won't be taking a trip this year, which is a total bummer. BUT we can't have everything, and as much as I love traveling, being debt free is more important to me, so it a sacrifice worth making.

I share this a bit reluctantly - I don't want it to seem like a humble brag. sure, I am very proud of us, but that's not the motivation. I'm just so happy and feel so liberated, and I wanted to do something to mark this achievement. besides, I think money is too much of a taboo these days, and I prefer to talk openly about it. let's demystify it a little :)

here's to our sportaj mahal... long may you run!

p.s. I only just realized that my first car was older than my husband :p hahaha