The Biggest Loser

It's a late night for me tonight, because I was watching "The Biggest Loser." This was the episode where the final four competitors head home for six weeks, in the middle of which they take the time to run a marathon.

A lot of times, when I was broke and trying to pretend I wasn't bankrupt, I would compare budgeting and spending plans to dieting and eating plans. Cut a few things out here and there and small changes will add up. We all know HOW to lose weight, or HOW to save money, its just the doing that trips us up.

A lot of times, when I was firmly on my budget and just trudging along trying to get out of debt, I would compare shrinking credit card debts to shrinking waistlines. There comes a point, where you've done everything you can, and all that is left is to wait. There's no amount of money you can't spend to day to be debt-free tomorrow and there's no amount of calories you can avoid today to be 50 lbs lighter tomorrow.

Tonight, as I watched "The Biggest Loser," I thought it was an appropriate reminder of why I've decided to start this blog, and to once again record my journey.

Here are people who had hit rock bottom. How they got there doesn't even matter - just as, in my opinion, WHY a person is broke doesn't make all that much difference at the end of the day. They had hit rock bottom and they had to learn to carry out the actions to dig themselves out. They had to cut out unneeded, unhealthy calories just as I had to cut out unneeded unhealthy spending. They had to get up, every day, and hold themselves accountable, just as I had to. At the end of the day, they weighed in, and they just hoped all the small changes on the scale would add up to a big change, just as every time I could consolidate a loan, or pay off a debt, I hoped it would some day add up to me being debt free.

Now, tonight, I saw these people head home. They had all the skills. Now they were in the real world. Would they go hog wild and eat five pizzas for dinner every night? Ice cream by the gallon? Would they decide that taking the time to weigh in wasn't needed since they "knew they were doing things right?"

No. They would continue to work toward that goal, and more, they pushed themselves to run a marathon.

Somehow it clicked for me and the feelings behind this very blog.

There are goals in my financial future that will be my marathons.

There are small, every day temptations of things to purchase (hello, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Cyber Week, December, Christmas, post-holiday close-outs, year-end blow-outs, new year must-buys......Ahhhhh!), that will do just as much damage as pizza and ice cream.

So I hope, with the writing of these words, I will be accountable. And maybe, by sharing a few things I have learned, remind myself of where I have been.