A funny thing happened today. A coworker, who is not even aware of this blog but knew I had been through bankruptcy, asked my advice about a financial matter.
Not about being broke, or slashing budgets or about getting rich.
She’s gotten herself out of debt and has long-since slashed her budget. She might even teach me a thing or three about that. And, like most of us, she’s still so busy looking back and trying to make sure she doesn’t fall back into the debt hole that she hasn’t a chance to look up and think about climbing Money Mountain.
She’s slipped a bit, recently. Has a balance on her credit card again that can’t be paid off in just one month. But tax returns are coming and she wants to apply it to free herself again.
She’d like to reach a settlement. Pay a bit less then she owes and call it even, but she doesn’t want to stop buying her account for three months so that the credit cards are willing to work with her.
So we talked. Long-forgotten phrases like “My financial situation has changed” and “I’d like to discuss my pay-off amount” and even “who do you recommend for credit counseling?” came flooding back.
It made me smile. Not to be asked advice ~ I know where she’s at and I know that, ironically, had it been me asking the question she would have given me the same answers I gave her, because they are answers we all know. She’s asking because she’s scared and unsure and, just like me with my stupid $5 medical bill, just wants it all to be over.
It made me smile because it was just one more reminder of how much in the majority we are. The sensible ones (at least I am NOW). The frugal ones. We are a movement taking over this country and this world. And I think that’s kind of cool.
And I will try very hard to remember that the next time I long for a $400 kitchen appliance I have no need for and no room to store.
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