Good for guys. I always get a smile when I see people drop that addiction.
Sometimes more than a drunk getting sober.
You are free as God intended
The vehicle loan is the greatest impoverishment I have seen, with a new vehicle losing 20-30% of its value when you drive it off the lot. Take that loan to payout, and you can go time and a half on the sticker price, easy.
Used vehicles resell closer to what you paid for them, especially if you get them cheap.
Aside from off-lease and former rental vehicles, prowl the papers for estate sales, often the heirs don't need or want another vehicle, the vehicle has low mileage even though it is older, and it usually has been well kept.
Sometimes, because the vehicle might be ten years old or older (but with only 40,000 or so miles on it), these vehicles can be bought cheap and driven for 40-50,000 miles before they need anything other than basic servicing and tires.
It helps to know a couple of really good mechanics, and be able to do the light work yourself, too.
Only once in the last eight vehicles did I get a lemon, and then I didn't have enough money in it to fight it--I gave it away. Some might regard the lack of warranty as a risk, but the lack of a dealer markup helps, too.
An addiction... Boy, you nailed that right there.
It took us 6.5 years to clear $97,000 in debt - $59,000 of which was non-mortgage debt. (cars, consolidation loans, credit cards)
We now owe $65,000 on a mortgage on a house that we’re trying to sell.
We were living ‘like everyone else’ in the ‘90’s and couldn’t see our way clear. Heck, I couldn’t see how we could make it month-to-month. We were coming up short and having to put gas and groceries on the credit card.
My best friend had been doing DR for a couple of years and she was getting the results that I wanted. Her way worked, mine didn’t, so I sat her down and asked her to go over my financials and teach me.
For two years, I treated her like my sponsor. I put my whole family on a ‘financial diet’. If we didn’t NEED it, it didn’t happen. No more eating out. Clothes were repaired before they were replaced. We got as much at GoodWill as possible when we did need to replace them.
Part of this, for me, was realizing the ‘wrong thinking’ that got us there in the first place.
One of my issues is that I’d buy things on sale that we didn’t NEED. I’d justify it by saying, “I saved $40!” and not realize that I just lost $60.
The other issue is that I didn’t take amounts under $10 seriously. No, it’s not a problem to stop by the thrift store and buy an adorable creamer set for $4.00, but if you do this every freakin’ day, it adds up.
Hoarding is a massive problem in my family and, as I looked around my house with new eyes, I saw the start. In order to stop buying, I had to prove to myself that I already had much more than I needed.
I started letting stuff go. For two years, I’d purge the house, then repurge a month or two later. If something didn’t have a PURPOSE, I let it go.
I stripped our house so bare that people started to feel sorry for me! Not accepting that I was trying to let go of my attachment to THINGS, people started bringing over furniture, art, etc. (Yes, I told them, but the response was usually something like, “But you NEED this!” No. No I don’t.)
Now, when I do buy, it’s carefully thought out, planned and shopped for. I only get THAT item. I have learned how to admire something without possessing it. Everything in our home is personal, functional or serves a dual purpose.
Last month and this month, we hit several SERIOUS financial road bumps. We were able to handle them without going into debt or touching our savings. We have a beautiful home and we actually have things worth taking care of.
It took a ton of work - physical, mental and spiritual - but we got there and it was so worth it!
You know, it was a complete turn-around for me. I used to have several credit cards and waiting for letters announcing my credit line had been increased. Now I don't go to the mailbox for weeks because I never get bills in the mail.
I was in the check out and the girl told me I could get 10% off my purchase if I took out a charge card at the store. The words "no thanks" came out of my mouth so fast.