sacrifices or how I got into debt

So since I somewhat slacked on my first month of posting I thought I'd make up for it now while I'm in the mood to post.

I've realized recently that I've sacrificed quite a bit over the past 4 years - wow it's been that long - in order to get back on track. it's been a very humbling experience to say the least.

But prior to that, when I lived in Chicago, I was sacrificing NOTHING - and since I-have-platinum-card-and-that-must-mean-I'm-special-right? - I was happy to pay the bill more than my fair share when I went out to clubs/bars with my roomies/friends . I also made sure to buy whatever clothes that I wanted, a $200+ first (and last date) stands out as well as the first purchase i made on my shiny new platinum card; a $900 sleigh bed that I bought simply to silence my roommate-at-the-time's snide comments about the cot that I was sleeping on prior to that.

When I QUIT my well-paying job in 2002 because OF COURSE I was going to get another well paying job right after the markets tanked ( I was soooo smart at 23! ) I continued to use my not-so shiny card and got another card in the process. After switching from one odd job to another I remember beginning to worry about the fact that I had to use my not-so-shiny card for groceries sometimes.

It wasn't until I moved into an apartment I could barely afford and just about all of my friends moved out of Chicago simultaneously that the rock-bottom moment hit. After paying my bills for the month I realized I only had about $10-20 left to pay for food and a few bills I knew I had to pay late. I visited Aldi's for the first time in my life (but not the last) and bought some apples, spaghetti and maybe some juice...but that was it - that was all I could afford.

I called my parents - my Dad was in his usual disappointed mood and brought up the very real possibility that if I continued in this way I might be 'homeless' at some point.

When I called my Mom, who was sick, she simply told me to "Come home..." I listened to my mother's advice...and came home along with at least $16K in debt which unfortunately, increased before decreasing. It was also unfortunate that I had to leave all of my wonderful furniture that I couldn't fit into my compact car in the storage area of my apartment along with that beautiful sleigh bed ... the sleigh bed was the hardest to let go by far.

Luckily, I'm in a much better place right now financially - with God's help and any luck It'll stay that way.