Wednesday, June 10, 2009

How It Began

It all started so innocently. A $2200 student loan for my first year of college. A $3300 student loan the following year. Then a $5500 student loan, and another, and another. 

But that's not where the trouble began. Sure, I graduated with nearly $30,000 in student loans, but the payments were quite manageable: less than $200/month. 

The real problem began with a boy. A certain boy, who later became my husband. He came with some baggage, a nearly $3000 personal loan. And then he bought me a sparkly diamond ring, on a jewelry store charge. And then there was the wedding. And the honeymoon. And expensive toys, hobbies, and vacations... all paid for with student loans, and credit cards. Our meager income couldn't sustain the lifestyles that we'd both grown up in, and we figured that we would graduate making more than enough to pay for it all. 

And I suppose we would have, if we'd stop spending. But we needed a brand-new $25,000 vehicle. And a moderately-priced "starter" home in a nice suburb. A few more toys, a couple more vacations. Another new vehicle. And another. 

And that's how we got where we are today. 

No comments:

Post a Comment