Last month I logged into my Barclay card account and made the biggest payment I have made yet. EIGHT thousand dollars. I held my breath and transferred the money over from my savings to my credit card. I never thought I would have debt, and then I never imagined I'd be in a place where I could pay off all of my debt at once. But, did I make the best decision? 

I immediately regretted my decision after I pushed the "send" button on my computer screen. My new camera was now paid off.. my computer was now paid off.. all of my incurred debt from the divorce, moving, traveling... all. paid off. Why did I regret that decision? I knew I wouldn't be getting paid again for another month, I only had $500 left in my bank account to last me the remainder of the month.. and I hadn't been budgeting well lately. 

Has anyone ever told you how good it feels to pay off all of your debt? SO GOOD. 

No matter how good it felt,  the following month of my life was a bit of an explosion in terms of my finances. Bills came in that I was not expecting. My credit card expired so I could no longer put daily items on it to pay off when invoices are paid.. causing me to overdraft my bank account. My phone fell in a tub of lemonade and died, so I was without a phone for 3 weeks.. you get the picture. My health insurance company (hi Humana) called me ( as I was walking into the doctor's office) to tell me they were not going to pay for my appointment with Dr. Francomano in Baltimore.  Unforeseen circumstances knocked me off my rocker in a big way. 

Over the past 30 days I have been elated (I PAID OFF MY DEBT! WHAA!!!! ALL BY MYSELF!!), embarrassed (trying to check out at the grocery store and having your debit card rejected as well as over-drafting TWICE on my bank account), stressed wondering when my clients would pay their invoices, and proud of myself for being able to do whatever I want with my finances from here forward. 

From it all I have learned one big lesson : I have got to start budgeting better. Being a freelancer makes your income somewhat unpredictable. My calendar is blank for August and September, meaning I need to make the money I have right now last me all summer long. If I can pay off my debt in 6 months, then I can make my finances stretch the summer months. I am going to start researching different ways to help me make my budgeting system better.. I must budget for my personal finances AND my business, and I am working with my sister to re-work the marketing for my business. I am taking steps to make sure a month like last month doesn't happen again. I am going to set financial goals, start saving for those goals and I am going to try to trim the fat off of my spending. 

Here's to living debt free for the following thirty years, and learning how to be smart with the money I make. It's going to be a fun ride.