Hey friends,
It has been a while! I’ve been so busy with work and painting and going to markets that I flat out haven’t blogged. Well, I’m making up to you now.
So you know I’m a compulsive shopping. We’ll last year I racked up a LOT of debt and kept it from everybody because I was so ashamed. Then I broke down because I was going crazy and told David, my husband, and because I had organized the debt on a spreadsheet, paid off about $10k of it already and found a financial class to take online, he was not mad. He actually helped me with the rest of the debt because he’s the most amazing man ever.
So it was paid off Christmas 2025.
In March 2026, I was back in debt. Almost to the same amount.
Don’t ask me how or why, I couldn’t tell you. Other than impulsivity is part of my illness and I thought I could keep it in control this time. Well, I didn’t. I agonized over this and told David that he was NOT going to help me bc I didn’t deserve it. Well, months went by and I was paying the debt off little by little but the interest rates were getting to me and then my dumb ass couldn’t stop buying things.
Fast forward to July, this July. I was stressed. Bad. All I thought about was the debt. Then one day I’m checking the mail and I get a statement from my 401(k). It hits me. I can cash out some of my 401(k). It’s not advisable, but literally, it was all I had. It didn’t take long to get the money, so I cashed the check, paid off all the debt, closed my credit card accounts and froze my credit.
Freedom.
I feel so good. Except for the fact I ravaged the only savings I had.
Going back to the financial course. I kept working on it, and seriously i had helped me so much. They gave me this wonderful financial spreadsheet and I can keep up with my cash flow, net worth, annual income, income and so much more. I love it. So I check in everyday with it making sure it’s all good. And I’m on the lesson on budgeting. I had to watch it twice. I might watch it again. Budgeting is hard. I wish I would’ve learned this stuff when I was a kid. Seriously. I’m going to make Isla and Eli learn this stuff.
So no more 401(k), but I now have a High Yield Savings Account, an IRA and a brokerage account – all with money in them – and I feel so good about it. I never thought I’d have money in the stock market, but it shows you how to invest. And most importantly, the most money I have is in the IRA for retirement. All in all, there’s like $3,000 in all the accounts, which may not sound like much, but it’s a lot for me, and I’m going to keep on investing and saving.
It’s actually nice. This morning I was debating buying a Gucci show for $1k, then I thought ORRRRR I could put $1k in my account and see it grow. Now, that’s growth! I still kind of want the show through, but I’ll get over it.
And so much budget is fun to do now (not before, it was tear-inducing), and I can’t wait to get paid again and divide everything up and put more money in savings. Now, how’s that?
I’m not totally “fixed” yet, I know, but this is really good progress.
I also got a spreadsheet for Birdy Girl Art, and that shows me how much money, if any, I’m making. I haven’t had a market in a while so I wont be able to tell for a bit, but I was tracking things I was buying for BGA so I didn’t know how much I was making. That’ll be interesting. too. David’s not too sure I’m making anything, so I need to prove him wrong, lol.
So things are good. The kids will be going back to school, my routine will return, and I feel like good things will come to me. My word right now is “abundance.”
I hope you guys are well. Leave me a comment and say hi – it’s been too long!
If you want to know the name of that financial course, it’s Dow Janes. It’s supposed to be just for women+. Also, please don’t take anything I say in this article as financial advice, lol.
