The New Rules

Last time I had debt to pay off, I lived with several different rules for myself that helped me accomplish my goal of paying off over $28,000 in debt in two and a half years. Well, now that we are married, my husband's student loan, car, and credit cards are OUR debt, and I'm back to some rules for myself. These rules mostly apply to my personal checking account, not our joint account. We've found ways to save on our joint account, and as we adjust to sharing money we may come up with rules together. But I don't feel like I should start out our marriage ruling with an iron fist and proclaiming rules for the both of us.

Anyway, back to my rules for getting out of debt:

Rule #1: No new clothes shopping! I did this for a full year when I was getting out of credit card debt, so I know it's possible. I lost weight but did clothes shopping throughout the year so I should be good to go. Of course it can be tempting at times to shop, but I've learned the less I do it, the less I miss it.

Rule #2: Only order water when we eat out. I gave up soda (minus a total relapse while on vacation) in January, so I've been getting iced tea at restaurants. I've decided an easy way to save will be to stick with water (exception: happy hour/bars. I mean, come on!)

Rule #3: No more pedicures or manicures. I discovered the amazingness of the gel manicure before my wedding, and it's SO tempting to go get one. But, it's super pricey and not something that is a priority for me.

Part of the reason for these rules is to pay off debt faster, and part of it is that I'd like to hang on to my fun money and use it to go on a trip with a friend this fall (and ideally a few more small trips throughout the year). So when I want a pedicure or an iced tea, I need to remember that I would MUCH rather go on a trip to New York without derailing our debt payoff plans.