The beginning is also the end

My story: recently turned 28 year old, recently out of school for the first time, recently gotten serious about my finances. it's a tough road, but better late than never.

As of January 2006, I had approximately 11,000 dollars of debt. Sadly, student loans only accounted for 3,500 of that. crazy, i know. at 27, i had no net worth, but Bachelor's and Master's degrees. most of my classmates in high school and college were well on their way to being home-, spouse-, and baby-owners. I had (and still have) none of that. But we'll get to that at another time. I've always been interested in money (who isn't? i mean, at least spending it), but for some reason the beginning of this year i realized that i really needed to get rid of my debt and start fresh, start realizing my goals, and ...bonus...quit my job and be free to do something that i liked.

I currently owe roughly $1300 on a credit card with 0% interest. It feels amazing, and i get SUCH a thrill paying off huge chunks of my credit card. the end is in sight, i'm itching to dump my emergency fund of $2000 into paying it off, but...alas, i know that isn't good. everyone says so.

so basically you are catching me on the tail end of debt removal. However, i have very few ideas what to do next. i mean, this whole time i've been concentrating so hard on getting out of debt that i didn't think about what came after. so this blog is going to help me figure it out, slowly. suze orman has been instrumental in my plan. i love her. also, m p dunleavey from msn money. i'm slightly obsessed with money right now. it's my past time. i need to feel secure. i don't know when i'm going to feel that way, but i'm going to go until i do.

my family is in a sad state. i could explain, but you'd just feel bad, and i'd end up whining and feeling sorry for myself. basically--i've been completely financially independent since 20, and i have no 'safety net.' most kids i know have had their parents bail them out of debt/tough spots and know that they have someone to turn to if things get really bad--i do not. besides the security thing, i am kind of glad, because it makes me completely dependent on myself. Also, i know eventually i'm going to be the one to have to care for them financially, so i need to start planning NOW. so follow me in my adventures as i trip the light financially, and try to figure out how to balance the need to do things while i'm young! and able! with the need to feel secure.