DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS REVEALED

In writing a blog such as this, one inevitably reveals aspects of the self. Sharing an opinion is one thing. Sharing your dirty little secrets is quite another. But this I do in hopes of breaking the unspeakable 'debt' taboo.

In 1998 I graduated from the University of Windsor with a BA(Hon.) in Communication Studies and a $30,000 student loan debt to go with it. Within three weeks of graduation, I had a job in my field (woohoo) and a laughable gross annual salary of $20,800 (no woohoo). Within the eight years that followed, I had four more jobs, a fairly snazzy wardrobe, seasonal make-up upgrades, tons of great meals, a zillion hairstyles, vacation photos from New York, L.A., Montreal, Jamaica and Paris;a FABULOUS wedding and honeymoon - you get the idea. I managed $500,000 communication budgets on a daily basis, but was not properly managing my own.

Mine is only one story. There are many, MANY others in Toronto alone, as finance and lifestyle editorials of the past few years would indicate. What strikes me most is that within our female circles, we talk about diets, sex, cosmetic surgery, bladder infections and other much more intimate subjects, but the most intimate of all is our debt. This is the dirty little secret our perfectly pink, glossy lips will never reveal. Jerrold Mundis does a wonderful job of explaining some of the reasons why. For more insight and some motivation to deal, check out "How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt & Live Prosperously". Whether you owe $100 or $100,000 it will change the way you think about your finances and life!

Once you go black, you never go back! hee hee