Finally...

I got the internet back! We are all moved into our new apartment. We have most of the furniture and amenities of everyday life all set up now so I don't really feel like I am living at a hotel. All of that stuff cost tons of cash and I must say it was kind of addicting spending all of that money. Imagine having to buy nearly everything for your apartment...we bought a couch, a chair, an entertainment center, a dining room table, a bookcase, not to mention the dishes, the towels, the rugs, etc etc. Once I broke through that mental barrier of not being able to spend money, I was buying stuff left and right. I have got to get back to my normal frugal self, especially now that I will have rent to pay. It will not be easy but I still think my goal of getting out of debt in 2 years is still feasible. Only 11 more months to go and I will be debt free!

I haven't given up...

Don't worry, I have not given up blogging. I have been internet-less at home for nearly 2 weeks now and only have access at work. We hope to have internet again in 2 more weeks once we have moved into our new place and have gotten everything hooked up with our new interent service provider. So it might be a while before things resume again as normal but I will be back! And I'm still on the path to a debt-free life despite the fact that I have not been blogging!

Checking In

Sorry all for the lack of posts. A huge rant will be coming soon but suffice it to say for now that Verizon is the devil. My internet works only when it wants to and Verizon doesn't really seem to care at all. I have cancelled my service effective 10/13 and can't wait to sign up for SBC Yahoo once we move.

The move is only 2 weeks away so we are busy buying all the stuff that we need and getting rid of all the crap we don't want to bring with us and trying to get some cash for it. Amazingly someone bought my ancient SNES for $40 from Craigslist and I've had luck selling other random stuff on Ebay so that is helping out.

We are slowly getting all the stuff we need for our new apartment. We bought our sofa and chair yesterday and got our pots and pans, cutlery and George Foreman grill from Amazon yesterday for $100 because they were offering $25 off when you spend $125 in their Kitchen and Housewares Department. I'm slowly getting over my "spenders block" but it still is tough for me to make a solid decision on buying items. They opened a brand new Target by my house and it's my new favorite place. I went there two time yesterday to look at stuff for the apartment but ended up not buying anything but kitty litter and cat food. Their Home furnishings department is huge and they have a much bigger selection than any other Target I've ever been to. For some reason though, I can't just buy the towels because I think "is this really the best buy on towels??"

Anyways, like I said, I'll probably post a huge rant against Verizon soon but I just can't do it right now. The thought of reliving those traumatic events is too much for me right now. :)

Mr. Wendal

The other day, I was listening to some old music in my music library and happened across the Arrested Development song "Mr. Wendal". Remember that song? It was big back in its day. I still love it. I love most of their songs really but when I listened to it again some points really resonated with me.

Here, have a dollar,
in fact no brotherman here, have two
Two dollars means a snack for me,
but it means a big deal to you
Be strong, serve God only,
know that if you do, beautiful heaven awaits
That's the poem I wrote for the first time
I saw a man with no clothes, no money, no plate
Mr.Wendal, that's his name,
no one ever knew his name cause he's a no-one
Never thought twice about spending on a ol' bum,
until I had the chance to really get to know one
Now that I know him, to give him money isn't charity
He gives me some knowledge, I buy him some shoes
And to think blacks spend all that money on big colleges,
still most of y'all come out confused

Mr.Wendal has freedom,
a free that you and I think is dumb
Free to be without the worries of a quick to diss society
for Mr.Wendal's a bum
His only worries are sickness
and an occasional harassment by the police and their chase
Uncivilized we call him,
but I just saw him eat off the food we waste
Civilization, are we really civilized, yes or no ?
Who are we to judge ?
When thousands of innocent men could be brutally enslavedand killed over a racist grudge
Mr.Wendal has tried to warn us about our ways
but we don't hear him talk
Is it his fault when we've gone too far,
and we got too far, cause on him we walk
Mr.Wendal, a man, a human in flesh,
but not by lawI feed you dignity to stand with pride,
realize that all in all you stand tall

For me, I think it really resonated with me because I realized how this journey of getting out of debt has really changed me as a person. I feel like I am finally able to get off the treadmill that people run on, trying to always have the newest car, the right clothes, and a house full of crap only to find out that what they have now acquired is "passé" and they have to buy all new crap to keep up. Its good for me to step back when I'm thinking of buying something, and think that a large portion of the world lives without a lot of the crap that I take for granted, things like hot showers, running water or even food to eat.

This new "simplicity" approach to life is much saner for me. It feels good to have less stuff crowding my life (by the way I just sold some more stuff on ebay and got about $50). I think once I have my debt paid off I will finally be in control of my life. I'll have the control to make smarter career choices, the control to help people and the control live the kind of life that I want to live. That's what money is there for, right?