My online writing bought my netbook

Many thanks to help from readers who bring traffic to this blog and some extra writing work! I'm happy to say that the newest debt has been retired! Yippee! The new Asus EEE PC is now mine.

It's a really good feeling to have this paid off. No one likes to have unexpected expenses. When my old netbook passed away suddenly the problem looked like another impossible debt. Now, it's another debt that has been laid to rest.

We had to use our credit to get the computer. That meant making some hard choices on how to pay the credit card off. Extra writing means sacrificing family time. Plus, unless it was for the blog or work my family ate inexpensive meals at home instead of eating out. These choices aren't anyone's idea of fun.

My daughter came home from college last weekend. It would have been nice to have spent extra time shopping before coming home instead of working to pay off the credit card. Instead of buying things, we meandered through Shenandoah National Park and stood on the Appalachian Trail.

I'm learning that managing debt means making a trade off. Yes, paying off the credit card is important. Should it come at the expense of family time? Or, is there a way to balance extra work hours with family time? I'm learning that not only is it possible to balance both but it can be freeing to do so.

One of my choices involved choosing a netbook. Passing up on the super cool Asus made me feel like a failure for a few days. Instead of being happy about the new purchase I was unhappy that it wasn't my dream model.

That feeling changed when the Asus netbook arrived. It does what it needs to do without a hitch. Once the updates were loaded it was ready to go. That helped make me feel better.

What helped me feel better the most is knowing that a bill for the Asus netbook isn't coming at the end of the month. No netbook means no income. Not having one wasn't an option so we had to use credit. Paying off the credit card quickly was the only real alternative.

That's where the extra writing came into play. Boy, am I ever grateful for that and for those of you who visit my blogs. Take care now. Good luck paying off your credit card debt too. I know you can do it! :)