I still have a long way to go, but now it's becoming reality- I can see my progress on mint every day.
Here's what changed my perspective:
-The MMM blog subscription (truly life changing- look at the impact one person has had on so many people and the planet)
-the realization that I would probably die young before ever retiring due to stress and lack of sleep and exercise
-the stark realization that after working my tail off for 15 years and making 6 figures for several of those years, I have nothing to show but negative net worth and a ton of debt
- the realization that when I picture my happiest moments in life, there is no "stuff" in them- not fancy dresses, not fancy cars, etc
- Feeling like a slave/ feeling dehumanized by my job, which intruded into my nights, weekends, robbed me of sleep, cancelled my plans with friends, etc., and realizing that I had nothing positive to share with friends because work consumed my life. I realized I didn't feel like myself anymore, and I would get the "sunday flu" for half of what little weekend I had with my loved ones.
Because of my nightmare commute, I had rationalized a new Mercedes SLK convertible when I got my sign on bonus at my last job. It was my "consolation" for the 3-4 hours of driving each day. Prior to that I had two used Mercedes C-class sedans that I drove for over 5 years each (until someone else totaled one of them and the other was damaged in a flood). I have always liked those cars, and the maintenance was next to nothing, even over 100k miles. So I waited and scoured auto trader and every dealer around until I found 2 used older (9-11 years old) ones with ~40k miles in the 9-10k price range. I picked the better one, and paid mostly cash (including the very painful gap on the one I got rid of- the "stupidity tax", if you will), and with my new job being so close to home, I'll be like the previous owner who put so few miles per year on it. Granted, it's not the LEAST expensive vehicle I could buy, but I'm thrilled with it, it's always been one of my favorite cars, and I will keep it for many many years. So I went from a 50+k idiotic decision and daily regret to something much more reasonable that I enjoy and will own outright in a few months.
Other areas of idiotic work related spending were manicures and clothes. I realized that I tend to wear the same favorite outfits all the time, and went through all my clothes and rearranged them and "found" several outfits. Shopping online was an addiction to distract from the overwork depression. I realized I have plenty of nice clothes. I wear out shoes fast, so I signed up for coupon/ promo notifications and I won't replace anything unless it's 70% or more off, or I find it new without a box on ebay.
I've retrained my brain from feeling self conscious next to my colleagues' professional gel nails to reminding myself that many healthcare organizations don't allow fake nails for infection control reasons, and that the toxic chemical nail polishes and UV light cause cancer (something also discussed on the Thriftygal blog). Also, I'm lengthening the time before I donate old clothes by shaving the pills off sweaters, polishing shoes, and doing minor repairs (like when the lining detaches from your suit skirts) myself. I am recognizing how wasteful I have been.
I'm also summoning my depression-era grandmother. What would she do? What would she say about my next expenditure? She was a wealthy lady who saved her money all her life and lived modestly in the same house, owned rented out real estate, and kept nice but prudent cars for 10 years each.
