The excitement of vacations, the depression of costs.

So, as we were out last night for a few drinks with friends, I made a joke in reference to blowing off the holidays this coming season (in 10 months) and to go somewhere like Hawaii. Well, as it turns out, our BFF's back home ARE planning a trip to do just that: say no to the holidays and YES to sunny Maui!

After considering the endless possibilities of fun that this trip would contain, I can't stop thinking about vacationing vs. costs vs. work. You work, to get the money, to pay the cost... of vacations that take your mind off of how much work stresses you out. Hmm. Trouble for me is, as previously mentioned, the debt factor. My goal this year is to pay off my credit cards (or at least get an extremely firm grip on them, with only a short amount left by years end). I think that I can do it. I believe that by December, I will have three of my cards paid off, and one remaining with a drastically reduced balance... perhaps even switched over to a 0% interest gig. We'll see what gets thrown my way in terms of credit offers.

So onto the thought of a vacation. We're going to Boston in 13 days (YESSSSS!!!!!!!). This trip is going to rock my pants. I'm so pumped. There is also a POTENTIAL cost of flying home in June, depending on if I'm even still in this wedding, and then another flight home in September for another family wedding. These are all costs that are going to suck, because it's going to take away my chance to stash away that cash towards the cards... tragically at over $300+ a pop. Ugh.

The idea of potentially going to Hawaii makes my head spin... and I don't even think we could afford it. Have you seen the cost of flights from here to there? WHOA. But... it would be a last-chance getaway to have some incredible memories with our two bests before they bunker down and start doing it like bunnies and have babies everywhere (this isn't a joke). The idea is so tempting... tempting to pay my bills and save for a vacation - but would it be worth it to go backwards in debt to go on a vacation?

The answer is yes, of course. For every possible reason, yes.

Financially, the answer is no, of course.

Dammit.

So in lieu of my deep thinking during my hour-to-myself drive today: I want to start getting real with my photography. I wonder what I could do to get it kickstarted? I know I take good photos. I know I could charge some money for them. I'm considering throwing a post on Craigslist and just saying that I'll charge a $75 session fee, and I'll give you the CD with all of the images on them - in which that person could take the photos to Ritz Camera or to Sam's Club, or even to Walgreen's to have them printed themselves. Thoughts? I wonder if I'm too late in the game for senior portrait season, though. Maybe I'll wait and see how Amanda and Theo's engagement photos turn out next weekend, and that way I'll have some examples to post for people to see. I think it would be so exciting to have a weekend-gig of photography! Plus, it's just play money on the side. Perfect for saving up for that vacation :)

Maybe Hawaii with the W-man's isn't so far off. I guess we'll see.

The start of a new MEG...or something.

Well, after reading many PF blogs, I'm deciding to get myself into one. I want to work my way out of my debt, and it's inspiring to read what others are doing to get there.

A little about me... I'm 23. I grew up in the Midwest. I now live in the Southeast. I have been out of college for 1 year, 9 months, 8 days. Since then? I packed my stuff to move south, took a job, came back to the Midwest, canceled the job, took a job at a jewelry store, quit two weeks later, took a job at a soybean plant, quit one year and two weeks later, moved to the south, took an internship, took a two-day-a-week-to-pay-the-bills temp job, and got my current position as receptionist and AAE at my current company, an advertising agency.

Good year, huh?

Well - unfortunately, I fell victim to a lot of first-time-career people my age: I started getting those salary checks and felt like I was a millionaire. You get this overwhelming urge to spend money on something that you feel like you "owe to yourself" because you've worked so hard through all those years of school to get this paycheck. Well, spend I did. And instead of using my nice entry-level salary check on paying my student loans down, or paying off that college credit card, or gathering a wedding fund, or a house fund, or a savings account of any sort................ I spent. I bought a beautiful dSLR camera (that I couldn't live without, now). I bought a 50" television. I bought 7.1 surround sound to accompany said 50". I bought everything I always wanted to for my family at the holidays. I drank beer (too much, some would say)... joined a mug club. Had a 30 minute (35 miles) commute to my salaried job (when gas hit $4.65 a gallon ... ouch). Aaaaaaaand... bought myself a car. So yeah. Needless to say, I came out behind, as opposed to ahead.

I'm trying to get my poop in a group, now. I've got a salary again. I have health insurance again. But I have more bills than ever before... and more bills in the near future that I want to be saving for (wedding & house funding). Lucky for me, I am now living with the man I was in a LD relationship with for too long, and he's on board with getting us out of debt by paying the house bills for the time being. Hopefully, for both our sake, I can get myself out of credit card debt (at least... and deal with the rest later) quickly. From there I'll be able to contribute to the bills.

We'll see where this takes me!