I’m an impulsive person. I don’t like to think over things and gather data and then make the most prudent decision. It’s more exciting to do something impulsive and then try to make it work. That way, if you promise something big, you work hard to deliver and you get results you might not have gotten had you decided on a more careful course of action.
I’m thinking about this today because I’ve been toying with the challenge of trying to pay off my remaining student loans before the beginning of 2005. I’m not in debt, but I hate owing money. I hate knowing that someone is making money off my debts, debts I took on when I was young and naive. That being said, I knew what I was getting into when I got the loans. I acknowledge that. Part of the frustration I feel is directed at myself for not making some different decisions.
Ever since they added the online payment method I’ve been doubling or tripling my monthly payments. The only reason I have done this is because it is so easy to make the payment online. When I feel the irritation of that debt I can go and do something about it in seconds. That may mean just paying another fifty bucks or whatever I can squeeze out of my budget, but it helps you feel more in control of your situation.
At this point, my next payment is advanced to 3/7/2008 since I have been paying over the minimum. That means I could enter a coma for three years and still not be obligated to make a loan payment. There are 75 days left in the year. Let’s see what happens.