33 years of debt.

onamissionEU

Well all of this rings true. I spent a lot of my youth gambling and racking up debts which I have fortunately now cleared. I guess between 18 & 30 I wasted/lost over 100k. Fortunately I am a good earner and have changed my fortunes but as bumble bee said the effort of paying everything off rather than working towards saving etc was maddening. BUT once you have paid off debts it makes you all the more determined to stay in the black. I am now very anti debt (apart from mtge) and hate spending money on rubbish - although I still find myself spending too much! I guess the difference is that I am now spending my own money rather than someone elses!
Good luck to all of you on the road to recovery, keep at it - it will pay off! Dont be mad at the past, rather make plans for the future :-)

Deep_In_Debt

And add my 30k debt to that! Will be debt free in the next couple of months and can't wait now.

foxgloves

bedsit bob - I identify with this feeling completely. I first started overspending as a student, first becoming overdrawn in 1983. This overspending/failure to budget lasted until LBM (around 2007/8) & we (I acquired a similarly endebted tho' very lovely husband along the way...) finally became debt-free in May 2011. My attitude to money & 'having stuff' is now so different. I am much happier. I made a list of my favourite things to do & none of them even INVOLVED spending any money!! I have to try not to even think of the money I used to waste. Probably enough to have more than paid my mortgage off in full twice over! I just concentrate now on living a simpler, more ethical, more resourceful, environmentally-friendly way of life. In not being suckered into buying the latest crappy gizmos/tat, I also feel I'm sticking one to the System, & I like that!

prettyplease

I think we are all in the same boat and would . So many things I would change in my life but hey I do love a challenge:D

Guys - you could have continued spending and making the problems far worse so well done for making positive steps and facing the challenges head on. Im learning day by day not to live in the past but look forward to the future and I think this is helping my financial habits improve. Yes Ive wasted money.. big money.... but Ive also had a few nice trips etc that I wouldnt change for the world. But now is payback time - we can all do it so stay positive and as Cameron says "we all in this together"