To be obsessed with being debt free

[Gomango]

Anyone else feel that trying to live frugally has taken over their lives a bit? Starting to feel like i've forgotten how to enjoy myself and don't want to buy anything if it means less paid off! Getting on my own nerves! Money ocd. Depressing.

I'm in the same boat as you. Really need to get rid of all debt

Yep! I question everything and get annoyed when 'essentials' need replacing looking at DD and her leggings

Sometimes you need to battery down the hatches just to feel better in a year -

We want a holiday and need a new bathroom - Ahh dept first I think

Yes. I feel exactly the same. We have enough for luxuries and tbh, debt is quite minimal. We sorted it out over the years. Ut think I have got used to that buzz now. Car loan paid off early, credit cards paid off. We now have etter paid jobs etc., and now only have £600 on a credit card, but now I want to overpay on the mortgage. The feeling of getting rid of debt, is like a weight off your shoulders. Feels sooooo good.

Just feel like im sucking the joy out of living a bit. Getting annoyed with teenager for wanting a 'proper' meal every evening instead of making do with meat free etc!
Good luck, it will be worth it

Aww I was debt free in March. Have to say its an amazing feeling! I won't take credit again probably won't be allowed it anyway. I learned my lesson! Good luck to anyone x

My thinking is, u might be sucking the joy now, but think of the sweet sweet feeling when it's paid off.

at not eating 'proper' food so you can pay a bit more. I so get it.

YANBU. Like so many, I got myself into debt as soon as it was legal for me to get credit. I'll never forget that feeling of not opening important letters, of being scared to check my bank balance. Took me years of scrimping to wriggle out of it.

Weirdly, now I'm in the clear (2 years) I don't want to go shopping half as much as when I was in debt. Knowing I could buy something if I really wanted to puts me off, somehow.

Good luck OP. Don't get distracted - your freedom and peace of mind will be worth it.

I get it, we were doing really well until the week before xmas when Christmas fever hit and I overspent. I now have £1.52 left of available funds (all overdraft) until I get paid (in a few hours fortunately). I did the whole "joy" bit and now feel a bit crap about it. So don't let it get you down.

As for the meat thing... I think you need to have at least one day a week "meat free", we do this and I have also made our meat portions smaller. I realised that we are quite spoilt and eat far more meat than needed in a meal and as it is the most expensive part of the meal, I reduced the size. Nobody has noticed, well, apart from the dog.

I hear you, OP. Having struggled with debt throughout my first marriage and taking 3 years to clear it (bailiffs, CCJs, debt collectors, the whole nightmare) post divorce, I vowed I'd never be in a position again where I feared answering the phone, a knock at the door or opening a letter.

My second marriage has been a model of fiscal responsibility, ccs paid in full every month, paid down the capital on our mortgage whenever we could. Last year we cashed in on the equity on our home and used it to buy outright elsewhere.

I feel like I can finally breathe, we can actually look forward to a reasonable quality of life when retirement comes around and we might even be able to leave our dc some kind of legacy. We can afford to live pretty well, do a fair amount of traveling and indulge ourselves within reason but we work hard and still save hard where we can too.