After graduating from college with a master’s degree at the age of 25, I started life with a clean slate.
I had managed to save a few thousand dollars more over the years from my job, waiting tables and bartending in college. So at age 25, I had no debt and a decent amount of money to start my life.
At that moment in the bank lobby back in 2011, we decided enough was enough.
It was time to face the fact that we were slowly going down a path of debt accumulation that would be difficult to unwind if we continued pressing forward.
There are some things we could have done differently to avoid debt. But, at the same time, I do not regret any of these decisions.
The church I go to has a saying. “It’s okay not to be okay; it’s just not okay to stay that way.” My view on debt is similar.
It’s okay to go into debt; it’s just not okay to stay in debt. You have to face your debt; otherwise, it can be challenging to make progress financially.