I realized last week that I need to get my financial situation under control. It started with finally working up a budget, and the reality that I had a balance on a couple of credit cards was sobering. I decided to attack those credit cards with a vengeance to get them to a zero balance. Nothing was off the table. In fact, if I make it to midnight, it will be 3 full days since I have gone out and spent a dime. No eating out; no gas; no shopping; no groceries…nada. I’ve sold stuff on eBay for as little as $0.99 just to round up money.

It hasn’t been easy, but it has been super rewarding. I paid both cards to zero yesterday, and it was the best feeling I have had in a long time.

I’ve really exhausted almost all of my groceries. I just ate a peanut butter sandwich made up of the two heels that were left in the bag. Now I am no fan of a heel of bread but you’d be surprised what you will do to save money.

While I was eating that heel sandwich, it reminded me of an old saying I heard from my mom, who said she got it from my grandmother. It goes “poor people have poor ways.”

I guess there’s two ways to look at that old saying. One cynical interpretation would be that poor people have habits that make/keep them poor. There’s probably some truth to that.

Another more optimistic take (and the one I am subscribing to) is that poor people are thrifty and make the most of what they have without wasting.

The reason I choose this more positive version is for people like my uncle. He was quite wealthy but was notorious for reusing coffee grounds to stretch the coffee out. He could well afford the finest coffee in the land, but had a life habit of recycling the coffee. Growing up without money led him to see it as a waste to not reuse them.

I remember when I was a youngster that we would add a little water into our hair spray bottle after every use to stretch it out as far as it would go. I vividly remember unscrewing the lid and holding the bottle under the tiny stream of water that filled it back up, then giving it a shake to mix it up for next time. Over time, we found the perfect water to hairspray level that balanced it out to where it would give enough hold without being too watered down. It probably ended up saving us $2 every 3-4 months.

I am proud and happy to have been able to pay off my credit cards because they truly are a tool of the devil…or banks, which is pretty much the same thing. It also has been fun to be thriftier, so I am fixing to head to the kitchen now to make that oatmeal I have that is a couple months past the expiration date.