Would you be willing to make the sacrifice?

hi, silverglint my husband and i have some debts and we are careful with our expenses right now. we are just lucky, in a way, that we still have no kids to worry about since we are newly married. i am lucky also because my husband and i are sort of a TEAM in our quest to eliminate our debts we spend our after-work time and engage in extra-income activities together -- business partners in other words. anyway, we will still celebrate christmas and birthdays but not in a big way. we will just celebrate christmas with our parents for christmas (for free!) and some not-so-expensive dinner for birthdays. have a nice day!

I wouldn't make extra sacrifices. We already don't exchange birthday gifts. Basically, it comes down to this: we have a plan to get out of debt. We are going to slowly and steadily work our way along this plan until we are out of debt. We've already cut out a lot of things, and while we could cut out more, we aren't going to because we will just end up resenting it and spending money elsewhere. Right now, we spend the maximum amount of time working. Because I am self-employed, I can work all of the time - and I basically do. My husband works full time and then does some extra work on the side.

I wouldn't be willing to go this far. If it becomes too hard to pay off your debt and you never have any fun, you start resenting putting all your money towards debt payoff. Then you find excuses to not do it. You have to reward yourself to keep you going. I mean, the point of paying off debt is enjoy life more and not worry so much. So, if you make life no fun and add to your stress, why do it? You can celebrate Christmas and birthdays and spend time with your family while still paying down your debt. You just make it fun, instead of a sacrifice. Like find meaningful gifts under $20 instead of just buying the latest toy or electronic gadget. Spend time with your family at the park or free museums instead of going to the movies or Chuck E Cheese. You'll be happier, have more fun, and still be paying off your debt.