I feel like I have to share our situation. I don't usually post but I've been very relieved about our money situation.

My dh got his end of the year bonus early this month and it was great. We were able to pay off some bills, pay off our dd's tuition (2nd grade private school), pay off our car insurance for the next 6 months, and set some money in our savings account.

We also bought some furniture - a couch, loveseat, and nice side table (great deal at Wickes) and a kitchen table that came with 6 chairs (also good deal at JcPenny).

Plus we'll be able to go to Orlando for Spring Break (we're driving and got a great deal on hotel for 5 days)

Now we still have debt, our car payment and 2 credit cards. We always pay our car on time and one of the credit cards was more than his bonus so we would have been left with nothing if we had paid it off. I sent a couple of large payments to the other card and we have a low rate on that one.

Now I know you're all probably shaking your head and saying WHAT How could she not pay the debt off?? And yes I would agree with you but

1) My dh has lot's of stress at work and needs a vacation, (we'll also be visiting his brother in Florida)
2) We've been married 8 years and never bought our own furniture except for bed for our dd's - all our funiture has been really bad hand-me-downs.

so I think I made the right choice, also because I'm a stay at home mom and I never go shopping except for groceries, etc. for the house, My dd's even wear good hand-me-downs. It was depressing to be home everyday and not even have some decent furniture to sit on. I guess what I'm asking is does anybody agree with me? OR am I just totally crazy for having done this? I look at it this way we're not using the credit cards anymore and I've had a plan (that I'm sticking with) to pay them down so everything is BOUGHT AND PAID FOR with no ADDITIONAL debt. Sorrry if this is long I just felt like sharing.

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I see nothing wrong with what you did! Good for you, remember theres this thing called living and enjoying. You cant put a price on that.

It sounds like you were able to pay down some debt, along with doing something great for your family, so I don't think you're crazy. It's not like you spent it on things that were foolish. How great that you were able to do all of these things!! Enjoy your furniture & vacation.

Thank you for the support. Sometimes I feel like I'm always depriving myself, like I don't buy makeup or nice clothes or even perfume for myself, so it felt good to buy something that we actually need (our kitchen table is falling apart) and will get years of use, but not take years to pay. I guess I'm just feeling the guilt of spending so much at one time - kwim?

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Congrats on your good fortune! I'm not going to make a judgement about your situation. Everyone has to find a good balance between living and how much debt they're comfortable with. However, I think the fact that you're turning here for justification indicates you might not be 100% comfortable with your decision. It does sound like you have a great plan to pay off your debt. Hopefully by next year you'll be debt free, and your purchases won't have to weigh as heavily on your mind. Just my $.02.

Just because you did differently than what others may have done does not mean that you were crazy to spend on what you did. It sounds like some of your money went the more cautious pathway (insurance, bills, savings) while some was for more of a luxury purchase. So, if you are not behind on your bills and want something nice for yourself, I see nothing wrong with that. Going back to the "can you save too much money" thread of earlier- if you are saving so much you aren't enjoying life, than maybe you are saving too much. So, go ahead, enjoy your new furniture and the thrill it gives you to see something nice and just remember where you are heading toward- a debt-free (but not deviod of joy) lifestyle.

I think everyone has to decide their priorities and it sounds like you did yours. It was great that you were able to pay some bills and be able to do some nice things for your family. You obviously have a plan of action and aren't behind on your bills so good for you. The money was hard earned and you guys deserve to enjoy some of it. Deprivation is no way to live.

Good for you! You were able to take care of some important things and I think it's great that you were able to buy your furniture without having to put it on a credit card! I have been married to my DH for over 14 years and just recently went from a double bed to a king size. It was the first new piece of furniture we have bought since we got married. It feels WONDERFUL!!! And, you won't have to pay interest on it. And, sometimes a vacation is more important than other things for lots of reasons. If DH's job is that stressful, it will allow him to revive himself, it will help his health and his mood. Win/win!!

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I say, YAY for you! Now (here comes the mother in me! :D ) if you make a plan & stick to it, you can & will be debt free sooner than you think. Enjoy your vacation.

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Thanks guys. I do have a plan for paying the rest of our debt and hope to be done buy the end of the year. The credit cards have been put away for a while and we always pay more than the minimum. What I hope to do is wait and see if interest rates go lower so I can refinance the car that would save us a lot. If we didn't have the car we might be able to afford a small house out in the burbs just on his salary. But the way the housing market is here in Chicago it would be impossible to buy a house in a decent neighborhood in the city.

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