After sharing the news on social media that we were three debts lighter, an acquaintance cautioned that we need to be ready to end up back in the frying pan. I think it was her take on the saying, “Out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
Right now, we’re definitely in the precarious spot of being one semi-significant setback away from having to start all over with debt payoffs. We’ve got our emergency fund set up, and we’re stashing away sinking fund cash for things like car repairs and propane, but these reserves are not deep yet. We are still getting good and crispy in the pan.
One such close call happened last week. Right after using our tax refund to help squash the three debts, we had an unexpected dental issue. We had absolutely no idea how much the problem would set us back. There was a real possibility it would drain our emergency fund. When the woman at the dentist’s office told me our insurance covered everything, I felt like I was going to float to the ceiling.
As for the frying pan and the fire, our goal is to not lose sight of debt repayments, no matter what setbacks we encounter, and continue honing our conscientious spending to live well below our means.
freshMint 