Monday, March 2, 2015

a getting-out-of-debt year turned into a year of flowers



As most of you already know, Sensei and I officially proclaimed this year a GOOD (Getting-Out-Of-Debt) year. 

We were really determined to pay off our credit card and developed a few strategies to make it happen (like not buying anything except absolutely necessary things; selling things we don't need etc.) We were doing really well for the first month, and I was going to share the process here on the blog in a hope that it could help people who were also going to get rid of their credit cards forever. 

However, this just wasn't destined to be.

It so happened that my mom got a huge bonus at work, and she gave us some money (nearly $1500) as a gift. Together with what we managed to save (about $500) it was right enough to cover our debt. End of story.

Yeah, it does seem a bit like an anti-climax, because well, I can't write a post like "if you want to get out of debt, just wait till your mom gives you the money". 

I tried to explain to my parents that it was too generous, and that we felt too much obliged, but it didn't work out well (my mom was really hurt that I was trying to not accept her gift, and after she actually started crying I gave up and decided to just be grateful for this unexpected surprise).

So after the card was destroyed, Sensei and I decided to take some action to show our gratitude. This is how an idea of a Year of Flowers instead of a getting-out-of-debt year came to life. 

We bought a vase and the best fresh roses we could find, went to my parents' home when they weren't there (I have an extra key from their apartment) and put the flowers on their dining table. From then on, we would put fresh flowers into that vase as soon as the previous started withering, and every time my parents sit down to eat they can enjoy fresh flowers as a reminder of our immense gratitude. So far I've only got roses (trying to buy a different variety every time), but I'm really looking forward to spring in order to get some tulips and peonies and all other gorgeous blooms that the season will bring. I know my mom loves fresh flowers, and I'm so happy that we can now afford buying them for her all year long. This makes me feel a bit better about this whole thing.

So, while I can't share tips and tricks on how to get out of debt for a year, I can at least share an idea of how to show your gratitude to someone special. "A year of flowers" sound pretty nice to me.







2 comments:

  1. what a beautiful idea and I'm very happy for you.
    Not having this burden on your shoulders is going to have such a positive impact on your lives. Not to mention the fact that we become more productive and creative when we don't have to worry about more pragmatic issues...

    wishing you all the best~

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