Comments on: I’m a Big, Fat Hypocrite: Our Updated War on Debt

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:46:31 +0000

I just got a Kindle DX (paid for in one semester’s savings compared to regular textbooks) and would love to pick up your ebook in the next year. I hadn’t heard your story before the YNAB interview, but I agree with much of your philosophy. For me freedom is a similar sense of being untethered, but much more local.

Le Budget Boheme.

By: Brex

Brex — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 19:25:26 +0000

I love your stuff. I just started reading a few months ago but i have to say you are one of the best bloggers I’ve read, mainly, b/c i LOVVVVE the radical honesty on the money front.
We keep wanting to travel the world and we say things like “in a year when all the debt is paid off” but i think the fact that you paid some off and then went and traveled is smart b/c it lets you know you can make it financially and gives you the reason to keep pushing for that goal. Plus, i know from experience that traveling helps to put things into perspective.

By: Carly Wilson

Carly Wilson — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:21:14 +0000

I know I’m like two years late on this one but just wanted to say that I admire what you are doing here. Sure, you lost a bit of momentum in terms of paying down your debts but you got to have the experience of traveling and doing what you love. Your daughter is at a stage in her life where she is picking up every single vibe out there and your vibe is saying “we are responsible and make plans to have a kick ass life that we love”. That’s priceless!! I live in Australia (moved here four years ago from the US) and have never been able to do much traveling around because I’ve been busy making ends meet and spending money on stupid crap. Your site has totally inspired me and I am now about three weeks from paying down my credit card!

By: Jonathan Drake

Jonathan Drake — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:19:52 +0000

and yes it ( mantravelsaroundtheworldwhilehepaystheminimumonhisstudentloans.com ) is available.

Great Site.

-Jonathan

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:58:21 +0000

I think it was good you went – better to actually do the thing you most wanted to do than keep delaying and copping out the other way – by not even going. That said, I’m leaving my b/f after 5 years to go do what I’ve always wanted to do – grad school abroad. I helped him cut his $55k debt down to $28k over the past 4 years, but screw it. I’m done waiting for him to catch up to my level of frugality and desire for minimalism. Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day. He’s a good person, we’re just not on the same page. I don’t think I could live with the regret of not doing what I really want to do.

By: Elysia

Elysia — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:29:57 +0000

Adam,
I just had to say how impressed I am at your sharing all of this with everyone. No one even reads my blog and although I put up the total number, I don’t list out the separate debts, because I am completely and totally embarrassed to have them. (We’re 39 if that helps for clarity.)
I think the thing I’m struggling with most right now is that I have a plan, I’m paying down debt (credit card #2 gets flushed this month) and if (as we hope) all goes according to plan, we could have everything paid off including our mortgage in about 8.5 years. It’s slow… it’s frustrating… but hell, we got ourselves into this and we’re getting ourselves out. But we also have two kids (4 and 6) and we need and want to spend time with them, and I feel like we need to still be saving some for retirement/college. I *know* the return on paying off the debt is higher (and guaranteed), but I still want to contribute to my 401k. And I feel like I should be saving for college. If I wait 5 more years (payoff last student loan date) to start saving for that, my kids will be 9 and 11, that doesn’t feel like enough time to save for college .
I just feel like so much of the advice out there says I can’t or shouldn’t save for college and retirement while I have debt, but if I have a plan, and I’m not compromising that plan, and everything will be paid of in 8.5 years (which is a long time, but not *sooo* long if you’re including a mortgage), is it really that irresponsible?

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:50:53 +0000

Yes, that is an INCREDIBLE amount of debt, and I don’t think you should be traveling. You should be putting away money for your daughter’s education–so that she doesn’t face the same problems. Sure, work hard for another 2 years–and THEN travel. Then all the money funneled into minimum payments can be going to a retirement fund and a college fund.

I am working through graduate school right now, and everyone thinks I’m insane. “Working full time? And going to school full time? Why don’t you just take out a LOAN?” Because when I’m done, I’ll be debt-free, with $10,000 in my pocket. Student loans are pure, pure evil perpetuating a never-ending cycle of poverty.

By: confused

confused — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 04:15:17 +0000

Baker,

I am constantly having fights with myself about what I am doing with my life. Traveling has become a passion of mine over the past few years in college. I now have a good paying full-time job fresh out of college. I am on track to pay off all of my student loans by July. I am in a job that I know I won’t want for the rest of my life, but earning money is addicting. I am on track to setting myself up for a nice financial future. Now the problem is that staying in a job like this obviously limits my travel. I would love to go to Asia or South America for longer term (2 or 3 months). But when I think of putting my career on hold, it really forces me to forget about traveling. But of course I want to see the world. This cost/benefit analysis drives me crazy. Continue building for a great financial future? Or see the world while I am young and without responsibilities? Obviously you cannot provide the answer for me, but what was the thought process you had when making your decision?

By: Agile Living Blog Carnival: November Roundup « Mine Your Resources

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[...] Blog Carnival this month. Here are my favorite submissions for this month: Adam Baker’s post, I’m a Big, Fat Hypocrite: Our Updated War on Debt posted at Man Vs. Debt is a great (and honest!) example of the sorts of values conflicts and [...]

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