Getting out of debt

We've been doing a lot of budget planning lately. Last year, we resolved to pay off our credit card debt, and managed it early last month. Our next goal is to pay off an air conditioner for our commercial building, and there's no reason why we can't do that this year. But we also want to pay off our mortgage this year, which will be much more difficult. Still, if we can manage that, we'll be in an amazing position to put aside some in investments. It's not easy. In fact, last month, we cut our grocery bill down to about $45 a week for a family of four, which is unheard of for around here. But getting rid of just the credit cards made it easy for us to tackle the AC. Then, the AC and credit card money is being used for the mortgage, and so on. We just keep living at the same level (or less), and don't use it as an excuse to run out and buy a new tv. So it was definitely worth it.

I can't believe how long we went without any sort of debt management plan in place for our personal finances. I think too many people are in the same situation, but a lot of them are in such a desperate situation that they can't come up with the extra money to pay off small bills. It's definitely a lesson I wish I learned early, so it wouldn't have even been an issue to start with.