What have I done?

The accumulation and carriage of debt involves so many negative thoughts, and though I don’t regret my credit card debt, I do sometimes find myself thinking negatively. After all, I’m in so far, what difference could eating out make? How much will that $30 sweater really matter when I have this much debt? 

To counter these thoughts, and the guilt that comes with debt, I recently made a list of the things that I’ve done to improve my situation. Below are the major things I’ve come up with: 

1. I got a new roommate. This was a tough one for me; as an introvert, I like my space, and I really didn’t want a new roommate. The fact that I could afford my apartment by myself and not add onto my debt didn’t help; it felt like I could just cruise by and pay off my debt with my commissions. But I finally did find a roommate, and one that is paying more than half of the monthly rent on my apartment. I can now divert her rent check to my credit card. (With about $200 of it going to my 401(k), now that I’ve upped my contribution.)
2. I didn’t furnish my bedroom. When my old roommate moved out, I moved into her (bigger) bedroom and I’m renting out my old bedroom. That meant that I finally had enough space for the things I wanted in my bedroom: a big headboard and footboard (right now I only have a bedframe), a nice dresser, bedside tables, and a chair and ottoman. So far, I’ve only bought a cheap (less than $100) dresser, and that was only because I needed a place for my unmentionables.
3. I haven’t spent much on eating out. With a few exceptions, I bring my lunch to work 4 times a week usually. Once a week, a coworker buys me lunch, and in return I give her a shoulder massage. (I took massage courses in college.) I almost always cook dinner and breakfast at home, which means that I have a very low % of my pay going to eating out.
4. I’ve been vigilant. I have made sure that I’m paying the absolute lowest interest rate possible on my loans (0% on CC, 3.25% on student loans), and I already have several possibilities lined up once my 0% is up in September. If my CC debt is not paid off by then, I’ll either transfer my balance or convince them to extend the 0%; either way, I won’t be paying interest on the CC debt. (I have several 0% balance transfer offers that will waive the balance transfer fee, so it would be free.)
5. I haven’t forgotten my retirement. This is the furthest I’ve gone into a calendar year without contributing to my Roth IRA, but I’m still confident that I’ll be able to fund it. At any rate, even before I had a new roommate, I was still contributing 10% to my 401(k). (Full company match is at 8%.) Now that I have a new roommate, I’ve upped my contribution to 15%. Since my CC debt is at 0%, I can do this; otherwise, I’d contribute 8% and pay off CC’s.

Overall, I’ve done fairly well, I think. At any rate, without feeling too self-satisfied (after all, I do still have $9,000 in CC debt), this list makes me feel better about how I’ve handled my financial situation.