Dealing with debt is one of the most soul-crushing things an adult can do. As finance blog Fiscal Flamingo suggests, it’s a little less horrible if instead of “paying down your student loans” you’re “paying off Al Capone”.
Picture: lemonjenny
It may sound silly, but deep down most of us connect with things more when we give them names or faces. It’s why we resonate with Pixar movies about toys or robots, and it’s why we feel sad when Jeff snaps Steve. As Fiscal Flamingo puts it:
When I was in the midst of the credit card juggle and could barely keep my head above water — “Jillian” was the name of my debt. Jillian was the girl that stole my boyfriend. (Names have been change to protect the innocent.)
Let’s just say I had a ton of fun with comments such as,
I’m one step closer to kicking Jillian to the curb.
I’m sticking it to Jillian.
And every time I wrote a check to Mr. MasterCard, Mr. Visa and Mr. Discover,
Take that Jillian.
(Cause I’m mature like that.)
You don’t necessarily have to use a name (particularly a mobster name, even though I think it’s way cooler). The point is to use words that are more engaging than the looming dread that typical debt talk gives us. The more light-hearted you feel when paying off your debts, the more likely you are to do what needs to be done.
A Method You’ve Never Heard Of That Will Catapult Your Journey To Debt Freedom [Fiscal Flamingo]
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