The Lie I Told Myself
“I’ll pay it off next month.”
That was the lie. The quiet, seductive little sentence that has cost me more than I ever expected.
Every time I swiped the card, I wasn’t just spending money. I was borrowing from my own future peace of mind. I was giving myself permission to ignore the numbers, because the ‘next month’ version of me would be responsible.
The problem? That version of me never showed up. They were always running late, just one paycheck away from getting it together. Always promising, always postponing.
This lie didn’t feel like a lie at the time. It felt like hope. It felt like flexibility. It felt like survival.
But it was still a lie.
The Cost of False Confidence
Debt isn’t just numbers. It’s a story you tell yourself. And this one always starts the same way:
“I’ve got this under control.”
It’s funny how expensive those five words can get. See The Day My Budget Died for another story of quiet financial surrender, and The Regret Rinse & Repeat Cycle for the patterns that keep us stuck.
Here’s the truth no one wants to admit:
- “Next month” thinking creates next year problems.
- Optimism can sometimes be just another form of procrastination.
- Self-trust without accountability becomes a trap.
Ledger Lesson:
Never trust a financial plan that starts with “next month.”
This post is part of the Regret Ledger, where we document the lessons debt teaches the hard way. For more on emotional spending, see The Revenge Spending Trap.