You guys. We are into our last full month of being in debt! Our last month! In 28 days we will be officially debt-free and I’m so excited that this date is getting closer. But I’ll be honest, the last couple months have probably been the hardest in relation to motivation.

In the last month, I’ve been spending a bit more in fun and non-needs categories. We allow ourselves $50 a month in personal spending money, and I am usually such a saver that I save it each month! But so far this month of September, I have spent $100… Going out to eat with friends, and online shopping have gotten the best of me. We’re also going on a cruise to celebrate our debt-free date next month, so I’ve been buying fun things to prepare for that!

Coming into the end of our debt-free journey, I’ve been reflecting on what the last 2.5 years have been like for us. We’ve lived very simply and only bought things that were needs. No clothing shopping, no eating out, no extras… Our lifestyle was very simple and limited.

Now that we are looking ahead to being debt-free, we plan to allow ourselves a little more wiggle room. So we’ll probably buy a new shirt now and then, or go out to a restaurant twice a month. We are not going to go CRAZY on spending (our next goal is to save and we want to do that quickly as well) but we are excited to treat ourselves to a little more.

So why are these last couple months so hard?? I think we’re starting to feel a little budget burn out. Honestly, we’re getting a little tired of the sacrifices we’ve made in the last 2.5 years, and we’re getting excited about how we get to live our lives differently in a couple months.  We’ve been so strict with ourselves (and I’m proud of us for doing so) but it’s been a long marathon. The finish line is so close. I can see it down the line, and I’ll admit–we’ve been slowing down on the intensity.

But I must remind myself that we’re this close!

If you are close to being debt-free or reaching your current financial goal, know that budget burn out is a real thing! And when you can see the finish line, don’t ease off the gas quite yet. You’re almost there. Keep racing until the finish. It will so be worth it in the end.