Two days ago, my car was repossessed. It was kind of ironic actually: there I was standing in my kitchen with my grant check in one hand and the phone to my ear talking to my credit company in my other when a tow truck pulls into my driveway and hitches up my only vehicle. The gentleman who I had been speaking to had been very glad to be getting the money (finally) owed to them. However, he sang a different tune when I informed him my car was being towed.

You would think that I would have broken down and cried; begged, pleaded, and paid to get my car back, right? The opposite, actually. As the tow truck driver takes off with my car, I had an epiphany: I am not meant to have this car. I cannot afford this car. And it was true. Instead of toting down to the credit company and paying what I owed and getting my vehicle back, I looked at this situation as one of enlightenment. If I got the car back, I would continue to struggle with the payments as I had been. This situation would only replicate every few months or so and I would be continuously stressed out about losing my car. 

Instead, I took that grant check, cashed it and toted down the local car dealership strip and bought a car: wheels, engine, title and all. 

Most would object to my actions but I don't care. "Think of your credit!" they'd argue. "You might have to pay that loan back anyway!"  This may be true and I will cross that bridge when I get to it. However, if I indeed need to anty-up to my obligation, I would be able to negotiate a more affordable payment. At this point, the credit companies just want their money and if they can get 50 bucks a month, I don't think they'd turn it down. As far as my credit score: I am young enough that it would not affect my lifestyle directly. I don't need to buy a home, I'm certanly not ever going to finance a car again, and I rent for the time being. I can survive just fine.

You may have a different opinion all together. You may act differently in this situation and that is fine. That is what makes you and I different. All I claim is to learn from my mistakes and admit when there is something I just can't do. To take a step back and see things from a different perspective; to realize that this not-so-flattering situation has the potential to to make my life a little easier.

And a word about the car I just bought and own: I see it in a whole new light and let me tell you, from this angle, it looks darn good.