Here’s something I don’t like talking about: money. I grew up in a wealthy suburb of Chicago, went to a private high school and attended college paid for by my parents. I have always felt extreme guilt for being born into a cushioned lifestyle.

My guilt manifested into debt. After college, I let my personal finances become a complete mess. I didn’t budget, I didn’t make enough money to pay for my apartment, & I used credit cards to pay for everything. I took out loans to pay for grad school. Finally! A financial situation to match what I felt I deserved!

Whenever cornered by my father about money, I would mumble something like “don’t worry, everything’s fine!” I wouldn’t dare tell him the truth, because it would make me feel ungrateful & idiotic.

Yesterday, I swallowed my pride & asked for help. I printed out my balances & asked my dad what I could do to improve the situation. Graciously, generously, & without biting my head off, he helped me come up with a plan to tackle my debt.

Now that I have come clean to him, I can come clean online. I firmly believe in financial transparency & took a stab at it with my weekly financial hygiene routine. But until I could see simple numbers like at Oh No My Money, my debt wasn’t going anywhere.

Here is where I currently stand as of July 18, 2010:

Here is where I am one year from now:

This is a visualization exercise to help me picture exactly how much money I want to attract into my life. My debt is paid, my savings overflowing, & I have plenty of income to support experiences like travel to Europe. I’m not yet trying to figure out HOW I’m going to get this money. All that’s important is that I know exactly how much I want & what it feels like to have it.

Now I can print this visualization out & make it happen! Money is such a touchy subject, but it doesn’t have to be! There is enough wealth for everyone! What are your thoughts on financial transparency? Yay or nay?