Money is a lot of things. Depending on how much of it you have, or have had, it can be a tool … an asset … a way to show our love (or to try to buy it).
It can be a source of anxiety … of comfort … of shame.
It can be an escape hatch. It can be a pit of despair.
It can ease many terrible things, and it can be the source of many more.
Especially when money means debt.
In today’s TTFA episode — “Jamie The Good Times Gal” — Nora and Jordan talk with one of Jordan’s former coworkers. (Believe it or not, Jordan had a different job / career before working with Nora!)
When she was 33 years old, Jamie Feldman found herself with $18,000 in credit card debt. She’d been laid off from her journalism job and was well on her way to a full-on mental breakdown.
And she wasn’t alone: The average American carries over $5,000 in credit card debt.
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This was Jordan’s first time stepping in front of the mic for an episode, and there’s a reason why she chose this one to help helm. Jordan once dealt with credit card debt herself … when she was a low-wage journalist living and working in NYC in her 20s … charging groceries and doctor visits and a gym membership to her new credit card … and spending money she didn’t have on the many weddings she was asked (and honored!) to be a bridesmaid in.
There are a ton of money stories out there about people who got screwed financially through no fault of their own. About people who did everything right and still cannot get a leg up.
Today’s story is not one of those, but it’s one we think a lot of our listeners will relate to!
Have you dealt with credit card debt and/or emotional spending? Leave us a voicemail at 612-568-4441. We may use your story in a future TTFA or TTFA Premium episode!
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This week, Nora and Marcel are jetting off (or, in some cases, trapping themselves in a car together for several hours) to bring our live show to Milwaukee, St. Louis, Lawrence, and Boulder! Then, a few weeks after that, we’ll be in Columbus, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Ann Arbor.
This is your last chance to see this particular live show! The next time we tour, it’ll be with a fully new show. See you soon!
This made me feel so seen and it was painful and wow! Thanks Jamie-between credit card and student debt, I never feel settled in my skin but this made me feel a little more hopeful, at least that I can move from the shame and be productive!