Being Broke vs Being Poor

Going broke happened to me slowly.  My debt crept up to me on broken legs, pretending to be harmless until one day, very recently, I got one of my credit card statement.  My debt was not harmless after all.  I found out the hard way that what I thought was 'manageable' was really 'crippling.'  I looked at my statement and I nearly had a stroke.  It was twice the amount I thought it was.  

I've always been pretty good with my money.  I was taught to give some, save some and spend some, and I've always more-or-less lived by that rule.  I give to charity, I believe in an emergency fund and try not to spend if I don't have to.  I have a career and a car, but no mortgage or kids.  I have a budget and an extensive spreadsheet to help me track my spending.  I do not eat out, buy useless junk or shop unless I need to.  I've consolidated once, negotiated lower interest rates and have always thought...

"I've got this under control."

My problem is that I have one damn expensive hobby.  I live and love to travel.  I've been to Mexico twice, the Dominican Republic, Florida, Bahamas, Cuba, Costa Rica, L.A. and most recently Vegas.  But I've always found amazing deals and have discovered different ways of 'traveling frugally' (if there is such a thing)

By this measure, one cannot say that I am 'poor.'  I live in a house, I have food in my belly, I am warm and I drive to work.  I am not under the poverty line, am young, have a promising career and have investments in many diverse locations.  But to my immediate despair I am here at the beginning of a new and exciting year...dead...broke.

I have 4 credit cards, all maxed out, bi-monthly car payments and the monthly insurance payment that goes with it.  I have a student loan, a once-a-year motorcycle insurance payment (which I can't afford this year) and monthly payments on a time-share that, once paid off, will be mine until I die.  This, plus so many other miscellaneous payments, has spread me so thin that I do not even have $10 extra at the end of the day and no savings to speak of.

I haven't been this broke since I was in College where at one point I was so broke that I actually pawned some CD's to buy myself my first real meal in days.  That was 7 years ago.  I am appalled to find myself completely grown up and farther in debt than I was in my College days when I spent $1,000 in one month on booze and cabs.

I thought I learned my lesson. 

Apparently, I'm still learning it.