You know, there are ways to leverage debt in the right way, and then there is living beyond your means. The former is preferred in our society, the later is why some people are ridden with stress and sometimes commit suicide. I grew up not knowing ANYTHING about finances and that resulted in me putting my college on my credit card (I had a $5,000 credit card by age 20, shocking and scary!). I was running from 0% to 0% introductory APRs, so I always worked through the summer and paid down my card. In my last year, I realized that it wasnt the best thing to jump from card to card and ended up hammering my credit card and getting hit with I think 16% APR. needless to say I was still poor as hell after 3 months at my first job. Pay down the debt, THEN GET RID OF IT FOR GOOD!

Now i drive a 1990 BMW that I own outright, while my friends pay $700+ a month for a new one.

You don't need all the glamour! Glad to see you happy with the family!