I've been having fun with charts again.

It's good that the charting is fun, because the information isn't so fun.

I believe this is what my friend Nancy refers to as "the horizon always receding":

(Click the chart for a better view.)

This chart represents the changes--both subtle and, ultimately, virtually nonexistent--in my debt load since May 2011. The top bar is last year, and the bottom is now. So to speak.

You see, I've reduced my overall debt by about $7,000, which is nothing to sneeze at. But in real terms, I've made neither net gains nor losses overall. The biggest chunk paid down was on my house mortgage, owing to this helpful scheme. My student loans have shrunk, too, by another $2,500 during the past year.

The big growth is in credit consumer debt, but the picture is not as dire as you may imagine. More than 75 percent of my current credit card debt is actually sitting on balance transfer cards, not accruing further interest. My credit is costing me less than it ever has.

I've finally paid the last of my $5,000 loan to The Lending Club this month, and I am refinancing my house at a lower interest rate, which will help me pay a little more toward credit cards. I have managed to incur no additional debt during the past six months in spite of several major expenses, including a big 13th birthday party for my daughter and travel expenses associated with a couple of professional conferences, plus some major repairs to car and home.

Yes, delightful. But at the end of the day, I am frustrated, my fellow CheapBohemians. Because basically all this means that I am just winning at running in place.