While it's true that life is uncertain, there's at least one thing I am very sure of: I will never be held hostage for refusing to iron.

A woman in Villa Rica, Georgia, was held at gunpoint for six hours by her son because she refused to iron his clothes (as reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Unlike her, I love to iron. I'm not saying that I would be that thrilled to do it for a 29-year-old son who refused to leave home, but I probably would.

I know that my love for ironing is a little odd. It's just that I find the process to be soul soothing, and it gives me instant gratification. I love the sound of a good surge of steam over a big ironing board that is positioned in good, natural light. More than that, l love ironing for the fact that it helped me get out of debt. Not kidding.

Years ago, when I came to terms with the fact that I have a serious shopping problem, I sat down one day to analyze it. I figured out that I just love the emotional sensation of buying stuff. Even though I didn't have any money (buying stuff on credit made me feel like I had some), buying gave me a kind of emotional high that defied description. I wanted to have that feeling as often as possible.

Trust me, I'm no therapist. But I figured that if I could find something less damaging that would produce a similar feeling to my shopping rush — and that was easily accessible at a moment's notice — then maybe I could use it to modify my behavior. I knew in a heartbeat what that activity would be: ironing.

Giving myself permission to iron whenever I got a sudden urge to respond to an infomercial or head for the mall (this was somewhat prior to the advent of online shopping) was like giving a kid the key to a candy store. Do you wonder why I didn't tell a soul about this for so many years? It's because I feared they would think I'm nuts — the way you're thinking right now.

My secret plan worked, and better than I could have ever imagined. I didn't realize how quickly my urge to spend would vanish once I could successfully distract myself.

Over the years, my ironing has become more serious. I have possibly the world's finest home ironing system, for which I make no apologies. Granted, it was pricey. But compared to multiple sessions with a therapist, thousands of dollars in credit card debt or a heartbreaking divorce, my venerable and rather noisy IronMaven has turned out to be quite a bargain.

The fringe benefits are myriad. I have all but eliminated cleaning bills. I realized that I can hand-wash just about anything that I would normally dry clean. I used to pay for the professional press, but now I can do it myself, and enjoy doing it, too. My husband's clothes are always freshly ironed — even his jeans. Guests in my home sleep on fine, ironed linens.

There are some who might believe I've just traded one obsession for another. That could be so. But I'm happy with the results. And I never fear being held hostage for lack of a good iron.

While my old IronMaven is no longer available, in a recent column ("The Three Best Steam Irons") I responded to a reader who wanted to know the best inexpensive steam iron out there. I responded with three options — rated Best Inexpensive, Best of the Best and Best Semi-Pro — with brief reviews and pricing. Visit my website for links to these products.

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.