 Next week I’m going to be doing a series on budgeting and living debt free. It’s a great way to begin the year. I’d like to start that off with a post about our debt free story. When Barry and I were first married, we started immediately using the Dave Ramsey budget. Before we got married, we took Financial Peace University together. Since then, we’ve taken it two more times and Barry teaches it. We know the method. We know money – we know budgets. It’s just something that’s in our blood. I realize that this isn’t the case for everyone, so I hope that next week will be beneficial to you all. I want to tell you how it works for us, so that you can know it IS possible to live debt free and that you CAN do it too. Next week will help you get started. |
 I grew up knowing about money. My parents lived debt free, so it was natural to me. If we didn’t have the money, we didn’t buy it. Credit was something other people used. They taught me the value of a dollar, and I know I will teach the same to Annie. “Debt is dumb. Cash is king!” Yes, at a young age I guess I was considered quite “tight” with my money……I’m still somewhat tight, but in a good way. I don’t go around throwing money to the wind and it sure doesn’t burn a hole in my pocket. Barry grew up the same. He was also taught how to behave with money, and I’m ever thankful. It has never been strange for Barry and me to handle money the same way. I know a lot of couples have different views about money, but we are blessed to agree with how we should handle it. We talked about the issue before we got married, so we weren’t in the dark. I encourage any of you who are not married to make sure you’re on the same page with money before you get married! If you’re already married, the Financial Peace classes can really help you and your spouse link up. |
 When we bought our first house, we went into debt. Barry hated every minute of it……after I signed my name about a million times, I felt like I left the bank with a weight around my neck. That feeling has never left us. We hate being in debt…..it’s something that haunts us. We’re attacking that mortgage like white on rice. Every month we pay extra. It was our goal to have it paid off in less than 10 years and we’re still on schedule to make that. With our next home, we hope to acquire it debt free, but if we do not it will still be a very small mortgage and we’ll attack it again. |
 We don’t buy new cars…….we buy used. Now, we’re not driving around clunkers, but we would if we needed to. Having a nice car isn’t as important to us as being debt free. If we need a “new” car, we save up and pay cash. Going into debt for a car is silly…..it just depreciates in value. How does that make any sense? You pay lots of money for a new car, including extra for interest, and when you’re done paying it’s basically worth jack squat. Sound smart to you? I’d rather have my money, thanks. |
 You’re sitting there and thinking “Yeah, sure….whatever. We can’t live debt free.” Yes you can…..you’re just not trying hard enough. We are a one income family. We live debt free, with the exception of our mortgage. I shop sales and use coupons. If we need something, we save for it and try to find the best deal. We pay extra on our mortgage each month……and we are still making it. We aren’t destitute. Staying at home to take care of my baby is more important to me than working a job so I can have “things.” Being a Mommy is more important than any thing I could ever have. If being debt free is important to you – if staying at home is a goal for you – you CAN do it! It just takes effort and planning. You have to try – no one else is going to do it for you. So, please read next week. I’ll break a budget down for you so you can see how it’s done…..and that you can make it work for you. If you have any questions, we’d be happy to answer them for you. Barry is a financial counselor, so he knows his stuff. |
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I love this, thanks! People assume we are “rich” because I stay home and/or because we homeschool. But nothing could be further from the truth. I am able to be home and homeschool because we live within our means and we make sacrifices. We budget and assign every penny a name. I worked 6 years to pay off my school loan before we had a family (I wasn’t money savvy when I took out those loans). Then I stayed home. We paid cash for all our cars and my husband just upgraded from his 1995 Toyota that had no air, no radio, and that had to be unlocked from the passenger side, lol. Our only debt is our house which is on a 15 year. We hope to pay it off early with some possible gifting…selling property from the family.
Anyways, I just want to encourage people that sacrifice and discipline is what makes debt-free happen…not luck or being rich. The mentality of those around us would have us build a bigger better house on our gifted property, take out a 30 year mortgage on it, put our kids in that great school district, and me go back to work to pay for it all. THAT we are not willing to do. Instead, we want to have our little house in the city paid off soon so we can start saving cash for college.
I cannot wait to have our mortgage paid. All that extra interest is just really sad when you actually calculate it. 🙁
Thanks for keeping it real, Stacy!
This has been on my heart a lot lately. With the job market so unstable and my husband being a state employee, we know the future is uncertain. We have been working on a budget and savings plan. This couldn’t have came at a better time!
Can’t wait to read your budgeting series. I need lots of help in that subject!
We actually got out of debt before we even know about D.R. We used similar methods. I have purchased his books to give as gifts. I would like for my friends and family to know what financial peace feels like.
Everything you posted today is on my heart! I so want time with family and not things. I also want to be debit free. When is DR FP starting back up? We may sign up…..
Carla, I am not sure if HF is doing it any time soon. Here are several classes in our area. Please read next week. If Barry and I can do anything to help, please let us know. 🙂
http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/process.locateClass/
We too are Dave Ramsey fans. My husband facilitates the FPU at our church, so we have taken the class 3 times now. Each time, we hear something we missed before. We are debt free except for our mortgage and are trying to sell to buy DOWN. We don’t need a 5 bedroom house! I wish we had started this early in our marriage–we have been married 23 years and we would have done things MUCH differently had we started back then. Can’t wait to see what you post next week!
Amen Stacy!
We are taking FPU now…we are on baby step 4, and we are debt free except for our mortgage. It is good to live like no one else. 😀
Thanks Stacy for posting this! I agree on it. I took some finance class at the Bible College and ever since my life has changed. I hate credit cards because I have seen what it does to people. I hate debit because its always follows you no matter where you go. I want to be debt free my self. I am almost there. With God’s help I will be debt free in 2011. Its important to know debt is not an option. You can save and you can own your own stuff.
I love D.R. Thanks to him, we are debt free too – except for our mortgage! This will be a great blog for new years!
I like Financial Peace University. It really saved Justin and I’s marriage. However, Dave Ramsey can be really harsh and unrealistic for every situation. We modified our financial plan around our needs and it works for us 🙂 Finances are the number one reason for divorce. Justin and I DID NOT agree financially at first. I was the tightwad and he was the spender. We are still not debt free but someday we will be.
Thanks for the comment Eva. 🙂 I’m glad things are going better for you guys!