Thursday, March 15, 2012

WE'RE DEBT FREE


You heard right- we are completely debt free!

We just paid off the last of our car payment, and we are 100% debt free. Wahoo! We started a year ago- on the way home from a spontaneous trip to Disneyland to celebrate our fourth anniversary- listening to the audio book of The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. We were both impressed, hopeful, and motivated. Then we started the Financial Peace University Course. We dove in with both feet. We had over $50k in medical debt, along with a car payment, and a vacation ownership. Over the last year, we built our baby emergency fund, then dug even deeper and got gazelle intent with our debt. I went from being a full time stay at home wife and mother, to a full time employer at a major financial firm. I didn't realize how much I missed the career route! (Thankfully, a trusted friend and neighbor watches our little boy during the day. It's an all day play date for him with his best friend there.) We sold our vacation home, got on a super slim budget (beans and rice, anyone?), and made a million and a half calls to lower, settle, have dismissed, and even beg down our medical debt. We become full on "ramsey-ites".

We started having budget meetings, communicating about our finances, spending, and our money, and setting goals- big and small- to achieve. It seemed touch, and long, but now that we are here, it was the most interesting and progressive year of our marriage.

And now, here we are. We are debt free. Debt Free. Those two words have so much meaning they can't possibly be expressed in two short syllables. Thank you, Dave Ramsey, for your Bible based, logical, simple, easy-to-follow guidance plan.

Shhh, listen. Did you hear that? That's the sound of our family tree changing.

2 comments:

Melissa said...

I am so happy for you!!! Congratulations. I hope your experience will influence many others.

Nicole said...

Congrats! I've been listening to his radio program and wanting to sign up for Financial Peace University at my church but they have it on a day that I work.. maybe next time!! I look forward to the debt free scream!