The Payoff Plan

Yesterday, I found myself in the middle of a rather unusual conversation with a total stranger. I had to call our insurance company to straighten out a billing issue, and the woman on the other end of the line brought the billing talk to a halt when she heard me say that we had paid off our house. I was suddenly bombarded by questions on how we did it, what steps we took, what were we doing with all the money we had now, and did I teach a class on it!

When I hung up, the laughter poured out of me because the reality is, it does feel amazing. The further away we get from the payoff last November, the more amazing it feels. I mentioned this conversation on the Busy Nothings Facebook page, and a reader asked if I would be willing to share some of the steps we took that got us to the payoff point.

I actually hesitated to say yes because, in all honesty, I think people will be skeptical. They will say it's too simple to work, or too hard to follow through on. We don't have kids like they do, our income must be higher than theirs, or they already do everything we did.

In many ways, they would be right. 

And yet, I decided to share it anyway because it's our story. This is what we did, what worked for us, and my hope is that it will be an encouragement to you. As I wrote on Monday about marriages - every story is different, and along the same lines, no two financial journeys are alike.

The way I see it, there were five steps that we had to take in order to reach the point of payoff. Last night, I worked on a financial post for over two hours, outlining those steps, cutting out details, and trying not to write "the post that would not end". When I finally read it to Peter, we both looked at each other and said, "This should be multiple posts..."

I invite you to join me over the next five weeks as I share the steps that we took to pay off 54% of our mortgage in seven months. I want to hear your stories (successes and failures), and I want to be a cheerleader for you as you move forward with your financial goals. I'm no expert, and we don't have all the answers, but we are "regular people" and I'm excited to tell you our story in the hopes that it will be an encouragement to you in your journey towards financial freedom.

Step #1: Deadline
Step #2: Defining "Need" 
Step #3: Develop Discipline
Step #4: Cheap vs. Frugal
Step #5: Know When to Splurge
RECAP