Do you know what has surprised me the most about this financial goal of ours? The freedom that I'm already experiencing! It's exciting to think that we could quite possibly have our house paid off by Christmas. There are no words to express how it makes me feel to crunch the numbers and see the percentage owed flip sides with the percentage paid. It's delightful to walk around in my stocking feet and know that I now own more of those 72 year old wooden floors than the bank does, and to understand just how far we've come in just two months! Unbelievably freeing. Inexplicably exciting!
And guess what? There's nothing magical or mystical about it. It's happening because of the choices that we've made. We finally reached a point in our lives where we realized that it was time to stop waiting for the next big thing to happen, where 40 was a lot closer than 20, where we grew up and accepted the fact that our future goals could only be reached if we did the work to get there.
There comes a point in your life when you have to stop looking to others to be your answer, and you have to start seeing yourself as the answer. I got a job and Peter worked lots of overtime. We skipped going on vacations, we ate from our excess, we thought about every purchase. In other words, we understood that if we continued with the status quo, we might have our house paid off in 28 years instead of 30, but if we were willing to Dream Big - to make the drastic changes temporarily - we could own our home within the year.
I remember Peter looking at me and saying, "The next nine months might really stink, but if you're willing to do it, then so am I." Well Honey, if you're in, then I'm in too. I won't lie - I've stumbled a couple of times, but because we're in this together, we've readjusted, he's forgiven me, I've fixed my error, and we've moved forward. Having accountability is key for me.
So, here are some questions for you to think about - and be honest: Are you willing to give up a few months of comfort to reach a goal? Would you consider taking an extra job or skipping a night at the movies? Are you ready to do what it takes to live like no one else right now, so that later you will get to live like no one else? Looking for a place to get started? Although I don't agree with 100% of his advice, I'd still highly recommend that you check out Dave Ramsey's website.
How have you done this month?
Any financial goals that you're working towards?
I know that a couple of you have recently had spouses lose their jobs - you're in my prayers!
Next Bottom Line Update: 6/26/12
Keep up the good work!! Dave Ramsey's plan has forever changed my husband's life!! When we met each other, he had 12 payments every month...JUST to pay off debt. Now that he has gone "gazelle intensity" for the last 2 1/2 yrs., he (now WE!) have only 3 payments every month!!! =) As he says all the time, he will NO longer be a slave to the lender!!"
ReplyDeleteThat's a GREAT story, B! Thanks for sharing it - I hope it encourages someone else as well!
DeleteThis is a really challenging & inspiring post... I was just catching up on my finances and looking at my budget yesterday. I have WAY overspent for the past two months -- mostly because I just haven't been keeping track of things -- and was shocked when I looked at everything. I tweaked my budget and I also ended up requesting a balance transfer (something I've considered for a while but never pursued till now) for my only remaining credit card to another account I have that's currently offering 0% interest through next July (a time frame in which I can most likely get the card paid off). I was just considering how I needed to start disciplining myself financially instead of continuing to be irresponsible (although where I am now is definitely better than where I was two years ago). Anyway, thanks for sharing your progress because it challenges me to pursue my own!! =)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how the money just flits away when you don't pay attention? We have experienced that over and over in our lives. Congratulations on your progress to date (that's awesome!) and continue on with the good work as you focus on this area of discipline - and thanks for sharing! I hope to hear another update from you in the future! :-)
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