Debt Free and Fabulous

Yes ladies and gentlemen, that is the goal...

I am sure that many of you have heard of Dave Ramsey and his money plans like Financial Peace University and The Total Money Makeover...well Rob and I have bitten the bullet and decided to go forth with this awesome plan.

Essentially Dave talks about living a life FREE OF DEBT. Yes, DEBT FREE AND FABULOUS as I like to refer to it. Rob and I have been very blessed financially for a young married couple. But are we truly being stewards of our money? Do we tithe every single month? Are we 100% completely honest about money? Do we waste money on useless items while procrastinating on the things that are truly important? I wish I could say no to all of these questions but unfortunately I cannot.

So when Rob shared with me that the ARMY was forcing them to take classes on money management from this Christian guy, I pounced! Dave Ramsey? Financial Peace University? Yes, he said...that is the one! We talked through it, I bought the book, Rob will continue to take a class every Friday in that sandy school called Iraq and we jumped in with both feet.

I spent hours poring over Excel spreadsheets, writing down details, all of our bills, and all of our debt. I even looked up all the customer service numbers and got the exact balances on our credit cards and our cars and our student loans...even our mortgage. Gulp.

And then I started to follow Dave's words. I wrote out our debt snowball (more info on http://www.daveramsey.com/) and looked at it with new eyes. I toiled away, planning out each month until our debts became ZERO (except our house, we are following the baby steps of Dave and the house is last).

It was September 2011...if we follow this plan we will completely debt free except for our home by September 2011!!!! Only 3.5 years and we could sigh relief every month when we only have to pay our mortgage, childcare and utilities. WOW!

If we apply extra things like our tax return and my bonuses from work we would be done even sooner! So we took the first step, I stowed away my lust for Pergo floors in my living room and used our tax stimulus check to pay off bills. And you know what? It felt awesome! Rob has decided that if he wants a motorcycle that we will save up for it and pay cash.

Not only will this improve our financial future but it will improve our marriage and our communication. Working together on a common goal enriches any relationship but especially that of husband and wife. The sense of accomplishment by sticking with a plan will only build confidence in one another.

I look forward to keeping you updated on our progress. As of today we have already paid off almost $2000 in debts. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we enter this new journey together for the betterment of our family and our future!

Always
Jess and Rob