"Now You Must Live Like No One Else So..."

"..later you can live like no one else." - Dave Ramsey

For anyone who has read a Dave book or taken the class they may be familiar with this phrase. For Mark and me, it hasn't just been a phrase it's been our life attitude.

Today, we have been married 2 years, 3 months, and 1 day and at 5:15 this afternoon we became DEBT FREE! 2 years, 3 months, and 1 day ago we were more than $25,000 in credit card and student loan debt. Today we have set ourselves free!!!*
*Dave Ramsey's Financial Plan does not include your living place as part of your debt. We still owe on our house and will now begin paying it down more quickly*

This journey has been my passion (Mark has merely tolerated it). I read my first Dave book in college and then reread it before we got married - Thank you Dad for making me - and came into marriage prepared to accomplish one financial goal - financial freedom!
People often ask me, "how?" or "would you show me?" Well, friends, as my parents taught me: Never spend more than you make. Pay Cash. If you can't pay cash, you don't need it.

I will tell you that we lived in the cheapest apartment in town, we ate dinner at home, we took our lunch to work, we carpooled, we never bought new clothes, we skipped vacation offers from friends and family, we moved into our house and only did necessary house renovations that we payed cash for, we used coupons for everything, we exchanged junk with friends and family to get "new" stuff, we used every Birthday and Christmas and overtime dollar towards this one goal.

We did not allow ourselves to be tempted by worldly goods as we remembred God's Words in Romans, "Owe no man anything but love." Our goal of financial freedom was not just a logical one but one of Love for our Lord and our desire to serve Him in every aspect of our lives.

So, today, we offer this gift to you dear Lord, the gift of owing no man anything but love. Please send us our next assignment as we seek to do Your will.