We’re Debt Free!

Well friends, one of my New Years goals has been fulfilled. We are officially debt free! If you told me a couple years ago this would be my life I’d probably laugh in your face. I had over $30k in student debt, almost $4k in car loans and about $1k in credit cards. 

Then Brendan and I got married and he also had a $22k car loan. I honestly wasn’t worried. I imagined we would pay it off in 10-15 years because that’s what everyone else does. That’s the norm. Brendan had different plans of course. He started learning all he could about getting out of debt and then stumbled upon Dave Ramsey.

Oh, Dave Ramsey. I love him and also love to hate him. Some days I hear his voice more than my own husband’s (might be slightly exaggerating 😄). He is the go-to podcast any time we are in the car. But his influence has honestly been a huge blessing to our family while on this debt free journey (right behind Jesus of course).

We started discussing the possibility of getting out of debt when I got pregnant a couple months after we were married. We decided we wanted a different life for ourselves, our future and our children.

We don’t want to rely on the government for retirement money. We want to help our children with education. We want to be able to take vacations when we are retired. And most importantly, we want to be able to give back to those in need.

It was easy for me to talk about getting out of debt. It has NOT been easy for me to walk the getting out of debt walk. 

Related post: How to pay off student loans quickly

I was born and raised a spender. I love shopping (just like my mama), I love a good $5 latte and I enjoy a cocktail when out at dinner. I was SO excited when Brendan and I got married and I started my nursing career. I thought to myself, “Yay! I can finally go out and spend all of my hard earned money however I want!”.

However, I learned quickly that that isn’t how life works. And it surely isn’t how “adulting” works. ESPECIALLY when you have a baby on the way.

I had to learn how to compromise, as did Brendan. I still go shopping guys. It’s just more often in a Goodwill than in a mall. Or Walmart rather than Target.

One of the most important things (in my opinion) about the debt free journey is not losing yourself along the way. You can still have fun and you can still have happiness without having “all the things”. 

My biggest advice is don’t compare your life to others. It sets you up for disaster and you won’t feel good about this journey you are on. I struggle ALL of the time. Being a stay at home mom can make the temptation even greater for comparison. But, you just have to take a step back, look inward and redirect your mind. You CAN do this.

Getting out of debt is so worth it. Now we are saving up to buy our first home, without having to worry about paying off tons of debt at the same time.

While I am not a huge financial expert by any means, I am still a mom who is trying to live a happy and fulfilled life while not breaking the bank. I want to help you all do the same.

This blog is still geared towards motherhood and lifestyle, but I believe all moms (or anyone for that matter) can benefit from what I have learned about budgeting and finances. 

I want these financial posts to serve you in the best way, which means I would love for you tell me what you want me to talk more about.

Some financial topics I already have in mind:

• How to start a budget when you’re in debt
• How to communicate about money with your spouse
• Simple ways to save money

If there are certain topics you would like me to discuss, please leave them in the comments or email me!

I am so excited to share more about our debt free journey with you. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss a post!