WE’RE DEBT-FREE!!!

My title is what people excitedly scream when they call the Dave Ramsey Show on the radio. My husband and I haven’t called in, but we’re debt free!!! We followed Dave’s Financial Peace University to get out of debt. You use “baby steps” to get to where you want to be. The first step is to save $1,000 in an “emergency fund,” which is for emergencies – vehicle breakdowns, unexpected medical bills, etc. After that, you pay off debt with the “debt snowball.” You begin by paying off the bill with the lowest balance. Once it’s paid, you “snowball” the minimum from that bill PLUS the minimum on your next bill. Essentially, you pay bigger and bigger amounts in order to get everything paid off. Our last item was my car. We finally paid it off last month and I got my title in the mail! It feels so good to own my car! It’s actually my car!

Dave is known for his saying, “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” We are beginning to reap the benefits of living like no one else “later,” now. With no payments besides regular bills (rent, electricity, water, cell phone, etc.), we’re able to save like crazy, then spend on things we want, in CA$H. Over the last few months I saved and saved. A few days ago, I paid up-front for a new MacBook Pro, because I worked hard, and because I wanted it. It’s true that I actually needed a computer; my Dell died almost a year ago. But we were still paying off debt, so it was put on the back burner.  Once our debt was gone, I began saving for the computer I needed, and decided I wanted a nice MacBook instead of a Dell. Yes, Macs are more expensive than PCs. Because we are debt-free, I was able to go beyond what I needed and pay up-front for my MacBook, which I wanted. It is very rewarding!

I recommend Dave Ramsey’s plan to anyone out there, married or single, who wants to LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE. It’s one of the best things we’ve ever done, and we’ll never worry about money again!

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