Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
Welcome to 31 Debt Free Missions! A new feature this year on Queen of Free, during each day in January, I will provide 31 concrete missions or challenges for you to take on to #SlayDebt and take charge of your finances this year. Each mission will take you less than an hour (some will only require 15 minutes). Whereas, 31 Days to Kick Debt in the Teeth (which I’m reworking this year and reposting in January, too) focused on some of the philosophical changes you need to make in order to be successful with money, 31 Debt Free Missions are action steps to put into place after you have your thinking straight. Even better, during the month of January, I’m revisiting each of these challenges in order to sharpen my money saving and debt slaying skills.
Are you ready? Your mission is as follows:
Day 4: Dust Off Your Library Card
Today you need to either sign up or dig out your library card. This just might be the simplest assignment thus far and it requires no sacrifice. CAKE, I tell you, CAKE. Do it right now and I’ll wait for you here. Done? Good. Let’s proceed on why this is so important.
Books, books, books
To fuel your journey of paying off debt, you must read. I thought this was so important and books were such a huge part of our journey that I included an incredibly long reading list in the back of Slaying the Debt Dragon (there’s a playlist too because music is equally important!). Obviously, your local library can help you check out books. I was and will continue to be thankful for the ability to request books to be purchased for my library. So when you see a new book that you know you can’t afford (you are paying off debt after all and buying books is a luxury – yes even mine), then you can place a request and/or a hold. By the way, have you requested for your library to carry my book yet? 😉
A word to the wise on what you read: Like any influence in your life, books can stir up both healthy and unhealthy desires in your heart. If you’re in a marriage that’s faltering, reading something that creates an unrealistic ideal for your spouse is dangerous. Comparatively, if you read books that cause you to want more and more things, you will feel more and more miserable. Read books that inspire. The journey of Slaying the Debt Dragon is difficult enough. You don’t need any other influences to drag you down or discourage you.
Classes & Workshops
I’m incredibly grateful for the number of fantastic programming options that our local library offers for absolutely free. From classes on budgeting to hobbies and personal pursuits, you can find both educational and entertainment opportunities that don’t cost a dime. I’ve even got a few library workshops coming up on my speaking schedule this spring.
Kids & Entertainment
Regular preschool classes, special events, books, movies, and more were all a part of our children’s worlds both while we were paying off debt and even on the other side of victory over the debt dragon. Check the schedule in advance to RSVP and hold your spot. Don’t forget to write down the dates of the events, too. When our girls were small, they treasured time in the play space of our library, putting together puzzles, rocking on the giant rocking horse, and joining in on a puppet show production with other kids there, too.
We almost always took advantage of checking out DVDs for both the kids and even splurging on a dollar rental occasionally for the big people, too (we watched more than one season of Dallas, friends).
So now that you’re done, hop on your library’s website and see what sorts of services they have available to you. Order a book (hint, hint) or place a hold today.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
We love our library! DH used to buy so many books (still buys a few via used sites online). Once we had our son, we quickly became avid library users checking out books and attending story times. I wish ours had DVDs. No luck there, but plenty of other great things from books & magazines to events.
Bummer on no DVDs! Maybe you should make a suggestion? Especially for kiddos, it can be great. 🙂 Because we love books so much it has been so handy to request them from the library instead of buying them. Sometimes we still purchase one if we think we’ll read it more than once and/or will want to lend it to people.
I just renewed my card last week. Since I live out of city limits my card is $50 annually. Still way cheaper than buying books for the kids and I. Our library has a Lego table which definitely draws my boys in.
Fantastic! And you’re right, it is worth the $50 (you could spend that on 5 books alone). 🙂