I was sitting at my kitchen table this afternoon chatting with a fellow Money Saving Lady who has been on the same path we once traveled (just a few years before we traveled it, in fact). She began to share her personal journey. How the bills came in and she “creatively financed” her way around paying them because her family couldn’t afford their lifestyle. How she hesitated sharing with her husband that their finances were in dire condition because he traveled so much and she didn’t want to burden him. How they almost lost their house. How she lost her health. And worse, how they almost lost their marriage.
I know she’s not alone. Maybe you’ve traveled a similar debt slaying path. Maybe you’re standing on the brink of a similar precipice hoping you don’t teeter off the edge.
What kept reverberating in my brain the whole time is that getting out of debt takes guts.
It takes guts to have a hard conversation and say to your spouse and yourself, “We simply cannot live this way anymore.”
It takes guts to dig down in deep and work hard, taking on extra jobs when necessary.
It takes guts to be the spouse at home with small children while the other spouse is working extra hours and extra jobs. You combat fears of insignificance and crave adult interaction.
It takes guts to living counter-culturally in a world where it seems like everyone eats out, has at least two vehicles, goes to the movies every weekend, and certainly vacations twice a year (or at least that’s what they’re sharing on Facebook).
It takes guts to admit you’ve messed up with money and if you don’t course correct, you’re never going to get it right.
It takes guts to stick with it over the long haul – whether it’s a month, a year or a decade (or 4 years if you’re us).
It takes guts to find friends who will be encouraging and help you stay on track.
It takes guts to cut ties with friends who aren’t encouraging and throw you off track.
It takes guts to keep romance alive in your marriage when you don’t have finances for candlelight dinners, weekend getaways or even a baby sitter.
It takes guts to tell your kids “no” when they ask for a new toy, a special experience, or something they don’t need {or don’t need right now}.
It takes guts to delay gratification.
Here’s to guts . . . May you grow them for they don’t come naturally. May you be full of them. May you empower others to have them. They do lead to glory.
Gain inspiration to pay off debt! Check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
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