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.
Oh, Money Saving Lords and Ladies, how I long to sit down with each one of you, individually. We’d have a nice cup of coffee at my kitchen table. And maybe we’d follow it with a muffin (who doesn’t love muffins?) and then commence a long chat. I’d let you ask each of your questions about our journey. I’d let you air out all of your fears. And I’d give you a few simple pointers on how to begin to pay off debt. And I’d give you a big hug, an ‘atta girl (or boy) and send you on your merry way to begin slaying debt dragons of your own. We’d both wish we could have talked for longer.
I know for certain that the conversation would contain these three pieces of advice:
You can do it.
We’ve talked about how debt can make you feel lonely. It can also make you feel defeated before you begin. I want you to know that you come from a long line of debt slayers.Your legacy is bigger than you realize. There are people who have paid off much more than you and even us (shocker!). Your journey is just beginning, but there’s really nothing new under the sun. Channel your inner Rob Schneider and repeat it with me, “You can do it.”
It will be hard.
It’s probably the last thing you want to hear, but it’s always better to go into a battle with full disclosure. This journey is not an easy one. Amassing debt, that’s very easy. Swipe it, apply for it, be granted it by the federal government. Paying it off takes time. It takes determination. And it takes intentionality. There will be days that speed by and days where the second hand on the clock appears to move backward. Prepare your heart and mind for difficulty now so that you are not caught off guard by a sneak attack.
You will still have fun.
I’m sure to the outside world, our lives look very boring. Right now, the King of Free is busily doing paperwork for his second job, seated on the couch next to me. Earlier tonight, the Princesses and I snuggled together reading books from the library. This weekend, we’ll gather with friends, grocery shop, and I’d guess play a board game or two. We are not at all martyrs. We’ve sacrificed entertainment and extras (that cost money) with a bigger goal in mind. We have yet to pay to eat at a restaurant in 2012 (we did have a gift certificate that I used on New Year’s Day). We might not vacation, have cable or even local tv, go to the movies or professional sporting events, but we do have a lot of fun. You can’t buy a good belly laugh or a warm hug. Your life will not be miserable when you begin to scale back your lifestyle unless you choose for it to be. You might have to think outside of the box, but then again you might find yourself pleasantly surprised with your new alternatives. I know that I have been literally surprised by joy numerous times in this journey.
The nuts and bolts of things – the budget planning, the debt reduction strategies, the money saving tips, and the fat trimming methods are all important weapons when it comes to slaying debt. But if you don’t have these three truths as your debt slaying armor, they will do you no good.
And then one day, when you’ve defeated your debt dragons. You’ll sit down with someone who’s just beginning their journey. And you’ll share these three pieces of advice with them and recall a time when you chatted with a lady with crazy red hair who wore a plastic crown who said just the same thing.
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!
