debt free tips

This portion of the blog will be a continual work in progress (just like the rest of me! Sheesh!). As a wedding gift from our pastor, we received the kit for Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. It has really been a huge gift that just keeps on giving back to us. We have gone from a couple with a lot of debt (mostly from me *ahem* student loans) to a couple with manageable debt with an end in sight. My goal during this year is to pay off most, if not all, of it.

Because my husband and I work together on finances in our house, he may be a guest blogger in this section quite a bit. Get ready for some financial fun, friends! :)


February 17, 2015

The Power of No

By nature, I'm a "yes person." This has gotten me into overwhelming work situations a time or two, but most importantly in money situations.

Want to go for dinner/drinks? YES.
Want to do a little shopping? YES.
Want to get a pedicure? YES. YES. YES.

That list could go on and on. I'm fairly social, at least I used to be until I started saying no. If you were to take a look at my bank account right out of college, I bet it would be almost nothing but small purchases for no good reason like happy hours with co-workers, that pair of shoes I just HAD to have or lunches out. And strangely, I struggled to pay bills. I wonder why!

Notice how the first word of the above questions are "want?" Sure, I WANT to do all those things, but I don't NEED to. Once I got engaged, Randy and I got serious about our finances and what we wanted our future to look like together. There are a series of events in my life that I can pinpoint as "when I became an adult" and that is certainly one of them. Finances are not romantic. Budget meetings aren't fun. Having to say no to your friends' invitations to go do fun things kind of sucks. Shopping almost strictly on clearance or making whatever is in your wardrobe work for now really isn't fun. But- - it's what I NEED to do for now to ensure I'm doing my part to meet our financial goals. And, I'm here to tell you, it gets easier to say no. Practice makes perfect after all!

Granted, my husband and I don't get out much. No one could ever call us spontaneous because we are both planners by nature. But, we PLAN dates. We budget for them. Sexy, right? Not really, but it IS a bonding experience we have together and weirdly, it's pretty fun. Planning around the life you have makes so much sense so when you go out it's totally guilt-free.

Look for more on this subject because we are going hard on this! :)