#9 Be debt-free… DONE! :D
I am so totally stoked to have crossed goal number nine off my list. As of last week, Aaron and I have no more debt outside our mortgage!
Thanks to a tax credit we received for purchasing a home last year, we finally had enough money in the bank to pay off the full amount of our last student loan. We were already on our way to paying it off by the end of the summer, but the tax credit helped us to do it sooner.
We’re especially excited because we’ve been working really hard to get to this point. It’s not like we just make lots of money and are able to knock out our debts left and right. We’ve been scrimping and saving a LOT since we got married.
We owe thanks to a number of people who’ve helped us out in this process:
- First and foremost, God, who has always taken care of us financially as we’ve been faithful to Him. Especially when we’ve made decisions that have cut into our finances to do what He’s called us to do, He has provided for all of our needs, just like He said He would do in Matthew 6.
- Our wonderful parents, for always encouraging us, giving us tips and helping us out here and there with a free meal or whatever
- Dave Ramsey and his book The Total Money Makeover for giving us a plan
- Friends who are in the same boat as us and have the same goals, for their encouragement and helping us feel like we’re not crazy to be so stingy
Progress Report: April 3, 2009
Days left to complete list: 405
#9 Be debt-free - With the help of our imminent tax refund, we’ll pay off our last student loan by the end of the summer.
#11 Have a garden – Pulled out some seed packets today to see when to plant them. Verdict: May or June
#12 Be consistently on time - I’m doing fairly well at this, surprisingly enough. Will keep working…
#14 Make up a recipe – Had a super yummy dish at Macaroni Grill recently. Planning to try to make it myself, with a few alterations. Does that count as “making up a recipe?”
#15 Weigh what’s on my driver’s license - Lost two pounds. Haha!
#16 Get totally caught up on my scrapbooks – Went on a scrapbooking retreat last week and knocked out a quarter of my college album. I plan to finish that book by the end of May. <crosses fingers>
#17 Read a book about the major world wars - Requested a book from the library. It came in, but I didn’t pick it up on time so they sent it back to the library it belonged to… Fail.
#25 Take a road trip with no advance planning - I’ve been thinking that I’ll try to convince Aaron to take off “up north” with just a map and a suitcase sometime this summer.
