A little history before my story... My wife started going back to college last year. Our income was cut in half. We knew we were going to struggle financially, but knew once she graduated with a degree in nursing we would be better off in the long run. It's been a tremendous struggle.
Last week Michelle came to visit my wife. She gave us encouragement, some great advise, & some unexpected help. She told us it was God working through her. She moved us to make big changes in our life! Bigger ones than we could have imagined at the time. She mentioned a book called the Total Money Make Over by Dave Ramsey. My wife & I have both read it from cover to cover & have completely embraced all his principles to becoming debt free.
Most worldly people would consider Dave Ramsey's teachings radical & extreme, but his principles & ideas on how to become debt free are all biblically sound teachings.
Truth be told I had read this book a few years ago, but wasn't ready to give up or athletic competitions to become debt free. Since 2004 I've averaged no less than 15 multisport races, plus running, cycling, & ground fighting sporting events a year. I've spent a fortune on registration fees, fuel, hotel rooms, eating out, race gear, etc. A lot of my expenses are reimbursed from my amazing sponsor AFSCME, but it still took some family money to race as much as I did. It also took time away from work which decreased our take home pay. The last couple years God has been working on changing my heart so that I would willingly give up a lot of the extravagant things in my life to help my family become debt free. It took a long time, but He succeeded in convincing me that I had been living a worldly lifestyle that needed change. My family & I need to stop living in debt. No more credit cards! No more car loans! No more student loans! My wife & I feel the exact same, & since w are both willing & excited about this change, it is doable in our life. Anything is accomplishable in life when I have God & my wife by my side supporting me!
I'm not saying I'm giving up triathlons completely. God understands that I love the thrill of competition. I don't believe He is asking or expecting me to give triathlon up completely. I believe He just wants me to do it with God & my families well being 1st & foremost in my mind & heart. It took awhile, but I'm ready.
I'm willing to only race in as many competitions each year as we can afford, meaning I'll only race if we have extra money available to pay for the entire trip in cash. Before my wife stopped working & started going to college I could have raced A LOT under those circumstances, but now that we have 5 people living off my income we can't afford many races at all.
For the last year we have become a little more behind each & every pay period, we've become a little more in debt. God hates Christians to be in debt. There are a ton of scripture on God's feelings about debt & His people.
Rather than just give up on a few obvious things that will help us become less in debt we've decided to go to the extreme. We are tightening our belts in ways that would shock the average American. We're going to the extreme so that we can become %100 debt free. No loans in our name at all! The more extreme we are at not spending money, the more quickly we can pay off all our debt! I've decided as the head of our family I should lead by example, so I'm setting more restrictions on myself than is requested of the rest of the family, although they've agreed whole heartedly to embrace all these changes as well. Want to know how extreme we are going? Until all our credit cards & vehicles are paid off I/we are going to:
- (me) I've read on the net that each cup of coffee I make at home costs 25-30 cents. For decades I've drank at least 9 cups a day. I drink more coffee than 9 cups on a long work shift, trip, or late night date with the wife, or practically any excuse I can come up with to drink more. If I cut out all coffee from my life until we pay off all our Credit Cards & vehicles I'll save $81 a month (.30 cents per cup X 9 cups a day X 30 days a month= $81 a month).
- (me) limit my racing to 2 local sprint distance races a year until we have completely paid off all our credit cards & vehicles.
- (All of us) No more eating out, we're cooking at home & bringing food with us when we go out.
- (all) No more buying expensive food at the store. If it's not a relatively inexpensive food, has a coupon, or is on sale we aren't buying it.
- (me) No more destination races, trips or vacations.
- (me) no more money spent on vitamins, proteins, & supplements until all credit cards & vehicles are paid off in full.
- (all) if we don't have enough extra cash after bills to buy it, it's not being purchased.
- (all) if it's not a necessity we aren't buying it. We have more in our house than a lot of Americans, we don't need any more.
- (me) I'm going to continue to ride my bicycle to work no matter how hot, cold, icy, rainy, or snowy it is; ok, I already do that. But I plan on continuing it!
- (all) We're only buying food that's cheap, we have coupons for, is on sale. No more expensive breakfast cereals, Pop-Tarts, pricey cuts of meat, etc! Like Dave Ramsey says in his radio program, "beans & rice rice & beans!"
There's more that we are doing, but to keep today's blog post from becoming a novel I'll stop there. I'm sure you get the picture.
My family & I can't wait until we can call the Dave Ramsey show & yell, "We're debt free!" Contrary to how most people feel a life free of debt IS POSSIBLE! We plan on becoming debt free before my wife enters nursing school. Watch & we'll prove it!
Here are some of the scriptures found in the bible to show what we are doing is what God wants us to do:
Scriptures about debt:
Exodus 22:14
If a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution.
Deuteronomy 15:6
For the Lord your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.
Deuteronomy 28:12
The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
2 Kings 4:7
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest."
Psalm 37:21
The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.
Proverbs 22:7
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave.
Proverbs 22:26-27
Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you
1 comment:
God bless you, brother. I am so glad to hear of these positive changes you are making in your life. We are on a similar path, trying to get out of financial debt.
BC
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