We are so excited to start this new adventure and share our story of a real life couple, in their 30s, that hammered down their debt to reach financial freedom!
We are a family of four from a small town in Illinois that had a dream of a future that included zero debt! We are so happy to say that on this day, December 31st, 2016, we are officially 100% DEBT FREE!!!!!
Here is our story of how it all began:
We are a real couple, with real jobs, that started out on our own, fairly young, without alot of help from our families. Starting out with nothing; we married, purchased our first home, earned college degrees, and began a family . . . all in that order. We literally started with nothing. We rented a small trailer and were given hand-me-down furnishings to get us started.
Together, we made budgets and tracked our spending, making sure we spent wisely while saving as much as we could. Money was not spent on Christmas gifts or birthday gifts; and in doing so we were able to take at least one vacation a year, sometimes, two! We like to make memories that we will cherish forever versus buying "stuff" that will most likely get thrown out in a few years.
Our number one key to success has been PATIENCE. Longing to be like the Jones's; we reminded each other of the bigger picture. . . . absolute freedom. Freedom to travel, no fear when an issue or expense pops up, helping our children with their first car, college expenses, and most importantly RETIREMENT. We have wanted the new house, granite counter tops, hardwood floors, inground pools, new cars, campers, trucks, etc.; but we also want to RETIRE at a decent age and enjoy that time in our life without being a burden to our children. By making wise choices along the way, now in our 30s, we are completely FREE. Now that we no longer have car payments or mortgage payments we can continue towards our next goals!
Stay tuned for our next post on the details of the strategy we used that got us started!
