here we are again! its 2.10----the day in 2012 my life changed, you probably know the background story by now.....brooks "found" my secret debt-----over $30,000! yep not $3,000---$30,000! it is hard to believe its been almost 10 years since we started this debt free journey....
i always come back to this day because of how defining it was for us (me) back then and how its carried over to now...we have made a lot of dreams come true by this now blessing that happened 9 years ago!
had he not found all of my lies and secrets....we may honestly not have our house or possibly our marriage. i know some think its crazy to share something like debt---money woes, whatever you want to call it, but for me its a testimony to what 1/2 of americans (maybe more than 1/2) are living with! believe me i learned real quick how easy it was to swipe a card and keep going----the hard part is not swiping a card and truly contemplating if i really need something!
when i say debt free--- i should clarify we have debt in our home and in my car----but that 2006 accord that we brought our almost 15 yo home from the hospital in, was paid off LONG ago (paid off when we had to consolidate all of my debt into a lump sum to work our way out of debt).
when this life changing event happened, i changed, i have said it before and i will say it again i don't really care what you drive, where you live or what you wear because this life is not about that! my life does not revolve around what you have and i don't! i am sad that so many put themselves in a hole (a black hole) to be like others----live for YOU! there is no item that you can't afford worth it!
we still follow basic principles of budgeting to this day----brooks derting is a stickler (good thing i love him)....we budget $100 a week in groceries, we budget a $100 a week in gas, there is still money from every check put in savings and extra to the mortgage monthly---- i know if you are living in it that seems like an impossible task because honestly it WAS! but month after month it gets easier, the money grows, the debt diminishes....
i write about this as a reminder to myself and others----you can live within your means, you can do things within your means, and you can be a HAPPY person within your means.....its so easy to get caught up with the joneses----but my favorite meme is that the joneses are BROKE and in DEBT----because they are!
i wish everyone had financial freedom because its beyond money---its a lifestyle of not being jealous of others, not envying others, not living for someone else.....jealousy is the root of most evil and jealousy is totally the root of debt!
i hope this finds you well and that you can live your life for YOU and not for others!
much love, alysha