Friday, February 22, 2008

Financial Peace: paying off debt!


Woo-Hoo Friday!! I just paid off our car.

And the dentist.

And now...
NOW we owe NOTHING BUT THE HOUSE!!!
Sing with me. Dance for joy with me. Praise God with me. Yes, I am happy, happy, happy. :-)

Fred and I have never had a credit card or finance account.
That's right, people, we've gone against the tide.
No plastic here for us. We don't view it as a necessary evil...just an evil.
We've had so many "emergencies" that would have required money.
And, yes, we've over drafted and gotten in medical debt before. But we always made it, by the grace of God. We did have family help at times. I know that not everyone has that. I know there are cases where you have to just do what you have to do, and I'm not condemning anyone for their plastic use. :-) I'm just thankful that God has led us on a path that didn't require it.
I'm SOOO thankful for being out of debt.
Prov 22:7b "... the borrower is servant to the lender."
I got sick of being the servant to the lender!!
And now we have decided to praise God!!!-- and reward our family for this monumental achievement. We just bought a playground!! (And I got a great deal, by the way!) I'm putting it together myself, so please pray for me.
The only other thing like this that I've attempted is building the shed, with October's help. My poor husband...don't give the man a hammer. His Dad came over one day and they tried to help. (sigh) October and I had to go back and redo all of their work. They thought that if the pieces didn't fit right, they could just MAKE them fit, and drill holes in different spots. Yeah. It doesn't work that way. We lost hours of work, but it was worth it to see him so intent on *trying* to help me. Heh heh.
Anyway, I'm excited. Today will be a good day. My New Year's Resolution was to
Be Intentional.
And I'm trying to stick by that. Now we have debt paid, money in savings, we'll buy a new mower, and hubby is looking for a new job.
(Wow, I went to tag this, and didn't realize that I've never used a money, debt, or financial tag before. Obviously I don't dwell much on it! Matt 6:27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" )
I want to live my life constantly aware of the adundance that God provides for us!

11 comments:

Ann-Marie said...

Amazing! Congratulations! A hundred rounds of applause! I'm SO happy for you - rejoicing with you!

You were brilliant NOT to get credit cards. We have them, and they became the bane of our existence - we're still paying down the mountain of debt, so we especially rejoice with you!

Good luck on the shed! I'd be with Fred in the hammer situation. Maybe the two of us could make you and Tob some cold lemonade!

Anonymous said...

Great! I love it! Wonderful! The house won't take long now right? =)

Ah but the shed was fun =)

Anonymous said...

And I'd love to help with the swing set =)

Wendy said...

Thank you, thank you! I literally just danced around today. :-)

This frees us up a bit for Fred to seriously look for another job now. He hates the environment he works in, although he's very good at what he does. He has been there and worked his tail off for 6 years. I'm praying that he can now find something he will love.

And, Tob, yeah I'd LOVE to refinance to a 15-year mortgage, but we can't do that just yet. In time, my friend. You know me, when it comes to money. I'm a saver all the way!!

Wendy said...

And, Ann-Marie....I have another widget that you can snatch if you want. :-) Aren't computers fun?!

Anonymous said...

Hello Wendy,
I just got up and Papaw said, "You have got to read this," meaning your blog--so I did and we are soooo happy for you and Fred. The play set will be wonderful for the children and for you. Maybe you could ask your mom to help you put it together. It looks like some of the pieces could be pretty heavy!!! Or is Fred home to help lift? I am sure the children are just delighted.
When we were young, we often felt the Lord just stretched the money out--and when we are older it is the same. It is so wonderful to be content with what the Lord gives!!! I remember buying our first house--two bedrooms and we had 4 children, but it was what we could afford and the kids room was real big and they were all under school age and it was like a little mini form. The main thing was the wonderful fenced back yard and it was something we could build up a little equity. We were very content and happy there--and some of our friends just couldn't understand our excitment. I feel God has blessed that attitude--we have never had a lot, but he has always given us enough to share with others, so we are very thankful.
I had a good day yesterday. Love you, Mimi

Mama Fish said...

Wendy- Wow! You are where I want to get to... we are almost out of debt. Just one small credit card left and the rest of a car payment. I am hoping to be out by summer... So I can really rejoice for you...that is an awesome accomplishment! Love the swingset too!!!

Suzanne said...

Congratulations! I just made my last payment to the hit man.

I'm so happy for you guys. That is a great place to be in!

Wendy said...

*gulp*... who is the hitman for??

momwithbrownies said...

How exciting for you! I just happened on your blog. Have you ever heard of the money saving mom? She has some great tips for saving on groceries and getting things for free at CVS stores. We've just begun the CVS "game" as I call it and have enjoyed the savings very much.

Good luck to you. :-)
Shelly

Anonymous said...

oh i know the peace!!!

i've been thinking i should post on our money situation soon too.

great minds...!!