Remember back in September I told you we were going to be debt free as soon as possible by following the Dave Ramsey Plan? Then, I updated you in Mid-October to let you know that we were on baby step 2, paying off our debt? And in December I told you how we budgeted for an all cash Christmas. (Don’t forget me revealing my ghetto blinds, too). And, again in May, I updated you letting you know we had paid off our van (actually in March) and we were working on our savings and student loans?
Well, guess what…the time has come! As of today, Tuesday, July 27th, we paid off Mr. Serious’ student loan.
And, now….WE ARE
{ image: DaveRamsey.com}
(Well, except the house, because Dave Ramsey says you don’t count that..but of course, we are still paying that off).
Now, we are working on the emergency savings fund. Then, it’s upping our retirement and the kids’ college funds.
We are definitely well on our way.
Looking back, it’s embarrassing and a little upsetting to think about how much money we “threw” away and wasted before we had kids. Now, we are living frugally, on a budget and we don’t spend nearly what we make. We aren’t reaching into our savings account for day-to-day expenses, and we are saving money.
And, it’s really not that hard. Making the budget and looking at what you are spending is really eye-opening and the perfect place to start.
Are you on the way to becoming debt free? Do you have any questions for me? Please ask..you know I will shoot you straight!
Krystyn has been blogging since 2005. She is a sarcasm-loving, straight-shooting, jeans and t-shirts wearing, wife and mom of four girls (ages 14, 12, 8 and 6). She blogs about life as a mom and wife and includes funny stories, family travel, fitness, recipes, STEM and more. She currently resides in the Atlanta, Georgia suburbs.
traci says
I am so happy for you, Krystyn!!
Le Chateau des Fleurs says
I am so glad for you! YOU ROCK! You can really be proud!
Hugs
Frenchy
Heather says
What great news! I have to admit, I’m a wee-bit jealous 🙂 I was actually thinking about this today & reminding myself that I still needed to check out the book & get reading & planning before I go back to work so we can start baby-stepping our way towards becoming debt free. It really amazes me that you were able to do it so quickly, it really shows that you were determined. Great job!
Krystyn says
Hard work and lots of diligence! But, it’s really not too impossible. You have to be dedicated!
I hope you went and got the book:)
Anti-Supermom says
That, my Friend, is some of the best news in the world. I’m sure you are on cloud nine. Thanks again for sharing all of your inspiration with us.
Matt says
Congratulations!!! I think you need to call in to Dave’s show and scream “We’re Debt Free”! This is an awesome thing! We’re about 60-65% through paying off our debt on Dave’s plan. We haven’t been able to move through as quickly as we’d like because my wife lost her job last year, but Dave’s budgeting techniques have really helped us along and we’re still making a lot of progress on paying off our debt.
amanda says
uhm dude yes you totally get to shout it from the rooftops!! and you must shoot off fireworks!!
for real – soooo proud of you!! HUGE news!!
i’d say go out and celebrate, but i am guessing that’s against the rules 🙂
best times two!
blueviolet says
You better believe I am debt free!!!!! I will never go back!
Michelle says
Isn’t a wonderful feeling? Next month, we will be paying my Volvo off early. Last year, we paid my husband’s truck off early. It is awesome saving all that money from interest! We are still paying on our travel trailer, less than 2k left, but we really scored on a 0% interest loan. So instead of immediately paying that off, we are putting into savings.
When my husband and I first got together, I lad loads of credit card debt thanks to living a life style I could not afford. I will NEVER get into that mess again. If we cannot afford it, we do not buy it!
Way to go!
Krystyn says
So glad you guys are almost there..isn’t it crazy looking back at what you did?
Jessica says
That is so awesome, I am so proud on you!! I have been going to the FPU classes, I haven’t 100% bought into it yet, but I also haven’t had the time to fully commit, so we shall see!!
Krystyn says
As my hubby says “yes, we drank the Kool-aid.” I haven’t been nearly as successful at convincing my coworkers. They look at me (and tell me) I’m crazy!
Jen E @ mommablogsalot says
So awesome! Way to go!
darcie says
AWESOME!
Good for you!
The only debt we have is one car and our house…but I am trying to get better about budgeting and paying both of those down/off & building up savings…Did you really put all of your money on your car/student loans before building up any savings?
That scares both the hubs & I…we don’t want to take what little bit of savings we have & plop it on the car loan…we’d rather just try pay that off ahead of time WHILE saving a little bit too –
Krystyn says
Actually, before we did the car and student loans, we paid off our second mortgage. You start with $1000 emergency fund. If you know something is going to come up, do more. But, one thing he encourages is making sure everything is properly insured. So, if it is, you really shouldn’t have anything more than that.
It was scary at first. I’ve always had a big savings. But, we never once had to go into our emergency fund, and we had to replace our toilet and make repairs to our car! You can do it. You should check out the book, he really explains it well.
Kristen says
YAY! Way to go friend! While hard living with a budget (or a husband who is crazy budget guy) it is nice when money is no longer a huge stress.
WAY TO GO!!!
Krystyn says
You are so true. We never worry about Christmas or birthday presents or bills!
Christa says
That’s awesome! I need to do this!
Diana says
Good for you guys, Krystyn! PROUD of you! *woot*
Holly at Tropic of Mom says
Great news, good for you!
Heather says
Congrats!!! What an exciting accomplishment! We are currently working through baby step two, so it’s always great to hear success stories!!!
Krystyn says
Congrats! You can do it..and if you stick to it, you will be amazed at how fast you get there.
Erin says
That is AMAZING!! What a feeling huh? The hubs and I got lucky enough to pay off all our debt prior to getting married and having the boys!
Krystyn says
That is awesome. We were lucky and didn’t have very much. I can’t even imagine some situations people are in with their debt in comparison.
Shelly @ Coupon Teacher says
Congratulations! I hope I can say that one day too!
Amanda says
OMG! Congratulations!!!! I bet you feel awesome!
Rebecca Jo says
YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s fantastic news!!!! I’d totally be standing up somewhere screaming it!!!!
LLama says
Congratulations! That is so exciting! I can’t wait to the day that I can say that I have paid off my school loans…i mean i really really can wait!
Krystyn says
Trust me..it really is a good feeling. And, you will tell everybody.
tyne says
WOOOOOfreakin’HOOOOOOOOO! Way to go. That is awesome, what an incredible burden to have freed yourself from! congrats and enjoy.
angie says
Seriously fantastic. Way to go. I think we still owe on Jeff’s student loans for oh, like, 30 years.
Lindsay @ Bytes of Memory says
yay!! How exciting!! We are working on ours too! We have been working on ours since April and will be paying off our first big thing in November!! woohoo!!
Krystyn says
Congrats, Lindsay, that is awesome! You’ll have to keep us posted.
Lisa says
Yay you! That’s got to feel wonderful. When the hubs & I started dating our junior year of college I had over $1000 on a credit card. He sat me down & we had a big talk about money, and I paid it off that summer. From that point on we’ve never had any debt (besides our house) & it makes life so much less stressful! You should be very proud of yourselves 🙂
Krystyn says
That’s great! We didn’t have too much, but it is still nicer not having anything except the house).
Emily says
I made my last debt payment July 25! Now I have to pay for the house to sell and the wedding!
Krystyn says
Hey…how is the house selling going, anyways?
Stephanie says
Awesome!! What an accomplishment! Yes, you have every right to shout it from the rooftops!
Jennifer says
SOOOOOO excited for you and Mr. Serious! For real. Congratulations.
ModernMom says
Congrats! I too shake my head at the way we used to spend money. It flew threw our hands when we were a two income no kids family. Sigh. ..but it was fun!
Krystyn says
Seriously, when we had a ton more money, we didn’t even realize it..and now that we pay our daycare more than our mortgage company…we realize it.
Tamara says
Crap, something went wrong and I lost my comment. Grrr…I’ll try again.
This was my first time here…well, second, now that my comment poofed…but congratulations on your debt-free accomplishments. I would love to say that we were close, or even had a hope of ever being debt-free, but I’d be lying my face off.
And good job on the paci send-off! I’m sure it was heartbreaking. I CRINGE when I see four and five year-olds running around with pacifiers in their mouths.
I’ll be back! 🙂
Krystyn says
Sorry you had to come back and comment, but I’m so glad you did.
Now is as good of a time as any, right? It seriously helps so much to sit down and make a budget and see what you are spending money on. We realized we were spending way too much money on food. Seriously, we don’t need all of that!
And, thanks about the paci. I wasn’t ready to let it go:)
Abbie says
I can’t wait to shout it from the rooftops that we are DEBT FREE! We just started a plan 2 months ago and it is amazing what we have already accomplished! Congrats to you!
Krystyn says
Isn’t it crazy to see the changes so quickly. I think the biggest thing that helped us was the budget.
Jessica@The Southern Belle Baby says
Awesome and very exciting!!! We just started with good ‘ole Dave about a month ago, so we have a ways to go, but at least we’re on the path to eradicating that nasty debt!
Krystyn says
Hey, every month on the plan is a month in the right direction, right? You’re on your way. Congrats!
Rachel @ Its a Hero says
I am so happy for you! I have definitely been extremely conscious of my money for the last year and am working on being debt free as well. But I feel I am a LONG way off and that is scary to me. Like, really scary 🙁
amy v says
CONGRATS!! Ireally wish we were debt free- far from it! i’d love to be able to not worry about bills. we’re living on a tight budget and we’re trying to pay cash- not charge anything.
annae07 at aol dot com
Krystyn says
Thanks! You can do it! The biggest thing is getting the budget inline and finding that extra money where every you can!
And, cut up those credit cards! If you don’t have them, you can’t use them.