About
When my husband Brad and I got married in 2005, we had $70,000 in student loan debt between us. We immediately purchased a house (with 2 mortgages) for $150,000, and then a used truck for $18,000.
We owed $238,000, and we hadn’t even been married a year.
Then in early 2010, we were in a financial crisis. Brad worked full-time for a non-profit, in which his entire salary was based on fundraising. When there were not enough funds, his salary was cut by 50%. I was pregnant with our second child, and was home with our daughter full-time. 6 months later the unthinkable happened; Brad was laid off from his job.
In 4 years of marriage we had never been late or missed payment on any bill. In fact, we had often paid well in advance. We had always tithed, and had never carried a credit-card balance. Our problem was that we had 6 debts to pay every month, and no income with which to pay them.
During this time of crisis, we needed a crash-course in financial literacy. We owe Crystal Paine and Dave Ramsey a debt of gratitude for all that we have learned from them. It was Dave’s concept of the Debt Snowball that enabled us to finally begin eliminating our debts.
In the last 10 years, we have done what once seemed impossible:
- We created an Emergency Fund.
- We paid off our Used Truck.
- We paid off Student Loan #1.
- We paid off Student Loan #2.
- We paid off our 2nd Mortgage.
- We refinanced our 1st mortgage.
- We paid off Student Loan #3.
- We increased our Emergency Fund to cover 3-6 months.
- We paid cash for a second vehicle.
- We got Life Insurance.
- We maxed out our Roth IRA’s for 3 years in a row.
At this point we only have 1 debt remaining:
- We owe $80,000 on our 1st Mortgage.
So in 14 years of marriage, we have paid off $158,000 in debt!
Here at The Abundant Wife I hope that my stories and suggestions will inspire and encourage you as you work toward financial freedom. I am looking forward to learning from you as we all work together toward being debt-free!
