Photo Credit When Brad and I got married in December 2005, we had $70,000 in student loan debt between us. Then we bought a house with two mortgages for $150,000 and a used truck for $18,000, for a grand total of $238,000 in debt. We learned about Dave Ramsey‘s methods in early 2010, and began […]
Archive for the ‘Setting Goals’ Category
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Our Financial Goals: Paying Off Debt (February 2015)
February 12th, 2015 
Jessica Photo Credit Today I met a frugal friend at the park for a play date. When I came home, I put the kids down for a nap, and then decided to update “The Abundant Wife” for the first time since last June. I believe the last post before that was in April. I’m sorry I […]
Our Financial Goals: Paying Off Debt (April 2014)
April 25th, 2014 Jessica Photo Credit This past week, our tax refunds arrived! I waited a few days for the money to be confirmed by our bank, and then sent all of it to Sallie Mae. After almost 8 1/2 years of marriage, it is so satisfying to see the end of our student loans in sight! We began […]
What We Did Right When We Went $238,000 In Debt
April 11th, 2014 Jessica I talk a lot about all the things Brad and I did wrong prior to reading Dave Ramsey and Crystal Paine in 2010, but I don’t talk a lot about all of the things we were doing right during those first four years of our marriage. Despite the fact that we entered our first year […]
How to Find Encouragement When You Are Discouraged by Debt
April 9th, 2014 Jessica On March 31, my husband received his monthly paycheck, and it was $510 less than usual. We were not surprised, as we had been anticipating this hit for awhile, but it still hurts our budget. We will be on reduced salary for the next several months until we can raise our ministry budget. That same […]
Why Is It So Important That I Be Debt-Free?
March 14th, 2014 Jessica When I first learned about debt-freedom from Dave Ramsey and Crystal Paine, I immediately became passionate about becoming debt-free. Why? Because we serve a big God, who has given Brad and I big dreams. In September 2009, after 17 years of dreaming, Brad had finally accepted his dream job doing full-time youth ministry. I had […]
From Night Owl to Early Bird: 9 Things That Keep Me Up At Night
March 6th, 2014 Jessica As long as I can remember, I have tried to stay up late at night. I begged my parents for one more TV show, talked with my brothers and sisters until all hours, procrastinated on schoolwork until the last minute, watched movies with my husband, and refused to be left out of any late-night fun […]
In 2014, I Hope To…
January 17th, 2014 Jessica My blogging buddy Katherine decided to host a second link-up party, this time entitled “In 2014, I Hope To…” I am back in California in the midst of unpacking from two months away, but I DO happen to have a list of 25 New Year’s Goals! So here goes nothing! Spiritual: Daily quiet time (read […]
In 2013, I Learned…
January 3rd, 2014 Jessica Happy New Year my blogging friends! I have missed sharing my life with you these last 6 weeks. I am still in Maryland for 2 more weeks, but taking some time to reflect on the past year. It’s hard to believe we fit so much life into these last 12 months. My blogging buddy Katherine […]
My BHAG
September 9th, 2013 Jessica Have you ever heard of a BHAG? BHAG is an acronym for “Big Hairy Audacious Goal.” Do you want to know what my BHAG is? I want to be debt-free by the time Naomi is ready for Kindergarten. The first time I listed all of our debts in order by amount due, was in March […]
