Cheerful Frugality Screams Debt Free
My favorite part of the Dave Ramsey show is when listeners scream "We're DEBT FREE!"
I get shivers just thinking about the day we'll pay off our mortgage. In the meantime, I'm following along as Amy of Humble Musings tells us how they did it. It's a must-read for frugal inspiration.
Amy advises readers "to live on significantly less than you earn," no matter how little you earn. Surprisingly, this is more challenging to my family NOW than it was THEN, when we earned a whole lot less. Alison at This Wasn't In The Plan recently shared about the tendency to grow into one's income.
Like listening to Ramsey's callers, reading frugal blogs keep us on track. Rather than feeling dispirited by Amy's success (and chalking it up to her advantages), I am buoyed by hope.
If others can do it, we can too.
I have to say I was most delighted by Joy of Frugal Living's own debt-free celebration: a long walk, free furniture found on the curb, and a homecooked dinner in front of the fireplace.
Proving that frugal living is not just the means to an end, but another way to enjoy the journey.
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6 Responses to “Cheerful Frugality Screams Debt Free”
November 24th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
This is on my mind so much lately – I’m loving Amy’s series. We’ve gotten a little too comfortable spending money. I’m looking forward to shaping up!
November 24th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Frugal by choice or due to income. Would be nice to choose to be frugal. But economy demands it. I get a thrill when I really make a great deal on a need!
Debt free would be a dream come true. But I have 1/2 of it beat since I do not have one single credit card. Cash and carry only.
November 25th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I LOVE being able to pay as I go and I get so much more thrill out of buying frugally. I stay out of malls so sometimes I forget how much things can cost. Where is the thrill in paying high prices for trendy items?
I have a long way to go to be completely debt-free but I’m making progress and it feels good. I believe God has given us stewardship over our money and “things” – waste is not part of His plan (I include high interest costs as waste). We need to pat ourselves on the back each time we do it right and not beat ourselves up too much when we don’t (or didn’t in the past).
We also survive the hard times better when we are used to living frugally – it’s just not such a shock and we weather the storm better emotionally. Knowing others also have these goals helps keep me on track, so thanks for sharing.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Thank you so much for the link!
November 25th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I can so relate to ‘growing into one’s income.’ It’s like growing into whatever closet space you have. I’ve been enjoying Amy’s posts, too.
December 1st, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Wow, Meredith, thanks for the link! I have been so distracted by the holiday and the pregnancy that I just now got to reading your post. I have also been enjoying Amy’s series, and I love the debt free screams on Dave’s show.
The funniest thing about us being debt free is that it is still just sinking in. We just got the second paycheck since that time, and it’s so much fun to put it into savings instead of sending it off to the loans.
Though this recent success was very much helped by our income, I’m thankful for the lean times of the past. There is no way we would have had the skills to do what we did without them. It’s going to be important to resist the temptation to grow into our income more, now that we are keeping it. I will still need to just pretend it’s not there and send it safely to savings!
Jennifer
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