A Taste of Financial Freedom

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On Saturday Vonnie turned the big 4-0.  Forty is the age where people question their place in life, reflect upon what they have or haven’t accomplished, and question their mortality. In other words, their 40th birthday can leave a person feeling old. I wanted to give my wife a day of fun that would make her feel special, and help ease her way into her fifth decade on planet earth. The night before her birthday I told Vonnie that she better get some rest because she was in for a very busy day. She started to ask questions, but I […] Read more »

How Fragile Are Your Finances?

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Financially Fragile. What do those words mean to you? A few months ago TeamEOD writer Dr. Cabler wrote a post addressing the subject of being financially fragile. He gave the example that the majority of Americans would have to sell some of their possessions if they had to come up with $2000 within 30 days. I identified with the post because that described me for a very long time. Something happened this week that made me think of this post again. Major layoffs occurred within the company I work for. As the week progressed, the names of those affected spread. […] Read more »

Why Zombies Seem Easier to Face Than Real Life

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Just in case you have been living under a rock, Zombies are all the hotness.  The story is not really new, but the popularity of the genre is reaching a critical mass thanks to hits like The Walking Dead. What strikes me about the trend is the timing. There seems to be (to me anyway) a solid correlation between the rise of the Zombie/ post-apocalyptic genre and the decline of the national economy. Let’s explore some common themes. The total eradication of modern technology…no more cell phones, TV or gadgets. A return to living off of the land and the […] Read more »

I Don’t Want To Be A Deadbeat Geezer

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Over the weekend my mom had major back surgery to correct her scoliosis. The surgery involved attaching metal rods to her spine to straighten it, and “rouging up” the vertebrae which would cause them to fuse together as she heals. My mom has a long road ahead of her as the estimated recovery time is at least a year. But the result should be a better quality of life than what she had, and definitely better than what her life would have become as her scoliosis continued to get worse. The nine hour surgery gave my dad and I the […] Read more »

It’s Never Too Late to Take Control Of Your Life!

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I’ve been an inconsistent exerciser for my entire adult life. I’ll go through cycles of exercising religiously for months, but then go through a similar span of doing nothing. However, at the beginning of 2011 I looked in the mirror at an overweight, out of shape, middle aged man. My family has a history of some significant health problems, and I knew that if I didn’t make changes, I was sure to follow in their footsteps. Today marks two years of consistently working out 5-7 days a week. I ran my third marathon in October missing a personal best by […] Read more »

Done Living Paycheck to Paycheck? It’s Up to Us!

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Vonnie and I had made quick work of reviewing and revising our spending plan for the remainder of the month, so we started work on our finances for the first half of November. “I think we should put something in savings,” she said. I was caught off guard and surprised when Vonnie said these words. Not because she said them, but because I knew it was possible. For so many years, it has been so different. We’ve been living paycheck to paycheck for our entire marriage, and up until we enrolled in our debt management plan we supplemented our income […] Read more »

7 Habits of Debt-Free People

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As an indebted individual I always admire those that live a completely debt-free lifestyle. My in-debtedness is for the most part to what most consider “good” debt; a mortgage and a few outstanding medical bills. My goal is to set up a payment plan for them and pay them all off by this time next year. I cut credit card debt out of my life in my late twenty’s only using credit cards to my advantage and paying the balances in full each month. Living debt free is a lifestyle choice that requires hard work and an affirmation for saying […] Read more »

Short Term Sacrifice For Long Term Gain

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One of the biggest lessons we learned while getting out of debt was that sacrifice was critical to our success. And by success I don’t mean paying off our final debt before we die, I mean paying off our debt as fast as we could SO WE COULD LIVE…NOW! Think about that for a second. People spend money on things they want now (instant gratification), but isn’t that what I was getting by paying down my debt as fast as I could? I was instantly gratified each time I paid down my debt. And now we are definitely living although […] Read more »

A Glass Of Wine, A Sign, and An Obstacle Walk Into a Bar….

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Vonnie and I went to the end of the school year staff appreciation function for her new job. It was at a bar and grill and I figured it would be a great way to put faces with the names of people she’s been talking about for the last 6 weeks. As Vonnie ordered a glass of wine, I stepped onto the outdoor patio to take a phone call. While I was on the phone, Vonnie and one of her co-workers walked by me making the “going for a smoke” sign with her thumb and index finger pressed together and […] Read more »

What Will You Sacrifice for Freedom?

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C-H-A-N-G-E. People hate it! People hate having to change anything, sometimes regardless of the benefits that lie ahead. Change is uncomfortable and sometimes a little scary. The fear of having to face something unfamiliar can often paralyze us into inaction. Sometimes change is forced upon us and sometimes the choice is our own to make. So whether we like it or not, change is a very big part of who we are. We may as well embrace it. In terms of personal finance, change is constant. And when it comes to debt change can save you from financial destruction. Nobody […] Read more »

Living the Life We Want Because of Debt Freedom

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I have a sneaky suspicion that most people underestimate the power of debt freedom. The benefits of paying your debt off are enormous. The changes we have been able to make because of our debt freedom have been both surprising and very exciting. It was surprising because although I knew getting out of debt would be awesome and beneficial I hardly expected for it to change our lives the way it has. We recently began looking at how we could further mold our life into one that best fits our wants and desires. That’s the inspiration for me finally writing […] Read more »

An American Tale: A Life of Credit and Debt

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Credit Cards. In my college years, those two words meant freedom. They provided me with a sense of security. They allowed me to finally purchase anything I needed without having to ask my parents for help. Credit cards were the answer when I was hungry or late on a bill payment because my checking account was low. They provided a means of fun. I didn’t have to say ‘no’ to myself anymore. I could go out to dinner at a place that didn’t have a drive-thru. I could go on spring break to Florida. I could buy concert tickets when […] Read more »

O Emergency Fund, Emergency Fund! Where For Art Thou Emergency Fund?

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Have you ever had a true emergency fund before? They say, once you go emergency fund you never go back. Having my beloved emergency fund in my life has been amazing, and I became a better person for meeting her. Ever since the first day I laid eyes on my one true emergency fund, I new I was a changed man. The way she comforted me and made me feel all safe and fuzzy inside. I got butterflies whenever I would think of her. I just knew she was the one! Can you tell I’m struggling? My emergency fund was […] Read more »

Master Your Freedom Because Being The Slave To A Master SUCKS!

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It seems that most people consider the word freedom to only pertain to physical slavery. I’ve had many conversations on the subject and have been surprised to find that some do not see having debt as a form of slavery. In my mind, I find that laughable, but it is far from funny. Personally, I feel it is nothing more than denial and denial solves nothing. As they say, the truth shall set you free. I think that most people know the generic definition of freedom, but let’s assume for a second that they don’t. The Definition of Freedom Actually […] Read more »