"OH HAPPY DAY"...An Inspiring Epic Of Paradise Regained!

Well first I must get something off my chest (gently clears throat, and stands with a proud stature...)

I'M DEBT FREE!!!!

For those of you who don't realize or understand just how excited I am about this, it all starts in the back seat of a car in a land far far away from here:

While traveling with some friends a few years back they were listening to a podcast I'd never heard before. Though I didn't even know who this was talking on the radio I found the topic quite interesting. Various people (from all over North America) would call this christian guy and ask him various financial questions and ask for his advise on how to handle their situations. Not thinking of it much at the time I listened, enjoyed and moved on with my life. (This all happened early march)

A couple of months later I was browsing through podcasts online (and I really don't remember all the circumstances of how this came about) but I notice a podcast called "The Dave Ramsey Show", "The truth about life and money". I signed up for this podcast and started listening with great intrigue.

This guy's message was simple, live on a budget, live within your mean, get out of debt and stay there, use cash because credit is slavery. The Scott version of that is "use your head people, it's common sense" and it is common sense that we all know is really not that common. This really started to hit home with me as I listened over the summer. I mean I had always been taught that debt could be a tool..."you're always going to have a car payment"..., and was fine as long as you managed your finances well and were responsible in repaying what you owed on time.

So this really hit me hard, the idea of living debt free, it made sense, why should I pay someone to borrow their money when I make my own? How can I save money if most of my pay cheque is going to to someone else before I even get it!? I decided after a much time of convincing to start my "debt snowball" and pay off my truck.

At the time I decided to do this I owed just under $22,000 dollars on my truck (my only debt), and here I sit today, three days into being completely debt free. I poured ever cent I had to spare into that thing thumbing my nose at low lobster prices, high gas prices and "the state of the economy".

I have hardly been away in the last 18 months (compared to what I used to do), I have hardly eaten at a restaurant, I cut back on how much gas I burnt, I cut my lifestyle back big time, and it was tough, very very tought! But I did it! I sit here today with a net worth of one truck, plus a few dollars to spare, I live on a budget, I write down where my money is going and I love it! Dave says "controll your money or the lack of it will always control you" and he's right.

So now I'm debt free, I have no intentions on ever owing money again on a debt ever, (with the acception of possibly a house, but I think maybe, depending on the circumstances I might try to pay cash for one of those someday). You all might think this is not possible and that I am crazy...not normal, but "normal in North America is broke".

Proverbs 22:7 say "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave"(NASB check your versions) and this has hit me hard. This is so true, if you owe money you are a slave to someone, don't get mad at me God said it. And in my experience I have come to know that there is nothing more true than this, the borrower is truly slave to the lender.

If you have never heard of Dave or listened to him you have to check this out (www.daveramsey.com). He's very opinionated and some of his rants are hard to swallow but I've come to realize he is a Godly man who through his experiences wants to help people break free from the way money enslaves them. This is a guy who truly cares about people, and isn't afraid to give you the blunt truth for your own good. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme, it's the truth from someone who really does want to see you win with money. We offer his 13 week seminar "Financial Peace University" at the church, I've been through it, it's fun, interesting, entertaining, and I don't know one person who has been through it that doesn't think the whole world needs to hear and get what this guy has to say.

You don't need to have a fantastic income to do this stuff (because I don't), you don't have to be good with money, you just have to be diligent, and decisive about your plan to beat debt and live within your means. It takes discipline (which I am not good at I'll admit), it's hard...but it can be done!

"You can't live without debt in today's world" you might say. Maybe you guys think I'm crazy and am totally out of touch with reality. And if you do, I don't care because did I mention...

I AM DEBT FREE BABY!!!!!