One Debt, Two Debt, Three Debt, Four...Kick That Debt Right Out the Door!

Debt...such a dirty word, isn't it?  It seriously makes me cringe when I think about my own debt and makes me feel sorry for anyone else I hear about that is currently in its death grip.

Proverbs 22:7 says "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes a slave to the lender."

Holy cannoli, how true this is!  Think about it:  a slave is forced to do things they don't want to do or suffer great consequences.  When we have debt we are forced to part with our hard earned money to pay said debt; if we do not pay it we become subject to all kinds of very unpleasant consequences, repossession and foreclosure just to name a couple...very bad consequences, indeed.

My husband and I are currently in debt, and while we are not in any way happy about it, we are actively kicking it to the curb one payment at a time.  We ended 2015 with minimal debt, but on December 28th my husband (then fiance) dislocated his knee during a holiday vacation.  This injury has cost us about $2500, not including the co-pays for each doctor and physical therapy visit.  On top of that, my husband was out of work for 6 months, so to say our financial situation hit an all-time low is a huge understatement.

I had been "kind of" budgeting for a while, but it was more along the lines of just tracking my expenses after the fact and not actually making a budget plan and sticking to it each month.  Well, all of that changed in July; having had only 1 income for 6 months, huge medial bills, having used all of our savings and continued use of credit just to keep all the bills paid, I knew things had to change.

Captain Budget to the rescue!!!  I made our first really bonafide budget on 7/12/2016 and have not looked back since!  We have been able to consolidate several things as well as pay off a couple of debts and make dents in all of the others.  It is such a relief to know that everything can be paid each month along with planning for some things that we want to do like family outings, dinners out, giving and such.  We have been using the cash envelope system, and that has been working well since we were completely reliant on debit and credit cards prior to this change.

While I am not thankful for the injury to my husband's knee, but I am thankful that we were able to learn from that situation the importance of becoming debt free.  There is definitely no teacher like experience, and we gained a huge wealth of knowledge in how we don't want to live and what it will take to dig out of the hole we found ourselves in.

Are you overwhelmed and don't know where to begin?  If so, begin with a monthly budget; the first couple will have their challenges, but the more of them you do the easier they will get.  Dave Ramsey suggests using Every Dollar - a free online budgeting tool.  I just use a homemade budget in Google Sheets so I can share it with my husband and we can pull it up on any device, but Every Dollar is a great way to begin.  Whatever method you choose, you can do it!

Are you already on your debt free journey?  Congratulations!!!  We will cheer along with you while striving toward our own debt free life :)  It's so important to feel the encouragement of others when you are fighting a battle, so we are fighting with you!

Behold the Power of Positivity and Change

Let's be honest, being positive in the world we currently live in can be downright hard; but that's why it is such an important part of the strategy to reach our goals.  To me, being able to remain positive in the face of adversity echos a sense of faith, being able to see the end goal versus the current situation and be happy about it.  Don't get me wrong, being positive is about as easy as putting on Spanx by yourself, but if you can remain focused on your goal and allow that to shine through the results will amaze you.

While trolling through Facebook this morning I came upon this image that really put some things into perspective for me.  Not too many years ago, my habits more closely resembled the characteristics on the right; and just like it says, I was broke.  Over the last few years my habits have changed, not overnight and in some ways very subtly, but today I can say that they more closely identify with the characteristics on the left.  Does this mean I am a millionaire?  Not yet, but I'm working on it!

I John 4:18 says "perfect love expels all fear".  The characteristics on the right tend to all come from a place of fear, and when you are in fear you are not in faith.  The characteristics on the left all come from a place of faith; ideas and actions that may not have any immediate result, but are seeds for the future.  

See, sometimes you can actually receive encouragement and inspiration from Facebook :)  Until next time, if you are drowning in debt and praying for change, try changing one small habit to see what impact it will have on your future.  Zechariah 4:10 says "Do not despise these humble beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin."  God is faithful and He rewards those who have enough faith to step out and make a positive change.

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Our Meraki Life

Hi Friends!!!  Welcome to our blog :)

So I know what you are thinking...why Meraki?  What in the world does that even mean?

μεράκι (meraki): the word entered the Greek language from Turkish, but its meaning has evolved in Greek into a very complex concept of good taste, hard work and positive attitude towards hard labour. We say that someone has meraki when that person is good at their job, when they do it dutifully and with great attention to detail no matter how hard it might be, without complaining, but rather enjoying and taking pride in it. It can also be used in the sense of yearning. 

 I suppose the closest word we have in the English language would be passion, but to me the meaning of Meraki evokes even more than that.  It is a combination of passion, diligence, excellence and fun; and that is what I want for my life.  How about you?

This reminds me of I Corinthians 10:31:  "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  This means giving my all to everything that I do in life and doing all things to best of my ability with job...this, my friends is how I want to live!

So, welcome aboard as we do life...Meraki style!!!