Also, in the next day or two I'm going to give you our first Debt Report Card. I'm going to add up all the out-going expenses and show you the difference between the month before we started and this past month. I'm pretty excited to see how much we saved. As for putting money towards debt, the truth is RM won't see much money for a bit as he doesn't get paid until his contracts are finished, so that means, in terms of reducing debt, all I can do is stop the out-flow as much as I can. But that is HUGE as we weren't doing that before. As for the anonymous person who commented on needing motivation, the amount we saved should give you that motivation! I think it'll shock you.
RM is planning on doing a guest post for the blog, too, as he's got a lot of ideas, particularly about insurance and where we've saved money there.
But as for today, I could barely sleep last night as I kept thinking about what I was going to write this morning!
I had an interesting conversation this week with someone that just shows me how unusual it is, the way we are going after debt. Allow me to explain....
Because of who I am, I tend to share with anyone who will listen to me what we are doing as a family. Most people are completely on board with us getting out of debt and think it is a great plan. Most of the time they follow my comments up with a "we should do that, too" type of comment. But not this time.
When I mentioned to this individual what we were doing, I explained we were annihilating debt, including the mortgage, he quickly explained how that wasn't his philosophy. He was more about creating memories for his kids, going on trips, etc., and if that meant paying the mortgage down a little later, he was good with that because it meant he could talk with his kids about the trips they'd been on. Wait, there's more.
He explained to me that having a mortgage is not sin. Nope, it's not, but I did tell him that the Bible says the borrower is slave to the lender. "Where does it say that????" he asked. That, I felt, was where the problem laid? Wouldn't you agree? He didn't know that the Bible actually talks about debt and that the Bible actually says it is the same thing as being a slave, IN BONDAGE.
I think this way of thinking is extremely short-term, and sadly to say, this is a common perspective and once again, shaped by the culture, not scripture. I realize that there is a small possibility that maybe our kids may not experience the same number of trips as some, but I must say this to you to encourage you if you are on the debt-reduction journey as well, that this is about SOOOOOO MUCH MORE than going on a trip or not going on a trip. This is about CHANGING THE FINANCIAL PATTERNS in the generations to come. Let me make that perfectly clear. Going on vacations is awesome and I highly encourage it! What I am worried about and discourage is going on vacations when one cannot afford it and the sense of entitlement it creates in children.
We are not about to do that. In fact, and this is so great (have I mentioned how I looove Scripture!), when I went to find the scripture reference for being in bondage to the lender, guess what passage comes right before it.....
Proverbs 22:6.
Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Well, call me crazy, but isn't training a child in the way he should spend his money part of training up a child? We think so. We also think it has to be done in this generation, not just for this generation, but for all the generations that come after this one. This is called Multi-Generational Thinking. Read Proverbs 13:22, " A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous." We are doing this for our children's children, not just for the current set of kids!
At one point, I did ask RM, in a moment of weakness, do you think our children are going to miss out on all sorts of fun things now that we've made these vows?
Listen to his response, "Let's define what makes memories. Memories are made every single day whether we are traveling or not. What's important is that we are with our children." It's true, isn't it? My kids and I laugh together all day. They have fun together all day. We do life together all day. Memories are still being made even if we aren't flying around the world. There may come a day, and I hope it is soon, when we will be able to do things like that, but I'm not going to wait for those times to create memories. Even going on this debt crusade, is a memory maker for them! One day they'll look back and remember when their parents got serious about killing debt and I think they'll thank us!
RM's response was good enough for me. It also kept me on track as I can so quickly forget why we are doing what we are doing just because I'm so weak! I want to see my kids happy just like that other Dad. Multi-generational thinking keeps me going and it keeps my kids going as they realize the sacrifice is small in the big picture.
So, right after the train up a child verse, comes the bondage verse - not a coincidence!
Proverbs 22:7
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
Must I say this again - I didn't make this up! The rich RULE over the poor - a fact. The borrower is SLAVE to the lender - a fact.
We have decided we don't want to be slaves any more. Others are content with being slaves. If we can be free, then we would like to be free indeed.
I hope that is motivation enough for you, too, for this fine Monday morning. You don't have to buy into the culture.
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