Give and Live!

My husband and I are almost there.
We have paid off every consumer loan but two - and one of them is up for sale as we speak.
We have no credit cards.
We have no personal loans.
We have a student loan and a motor home, and our hope is to have the student loan gone by the start of 2008 (actually, we'd like to have both gone, so if you know anyone looking for a motor home...
).
The end is in sight, and soon we will be gearing up to live - and give - like never before.
I have a challenge for you.
Do a quick running total of all your debt payments in your head.
What are you looking at? $500 a month? $1000 a month? Imagine what you could do with that money if it was in your pocket instead of on its way to the bank.
You could enjoy Christmas and not have to spend February working two jobs to cover your post-holiday credit card bill.
You could help out someone who needs it and not feel guilty.
Our plan is to start chipping away at the mortgage.
If my husband never gets a raise, the house we just purchased should be paid off in about 12 years - and he'll get a raise.
In 12 years, our oldest will be ready to head off to college.
If the money we saved isn't enough, we can take what used to be our mortgage payment and cash flow her college education.
In fact, looking at our mortgage, we could probably cash flow all four of our children at the same time! So my children won't even have to think about graduating college with a chunk of debt hanging around their neck.
We'll be living well in the interim, mind you.
When we want something, we will budget for it.
We'll pay cash for our cars.
We'll have a vacation fund.
Life will be good.
And then, once the house is paid off, life will be grand! Because, you see, we'll have no debt.
On top of that, we'll be investing 15% into our retirement fund.
Yes, folks, I said 15% - not 2 or 3 or 5.
We want to be able to enjoy retirement, not spend our days greeting folks headed into the local Walmart or flipping burgers at Mickey Ds.
We don't want to downsize when we are older; we want to keep living.
Sit down and imagine what you would do if you actually had money.
I did.
Then, I challenge you, figure out how to get rid of your debt.
It may mean more pain now; not buying everything you think you want, not eating out, maybe a part time job.
But those dreams you have will help you through the hard spots.
And when you come out the other side, you'll feel the same sense of freedom I do - and you'll never go back.