Our Mission Statement

As a family of servants of God, we seek to Glorify Him by offering our lives as living sacrifices, being intentional about engaging people with Christ and the Gospel, and using the talents and training He has given us through grace to proclaim the Gospel of Grace to those near and far.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

We Did It!

Weeee'rrrrrreeeee Deebbbbttttt Fffrrreeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! (cue Braveheart)

Yes, the Sheets family is officially debt free. We have been following the Dave Ramsey plan and just completed baby step 2 which is the debt-snowball; and we are now debt free. We paid off about $25,000 in 18 months on a single-income salary that is just a slither over the US national median household average.

It was tough, but with a wife that was completely on board from the beginning, we made it happen. The majority of our debt were medical bills, and most of that was the C-section for Gideon when we didn't have any health insurance (that alone was around $14,000 total). Then we had 2 cars to pay off, a personal loan, 2 credit cards (thanks to our move and me being jobless for a few months), then Gideon's surgery in Jacksonville. This all added up to about $25,000.

Our last check just cleared today and no more will we write a check to a lender; for we are no longer slaves (Proverbs 22:7) but to only one Master; and of course no more credit cards (we've shredded those suckers)! The Lord has blessed us in these 18-months and has, in only His Wisdom and Will, made it all work out.

No more debt for the Sheets clan. All four of us (yes, Naomi will join) will be calling Dave Ramsey on either hour 2 or hour 3 of Friday's program to give our testimony and debt-free scream - so if you listen in, listen for us! You can listen live online here from 2 to 5 eastern.

Now, on to baby-step 3: the 6-month emergency fund (and we're also beginning to save up for at least 20% down for a home)!

Another couple we are close to here just finished this month as well; and we have brought others on board to help them escape the prison of debt. I'm also planning on teaching Financial Peace with the husband of the couple that just finished next quarter at our church. We didn't do Financial Peace, we just listen to him on the radio and attacked the baby steps on our own; but we know FPU has been a tremendous success. It's a way for us to be good stewards of the money we have been blessed with in a physical and spiritual way. It's a way for us to live like no one else so later we can all live (and give) like no one else!

If you have any questions about this feel free to email and ask. It's all free - you just need a little common sense, determination, will, and a readiness to do without for a little bit. Trust us; it's all worth it! And thanks to those of you out there who knew what we were doing and cheered us on.

-Jr

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!! WELL DONE!!!

Dad/MrSheets/G'pa

Kelli said...

i'm so happy for you guys! and proud. it must have been so hard, but you did it! :)

Nicole said...

I am soooo proud of you guys! It's the best feeling ever! I'll have to make sure I listen Friday!

I don't know how far you are on settning up the class, but I happen to be married to an awesome Church Department Advisor (ie, the person at Dave's who helps you set up the class) Let me know if you guys need any help!

Katherine said...

Wow, guys! That is amazing -- way to go! :) Ben and I just finished leading a session of FPU at FXCC -- you guys will enjoy that so much! :)

I'm not sure where I'll be tomorrow afternoon, but I will definitely try to listen to Dave so I can hear you! How cool!

Janay said...

PRAISE GOD!!! I am so proud of you and so thrilled for you. May God bless your family even further as you continue to be good stewards of what He gives you!
We started FPU 3 weeks ago. Isn't it great that we'll be able to raise our kids with this wealth of knowledge?!

April said...

Daisha!!!! I have found you! And, oh, so very much catching up to be done...since both kids are upset, I'll be signing off for now. We will catch up later. Love you and cannot wait to see how you are doing!!

Deborah said...

Congrats! What a huge accomplishment. I love that you are giving God the glory for such an exciting moment. Blessings on your upcoming class!

Anonymous said...

Holla Holla!! I knew you two could do it! I am well on my way as well! Your new picture is beautiful!

Tiffany said...

Woohoo! Congratulations! I am really excited for you all and will definitely be listening for your phone call!

Jill said...

I am blown away by what you have been able to accomplish!! I cannot wait for the day that we are debt-free. We are doing some things to get there, but not enough. Maybe we'll get some advice from you! Congrats!

Nicole said...

I got busy and missed the show on Friday. Boooooooo. I was pumped to hear people I actually know.

Anonymous said...

Daisha,

I was driving down the Interstate listening to my MP3 version of Dave's show when I heard "and next is DayEye, Daisha". Wait - I know a Daisha on Dave's plan. They it was said it was Daisha and JR. Then I heard your voice. I was so excited to hear your call. CONGRATS to you and JR. I knew you two could do it.

Life is really sweet on Baby Step 7. Hope you join us soon.

The Websters
Searcy, AR