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