Closer to Finish Line

February.  Ah, the month we've been waiting for.  This is the month when my husband and I will finish one of our financial goal - being debt free except the house.  It's so great to be so close at the finish line!

On July 2014, 7 months ago, we've made a commitment to be more disciplined with our financial situation.  We have lived like the Joneses, buying this and that emotionally, and try to justify it logically.  Such a human nature, isn't it?

But after reading Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover, we've decided to follow his baby steps to get out of debt and handle our financial better.  We're not irresponsible, we still pay our bills on time, and try to live within our means.  But without a written goal and budget, we were just running in place, with no finish line to aim.  We lived too comfortably by going out once or twice a week, and spending too much in birthday gifts here and there, in the name of love.  Travel every year just because we saw other people do it too in Facebook and think it's a normal thing to do.

Well this time, it's called tough love!!  We committed to not buy each other birthday gifts anymore, not until we debt-free!  You can't get out from a hole by digging the bottom.  So to be one step ahead, we HAVE TO make sacrifices for now, so we can live better later.  I'm sure our future self will thank us!

I thought it will take us longer than 7-8 months to be debt-free except the house.  But with such an extreme discipline, we did get it faster.   Somehow once we crunch the numbers and stop the "bleeding" of our budget, we are getting closer to our goal.  Sure it would be much faster if we win a lottery or have a huge significant raise or promotion.  Well, it's not happening (we stop buying lottery ticket and instead focus on increasing paying debt fast and stop unnecessary spending), and really in life, sometimes you just have to play the bad hands well (quote by Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island).

Discipline.  Sometimes it's hard to stick to the rule we've made, but one of the good thing of doing it together with your spouse, is that your spouse can remind the commitment we've made, and the goal we aim to reach.  We can be our each other's check partner.

Well, the momentum is going, and I can't wait to scratch this one task of my list.   Because as soon as this baby step done, our eyes are onto the next one!  Bumping up savings like nobody else!  So we can live like no one else later on. :)

For those of you who also in this financial journey with us, I wish you the best and may we be in a better financial state very soon. Keep it going!  Have a great day!

PS: Dave Ramsey's website is a great source!  Check it out!