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DE Day: It Begins Today

January 1st, 2013.  It’s finally arrived: The day we begin our Depression-Era (DE) living experiment in order to get out of debt.  We’ve been anticipating the arrival of this day for about the last six weeks or so, when we felt a strong tug on our spirits to get serious about debt reduction in our personal finances.

It’s funny, but my spirit feels unusually quiet.  No excitement.  You could say we’re beginning a race, but it’s not like we’ll be moving quickly.  It’s more like the race of the tortoise and the hare, without the hare, you know?  One step at a time, staying the course, for however many years it takes us.

For the record, here are some things you might want to know about our debt-reduction journey:

1.  The numbers are BIG.  REALLY big right now.  We don’t have car payments or students loans, but we do have two super huge credit card balances, and a giant mortgage.  I’ll be revealing the exact numbers in an e-book to come, well, sometime.  I figure that if we can do this, we can help a ton of people to follow their own plan and learn how to get rid of their mountain of debt too.

But suffice to say that if we told you the numbers now, you’d likely have some huge (and quite valid) doubts that we could ever cross the finish line.

2.  No, we haven’t stocked up on anything, really.  I mean, we have a small emergency food supply, but that’s off limits, and other than that, no stock up was done to prevent spending money in 2013, except for a really good deal we got on laundry detergent at the end of Sept.  We probably won’t have to buy any of that till March or April.

3.  Rick doesn’t make a ton of money.  Don’t get me wrong: I’m extremely proud of my hubby: he’s a hard-working, super loyal guy who’s committed to his family and his employer and gives 110% to both.  But alot of the debt-reducing stories I’ve read are people who make six digits a year and have a $50k mortgage.  Umm, yeah – that’s not us, not by a long shot.  Our story is more like the David and Goliath story, and we’re David, not Goliath.

4.  Why we’re doing this, and why we’ve decided to share it with the world.  You can read another list regarding our whys here, but I guess we’re doing this because we’re sick and tired of being in bondage to money and debt, and  I know a lot of you out there in Internet land are feeling the same way.  We’re also:

– Sick and tired of being sick and tired, as Dave Ramsey says.

– Sick and tired of decisions in this family being made based on how much money we do or don’t have instead of on the basis of what’s best for the people involved, you know?

– Sick and tired of saying “no” to the kids about every little thing because we just can’t afford it.

– Sick and tired of stressing out about money

And more than anything, we’re sharing our story because we want to encourage others who are struggling financially.  We want to share what we’re learning and what we’re doing in hopes that others in debt will gleam ideas and encouragement to make a plan of their own, and stick with it through to victory.

Motivator: The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

So though today, and the days to follow, may pass by quite uneventfully, the day will come, Lord willing, when we’ll have a huge celebration.  And we’re looking forward to celebrating your debt reduction accomplishments too, both the big ones and the small ones, so we hope you’ll follow us along.

 

27 comments

  1. Krisco says:

    Way to go! I admire you for your commitment and am looking forward to following your journey. I too am in a similar debt situation and am hoping your journey will inspire me to make some changes in our life!

  2. Margaret says:

    We’re in the same boat as you. Huge mortgage, huge credit card debt (also really big that I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable sharing it on my blog..lol). And not a very high income.

    I listen to Dave Ramsey almost everyday now..it is my accountability partner and it helps tremendously. We got rid of our credit cards about 6 months back…as I too was “sick and tired of being sick and tired”.

    I started my blog from being inspired by Dave..and started selling on ebay for extra cash. I’ve paid way too much stupid tax in the past, but no more!!

    We are both on this journey together. I’m looking forward to seeing your progress!

    I love the Depression Era Living idea. Funny this came up as our family has been watching Clara and her Depression Cooking videos for a while. I think you will enjoy them: https://www.youtube.com/channel/SW1lVxGiRwvU0

    Best of Luck!!!

    Margaret @ Live Like No One Else

    • Laurie says:

      Margaret, thanks for joining us!! I’m so excited for you, Margaret, because I can tell by your tone that you are committed to your plan, just as we are. Dave Ramsey got me started thinking about being debt free years ago, and he is so inspirational, isn’t he?? Thanks for sharing the link to Clara’s YouTube channel. Funny, I have Clara’s cookbook too and it’s motivational for us as well. I’m going to be pricing out a few of her recipes and posting them under “Frugal Food” in the near future.

      I can’t wait to see how God blesses both of our families as we move forward on this exciting journey! Looking forward to talking with you soon :-).

  3. Fayemarie says:

    YOU CAN DO IT!!! I was in debt 78K and thru shear frugality and God’s grace able to pay it off within 31 months…and then I continued my super frugal lifestyle and saved enough to pay cash for a house. YOU CAN DO IT!!! and NO I do not have a six figure income and I did not win the lotto or get an inheritance or sell ANYTHING!!!

    • Laurie says:

      Thank you SO much for sharing your story, Fayemarie!!!! I would love to have you as a guest poster if you ever want to share your victory with the world. 🙂 If so, just contact me through the contact page.

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