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OUR DEBT FREE JOURNEY MONTH 9

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We’re 9 months into our Debt Free Journey and here’s how we did 

 

WOW. It’s already December, the end of the year 2017. Where did the time go? We barely started 2017 and now we’re at the end of it. The adage ‘time waits for no one’ is absolutely true, all the time.

 

Our November’s total debts came in at $115,936, a very modest gain from our October’s total of $116,405.  It was a very meager reduction of $469 for our total debts, our worst month yet  🙁

 

This due to the holiday spending which started this month, what was supposed to be our first test of restraint, turned into a fail.

 

A positive report that I can give is that tracking our NET WORTH will be more fun now that I've started contributing to my company's 401K account and will be given a dollar for dollar match. So far, in 2 months, I've already accumulated $889 and expecting a match for the same 🙂 that and the existing rollover I have from my previous job of $6,880, it'd be fun to see how it impacts our bottom line net worth.

 

One thing that derailed our efforts this month is our phone service had to be renewed and we decided to go to a new provider, Sprint, which offered a real deal. We previously paid $247/month on our ATT phones with the phones, what Sprint offered was $155/month with new phones; saving us $92/month which we can, in turn, pour into our existing overall debts in the coming year. It was an overall good move I think, personally, I’d rather have just paid the service since we wanted to keep our paid for phones, but was told our phones might not work right on the Sprint network since ATT used GSM phones; the savings was still substantial so I agreed.

 

Another pitfall that we did not budget for, despite learning early on this year that we have to, was for holiday spending, so we promise as a family that we will learn from this year’s behaviour to be able to apply for next year.

 

I guess generally, since we’re still headed in the positive direction, we’re applying Grace for this month and December for that matter.  It’s a learning process for our family and we’ll keep going at it, improving and tailoring our budget for the months ahead since we committed that 2018 will be our breakthrough year in debt management since we’re planning to plunk at least $40K this coming year to our overall debts, hoping for more but we shall see.

 

So as a family, we’re already strategizing on how we’ll move the needle in the right direction and start making a major dent in our overall debt.

OCTOBER 2017 NUMBERS

NOVEMBER 2017 NUMBERS

NOVEMBER’S UPDATES

I was personally swamped last month, we had too many things going on prior to the start of the holiday season plus I was injured and sick half the month.  I was in a mini-funk, if you will and failed to pay attention to my blog posts, frankly, I just felt like straight up giving up.

The holidays are really challenging, and what I learned coming out of last month’s challenges is to be prepared next time around; I recognize that the season will do it’s best to knock us out from our momentum, it did with us, having come off a good month previously only to be derailed the next; it’s really a struggle, and it’s real. Unseen forces conspire to get us off our plan and the only thing we have to do is stand our ground, recognize the fight and keep digging our heels and ploughing forward.

Despite all the challenges, I am very grateful, even though I failed to post my Thanksgiving post, I am nonetheless Thankful for;

 

GOD

I thank God first and foremost because of who HE is for me and my family. If not for HIS Grace, we’d still be stuck in our mired existence being in debt and hopeless.  HE truly is our source and inspiration and only by HIS divine mercy and Grace are we (my family) able to continue what we’re doing. I also only learned recently, thanks to Dave Ramsey, that the actual Thanksgiving holiday, as instituted by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, was a holiday dedicated to giving thanks to “Almighty God”

Excerpt of The Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863 reads:

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God”

“It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. “

 

FAMILY 

It was such an eye-opening and challenging year for me and my family, with this debt-free journey we’ve taken on, I’m so thankful of their support, understanding and love in all this. The lessons, challenges and actions that we take in pursuit of this lofty goal, will undoubtedly set us up for a better, more stable and brighter future later on. “No pain, No gain”, so we’re so looking forward for the gains that are surely ahead of us as a result of going through this journey.

FRIENDS

It was certainly a great year for our friendships, through it all, our friends were there to cheer us on and understand when we couldn’t make it to get-togethers 😊 due to our budgets, and are always there to motivate and keep us staying positive.

 

 

CIRCUMSTANCE

Despite of the circumstances, I’m grateful that they came and gave us the opportunity to take stock, reflect on our lives and what’s important, and help us decide to make changes for the better. If not for the adversities that come our way, how else are we going to improve and get better.  So as a family, we firmly believe and embrace our circumstances, good or bad, because by them we are given the opportunity to make better choices that impact and improve our futures.

 

HEALTH

This is a big one for me, as someone who was suffering from a diabetic disorder and all complications associated with it, I am very thankful that I’ve gotten these challenges and was able to make changes in my diet that improved my health and set me and my family up for the future. One of my goals in life was to make sure that I’d be here for my daughter and her family in the future, and by making the positive changes I did, to alter my eating habits and change my health for the better, I’m setting myself up to meet my goals and commitments to my family in the future.

 

 

 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

As I was going through my health awakening, and studying up on what was actually a way to save on medical or healthcare bills, I stumbled upon the book  UNDOCTORED by Dr. William Davis, it became not only eye-opening for me but influential enough to where now if we have medical decisions to make, we make in light of nutrition first and traditional medicine least, after being enlightened on the transformation from healing to ‘for profit’ business juggernaut the profession has become. 

The book is really good in putting the focus back on ‘natural’ healing based on nutrition and not medication, which is basically cost efficient in the first place and works much more effectively than any of the expensive prescription meds out there that only alleviate symptoms but do not address underlying causes of illnesses.

The best part of the book is that it also provides a community, through its blog, using the free membership of course, and be part of like-minded health advocates and people who’ve taken hold of their own health and improved their situation by managing their own nutrition and activities.

 

 

 

GOALS FOR THIS COMING MONTH

 

This month of December is our 25th anniversary month so we’re putting our debt free journey on hold, taking it easy, and travelling to Europe to enjoy.

 

I’m spending our tax return money in advance 😊 I know it’s something that we’re not supposed to do but…. We only get to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary once so😊 we’re doing it in style and on a budget, we planned to spend no more than $10K for the whole trip, 18 days in Paris, London, Venice and Rome and will be blogging about our frugal adventures along the way. Stay tuned.

 

 

WRAPPING UP

 

November was a mediocre month for our debt free journey, we got knocked down by life and circumstances but the good thing is our perspective hasn’t changed.

 

As a family, we are thankful for the past year and remain hopeful and optimistic for the coming 2018 ahead. I’m grateful for all of you who continue to follow and read our adventures, if not for you and your support, we’d have quit a long couple months ago 😊 so THANK YOU, All of You!!!

 

Here’s to a Blessed, Peaceful and Faith Filled Christmas Season and very Prosperous 2018 ahead.

 

Do you have a similar debt situation that you’re trying to overcome? Any strategies you want to share? Please send us feedback below and if you like to join our journey, won’t you subscribe via the form below.

 

Thanks for stopping by, and until the next post.

 

Peace and Blessing to you All.

 

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