Keep Attacking - by John

For us guys, it's hard to understand the feelings of insecurity about money.  But I have been thinking about debt a lot lately and I feel it's a great battle.  It's a battle where you just have to keep kicking, throwing punches, and staying on the offensive side of things, hoping that you just land one hit, one strike, etc.  This has finally happened for us!

The first hit was us getting tired of watching our hard earned money fly out the door.  You could call this "first punch" an attitude change.  Dave says there's a turning point where you're so mad and fed up that you just can't live the way your were living anymore.  This change has invigorated us - it has given us a feeling of power and confidence in our finances.  We know this fight will be a long one, but this new attitude has set a fire in us to see our debt come to an end. 

The second punch we landed was devising a plan.  Our plan is Financial Peace University (FPU).  Even though this is our third time through, this time it seems different.  We have laid out our list of debts, deciding to attack it one at a time.  We have a white board with this list by our bedside and we see it morning, noon, and night to keep our anger from smoldering.  Once we conquer the first debt on the list, we will purchase a permanent red marker to cross it out.  This board is forever changing our lives.  We will keep it FOREVER!  Our budget is tight and our debit cards have been screaming for use, but we use cash for everything these days. As the old saying goes, "One who doesn't plan plans for disaster."

The most recent strike has been figuring out what is a need and what is a want.  We have given up our wondrous cable, our intelligent IPhones, and, finally, our luxurious vehicles.  If we find something else that is not a need, we'll be getting rid of that, too! 

I know this will be a long and arduous journey but I can't give up hope or my faith - we just have to keep swinging, and little by little, we will be able to beat debt down.  I don't know when our next small victory will come - it could be a job, extra money coming in - but all I know is I have to keep swinging, keep attacking. 

Faithfully,

The Culbreaths

P.S. - Keep your swords sharp, my friends.