Not to Baby Step 7 yet, but I still enjoy giving.

So, one day last week at work a co-worker stopped by my desk and we got to talking about coupons (which is a joy for me!). She had questions about doubling and which stores in our town double and using multiple coupons (for multiple items). I tried to explain the P&G $.50 Crest coupons and how those coupons got me FREE Crest at Kroger in the week or two prior. She was pretty much shocked (and excited) that such transactions could be done and wanted to know more and about my Dave Ramsey journey but had to leave for an appointment.

Tuesday I found her in a work room loading a cart and decided to stop and ask her how she was doing. We got to talking again about coupons and then about Dave Ramsey and Brian and I's 12 months of working the "Dave Ramsey diet". I found out that she's had a rough go of things lately. I had heard bits and pieces here and there but had no clue all that she was facing (and still don't - but she did share a bit more with me than I had heard prior).

At that point I knew that one of the sets of books I had recently purchased from the Dave Ramsey Store was meant for her. When I purchase extra books I never have a set person in mind. I keep them in the basement until I hear someone's story and it lays on my heart that this one person is the person I should be helping.

And that is exactly how I felt after speaking with her Tuesday morning. I felt pressed to give her both a Total Money Makeover book and the TMMO workbook so that she too can know what peace and freedom Brian and I are experiencing (even with another year to go on our debt snowball).

When I went back to work after lunch, I took her these two books. I told her, "I buy these and keep them until I hear someone speak that needs them and I want to give these to you." She tried to say she'd give them back but I told her I wanted her to mark in them...to USE the workbook and make it her own...to read it at her pace and refer back to it again and again as needed on this journey.

It isn't an easy journey. It's hard. And it takes a lot of work. But you know what? The weight that has been lifted off Brian and I (in just the last 12 months, with another 12 months to go) has been exhilarating. We can breathe.

I had an email this morning from my co-worker. She said,

"I can’t begin to thank you enough. Your thoughts, kind words and compassion are amazing and an inspiration. I can’t wait to finally start that book tonight – this is one book I’m going to really take my time in reading and studying. I’m so encouraged and can’t wait to start seeing some changes. Once again... thank you."

And THAT is why I give these books away and share everything (openly and honestly) about what we've gone through, what we are doing and how we've done it. If you have any questions about how we've faced this journey, please ask. Comment here with your email address and I'll email you back or email me straight up at kcbonly@hotmail.com - I want to be able to help everyone feel the same sense of peace that Brian and I feel.

Dave Ramsey $10 book special...

Do you know Dave Ramsey?  If you don't...I wish you did!  He and his teaching have totally changed the way Brian and I look at our money and how we talk about it.  Brian and I have never been fighters/arguers but talking about money just made me ill.  There was never enough, he wanted to know where it was and I had no answers.  We both got tired of our money running out before the end of the month.  We now tell our money (every stinkin' single red cent of it!) where to go every month.

Anyways...  Right now at Dave Ramsey's website he has a special going on where if you buy any 10 of his $10 items (which is most of his books) you get five copies of Total Money Makeover for FREE (yeah - did you see the lights in my eyes at that one!?).

So one of the girls that did FPU with me (that I also work with) and I decided to go together and get 10 books (plus the five free) and split them.

What should have cost us $311.82 (plus shipping) was only $100 (including shipping!  If you spend over $65 then shipping is free right now too.).  Ohmygosh!  That is MASSIVE savings!  We saved like 66% on these books.  What a great deal.  And the best thing?  I'm going to soon be blessing four friends (and/or family members) with a copy of TMMO and the workbook that goes with it.  I hope it changes them like it changed us.

So, this is it. Our last FPU class tonight.

I sat down last night to compare the balances on our outstanding loans as of yesterday versus what they were mid-July (when we started this, our class didn't start until mid-September though)...

In 4 1/2 months we have paid $6198.05 in bills! There are two payments completely gone! Those are the Kohls card (which started appx. $250) and a bill from Clarian Arnett from when LeeAnn broke her arm (which started appx. $500). AND we've got another one that only has $240 to go...and it'll be paid off too!

If I've calculated correctly - that one will be gone at the end of this month (since Brian is going back to work and we'll have that money in savings to use for paying things off instead of bringing his short term disability check up to his "normal" pay amount).

According to the debt snowball - it'll be a few months before the next item is paid off but we are slowly getting there!

AND to top it all off...we've paid for all of LeeAnn's dance for the full year (up front!). We've pulled from savings three times for some grocery stockpiling. We've continued to both put 5% into our 401Ks and still have our BS1 ($1000 in savings) and many of our cash envelopes with money in them to use as needed (car repairs, clothes, medical/dental).

Not only all of that - at the beginning of August (maybe September) Chase decided to raise the minimum payment amounts on credit cards from 2 1/2% to 5% and that SERIOUSLY raised the amount of the minimum payments on both cards and we've been able to pay that too. And I just remembered...there was at least one month, maybe two where we paid the payments for my school loan that my parents pay (as part of our agreement from me going to college). So that was another $440 that we wouldn't have normally paid out.

It was REALLY hard in the beginning...to sit down and face the mess we'd gotten ourselves into. I think we both really wished that we had done this sooner - I wish I'd gone to college with the mindset I have now because I wouldn't have ever even been where I'm at today. But I didn't and we haven't so now we are trying to get to a better place and I think we are doing very well at it.

Talking about money with Brian used to be so hard... I'd cry. I was the bill payer and while he knew we struggled...I don't think he realized sometimes how bad it was. And sadly, even when I knew we were struggling, I'd agree to new toys or eating out or whatever it was that he and I wanted because I felt we deserved it because we both work so hard (him especially!). But I realize now that that isn't the best way to work it and that you have to wait to get what you want.

So here's to our last class of FPU tonight. We did it!

FPU - only one more week to go!

Tonight was the 12th week of our 13 week FPU class. We are almost done! I can't believe the difference Brian and I have made in our lives as a result of this class. Our instructor asked us tonight to gather up the amount we have saved in the past 12 weeks and what we've paid off. I was thinking about it in class - it isn't going to look like much but to us, it has made all the difference.

I can't wait to continue with our debt snowball and get all of that gone... Once we have our three to six months expenses saved up we'll be on a roll for getting our mortgage GONE!

As I gather our savings and such for the last 12 weeks I'll be sure to get it on here, I'm sure it'd be good for me to see in black and white.

Need a gift to give (or maybe buy for yourself)?

I've mentioned before our Financial Peace University (FPU) class and that we are working to become debt free. I noticed today on Dave Ramsey's website (daveramsey.com) that he has all of his books/audio/children's books on sale for $10. AND if you purchase over $65 in items shipping is free.

Do you want to give yourself the gift of financial peace? Or maybe you have and want to give it to someone you know? I know I'll be taking advantage of this offer and stocking up on some extra books (to give of course) and the FPU Jr. books for LeeAnn (when she's just a bit older). A $10 investment to give to a friend or family member is well worth it in my opinion!

I just noticed this sale so I'm not sure how long it will last - you might want to jump on it!

FPU

FPU. Do you know it? Financial Peace University. It's a class on gaining financial peace. It's been an amazing trip so far for us...yes, us. Brian and I are taking this classes together - as husband and wife (teammates!). It was a 13 week and $95 commitment that we made back in September.

It all started when Roscoe lent us his Total Money Makeover (TMM) and Financial Peace Revisited books. Actually, it began before then - I've watched Dave Ramsey on TV and knew some others couples who have been through FPU. But reading TMM was what jump-started me into wanting to take the FPU class.

I began in July to work on a budget. *gasp* A budget!? YES! Put a pen on paper budget (okay, so I put keyboard to Excel spreadsheet but same concept) and followed it. The first month was rough... We messed up. We over spent. We had to pull money from savings to cover our tails. Messy, messy, messy. But we did it. And we re-did that same budget in August and tried again.

And then in September, we did it again. That is when our FPU classes started too. The first few weeks were review for us (having read TMM which is the same basis as FPU) and I thought for sure Brian might quit on me but we both stuck it out.

Now we are more than halfway through our course. We had our $1000 Baby Step 1 (BS1) within the first few weeks of doing this (by mid-August I'm sure...I can't remember the actual date). Brian selling his beloved Suzuki Boulevard M109R greatly helped pad that BS1 and get us caught up on bills though. His selling that was a huge sacrifice for him...he told me he loved us (the family) more than his bike though and that was something he was willing to give up. A few weeks later when I was paying bills and told him for the first time in a long time paying bills didn't make me want to puke - he said selling his bike was completely worth it then.

And now we're in BS2 - our Debt Snowball. Right now we're still facing $26K+ (yes...that's $26,000 PLUS) in debt (not including our house). But if we work our snowball right, that will all be gone by April 2011. That's like 18 months away! Do you know how awesome it will feel to have that all gone? Credit cards...college loans...car loans...medical bills...gone! I dream of the day! And do I really truly believe that we will eliminate all of our debt? YES! We are intense! We are determined to get rid of this debt! It is tying us down and holding us back.

And as of today...we've actually paid off some of our debt! A Kohl's card that had just over $160 balance and a medical bill from when LeeAnn broke her arm (about $500 when we started) are both GONE. Those payments? They've been "snowballed" into paying off the next debt...a school loan from when I was at Franklin (almost 10 years ago!). It'll be paid off by the end of the month and then that payment plus the payments for the other two items (Kohl's and Clarian Arnett) will be "snowballed" into the next debt - another school loan from Franklin! Ahhhhh... And then slowly but surely that snowball will grow and it'll be all gone!

Interested? Want to know more? Let me know - I'd be glad to hook you up with some information. It'll be a life changing decision for you!