Once we reached debt-free status, it was really a freeing feeling. The lessons learned to climb out of debt allowed us to continue to live in a way that month over month increased our savings. It was liberating to see our money grow upward month after month. Having lived so long with struggles and stress and never seeing our bank account grow, it was powerful when we saw it grow.
Seeing a growth curve gave us hope, excitement, and motivation. Instead of being frustrated and depressed about going to work, I now have joy and peace. Going to work became exciting, and I was motivated to make as much money as I could because I loved seeing it grow and I knew my efforts were having a positive effect on our future.
Saving leads to having an emergency fund. I remember the first time we had to use our emergency fund. We had a sweet GMC Safari van, a real mom van. We started having some transmission issues with the van. We went to get an estimate, and in our previous situation, we couldn’t have done anything with it. Most likely, we would have had to go into more debt and put it on a credit card, but in this situation, we just looked at each other and said, "Fix it." We came back a few days later, paid the bill, and went on our way. I say that as a matter of fact because that was the feeling. There was no drama, no stress, no sacrificing other pleasures or cancelling events. We just fixed the van and moved on.
Debt-free living has created more opportunities for us as a couple and our family to communicate more. We talked about our family's wants and needs. We then started saving and working towards our goals together. We saved for new carpet for the house. We saved together for a bigger TV and an updated XBOX. We saved for a new car. We saved for a new roof. All these things mentioned were discussed as a family. We had our kids' input and parental perspectives. We made the family list, received estimates, and then prioritized our list. We went on to shop around for the best deals. We didn’t have to make spontaneous purchases, which allowed us to wait for it to go on sale or find a good used product for much cheaper. This even saved us more money by not having to be in a hurry.
I can't express how much joy and peace it brings us to be debt-free. Because we know this peace is real, we try to teach and share it with as many people who are ready to find and have it in their own lives.