If you’ve been lurking around LRWC for a while, you have heard me talk about the need for setting up budgets and my families journey to live a completely debt free life.  We are not there yet but we are working very hard at it.  It’s a process for us while putting 3 kids through college at the same time.  But, we are headed in the right direction.

I can’t stress how important it is to rid yourself of debt, set up a budget for yourself and throw away those credit cards.  After 24 years of using credit cards and not being disciplined with them, we threw them all away and have not used a single credit card in 2 years.  It’s been cash or nothing.  And, I can not tell you how good that feels.  Was it hard in the beginning?  Yes, yes yes!  But, it’s the best thing we ever did and I have been drilling into the heads of my 3 young adult children. I think they really hear me because I see lots of promise in the handling of their money, albeit a small amount at this time.

Well, it seems that some of you have heard me as well.  I wanted to share with you an email I received from reader Justyna.  I was thrilled beyond when I read it and I hope that her success will inspire you as well.  It certainly did for me.  Here is her email:

I am addicted to your website.  I check it at least 4 times a day.  I want to thank you for all the great work. I came to the US 16 years ago as a teeneger.  Thanks to my wonderfull mother I have finished college and married a wonderfull man. I am living “the american dream”!!!. I have 2 kids ages 5 and 1 and boy do they always need something.  Thanks to your posts I am always able to find great deals for them, my husband and myself. You have motivated me to pay off all of our credit cards and today at the age of 32 I am mortgage free, purchased both of our cars for cash and have “0″ balance on my credit cards.  It took some time, but it is possible and at the end makes you feel very proud of yourself.  From time to time I will get a negative comment about my “cheap” life style and waste of time cliping coupons–but you know what—-I DONT CARE!!!!   I am happy that I do not have to worry about paying bills, buying formula or diapers for my kids, take them to the movies, enjoy family vacations  –and from time to time treat myself to something nice and expensive.  We also started saving accounts for both of my kids and started putting $ into them for their college  education.

So once again—THANK YOU!!!!  By reading my story you will see that what you do truly matters and makes changes in peoples lives.  I am your sucess story

Cue in the tears.  Because that is just what I did when I read her words.  Wow!  What an awesome story.  Congratulations to Justyna and her husband for that unbelievable accomplishment. Life is so much simpler when there are no worries of which bill to pay, when and how.  If you are not there yet or have not yet started, this should be your motivation.  The beginning is not easy, but the end result is worth it all.

Have you paid off debts?  Are you on your way to living debt free?  Share your stories!

Note:  I will be sharing our 6 month progress next week.  Right now my husband and I are going through all our numbers to determine how we are doing and how much more we have to go.  So stay tuned.

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