Debt Free and Lovin' It.

Friends.
Countrymen.
Cheeselovers.
Glasses-wearers, Nonglasses-wearers,
UNITE!

We are debt free now. The monkey, no Gorilla, is off our back. We're dunzo.

To commemorate, we made a fun little video as a family.  We even got the dog involved, so you know it's good.

It's no Lawrence of Arabia or Wizard of Oz or Insert Epic Film Masterpiece Title here, but just a little something.

And we owe it all to first: God and His grace.
Second- Second- Baptist that is because our dear family friends, the Belue's and the Richardson's, led Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover class and our money totally got madeover.
And thank you Mr. Dave Ramsey for following God's call of teaching and for your ministry.

Sidenote: We applied to be on Dave Ramsey's show.
We had plans to drive to Nashville and do our Debt Free Scream from his Financial Peace Plaza Lobby. I made the mistake of pumping Leelah up about it and then asking one of my fave peeps if we could stay at her place along the way (I was most excited about seeing my buddy, shaking Dave's hand, and eating a Martha cookie).

I'm not being facetious when I say that I cry every time I hear a debt free scream. I feel like I'm insta-pals with those families.

So we were denied by Dave because during our debt free journey our Corolla got wrecked by a guy who didn't believe in fixing his brakes- it was 50% totaled - not enough to completely total it. We decided to trade in John's car which was junking down so much we had to bail. We traded that car in and put our tax refund into a CR-V for me, with every intention of paying it off and thank you Lord- we did- we financed it for around $13,000. We had the Corolla repaired which thankfully was covered.

This is a no-no.

According to the Financial Peace/Total Money Makeover plan, we should have made an even trade and gotten whatever car we could pay cash for, which would have been in our case a beater car.

I get it and I respect Dave's plan.

Which is why we have been following, blogging (Just search "frugalicious friday" on my blog), promoting, and living it since Feb. 2008. John and I having budgeting meetings every other Thursday for 5 years (and for the rest of our lives!), going to the bank to get our cash for our envelopes, etc. etc.

Even through paying off 14 surgeries, trips to Mayo Clinic, traumas, etc.

We're trying to be classy about it even though we were kind of let down. Again, we understand that he has a plan and that plan is proven success in teaching families how to achieve financial freedom.

God showed me something, that we don't need man's approval. Yeah, it would have been really cool to meet someone who's become a mentor to our family and to join the other families who have screamed for freedom.
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.- Galatians 1:10

Scream or no scream, we are still free.
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.- Proverbs 22:7

John and I know each other much more through all the budget communication.
There's no bank-account-balance-fear.
And us 3 Nichols have accomplished a huge goal together through God's lead.

So in August which is when we are set to be able to pay for it and knowing it's when the sun is closest to Orlando, we are planning to make a Disney pilgrimage.
Leelah has no clue. If she did, there'd be some idolizing happening big time.
We are going to pack her bags for her unbeknownst to her, wake her up the next day and say, "Get in the car. We're going to Disneyworld!"

We are saving and budgeting for every step.

Just like Leelah said when she was five to some classmates, "My family and I are going to Disney when we are debt free! And not until then!"

Thank you Jesus and supportive friends.