Our Journey to Debt Freedom Pt. 5
When I left off in pt.4, we were anticipating moving to a new rental condo, a barndominium! It has truly been a blessing, and this spring, summer, and fall, we made some very great memories in it! Our second babies first steps, hosting family and friends, and for a while, hosting a home church during the shutdown.
To our surprise, Hunter completely ended pursuing his masters in Occupational Therapy shortly after we moved, but it ended up being the greatest thing he could have ever done for our family. For months, I’d been holding my breath for the entire weekends he was away for class, caring for two kids, two and under. I felt like we were crazy for going through with this, and after a spirit-lead conversation with a close friend, Hunter realized it wasn’t really his passion. So he dove completely into the new business he began, (ADA Ready Now) and began another side to it, called My Guy, a handyman services company.
Being that we were no longer paying for grad school, everything extra we made could now go towards accelerating our debt payoff. We worked tirelessly through the shutdown- me on writing my book and running my small shop, Hippy and Spice- and Hunter in his handyman company.
One afternoon in early November, Hunter called me asking if there was any way I could find a babysitter on the fly for an impromptu date. There was something very exciting he wanted to tell me. He found one, our close friends, and he told me to dress up nicely. I had to go record my audiobook that same evening, so I bought my nice outfit with me, and after I finished recording, he drove me to a beautiful steakhouse restaurant in town. It was the poshest date we’d ever been on. He proceeded to tell me he won a bid for a project, and that what we’d personally make on it would completely pay off our debt. I was floored! I had no idea!
It was the most bizarre feeling to have woken up with $10k+ student loans left, and by nightfall, know that later that week, it’d all be gone. Just like that. Poof. Gone.
We paid off the last of the student loan account. We celebrated. I finally went thrifting for some new clothes for the cruise we were finally going to get to go on after canceling and replanning it two years before. But little did I know, there was somewhat of a catch, and our plans weren’t going to go quite according to plan.
Due to the virus, our long-awaited cruise to Mexico was cancelled. I was so, so sad. I had been waiting for so long, and the cruise-line had said they weren’t going to be cancelling their trips. So, we decided to go to Nashville, TN, instead. Go do our debt free scream ( by the way, you have to call way ahead of time to go in person for your scream) and enjoy the Nashville scene. However, some checks were late coming in, so we never got to buy plane tickets and reserve lodging, and we ended up having a staycation in our town instead. It was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because we had two sets of friends lend us a few nights in their cabins for four days at no cost, but a curse because I was then told we weren't exactly out of debt. (No, not again!) Hunter had opened up a credit card at Lowe’s for My Guy, to buy tools and materials on a project to project basis. It only took one wrong charge for products on a project that he didn’t end up charging the customers enough for, and we got left with the bill. An $800 bill. Not news you want to find out on your last-minute stay-cation.
It was about three weeks between learning of that new debt and paying it off, but those three weeks felt like FOREVER. I had to work through some extreme practicing of forgiveness, understanding that the situation, while slightly complicated (though still unwarranted) was a mistake, versus a purposeful misuse of finances.
God had blessed our slow month that week, giving Hunter two projects. We’d have just enough to pay for rent in 7 days and make the missing $400 the last week of December and still pay for all our bills if we paid off that loan. I asked Hunter to go call the office, pay the loan and close the account. Chop up the card, and give me any other cards he might’ve had in his dresser drawer. We needed credit cards GONE forever. No more "trying." Done-zo.
Chop, chop CHOP. DONE.
Now, we’re REALLY debt free. Finally!
