live like no one else

Thanks to several of our friends' encouragement, we have started attending Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey. Not only are we making huge life changes and learning about money, investing, eliminating debt, and bettering our family, but we are doing it all with our amazing friends and neighbors, Joe, Lisa, and Reece. (These photos are of Reece walking Sam out to her car in the rain after the class last night.)

FPU (Financial Peace University) is a Christian-based 13-week class to teach basic financial understanding of becoming debt-free (even your mortgage!) and investing in your future. His well known saying is "Live like no one else now (meaning don't own all the gadgets and stuff that make you broke) so that you can live like no one else later (meaning you have actual money to retire on and send your kids to school without loans, etc, etc, etc)."

After the second class, Dan and I agreed that this would be a long road, but we were willing to take it because we feel like it will be worth it. Very, very worth it. 

We are making lots of changes in our life, some big, some small, some long term, some short term. Our goal is to pay off all of our personal debt, start putting more money in places that will grow over time, and most importantly, to understand exactly what our financial position is at all times. And of course, the business follows all the same principles. 

The only change I'll share in this blog post is our change in daycare. My parents have graciously offered to babysit the kids every Tuesday in addition to any weddings while we both work. Dan is going to continue to stay home on Thursdays while I work. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I am staying home during the day with the girls while Dan works then I will go in in the evenings while Dan feeds and puts the girls to bed and works from home. Dan's mom has also graciously offered to take the girls on Fridays as needed or for a week at a time each month. We couldn't be luckier to have the families we have. We are allowing over $1,000 a month to not go out the door on (part time) daycare but instead go to other more important places right now. 

It is not easy. It's hard, actually. But it's worth it. And, every so often, we'll readdress how it's working (or not working) and we'll adjust. 

Live like no one else now, so you can live like no one else later..........