February, 2009
“I’m going to sell my truck.”
When I heard my husband say these words I knew he was finally on board with the Total Money Makeover plan. He had been reading Dave’s book on his own and we had started watching Dave’s show together.
At first the baby steps seemed a little too easy. We had our $1000 emergency fund, we did not have credit card debt and we had some extra savings in stocks.
I was ready to buckle down and throw as much money as we could toward our vehicles to get them paid for. I wasn’t expecting my husband to be so committed that he’d want to sell his new Toyota truck, and I wasn’t sure I wanted him to.
I tried to talk him out of it. I was afraid he’d sell it and regret it and get into another buy and sell cycle, but he was convinced this would move us more quickly toward our goal. Dave was right, gazelle intensity had gotten a hold of my husband.
He cleaned it up and put a for sale sign on it. After two months of many calls and lots of looking, he tried another direction and got a good offer at a dealership. They offered him more than what he was asking for, and he cashed in stock to pay the difference on what we owed. Then he bought a new Dodge truck.
To tell the truth, I was concerned. It seemed smarter to buy something used that we could pay cash for, or just live with one vehicle for a while until we could get the van paid for. But I was trying to reform the controlling, nagging wife I used to be, so I let it be his decision. It sort of seemed like this journey was going to be as much about me learning to trust my husband as the leader of our family as it was for us to be financially free.
We still had two vehicles financed, but we had a lower monthly payment on his new truck and saved $6,000 in the end.
At this point, I expected things to go smoothly. I honestly believed we would easily be able to pay off the van that year. Instead, bonus cuts and fewer weekend workdays dramatically cut our income. Looking back now, I can see the blessings that kept us afloat.
At the time of our church’s Faith Promise Giving commitment we decided to double what we’d given last year. As our preacher likes to say, “You can’t out give God.” Here’s some of the goodness we enjoyed that year:
Still, as the new year began, I was discouraged about our progress. Friends in our church who were also doing the money makeover, met with us one night for a time of fellowship and encouragement. The stories they shared of debt paid down and even one couple only a few months from being totally debt free, increased my desire to move quickly toward our goal.
Real progress toward our goal of paying off the van seemed small, and a look at our budget for the next year revealed little room for extra payments. It looked like we were never going to reach our goal. I expressed my frustration to our friends.
Then, one of our them suggested a radical idea that got our wheels turning. I looked at my husband, “Do you think we could do that?”
The gazelle intensity was back.
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