Climbing Out One Family’s Adventure in Becoming Debt-free

Lego was my childhood toy-of-choice. I didn’t really need many other toys because I could build anything out of those magical little blocks.

And yes, MY LEGO VERSION WAS JUST AS GOOD AS A REAL ONE, THANK YOU.

I didn’t know it at the time but we were on the dole at one point during my childhood so I suppose it’s good that I learned to build my own Transformers and dump trucks.  Sadly, as any 9 year-old can tell you, Lego is finite and sooner rather than later one finds oneself disassembling Leeds Castle to build Optimus Prime.

Priorities.  Priorities.

At 37 we are experiencing a paradigm shift in our financial priorities that is not likely to make our creditors very happy in the short term.  The Wife, I think, got to this point before I did.  Ramsey refers to it as the Four Walls.

Food, shelter, clothing and transportation.

These things come first.  Only after those obligations are met can one consider paying other things. You know. Silly things; like Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual and Bank of America.

Credit score be damned.

Yikes.  Like I said, a paradigm shift.  I have so often in the past creatively shuffled bills to make sure no credit card was paid late only to run a utility bill to its bitter end.

That brings me to tonight and a new milestone in our financial lives.  Two firsts stare me in the face.  First, my Quicken register looks unlike it ever has before.  The “balance” column is black.  All black.  The whole way down.  There are no red entries indicating a point at present or future where we overdraw if my creativity doesn’t save the day.

Second, a creditor is getting a third of their payment.  Ouch.  It’s a pro-rata version of their share.  I cannot say I am proud or happy to send in an underpayment, but even if they don’t believe me I know it is not forever. They can, and will, get mad and scream at us, but they’ll get their money.

They will. If it takes years…

And eventually, when that battle-cruiser is completely dismantled and all those Lego pieces are redistributed into a new, far sturdier financial life, we will look back on tonight as the shift in the red and black blocks that made all the difference.

the Dad