What Dave Ramsey has done for us.

That's our "new" van.  We paid for it in cash and still have a paid-off Camry sitting in our garage that blue books at $10,500 that we're about to sell FSBO.

We're about to have our third child, so our little beloved Camry isn't going to cut it anymore.  We've been looking for a van for awhile now.  It's amazing that I was excited to get a van.  Me?!  The girl who swore I would never, ever, ever have a minivan!  

A year ago, we would have either traded in our Camry for a more expensive, low mileage van and probably acquired another car payment, or at the very least we would have sold our Camry FSBO and taken the inheritance we recently got and used both of those funds to buy a relatively nice, new van.

But then we took Dave Ramsey's FPU.  While we aren't the perfect students (I admit that we haven't done the cash envelopes on a few occasions), we've made huge strides and already paid off a ton of debt.  In a few months time.  

And amazingly, we're about to pay off well over $10,000 in debt.  All because we decided to sell our Camry FSBO and buy an old, used van.  It's not the most glamorous van in the world.  It has some dings and scratches and less perks than we're used to in our newer Camry, but I love it.  I love it because it is bringing us financial peace.  I love it because it was DIRT CHEAP but came with the mechanic's seal of approval (unlike all the Siennas we took to get pre-inspected that were literally double the cost and had tons of mechanical problems).  I love it because we were patient and waited for the perfect deal instead of rushing to buy the first one we saw, which would have cost us double what this one did.

When we started FPU a few months ago, we mapped out a course to becoming debt-free that was going to take us about 2.5 years.  Now, thanks to decisions like the above one and saying no to new clothes or that Starbucks I want so badly, it's looking like we are going to cut that 2.5 year timeline in half - if not more.

Imagine if we're debt-free before this new baby reaches his or her first birthday!  Thanks to some really stupid ideas and decisions on my part as an 18 year old naive girl, I haven't been debt-free since before the age of 19.        

Because of Dave Ramsey, we also put our old car payment that we no longer have into a savings account each month so that when we drive this Odyssey into the ground, we'll get to pay for our next car in cash, too.  

It's literally blowing my mind that we're getting so close to being debt-free.  The freedom that will come on the day we have only our mortgage left will be unreal.  It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.

Thank you, Dave Ramsey.  You're sort of my hero.  :)

And seriously, if I can do this, literally any person walking the face of this planet can.  I have one of the most disastrous and irresponsible financial pasts of anyone I've ever met.  

A few of my favorite things.

First, I've got to start by thanking you guys for all your suggestions! I'll undoubtedly keep you posted on his skin situation.

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately and figured it wouldn't hurt to share a few of my little gems.

Simple Mom - I couldn't love a blog any more than this!

Simple Organic - A spin-off of Simple Mom. The title pretty much says it all. Perfect! If you read nothing else, at least check out the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database that evaluates the health & beauty products we put on our bodies everyday. Yikes!

Money Saving Mom's posts (part 1 & part 2) about saving 100% for a house. And they only did it in a couple of years!

Within the Simple Mom blog is a series on Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover - part 1, part 2, part 3. We're currently on this plan and, frankly, loving it! Just mapping out the road to getting debt-free is the most incredible weight off our shoulders. I can only dream about what it will feel like when we're actually there! Hers is the best, most straight-forward explanation I found about this system.

Frugal Dad - Cool blog, cool perspective. I like this guy!

Get Rich Slowly - Another good read. Hey, are we sensing a trend here? My mind is clearly all wrapped up in money these days.

Reviewing Resolutions.

You might remember that I set a whole bunch of resolutions that I said I might or might not get to. Well, I've been trying to get to them. It's been a month since setting said resolutions, so without further adieu, let's review!

1. Grow my marriage - I said we'd do two date nights a month. That kind of conflicted with our "set a budget & stick to it" resolution, so we decided on one date night a month. But every Friday we have an at-home date night after Ben goes to bed. And it's been great! Instead of sitting in front of the tube, as we so love to do, we spent the last couple of Friday nights just talking. Man, I love talking to my husband. It's so easy to get wrapped up in life and forget to talk. I think this will be a huge step in the right direction toward making our marriage bullet-proof (not that it isn't already, but everything can always be improved upon, right?).

2. Grow my relationship with God - I started a daily devotional and I love it! It's a great way to start off my morning and it's already made me a happier person.

3. Set a budget and switch to an envelope system - We didn't sit down and set our budget until mid-January, so we decided to start fresh in February. So far, so good! I really love this cash thing. It's made me so much stingier. We sat down and worked out a get-out-of-debt plan that will get us out of debt faster than I ever could have dreamed. In a time not so far away from now, we can have everything paid off except our house (including my student loans)! That will be the third best feeling in the world (not to surpass my wedding day or the birth of my son, of course). Boo-ya, Dave Ramsey!

4. Get organized for real - I, uh, well, you know, life is busy and stuff and, er, it's just...okay, I haven't even attempted this one. But I will! February is the month of organization, don'tcha know?

5. Get in shape for good - Three pounds gone! Take that, Jillian Michaels! Okay, it could be much better. But at least I'm on my way!

6. Oh, right. I didn't have a number six. But now I do! They're my resolutions and I can add or delete as I see fit. :) Number six is to stick to Once-A-Month cooking and to garden. I want to have a $250 grocery budget every single month!