My husband and I were $100,000 in debt, we were drowning. We had a beautiful camper on a permanent camping site and we each had a vehicle loan. Luckily, we had already paid off my small-ish school loans and we did not have any credit card debt. We also had our house payment, but that is separate from the $100,000. We were drowning in debt, and we didn’t even realize it.
In the spring of 2020, my husband, who is a self-employed farmer had to have emergency back surgery, I was furloughed (basically laid off) from my nursing job and I had to plant our farm crops we were not able to afford to hire someone else to plant our crops.
That was a scary and crazy time in our lives. That was also the start of my journey (addiction) to finances!
I didn’t know how to drive a tractor, let alone plant corn and soybeans. Our kids were also home because there was no school due to the global pandemic. No wait, we were trying to provide them with virtual schooling, while recovering from back surgery, and having a mom sub in as a farmer! I honestly don’t know how we did it. So, there I was driving the tractor for 8-10 hours a day and I usually had 1-2, sometimes all 3 boys riding with me. I have photos of my youngest son taking a nap in the tractor with me and our middle son reading his books for school in the tractor.
Well, long story short, I got the crops planted. They weren’t planted well, but they still grew, and we had a decent harvest that Fall.
Looking back, I learned so much during that spring. I started listening to money podcasts and realized I had a love for finances and other people’s financial journeys. I found out that I can do anything I put my mind to, even if I don’t want to do it. See, I didn’t want to plant our crops that spring, but I didn’t have a choice. We couldn’t afford to hire someone to plant all our crops, so it was up to me to do it.
Now, I know not everyone has a large item they can sell to help them get out of debt. However, really take a deep look into your finances and what you “have”. You would be amazed at how much extra stuff you could sell. Maybe you decide to downsize from a brand new or almost new vehicle to something a little older but more affordable. Maybe you decide to eat out at restaurants less often to help you pay off your debt sooner. The goal is to improve yourself through this journey and to change the way you’ve always done things. Working as a team if you are married and with your family if you have kids. Encourage each other and empower one another. I know you can do this!
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