We’re Going Gazelle

2014.05.12

It’s official – we’re moving. 

We have been working towards paying off our debt (officially) for about 2 years, but we’ve felt that we don’t have enough traction, and that our expected debt pay-off would be 4 or so more years.

That wasn’t good enough for us. We want to be out of debt NOW. 

So, we decided that we’ll move to another city 20 minutes away, which is closer to Fred’s work and offers us a place that is $400 less in rent. This option also allows us to sell a car and save on car insurance and gas every month, moving up our projected debt pay-off to approximately two years. 

We’ve had moments of uncertainty and disappointment in leaving a city and a basement suite that we love. We’ll be further from friends and will be moving to a city that we’re not sure we love yet, but our desire to get out of debt is greater. We’re clinging on to each other and jumping into a new life that will be scary yet satisfying.

We’re doing what Dave Ramsey calls “going gazelle.” We’re running as fast as we can from our remaining $56,000 of debt so that we can stop being under the burden of our large monthly payments. Being in debt has stopped us from having financial security, from starting a family, and from being as generous as we want to be. We’re sick and tired of being sick and tired. 

So, in less than a month we’ll be in our new home. We’ll have sold some stuff, downsized from 2 bedrooms to 1, and will be further away from our community. We know that these sacrifices will be hard, but worth it. We’d appreciate your support as we make this move and get our debt-free life started as soon as possible.

I made these papers that show us how much we have left to pay off on our debts about 2 months ago. This inspired us to get thinking about what kinds of crazy things we could do to pay off our loans faster. This silly little thermometer on a piece of paper keeps us motivated to pay more and more each month until the debt is gone and our life without debt can begin. (*We’re still missing our largest $30,00 loan – I wanted to take it one or two steps at a time!*) 

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On your mark, get set, RUN! 

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done to save money or to pay off debt? I’d love to hear your stories! Leave a comment below.