If you desire to live a debt-free life, then maybe reading our story will inspire, encourage, and motivate you to make it happen! We have lived a debt-free life for most of our marriage, except for our home mortgages (we’ve had 3 since 2003). Otherwise, we have never gone into personal debt.

However, we have never been debt-free, including our home, so that is our current financial goal! We desire a truly debt-free life (okay, we still have to pay property tax – sigh).

Grab this Budget Planner Printable for FREE!

Why We Desire A Debt-Free Life

The sooner we pay off our home mortgage, the sooner my husband can work away from home less. We do NOT expect him to stop working completely, and we do believe he should continue to be the primary provider. However, we do not want him to have to work more than 40 hours away from home every week.

Eliminating our mortgage would lower our monthly bills, allowing us to survive on a smaller income. We would have the financial freedom for him to be self-employed and/or work part-time (half-days) as an employee. We would love it if he had a successful business from home or a job with a lot of flexibility that allowed our boys to work with him.

The main reason for desiring my husband to work away from home less than he does now is that we want my husband to be with our youngest child (fully disabled, chronically ill with a life-threatening condition) as much as possible, we value family time, we value my husband’s influence in ALL of our children’s lives, and we also hope for my husband to help care for our son as he gets older/bigger.

We believe a huge burden would be lifted if we were 100% debt-free. The Bible discourages being in debt because God knows the negative impact it has on a man and his family. “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7

How We Are Pursuing A Debt-Free Life

We have always lived within our means. “Act your wage!” says Dave Ramsey, and that’s exactly what we have always done. We have almost always lived in tiny homes (around 1000sqft.) – currently living in a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom, 1000sqft. home on 1-acre. We have a large family and have almost always been considered living at or below the “poverty line”, but God has always provided (more than) enough.

The Total Money Makeover Updated and Expanded: A Proven Plan for Financial Peace
The Financial Peace Planner: A Step-by-Step Guide to Restoring Your Family’s Financial Health

Practical Ways We Live Within Our Means

In addition to being frugal with my husband’s income, I have always attempted to earn an income from home.

I started earning through surveys in the first years of our marriage, receiving Amazon gift cards to use for Christmas gifts each year. ( Get points when using my referral code J1WBC when signing up on the mobile app. Fetch Rewards earns you rewards just for scanning your receipts, completing surveys, or other simple tasks! Redeem points for gift cards to dozens of places, including Amazon.)
Then I began reviewing homeschool curriculum for free in exchange for products. That was how I supplied our curriculum for the first several years of homeschooling.
Even now, I receive a lot of home products for free in exchange for reviewing them – nearly all of our furniture, area rugs, small kitchen appliances, and home decor were free. I am affiliated with companies that provide me with samples.
I also earn monetary income through writing and publishing books on Amazon.
I write and publish articles on this ad-free website and newsletters – both FREE to you!
I partner with Brands to share about their products with you in exchange for payment.
I create and sell products through my Etsy shop.
I am a direct sales consultant for Norwex and PaperPie.

I pay almost all of my business profits towards our mortgage to pay it down ASAP.

My Husband’s Role As Provider

My husband has always worked extremely hard to provide for us. However, Joey has rotoscoliosis, which has caused him severe pain most of his life.

At 30, he changed careers – from an extremely physically demanding construction job to driving a ready-mix concrete truck. He started at entry-level wages (he earned around 18000 that first year, and we were a family of 7!), but became the company’s top driver within a couple of years (earning an average wage).

My point is that we have never been “wealthy”. If you are in a similar situation (financially), I share this to encourage you to continue being “faithful with the little” and trusting God to provide what you “need”.

Joey spent 15 years driving a truck (and loving it), but for many reasons, that season came to a close recently when he was 45. He took a position as a Project Manager for a concrete construction company. It has been a huge adjustment for all of us, but it allows him to use his 30 years of concrete construction experience in a (mostly) non-physically demanding way, so we are thankful!

Our Dream Goal

Our goal is to live comfortably on his/my income, while putting everything extra we can manage towards paying off the mortgage early. We would love to have it paid off by 2031 (or 2045)! That seems nearly impossible, but we are praying for a way and trusting God will provide a way – IF it is His will. I am sharing this goal publicly, so that you can follow us on the journey to financial freedom!

Why 2031? That is when our last (typically developing, healthy) child will turn 18. This means that I will most likely be home alone with our youngest (fully disabled) son at that point (if he is still alive).

I am our son’s full-time caregiver, but I do depend on my other children to watch him when I need to use the bathroom, take a shower, etc. His medical condition is such that he has to be supervised 24/7 (mostly due to chronic vomiting and choking on the vomit if he isn’t helped). Without another person in the home, I will not even be able to go to the bathroom without him being at risk.

Of course, this will not be a feasible (future) lifestyle – someone else has to be available to help me care for our son. Ideally, that “someone” will be my husband since we are both responsible for Jubal (rather than asking for outside help)!

Follow my logic… It’s not that Joey will stop earning an income before retirement, but that we will be able to survive on a smaller income if we have paid off our mortgage, so he will be able to work less. Does that make sense?

Eventually, he will receive his retirement, since he has been paying into the tax system for 30+ years and is supposed to have SS benefits coming in the future (who knows whether that will still be available). We have 25 years left on our mortgage – if we don’t pay it off early. Joey can (potentially) retire in 20 years, but our bills would be too high to live on his retirement benefits if we haven’t paid off the house. So, at a minimum, we need to pay off our mortgage 5 years early (2045). 🙂

Let me get on my soapbox for a minute, okay?

I believe that it is the responsibility and privilege of those who LOVE Jubal to care for him, so we have never accepted professional nursing care. With that choice, many think we do not have the “right” to have hard days, ask for help (whether for a brief break or anything else), or work towards my husband/Jubal’s dad being more involved.

“You can get free nursing care, so why would Joey need to help care for Jubal?” Seriously?! Jubal is Joey’s son, whom he loves and desires to be with while he is alive, plus Joey is legally and morally responsible for Jubal! That’s why! And, because we already lived an entire life with our eldest daughter being fully disabled, terminally ill, and dying at age 14, while Joey worked long, hard hours away from home (and her)! We want to do better this time.

This thinking reminds me of being a stay-at-home (homeschooling) mom. It is SO hard, but since you “chose” it, people think you can not complain about the hard days. So odd, because if you choose to work away from home and put your children in public school, then it’s your “right” to complain about the hard days at your day job. Hmmm, that is silly.

Anyway, THAT is why we are striving for true financial freedom by 2031 (or 2045). What’s your financial (or any other) goal and the reasons for it? I’d love to hear in the comments!

P.S. Every time you visit my website, comment on an article, share an article on social media, like/comment on social media, click links that I share << all at no cost to you >> YOU ARE HELPING US!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, FRIEND!