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    Two families striving to gain financial freedom share their experiences.
    Blog Author Mona Weathers (monawea)


    Co-author, Manda C.

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Components of the not-so-quick get rich plan

We live in a world of instant gratification. We allow that it takes years to get 40 lbs over weight, but we want to lose the weight in a month. If not we don’t see “results”, and give up. The same applies to cash flow planning. Dave wants you to give it 3 months before you’re on a working system. After the initial first month of Financial Peace, it’s easy to lose the momentum, the excitement when the “found” money in your budget is reassigned and accountable. Eventually, there is no more money to be found. J and I just sold another vehicle. We have officially no car payments. We have no more vehicles to sell. Our budget is now working, and it feels great. But we’re at a point that we will have to be diligent, we’ll have to know, deep down that it is working, that it takes time, or it will be easy to give up. We can fall into the temptation, the lie that it is “too hard”, or that it isn’t happening “fast enough”.

After giving up both of our nice vehicles, it is easy for me to look at what others are driving and feel envy, covet their ride. But, I definitely don’t want those car payments again in my cash flow plan. It is easier to live frugally now than it once was, even a year ago. I’ve said that I poked fun at my girlfriend, but now, I see the wisdom in some of her decisions. There are less and less people to poke fun at. I know, because of the emails I get from friends and family asking about our Financial Peace journey. It’s nice to know that we’ve made such a change that it is visible to those in our life. From the people who also want to get involved in Financial Peace, I’d hazard to say that it is a good change.

I’ve also realized that you don’t need to be cheap to be frugal. There is a difference. Someone who is cheap, is stingy. Someone who is cheap isn’t hospitable. Along the same lines, one doesn’t need to be unnecessarily wasteful. There is a happy, sensible middle. I think, for the time being, we’ve found it. We’re not wasteful, but also not cheap. It is this happy, sensible middle that will help us get through the next 18 months. Our living needs to be tolerable, or it won’t be doable. We’ve given our cash flow plan a couple of months. We talk, with less screaming, about money. We’re both involved in the financial decisions. We have the same goals. All of which are part of our not so quick get rich plan.

~Manda

ETA.  I’ve been reading the book of Proverbs.  It’s a terrific book to read each day, every day.  There are 31 chapters.  When you’re done, start over again.  It’s a book of finances, relationships, forgiveness, marriage, parenting, wealth, debt, and everything in between.  I’m amazed that each day there is always something that jumps out that is specifically relevant to what I’ve been thinking about, talking about, praying about…  Today it is Proverbs 21:5:

5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

October 21, 2008 | Filed Under Financial Planning 

One Response to “Components of the not-so-quick get rich plan”

  1. ChristopherJ on October 21st, 2008

    I know the feeling…driving around in a paid-for reliable car after dumping a $500+ /mo payment is a relief. Keep up the good work on the blog, I enjoy reading.

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