Debt-Free Living
By Donna L. Watkins
http://www.TheHerbsPlace.com

Debt-free living is such a key area of our lives that needs to be changed in America.  The focus needs to be taken off of THINGS and put on PEOPLE.

The time we spend shopping for stuff to fill our closets and cabinets could be,
SHOULD BE, spent on building relationships and helping others.

We need a Global Focus to understand that we don't have to have a Pity Party
for ourselves to give up the STUFF.  You don't have to look very far to
realize how blessed we are.  There are people dying on streets that don't
have any food to eat.  There are people eating out of trash cans daily and
sleeping on concrete.  It's time for us to be grateful for what we have and
to share with others who do not have.  God told us to do so.

Here's a few of our tips for debt-free living.  You have to find and make
your own.  Borrow some books from the library on debt-free living and on
simplicity.  You don't have to buy them.....just borrow them.  People
generally read a book only once and then stick it on the shelf as another
possession.  Use the library system or check with friends and begin to trade
books.

We have been living debt-free now for many years...and it's brought
tremendous blessings of peace and contentment to our lives.  To get out of
debt, we had to change bad habits of impulse buying.  I believe that's how
most people get in debt and stay there forever.

We made a commitment to God and ourselves that we would do three things:

#1)  Anytime we intended to purchase something, we would grab our note pad
(instead of our credit card) and write down what we wanted to purchase and
the price.  We would have to discuss it with each other.  If we still
thought we wanted to buy it, we would wait 24 hours to make the final
decision to purchase......that eliminated 90% of our purchases.

#2)  When something was a necessity and over $20, we would get three prices
on it to be sure we got the best deal for our money.  Use the telephone!
Don't waste gas money on comparing prices.  It costs approximately 44 cents
a mile to run a car in America.

#3)  We set up a grocery budget that was reasonable, but not excessive, and
we lived off of it.  No exceptions!  That budget included the "eating out,"
which, by the way, we just decided to give up.  There's very little
nutrition in eating out, so we figured we'd be gaining greatly with that
decision.  We "ate out" by serving meals in different places and calling it
'eating out'.....like on a tablecloth in a bedroom, or eating at the coffee
table in the living room, or picnicking outside the back door.  Get creative
and make getting out of debt a fun project, not a drudgery!

We had a variable income and it appeared to be an impossible task to set up
a budget (although I know there are ways to do it), so we decided to set up
boundaries instead.  Those mile-high boundaries allowed us to have plenty of
money each month to pay off the debts we had.  After many years of doing
this, it just became a "new habit" and we now consider it a lifestyle.  It
has simplified what I have to dust and clean and maintain.....'cause
anything you buy and own costs you to maintain it also.

It's amazing how much time we have since we rarely go shopping.  We purchase
our food supplies in bulk once a month and shop for produce twice a month.
When you've earned the contentment that comes with the discipline of getting
out of debt, and you've changed your mindset to wanting time and peace
instead of wanting things, life becomes a whole new adventure!

We were warned in the Bible about the pressures of debt in Proverbs 22:7,
"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender's slave."
Carrying a load of debt around is definitely a form of slavery/bondage.

Have fun!  Live simply!  Life is not in who has the most stuff!

Donna Watkins
Blessings of Peace and Health to You Today!
http://www.theherbsplace.com
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