You’ve read about our debt free journey this past year and a half. We’ve shared our milestones along the way. We’ve hit road bumps and detours. And then we went silent.
Our debt free journey was like a saving grace through all the other trials we went through the last number of years. It was a joint effort that kept Michael and I united working towards a common goal. Through the highs and lows of everything else, it gave us a drive to be excited about in life. So many of our conversations centered around dreams of the future when we got out of debt. The things we wanted to do, places we wanted to go, and people we wanted to bless.
It was hard. It took a lot of sacrifice and time. We said no to a lot of things. We buckled down even more with each new year. We avoided buying a new-to-us car. We didn’t buy clothes (thanks to our parents for helping with our needs). We didn’t go on big vacations. We sacrificed going out west to see family.
All for this moment…
WE’RE DEBT FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s right. We’re done! Our house is all the Lord’s and ours. We don’t have a payment to anyone anymore. Our debt is gone and we are free! It is such a relief.
Now for our emotions to catch up with reality. We’ve lived a certain way for so many years that it is actually hard to think of being able to just save money now and ease up a bit. We can go out to eat and take a little trip here and there.
The hard part is that we accomplished this incredible feat during lockdown. It was a quiet celebration. No party. No vacation. So, how would we celebrate such a monumental occasion?
Time to get creative. We ordered a special catered meal.
My friend is an incredible cook. Thankfully, she knows how to make meals that fit a variety of health needs. I have a lot of food allergies and sensitivities. I presented the challenge of a three-course meal to her that we would pay for and have catered. I didn’t tell her what the occasion was. I didn’t even tell her what to make. I just wanted a three-course meal that I could eat and Michael would enjoy as well delivered to our house on Wednesday, May 12. Since we were on lockdown, they had to drop it off and leave.
I set the bistro table I made Michael for our anniversary with candles and goblets. After the food was delivered, we explored what deliciousness awaited us:
Appetizer: Tomato and red pepper soup with hemp seeds and basil for a topping
Dinner: Bacon wrapped chicken alfredo with zucchini noodles and acorn squash flowers
Dessert: strawberry crepes and almond butter drizzle (and Rocky Road ice cream for Michael)
Drinks: Pomegranate and Blueberry Aha for me and Coke for Michael
It was all mouth-watering delicious! Michael and I enjoyed our secret celebration. We coloured our mortgage chart one last time. We watched a “Debt Free Scream” and shouted one of our own. Then we watched a couple videos of people blessing others. It stirred our hearts and got us excited for the future. We called a couple family members that had supported us along the way and shared our great news with them as well.
Doesn’t he look so handsome and excited? 
And then there’s me haha …Okay, but seriously … It was that good.
Then came a hard conversation. We had reached our goal and now were talking about our next steps. We had been praying for the last few months leading up to this what that would be. As we tossed around ideas, I noticed that my “security radar” and a bit of fear started coming up. Why? It didn’t make sense.
The more we talked through it, the more I realized that I was used to living a certain way. It was controlled and expected. Now I felt back at square one trying to get a handle on things. We had built up great dreams for so long. But the reality is that it’s still going to take time to save for each thing. Our dreams were much larger than the money we’re bringing in.
However, we now have a lot more freed up than we did when paying down the mortgage. It’s not that we can’t do things. We can now do everything. But, like everything else in life, it’s going to take time. And it’ll all be worth it.
Michael and I snuck away on the Sunday of the May 24 long weekend. Rondeau Provincial Park had opened up with government permission from the lockdown. We were able to spend the day down there and then stopped off to get some pizza on the way home. That’s when it started to hit us. We could go out and enjoy these things without thinking we just spent money we could have used toward the debt. No, we were able to freely enjoy a quick, random getaway and spend that money freely. We could fully enjoy that day without thinking about finances. And, Oh, did it feel good!
We’re so excited about the future and all the possibilities now. We’re praying for the Lord’s guidance and are enjoying the relief of being done.
I don’t say any of this to brag. It was all accomplished by the Lord’s leading and provisions. We’re so grateful to all our family and friends that helped along the way and cheered us on. This is something we knew the Lord wanted us to do, so we celebrate His work in our lives. If any of you feel led to pay off debt and want the freedom that we now have, we’d be thrilled to teach you what we know and cheer you on along your journey as well! Send me a message on social media or an email at in**@ho******************.org.
Stay tuned for a Live video with Michael and I on Instagram and Facebook. We’ll do our debt free scream and a question and answer period for anyone interested next Friday, June 25 at 8:00 pm.
