Success can be measured on many different levels and we finally attained that little bit of success for which we were striving. Our desired aim was to become consumer debt free and we accomplished that goal February of 2018! 2 years later we are still consumer debt free, on the path to pay off our mortgage in record time & investing for our future and the future of our little ones. To be honest, I personally never thought I would attain this type of adulting at the age I am now.
I am very blessed to be on this journey with a spouse with the same financial ambition as myself. Becoming consumer debt free was one of the best decisions we have made for our marriage. Next stop, NO MORE MORTGAGE PAYMENT!
It’s now June 2020 and our 2nd debt free anniversary has just passed. We didn’t celebrate in 2018 because we immediately found out baby Charlee was on the way. So we beefed up the Health Savings Account & our Emergency Fund. February 2019, Char just turned 1 and we were still becoming accustomed to being parents, but we decided then that we were going to celebrate in 2020. Then came Covid-19 and that 2020 celebratory cruise went all out the window due to business closures and restrictions. It ended up working out because we were able to cancel in time to get our money back. $150 was not refunded, but was credited to our account for a future sail. Once the Floridian economy started opening up, we packed up and took a stay-cation out to Daytona beach for a few days using the points gained from travel hacking!
I thought I would feel elated or euphoric in celebrating our 2nd anniversary on this journey of financial independence, but that’s not what I felt at all. Sitting on the beach, watching Cody and Char play in the water, I reflected on the sacrifices it took to even get to that place and I felt a weird type of calm. I didn’t have to worry about whether we could afford a trip to the emergency room. Which totally happened when Cody cut his finger on broken glass….washing the dishes. I didn’t have to worry about where my next meal was coming from. I didn’t have to worry about stretching the few dollars to cover all the expenses I owed — because, all of that was in the past. I could look towards my future with Cody, Charlotte and our new baby and know we could live comfortably.
Our celebration was more of an actual marriage anniversary than a debt free anniversary & I don’t think it’s truly sunk in that we are in this place towards the financial independence we aspire to be in. Maybe it’s because we still have some years to go before the mortgage is paid off? I am not sure.