Vasectomies, Tube Tieings and Historectomies are on the rise.

Yup.

This is one of those articles that should have no place in a financial freedom blog.

Let’s be honest. Who am I kdding?

There’s a reason I haven’t been one of those success stories I constantly read about. You know the one, (The typical Dave Ramsey caller just sending in their last mortgage payment and get to yell “I’M DEBT FREE!!!” with some idiot named Jimbo in the background). I Loathe to become “Jimbo”.

Or do I?

How is it I can hear the background so clearly in their household? And how did they pay off $120K in mortgage debt in five years while only bringing home $60K/year between them? I started thinking about the difference between me and them and quickly realized that the reason that their background is so quiet is because of the absense of kids.

Now, I’m probably an atypical parent that makes jokes about kids being worrisome or being around. Truth is, I’d be lost without them. I have a great nuclear family and couldn’t /wouldn’t ask for anything more out of what the wifey and I have made. Having said that, we currently have 4.7 to be exact (one due in July) so there has to be an end to this madness somewhere right?

RIGHT! On April 10th, 2009. I sat down on the Dr. Teitjan’s slab in Lee’s Summit, MO and did the unthinkable/most femenizing thing a man could do…

I GOT SNIPPED!

Not only did I get snipped. Teitjan had problems finding my left vas deferens and poked and prodded for 20 minutes too long causing post operative complications. It’s not his fault my vas defrens was retracted further than normal so I blame him for nothing. However that doesn’t stop the hemotoma I’ve now developed immediately afterwards because of the complications.

So as I’m typing this article almost 3 weeks to the day later, I have a hard lump the size of a egg in my scrotum. It’s not as bad as it sounds and Teitjan says it should go down after several weeks while the body slowly absorbs it.

Now enough about my castration. Back to Jimbo in the background. Jimbo is able to pay his mortgage down so quickly because he doesn’t have the pleasure of paying for $80/month gymnastic classes, $250 for softball registrations, $640-$1400/month in daycare (when the wife was working), $1000 Christmases, $80 every time a violin string gets severed. I stopped there but that doesn’t include the co-pays and extra money we have to pay for health care costs for the kids.

Sounds like I’m bitching about my predicament with the kids. Trust me, I’m not. I love my life and the challenges that present themselves. The kids keep the wife and I young, entertained, and constantly appreciative.

So while I’d love to have that paid off mortgage in the next five years, I’m going to have to cut back on my intensity towards my goal because our family is evolving at the moment. We’ll eventually get there, but I’ve come to understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day (we’re only 32) and sometimes it’s just not in the cards.

The reason I’m writing this is because even though I can get preachy/demanding towards my goal, I have to realize that my goal is to really be healthy and fit for my kids for as long as I can. I’ve always realized it and have never put the kids or my family second. I just felt I needed to say it loud in case some of you may have forgotten.

Having had this cum-bah-yah moment… we still need to get to work on our secondary goal on becoming debt free so having kids doesn’t let us off the hook.

Posted in Inspirational, Personal debt, Uncategorized, goals, relapses | 1 Comment »

Dave Ramsey: Total Money Makeover

I can’t sit here and take credit for my (relatively) recent financial makeover. In 2006, I received a tidbit of recommendation from the most unlikely of sources to check out the Dave Ramsey program… MY SISTER.

After listening to the (then) most financially irresponsible person I knew at the time sell me on the Total Money Makeover (TMM) audio book, I’ve become a cult Dave Ramsey follower. I’ve always been good with money by mainly listening to my mother and grandfather talk about how to budget and constantly instilling that credit cards are the devil. I’ve held true to those values but without a plan.

Despite the teachings of my parent’s and grandfather, I was never taught how to become debt free until I ran into TMM. From start to finish, I found myself being captivated and inspired by following 7 small common sense steps to get my financial future on the right path.

To be quite honest the journey is half the reward. It’s amazing how things become SO possible once you create a plan and set goals. For instance, I once laughed at my cousins idea that he should be able to pay off his house within five years. I was brought up believing my fathers teaching that we’re always going to have bills. I’m here to tell you inf act… IT’S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE!

I’ve since apologized to my cousin for making a mockery of his suggestion. I’m nowhere closet o paying off our mortgage but I’m not going to sit here and say that it’s impossible. If I really dedicated myself to doing that, it could easily be accomplished within 5 years or so.

Here’s the basics of Dave’s Financially Fit plan (7 baby steps):

		$1,000 to start an Emergency Fund
		Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
		3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
		Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
		College funding for children
		Pay off home early
		Build wealth and give! Invest in mutual funds and real estate

Because of baby step #3, despite my time of currently being laid off, I’ve been completely stress free because of Dave’s plan to achieve financial responsibility.

Having said everything but, “I want to have the man’s child”, I highly suggest you read it also so we can really get an understanding as to what we’re trying to accomplish and how we’re going to go about doing it.

Posted in Informational, Inspirational, Personal debt, education, goals | No Comments »