Saying "NO!"

  Awwww! Taking a minute today to reminisce about our honeymoon last year...such wonderful memories! Today marks one year since we got back from our honeymoon and so many times over have I wished to be back!

It has also been one year since we made a commitment, a choice, a conscious effort to get out of debt. As Dave and I stepped off the boat from our cruise and on to the plane that would take us home, we knew things would be different. No more expensive dinners out. No more exotic vacations. No more shopping sprees. No new vehicles. No home of our own. And the hardest for me, no kids, until we are out of debt. Whew! That's a lot of "no's" and like a two year old, I have had my share of tantrums. Saying "no" to the things in the moment is very hard for me.

We live in a society, in a generation, that is all about immediate satisfaction. When I cannot be immediately satisfied, I get frustrated. When I FEEL like I am not being treated fairly, I have a pity party. But you know what?? Life's not fair and sometimes the answer is simply, "no." When I say "no" in the present, it allows me to say "yes" in the future. Much easier said than done.

A statement that my husband and I repeat over and over again is a famous Dave Ramsey statement that says, "Live like no one else today so that one day you can live and give like no one else." What our parents are now enjoying- homes, new cars, nice vacations- took them thirty years to attain and we think we can attain all those things by the time we are 30!! Patience is a virtue and one I am having to work on daily.

As much as I would like to hop back on a cruise ship and enjoy a week long vacation in the Caribbean, I know that getting out of debt is what I need to say "yes" to right now. Saying "no" is the hardest part of getting out of debt! No to coffee trips to Starbucks when we have our own coffee at home. No to a new coat when I have a perfectly good one at home. No to eating out when we have a fridge full of good food. No to a new car when our cars work perfectly fine. No to buying a house when renting allows us to save money. When I make the conscious, committed choice to say "no" it ultimately means I am saying "yes" to getting out of debt.

One day, I will be back on a cruise ship enjoying sunsets on the Caribbean. But for now, I am enjoying the memories of the past and the promises of the future!