Our Story
Emily: On October 9, 2022, when our kids were all in bed and probably not actually sleeping, we began writing our first “blog post.” It was a GoogleDoc that sat in our Drive until now. We started writing as a way to connect, an at-home date night, a concept we had been doing since the beginning of our financial independence journey over a decade earlier. As it turned out, we really enjoyed the process of writing as a way of reflecting back on our journey and peering into our future.
Joel: (inappropriate words)
Emily: I edited out what he wanted to write above as we laughed. We hope you enjoy reading about our journey as much as we enjoy writing about it, and we hope you can take away some helpful nuggets as you write your own story.
Joel: “A fool cannot learn from a wise man, but a wise man can learn even from a fool.,” like me.
Young, Dumb and Broke.
We had it figured out. Newly married, I had my first full-time teaching job, grad school for Emily, a move to a new town, and a new apartment. With me teaching and coaching my salary was $35,000. More money than either of us had ever made. Our new apartment bliss lasted exactly one night.
You graduated! Here’s your bill.
Joel: We met at a private liberal arts college in the Midwest. We went to college because that’s what you do. Go to college, get good grades, get a good job, live happily ever after.
Here’s how we did it (in a nutshell).
Joel: Pretty simple. Spend less than you make and use the rest to pay your loans off. Next post.
Emily: That is actually true. It is that simple. But often, the most simple things are really hard and tend to be countercultural.
Mortgagelessness.
On July 20th 2015, we submitted our last payment for student loans. We paid off $150,000 in 35 months. Within a year of that, a mouse ate food out of the pantry in our rented duplex. That was the final straw for Emily. She said it was time to buy a house.
Debt Free… Now What?
Emily: So, it is now March 2021. We have successfully paid off our student loans ($160,000) and our mortgage ($290,000 plus whatever we paid in interest). We are 33 years young. We did all of this in just over 8 years.
“Voluntary Leave of Absence”
Joel: “We can’t call it a sabbatical because that would mean you are doing something for the betterment of the school.” I am not doing this for my employer. I am doing this for my family.
