For most of our marriage, my husband and I have tried to keep each of our vehicles for at least 10 years. We’ve also paid our car notes off as quickly as possible. That approach has played a big part in our strategy to live debt free. And while we aren’t quite 100% there yet, the pursuit of this goal has benefited us tremendously along the way. It made for a smooth transition from military to civilian life 18+ years ago. It sustained us through two different periods of dual unemployment. It enabled us to pay off our mortgage in 15 years. And now, it means that we are not stressing over a missed paycheck because of the furlough.
We’ve been preparing for this moment our whole lives. And I gotta say, the peace of mind we have right now feels so much better than any luxury car, shopping spree or designer handbag ever could.
I am now working on year 14 of a van we bought brand new. I hate that I somehow missed the 200,000 mile rollover, but am going to celebrate no less. It represents so much. My van has successfully transported me and my family to thousands of stops with minimal problems for all of these years. (As a child, I was late to school and missed many activities because of car problems, so I do not take reliable transportation for granted.) Many of those miles included countless trips through at least 15 states, affording us memories that will last a lifetime. And, because I paid it off within a year of buying it, I’ve not had a car payment in over 12 years. That amounts to at least $50K savings which has was redirected towards multiple vacations per year to some pretty amazing places.
You don’t have to be a Dave Ramsey fan to know that debt is literal bondage. I’m not advocating a beans and rice lifestyle, but in this age of excessive consumption, we all have room to improve. You just have to start looking. Try this or this for starters.
We can’t control the unexpected; but I guarantee that if you endeavor to be free from debt, you’ll be in a much better position to handle life’s curve balls than if you hadn’t. Stepping off my soap box now. Thanks for reading.
Trina Baughn 
Hey Trina! Love your posts! Well stated!! Steven White Professional Investigator/Consultant Member Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) Hunter Investigations/Owner/Operator 119 N. Gateway Avenue Rockwood, TN 37854 PI License #7675 Company License #2029 Phone 865-354-0077 Fax 865-354-0063
Website: http://www.hunterinvestigations.biz Email: hunterinvest@ATT.net
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Good to hear from you Steven! Hope you were able to infer the good news out of my last post!
My mustang as over 240K miles on it now – the odometer stopped working a couple of years back. I was going to sell it, but when I drove her down to the station to get gas I decided against it. She still runs great despite all the abuse she’s taken – I’d get a running start at 50mph to get her up old mine roads and over boulders when I was in Utah. Her undercarriage looks like someone beat on it with a sledgehammer and she’s had to have her head fixed twice. And she survived a bad 360 degree spin accident doing 60mph on I-40. My original plan was to drive her til she died – and I guess I will. She’s too comfortable and familiar to get rid of, even if she looks like a POS. She’s a real “sleeper” though.
Yeah, the comfort factor of my van is also pretty important to me. When I think about having to buy a replacement, I know I won’t enjoy it at first simply because it won’t be the same and because I’ll be stressed until it takes its first ding.
Excellent post. I have my house and SUV paid off and will follow this advice from now on. Thank you for the wonderful blogs. I really enjoy (not to mention how much I learn from them) your blogs. I REALLY miss you being on the board for the city even I though I think they are a lost cause now.
That’s awesome that you have both of those paid off! You’re way ahead of most. Thank you for the kind words. Maybe I’ll start posting a little more again.
You’re absolutely right. Debt is bondage. Proverbs 22:7 says, “…the borrower is a slave to the lender.” I’ve tried to get rid of as much debt as possible. It really makes life so much more simpler and allows me to focus on more spiritual pursuits as opposed to working like crazy.
It also makes the borrower a slave to their employer and their collateral.