Free at Last!

"Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty I'm free at last!"

2013. The year I finished my extra year of school, babysat a lot, started my new job, paid off my student loan debts, got a new microwave, and caught my blog up! Exciting stuff! Wait a minute, what was that thing in the middle?!  That's right- I'm starting 2014      

DEBT FREE! 

In 10 months, I was able to pay off my student loans while still being able to put money up in savings and to continue tithing!  Each month I took money out of my paycheck towards the loans, and anytime any extra money came in - tax returns, bonuses, it all went to my loan!  However, before I put any extra payments towards the loan, I always tithed and put some in savings.

Ever since I was a little girl, my dad taught me about the importance of tithing and how it was serving the Lord. Growing up I had three peanut butter jars, each with the label "God," "Savings," and "Mad Money."  Dad would give me my dollar allowance and then we would break it down into 10 dimes so that I could tithe 10%, save 10%, and use the rest of what I was given.

"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all you produce..."     - Proverbs 3:9, ESV

As I got older, I continued to practice the money management skills my Dad taught me. I did finally get rid of the peanut butter jars and switched to envelopes (and added a few more) once I started working/babysitting in middle school. Looking back I am so thankful that my Dad taught me to tithe at such a young age. It became something I looked forward to doing each week. Emptying out my God jar on Sunday morning was so exciting! I got to give something to God! It was funny- my grandmother remembered that one of my cousins got very upset because my "God" jar was empty and the other ones had money in them when he visited. Once she explained it was empty because I kept giving it to God, he was ok with that one being empty.

"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. " - 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, ESV

Since February of 2013, I have been steadily paying off my loans. The Lord has blessed me tremendously this year not only through a new job and new friends, but financially as well. My job has been very good to me- a great environment, fun coworkers, and very generous bonuses!  Our last bonus came two weeks before Christmas.

As soon as the boss told me the amount, I almost jumped out of my seat. I knew that amount, plus what I normally pay from each paycheck was about $200 short of the total left on the loan. However, I made the decision right then and there to pull that amount from my savings because it would be worth having it all paid off and done with before the new year.  I was so excited I texted my parents and best friends, but of course, like what always happens when you have big news, nobody answered for hours!  (No worries though, I was still pumped by the time they answered).

In all of my excitement, I forgot about that wonderful little thing called taxes. Once I actually received my paycheck, the taxes were A LOT higher than what I was expecting. Because of this, I was going to have to take more out of my savings that I wanted to. I was still determined to pay the loan off before the year was over so I had some decisions to make. While weighing whether or not I should take more out of savings, or just wait to pay off the loan in January, I had a split second where I thought to myself, "why don't I just take my tithe amount and put it towards the payment and then I can just tithe twice as much on the next paycheck." Immediately after I had that thought, I felt horrible. I don't tithe because its an obligation, I tithe to serve and worship the Lord. I wouldn't even be pondering this decision without the Lord's provision. Any and all money I have received is His, not mine. For me to even consider not returning anything back to Him was absolutely preposterous.  I immediately pulled out my checkbook and wrote out my check to the church for my tithing. While writing it out, I was praying and giving thanks to the Lord for all he has blessed me with, even though I don't deserve it.

"Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to you fathers, as it is this day."    - Deuteronomy 8:17-18, ESV

 On Thursday, December 19, 2013, I submitted the final payment on my student loans. I knew it took 2-4 days to process the payment, so I waited and waited to see that zero balance. Finally, on the morning of Christmas Eve, I received the email that my payment had been processed. Because of the time it took to process the payment, it was showing that I still had a balance of $0.75.  As soon as the loan company opened for the day, I called them to check on my status.  The person I spoke to assured me that my account was showing a zero balance, but because of the holiday it would not show the zero balance until probably January 8th at the earliest. She also told me that it takes about 30 days for the official notice that my debt was paid in full and I wouldn't receive that until the end of January. That made it feel a little less exciting because I wanted everything to be official, but I was still pretty pumped. I knew it was paid in full and the system did too! Now it was just a matter of time before it was official in every which way!


Much to my surprise, when I woke up on December 31, I had this email waiting for me in my inbox:

AHH! It happened before the end of January! I even went to the website- nothing was there except more congratulations for paying off my loan! I couldn't believe it. The Lord continued to bless me even more.


Needless to say, this girl had a very good 2013. Here's hoping to a 2014 that's just as good! Happy New Year!

"I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs." - Psalm 69: 30 -31, ESV