How we paid off our brand new Van in 12 months!

It feels like yesterday I was pregnant with munchkin #2 and we finally got the van I had been saving and saving for. We had $6100 to put down on that van, which took us 2 years to save, not bad right? I was so happy to get that van because the one stroller didn't fit in my Ford Escort, I knew that a double stroller was not going to work.

That monthly payment was a lot for us, (about twice as much as my last car loan) but we were going to make it work. 

About 2 weeks after we purchased the van our church had a workshop about finances and gave out a book. That book was the start of a journey to financial freedom. I was hooked. I started watching other programs and reading more and more about how normal people like us become debt free. I gained strategies from multiple resources and put them into practice.   

Every extra dime we had went to pay off the van, if I used a coupon, then the value of the coupon went to toward that van. If my husband worked extra hours, it went toward that van. I know it sounds crazy but tweaking just little things you do on a daily basis can put an extreme change in your habits. 

We were able to pay off that van ($29,000) in 12 months, on one income, with 2 babies in the house. Did you read that right? YEP 12 months $29,000 and that van is MINE!!!!  I am hooked. I can't tell you the happiness we feel every month now that we don't have a car loan.  I know that this works and we are now on a CASH ONLY budget. We are not using Credit Cards or Debit Cards.

At this point in our lives we only have the mortgage as our debt. I want to have that paid off and be truly financially free! (I mean really.... can you imagine having NO MORTGAGE?    I can't wait)