A lot of people associate travel, adventurous activities, and freedom with money. Like, a lot of money. And it seems like people can easily get confused with money equalling the freedom that people of wealth have. But from personal experience, freedom does not need to be associated with being wealthy. Freedom just needs to be valued. Let me explain.
The Debt Burden
My husband and I just turned 30 and we know what it’s like to live “without money”. Student debt is nothing to be taken lightly. And trying to balance a wedding, house payment, and the expenses to actually eat and turn the lights on adds up quickly. So yes, we know first hand how much money isn’t actually enjoyed at the end of every paycheck. But guess where the other portion of our paychecks went on SO many occasions? You might be doing the same thing…subscriptions to movie & music streaming platforms, those frequent fast-food lunch and dinner stops, coffee breaks, little (but, of course, necessary) shopping sprees, and not to mention the not so cheap car payments to our “officially-an-adult” vehicle.
Now, let me stop here and say there is NOTHING wrong with these things if this is what you value. You should be enjoying your hard-earned money, as it allows. It’s really just all about perspective.
It All Adds Up
When we added all of our “recreational expenses”, it came to be a shocking average of $450 per month ($5,400 per year)! We quickly realized this was money that we could control however we chose. So the first thing we did was make a list of our values. What were our goals for our marriage? What did we really want to do in this life, what did we really want to enjoy? For us, it was being able to have the freedom to build a life that was full of travel and adventure. So, we began to prioritize our finances to unlock that freedom.
Financial Freedom
Where did we start, specifically? We got rid of everything that wasn’t important to us. This is really all it took to see things from a different perspective. We gained most of that money back, just by cutting out the things that we could live without (yes, even the car payment—we had money in our savings and prioritized our budget to pay it off in about 3 months). SO much happens when we work together for common goals.
So, want to know where we’re putting our freed-up change now? We’re investing in two things: savings and 12 amazing dates to go on this year.
Being financially free doesn’t necessarily mean being wealthy. It just means you’re in control of your money. And to be in control of your money, means you’re able to let God do what he wants through you. My husband and I want to be known for our love toward people. To be a blessing to those who are in need the most. I encourage you to have a conversation with your spouse (or significant other) about the goals for your relationship. I promise you won’t regret a single laté. 😉
12 Amazing Dates in One Year
Just in case you thought I was keeping those 12 amazing date ideas a secret, friend, fear not! I even included amazing tips on how to strategically plan them.
Download them for FREE here!