Slaying the Debt Dragon

I’ve been reading this great book by my friend Cherie, The Queen of Free. Her new book “Slaying The Debt Dragon” is about how her family paid off over $127,000 in debt in just over 4 years. Seriously. The subtitle? I’m glad you asked. “How one family conquered their money monster and found an inspired happily ever after.”

Before you start thinking “Yeah right. I could never do that.” Let me add – this book is not a fairy tale. Cherie and her family really did pay off over $127K in debt. She never tells you that it’s going to be easy. She flat out says that it’s hard. But she tells you how her family did it, with realistic tips that you can start using today.

Slaying the Debt Dragon

Farmer Doc and I have been on our debt-slaying journey since before we got married. We have way more than $127,000 in debt, and it is going to take us way more than 4 years to pay it off. In fact, we’ve already been working on it for over 5 years. Books like “Slaying the Debt Dragon” are just what I need to remind myself that we are not alone, that this can be done, and to get some encouragement from someone who has done it.

Cherie knows that this battle isn’t an easy one. But it’s just like everything else worthwhile you’ve done in life. It takes some intention and some discipline. As Cherie says, if you’ve ever made a recipe… yep, just baked a cake from start to finish… you have what it takes to slay your debt dragon.

Every chapter ends with some easy debt-slaying strategies. Real, practical things that you can do this week, or even today. Here’s one:  “Spend thirty minutes on Sunday evening preparing lunch items for the week.” Here’s another: “Create a visual that will help fuel your debt-slaying journey.” Giant thermometer to stick on your refrigerator? Ready, set, go!

I’ve been using homemade laundry detergent for a long time now. My recipe has changed a bit over time. I’ve been happy with how the clothes were getting cleaned, but I just dreaded running out of detergent and having to make a new batch. It wasn’t difficult, it just seemed to take forever and was a big pain. Well, guess what? Cherie makes her own laundry detergent, too. She’s had more practice at it, and has done more experimenting than I have. So I switched to her recipe (it’s in the book!). It is so much faster to put together, I can mix up a new batch while the washer is filling with water. Super inexpensive to buy the ingredients, and stores in a mason jar. Ta da!

“Slaying the Debt Dragon” has three separate chapters dedicated to family. That’s how important your support system is in this journey. The first chapter is about working with your spouse on the journey. Again, no one is saying this battle is easy. And as you begin to really dig in and make some sacrifices, it can get hard. It’s so important to stay on the same page as your spouse. It’s so important, that Cherie included a list of 6 ways to keep your marriage healthy while paying off debt. Expect to have some fights, especially at the beginning. But remember that you’ll need to lean on each other to make it out the other side.

The second family chapter is about your extended family. They are important in your journey as well. They may be very supportive. They may not. If they aren’t supportive, Cherie gives some great tips on how to deal with them. (No, it’s not just “don’t see them anymore.”)

The third family chapter is about your kids. We all have some parent guilt from time to time. Sometimes this guilt makes us spend money we hadn’t planned on. Birthdays, Christmas, and other holidays can really bring out the guilt/spending. In “Slaying the Debt Dragon” Cherie tells about her family’s Christmas strategy. Her kids get three gifts for Christmas – something they want, something to wear, and something to read. And an assortment of reasonably priced, useful stocking stuffers. I love this idea, and will be talking to Farmer Doc about starting this up for Baby Doc next Christmas!

It was this passage in the final chapter of “Slaying the Debt Dragon” that really spoke to me:

Slaying the debt dragon brings wearisome fatigue. You wonder if the battle will ever end. Your heart yearns for freedom while your finances remain indefinitely chained. Open your eyes to see where God wants to remind you that He cares for the smallest of details. He tends to the tiniest of needs. Even when your faith is small, His love is enormous.

It’s a long process. It’s a hard process. But it is a worthwhile process. Remember to celebrate your small wins as you go. Pay off that credit card? Finally got that medical bill taken care of? Pay off the car? Pause and celebrate. Just a little bit. And don’t go back into debt to do it.

Have you been thinking about paying off your debt? Is one of your New Year’s Resolutions to get better control of your money? Are you just struggling with how to do it? Start here. Start with Cherie’s book, “Slaying the Debt Dragon”. It will give you inspiration, motivation, and practical tips to get you moving.

Want some more great tips? Stay tuned! Cherie is going to be sharing her tips to help new moms save money right here next week as part of my “5 Tips for New Moms” series. You can also find more great information from Cherie at her blog, Queen of Free.

You can do it, I know you can! Jump in with both feet and get started!

{Affiliate links were used in this post. I was provided with a copy of “Slaying the Debt Dragon” to review.}