Dear Dave, We Sold The House

I’ve been a long-time listener to Dave Ramsey ,probably the most trusted source of everything financial I have ever run across in my many quests for learning how to budget.  I think at some point in our adult lives we’ve all come to realize we probably don’t manage our finances as well as we should.  I can remember several times listening to the Dave Ramsey show in my car and actually getting mad because Dave was striking a nerve with me.  Even when I worked full time as a teacher and my husband and I were bringing in a very decent income, we still blew our money on crap.  Now that I work for far less money than I could be making, we’ve made some major changes in our lifestyle, and I’ll admit it was painful.  At first.

Last night it finally hit me that I felt good.  Really good, physically and mentally, than I have in years.  I didn’t go on a crash diet and lose 50 pounds.  All we did was sell our house.  As I noticed a spring in my step at work today, I realized that the stress of worrying over money had been the number one source of why life seemed like such a struggle most of the time.  It has robbed me of sleep, peace of mind, and many tears.

So, in honor of feeling like I’ve taken back some control over my life, I thought I’d pen a letter to Dave Ramsey, right here on my blog.  He won’t ever see it, but if it helps one other person stuck in a mortgage nightmare, then I’m glad I could be of help.

Dear Dave,

When I would hear you tell a caller in financial straits to “sell the house”, my eyes used to roll so far back in my head I thought they would get stuck.  People have to have a place to live….a home is your identity and, well….it’s home.

Then my husband and I realized what a financial drain it is to carry a high mortgage on a home, the upkeep involved in preserving said home, and that selling was our only hope of getting back any financial control over our lives.  I’ll admit my husband was fully on board with this way before I was.

It took 9 months, but our home sold.  The home my son hit so many growing milestones in.  The home where one of our beloved cats is buried in the backyard under a tree, the home where we made so many great memories.  I won’t lie and say there were no tears from me as we closed the door for the very last time.  It was tough, but we did what we had to do.

We decided to rent an apartment for the time being until we decide what to do next as far as living arrangements and a funny thing has happened.  Our apartment is not Park Avenue, but it’s safe and clean and, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve just about fallen in love with it.  It has everything we need with no yard to mow and we have more time on the weekends as a family because we’re not slaving away at yardwork.  My son keeps telling me over and over how much he likes our new apartment.  I also feel more free and alive than I have in years because the stress of home ownership has been lifted from my shoulders.

You were right, Dave.  When I thought of selling our home, I vowed to go kicking and screaming away from it.  I worried about what others would think about us, I dreaded change, and I just plain didn’t want to give it up for the unknown.  However, the unknown has been a wonderful change for us, the world didn’t end, and I have you to thank for giving me a good kick in the pants to realize that.

Sincerely,

Mommy Cracked