Bass Ackwards

So this whole process seems a bit bass ackwards to me.  But it wouldn't be the first time that something that seemed bass ackwards worked so I am going to try to have faith.

I read a book a couple of years ago called "Conquering Debt: God's Way"...We were in debt in a bad way.  It was a combination of poor decisions when we were first married and major medical bills with the arrival of our second child.  We lived off credit cards for a while while we paid those off.  My husband loves to listen to Dave Ramsey and other financial gurus and we had been attempting to pay off our debt that way.  (Don't get me wrong...they have amazing advice and we still follow a lot of guidelines from Financial Peace). 

The one thing that was different in this book was the order in which you pay off your debt.  So most financial advisers tell you to pay off your highest interest credit cards first.  Nodding your head...makes sense right.  We had been trying this for years.  The premise for this book was that most of us do not have an interest problem, but a cash flow problem.  We live paycheck to paycheck or sometimes more money is going out than is coming in.  His suggestion: divide the payoff balance by the minimum monthly payment to get "months left".  Then order your debts from the least months left to the most.  As you pay a debt off, you take the money that you were using and apply it to the next one for a snowball effect (this part is the same as other plans).  The difference is the order.  It seems bass ackwards. (there is a lot of other advice in the book, but this is the part that illustrates my point).

Here's the thing: IT WORKED.  It was bass ackwards and it worked in less than two years and was more than 10,000.  We now owe for a car and the house.  We are able to save a little for our kids college, have maxed the 401K, are saving 6 months of bills (a step in Financial Peace), etc.  We do not have a balance on any credit card.  Amazing to us, since we both started our marriage with debt.  Medical bills still pop up here and there but we are able to pay them off...even though we have one salary. (Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, this isn't the only part of the author's plan but is the only part that seems bass ackwards and while we were in the thick of it...it was very hard...I don't mean to make it sound easy.  No, my hubby does not make six figures)

What's my point? 

Well, I have spent my marriage waiting for my husband to lead and then I would submit or yield or whatever you want to call it.  Makes sense, right.  Problem is: IT DIDN'T WORK.  So I have gotten amazing advice from some of my fellow bloggers.  So now I am trying to be more submissive first to bring out my hubby's dominant side.  Seems bass ackwards, right? 

The thing is: IT IS WORKING...I can see it working...and I am excited.  I am struggling, but I am excited.  It has improved my faith in what I am trying to do.  I feel less overwhelmed, less tired.  I am not worrying as much as I used too.  Don't get me wrong...I have a long way to go, but I am excited by my progress and the effect it is having on my marriage.

In this month of Thankfulness, I would like to thank you.  Thank you for the positive comments.  Thank you for the encouragement and for allowing me to be REAL.  Thanks for the ideas...Although they seem like common sense now, I don't think I could have come up with those on my own.  It was like a mental block to happiness.

What makes sense now, seemed bass ackwards before.