The Grass Really Does Feel Different

Part 1 of 2

A while back, we paid off the last of our debt. No parade, no applause. Only the two of us and a mimosa, early one quiet morning.

Here is the part I never told anyone outside our family.

Dave Ramsey often says that once the last debt is gone, the grass feels different under your feet. We live in California, so my husband tested the theory in December, barefoot.

He stood on the lawn and shouted it loud enough for the whole street to hear.

We're debt free!

We did not stop there. I applied through an online form, and we were invited to Nashville to do our debt-free scream on the air, in front of the millions of people who listen to the show. If you would like to see it, you can watch our scream here. We took the kids on a trip. For the first time in ten years, we let ourselves dream bigger than the next payment.

Here is what surprised me. After ten years of watching every dollar so carefully, spending did not come easily. The freedom was real, and I still had to learn how to live inside it. It has gotten easier since.

For ten years, the answer had always been obvious. Every extra dollar went to the debt. The plan made the decision for us. When the debt was gone, so was the autopilot. We had freedom, and no map for what to do with it.

That surprised me more than the payoff did. And it is the question I want to sit with you on in Part 2.

Warmly,

Coach Anja

Founder, Real Freedom Financial Coaching

P.S. Next time: what nobody warns you about after zero, and what the work on the other side actually looks like.

P.P.S. If your own finish line feels close, or you're wondering what comes after it, let's chat.