Keith and I recently did our Debt Free Scream live on the Dave Ramsey show. Since then, many people have asked for the story behind the story. Here we go!

We knew we would not make it out of our debt snowball without having to replace at least one of our vehicles. When we started, we had $191,000 in debt, medical bills and car repairs all around us. And each vehicle was over 10 years old with at least 200,000 miles. We knew a car purchase was in our future. 

But we were also determined to incur no new debt.

That meant we would have to do two things I had never done before...

I've learned a lot over the years and Keith and I are now properly insured. Today I want to make sure you have the info you need to put your mind at ease about the subject.  Here's what you need to know about life insurance.

A few days ago my debit card to our joint checking account was hacked. I wanted to walk you through the process to help you when it happens to you. At some point in time, you (or someone you know) will be affected. It is a certainty.

So what are we supposed to do? Keep reading. Here are 5 ways to get through identity theft.

What are we supposed to do now that we're out of debt? The exact same thing we did while we were getting out of debt. Keep reading to find out what that is. 

Before we started on this journey of Christ-centered financial wellness, I never thought much about money being currency. In my mind it was just a term that was used by financial analysts. But today is a new day. Today I understand the importance of currency and what it means in my life. Today I understand that money and electricity have a lot in common than you think! 

When asked what's the one thing that I recommend to someone who is serious about managing their money, I do not hesitate before I say a zero-based budget. This income allocation spreadsheet is the secret sauce that will make the most of your zero-based budget!

Very rarely in my life have I used the phrase "I had to…" except when it came to money.

I wanted to be confident and powerful (and often pretended to be), but the reality was that I was shaking in my boots when it came time to make big money decisions.

If you're on fire to get out of debt as quickly as possible, chances are really good that nothing is going to stop you. If you're at the other end of the spectrum and  continue to live without a budget and beyond your means, there's nothing anyone can do for you.

But the ones in the middle...the ones at the corner of comfortable and debt free...those are the people we help the most.

For years I secretly studied married couples and made mental notes of the things I wanted in my own marriage (and the things I did not).

From my studies, I found 4 things that fiscally healthy and happy married couples have in common. A few of them may surprise you!

Our society makes it easy to not be content. Social media showcases the "look what I got" mentality of others and we longingly begin to think we're missing out on something.

But there is another way... There is a secret to being content.

As we have learned more and more about how to lead a life of Christ-centered financial wellness, we discovered another aspect of budgeting that we now embrace wholeheartedly. It has come to the rescue more times than I ever thought possible and I'm excited to introduce it to you today. It's called the sinking fund.

Let’s walk through the 3 things you need to know about sinking funds.

This week, we will break down how to budget irregular income.

I did not know what I'm about to share with you when I was a Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics. I wish I had. With this information, chances are good my career would have taken a different path.

The most important thing that Keith and I have done to cash flow almost $300,000 of life and debt during the last 5 years is maintain an active zero-based budget. 

Let me show you what I mean.

Five years is a long time to work on a goal. And I won't lie and tell you that it's been easy for me to stay focused on becoming debt free and living a life of Christ-centered financial wellness. Part of the reason was that I didn't know I needed to be financially well and I thought I was already Christ-centered. 

This is what I learned to make it through.

Here are 3 reasons people often give for wanting a large tax refund and why you should rethink them.

How many times have you seen the other side of a prayer and were amazed at how blessed you were because of it? How many times have you thanked God later for not giving you something you really wanted? As much as I  hate to admit it, I have been blessed when God doesn't answer my prayer the way I want. Find out why...

What financial moment did you have as a single (either now or before you got married) where you knew you would benefit from having someone walking alongside you? Here are three things I have learned that would have made my "single money" work much better.

What if God were your server at your next dining out experience? What type of tip would you give Him? Would you "grade" Him based on His ability (scratch that...decision) to answer your prayers in a timely manner? Would you be more generous or less generous if your prayer "order" did not meet your expectations?

Are you weighed down by student loans? How will this year be different in terms of your knowledge of your financial situation?

All you need is a plan and action! Let this year be the one where you take back your future by tackling the mountain called student loans!