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...

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

Have you ever had something that was so overwhelming that you did not think you had the courage to face it? Have you ever had a financial crisis so intense that you felt paralyzed to do anything about it. I have good news! 

Have you been there? Have you ever forgotten all that you are capable of? Have you ever been so bogged down by life or debt or the expectations of yourself (or others) that you lost sight of exactly what you have already accomplished? I have a secret to tell you…

Are you thinking of becoming debt free in 2017? Maybe you simply want to commit to start becoming debt free in 2017? Or maybe your goal is to get a better handle on your money in 2017. Any of the above are possible with a plan.

How do you get started?

Did you know that most student loan debt accrues daily? Keith and I found out the hard way. Keith’s employer offered student loan repayment for a portion of the loan amount each year. It did not wipe out the entire loan, but was a sizeable amount and we always signed up for it.

What if we managed our money the way I managed my weight? What if we chose to be random about budgeting (on again/off again) the way I was about Weight Watchers? I know with certainty that we would not have paid off nearly as much and would probably have incurred more debt.

We were able to get it all done because we lived by a budget. Month in…month out…we lived by a budget. Because we used a budget, we knew exactly what money was available and could make adjustments midstream. 

I’ve been thinking about Christ-Centered Financial Wellness since 2012. I just didn’t have a name for it. All I knew was that I wanted a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and I wanted to feel more financially “well.” The idea that they could go together was a great “aha” moment for me and that’s when the vision began to take shape. I’ve learned a lot about both since then and want to share what I’ve learned with you.

Did you know that this year Christmas is on December 25th?? Haha. Yes...I know I'm being funny, but I cannot tell you how many of our coaching clients tell us that they use credit cards to pay for Christmas because it "snuck up" on them.

Don't let Christmas sneak up on you! Here are 5 things to keep in mind as you begin (or complete) your Christmas shopping.