The Australian stock market had suffered the biggest losses in twelve months. Wall Street was going backwards faster than ever. Fortunes were being lost in the blink of an eye.
And I sat and watched and thought "we're doing OK, no need to panic".
I was grateful on Thursday afternoon that we are debt free. I was grateful that our savings are in Australian banks (not all in one bank, even I'm not that trusting!). I was grateful that the losses felt by stockmarkets around the world didn't have a direct, personal impact on our lifestyle.
I was grateful that we have a very comfortable roof over our heads.
I was grateful that we had food to eat for dinner.
I was grateful for a mother who kept a fully stocked pantry, and taught me to do the same, and to stockpile for times of trouble.
I was grateful for a backyard big enough to handle our veggie garden, and for the seeds and seedlings that will feed us through the summer.
I was grateful that we had learned long ago that there is no such thing as good debt, and that when you have debt, you own nothing; that we worked and scrimped and scraped and saved and went without luxuries (we never, ever went without necessities) to pay down our debt so we would own everything we have.
I was grateful that Wayne would come in from work, relaxed and happy; that we would be able to sleep that night, secure in the knowledge that those huge losses wouldn't hurt us.
But most of all I was grateful that, whatever the storm, we would face it together. And together we would come through it, we would be OK.
.jpg)
Posts
Cath what a beautiful post and I think we should all concentrate on being grateful more often such as you have.
ReplyDeleteWe thought similarly and are grateful for -
- We own everything we have and have no debt.
- We have savings in as you said multiple banks including a home emergency kitty.
- Our gardens supply us all year round with vegetables that we preserve and we buy very few except for the odd potato.
- Our food/medical/preparedness items stockpile we purchased at discount prices will last us through most hard times.
- We have a stockpile of fuel for the cars and gardens we also have purchased at low prices to fill our cars and garden machinery with.
- We are grateful that we had the cash to purchase our second new to us car with cash recently and all the current garden machinery and tools we own.
- I am also grateful for a wonderful husband whom I have weathered many storms with over the years and like yourself will weather many more.
- I am grateful that we are currently buying our forever home we were keeping an eye out for that went down in price by $40 000 under other similar properties in the area and that we will be able to put a 38.5% deposit on it through saving hard and sacrificing.
- We are similarly grateful that we will be able to pay off our small mortgage very quickly and our repayments will be well under the current rent we are paying.
- No the current stock market losses did not affect us either and that is something that we are truly grateful for too :).
Isn't it good that by living a frugal/debt free and self sustaining lifestyle that by doing so many of us can weather the storms ahead and feel at peace.
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna).
Lorna, I'm so thrilled to hear you are able to buy your forever home! I've been watching your savings grow, little by little, week by week and admiring your tenacity in sticking with the goal. You've quite made my day, I am so excited for you. Now I'll look forward to reading your journey to be mortgage free, it will be just as inspriational :) We believe that the future will be difficult, in a lot of ways, not just financially, and that we should do as we are called and do our best to prepare, and then live in faith. If we can stick with it, we'll ride out whatever the world throws at us.
DeleteThank you Cath for your encouragement :) and it has been a long road with a little longer to go on paying the mortgage too but we are excited yet grounded at the same time.
ReplyDeleteWe plan to pay the mortgage off faster by paying more than the minimum mortgage payment being the same we are paying in rent currently and also putting in extra from DH's occasional gardening work and the sales I get on the internet for my handmade goods, seeds and dried herbs plus our tax refunds. Doing the math this should save us around 10 + years of mortgage repayments and a lot less interest paid to the bank too :).
I agree I think the future will be difficult too in many ways, and I know we will have more security paying off our own home rather than renting where you can fairly much be told to go at any time.
Yes our church teachings and counsels are totally geared to making us self reliant and prepared which we follow and practice as we are LDS. Our faith and perseverence in hard times really I believe puts us ahead in so many ways and gives us strength.
Have a great week :).
Sewingcreations15 (Lorna)