Our youngest daughter is in the hospital.  She’s been there, with my wife, since Sunday morning.  She has a stomach virus and the doctors are waiting for her body to regain its strength before they dismiss her.  Hopefully, she’ll be able to coming home soon.

Driving back-and-forth between the hospital, I’ve had a lot of time to think.  (I’m watching the other kids while Mommy spends the night with baby girl.)  Three years ago, we went through a similar experience with my son.  But, unlike baby girl, who is only three months old, he was fourteen months old.

When our son got sick, No Credit Needed was a relatively new site, and we had just begun to pay off our debts.  Now, three years later, we are debt free and we are in substantially better financial shape.

Of course, no matter our financial situation, I’m still worried about our little girl.  But, because we live on a budget, maintain an emergency fund, and have health insurance, I’m able to focus my attention and help my wife, care for my kids, and love on the baby.  Instead of wringing our hands, thinking about how we are going to pay for gasoline to drive back and forth, medicine for when the baby gets home, babysitters to watch the kids, or our portion of the hospital bills, we can actually think about what’s really important - helping baby girl get better.

Money may not be able to buy happiness, but it can provide peace of mind.  If you are thinking about getting out of debt, I hope that this article will serve as a little added motivation.  I cannot tell you how good it feels to be debt free - but I’ll try!  It feels awesome.  I feel in control.  I feel empowered.  Instead of worrying about creditors and payments, I can focus on the future!

I strongly encourage you to get out of debt and live on a budget.  If you need a little help getting started, may I suggest the following -

33 Days And 33 Ways To Save Money And Reduce Debt

Free Online Debt Reduction Guide And Free Debt Reduction eBook

For those who are new to the site, you might be interested in my debt reduction journey.  Click here and you can read follow milestone posts, from the first post to the day I declared my freedom -

How I Got Out Of Debt: Follow The Posts