Very many people these days are under some heavy financial burdens.
Far too often, they voluntarily enter into this bondage. A general “fast food” mentality seems to be a common culprit. Many people simply want what they want NOW! Even if it’ll cost them extra in the end, they’ll choose to take what they can get now and then deal with the rest later.
Whether it is credit card debt, student loans, car loans, mortgages, or any number of other forms of debt bondage, many people will gladly choose to pay extra in interest just to get something now. They seem to lack the patience to first save up until they can afford such things, and instead choose what many consider to be the “easy way.” That so-called easy way may very well enslave them for the rest of their lives.
"I'M OUT!"
This is part of why we sold our house and thus ended our mortgage. It is part of why my truck looks like a hunk of junk. It is part of why we moved up into the Ozarks. And it is part of why we are choosing the lifestyle that we do.
The heavy yoke of burden that debt bondage brings has become an all too familiar occurrence in many modern societies. The common people add bill after bill, and expense after expense, to their monthly list of financial obligations and then struggle form paycheck to paycheck. Some even head to predatory “cash advance” businesses which take advantage of their desperate situation and often make matters even worse with additional interest charges.
Credit has replaced cash, almost everyone is in debt, the common man pays out all that he owns, and the rich get richer. Finally Mom and Dad die and the children think that they finally get the house, but the fact of the matter is that Mom and Dad never owned the house, the bank did. In fact, that bank will make many times over what that house is worth, and family after family will financially enslave itself to pretend that they “own” it.
Financial slavery may sound better than actual slavery, but when hour after hour, day after day, month after month, and year after year people have to slave away their lives just to meet their financial obligations, I have a hard time actually calling it “financial slavery.”
WAKE UP PARENTS
Too many parents are so busy trying to “make ends meet” that they can never focus long enough to free themselves from this twisted trap and then they allow their children to follow in their poor footsteps, and the next generation is enslaved.
There is a reason that we have bought our land outright. There is a reason that we will be building a house out of pocket. There is a reason why we are choosing to grow and raise a lot of our own food. We would prefer to be free, or at least as free as we can get in this country and society.
I’ve got better things to do than spend 40+ hours a week at an office across town. I don’t need to pay for thirty years just to have a house now. I don’t need to burden myself with car payments when a vehicle that I can afford can still max out the speed limit and transport my family. I have no need to work several hours every week to purchase some tainted shell of a “food stuff” at the local store when I can grow real food just by dropping a few seeds into the soil.
I have a God to serve, a wife to love, and a family to raise. These things are much easier to accomplish when I am free to be with them.
Anyway, we finally cleared out our storage unit and are using the shipping container that we purchased a while back to a greater capacity. There is still more room in the container, but now we need $75 less each month, because we have forever crossed the storage unit bill off of our list.
ONE SHOT
Ultimately, we get one shot in this life. I would highly recommend that you figure out what your real goal is in life. I know my goal, as it has been revealed to me, and I am hard at work to be obedient and make it a reality.
As I have shared before, if you asked me what I want to be when I grow up, I’d say “NO!” I am not going to be some spoke in a wheel or a gear in the society that has been designed to turn me into a cash cow consumer so someone else can enjoy their life while I slave away in mine. I simply want to be free to be a child of God, a husband to @mama-pepper, and a father to my @little-peppers. I will not be defined by what I do to earn money, but by deeper and purer things.
Obviously, it felt good to eliminate another expense in our lives. The way that I see it, if I actually own some land and a house, then I’ll need a lot less money than a lot of people. If I have no student loans, car payments, credit card bills or debts, then a lot less of my time will need to be spent working. If we grow and raise the majority of our own food and take care of a lot of our actual needs ourselves, then that’s even less expenses that we will have. Perhaps, I won’t need to leave my family so much, work so hard, and miss out on so much of my life then.
Trust me, we are still in the process and in the transition, working towards that goal, but, we have a goal, and we are working on it.
As always, I’m @papa-pepper and here’s the proof:
proof-of-emptied-storage-unit
Until next time…
Don’t waste your time online, invest it with steemit.com
It's a very powerful line! I read your article from top to bottom. Everything makes sense and this line sealed it. I hope to see more writers like you. You don't only write it but you live it!
Wow! Thanks for that encouragement @hiroyamagishi!
wow my dear wild man this is why @charles1 missed your posts since I was off line...you said it all...thanks for sharing this (debt has destroyed lives and crypto will free us), it really touched me because it is the truth....Upped, always. My gift for you, feel free to see my latest post on bitcoin and a new project and apply for free coins / airdrop....success
Refreshing.
You know, there are ways to leverage debt in the right way, and then there is living beyond your means. The former is preferred in our society, the later is why some people are ridden with stress and sometimes commit suicide. I grew up not knowing ANYTHING about finances and that resulted in me putting my college on my credit card (I had a $5,000 credit card by age 20, shocking and scary!). I was running from 0% to 0% introductory APRs, so I always worked through the summer and paid down my card. In my last year, I realized that it wasnt the best thing to jump from card to card and ended up hammering my credit card and getting hit with I think 16% APR. needless to say I was still poor as hell after 3 months at my first job. Pay down the debt, THEN GET RID OF IT FOR GOOD!
Now i drive a 1990 BMW that I own outright, while my friends pay $700+ a month for a new one.
You don't need all the glamour! Glad to see you happy with the family!
Let me be the first to say congratulations in your epiphany that having a lot of junk can't make you happy. What you are doing has ramifications far beyond you and your family. Not only does conventional debt enslave you, it empowers those who enslave us all.
My son and I bought a forested parcel in 2003. He's built two houses for his family and I've just about finished my log cabin that has taken 7 years of hard work to build. So far I have a bit over $5000 of pay-as-you-go into it.
We did have to borrow the money for the land, but we borrowed it from a person, not a bank. Our interest payments help somebody we know, not some faceless financial institution. If we miss a payment here and there there is no penalty nor threat of foreclosure. Win-win all around.
All of my son's friends tell him that if simply logged the place he could not only finish his house, he could pay off the property and be out of debt completely. But then he'd have a house built out of particle board in the middle of a cow pasture. Instead, he bought a small band mill. His first cabin took about 10 trees.
This place was logged 60 year ago or thereabouts, so the second growth trees are immense and the forest fully restored. The value of the land is in its beauty and pristine ecology. Destroying that would be a crime.
It would be indeed be a crime. By taking your time and building slowly, you are further ahead than borrowing the money from a bank for a fancy house.
Very cool. I love using what you've got. A neighbor down the street has a small mill that he no longer uses....
When you build slowly, the house appears to grow in the forest like it belongs there. It becomes part of it.
Time to make an offer on that saw mill kid!
While you said a while ago that you were a no tool man, maybe, if the price is right, it could be a good purchase.
You will need a lot of timber to build your house, Mobile-Joat could knock the trees down and you could repay him with timber, Bluerthatgreen will also be needing timber for his projects.
It may be a good buy.
Simple life is more beautiful than trapping yourself with debt and it is certain the burden of life gets heavier. Simple life by saving to buy something that we really need. Thank you for giving a very good thought @papa-pepper.
Thank you for enjoying it.
You are welcome @papa-pepper.
Hey Siri it's really great to know about your life and how you had spent it your days and the one thing that you had tell us very light is just focus on owr actual need . And beer happy.. the one thing I like the most is ..
“NO!” I am not going to be some spoke in a wheel or a gear in the society that has been designed to turn me into a cash cow consumer so someone else can enjoy their life while I slave away in mine.
Dude! I know this really has nothing to do with the post but your new animated sig is epic!
Well, at least your comment shows that you made it all the way to the bottom! LOL!
Thanks @bitcoinflood!
$75. X 12= $900 in a year, can sure buy a lot of seeds etc for that amount. Well done on getting a monkey off your back and going debt free...
Totally agree, always good to be out of debt.
@papa-pepper
I Am So Excited To Your Steem Power Very Fair.
I Wish To You Best Of Luck..
Thank You.
they are diligent children @papa-pepper, hopefully their future like you my friend, who diligent and like to keep all animals, do not waste their life of my friend, give good education for them so that later they will repay your service.
Absolutely love scratching a recurring bill off the list, especially the direct withdrawal ones! You gain a little more control over your money each time.
I've never had a direct withdrawal one, stayed away from that as best as I could, but getting rid of any bills possible is where it's at!
they do not weigh the price, it is important there is peace and do not know the amount
It's a great motto to have. Owning a house can be an asset but it can also be a huge burden. Especially when in the West, we get caught up in "Keeping up with the Joneses." This mentality has been constructed over decades, carefully built up by the banks and the media and can be a debilitating thing. Good on you Pepper
Well done! I am a 100% with you on this! I have never felt this free before. I sold 80% of my belongings and I'm still getting rid of stuff.
I left almost everything behind a few times in life. That's harder with a family, but we are trying to focus on needs right now, not the rest of the stuff.
Congratulations dear friend @ papa-pepper for the decision making.
I went through what you've been through, just before I turned fifty I made the same decision and I'm not sorry, today I live on what I generate in steemit, I only spend the money I own, as necessary and basic, change totally the lifestyle of our family.
I know very well that it would not have been an easy decision, but nevertheless very successful, there is no money to pay for the extra time one spends with his family.
I wish you a beautiful week
Well said, thank you my friend!
Postingan yang sangad luwar biyasa kawan
Smoga makin sukses ke depan nya amin..
Haha! THAT is the attitude that won me over!
God bless ya, man!
Thanks @fishyculture!
I'll bet there's a lot you can do with that $75 a month. Nice one.
Trust me, I'm a doctor.
Absolutely!
Fantastic post @papa-Pepper ! I also have the same goal in life , very similar to yours , and one day we will both have our homes built , out of pocket on our own land , growing our own fruits and vegetables , fishing , hunting and simply living happily ever after !! Best of luck to you and your family ! Upped and resteemed !!😊✌👍💕
Still waiting on the moon for thr price of steem to go up !!
Thanks @karenmckersie you are always an encouragement and friend!
$75 stays in the Pepper pockets. Way to go.
I'm in good shape, house paid for , no loans, but monthly combo Tv/ tele/ internet bill over $200 a month.
OUCH! Good thing you don't have those other expenses to worry about.
Way to go!
A debt free lifestyle is a rarity in modern society.
While the vast majority will never be debt free, you're a shining example of how to get there.
Congratulations!
WE made some pretty drastic moves to do it, but I'd rather go through that than remain in bondage!
That's a great philosophy to have! I know growing up, my father had a similar view and instilled that into us. Like you said, I think it is important to give the next generation a leg up instead of throwing the burden on them. Great post!
Debt free is an awesome way to live your life. Before I was married I was one year max at being debt free (bought a house 4 years ago so being able to pay off a house in 5 years isn't bad IMO). Now that I'm married and with a kid I'm starting to feel a little more of that financial burden and it sucks.
What a fantastic post... my aunt and uncle who raised me lived like this to a extent.. my dad bought house property with cash... built his house after work.. always paid cash for everything.. never had a credit card.. my uncle did work for Conrail and retired from there but her did it with zero debt.
Congrats on the empty storage unit... as a mover I see many people wasting money on storage every month... if they figure the rental cost versus the value of the contents they're storing they'd realize they would have been better off donating all that shit they've been storing to Goodwill or have a yard sale...
That is such an amazing perspective to have. What wonderful insight! If only people would understand that!
It does zero good to tell them..
Most people don't even get to the mortgage problem. They screw up on car financing, pay later furniture, university dorm room debts and vacations. No need to think about how to deal or not deal with a mortgage or home ownership when you can't get a $500 loan with shit credit by the age of 25 and a debt of $300,000.
Wow very good post
Congratulations, @papa-pepper! Wooohooo! One less debt and that much closer to total financial freedom! Having a lot of stuff that you need to pay for on credit does not make one happy. Thanks for continually pointing this out. So many folks live from pay check to pay check and when a real emergency comes along they are already knee deep in doo-doo. So what if you don't have the latest stuff.
A true story. A friend bought a new shiny red car. Used to tease me because I drive an old (20 year old) SUV. Not the prettiest but it runs well and gets me and the family from point A to point B no problem.
The other day, the friend called and needed a ride into town. His car had broken down again. I assume it is from lack of regular maintenance. After the trip, he told me I should get a new truck since mine was in such terrible shape!
I bit my tongue and smiled sweetly.
An excellent post! It starts with the parents and it grows from there! These days they falsely advertise "Easy Loans", but no loan is easy when you are in debt! It is only a trap to dunk you further! We are also living very close to debt free, own our small house, own our small car and have zero accounts. The motto is, if you can't pay cash for it, you don't need it. And if you need it save up for it! I have yesterday, Sunday, ended a 16 year free preaching stint in a Johannesburg circuit and had many an argument with my colleagues about financial income. My view is get a job and preach for free. To cut a long story short, I admire the fact that you mention God in your life! May you and your family continue to be blessed! Upvoted!
I admire the fact you chose not to be a hireling.
This is awesome! I dream of the day that I can work for only myself and still make ends meet.
If only they taught financial intelligence in school... I think you are absolutely right, it is silly that so many people mortgage away their entire lives just to get a house a decade sooner... Paying many times the value of an object just to get it earlier, it's no good.
I have made this mistake and am still digging myself out... unfortunately for some people like me, you have to blow it once to realize how bad debt is.
At least eventually we can take control. Knowing that it is possible is half the battle, honestly. With any long term goal - especially financial ones - the big challenge can simply be to stay focused and know that we are making progress.
Good for you!! It is a real pleasure to see you move towards your goal.
I like you man and feel very similarly to you. I'm happy that you've taken the steps to free yourself and your loved ones from the rat wheel. We are taking steps as well. If you want to peek into the rabbit hole a bit check out a vid titled "common law/corporate law gregory skwarek santos bonacci interview 2017" on the you tube under mr astrotheology's channel. Don't mind the interviewer or how boring this vid seems but listen to whats being said. Mind blowing stuff.....................
The truth of the matter is that we always know the right thing to do but the hard part is doing it. We do not need to commit our future and that of our generations to come into eternal slavery when we can dare the odds and create a world we actually desire with our own hand and mind.
Thank you @papa-pepper for this eye opener.
Reading through this post reminded me of the time Jesus tossed the coin back to the tax collector saying, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesars, and give to God what is Gods." Money in itself is not inherently bad, but it does corrupt. Having a ton of money isn't bad, but it is more likely to corrupt you.
I think money is a tool. It has the power to corrupt but it also has the power to bless. I was sitting on my couch one day and I heard God say, "Go rent a Redbox DVD." I brushed it off because there was no way God was telling me to go rent a dvd, made no sense! But He kept persisting and so I finally surrendered to it; when I got to the Redbox outside Kroger there was a Woman and her daughter standing beside it and I heard God say, "This is why I brought you here." I asked them if everything was okay and she said their car had broken down, they had no money and her husband was out asking people for money. I went to the ATM and grabbed some cash and handed it to her and said, "God has never let me down and He won't let you down either." She broke down and I could "sense" every wall she had put up came down and it was in that moment that I saw the power of the Love of God and how it could break through every barrier; and yet God used money, the root of all evil, to be the tool that love wielded to break through. It is good to be free from the mindsets and snares of the world. Seems like that is what you have done :)
This is great Papa P. Congrats on choosing to lead a lifestyle as debt adverse is possible. You will fit right in with these guys soon: https://steemit.com/funny/@goldmatters/goldmoney-hat-celebrity-sightings
Having been raised by immigrant parents who came to a new country with nothing, I know from experience what you are now experiencing. Good for you and good luck with your progress. I wish MORE people would understand what you have realized and also work towards freeing themselves from debt bondage. We really don't need to "keep up with the Jones". That's just what 'they' want us to believe and its brainwashing! Food, shelter and love is what we really need. Anything else is just a bonus.
Nice! I love your journey. Financially free is how we should be. It is amazing that we are taught to grow up and consume. Leading to debt. By the time you realize what happened you have to start digging yourself out!
@papa-pepper is there a way to message privately? Is that steemit chat. I am hoping to talk to you about a Hardwork post I made today.
Yes, https://steemit.chat
Congratulations! I am chugging through mine. Although made my first purchases with bitcoin the day amazing!
It's wonderful to see you have planned your freedom and are well on the way. Great job man!
I saw the guitar in the storage and I await hearing some tunes now that it's freed as well. lol
I wish I could play.... maybe one day!
You can easily do it. Just get an inexpensive electronic tuner and learn a few easy chords (I bet you have friends or neighbors that can help you get started). When you spend time with your kids, take a few minutes with the guitar and get them involved. Have fun and make up your own family songs.
You are a wise man indeed. We have two 14 year old cars with topcoat peeling from them sitting in the driveway, while all of our neighbors have the latest elite models. What do they have that we don't? Car payments, I bet! Ours were paid for many years ago!
It feels AWESOME to eliminate a bill. We made the last payment on our car this summer, and I have no desire for a new one. I will drive it until it can be driven no longer.
Tryin to get on that path... I am a parent and we have woken up a long time ago, only bill left is that damn mortage too. But now with land and plans to build self reliance! Thanks for the inspiration
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It is so refreshing finding like minded and goal minded families. The awakening has began and its far from over. The slaves are demanding their freedom and they are wanting out of the game. Thank you for encouraging and showing us how you are about to accomplish your debt free life . :) WE also hold the same desires and goals. Jax
I share and believe in your goal!
Real inspiration. My husband and I hope to getting ourselves off the grid and becoming self-sufficient...debt is a terrible thing. You accomplished a pretty great goal...eliminating clutter and the expense.
Couldn't agree more! Just to get back to that point is ever so difficult... I try telling people now don't do it wrong! You'll definitely wish you hadn't. Thank you for sharing