To kick off the practical living category, where should we begin? I figure this could become a series—there’s just so much to cover. Of the various domains of life (physical, spiritual, sleep, resources, nutrition, stress), I guess a good starting point would be the money category. After all, it touches so many areas of life.
A few years ago, my wife and I were buried under about $80k in debt—student loans, cars, and even a mattress (lol). It was causing constant arguments and a whole lot of blame. In my typical (and sinful) male passivity, I pinned much of it on her, even though the home was ultimately my responsibility. I had abdicated my role and cast blame on my loving wife. Funny how we do that, eh?
We stumbled upon Dave Ramsey’s podcast, and it gave us a framework—a “hope,” really—of a better future. So, we buckled down, followed the baby steps, and got out of debt. I had a deployment during that time, which gave us an extra financial boost.
It took two years of grinding hard to pay it off—no eating out, no vacations, a slim grocery budget, and almost no fun. But man, was it worth it! Being debt-free was one of the best things we’ve ever done. It probably saved our marriage and definitely reduced our stress.
Now, I don’t agree with everything ol’ Dave says, but the baby steps are solid. I even ended up teaching a resource management class to Soldiers in the Army, covering the basics of IRAs, 401(k)s, investments, TSPs, budgeting, and more. I made each Soldier create and present a budget. I couldn’t force them to follow it, but at least they could see where their money was going—like on beer and energy drinks!
These days, we’re in a much better spot. We’ve got good investments, retirement accounts, and we’re saving for our first home (been living on base during active duty). The cool thing is, being debt-free opens up options. We’ve got six months’ worth of expenses in savings, and the peace of mind that brings is priceless. Knowing I can shop around for a job I actually like is a huge stress reliever.
This freedom allows us to keep building toward the ultimate goal: using our resources to serve our community (homeless, widows, foster care, adoption) and leaving an inheritance for our children’s children. Our end goal shouldn’t just be personal happiness—because no amount of money will truly make you happy—but using what we’ve been given for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
1 Timothy 6:17-19
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Ecclesiastes 5:10
If you’re interested in finding a measure of financial freedom, I suggest following Dave Ramsey’s baby steps—you just can’t beat it. Once you’re out of debt, link up with one of his SmartVestor professionals. We’ve had a great experience with ours (Dave doesn’t even know I exist so I have no reason to promote him other than it worked for us).
The one piece of advice we don’t follow now? The “no credit cards” rule. We did follow the rule while we were getting out of debt, but once we changed our behaviors and habit patterns we started using them and paying them off at the end of each month. Personally, I like the points/benefits and the security of a credit card company being liable for fraudulent charges instead of my bank account.
If you have specific questions or want to know more, comment below or shoot me an email at endurancemandate@gmail.com.
“Fight ’til the end—in every area of life.”
-EM
The Endurance Mandate 
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