How it all Started, Part Two

Once you discover you are willing to make a drastic life change, what do you do next?

So much planning goes into these life decisions. We never acted on a whim or without extensive research and prayer.

First item up for grabs….The House.  When we began planning, we lived in a “sticks and bricks” home that we owned.  We relocated to Alabama in 2019 – there’s another story for another day.  😊 We had originally taken out a 20 year mortgage as we are no spring chickens.  In 2020 when the rates were ridiculously low we decided to refinance.  Instead of lowering our monthly payment we decreased the length of the loan.  Now it was a 15 year mortgage, with the same monthly payment. 

Since we are DINKs (Dual Income No Kids) we started dumping $200 extra on the mortgage principal each month.  I then contacted my dear friend and realtor and asked her advice on our next big investment.

In 2020 our HVAC died, we got an estimate for a replacement, and it was more than we had in our savings account.  So, we opted for window units and space heaters.  That worked really well for us for four years, but I knew it would not market the home well.  Also, our roof was old when we bought the home and didn’t get any younger.  Which will hold more value was my question to my Realtor friend.  She suggested the HVAC. And then proceeded to tell me about a roofer she knew that often can get insurance to cover repairs.

First item of business was the HVAC.  We had it replaced and financed it through Alabama Power.  It was a ridiculously long term, and we had goals so every month I would call Alabama Power and put an extra $500.00 on the loan.  We paid it off in one year.

The roofer came out and actually found evidence of hail damage.  We hired him to replace the roof, and we only paid the deductible. 

It seemed God was in this and propelling us forward.

To be continued….