by Adam Dawson
Hello! I’m Adam, the other half of this party. Emily and I are so thrilled to be a part of the community on Blogging Away Debt. We have already felt such a warm welcome from the readers. Thank you to Jeffrey for the opportunity to share our journey with you. He has allowed us to team up for this project, as we consider our debt journey a team effort in our house.
As you’ll discover as we bare our financial souls here, we need this community’s help to stick to our payoff plan, get back on track with budgeting and spending, and to navigate through some of our recent changes: a new job for me, buying a fixer-upper first home, and preparing to start a family. There are so many new financial demands that it’s almost like we are starting our debt payoff all over again.
By way of background, I grew up in a small town in Indiana, playing a bunch of basketball and becoming surprisingly creative with cornfield-based entertainment. My family didn’t have much money, and some difficult circumstances in my parents’ lives have unfortunately led to them entering retirement in a financially unstable position. I was a good student, and went to an expensive little college, borrowing a lot of money to do so. After college and 5 years in the professional world, I went back to a highly-ranked business school to earn my MBA. I remember browsing the admissions materials of all the top schools and watching the dollar signs flash before my eyes when reading about the salaries freshly-minted MBA grads earn. Unfortunately, nobody cautioned me that borrowing the entire cost of my degree would impose a huge burden on me for several years after school. Going to a great school was a life changer, both professionally and personally, and I don’t regret it. But Emily and I are now paying the price for the financial folly of borrowing so much money.
Emily and I share a faith that teaches us that you can’t be bound to an earthly master, and that borrowers are slaves to their lenders. As a response to this, we decided that we must become debt-free and live within our means. My desire is to make sure our children don’t worry about our family’s bills like I did when I was growing up. We want to be free to pursue the path of our choosing and to serve those around us. Being wealthy isn’t our priority. Being unencumbered by debt, and living a simple, generous, family-oriented, life is.
We’ve followed both Claire and Beks in their journey on this blog. The about-face Claire made in her time here was just amazing. We are inspired by their stories and hope that the community of readers and commenters can help us out on our journey too. Thank you so much for being here for the previous bloggers, and we are so excited to get to know you ourselves over the next several months!
Great post. So, we actually do get two bloggers ha? That’s very nice. Welcome to the blog the other half! Wish you the best in your debt elimination journey…
Thank you!
Welcome! Your story sounds very similar to mine, so I’m interested in hearing more about your debt payoff plan! Something really needs to be done about the student loan debt crisis in America. I know too many people who are struggling thanks to Salliemae and the huge interest rates of these loans!
You’re totally right. It’s an epidemic and the system works against the students. We’ll talk about this much more I’m sure.
Hi!
I look forward to hearing from both of you – like a 2 for 1 blogging deal 🙂
I’m also curious about corfield entertainment… Cow tipping? Crop circles? Crop circles around the tipped cows?
Haha cow tipping, snipe hunting, electric fences. Etc.
You both seem lovely. It’s nice to hear from a couple of people who are working together, seem mature, are smart, and who seem self-aware about your financial mess.
Hi there, I just wanted to say Hello and let you know that I’ll be following your progress! I’m fairly new to this blog but have enjoyed what I’ve read so far. Like both of you, my husband and I are in debt and battling to pay it back. We have become more focused in doing so since January when we realised that if we don’t become debt free then the decisions we made earlier in life will affect our daughter. We are trying to raise her to understand money and how to spend it wisely!
I am SO GLAD you are reading! It sounds like you might understand a lot of what we’re going through. 😉
I am totally intriqued about this “couple blogger” idea.
Welcome, and look forward to reading about your journey.
“Emily’s dad canoed her across a lake to give her away at our wedding” — Well, that’s just an exercise in faith, right there! I guess the thing didn’t tip over. Son #1 detassels in Nebraska, so we know from cornfield entertainment. Lots of dirt and cow fertilizer. It’s a boy thing.
Welcome. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Detassling was my first job, at age 13! I lasted 1 day!
Welcome, Adam! Can’t wait to hear about your journey!
I’m so excited to see you work through this journey together!!!! I’m glad you’ll both be blogging, as we all know men and women wearing different glasses in lots of situations…it’ll be great added perspective. Welcome!!!
Welcome Adam, glad you’ll be posting along with your wife. As an (older) mother of 3 kids who will all be entering college in the next few years I’m interested in your journey and thoughts regarding education, career and debt. You two should feel very proud of yourselves for facing your finances head on at such a youngish age.
Thanks for the welcome, I hope you’ll bring your wisdom to our journey!
This is just like a tag team in pro wrestling. What fun.
Let me tell ya somethin, Mean Gene, when me and all my little Hulkamaniacs bring it to the Coliseum on August 14 at Wrestlemania….
Barnheart! Oh, I’m so glad to hear you have it too. I’ve been a sufferer for years. I actually just finished Made From Scratch today (I read Barnheart first). I look forward to reading your debt journey, and hope you are as to find your barn, soon.
So glad somebody’s heard of this! Thanks for reading along!
I need to frame this and hang it on our wall: “We want to be free to pursue the path of our choosing and to serve those around us. Being wealthy isn’t our priority. Being unencumbered by debt, and living a simple, generous, family-oriented, life is.”
You have a way of drilling down to the heart of the matter with a laser focus.
Welcome Adam! I’m looking forward to a dual-blogger committed married couple facing their challenge together! You guys will come out of this so much stronger as a couple and with both of you being on board with this, you WILL succeed!
Thank you – what a nice welcome!
Welcome! I am looking forward to following you and your wife on this journey! My new husband and I seem to be in a very similar situation. We both just finished our PhDs (in Indiana – Go Colts!!) and have moved across the country to start our adult professional life. But we are currently burdened with the debt we racked up while students. Can’t wait to read your stories!
great to have you here! thanks for reading!
And, when is the next post please?