Debt Reduction Success With The Happy Rock

I recently conducted an email interview with one of my fellow personal finance writers, Frank from over at The Happy Rock.  Frank has written about his own debt reduction success, having paid off $70,000 in four years!

Here’s my favorite snippet from his post-

We watched our spending, trimmed our expenses, and put every extra penny towards debt. We learned how to plan, save, and spend CASH on larger items. We set up Microsoft money, created a budget, and communicated about how we were spending our money. The growth of control bred more motivation and energy.

Frank was kind enough to answer some questions via email.  Here’s the interview-

How long have you been debt free? –

Since 2005 which coincides with the adoption of our first child

Does this include your mortgage? –

We are 100% debt free. Sold our house and are now renting!

What were the top 3 motivations for getting out of debt? –

Just one really. Lack of freedom. We didn’t like the way the debt made us feel and it intruded on almost every decision we wanted to make.

What was your motivation to blog about your finances? –

With our debt destruction success, I figured we might be able to help others shed their debt shackles and we would be able to better improve our financial position. I was also interested in getting a taste of entrepreneurship.

What are your favorite personal finance blogs? –

Man Vs Debt, The Simple Dollar, I Will Teach You To Be Rich

When getting out of debt, did you ever feel like giving up? If so, what kept you going?

I never felt like giving up. I was absolutely determined, although we did get a little weary during the 4 years it took. We did a few things during those 4 years that slowed debt reduction, but helped us refocus.

What would be your main suggestions for folks who are working to become debt free?

Learn to despise debt. Connect with others. Arm yourself with knowledge and keep it simple. Blogs are great and so was listening to the Dave Ramsey show online for free. The radio program was great reinforcement and motivation. I heartily recommend Dave Ramsey’s books The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness and Financial Peace Revisited.

How can readers connect with you?

Website: The Happy Rock and Twitter.com/TheHappyRock

I encourage you guys to read The Happy Rock – and I want to say thanks to Frank, both for the interview and for the inspiring article.

I have several more living debt free articles coming your way this week.  I hope you’ll enjoy the series.  Please consider subscribing to No Credit Needed via free daily email or rss – and be sure to follow me over at twitter.com/NCN.  If you do follow me, be sure to say hi.

One last note:  If you have your own personal fiance blog and have written about paying off your debt, contact me with the link.  Rock on.