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Living below her means:
Karen Stewart, 39, marketing specialist, Neptune
Beach, Fla.
Money equals freedom in this
society.
Our only debt now is our
mortgage, which is less than $50,000. No credit cards, no car payments.
Nada. And it's a great feeling.
We are on an accelerated
schedule to pay off the house in seven years or less. We'll have
paid a 15-year mortgage in 10 years. Once that is done I am going
to start a fund.
We have the prescribed six
months of living expenses in fairly liquid savings vehicles, but
wouldn't it be great to have enough money in the bank so when your
boss boils your brain one time too many, you can just say, "I'm
gone. I don't need this job!"
Life is too short to be hostage
to your possessions and crazy co-workers.
I got a dose of reality on
having too much stuff when I had to evacuate because of hurricane
Floyd in 1999. There's nothing like having to fit everything that
is important to you in the trunk of your Mustang to help clarify
your priorities and make you realize you've invested way too much
money in meaningless things.
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