Now to respond to the topic. I have always lived my life by the motto if you can't pay cash for it then you don't need it. Don't know why I am that way because it was not the way I was raised. I am very frugal and a lot of people confuse me with being cheap. The way I live is off the bare minimums of life. The only expense I splurge on is my Internet service, I call it my second brain. Plus I have the luxury of working from home so the Internet is needed. I am saving a lot of gas money. So that balance things out, Internet versus gas. Other than that I just have the basic utilities. No cable or cell phone bill.

Being a single parent I don't think I have done too bad. I paid off my only credit card 6 years ago and the only reason I used a credit card was because the engine went out in the vehicle I had so I had to purchase another one. The car was under $10K so it was a financing issue. Can't remember all the details, just remember using my credit card. LOL a lot of people were amazed that I had that kind of balance on a card. Anyway, I paid that puppy off quick because I HATE credit cards with a passion.

I bought my first house when I was 19 and sold it when I was 26. With the money I made from the sell I paid cash for a nicer vehicle and I moved into an apartment until I decided where I wanted to live. Finally after two years of apartment living I got tired of giving my money away so I started looking for a home. Found a 9 year old home in a Short Sale situation for only $105,000. That was really cheap compared to some of the mold infested homes I looked at and they wanted more money. But at the same time for a single mom it was not the cheapest. My first house was a nice little starter home and I got it for only $42,000. The house was in really good shape, don't know why it was so cheap but I took it. Maybe because it was only 800 sq ft.

Anyway, now that I have been in my current home for almost 4 years I have decided to get this house paid off ASAP. I am to the point in life where I am tired of being bound to a job. I am tired of hearing how people are getting fired or living pay check to pay check. I don't want those worries anymore. I want to be free to do whatever I want. Right now I feel like I am a slave to my job :-(. I have always used my Tax Refund and applied it to the principal of my mortgage but now I have started getting really aggressive with this deal. Not only am I doing the Tax Refund thing, I am also doubling up on the mortgage. If I keep this up, then I should have my house paid for in the next 6 years or less. I would totally have my mortgage paid off after only 10 years. That would be a total victory for me. I can't wait until that day. My daughter keeps telling me that 6 years is a long time but I have to remind her that 6 years sure beats the 26 years I am suppose to pay off my mortgage. I really Envy married couples who have two incomes. If they are not working together to pay debts off quickly, then they are missing out on their true blessing. FREEDOM!!

The End :-)