The Young and the Thoughtless Chapter 1: Getting Personal
© Leslie Householder
Author of #5 National Best-seller, "The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can"
ThoughtsAlive.com

I thought it might be of interest and value to share specific challenges and solutions I have faced in my own journey from financial stress and depression, to peace and strengthened faith. It was an eight-year path that I had to walk, and I believe that anyone hungry enough might learn from my mistakes and lessons, and save themselves a lot of time and money in the process. What I wouldn't have done to have someone tell me the things I plan to tell you!

My husband and I married young in 1991, in faith that God would prepare a way for us to make ends meet... after all, we were trying to live the kind of life worthy of all the blessings He had to offer. We drove a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle... took off on our honeymoon from Arizona in June (yes, JUNE) with a broken heater stuck on. But we were in love and the details and discomforts were nothing but an adventure to us.

We were both still in school, I was nearly done with a teaching degree, and Trevan was in his second year, still deciding for sure what he wanted to go into. We had planned to have me stay home when children came, and before long, one was on the way.

We both were working at a home for the mentally handicapped, making less than $5/hour. I worked up until about 4 days before the baby came, and then quit my job. "God would provide;" we expected it.

In the meantime, Trevan got another job in a factory that made gun safes. I think he was up to $7/hour or so... and toying with the idea of starting our own business, a business that we could grow together from home.

I stayed home for a year... and we got ourselves into some credit card debt. No extravagant purchases, just life, and business seminars to teach us how to make money.

We started to have disagreements over money spending. In fact, I fought tooth and nail to keep us from using our wedding money ($1000) to attend our first weekend seminar in personal and business development 12 hours away. I felt that Trevan was being too hasty and wasn't spending wisely.

But I finally consented, and while we were there, a speaker said something that saved our marriage. Didn't make us rich, but rescued our relationship. Who would have expected such a thing from a seminar about money?? To find out what happened, stay tuned for the next post of...

(I need a catchy name for this series... if yours is selected you will receive a free hardcover copy of "As You Wish"!)

(This offer has expired) Congratulations to Alanna Webb for submitting the winning title "The Young and the Thoughtless"!

Read the next post HERE.