@RL Top 12 Posts of 2008...

Photo courtesy of Pictoscribe

Wow, this blog has come a LONG way in the past few months. And I've posted alot of content covering various topics. So I thought it would be fitting to pull out what I feel have been my 12 most important posts from 2008. This was an extremely difficult task because - well, let's face it I'm a BRILLIANT writer!! But in the process of selecting the best of the best, I think I accidentally re-inspired myself while revisiting all that we've seen and learned so far on this journey.

Before we start though, I took the liberty of excluding two very critical posts from the 'official' list below.

The first,ironically is the very first post of the blog, "Today was a day for the ages...". It sets the tone and gives the why and how of where we were when we created this blog. I apologize to you now if you're about to read it, my writing skills were horrible in those early posts. lol

And the second is "Welcome to the next level...". This post served as our official coming out party and announcement to the world. It was hard keeping this one out but truthfully it was much more about 'us' than about our debt exploits, so it was benched.

So with that part out of the way, If you're new to the blog, or maybe not so new and just need a refresher on what this blog really has to offer, i give you the best of @Risk Living... so far.

In no particular order:

"A look inside our weekly budget meeting" - Here we give you the very same tools and strategies we use on a weekly basis.

"Our first 'Non-emergency' emergency" - A quick example of how our Emergency Fund kept a crazy day from being a bad day.

"The Prey, the Predator, and the unexpected Protector" - Ahh, this is STILL one of my personal favorites. This was my very first Video post. You have to watch it to understand just what the title means. It's amazing!

"How to remain generous in your giving while getting out of debt" - The Lord really placed this message on my heart once I realized that getting out of debt was becoming Secondary to my overall position as a Steward of God's assets... ALL of them.

"Five ways to REALLY boost your food budget" - The title says it all, but it says it the way that I would say it... know what I'm saying? lol

"Full Circle: How our TMM began..." - This is about the time I almost gave up on the blog when I heard someone say, "When you feel you've reached the end, try going back to the beginning. "

"Tired of rejection, consumers turn to credit card companies for approval" - Gosh - yes, I used the word 'gosh' - I love that title, It's so witty right? This post highlights the surprising link between finances, material possessions, and your self-esteem.

"The $10 blessing: Integrity pays in your business dealings" - This post tells the tale of an honest $10 bill that ended up blessing me and many others.

"Beer and Money... A match made in... (nevermind)" - One of the few Recession/Depression proof products is beer. Read the post to find out why. (PS - Thank you Homer for the photo shoot)

"I've seen the Promised Land" coupled with "We shall overcome" talk about the amazing events we have the honor of witnessing and the various ways those events have impacted or inspired me financially, spiritually, and culturally.

"We're getting pumped!" is all about the joy of finally starting to make SERIOUS progress in our efforts!

And finally, "Overdraft Fees, or 'When $16.05 costs you $86.05' Part I" and "Pending transactions, or 'When $16.05 costs you $86.05' Part II" - These two posts are by far two of my better pieces of work. I try to give you a little bit of everything here: humor, honesty, transparency, and insight.

Thanks for taking the time to reminisce with me. Now lets move full steam into 2009!

@W



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Welcome To The Next Level...

Photo courtesy of Great Beyond

Many of you have waited weeks (and some of you have even waited months!) to find out what this is all about... and we are glad to say that the wait is finally over!

Today my wife and I unveil the first tangible fruits of the larger vision that has been entrusted to us. Those fruits come in the form of 3 separate blogs.

The one you are reading right now is @Risk Living. It is meant to be my personal blog about our journey to eliminate all of our consumer debt in the next 2 years. It's our hope that it will 1. Bless and encourage those who are on the debt-dumping path already. 2. Inspire others to join us by proving it can be done. 3. Serve as a voice of reason against the financial myths told by the mass media and greedy corporations. 4. Forever document for our children exactly when, where, and how things changed. And to honor our parents by exemplifying all they hoped we would be. (Pardon me I got a little emotional there lol.)

The 2nd blog is Basically Wright. It was created by my wife to be her personal blog where she could not only document our journey to debt freedom from her vantage point, but also as a platform for her unique insights on wellness, weight management, and work-life balance.

The 3rd blog takes both of our voices and combines them to focus on spiritual issues such as Stewardship, Ministry, Marriage Enrichment and truly living a healthy, Christ-centered lifestyle. Mywrightsolutions is the online media hub for The Wright Solutions or TWS for short, the parent company we have formed to house these outlets and others we will bring to you in the future.

So there you have it, It's official now, and it's all for you! We envision these sites as a place for us to connect with you, and for you to connect with each other. We encourage discussion, questions, viewpoints, and the exchange of ideas.

Lastly, we want to dedicate this to all of you who helped position us for this moment with your time, resources, support, and love. It is out of thanks to you that we launch this venture!

Be Blessed,

Adrian Wright (@W)

If you liked this post, please help us decrease our debt by donating.

1/3 way home?

photo courtesy of householdriot

Mark today on your calendar... Ok well maybe not you, but I sure will. Today we reached a minor milestone in the fact that we just closed out our 10th account out of the 30 we started this journey with. So we are technically one-third of the way to our vision of debt freedom. **On a side note, finding a title for this post gave me fits!! This is why there's a question mark behind it... people always say 'half-way home' 3 quick words. But no one ever gramatically uses any other fraction in the same way... it always has to be "one-third-of-the-way" ect. which for me was just too many words for a snappy title. So please consider my title as my one-man mutiny against that stupid gramatical convention lol.

Now keep in mind this is only meant as a symbolic milestone because we are NOT anywhere near paying off 1/3 of our debt in dollars and cents... But trust me when you're in the grind of trying to eliminate debt you take EVERY victory you can.

So now, this is where our Debt Snowball finally gets rolling. Eventhough the monthly minimum for this personal loan was under $200, that freed up money now serves as a nice infusion to our financial situation. It gives us options we could not afford before. And no when I say "options" I don't mean I can just go blow that extra cash each month now LOL! It gives us some flexibility in how aggressively we can tackle various aspects of our debt.

Though it's a shame, I'm already eyeing the next milestone. It's gonna be maybe the most pivotal factor in our journey (unless my job wants to promote me again haha). In November we'll be making the last payment on our other line of credit. When that day comes I'll be LIT because it will open up yet another $500 each month for us to really throw at this debt in addition to what we freed up today!! It's at this point that the end will be in sight for us! Kind of like when a runner hits his second wind during a marathon. I imagine that's what it's going to feel like!

While I'm here I really just have to testify of how good God has been to us as of late. He's really been carrying us through some of these trying financial times. I can truly say there has been NO lack in my house even during the leanest of times. There have been nights where my wife and I would look in the fridge and see nothing that would make a meal...I mean the jount would be BARE! But by the end of the night when my wife was done cooking whatever was available we were full and satisfied. I dunno. Maybe you've never been THERE before but I know someone reading this (besides my wife and I) is feeling what I'm saying right here.

The word says in Psalms 34;1-9...

(King James Version)

1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

His word is true, and the events we've watched Him carry us through lately bear witness to that...

See ya next time,

@W

Today was a day for the ages...

Today's post is brought to you by the number 3...

Do you remember watching Sesame Street? Even when I was very little I somehow caught on to the way that each show was 'sponsored' by a letter or a number. That was very clever right?

Well today's post is dedicated to the number 3 and if you pull up a seat -- Yes, I realize you're already sitting, lol -- I'll tell you why.

I've had an AMAZING day! Today I achieved 3 (THREE!!) of my life-long/career-long goals and watched my wife achieve an important one as well. I wish I could insert a *dramatic pause* for you as you read that last sentence. The days have been few in my life where I could even say that I checked even one goal off the list. But God somehow allowed me to hit for a trifecta today.

If you're still here and reading I'd like to share them with you below, but if you have to step away I understand... go do what you have to do and then get right back here just as soon as ya can.

1. Today I became a Manager. Wow let me type that again just so that it can truly sink in for ME. Today I became a Manager! It took me 5 years, 7 job changes and plenty of situations where I was pulling Manager-level weight, and making Manager-level decisions (and sacrifices) without Manager-like titles or Manager-like pay.

I was actually told about this promotion last Thursday, but it was officially announced to my company today. During the meeting, my boss told me that with the promotion I would be getting a 8% 'bump' in my salary. (which is purely unheard of at our company.)

An 8% 'bump'... (If they call that a 'bump' it makes you wonder what comes next?!) Hmmm did I tell you that this is a blog about Dumping DEBT?!? Do you have any idea what an 8% increase will do to our efforts? Remind me to come back to the 8% later.

2. I started this blog. This is a BIIIGGGG step for me, HUGE. I've spent most of my adult years online, but going to other people's sites and other people's forums to voice my thoughts and opinions. But this here, this is mine yo. MY brainchild. My rants. My insight. My life. And It's truly my prayer that what you see here will be of great benefit to you. Not only financially, but most important spiritually.

Since we're on the subject of my brainchild, and also since this is the inaugural post, let me take this moment to basically tell you what this site is all about. And where the name came from.

This blog is my attempt to somehow document just how hard it is to be true to yourself, how hard it is to be @ RISK all the time. Sometimes my life looks like it's touched by God' favor. At other times it's touched by the mundaneness of this daily grind toward a better life for my family. It's all the same life though.

See, it's not so much that I started this blog that I claim as the accomplishment. It's the fact that I've stopped being afraid of how my voice sounds to others. That's the main victory I'm taking from this. My fear was not that I would say the wrong things, but simply that my voice sounded wrong to the outside world.

3. Today I actually considered the possibility of bringing a child into this world for the very first time. This thought occurred to me not long after being told that my promotion would be made official. I'm deathly afraid of bring a child into this world while we're in the financial situation we are right now. Today gave me a glimmer of hope that it may actually come faster than I ever thought. And again, the fact that I arrived at this thought all on my own speaks volumes as to how my thinking is changing. Wow!

4. As a bonus to all of that, I watched my wife start her blogging career today as well. Her blog will naturally serve as a sister site (more like wife site) to this one. Please lend your support by checking her out here http://basicallywright.blogspot.com/. I love you Mrs. Wright, and I'm so very proud of us today.

Well this was a lengthy introduction, so let me wrap up. In the future, posts won't nearly be this long... but before I forget, I promised to tell you about that 8% 'bump'.

Today just before he made the announcement to the company, my boss called me back into his office and told me he was wrong about the raise part... it's actually going to be 10%. In the seconds after he told me this I learned what comes after a 'bump' in pay... speechlessness.

These 3 -- actually 4 -- things made this a day that will long be remembered in my family. It marks the beginning of the next phase of our journey towards debt freedom and so much more.


Thanks for sharing in this with us!
@W