Discussion Guide

Chapter 1: Once upon a Time

  1. Consider your own “once upon a time.” Where did your journey with money and debt begin?
  2. What choices did you make in your financial past that you had no idea would affect your present condition?
  3. “There is no good time to begin paying off debt. There is only today.” How does this statement speak to you? Have you been waiting for an ideal moment to launch your debt-slaying quest?
  4. How are debt and forgiveness uniquely tied together in your story?
  5. What sorts of dreams do you have for your money once you are debt-free? What will you do? Where will you go? How might you make the world a better place?

Chapter 2: Debt-Defying Duos

  1. Leading and being led is a delicate dance. Where have you seen this play out well before? Where have you seen couples struggle with this principle?
  2. Casting a vision for your spouse to buy into the process of paying off debt can be challenging. Which item of the “what not to do” list is the biggest challenge for you? Which behavior do you find yourself returning to without realizing it?
  3. “The death of communication is the birth of resentment.” When has this been true in your marriage or other relationships?
  4. What negative associations have you had with the word frugal in the past? What ridiculous ways have you heard of others living in a manner they considered frugal?
  5. How does knowing that the word frugal has a very sweet origin change your perspective?
  6. When have you felt scarcity —the fear that you would be left alone and without something you longed for —in your life? What have you done to cope with it?

Chapter 3: Starting-Line Strategies

  1. Have you ever run a race? How might paying off debt be like running a race?
  2. “Society wants to make you think that debt is neutral —even natural.” In what ways have you accepted cultural norms or understandings of debt? Can you relate to Luke’s, Nickole’s, or Stacey’s story?
  3. Names have power. Has anyone ever called you by the wrong name? How did it make you feel?
  4. Go back and read the sentences about Fred Johnson on page 36. How does personifying debt with the name “Fred Johnson” change your view of debt?
  5. How has fear held you back in your debt-slaying journey? Have you ever thought about the idea that God is nearby in the midst of fear?
  6. Look at the Scripture passages on pages 43–44. As you consider beginning your debt journey, which one leaps off the page at you, speaking most powerfully to the anxiety or fears you face today?
  7. When have you made a change that was too drastic or unsustainable? What was the result?

Chapter 4: Budgets Are Your Battle-Ax

  1. How has your view of budgeting negatively impacted your practice of budgeting? Have you seen budgeting as fingers around your neck or as wings to help you fly? Talk about ways you could change your perspective.
  2. Which tools are you most comfortable using to budget? Traditional paper and pencil? Technology?
  3. Have you found a certain budgeting method to be not successful for you? Why is it not wise to return to this same method again, expecting a different result?
  4. Which of the strategies to improve weekly budget meetings do you already practice? Which has the most potential to help you grow and stretch? What strategy would you add?
  5. What budget category would be the easiest for you to convert to a cash envelope system? Which would be most difficult?
  6. “Your enemy is debt, not the budget.” How would your current financial journey change if you began to view your budget as your friend rather than the bad guy?
  7. What are you doing to safeguard the many valuables God has blessed you with so that they don’t end up in a yard sale?

Chapter 5: At the Royal Table

  1. Have you ever “meal planned” before?
    1. a. If you currently plan your meals, what’s your typical strategy or approach? What tools do you use?
    2. b. If you’ve never planned your meals, which of the specific methods do you think would work best for you? Paper and pencil? App? Online service?
  2. How would your dining-out experience change if it became a scheduled part of your meal plan?
  3. Which of the Grocery Store Ten Commandments could you relate to the most? What other mandates would you add for your own personal top ten?
  4. Do you use coupons? How might you change your current practice to make it more effective, given some of the tips shared?
  5. How much money do you think you could save if you packed lunches for everyone in your family? What would you do with the money you saved?
  6. In what areas of your life have you been making “welllllllll” statements, underplaying the good gifts you already have?

Chapter 6: Keeping the Castle Clean

  1. Do you enjoy cleaning? Why or why not?
  2. Have you ever thought about the idea of running your household as a business? How would you change your household systems if you were being paid? Would you be “fired” from your job?
  3. Have you viewed utility bills as static or negotiable? Which of the tips in this section surprised you?
  4. In what ways have you learned to save money when it comes to doing laundry? How might you improve?
  5. Do you make your own household cleaners?
    • a. If you do, share a recipe with others in your group.
    • b. Which recipes from this chapter would you like to attempt to make?
  6. How could you be generous even while paying off debt?

Chapter 7: Formidable Foes and Fellow Debt Slayers

  1. What’s the funniest misunderstanding with a preschooler you’ve ever had (or heard about)?
  2. Has anyone been confused by your pursuit to pay off debt? What sorts of questions have they asked or what expressions of concern have they issued?
  3. Have you struggled with wanting to be like “everyone else”? What safeguards can you place in your life to keep you from the temptation of comparison?
  4. How are your friends influencing your life for better or worse?
  5. Do you currently have a group of like-minded debt slayers encouraging you in your journey? If not, where might you find such a group?
  6. How can being a cheerleader for someone else bring joy and strength to your own journey? Who are you currently encouraging to reach their financial goals?
  7. What money “genes” have you inherited from your parents? How does knowing your children might inherit your money practices change your perspective?

Chapter 8: Of Princes and Princesses

  1. What was the very first thing you did when you discovered you were going to be a parent? What fears did you have?
  2. Have you or your child ever imagined there was a monster under the bed? How did you respond? How might even the smallest financial worries between you and your spouse fester into a bigger problem for your child? In what ways could you intentionally combat the money “monster under the bed” syndrome in your household?
  3. Can you relate to the pity party Cherie threw herself when her family began paying off debt, fearing that her children were going to “pay” for her mistakes? Why is that guilt so difficult to overcome?
  4. Where have you discovered unexpected blessings with your family or provisions for your family’s needs?
  5. What’s the craziest kids’ birthday party you’ve ever attended? Which birthday party budgeting strategy would you like to use with your children? What other ways do you save on birthdays?
  6. Do you love to give gifts? In what ways could you exercise creativity while paying off debt to still give gifts without spending a great deal of money?
  7. How do your children earn money in your household? Do you have an intentional plan to help them learn the vital lessons of giving, saving, and spending? Which of Cherie’s strategies would you like to try?
  8. It’s been said that in the journey of parenting, the days are long but the years are short. How does a long-term perspective of your children as future grown-ups influence the ways you attempt to impact their lives?

Chapter 9: Joy for the Journey: A Benediction

  1. When has God shown up in an unexpected place to remind you how much He cares about even the smallest details of your life?
  2. Celebrating what was once lost but is now found is a recurring metaphor in Jesus’ teachings. Coins, sheep, and sons all stand as reminders of His great love for us. What have you “found” as a result of paying off debt and reorganizing your finances?
  3. In what ways will you celebrate financial freedom?
  4. “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride” (Ecclesiastes 7:8, NIV). How have you found this verse to be true in your own life? What sorts of struggles prevent us from beginning a challenging journey?
  5. Why is it important to contemplate how the ripples of our lives touch the lives of others?
  6. How can we suffer if we become the companion of fools?
  7. “There is no good time to begin paying off debt. There is only today.” What will you do today to begin (or continue) your debt-slaying journey?
  8. What do you consider to be the most important change in your daily financial practices after reading this book?