OUR NET WORTH

Anyone who follows me knows that I have been going through boxes of old materials - some of which I haven't looked at since it was originally packed away. I share this to give you a humorous glimpse into young married life in the early 1970's. Feel free to smile or laugh-out-loud as you read through our assessment! 😁

I recently came across a page from 1977 [we had been married and attending seminary in Kentucky since our marriage in 1973] that calculated our net worth.

Thankfully, it's in Debbie's handwriting; which implies that we were both involved in this process.'

We started out renting an apartment owned by the seminary.  A year later, we bought an 8'x40' trailer adjacent to the campus. A year later we moved into an apartment in Nicholasville, KY [nearby]. In June, 1976, I was appointed to the Jeannette Free Methodist Church [in Harrison City, PA].

Our most valuable asset was a 1974 Ford Mustang II that we valued at $1,400.

Next came record albums - 214 of them that we valued at $1,070.

Next was our bedroom suit of furniture - valued at $600.

Bedding and jewelry were each valued at $300.

Of course, with all those albums, you have to have a stereo: $250.

And with all that bedding, we had to have a washer: $300.

My clothes: $200.   Deb's clothes: $250.

The all-essential Britannica Encyclopedias: $300.

[When we had our three T's, they found them invaluable for making tents in the living room!]

We had a $100 television.

Tools - $100

Two ten-speed bikes - valued at $100 each.

Camping gear - $100

An overhead projector - $100  [A gift from my home church! Cutting edge visual equipment for the day!]

My books - $300  [this would grow to be thousands as the years unfolded!]

Portrait album - $150.

Wall pictures - $120

Kitchen items - $200

Recliner chair - $100

Food on hand - $100

Then a plethora of small items ranging from $5 to $60:  

toaster, electric knife, can opener, blender, broiler oven, coffee pot, mixer, iron, wall clocks, lamps, desk, utility shelves, lawn chairs, dryer, suit cases, brief case, games, Christmas decorations, snack trays, .22 rifle, cameras, radio, calculator, four steel folding chairs, crafts, sewing machine, nursing rocker, desk chair, cassette tapes and recorder, baby crib, playpen [Travis was born in February, 1976], dressing table, cedar chest, book shelf, typewriter, slide projector...

We also had an accrued savings of $304.

Consequently, our total assets came to $7,939.

_________________________________________________

Our liabilities included:

• We had been told by my conference superintendent that the conference insurance was covering us.  However, when Travis was born, they admitted that they were wrong. We were on our own. He was delivered by C-section - making it quite expensive. We took out a loan to pay for our new son and paid for him on the installment plan.  Total liability - $619.
• We had borrowed from my dad to buy the 40'x8' trailer we lived in. Total liability $1,250.
• We had several charge accounts and hospital bills.

Our liabilities totaled $6,258.

OUR NETWORTH AT THE END OF 1977 -:  $1,681

_____________________________________________

At this time, I had been appointed to my first full-time church in Harrison City, PA. My pay - including insurance - was $520/month. 

We were able to make it because we qualified of 'Women, Infants, Children' [WIC] program that provided milk, cheese, peanut butter, eggs...It was the only time we've ever received a benefit from our government!

But, thanks be to God, we made it! Upon my first move, my salary doubled! Sounds great, huh? But Troy and Tracie were born during that five-year period!  🙄 But God was good and we managed.