“I earn about $800 a month with Melaleuca, so the real neat story here is that a little bit can make
a big difference.” —CAROLANN CASTELL
Because of those principles, Dean was
attending a retreat sponsored by Executive
Director IX Wright Thurston when he met
Executive Director V David Cobb. Dean
quickly realized a Melaleuca business could be
the key to paying off debt. “We have a small
but exciting Director III business that has
allowed us to save our monthly commission
checks and put them directly toward paying
off our debts,” he says. “Since attending the
Financial Freedom University, we placed a
major focus on lowering debt.”
Besides earning more money, the
MacMorrises focused on paring back their
expenses.“My wife, Gina, and I and our two
daughters live very modestly in a small farm
house on the outskirts of Chicago,” he says.
“We don’t own any expensive furniture.
We don’t have a big screen TV. We don’t
have a need for expensive toys like boats or
snowmobiles. Both of our cars have been paid
off for years now.”
In October 2007, the MacMorrises
finally achieved one of Gina’s long-term goals
when they paid off their mortgage. Now,
they’re using their income to make an even
more lasting impact. “We are fully funding
our daughters’ college and retirement funds,”
he says. “We also have our emergency fund in
place. What a great feeling!”
Director IV Carolann Castell
Carolann was living primarily debt free when
she moved to a new home on the east side
of Seattle. In making the move, she hoped
to keep her expenses low, but circumstances
quickly changed on the east side. “Microsoft
moved two miles from my home in one
direction,” she says, “and Bill Gates moved two
miles in the other direction. So my property
taxes skyrocketed. They went from about
$800 to $6,000.”
While her income as an environmental
sciences professor was substantial, Carolann
knew it would take a little more to conquer
her mounting expenses. “I decided to save
every penny of my Melaleuca checks,” she
says. “I earn about $800 a month with
Melaleuca, so the real neat story here is that a
little bit can make a big difference. For some
people an extra $500 a month can keep them
out of bankruptcy, and for someone else,
an extra $500 can make the difference in
financial freedom.”
As well as increasing her income,
Carolann kept her expenses as low as possible.
She’s still driving the car she bought in 1976.
After years of saving, Carolann made one last
payment with her Melaleuca income to pay
her mortgage off and became debt free.
Executive Directors VI
Russ and Beth Schomp
Back in the ‘80s, Beth Schomp says her
financial decisions nearly got her family
into serious trouble. “I’d used credit cards
to purchase furnishings for this rental we
owned,” she says. “I’d racked up about $24,000
in credit card debt at a rate of 20 percent. I
remember going to my husband and saying,
‘I think I got us in trouble’ after I realized how
much I’d spent using those credit cards.”
