They aren’t rich. So how’d they do it?
From The Washington Post:
Rob and Sam Fatzinger, lifelong residents of Bowie, Md., lead a single-income family in one of the country’s most expensive regions. Rob’s income never topped $50,000 until he was 40; he’s now 51 and earns just north of $100,000 as a software tester. They have 13 children. Which means they require things like a seven-bedroom house and a 15-passenger van. Four children have graduated from college, three are undergrads and six are on the runway. Yet they paid off their mortgage early four years ago. They have no debt — never have, besides mortgages. And Rob is on track to retire by 62. This family gets the gold medal for being frugal. This family is the Einstein of economical. These days, frugality is not about clipping coupons. It’s about rethinking your finances, and maybe your life. Rob’s philosophy: “Spend money on what makes you truly happy and on what you enjoy. … The thing that people need to understand is that we don’t feel deprived or poor. … We pick and choose carefully.” The Fatzingers are getting it done. Could you?
You gotta read the rest. They are a marvel. And check out this quick outline of their budget.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Standard a few years ago looked at the family’s faith:
Returning to the site where they wed just over 20 years ago, Rob and Cecilia “Sam” Fatzinger entered the historic chapel at Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie to celebrate the Baptism of their 12th child, Kolbe Peter Fatzinger on Oct. 3. Washington Auxiliary Bishop Martin Holley baptized the baby with assistance from three seminarians – including Joshua Fatzinger, Kolbe’s older brother. After the sacrament, the bishop gently lifted the 18-day-old infant and presented him to family members and friends gathered in the chapel. Bishop Holley then announced, “Kolbe Peter, you are now baptized and initiated into the Catholic Church.” Earlier the prelate told participants through the beautiful sacrament of marriage, Kolbe’s parents became co-creators with God – and the new baby is a “product of that love,” Bishop Holley added. “Out of the sacrament of marriage is born all the other sacraments,” Bishop Holley later said. “The graces from (his parents’) marriage continues to be perpetuated in the life of this young boy – who will eventually make a decision of his own life,” whether that choice be marriage, a vocation to the religious life or a faithful lay person.
And today we celebrate...