How we became debt-free! (And how you can too!)
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Are you drowning in debt? Do you dread checking the mail because ANOTHER bill is going to arrive and you can’t face it? Have you tried to get on track with your money but wind up back where you started?
I’ve been there! And it sucks.
I’m here to tell you how we broke out of that cycle, and how you can too!
Where we started…
Maybe you are wondering what gives me the right to talk about personal finance. I don’t have a finance background; I have a degree in Education. I don’t work in the world of money. To be clear, I’ve been teaching grades 1 through 3 for the past 12 years. And, up until relatively recently, I have not been successful with my money. But that’s why I am here.
Here’s the thing: I am JUST LIKE YOU!
In the Autumn of 2017, my husband and I were drowning in our debt. We had student loans. Credit cards. Lines of credit. (Where we owed money on cars we DIDN’T EVEN OWN ANY MORE!) Bills were coming in, and even though we made decent money, we were treading water and BARELY staying afloat.
And then everything changed.
What changed?
First, we decided that we were NOT going to live like that anymore.
A few years earlier, I had read a book called Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. It is an easy, relatable read. Dave shares real-life strategies to put into action that can change your life. It certainly changed ours, and I honestly cannot recommend this book strongly enough! Click the link to grab it on Amazon right now!
It took some time for us to both get on board with the process of budgeting. But during Fall 2017, we embraced the discomfort and jumped in with both feet!
We were both SO TIRED of being SICK AND TIRED.
So, we put Dave’s advice into play and let me tell you!? We changed our lives, our course in this world, the direction of our marriage and our family tree.
We chose to hunker down and agreed we would pay off all of our debt, as quickly as we could.
In other words:
We started a budget.
Cut our spending.
Opened bills as they arrived, and paid them on time. (Novel concept, right?)
We hustled our butts working overtime and selling as much stuff from around our home as we could.
In addition to that, every extra penny we could find went towards paying off our debts, from smallest to largest, and guess what?
Finally, in December of 2018, we made our final payment and became DEBT FREE!!! (Cue trumpets and confetti, I still get SO excited when I type those words!)
When all was said and done, we paid off $65, 642.
You guys! This was the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life.
Some of the benefits of this new debt-free life:
- I have SO MUCH LESS anxiety.
- Our marriage is stronger than ever.
- We aren’t afraid to check the mail. (In fact, I get excited when new bills arrive!)
- We have BIG goals for the future, and we are moving towards those goals, rather than just dreaming about someday.
- We are no longer living day-by-day and just getting by.
- We are teaching our son how not to make the mistakes we did.
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Why we are doing what we do
And (maybe the biggest thing for me) this journey lit a spark in me to do THIS work. I want to help YOU make these changes. I want to educate every single human being on the planet about why being on a budget DOESN’T feel restrictive, and why setting goals can help you change your life, and why doing this (HARD) work is so SO worth it!
If you are drowning and looking for a life raft…
If you are ready to jump on board and change your life…
If you need motivation and inspiration and fresh strategies to get intentional and live your best life…
…WELCOME!
I’m so glad you are here!
How you can be debt-free too:
- DECIDE you can do it.
- Follow a plan!
- Create a budget.
- Set up your debt-repayment plan.
- HUSTLE your butts off!
- High-five yourselves throughout.the.whole.process!
Finally, we want to support you on your financial journey. Join our amazing Reach community on Facebook, and don’t forget to Pin this post!
