I have another inspiring story for you today about George’s debt free journey. He paid off $65,000 in 3 years and 2 months living in NYC while also traveling the world.
Paying off debt doesn’t have to be a miserable process. No, you don’t have to live off rice and beans while trying to get debt free. Sure, paying off debt may not happen overnight but you can certainly get there, just like George has.
George, 34 years old, has worked in the financial industry and came to a point when he wanted to quit his job due to changes around the office.
It was then he realized he couldn’t quit. He was financially strapped with a looming $65,000 worth of debt holding him down.
It was then he decided enough’s enough, it was time to take control over his life and money. Let’s learn about what he did to get debt free all within 3 years and 2 months.
How much debt did you have to start with? How long did it take to pay off?
Around $65K. It took 3 years and 2 months. I became debt free in late May 2020.
What triggered you to start your debt payoff process?
In 2016, my employer laid off my direct manager and I did not agree with it. I wanted to quit, but when I did the math, I realized I was living way above my means with $7,000 in an emergency fund.
I was broke and needed to do something about it.
In December 2016, I got an offer for a Financial Reporting position in the same company, which came with a lot of overtime. I took it and as soon as I switched teams in April, 2017, I started paying off my debt.
What was your debt consisted of?
$26K car loan, the rest was owed on credit cards.
What was your income range throughout the debt free journey?
2017 – $83K
2018 – $84K
2019 – $66K
2020 – $45K as of 7/31/2020.
Are there any specific things or tools you did/use to help pay down debt?
One day while I was looking for debt paying strategies, I stumbled upon Dave Ramsey.
There was, this Evangelical Christian guy telling me that borrowing was dumb. I agreed.
I used the Everydollar app for budgeting and it was enough for me. It is easy, available for free, and it helps me track my spending. I still use it today.
I’m drinking the Ramsey Kool-Aid because it works for getting out of debt.
Did you use any debt payoff strategies? ex: snowball, avalanche, others?
Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. $1K emergency fund first, then pay off debt using thesnowball method.
How did you stay motivated throughout your debt free journey?
I kept motivated by the support I received from my girlfriend, the desire to be able to leave an employer at a moment’s notice, rewarding myself after every debt I paid off, newfound belief that consumer debt (excluding mortgage) is extremely dumb, and the Dave Ramsey’s debt free screams (that was future me), even when I realized the show is extremely repetitive.
I rewarded myself in various ways, after each debt I paid off, I would buy something for myself, including trips abroad as long as they were paid in cash.
How has your life changed from before and after paying off debt?
My life changed when I started using cash/debit, instead of credit. I was able to manage my money better.
The end result was becoming debt free and being able to be more generous.
I’m able to tip more, I have given money to friends in need without the need for them to pay it back, and I experienced a weird boost in confidence when I realized that every purchase I make, I do not owe anyone anything and I can enjoy it.
Were there any setbacks?
I did experience setbacks, where I had to use my credit cards for a car repair which was above my emergency fund.
I handled it by paying the minimum on my credit cards while I replenished my $1k emergency fund, then I focused on paying off the debt.
Everyone should expect setbacks.
And if the $1K emergency fund is not enough for them, they should increase it, but no more than $3K.
Currently, I live in NYC, where the cost of living is extremely high and I was able to manage with $1K emergency fund.
Was there anything you wish you did differently during the debt free journey?
I’m not sure. I could have been more focused, living on rice and beans, for a year and a half, however I would have been extremely miserable.
I did it in 3 years, while having fun. I left a job I despised and I was able to take a pay cut, travel and still stay on target. At the end, it worked out for me.
During my debt free journey I got to travel to India, Spain, Tenerife, Mexico and the Dominican Republic and it was so much fun.
I wanted to do more of that, which put even more determination that I want to be debt free.
How does it feel to be debt free or close to?
Amazing. Nobody can tell me nothing.
Would you like to offer any words of encouragement to other readers?
“Learn to live within your means.” & “The light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train.” – Dave Ramsey (both). Everyone has setbacks, stay on course.
Takeaway
We’ve all been at a point in our lives where we couldn’t stand our job but felt stuck because money just felt tight. It could be from never ending bills to living paycheck to paycheck. It doesn’t have to be that way.
George’s debt free journey shows us that we can all take control of our lives. By becoming debt free, it gives you room to finally do what you want. You can leave that job you hate because you don’t have to worry so much about paying a mountain of bills. Not having debt gives us choices in life.
We can also learn from George that starting your own debt free journey doesn’t have to be miserable. You don’t have to eat rice and beans every single day or never travel. It’s important to find the balance to be able to succeed in being debt free while enjoying life.
Thank you George for sharing your inspirational story with us, it goes to show that by using the right tools like budgeting or using the snowball method, it can help to pay off debt.
Paying off debt is a journey, it’s important to celebrate small victories along the way, treat yourself once in a while, and enjoy life.
Are you ready to start your own debt free journey? Get started by grabbing this free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp to pay off $500 worth of debt in your first month.
We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details.
It’s been 22 months in now to our debt free journey. So far, we’ve paid off $89,979 with $37,250 left to go.
The only debt we have left to tackle is our student loans and family debt.
September of 2018:
8 Credit Cards
1 Car Loan
2 Medical Loans
2 Student Loans
1 Personal Loan and 1 Personal Loan from family
Total $127,229
July 2020:
1 Student Loan
1 Personal Loan from family
Total $37,250
We’re still playing it safe due to COVID-19 and just paid $500 towards student loans this month.
It’s actually a great time now to pay off student loans because of no interest accrual. Who knows how long that’ll last.
Also, did you know that any payment made to student loans now go straight to principle?
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all get some loan forgiveness? How awesome would that be? We can only wish!
So this month, we’re still saving away just like the last few months now.
It’s important to have a good savings of 3-6 months on the side just in case.
I’ll admit it’s no small feat to pay off $89,979 in under 2 years. Just to be sure you didn’t miss it, if you want to get started on paying off debt then check out my posts below.
Do you have cable and internet? I bet you probably pay way over $100 a month. We pay about $150 for cable and internet, that’s $1,800 a year. Talk about highway robbery!
So I’ve been trying to come up with other ways to save on bills. Cable was something that I just couldn’t get rid of. I love my reality TV, Don’t judge!
I did some research to see if there were any other cable alternatives. I found a couple! One is called Locast and the other is called Philo.
So, what’s the dilemma with cutting cable? Besides your favorite shows, you’ll be losing local channels too right?
There’s alternatives to that and it’s where Locast comes in.
Locast
Locast is a non profit service that provides you with your local streaming channels for free!
You sign up at Locast.org and you get live streaming of your favorite local channels. You can stream on your phone, computer, or on your TV.
The downside to Locast is every time you switch channels, you will see a short Locast commercial but it can be removed by paying Locast a small $5 a month donation.
Philo
One of the major reasons I couldn’t cut cable was cause of my favorite shows on certain networks like MTV, TLC, AMC, Discovery, HGTV, and others.
Then I foundPhilo. They have so many mainstream networks like A&E, AMC, BET, Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, Hallmark, HGTV, History, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TLC, Travel Channel, VH1, and WE TV.
Philo costs $20 a month which beats the price of cable by a landslide.
Plus Philo offers unlimited recordings of your favorite shows.
The downside to Philo is the unlimited recordings has a cutoff period of 30 days, but I think that’s enough time to watch every favorite show.
As of right now, we’re testing it out to see how it goes. Once we officially cut the cable cord, I’ll let you all know how it went.
Looking For Savings
This month I’m still using savings / cash back / and coupon sites that’s easy to use. Remember when I told you I hated clipping coupons? These sites and apps are perfect for those that don’t like couponing but can still get major savings.
Ibotta
Ibotta partnered up with over 300 stores including all your main grocery stores and others. They most likely have the grocery store you go to on their list.
Once you find your grocery store, you upload your shopping receipt and you’ll get cash back.
Currently, I have $30.90 cash back from Ibotta just for grocery shopping. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me, and no clipping coupons required.
It’s an awesome app to use.
Sign up for free at Ibotta and use the code YDIGCFJ to get your$20 welcome bonus
Fetch Rewards
Another app I’ve been using is Fetch Rewards. I basically get points for scanning receipts from grocery shopping, gas, and food.
Once I reach a certain amount of points, I’ll get gift cards or free magazine subscriptions.
Use the code 7JKFH when you sign up toFetch Rewardsand you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points) You can also refer others and earn 2,000 points ($2) yourself and your friend/family will earn 2,000 points ($2) as well.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a site where you could take surveys/poll, play games, watch videos, shop online, complete daily goals, and enter competitions for points. These points convert to cash back via PayPal or gift cards.
I’ve been using Swagbucks to get cash back when I shop online.
I still use Rakuten when I’m doing any online shopping to get cash back on my purchases. It’s free money back, why not take it?
Sign up today with Rakuten to get $10 in a welcome bonusand be on your way to start earning cash back for online purchases. Don’t miss out on FREE MONEY!
Honey
Have you all heard about Honey? I just recently started using it and it’s awesome.
I downloaded the Chrome extension and when I go to purchase something online, it’ll scour through tons of coupon codes to help find the best price for the item.
It’s good for lazy couponers like me.
It’s a site that finds you all coupons available for stores. It has a chrome extension so when you go to a site and purchase something, Honey will notify you if there’s a better price
Sign up for free here and get the cheapest prices for all your online purchases the easy way.
Takeaway
This month has been all about looking for savings any way I can, the easy way.
22 months down and we’ve paid off $89,979 worth of debt. Pretty amazing stuff.
With the right tools and strategies in place, anyone can pay off debt.
Are you ready to start your own debt free journey? Get started by grabbing this free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp to pay off $500 worth of debt in your first month.
We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details.
I wanted to update you guys and let you all know that I did a deep audit into my finances from when I started the debt paying process till now.
I decided to go through my bank statements and start logging in all my debt starting from September 2018 till this month. I found that we actually have a total debt of $127,229 and not $116,000.
A debt snowball app totally messed up my numbers so I decided to do something about it and start tracking everything myself.
Currently, we’ve paid off $89,479 in 21 months and have $37,750 remaining.
As you can see in the chart above, our debt payoff progress really slowed down since March 2020 due to COVID-19.
September of 2018:
8 Credit Cards
1 Car Loan
2 Medical Loans
2 Student Loans
1 Personal Loan and 1 Personal Loan from family
Total $127,229
June 2020:
1 Student Loan
1 Personal Loan from family
Total $37,750
We’re playing it safe these days and paying only $500 a month towards debt.
We do have an emergency fund but we want to be extra safe just in case the worst case scenario were to happen like both of us losing our jobs.
If you’re also paying off debt or thinking about starting, make sure to save for an emergency fund. Always have a 3-6 month emergency fund in place.
In 21 months, we got rid of $89,479 worth of debt. Do you want to start on your own journey to get debt free? Check out these tips that can help you get started like we did.
Have I ever mentioned that I really don’t like couponing? I don’t have the patience to sit there and go through circulars looking for deals or clip coupons to save for later.
Don’t get me wrong, I do know how important coupons can be though. It can save you hundreds over time!
Instead of couponing, I use digital apps that give cash back.
I use programs like Ibotta and Fetch Rewards.
If you haven’t tried it yet, you need to get it.
It’s so easy to use.
Ibotta
Ibotta partnered up with over 300 stores including all your main grocery stores and others. They most likely have the grocery store you go to on their list.
Once you find your grocery store, you upload your shopping receipt and you’ll get cash back.
In June, I got $21.75 cash back from Ibotta. Pretty kool huh? No need to be clipping coupons! Whew!
It’s an awesome app to use.
Sign up for free at Ibotta and use the code YDIGCFJ to get your $20 welcome bonus
Fetch Rewards
Another app I’ve been using is Fetch Rewards. I basically get points for scanning receipts from grocery shopping, gas, and food.
Once I reach a certain amount of points, I’ll get gift cards or free magazine subscriptions.
Use the code 7JKFH when you sign up toFetch Rewardsand you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points) You can also refer others and earn 2,000 points ($2) yourself and your friend/family will earn 2,000 points ($2) as well.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a site where you could take surveys/poll, play games, watch videos, shop online, complete daily goals, and enter competitions for points. These points convert to cash back via PayPal or gift cards.
I’ve been using Swagbucks to get cash back when I shop online.
I still use Rakuten when I’m doing any online shopping to get cash back on my purchases. It’s free money back, why not take it?
Sign up today withRakuten to get $10 in a welcome bonusand be on your way to start earning cash back for online purchases. Don’t miss out on FREE MONEY!
Honey
Have you all heard about Honey? I just recently started using it and it’s awesome.
I downloaded the Chrome extension and when I go to purchase something online, it’ll scour through tons of coupon codes to help find the best price for the item.
It’s good for lazy couponers like me.
It’s a site that finds you all coupons available for stores. It has a chrome extension so when you go to a site and purchase something, Honey will notify you if there’s a better price
This month has been all about looking for savings any way I can, the easy way.
Takeaway
Another month during COVID-19 is really affecting our lives. I want to pay more towards debt but it’s definitely a time to be saving a lot more. You just never know what tomorrow brings.
I’ve been using a lot of cash back / coupon apps and sites to get even more savings throughout the month. If you all can find time to coupon then great, go for it! If you don’t have the patience to coupon like me, then definitely try those apps and sites out.
Every dollar saved is a dollar earned. Don’t dismiss any savings you can get.
We’ve paid off $89,479 in 21 months and have $37,750 remaining. Still can’t believe we paid that much off. Just goes to show, anything is possible.
Are you ready to start your own debt free journey? Get started by grabbing this free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp to pay off $500 worth of debt in your first month.
We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details.
What is the American dream? For many people, the American dream is growing up to be successful, having your own home, raising a family and pets, and to live happily ever after. In reality, to achieve the dream, it takes money and lots of it. Most people often borrow tons of money from banks to go into debt just to live that “American dream”. What if I told you that you didn’t have to do that? What if it is possible to still fulfill your dream and live happily without going into tons of debt? Well, meet Lindsey who was able to do just that. She and her family has a paid off mortgage with no debt since she was 25 years old. Her story will inspire you!
Hi! My name is Lindsey. I’m in my early 30s and I live in the beautiful woods of Arkansas with my husband and three sweet children. I’m a homemaker, homeschool mom, blogger of Big House in the Woods, and freelance writer.
My husband and I have been debt-free and mortgage-free since we were 25. We had a lot of fun on our debt-free journey and we’ve had even more fun living our debt-free lifestyle since then.
What was the turning point that got you to start your debt free journey?
From the beginning of our adult lives, debt has always made us uneasy.
However, unfortunately, I had to take out student loans to go to college. I remember a friend telling me not to worry about it. She said that after college, I could just pay $25 monthly for the rest of my life and there was nothing they could do about it.
I don’t know how much truth there was to that but I was not going to let that happen. Debt weighed on me heavily.
As a couple, debt was never in our game plan. We had a no tolerance plan for debt from the very beginning of our marriage.
However, we made a small exception for a mortgage. We knew that we could actually make money if we played our cards right. (That’s an interesting story. See below.)
We never wanted to be the people who were just ok with debt. We had no plans of ever making payments on vehicles, cell phones, or anything else.
I think it’s important to have a strong mindset about debt from the very start of your adult life.
Obviously, this stance can be difficult with a house. It can be very difficult to have enough cash for a house. However, a large down payment is attainable for many Americans. We took that route and created a plan to get rid of our mortgage as quickly as possible.
As a whole, debt sounded suffocating. We had a deep desire to get away from it!
What was your debt consisted of? How long did it take to pay off?
After college, I had student loans to pay off. I was a first grade teacher and I lived with my parents for one year so I could focus on paying the loans off. I managed to pay off all but $2,000 before my husband and I got married.
This was a huge accomplishment considering my low take-home pay! (I only taught school for 1 year.) After we got married, my husband paid off the final $2,000 of my student loans.
My husband had been saving for a house since he got his first job after college. He’s always been a saver and he’s never been tempted by “stuff.” He had a pretty big nest egg saved up by the time we got married. He had saved roughly $35,000-$40,000 in 2 years.
I quit teaching to be a homemaker once we got married so I was not contributing monetarily to our family budget.
A few months after we were married, the government offered a First Time Home Buyers Incentive. (This was circa 2009.) The deal was that you could get a rebate of up to $7,000 on your taxes IF you met certain qualifications.
The qualifications were pretty basic. One of them required that the home had to be your primary residence and you had to live there for at least 3 years.
We decided 3 years was something we could commit to. We began considering buying a house instead of losing money on rent each month. We found a small, inexpensive house as our “starter house” and devised a plan to pay it off as quickly as possible.
We put $30k down on a $73,000 house. We took out a mortgage for only $43,000 and we paid it off in 13 months.
What was your income range throughout the debt free journey?
13 months can seem fast but, before thinking we were insane, here is something important to note: Yes, my husband had a good paying job BUT I was and still am a homemaker.
So pay attention here… That means, I am not contributing monetarily to our family. On his own, he was making between $80k-$95k a year.
There are many families that make that much because both the husband and wife work, so, we aren’t embellishing. We are number crunchers who are very frugal!
Are there any specific things you did to help pay down debt? Habits, programs, tools?
To pay debts, you must first determine where you are currently spending your money and make a plan to cut back. We created a budget and posted it on the front of the fridge. We wrote EVERY expense on that spreadsheet and evaluated it each month.
If we got a little crazy one month and spent unnecessary money on eBay, Amazon, at the grocery store, etc., we corrected the mistake the next month. We consulted our budget daily and corrected spending mistakes.
Always remember: your budget isn’t your enemy. Consider your budget your friend. It isn’t restricting. It’s actually freeing. It’s like a written set of goals that prevents you from having to continually repeat them in your mind. With just one quick glance, you can stay on track.
Many people are in the position to save more money than they do, or pay off debt they have but aren’t willing to make the sacrifices needed. If you have big goals, then you have to make big plans.
Here is what we did:
No Paid TV Service
You read that right. No cable, no satellite, no Netflix. We have never watched much TV anyway since we consider it a huge waste of time, but when we did, we only watched what we could get with an antenna. We received about 13 channels with an antenna, and that was more than we needed anyway.
No Eating Out
Eating at restaurantsis also a great way to waste money. In the past, people have tried to convince us that since they are single or have no children, that it’s cheaper to eat out than eat at home.
I say that’s a bunch of hooey. If that were true, then restaurants wouldn’t make any money. They are still in business because they are charging you more for the food than what it’s worth. Period.
Smart Date Night
This consisted of renting a movie from the library and watching it at home…because it was free…and fun.
No expensive phone plans
We have always looked for good but inexpensive pre-paid, no-contract cell phone plans. Over the years, we have changed providers to get the best deal. We get the same service, from the same towers, with the same data for about 25% of what other people pay for the same thing. Currently, we are using Red Pocket. We have found that they are unbeatable.
Also, we didn’t buy cheese for a YEAR! We decided that cheese, along with other types of food, was expensive and completely unnecessary. Crazy, but true.
We’ve actuallysaved over $180,000 (over a period of about 10 years) by doing crazy things like that.
Here’s the interesting part… We never felt deprived, left out, underprivileged, sad, or any other word you can think up because we weren’t living like every one else. In fact, we thought it was fun!
We liked being the ones accomplishing our goals. We didn’t mind seeing people drive by in their flashy new cars with their new iPhones because: (1) We aren’t impressed by flashy new things, and (2) We felt we were headed in a direction they weren’t, and we liked our direction better.
So, to clarify, our only “habits, programs, and tools” were: crazy self-motivation, a longing to be free, a budget posted on the front of our fridge, a heavily studied amortization schedule, and a deep desire to say “I told you so.”
How did you stay motivated throughout your debt free journey?
Our biggest motivation was the calendar. We wanted to see how fast we could pay off our debt. It was a challenge to us.
We wanted to be able to prove to ourselves (and everyone else) that we were crazy determined and we could pay it off rocket fast.
We had something to prove to ourselves. As a side benefit, it makes a great story now!
Has your life changed dramatically before and after the paid off mortgage and being debt free?
After we paid off our debt (student loans and a mortgage), we started saving for land and our dream house.
We stayed in that first little house for 3 years. After that, we sold it and bought a house that was a little bigger with the cash from house #1 and money we had saved. We paid cash for our second house.
While we were living in our second house, we were still saving for our dream house. After 3 years, we had saved enough to buy land and build our dream house WITH CASH! We sold that second house and used the cash from it plus money we saved and we built ourBig House in the Woodson 5 beautiful wooded acres.
As a side note, we also bought 10 acres with cash in another part of our state after we paid off our first mortgage. We thought we were going to build there but plans changed. We still own that land too.
Was there anything you wish you did differently during the debt free journey?
No. Absolutely not. I would say we did everything by the book but, actually, I think we wrote the book (is that a saying?). We have always set high standards for ourselves and we’ve never backed down.
How does it feel to be debt free?
Being debt-free is amazing. We’ve been debt-free for a total of 10 years now. Since then, we’ve built our dream home with cash, we’ve been on 10 Caribbean cruises and many other vacations, and we’ve been saving for early retirement.
What is your next big goal in life now you have a paid off mortgage and are debt free?
Early retirement. We want the freedom to travel on a whim while we’re still young. Currently, our plan is to retire around 45.
What advice would you like to give for those reading this to encourage them?
It can be done.
A debt-free life is not out of reach if you make a plan and stick to it. We have accomplished a lot in 10 short years and we’ve done it on one income while having 3 children along the way.
I can’t help but shake my head when I see people with debt (mortgage, car payments, medical bills, etc.) yet they are treating themselves to manicures, concerts, brand new cars, vacations, shopping sprees, UTVs, season passes to amusement parks, etc. These are bad habits.
If more people took debt seriously and took considerable actions to pay it off, then they wouldn’t be in a bind when unexpected things happen. They would also have financial security.
You canlive your dreamsAFTER you have paid off your debt and built up financial security. For example, we have been on 10 cruises, bought 15 acres, built our dream house, bought vehicles we love, bought (and sold) twocampers, bought two UTVs, etc. and we owe no one for any of it.
Know that it’s good to stand out from the crowd.
Just because everyone else is doing something, doesn’t always mean you should. When you have a goal to pay off your debt, it’s okay to say no to things or events that will end up costing you money.
Everyone has different incomes, expenses, and situations, but saving and paying down debt should still be a priority. Based on your income and expenses, it might take you more time to pay down your debt, but in the end you still PAID. DOWN. YOUR. DEBT.
That’s a huge deal and it’s something you should be proud of no matter how long it took you. Always remember to keep your head up and your feet pointed in the right direction.
Along the way, make plans for what you want to do when you are debt-free. It’s good to dream! I wrote an article titled5 Things We Did AFTER We Became Debt-Free. You’ll love it!
What are you doing now since being debt free and with a paid off mortgage?
We still practice many of these money saving techniques today. It’s a habit. We just can’t help it. However, we also enjoy it! We love dreaming about retirement in the near future.
We are enjoying our Big House in the Woods and watching our three sweet babies grow. And wejump on a cruise shipanytime we get a chance.
Something to remember…
We have the same “stuff” as everyone else.
We have a house, 2 cars, land, and a UTV.
The difference? Ours is paid for even though our household income is about the same as a lot of people.
Because we practice all of the money-saving techniques that I have now shared with you!
What an incredible debt free story by Lindsey! It goes to show that being debt free starts with a mindset. You have to decide to make changes in your life and take control of it. She and her family had a paid off mortgage and were debt free by 25 years of age, what an accomplishment!
We learned from Lindsey that in order to take control over your money and life, you need to budget! There are many budgeting tools out there that are free to use like Everydollar, Personal Capital, orTruebill. To keep track of your monthly income and expenses is such an important part of gaining control over your finances. Budgeting gives you an idea of how much money you have to work with to track your expenses, pay off debt, work towards getting a paid off mortgage, or invest.
Being in debt takes freedom away from you. The freedom to live the life you want without the constant stress of money pressure sitting on your shoulders is the ultimate goal that Lindsey and her family was able to achieve.
You can still live the “American dream” without going into debt. Lindsey showed us that it is possible to have a paid off mortgage and to be debt free just as long as you set clear goals, take control of your money, and live a frugal life while still having fun.
Stop by Lindsey’s blog Big House in the Woods to find out more useful tips about how she got out of debt and her debt free lifestyle.
Are you ready to start your own debt free journey? Get started by grabbing this free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp to pay off $500 worth of debt in your first month.
We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details.
Let’s be real here, working can be very stressful at times. Following directions from superiors, managing employees, dealing with office politics, keeping up with deadlines, appeasing customers, I can go on and on. The worst part is that people often get stuck working for decades and well into their 60’s or 70’s to make ends meet. What if you didn’t have to settle for that lifestyle? Meet Eric and Katie who broke that stigma and was able to retire early in their 40’s and live a nomadic life traveling the world.
Meet Eric and Kate who retired April of 2019 to follow their passion-Love of Travel. They live a life full of adventure, traveling the world and experiencing different cultures. Currently, they are in Danang, Vietnam and will most likely be there for 6 months before moving on to the next new location.
Eric and Katie shares helpful tips on how they were able to retire early. Eric retired at 42 and Katie retired at 41. Truly amazing! That’s more than 2 decades worth of work they were able to shave off. They saved up $1,000,000which they fund for their nomadic lifestyle. Eric and Kate shares how they were able to do just that. Check out Eric’s siteBonus Nachos where he documents all the countries he’s been to during his retired nomadic lifestyle.
Eric and Kate’s Early Retirement Story
Eric, 42, Retired Accountant made under $50,000 a year
Katie, 41, Retired from the Hotel Industry made around $50,000 a year
Resides: Previous residence in Silicon Valley now lives in Danang, Vietnam
1 | Was there any specific moment that motivated you to retire early?
We had recently moved from the Midwest to California and I had to find a job during the Great Financial Crash.
While I was happy to be able to find work, the job only offered 2 weeks of paid vacation. I previously was spoiled with 5 weeks.
Work suddenly felt a lot more oppressive.
I knew that there had to be a better way. It wasn’t too long after this that I discovered popular early retirement blogger Mr. Money Mustache.
I had always thought about early retirement as an abstract concept, but until this point hadn’t realized how accessible it really was.
2 | What was your income range? Did you do any side hustles?
I never earned more than $50k/yr until I was 37 years old.
Katie always earned a little more than me, except for a couple of glorious months in 2015. 🙂
But neither of us ever made 6 figures, so our early retirement is much more a product of low spending than high earning. We never earned any other money, preferring to savor our time away from work.
3 |When did you start saving and investing?
We both started contributing to our 401k accounts immediately upon getting our first professional jobs.
This was before we had even met, so the idea was independent of one another. And from there, we would each increase our contribution percentage with every raise that we received.
Later we opened up IRAs and stashed money into a taxable account as well, but we mostly just focused on our 401k accounts until our early 30s.
4 | Did you have any debt? If so, what did it consist of?
Not really. Some minor credit card debt as young adults, but nothing much to speak of.
We were careful to avoid it. This certainly helped us get to early retirement more quickly.
5 | Were there any programs/tools that helped to achieve early retirement?
As a former accountant, I love Excel spreadsheets. I use them for everything from tracking expenses to retirement projections.
I have always preferred to track my finances manually as opposed to using automated trackers like Mint or Personal Capital.
I felt it gave me more control and allowed me to customize it to my personal situation. Which is somewhat ironic because when it comes to investing, I’m completely hands off.
I think it’s much, much more likely that an individual investor will make a mistake and suffer a setback than pick the next greatest company.
As such, I believe the best way to go is to invest solely in index funds.
Both are excellent books that are written for the non-professional investor. They are also popular enough that they’re likely available at your local library.
6 | Were there any habits that helped you retire early?
Most of our habits were developed to spend less money.
We focused our spending on what brought us the most happiness and tried to cut out the rest.
We split one older car, so one of us was always commuting by public transit or by bike.
We lived in a small cheap apartment.
On the flip side, travel was something that we have always loved so we made sure to take as many vacations as work would allow.
By not living in a fancy place, drivinga new car (let alone two) or eating out often, we were still able to do the things we liked best while alsosaving lots of money.
7 | Do you think you had to sacrifice a lot in your life to retire early?
I don’t think sacrifice is the right word.
Instead, I prioritized. Not spending every dollar shouldn’t be viewed as a sacrifice.
I would actually argue the opposite, that spending all of your money is a bigger sacrifice because you’re giving up compound investment gains that only increase over time.
I like the saying “You can have anything you want, but you can’t have everything.”
While I may not have been buying a million dollar house or driving aluxury car like many of my neighbors, I did get my passport stamped a lot.
Prior to retirement, I had been to Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czechia, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Aruba, and Mexico multiple times. There was lots of domestic travel too, including Hawaii, NYC, and many national parks. Travel has always been my priority.
8 | Did you ever receive a large sum of money that helped to propel you financially?
Well, the S&P 500 did go up over 20% in 2017 when we were already well on our way to early retirement. Does that count? But no start up windfalls, inheritances, or other things like that.
9 | What does your retired life consist of?
We now get to travel the world, experience different cultures, and eat lots of local delicacies. It’s not like our previous vacations though.
Prior to quitting, our longest stop in any one location was 10 days. So far, our shortest stop has been two weeks, but we prefer to stay longer. That really allows us to soak in the flavor of the area.
We get to frequent local markets and eat exotic produce. We swim in the ocean, explore cities and neighborhoods, visit temples and museums, and watch birds. We have nearly mastered the art of the leisurely breakfast.
I even occasionally write a blog post. And the best part is that it’s way cheaper than our previous life. We spend about half of what we did when living in Silicon Valley. I report all of our spending on the blog as well.
Things have been a little different since COVID-19 became a pandemic. However, for the moment, we’ve paused our travels as we wait to see how countries will deal with opening their borders and when/if a vaccine will be available.
We are currently waiting it out in Danang, Vietnam and will likely live here for at least 6 months. It’s a pretty nice city and there are definitely worse places that we could be. Vietnam as a whole did a great job handling the outbreak so there’s little risk of infection here.
10 | If you could offer any valuable advice to readers to retire early, what would it be?
Once you know where all your money is going, it’s easy to figure out what spending is worthwhile and what is not providing value.
Then you can redirect that less than optimal spending towards investing. And once you get that investing ball rolling, it will pick up a lot of steam over time.
Einstein once called compound interest the most powerful force in the universe. Make sure it’s working for you.
Eric and Katie fulfilled their dream of being able to retire early. Their journey teaches us that no, you don’t have to earn a six figure income to achieve early retirement.
Compound interest is very powerful indeed and they used it to their full advantage by investing when they first started their careers.
They also focused investing primarily in index funds without the stress and hassle of handling single stocks. They read books like The Bogleheads Guide to Investing andThe Four Pillars of Investingto familiarize themselves with how investing works.
Everyone dreams of the ability to retire early but often times we don’t implement the right steps to help us achieve the goal.
Eric and Katie is a prime example that it is possible simply by investing early, keeping track of your money, not comparing your life with others, set aside funds to still enjoy life, spending less money, and saving where you can.
Thank you Eric and Katie for sharing your inspiring story with us. Through your story, we see that it’s possible to retire early by implementing the right steps and having the right mindset to achieve a goal.
Don’t forget to check out Eric’s blog Bonus Nachos to see how they’re enjoying retired life traveling the world.
Are you ready to start your own debt free journey? Get started by grabbing this free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp to pay off $500 worth of debt in your first month.
In our society, debt is prevalent. People often incur debt to attend school, get a car, buy a home, just to live a “normal” life. Debt is so ingrained into our American culture that there is no emphasis on the significant financial harm that it causes people. Without proper awareness to the issue, people often spend thousands or hundreds of thousands over time in interest fees. Debt truly is the biggest detriment to our financial well being. Sometimes, people do break free from the mentality of complacency. Today, we will be talking about Brett’s debt free story of how he conquered $67,000 worth of debt in under 3 years.
Meet Brett, 31 years old, and works as an Aerospace Technician in Indianapolis, IN. Just like the many millions of Americans, Brett took out loans to get himself through school and also got himself a car. What sets him aside from most Americans is that he decided to get debt free and pay off all $67,000 worth of debt he had in under 3 years.
1 | How much debt did you have to start with? How long did it take to pay off?
I paid off a total of $67,000 in just under 3 years.
2 | When did you first decide to start your debt free journey?
I was very anxious upon graduation, in 2015, to have this burden of debt on my shoulders.
I was actually thinking about it as I was applying for more and more loans to get me through college, so the anxiety really came to a head once I was finished with school and hit the workforce.
I’ve always been very financially motivated, but this really lit a fire under me.
3 | What was your debt consisted of?
After graduating with my bachelors degree, I had about $60,000 in student loan debt (interest rates ranging from 3% up to 8.5%), and soon after graduation, I needed to replace my car, so I ended up with about $7,000 (3% interest rate) in auto debt.
4 | What was your income range throughout the debt free journey?
I started out making about $29,000 per year, and by the time I had paid off my debt entirely, I had made $60,000 per year (a lot of which was voluntary overtime).
5 | Are there any specific things you did to help pay down debt?
The biggest factor in my situation was having great parents that provided me with a home without collecting any rent.
My parents know me as well as anyone, and they knew I was tremendously determined to pay off my debt as fast as I possibly could, so I really owe so much credit to them since they facilitated an environment that was prime for achieving this goal.
During my debt-free journey, I may have sounded ungrateful or frustrated at times due to the stress, driven by the debt scenario, but I can easily see now that I wouldn’t be in such a good situation now if they hadn’t been so gracious in their parenting, helping however they could.
I also worked as much overtime as my employer would allow me; I recall semi-frequent 80-hour work weeks.
Other than that, I was very conscientious about my spending habits, opportunity cost, and compounding interest.
6 | Did you use any tools to help pay off debt?
It’s funny because I didn’t use any tools or look at my situation very technically until after I had already paid my way out of the mess.
I was very aggressive since my money didn’t need to be allocated to any other bills (aside from cell phone). This unique situation allowed me to be very intense with my payments.
7 | Did you use any debt payoff strategies?
I didn’t even know the two methods existed during my payoff, but I can easily identify that I used the Avalanche Method.
It made so much more sense to me to eliminate higher interest rates first since they would be compounding more rapidly. I recognize the value in the snowball method, but I wasn’t lacking any motivation in keeping consistent, so I paid them down like it was scorched earth.
8 | How did you stay motivated throughout your debt free journey?
I think everyone at any given time, mentally, can be found on a spectrum somewhere between anxious and depressed (thinking too much about the future vs. thinking too much about the past).
I can usually be found closer to the anxious side of the spectrum, although finding the balance in the present is something I strive for every day through meditation.
Paying off debt is difficult. Being disciplined and keeping focused on your goals is challenging.
Knowing yourself & your habits and tendencies can be very valuable when you begin to feel that you are making compromises on important goals.
Social pressure was a massive challenge for me during my journey, and meditation & conscious visualization kept me motivated, focused and prepared.
Taking the reins and choosing to deal with my problems head-on was an easy decision for me to make, understanding the lifestyle change that would come with the achievement of becoming debt-free.
After all, choosing to work so hard for your future is quite different from living with stress and having your hand forced, living how your lender determines you will live under your debt to them.
9 | How has your life changed from before and after paying off debt?
A big motivator during my payoff was the goal of owning a home of my own & experiencing the lifestyle change that would come with moving out of my parent’s house. Our relationship has always been good, but I think this has made it even better.
The stress of debt can really make you into someone you don’t want to be, and I recognized the danger in that for my relationships.
Now that I’m out of debt, money doesn’t stress me out, and I have freed up mental space for things that I find more valuable and productive. I put in my time, now I can begin to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
Home ownership has been a blessing & I’m experiencing freedoms I’ve been chasing for a very long time. I’m still working like a crazy person because I still have some “habit-carryover” from paying so aggressively on my loans; now I’m paying down my mortgage with similar intensity.
I have learned so much about investing (retirement, stock market, real estate, etc.) and I think I will benefit significantly later in life from educating myself on these things early on.
I could very easily choose to relax at this point in my life, but I choose to keep the momentum I gathered in order to position myself for the future.
Soon I plan to “let off the gas” and begin to let myself enjoy this life I’ve worked so hard to earn, but for now I will continue the grind, understanding that the early dollars are so powerful (compound interest!).
10 | Was there anything you wish you did differently during the debt free journey?
Not particularly. If I had the same amount of debt today, I think I would treat the situation very similarly.
I had to tell myself, “You borrowed this money. Now it’s time to pay it back.” Taking responsibility is underrated; it’s what my parents taught me, and it’s how I live to this day.
I did find myself compromising on my goal a couple of times and I had to correct my path and remind myself to keep disciplined, but I think those challenges forced me to make decisions that made my conviction stronger, so I wouldn’t say that I regret any of that either.
Finding the balance between staying the course and not absolutely killing yourself (taking the time to enjoy simple pleasures, but not living lavish) is a real hurdle, especially when social pressure begins to get to you.
11 | How does it feel to be debt free or close to?
Aside from my mortgage, I am 100% debt-free.
It is truly an amazing feeling. I know many don’t include mortgage debt in their net worth, but I do.
For that reason, I still feel very much in debt, although I understand this is a very long-term investment that will take quite a while to pay down.
Having the freedom of choice to invest my income however I wish is something special though, without a doubt.
My mind isn’t always concerned with money like it was during my pay-off and I can focus that attention on things that matter more to me and those around me.
12 | Would you like to offer any words of encouragement to other readers?
It can’t be understated that acting early is of such significant importance to becoming debt-free, regardless of individual situation.
The longer you wait, the more interest will stack up against you. The quicker you can pay it down, the quicker you will feel the momentum tip in your favor.
They can be great resources, communities, and sources of inspiration to keep you focused and remind you that you’re making the right decisions as you chase freedom from debt.
There are plenty of ill-advised financial decisions that you can make (getting yourself into debt in the first place is a great example!), so having free resources to keep you in check is absolutely a plus.
Having relationships in your own life that will help to hold you accountable can be powerful too.
The most effective source of motivation for me was getting fed up with being broke. Life doesn’t have to be so stressful, and getting your finances in order is a game changer.
Brett’s debt free story shows us that paying off debt is possible especially if you’re determined to achieve your goal. Yes, social pressure can often be difficult to overcome but staying focused on your future goals and having the help of supportive loved ones will help you get there.
Why was Brett so adamant about paying off his student loan and car loan? Let’s do some simple calculations to see how much interest would be paid if he just held on to his loans over time.
According to CNBC, people usually take 20 years to pay back student loans.
Let’s say, Brett took 20 years to pay back his student loans at an average interest rate of 5.75% and 5 years to pay back his car loan at 3%, how much interest would he pay?
Over time, Brett would have paid $39,055.77 and $546.85 in interest alone! To prevent this from happening, Brett’s debt free story shows us that it’s important to hunker down and get serious about paying off debt to prevent wasting money on interest fees.
There were times when Brett worked 80 hour work weeks to make extra income to pay off his debt. Everyone’s debt free journey will be different and ultimately it will be your decision on what pace you want to go for your own debt progress.
Brett’s debt free story shows us that hard work, determination, having supportive loved ones, beating social pressure, all amounts to becoming debt free. Thank you Brett for sharing your debt payoff story with us. Through your story, we can see that a little bit of hard work now will only provide financial benefits in the future.
Are you ready to start your own debt free journey? Get started by grabbing this free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp to pay off $500 worth of debt in your first month.
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There are many benefits to having a good credit score. From qualifying for low interest rates for a mortgage, car loan, top tier credit cards, get approved for rentals, better insurance rates, and more. Having a great credit score can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in interest. While there are many benefits to having great credit there are simple ways you can implement to get a score over 800. I’ll show you the exact tips I used to get a good credit score to over 800.
What is a credit score?
A credit score is basically a 3 digit number which is a financial institution’s version of a report card that assesses your overall credit risk. Basically, it determines how likely you may be to pay back a loan.
This is why lenders, landlords, or employees may check your credit score. It gives them an idea of the overall risk involved when lending you money, renting you an apartment, or even giving you a job.
All credit scores are not created equal. There are different companies that created their own credit scoring model which may yield different results. However, the most well known type of credit score is the FICO.
A FICO credit score is calculated based on 5 factors:
Payment History 35%
Amount Owed 30%
Length of Credit History 15%
New Credit Opened 10%
Type of Credit 10%
Is a credit score and a FICO score the same?
Usually, when people think of a credit score, they may be referring to a FICO score which is the most well-known type of scoring system.
The FICO score was created in 1989 by the Fair Isaac Corporation. It was meant to streamline the lending process and make it fair and consistent, it is used by more than 90% of lenders.
Over time, other scoring models were created by other companies to serve as competition to the FICO score. It will be good to familiarize yourself with the idea that there are other credit score models out there. Another scoring model that may be more commonly used second to the FICO score is the Vantage Score Model.
Vantage Score Model
The Vantage Score Model was created in 2006 by the three well-known credit bureaus-Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
It has a very similar model compared to a FICO score which consists of:
Free scores referred to as “educational” or “equivalency” scores for consumers knowledge only. It is not used during the lending process.
FAKO score range can be very similarto your FICO score.
TransRisk
Based on data from TransUnion which determines risk of newly opened accounts rather than existing ones.
Not widely used due to it’s limitations in assessment.
TransRisk scores have been known to be lower than a FICO score.
Experian’s National Equivalency Score
Can be obtained for free at Credit Sesame or Credit.com
Score ranges from 360-840
Credit Xpert Credit Score
Developed to help approve new accounts for businesses.
It was created to help detect inaccurate information on credit reports to help raise scores fast.
CE Credit Score
Free and available at Quizzle to give consumers a transparent and accurate depiction of their score.
The scoring ranges from 330-830
What are the ranges for a credit score?
Credit scores have numerical ranges. For the FICO score, it goes anywhere from 300-850 at the highest. The chart below is based from the information provided from Experian. For simplicity purposes, we’ll cover the two major credit scoring models: FICO and Vantage Score Model.
The FICO credit score ranges from:
300-579 Very Poor-16% of the American population
580-669 Fair-17% of the population
670-739 Good-21% of the population
740-799 Very Good-25% of the population
800-850 Exceptional-21% of the population
Vantage Score Model ranges from:
The Vantage Score Model is very similar to the FICO Score Model. It has a range from 300-850. According to White Jacobs, the data below indicates which percentage of the population falls within the credit score range.
300-549 Very Poor-17% of the American population
550-649 Poor-34% of the population
650-699 Fair-18% of the population
700-749 Good-13% of the population
750-850 Excellent-30% of the population
Where can I get a free credit score?
If you want to check your credit score, there are plenty of sites that can give you a glance for free. It’ll be good to know where you stand.
People often rely on credit for many big financial decisions in their lives. We often need credit to borrow money for purchases like a car, home, credit cards, personal loans, student loans, apply for rentals, or even to pass employment checks.
Having good credit can often save you more money and simply just make your life a bit easier. There are 6 great reasons to bump up your credit score and maintain great credit.
1 | Savings On Interest
Those who have great credit will generally be eligible for lower interest rates than those with poor credit. This can save you a lot of money over time! Check out the example for different interest rates applied between poor credit to good credit below:
781-850
4.69% Interest
$25,000 Loan Amount
60 Months
$28,094
$3,094 Interest Paid Over Time
601-660
10.91% Interest
$25,000 Loan Amount
60 Months
$32,546
$7,543 Interest Paid Over Time
When any money is borrowed from banks, interest is applied. You want to aim for the lowest interest rate as possible so it can save you money in the long run.
In the example provided above, a person within the 781-850 credit score range pays $3,094 over 60 months compared to paying $7,543 if they had a 601-660 credit score. The person with the better credit score would save $4,449 over time.
It’s best to always aim for a high credit score to benefit from the lowest interest rates available. This can be applied to all types of loans from mortgages, personal loans, car loans, and more.
2 | Better Credit Offers
Those with good to excellent credit can be eligible to apply for great credit offers. There are credit cards that offer significant amount of bonus points for travel based on a spending limit usually. These travel cards will often require Good to Excellent credit in order to be approved. Some of the travel cards are:
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card– $1,200 Bonus Points Value
Delta SkyMiles Card by American Express-$580 Bonus Points Value
Alaska Airlines Visa Card-$820 Bonus Points Value
Ever since we paid off all our credit cards, our credit score has skyrocketed. Now we always get approved for the best travel rewards credit cards. Find out how we got a free cruise or free flights to Las Vegas below.
Having a higher credit score will often give you better premiums for your car insurance. While you may not be turned down for having poor credit, having a good credit score will certainly get you lower premiums.
4 | Increase Chances of Approval for Rentals
Landlords can check your credit report and credit score to determine if they should approve your tenant application or not. It’s up to the Landlord whether or not they want to approve you based on the information.
If you have poor credit, they may not turn you away depending on the situation. However, they may require a higher security deposit or have a co-signor in order to approve you. On the other hand, if you have great credit they may be quick to approve you.
5 | Waive Security Deposit
There are instances where security deposits may be waived.
Some utility companies that may check your credit history. If you don’t have the best credit, they may ask for a security deposit or a letter-of-guarantee which a family member or friend may pay your bills if you’re unable to.
Cell phone companies may also waive a security deposit to those with good credit and also offer a discounted price of phones.
6 | Employment Hiring Process
Did you know that somecompanies check your credit as part of the hiring process? They check credit as a means to verify someone’s financial responsibility, verify identity, and background.
In some instances, companies may find it necessary to run a credit check on individuals who will be assigned to managing other people’s funds. They can’t have people who aren’t able to handle their own financial matters properly to take care of client’s finances.
What are the steps to get a good credit score to 800?
For as long as I can remember, my credit score has never broke 800 until last year. My credit score even dipped down to the 600’s while I was in school. My score has passed the 800 mark and I’ll show you exactly what I did to get it there.
Pay Bills on Time
Late payments can hurt your credit score and it accounts for 35% of your FICO rating. The bad news is that late payments, more than 30 days late, can stay on your credit report for up to 7 years! Yikes.
This is one thing that I always tried to keep up with. I tried to always pay my bills on time even if it was minimum payments. However, there were occasional times when bills may slip through the cracks.
There were times when I didn’t set my auto payment for a credit card and missed a payment here and there. The great part is, it’s easy to get this issue resolved with credit card companies.
You can usually call them and explain your situation, most of the time they will reverse any late fee charged on your statement.
Usually, credit card companies won’t report the late payment if it’s a few days late. If it passes an entire billing cycle, they will usually report it to the credit agency.
If you’ve missed a payment, make sure to pay as soon as you can.
Another huge downside to missing payments for credit cards is when they’re able to remove a promotional interest rate offered to you. Say, you were getting a promotional rate of 0%, well if you miss a payment, they can change that interest rate to their original rate of 18% or higher.
Suggestions:
Set reminders to help you pay your bill on time
Set up auto pay
Call creditors as soon as you notice you’ve missed a payment
Keep Your Debt Balances Low
Your overall debt to credit ratio accounts for 30% of your FICO score. It’s beneficial to have a higher credit to debt ratio. If you owe too much money compared to your credit limit, this can have a negative impact on your score.
This is the main area that has significantly boosted my credit score to over 800. My current FICO credit score below:
My credit score had always toggled around the upper 600’s and mid 700’s. Especially when I was in school, my credit rating plummeted because I wasn’t working to pay off my credit cards.
I noticed that as soon as we started attacking our credit debt, our credit scores shot up. When my husband and I first started our debt paying journey, we used the Snowball Method and paid off all our credit cards.
Paying off our credit balances dramatically increased our credit availability limit. Since this category makes up 30% of a FICO score, it was the factor that helped me get into the 800 score club.
Want to start getting yourself out of debt? We knocked out over $100,000 in just 24 month and you can find out some great tips to get yourself started too. Grab your free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp.
Credit Inquiries Impact Credit Score
Credit inquiries can make an impact on your credit score by a few points. If you were to open up many credit cards around the same time frame, it can affect your score significantly.
There are hard inquiries which directly impact your score and soft inquiries which doesn’t have an affect on it.
Hard inquiries generally can stay on your credit report for a little over two years.
Hard Inquiries on Credit
Opening up a cell phone plan
Applying for a mortgage
Applying for an auto loan
Opening up a credit card
Applying for a student loan
Requesting for a credit line increase
Getting a rental car with a debit card (possibly hard inquiry pull)
Applying for a personal loan
Applying for rental apartments
Soft Inquiries on Credit
Credit card companies automatically raising your credit limit
Pre-approval offer from a lender
Checking your own credit report
Suggestions:
If you need a loan for a car or mortgage, it’s better to shop around during a short time frame. Some scoring models will consider the multiple inquiries as a single inquiry if it’s done under a small time frame.
Check your credit report to make sure there are no other hard inquiries that you are not aware of. You may be able to have them removed if you didn’t authorize the credit pull.
Only apply for credit if you really need it.
Length of Your Credit History Matters
The length of your credit history has a 15% impact of your FICO credit score. The longer you have a credit line opened, the better it will help your score over time. Especially, if you’re making payments on time. It’ll be best not to close out any credit cards you have, even if you don’t plan on using them.
When we started paying off all our credit cards, I didn’t cancel our cards. Some of my cards are over 10 years old. All we did was pay off all balances and just leave them alone.
My husband actually canceled 1 credit card which he had for years not knowing it would impact his score. Next thing we knew, his score dropped and it hasn’t reached the 800’s as I have.
Monitor Your Credit
It’s always important to keep tabs on your credit report. There may be things on there that can have negative impacts on your score.
I check my credit report at least once a year just to make sure everything is in good standing and there are no errors.
One time, my information was associated with a completely random address. I had to correct that right away because that property had a lien associated with it. It was bizarre.
You can also check all your accounts to see if there are any delinquent payments posted. One of my student loans actually reported a 30-day late payment to the credit bureau without my knowledge. Delinquencies have a negative impact on your report and score and can stay on your report for up to 7 years.
I called up the student loan provider and had them reverse that initial report.
Suggestions:
Check your free credit report and score on Credit Karma
Get your free annual credit report on Annual Credit Report (only credit report, no credit score)
Fix any discrepancies on your credit report
If there are any delinquent payments, reach out to your loan provider and see if they can help you remove it
Give Your Score a Boost
If you’re looking for a boost to your credit score, you can give Experian Boost a try.
If you pay for your cell phone bills or utility payments through your checking account, Experian Boost considers that as on-time payments.
Since payment history makes up 35% of your FICO score, this can significantly help your credit score.
Experian Boost then pulls all your on-time payments to apply. The boost to your Experian score can take as little as 10 minutes.
What Bills Can You Use For Experian Boost?
Experian Boost won’t work for credit card bills. It has to be payments made from a checking or saving account.
On time payments:
Utility (gas, water, electricity)
Cell phone/Land line
Cable
Experian Boost gathers your on-time payments and applies it towards your payment history giving you a credit score boost.
What to Consider When Signing Up For Experian Boost
Experian Boost can definitely help your credit score. According to Experian’s website, 86% of users with a FICO score of 579 and below saw an average increase of 21 points.
Although, the service can help boost credit scores, it doesn’t have the same effect across the board for all.
Can only use a checking/saving account for assessment of on-time payments
Need at least 3 months worth of bill payment history
Must have at least one credit card or a loan on your credit report.
Experian Boost is 64% more effective with very poor to fair FICO scores compared to only 3% effectiveness for those with very good to exceptional FICO scores.
Just because your score increased doesn’t mean your lender will use the same exact FICO scoring model as the one from your report.
Adding on-time payments to your credit file with Experian won’t transfer over to TransUnion or Equifax.
Is Experian Boost Worth It?
It’s a free service that can potentially help your credit score and it doesn’t take long at all to set up. If your credit is within the poor to fair range, it may be more worth while to try it out. Just keep in mind that if you are applying for a loan, check to see if the lender uses Experian.
Bottom Line
Having great credit will only help you financially and in life. It can save you thousands of dollars in interest, help you get approved for jobs or apartment rentals. You can improve your credit score and get it up to the 800’s as I have.
Most importantly, creating a budget has helped me tremendously in making sure I have enough funds for bills. Set up auto payment if your bad with paying bills on time. It’s very important to not be late with payments since it has a very large impact on your credit score.
Check your credit history and score at Credit Karma and dispute any discrepancies on your report.
Don’t cancel long term credit cards as it will have a negative impact on your credit score.
Keep your debt balances low by using the snowball method to pay off your debt, especially your credit cards. I think this has been the major reason why my credit score broke the 800 mark and is now 836. What I do now is use only 1 credit card and pay it off in full each month. Having a large credit to debt ratio will help your score out significantly!
If you need a fast credit boost, you can try Experian Boost.
I hope you found some helpful tips here and you can also be on your way to the 800 score club, thanks for stopping by!
We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details.
It’s been 20 months into our debt free journey so far. We started off with $116,000 worth of debt. So far we’ve paid $77,750 off with $38,250 remaining. It’s amazing that we’ve paid off 2/3rd of our total debt so far in 20 months.
I have to admit that when we first jotted down all our debt in September, seeing the total number made us feel hopeless. I thought we would carry the debt for the rest of our lives.
My husband and I realized that taking small steps and using the right tools, it is possible to get out of debt.
If you’re reading this post for the first time, check out all the debt we had below.
September of 2018:
8 Credit Cards
1 Car Loan
2 Medical Loans
2 Student Loans
1 Personal Loan and 1 Personal Loan from family
Total $116,000
May 2020:
1 Student Loan
1 Personal Loan from family
Total $38,250
In 20 months, we got rid of $77,750 worth of debt. So what were the actionable steps we took to get this far?
We started budgeting using the zero based budget system.
Since COVID-19 started, my husband and I decided to slow down our debt paying progress at least until things get somewhat back to normal. From paying our usual “rollover money” of $1,600 towards debt, this month we paid $411.
We are paying $411 to my student loans while it’s in forbearance. Why? All payment made goes straight towards principal! This is actually a perfect time to be paying off student loans since any payment will not be split up towards interest and principal. I wish we could pay more of the student loan off but for now we will take things a little slower due to Covid.
We need to be conservative since my husband had a pay cut from his company and I can’t work extra temp jobs as I was planning to before COVID-19 hit.
Now, we are primarily saving mostly because you just can’t predict the future.
We still follow all the steps mentioned above to keep our debt payoff progress going. The most important part of the debt paying process is budgeting.
1 | Budget
I use the Zero Based Budget which has been extremely successful in helping us manage our money. If you want to use an app that tracks your spending automatically then use Personal Capital which is also a free app.
This is one thing I’d strongly recommend especially if you are undertaking your own debt free journey. Please save a good 2-6 month fund before throwing every single penny at debt. Erin and Steve also agrees, read about their debt free journey.
Not saying to hold off on paying debt completely, but make sure you also save for an emergency fund at the same time. Once you reach your ideal and safe emergency fund amount, then throw every extra penny at debt.
3 | Look For Savings
Ibotta
During my last shopping trip to Walmart, I got $8.75 cash back by using Ibotta. I use Ibotta because it’s so easy to use. I actually tried to coupon a while ago but it was too time consuming and I just couldn’t keep up with it.
What I like about Ibotta is choosing items I’m going to buy, upload my receipt, and get real cash back.
All you do is click on the “+” icon for the item that you plan to buy. It gets added to your list. Once you get your receipt, submit it to Ibotta, and the program will automatically match your list with the items on the receipt. Once you reach $20, redeem it for cash or gift cards.
Ibotta is an easy alternative for those who don’t want to go looking for coupons everywhere and also to get real cash back!
$8.75 cash back for one grocery shopping trip is not too shabby. Can’t complain about having more money in my pockets.
It’s these small savings that ultimately save you hundreds in the long run. It’s about making small decisions that add up over time.
Sign up for free at Ibotta and use the code YDIGCFJ to get your $20 welcome bonus
4 | Save on Food Costs
Do you know how much you spend on food costs each month?
This is where we were able to save hundreds in a month. We only buy convenience food on the weekends. Meal prepping during the weekday has saved us so much money.
If you need some ideas on recipes to cook, check these out:
I’ve read an article of someone who only spends $50 a month on outside food. All I can say is wow. It’s definitely possible with effort. We won’t go to that extreme because I think you have to find a happy medium between sacrifice and what you want.
That’s the key to staying motivated on any debt free journey. Things can’t be too difficult where you’re unable to follow through with the plan. Give yourself some freedom in your budget to enjoy things here and there. That can be going out to eat, fun money fund, vacation fund, clothing fund, and more.
With COVID-19 lingering around, it’s probably best to try to make extra side money safely.
Put money into a high yield savings account to earn money passively
Sell your clothes/furniture/toys/electronics on Ebay, Mercari, Letgo, or Nextdoor
Take online surveys for money Get your $10 sign up bonus today with Swagbucks
Be a freelancer on Fiverr and sell your skills including being a graphic designer, virtual assistant, photo editing, writing/editing/proofreading content, marketing, programming, SEO optimization, programming, transcription, other social media services
Make money losing weight on HealthyWageand other apps like Dietbet and Stickk. People make hundreds to thousands of dollars by challenging themselves to lose weight which creates a financial incentive.
Check out other ways to make extra money every month
Before you buy anything from a $5 to $1,000 item, ask yourself if you really need it. We stopped spending money frivolously just by purchasing things we actually really need rather than want.
Give yourself a budget for things you want.
For instance, we have a spot on our budget for categories like “fun”, “vacation”, “gifts for eachother”, etc.
If you really want those $100 shoes or $600 bag, plan and save up for it.
7 | Travel For Free
During our debt free journey, it was important for us to still have fun and travel. You don’t have to cancel all vacations and trips so that you can be debt free.
Find that happy medium to attain your goals without sacrificing your happiness.
Because of Covid-19, we probably won’t be traveling internationally this year just to be on the safe side.
When we do travel, we have 188,610 travel points to use up! That’s equal to $1,886 worth of points. Find out how we travel for free below.
We’re trying to save more money during this time because of Covid-19. We were able to pay $411 towards my student loan which brings our total payoff amount to $77,750 with a balance of $38,250.
I try to find savings where I can like using the Ibotta app when I grocery shop. It’s the little things but it can eventually add up to big bucks at the end of the year. Why not keep more money in your pockets.
Also, if your student loan is currently in forbearance, any payment made may go directly towards principal. Please confirm this information with your student loan provider. I definitely want to pay off as much of my last student loan as possible while the account is under forbearance to undertake this opportunity.
Are you ready to start your own debt free journey? Get started by grabbing this free Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp to pay off $500 worth of debt in your first month.
We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details.
Has the thought ever crossed your mind that it may be awesome to have a blog to call your own? Maybe you're really passionate about something, or you want to share your knowledge, and even maybe you've read blogging success stories of people making thousands of dollars a month from blogging.
Starting a blog can be a great hobby or it can also earn you major income. It all depends on which direction you want to go in. Either way, blogging can be very fun. There are days where I can spend hours working on my blog but it doesn't feel like a drag, time definitely flies by way too fast.
I guess when you enjoy doing something, it doesn't feel like work at all.
The best part about starting a blog is how very inexpensive it is. You can start a FREE WordPress blog starting today. It's really that easy. You may be wondering what is WordPress?
WHAT IS WORDPRESS?
WordPress is a blog and website creation tool where you can create and customize your content. It may be a website you want to create for your business or create blog posts for your personal blog page.
To think of it simply, WordPress is like a house where you can customize and renovate it and add furniture (content) to your heart's desire. However, a house sits on land. That's where Bluehost comes in.
It is your OWN site and can't be deleted at a whim
No need to worry about this at the moment. When you sign up with Bluehost, WordPress.org is what you will be using.
WHAT IS BLUEHOST?
Bluehost is a web hosting provider. Think of it like the land where the house sits on. Through Bluehost you choose your domain name (website name). Once you sign up with Bluehost, WordPress is then free to be used as your platform. The best part about starting your own free WordPress blog with Bluehost is that the fee is extremely inexpensive!
I absolutely LOVE Bluehost! I mean it! Their customer service rocks! If I ever had questions about my site, I can chat with a representative at any hour of the day or night.
Just the other day, I reached out to a rep at 11:30 at night and had my question answered.
Bluehost reps are the ones that helped me get my site up and running when I first started out and had no clue what I was doing. They're really amazing. For $3.95 a month to start a blog/website/e-commerce page it's totally worth it plus more!
Bluehost Benefits
Low rates- Starting at $3.95 a month to host your website (plan I still use till this day)
Awesome customer service
Easy setup and integration with WordPress
Free WordPress site included
Starting your site with Bluehost is an awesome option for beginners and if you don't get a lot of traffic to your site in the beginning.
Bluehost is highly recommended for those just starting out because their reps go above and beyond to help you get the ball rolling.
Once the traffic to your site starts picking up or you need super premium hosting service, then I would recommend WPEngine down the road.
WPEngine offers great customer service, fast site speeds, and comes with all the bells and whistles when it comes to web hosting.
HOW TO START A FREE WORDPRESS BLOG ON BLUEHOST
First you need to head to Bluehost site to register your domain name and sign up for your website hosting. Bluehost if offering a 50% discount at a very low rate of $3.95 a month compared to $7.99 a month for this service. For their level of service, easy-to-use platform, plus a free WordPress site, it can't get any better than that.
If you're just starting out, choose the basic plan. You always have the option of upgrading your plan later if you need to. The basic plan should be more than enough.
Choose your domain (website) name
You can choose your domain (website) name at this point, or come back to it if you can't think of a good name yet. Also, you always have the option of changing your website name later if you're not happy with what you chose to begin with.
Create Your Account and Pick Your Plan
Within the basic plan, you can sign up for a 12 month plan, 24 month plan, or 36 month plan. When I first signed up with Bluehost, I chose the 36 month plan because I wanted the cheapest monthly cost possible. That is basically $3.95 per month, $47.40 for the year or $142.20 for 36 months. I pay triple in my cable bill for one month compared to what I pay for in a whole year to run my blog.
If you're not sure about a 36 month plan, you can always try it for 12 months which will be $5.95 a month or $71.40 for the year. That's still a really good price to run a website that you can call your own.
To get the cheapest rate, signing up for the 36 month plan would be the best option.
After choosing your plan, there may be some 'Package Extras' that could be automatically checked off. I wouldn't sign up for those tools just yet. First, get your website up and running and you can always download free 'Plugins' to meet your website maintenance needs. You can always sign up for those recommended programs by Bluehost later if you need to.
Install Free WordPress Blog
After signing up with Bluehost, your free WordPress blog and website will be automatically installed. That's another reason why Bluehost is awesome, everything is very simple to use on their platform.
Choosing Your Theme
First, you will be prompted to choose your theme. There will be lots and lots of free themes to choose from. There will also be premium themes available at a cost. You can choose the theme that you like the most.
When I first started my free WordPress blog, I chose a free theme but quickly ended up with a premium theme. Surprisingly enough, using a free theme was actually a lot harder than using a premium theme.
I found that I had to manually try to "build" a page having to customize every single thing which made it extremely difficult for me since I was completely new to the coding/web page building world.
A premium theme was incredibly easy to use. Everything from the home page, posts, contact pages were already beautifully styled and all I had to do was change wording around.
For people that are new to blogging/website creation, I HIGHLY recommend a premium theme. Save your time, frustration, and energy to create what's valuable which is your content!
For my site I use Thrive Architect theme which you can get get HERE.
I'm stating this from experience but for a good part of the first year of starting this blog, I had another theme which I paid around $50 for it.
It was decent enough where I was able to easily design my pages as needed but as time went on I started noticing that the design of my website was hugely limited compared with Thrive.
As you start your blogging career, you'll begin to realize that any little thing you need as far as appearances go for your site, you may need to start getting plug-ins.
Keep in mind that the less plug-ins you have on your site, the better because a lot of plug-ins actually bog down your site and slow it down.
After months and months of messing with plug-ins and being frustrated with the lack of customization for this site, I came across Thrive and it's been amazing guys!
Thrive is literally the all in one package to help you launch a beautiful site with tons of pre-designed pages. Also, you'll find their page design/builder is extremely easy to use. Even a non-techie and beginner like me was able to design my own site.
Thrive can literally help you save hundreds or more because you won't need to hire designers or buy expensive programs if you want to do more advanced stuff like make courses or create sales pages for your site.
Thrive is all you need! I'm seriously in love with this theme builder and it's so easy to use.
You can get a beautiful site up with Thrive, it's really an amazing tool to use.
So, I HIGHLY suggest for you to try Thrive and save yourself hair pulling, frustration, and wasted time using other themes.
Navigating WordPress
Once you arrive at the "Welcome to WordPress" page, click on "Business" or "Personal" depending on what you want your site to be about. For blogs, I would choose the "Personal" option.
Awesome, now you're all ready to get started creating great content!
Just to familiarize yourself with the platform, let's go over a few things you may see on your navigation bar on the left.
Posts- Primarily used for your blog content.
Media-Upload your pictures, videos, and other media files for your site
Pages- This is where you go to create your homepage, contact page, about me page, and more.
Comments-Check recently posted comments on your site.
Appearance-This is where you can go to customize the layout of your site by changing themes or adding in widgets.
Plugins-Offer extra add-ons to your site if you want specific forms, back-up programs, gallery display, number counters, calendars, graphs, and so much more. There's a plugin for EVERYTHING. You will find all sorts of plugins specific to your site's needs.
There you have it, now you know how to start a free WordPress blog through Bluehost. It's simple and easy to sign up. Bluehost has awesome customer service and they will help you with any concerns you may have. $3.95 a month is so worth having your own beautiful blog and website to call your own.
If you have any questions at all, I'll do my best to help you out. Reach out to me here.
Alright, now you're ready to put yourself out there and share with the world!
We partner with some awesome companies that offer products which can help our readers. If you make a purchase through one of our partner links, we may receive a commission at absolutely no additional cost to you! Please see my Policy & Disclosure page for full details.
We live in a society where it’s normal and encouraged to use borrowed money to sustain our lives. We often learn that it’s okay to get what we want NOW and pay it back later. This kind of mentality ultimately hurts us in the long run. What we often don’t realize is that the money we borrow accumulates interest that ultimately makes the lender richer not us! It’s time to flip things around by getting out of debt so that we keep more of our hard earned money back in our pockets. Today’s debt free story of Erin and Steve’s $110,427 debt journey shows us exactly how they were able to turn things around.
Erin and Steve at their favorite place in the world Empire, MI
Meet Erin and Steve! Erin, 35, is a Business Intelligence Manager and also behind WholeFitPlantBased on Instagram. Steven, 36, is a Brewery Cellarman. They are huge outdoor enthusiasts who love to camp, hike, mountain bike, kayak, paddleboard, and Steve is even learning to kiteboard right now. They are also both Vegan and very passionate about their health. Besides loving the outdoor life and being health conscious, they defeated over $110,000 worth of debt!
They were like any average American with loads of debt ranging from student loans, credit cards, and car loans. Having a whopping total debt amount of $110,427.87 cents to be exact. They didn’t look at that number and just give up, they decided to make a change and become debt free. Learn more about the debt free story of Erin and Steve’s financial journey and how they became debt free!
Debt Free Story of Erin and Steve
Erin Wisneski, 35 years old, Business Intelligence Manager
Steven, 36 years old, Brewery Cellarman
From: Spring Lake, MI
Total Debt: $110,427.87 of debt not including the mortgage
Total Time to be Debt Free: 4 Years and 2 Months
1 | How much debt did you have to start with? How long did it take to pay off?
In March of 2016 we had $110,427.87 of debt not including our mortgage. This took us 4 years and 2 months to pay off.
Debt progress chart provided by Erin and Steve
2 | When did you first decide to start your debt free journey?
We officially started throwing extra money at the debt above the minimum payments in March of 2016.
Someone at work had told me to look into Dave Ramsey’s method about 4 years prior to this when I told them about how much debt I was in.
I looked at it but couldn’t find the right way to start.
We had so many dreams we wanted to accomplish for our lives and this debt was a huge hindrance to those dreams.
We finally decided to focus on paying off our debt in March of 2016 after reading The Total Money Makeover.
Using the Ramsey principles we quickly saved up our $1,000Emergency Fund and then started throwing as much money as we could each month to the debt.
3 | What was your debt consisted of?
Steve’s Student Loan
$ 1 K
3 Credit Cards + Private Loan (Private Loan used to pay off a CC)
$ 17.5 K
Car
$ 11 K
Erin’s Student Loans (5 Private + 1 Federal Loan)
$ 81 K
I also need to add in that life happened during this time.
We were able to successfully cash flow the following items in the past 4 years during our debt payoff
Vehicle Repairs
* Note this didn’t all happen at once. This “lemon” vehicle kept having issues and seemed to always cost us $1k or more to fix each time. We finally threw our hands and gave up and replaced it in 2018
$ 12 K
Replaced the “lemon” vehicle with a used vehicle
$ 15 K
Replaced Water Heater
$ 500
New Washer and Dryer
$ 400
New Roof (enforced by our condo association)
$ 2 K
4 | What was your income range throughout the debt free journey?
We started at about $90k in household income in 2016.
Last year (2019) we had $125k in household income.
5 | Are there any specific things you did to help pay down debt?
First, we tracked what we were spending money on. This was eye opening as we really had no idea what all of our money was going to each month.
After we tracked our expenses for a couple of months, we identified areas we could cut down or take out of the budget.
I also found a great spreadsheet template that allowed me to list all of our debts and based on our average monthly snowball payment, could predict when we would be out of debt.
Originally the spreadsheet told us it would take 3 years to pay off this debt, but life happens and we had some unexpected expenses along the way, so it took us 4 years instead.
This was a great starting point for us but it wasn’t perfect.
Last year I discovered the YNAB app and this app really helped us make our final push.
We paid off a lot more this year using the YNAB app than the Every Dollar App.
7 | Do you like the Snowball or Avalanche method to pay down debt?
At first when we had 12 separate debts to tackle I really liked the snowball method.
This method allowed us to get some emotional wins that we desperately needed to stay motivated. But when we were down to the last few debts we changed our method a little to what worked for us.
We had to replace a vehicle in 2018 and I decided to shift paying off our car loan sooner so that we could more easily sell the old car.
8 | How did you stay motivated throughout your debt free journey?
I would listen to the Dave Ramsey Podcast almost everyday on my commute to work.
Thedebt free screams were really motivating, especially when people had similar incomes/debt as us.
We would focus on our future dreams and goals whenever we said “no” and remember the reasons we were doing this.
9 |How has your life changed from before and after the paying off debt?
Our lives have changed drastically.
This debt free journey has really taught us that experiences are worth more than materialistic things.
We have learned patience and simplicity.
We don’t compare ourselves to others and try to focus on doing things and buying things that truly make us happy and add value to our life.
10 | Was there anything you wish you did differently during the debt free journey?
There were 2 things I wish we had done differently and differ from the Ramsey Principles.
1 | I wish we had built a larger Emergency Fund first before paying off debt instead of only the $1000. We thankfully have been very lucky to have never had to dip into those funds, but based on the current climate (COVID-19) I would feel less at risk than I do now.
2 | I also wish we had been contributing to our 401ks during this time to at least get the company match. We missed out on some free money and valuable compound interest time.
11 | How does it feel to be debt free or close to?
It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders.
I feel like we can accomplish anything we set our mind to.
We are so excited for the future.
12 | Would you like to offer any words of encouragement to other readers?
Paying off debt is not easy and there is no miracle pill to fix this.
It probably took you years to accumulate the debt you have, it’s not going to go away overnight.
It takes time, patience, and a lot of willpower.
I encourage you to just take one day one step at a time.
When life happens don’t throw your hands up and give up. Move through the bad times and focus on your future life goals.
You can do this.
And most important, try to surround yourself with people that support your dreams and goals. Don’t waste your energy on other people’s opinions.
It is truly amazing what anyone can accomplish as long as they put their minds to it and persevere. This debt free story of Erin and Steve shows us that anything is possible. They were able to dig themselves out of $110,427 worth of debt, how astounding is that?!
What we can learn from Erin and Steve is how important it is to set a clear goal, budget, and use the proper debt payoff strategy to accomplish the debt free life. Two key factors to keep in mind is to save a larger emergency fund before throwing everything you have at debt. Secondly, take advantage of compound interest and free money by investing in your company’s investment account (especially if they match).
Erin and Steve shows us that no matter how bleak things may seem financially, hold your head up and focus taking it one step at a time. Thank you both so much for sharing your awesome debt free story with us! Hopefully it will provide us with more encouragement and motivation for each of us to get through our own debt free journeys.
If you want to reach Erin or Steve, connect with them at WholeFitPlantBased on Instagram!
Ready to start your own debt free journey? Today’s the day to make that change in your life. Start with this free gift – Debt Thermometer and join us in the free 5-Day Debt Free Bootcamp to begin knocking out debt ASAP.