Lifestyle

Air Fryer Recipes that’s Healthy and Low Carb for Dinner

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Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean you’ll never get to eat some of your fav crispy foods. Sure, we all know that eating fried food isn’t the best for us but there’s just something about the sound of eating crispy food that makes it so much more appealing.

Surprisingly, you don’t ever have to deep fry anything ever again and still get that crispy goodness.

If you’ve never tried an air fryer, you’ve got to try one, it’ll change your life in the best way possible!

I was skeptical when it came to air fryers at first and had to go through a couple to find just the right one. Once I came across the right one, it changed the whole meal game for me.

I love the air fryer because it allows you to get the crispiness of some of your favorite foods, cuts cooking time by a ton (I can literally throw frozen wings in my Cosori Air Fryer and it cooks in 30 minutes), and it also has so many different features like baking, roasting, etc.

One thing to keep in mind when buying your air fryer is that you need a large one because you need to space out your food items for it to cook evenly.

For instance, if I were cooking wings, I can literally load up my Cosori Air Fryer and cook it at once. When I had a smaller Ninja Air Fryer, I had to cook it batches at a time which took a long time to get the meal ready.

If you’re looking for a great Air Fryer, I recommend the Cosori one because I’ve had mine for years already and it’s been just awesome!

CosoriAirFryer

If you already have an air fryer or are just curious to see what kind of recipes are out there, below are 30 of the best air fryer recipes that’s healthy and low carb for dinner.

If you need more keto or low-carb dinner recipes that doesn’t involve the air fryer, check out my other post:

20 Easy Keto Low Carb Recipes For Dinner

1 | Keto Air Fryer Pork Chops

MyFinancialHill Keto Air Fryer Pork Chops Butter Sage Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from All Day I dream About Food

Have delicious pork chops for dinner made from the air fryer. Get this recipe at All Day I Dream About Food. All you need to make this is boneless pork chops, butter, salt + pepper, and sage.

2 | Air Fryer Jerk Chicken Wings

MyFinancialHill Keto Air Fryer Jerk Chicken Wings Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from My Forking Life

Spice up your dinner with these jerk chicken wings from My Forking Life. All you need to make this recipe is chicken wings, jerk seasoning, and salt.

3 | Air Fryer Keto Low Carb Fried Chicken Recipe

MyFinancialHill Keto Low Carb Fried Chicken Recipe Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Wholesome Yum

You can still have crispy fried chicken minus all the excess carbs, get the recipe at Wholesome Yum. All you need to make this are chicken drums, coconut flour, sea salt, black pepper, eggs, pork rinds, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and dried thyme.

4 | Keto and Low Carb Breaded Air Fryer Shrimp

MyFinancialHill Keto Low Carb Breaded Air Fryer Shrimp Recipe Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Dr. Davinah’s Eats

Try this shrimp recipe from Dr. Davinah’s Eats without worrying about heavy carbs from regular breading. All you need for this recipe is shrimp, baking powder, coconut flour, pork rind breading, sea salt, black pepper, eggs, dried parsley, and olive oil.

5 | Air Fryer Buffalo Wings Low Carb Keto

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Buffalo Wings Low Carb Keto Recipe Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Maebells

There are alternatives to getting delicious buffalo wings without needing to deep fry them. Get this recipe at Maebells. All you need for this recipe are wings, baking powder, salt + pepper, garlic powder, buffalo sauce, butter, garlic, and apple cider vinegar.

6 | Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Cook The Story

Try this ‘Bang Bang Shrimp’ recipe from Cook The Story without all the excess oil that comes with deep frying. All you need for this recipe is Shrimp, Thai chili sauce, mayo, Sriracha, honey or honey substitute, salt + pepper, buttermilk, and cornstarch.

7 | Air Fryer Breaded Pork Chops

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Low Carb Tuna Patties Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Recipes From A Pantry

There’s no need for heavy breading in this recipe, it uses almond flour which has significantly less carbs than regular breading. Get this recipe at Recipes From A Pantry. All you need for this recipe is pork chops, almond flour, Parmesan cheese, paprika, Herbes de Provence, Creole Seasoning or Cajun seasoning, and cooking spray.

8 | Air Fryer Low Carb Tuna Patties

Try this tuna patty recipe from Whole Kitchen Sink. All you need for this recipe is canned tuna in water, almond flour, mayo, dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt + pepper, and lemon.

9 | Air Fryer Catfish

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Catfish Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Stay Snatched

Don’t miss out on fried fish! You can have a less greasy version of fried fish from Stay Snatched. All you need to make this dish is catfish fillets, Louisiana fish fry mix made for the air fryer, and olive oil.

10 | Air Fryer Chicken Breast

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Chicken Breast Healthy Low Carb Dinner

This chicken breast recipe from Diet Hood can go with any healthy side like salad, cauliflower rice, or zoodles. All you need to make this is chicken breasts, water, kosher salt, olive oil cooking spray, ground pepper, garlic powder, sweet paprika, and dried oregano.

11 | Air Fryer Whitefish

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Whitefish or Tilapia Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Best Recipe Box

Pair this Whitefish recipe from Best Recipe Box with cauliflower rice for a delicious light dinner. All you need for this recipe is tilapia or white fish, garlic powder, lemon pepper, onion powder, kosher salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and lemon wedges.

12 | Air Fryer Chicken Fajita Dinner

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Chicken Fajita Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Cook The Story

Have a Fajita night with this recipe from Cook The Story. Swap out the tortillas and have it with a side of salad or cauliflower rice. All you need for this recipe is chicken breasts, bell peppers, onion, olive oil, chili powder, salt + pepper, cumin, and cayenne.

13 | Air Fryer Vegetable Kabobs

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Vegetable Kebabs Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Recipes From A Pantry

Don’t want to eat meat for dinner? Try this vegetable kabob recipe instead from Recipes From A Pantry. For this recipe, you need skewers, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, ground cumin, onion, and salt.

14 | Air Fryer Salmon Cakes

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Salmon Cakes Healthy Low Carb Dinner

Try these healthy salmon cakes from Berry Maple. All you need for this recipe is salmon, eggs, salt, garlic powder, and lemon.

15 | Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from My Forking Life

Try this delicious coconut shrimp with a side of veggies from My forking Life for an easy dinner. All you need for this recipe is shrimp, eggs, flour, unsweetened shredded coconut, Panko breadcrumbs, salt + pepper, and cooking spray. Try subbing out the flour with almond flour and the Panko breadcrumbs with low carb breadcrumbs for an even healthier version of this recipe.

Like what you see so far? Share the love by pinning below! Find 15 more delicious air fryer recipes that’s healthy and low carb for dinner on the next page!



Ready for 15 more air fryer recipes that’s healthy and low carb for dinner? Find more delicious recipes below!

16 | Air Fryer Stuffed Baby Artichokes

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Stuffed Baby Artichokes Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Wholesome Yum

If you love artichokes, you’ve got to try this recipe from Wholesome Yum. All you need to make this is baby artichokes, water, lemon juice, olive oil, salt + pepper, cream cheese, frozen spinach, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.

17 | Air Fryer Steak Bites with Mushrooms

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Steak Bites with Mushrooms Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Best Recipe Box

Try this simple and delicious low carb recipe from Best Recipe Box for dinner. All you need for this recipe is steak, mushrooms, butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt + pepper, and minced parsley.

18 | Air Fryer Keto Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Keto Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Maebells

Get your veggie serving and low carb meal with this recipe from Maebells. All you need is zucchini, chicken, cream cheese, ranch, shredded cheddar, buffalo sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

19 | Air Fryer Pork Loin

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Pork Loin Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Stay Snatched

Try this low carb recipe for dinner from Stay Snatched. You can pair the pork loin with mashed cauliflower, or any type of vegetable you prefer. All you need for this recipe is pork loin, Italian vinaigrette marinade, rosemary, thyme, Italian seasoning, and salt + pepper.

20 | Air Fryer Panko Breaded Low-Fat Chicken Parmesan

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Panko Breaded Low Fat Chicken Parmesan Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Stay Snatched

You can still have chicken parm without worrying about it being deep fried, how great is that? Check out this recipe from Stay Snatched. All you need to make this is chicken breast, Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, egg, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, Salt + Pepper, and olive oil.

Note: To make this dish even more carb-friendly, swap out the Panko bread crumbs with low carb breading and try low-carb marinara sauce.

21 | Air Fryer General Tso Chicken

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer General Tso Chicken Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from KLEINWORTH & CO.

You can still enjoy your general tso’s without all the extra oil. Get the recipe from KLEINWORTH & CO. All you need for this recipe is chicken breast, soy sauce, cornstarch, scallion, sesame seeds, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, chicken broth, sriracha, and hoisin sauce.

22 | Juicy Air Fryer Turkey Burgers

MyFinancialHill Juicy Air Fryer Turkey Burgers Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from My Forking Life

Try this turkey burger recipe out in the air fryer rather than messing with the grill. Get the recipe from My Forking Life. All you need for this recipe is ground turkey, unsweetened apple sauce, onion, ranch seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, plain breadcrumbs, and salt + pepper.

Note: Try low-carb buns for this recipe and you can swap out the plain breadcrumbs for low-carb breadcrumbs instead.

23 | Air Fryer Bone-In Ribeye Steak

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Bone-In Ribeye Steak Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Sandras Easy Cooking

Interested in steak night? Try this awesome steak recipe from Sandras Easy Cooking. All you need to make this is ribeye, butter, parsley, chives, thyme, Kosher salt, and black pepper.

24 | Perfect Air Fryer Salmon

MyFinancialHill Perfect Air Fryer Salmon Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Noble Pig

Get your healthy dose of Omega 3’s with this salmon recipe from Noble Pig. All you need to make this is salmon filets, avocado oil or olive oil, paprika, salt + pepper, and lemon.

25 | Air Fryer Chicken Shwarma Bowl

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Chicken Shwarma Bowl Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Recipes From A Pantry

Enjoy delicious flavors of the Middle East with this chicken shwarma from Recipes From A Pantry. All you need to make this recipe is chicken thighs, vegetable oil, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, kosher salt, allspice, cherry tomatoes, cauliflower rice, cucumber, salad, and olives.

26 | Air Fryer Chicken Kebabs

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Chicken Kebabs Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and Recipe from Stay Snatched

Try this super easy chicken kebab recipe from Stay Snatched. All you need for this recipe is chicken breasts, soy sauce or liquid aminos, McCormick’s Grill Mates Chicken Seasoning, McCormick’s Grill Mates BBQ Seasoning, Salt + Pepper, green/yellow/red pepper, zucchini, onion, and grape tomatoes.

27 | Low Carb Air Fryer Meatloaf

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Meatloaf Healthy Low Carb Dinner

Try this low carb meatloaf with a side of mashed cauliflower from Stylish Cravings. All you need for this is ground chuck, onion, almond flour, shredded cheddar cheese, eggs, tomato sauce, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt + pepper.

28 | Air Fryer Stuffed Turkey Breast

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Stuffed Turkey Breast Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Best Recipe Box

Try this healthy air fryer stuffed turkey recipe from Best Recipe Box. All you need is turkey breasts, salt + pepper, bacon, mushrooms, onion, garlic, kale or spinach, dried thyme, dried sage, kosher salt, and Parmesan cheese.

29 | Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes

MyFinancialHill Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from My Forking Life

Try this delicious crab cake recipe from My Forking Life. All you need to make this is lump crab meat, red bell pepper, green onion, mayo, bread crumbs (try low carb bread crumbs), Dijon mustard, old bay seasoning, cooking spray, and lemon.

30 | Air Fryer Baby Back Ribs

MyFinancialHill Air Fryer Baby Back Ribs Healthy Low Carb Dinner
Photo and recipe from Sandras Easy Cooking

No need to mess with grilling with this baby back ribs recipe from Sandras Easy Cooking. All you need to make this is baby back ribs, liquid smoke, oil, kosher salt, ground black pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and Truvia brown sugar.

Now you’ve discovered some of the best air fryer recipes that’s healthy and low carb for dinner. Who would’ve thought the air fryer can still make it possible to eat all your favorite fried foods? Let us know which of these recipes you’re looking forward to trying by sharing a comment below!


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45 Healthy Weight Loss Recipes To Get Slimmer
Lifestyle

Healthy Weight Loss Smoothie Recipes To Get Slimmer

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. 

Smoothies are just plain awesome! They’re great for on-the-go meals or just for times when you don’t feel like cooking up a big meal only to clean tons of dishes after. Not only do they taste delicious, they’re often loaded with vitamins and minerals depending on what you put in there. Some store bought smoothies can be loaded with fattening and heavy ingredients which may hinder any weight loss journey you may be on. Smoothies can be good for weight loss and fat burning depending on the recipe.

Smoothies can give you daily serving of vegetables and fruits while helping you lose weight. It will be best to add smoothies to your daily regimen along with a well balanced diet and exercise to really achieve weight loss. Smoothies can curb your appetite by adding protein powders to keep you full longer. Some natural ingredients may even help you burn fat easier and kick start your metabolism.

Smoothies are so simple to make too! Before you get started, make sure you have the right Blender for max efficiency. If you end up making a large batch of the smoothie, store it in cups and place them in the freezer. The night before, I will defrost the frozen smoothie in the refrigerator and it will be ready to go the next morning. Plus I love using frozen fruit and vegetables because there’s no cooking involved, it’s perfect for rushed mornings. These 45 healthy weight loss smoothie recipes will give you plenty of ideas that will last you a while, enjoy!

1 | Fat Burning Smoothie

Fat-Burning-Green-Smoothie-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie Recipes
Photo and recipe from Simple Green Smoothies

This smoothie is a metabolism booster and fat burner according to Simple Green Smoothies. All you need to make this is spinach, mint leaves, celery, green tea, grapefruit, pineapple, and avocado.

2 | Metabolism Boosting Smoothie

Metabolism-Boosting-Smoothie-Green-Tea-Coconut-Milk-Spinach-Banana-Grapefruit-Pineapple-Whey-Protein-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie Recipes
Photo and recipe from Sunkissed Kitchen

This smoothie is sure to give your metabolism a kick-start. It’s packed with lots of nutrients proven to help with weight loss according to Sunkissed Kitchen. All you need is green tea, coconut milk, spinach, banana, grapefruit, pineapple, ice, and whey protein.

3 | Skinny Almond Butter Banana Smoothie

Skinny-Almond-Butter-Banana-Smoothie-Almond-Milk-Chia-Seeds-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie Recipes

Swap out your heavy deserts with this healthy and savory smoothie from Simple Green Moms. It’s easy to make and all you need to make this is frozen bananas, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, almond butter, and chia seeds.

4 | Metabolism Boosting Blueberry Smoothie

Metabolism-Boosting-Blueberry-Smoothie-Spinach-Banana-Flaxseed-Chia-Seed-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie Recipes
Photo and recipe from Suburban Simplicity

This smoothie is packed with antioxidants from the blueberries and other nutrients like fiber, folate, and vitamin C from the added spinach according to Suburban Simplicity. This smoothie is sure to give your metabolism a boost. All you need to make this is protein powder, unsweetened almond milk, ice, blueberries, spinach leaves, banana, and ground flaxseed or chia seeds.

5 | Protein-Packed Keto Breakfast Smoothie for Weight Loss

Protein-Packed-Keto-Breakfast-Smoothie-Berries-Flaxseed-Cottage-Cheese-Vanilla-Extract-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie Recipes

This healthy weight loss smoothie recipe is packed with protein, antioxidants, vitamins, essential minerals, and healthy omega-3’s according to keto pots. Instead of eating a heavy breakfast, try this smoothie instead. All you need to make this smoothie is berries, flaxseed meal, ice, almond milk, cottage cheese, vanilla protein powder, vanilla extract, and liquid Stevia.

6 | Skinny Mint Smoothie

Skinny-Mint-Spinach-Banana-Avocado-Dates-Cacao-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie-Recipes
Photo and recipe from Simple Green Smoothies

Try this minty and delicious smoothie without all the excess calories but packed with nutrients instead. Get the recipe at Simple Green Smoothies. All you need for this recipe is unsweetened almond milk, spinach, mint leaves, banana, avocado, dates, and cacao powder.

7 | Super Berry Weight Loss Smoothie

Super-Berry-Almond-Milk-Bananas-Berries-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie-Recipes
Photo and recipe from Nutrition Twins

This refreshing smoothie is delightfully sweet and packed with antioxidants, fiber and protein as stated on Nutrition Twins. All you need to make this is almond milk, bananas, berries, and protein powder.

8 | Fat Burning Strawberry and Mango Smoothie

Fat-Burning-Strawberry-Mango-Coconut-Water-Ginger-Root-Cinnamon-Cayenne-Pepper-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie-Recipes

Get this fat burning smoothie at Hello Glow. This smoothie has fat burning ingredients like Cayenne and Cinnamon as stated on their site. All you need to make this refreshing smoothie is coconut water, strawberries, mango, ginger root, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.

9 | Fat Burning Chocolate Smoothie

Peanut-Butter-Oatmeal-Almond-Milk-Cinnamon-Cayenne-Liquid-Stevia-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie-Recipes

If you love chocolate, then this recipe is perfect for you. It’s packed with protein and has the sweetness from bananas which will help your sweet tooth. Primally Inspired has this fat burning smoothie recipe. All you need to make this is coconut milk, banana, leafy greens, and protein powder.

10 | Peanut Butter Oatmeal Smoothie for Weight Loss

Photo and recipe from Flaxseed and Fairytales

This smoothie should keep you full with added protein and rolled oats. Plus it has a bit of cayenne and cinnamon which aids in fat burning and weight loss as stated on Flaxseed and Fairytales. All you need to make this smoothie is rolled oats, banana, almond milk, peanut butter, protein powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and liquid Stevia.

11 | Slim Down Smoothie with Avocado and Spinach

Slim-Down-Smoothie-Avocado-Spinach-Banana-Peanut-Butter-Coconut-Almond-Milk-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie-Recipes

Learn how to make your slim down smoothie at Elevate Fit Coach. All you need to make this is avocado, spinach, banana, peanut butter, vanilla whey protein, coconut almond milk, and ice.

12 | Green Keto Smoothie

Green-Keto-Avocado-Kale-Cucumber-Ginger-Coconut-Water-Chia-Seeds-MCT-Oil-Stevia-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie-Recipes
Photo and recipe from Appetite For Energy

This smoothie recipe from Appetite For Energy is full of healthy fats and veggies as stated on their site. It also can help with weight loss and burning fat. All you need is avocado, kale, cucumber, ginger root, coconut water, water, ice, chia seeds, MCT oil, and liquid stevia.

13 | Skinny Cherry Banana Smoothie

Skinny-Cherry-Banana-Greek-Yogurt-Milk-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie-Recipes
Photo and recipe from Inside BruCrew Life

This smoothie is packed with protein and fruit which will help keep you full longer, find the recipe at Inside BruCrew Life. All you need to make this is cherries, banana, greek yogurt, fat free milk, and protein powder.

14 | Flat Belly Blueberry Basil Smoothie

Flat-Belly-Blueberry-Basil-Banana-Almond-Milk-Greek-Yogurt-Lemon-Juice-Flaxseed-Almond-Butter-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie-Recipes

This smoothie is loaded with bloat fighting nutrients, get the recipe at Eating Bird Food. To make this smoothie, you need blueberries, banana, almond milk, basil, greek yogurt, lemon juice, ground flaxseed, and almond butter.

15 | Weight Loss Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie

Chocolate-Strawberry-Almond-Butter-Honey-Skim-Milk-Banana-Healthy-Weight-Loss-Smoothie-Recipes

This smoothie will give you a protein boost and leave you feeling energized according to Driscolls. All you need to make this smoothie is strawberries, almond butter, honey or agave nectar, skim milk, chocolate protein powder, banana, and ice.

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20 Easy Keto Low Carb Recipes For Dinner - MYFINANCIALHILL
Lifestyle

20 Easy Keto Low Carb Recipes For Dinner

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. 

Dinner is by far the best and most delicious but heavy meals of the day. There’s so much variety for dinner options it’s unlimited on what you can do. Sometimes dinner meals can be very heavy but why make it worse by loading it up with carb filled meals? Choose easy keto low carb recipes to make dinner somewhat better for you. So, what’s dinner without pasta, rice, or potatoes? There’s plenty of delicious keto-friendly and low carb options for dinner. Matter of fact, there’s a list of 20 scrumptious easy keto low carb recipes to choose from. What’s even better is that all these recipes are super easy to make and not complicated at all with less than 8 ingredients. Enjoy!

By the way, if you ever get stuck on what to make for the week then check out $5 Meal Plan. They send you weekly meal plan recipes, ingredients list, and a nutritional breakdown so that it helps you save time and money when it comes to meal planning. Plus they’re offering a free 14 day trial right now, after the trial it’s $5 a month. It’s good for people who don’t like to spend so much time trying to come up with new things to make.

1 | Keto Low Carb Tacos

Have a taco night without the carb filled tacos! Find out how to make keto friendly shells that’s made with cheese. All you need is cheese, protein choice, taco seasoning, and tomatoes and chiles. Find this recipe at Plain Chicken.

2 | Honey Garlic Shrimp Skillet

Recipe and Image from The Cooking Jar

How does sweet and savory shrimp sound for dinner? All you need is shrimp, garlic, ginger, honey, and soy sauce. Find the recipe at The Cooking Jar.

Note: Honey in the recipe from The Cooking Jar may throw off your low carb goal but I’ve come across Pyure which is an organic and vegan honey alternative with 4g of NET carbs. Substitute the honey with Pyure and pair the dish with cauliflower rice to make it more low carb friendly.

3 | Asian Soup With Ginger

Recipe and photo from Kalyns Kitchen

In the mood for some healthy soup? All you need on hand is chicken broth, ginger, mushrooms, spinach, and onions. Find the recipe at Kalyns Kitchen.

4 | Sesame Crusted Salmon

Recipe and photo from The Cooking Jar

Get your healthy dose of Omega 3’s by eating salmon. For this dish all you need is salmon, poppy seeds, toasted sesame seeds, minced garlic, minced onion, and sea salt. Get the recipe at The Cooking Jar.

5 | Chicken with Rosemary Butter Sauce

Recipe and Photo from Lets Dish Recipes

How does delicious chicken with rosemary sound? All you need is chicken, butter, chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, and of course the rosemary. Get the recipe at Lets Dish Recipes.

6 | Chicken Tikka Masala

This super simple meal will cook up in no time plus it’s keto-friendly. All you need is chicken, olive oil, masala sauce, and cauliflower rice. Find the recipe at Organically Addison.

7 | Low Carb Mongolian Beef

Photo and recipe from Noshtastic

Make this savory dish for your family tonight. All you need is flat iron steak, coconut oil, green onions, coconut aminos, ginger, and garlic. Get the recipe at Noshtastic.

8 | Keto Crispy Chicken Wings

Photo and recipe from Fat For Weight Loss

Love chicken wings but not all the batter? Try this recipe out at Fat For Weight Loss. All you need are chicken wings, baking powder, smoked paprika, cajun spice mix, turmeric, and Salt+Pepper.

9 | Keto Creamy Asparagus and Shrimp Alfredo

In the mood for some Italian food, minus the pasta? All you need is shrimp, butter, asparagus, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and Salt+Pepper. Get the recipe at Health Starts in the Kitchen.

10 | Jalapeno Popper Chicken

Photo and recipe from Cast Iron Keto

Do you like spicy food? Try this Jalapeno Popper Chicken dish from Cast Iron Keto. All you need is chicken breasts, jalapenos, cheese, and bacon.

11 | Low Carb Spaghetti Squash with Goat Cheese

Photo and recipe from My Life Cookbook

Want an easy and healthy alternative to eating pasta? Try spruced up spaghetti squash. All you need to make this is bacon, garlic, spaghetti squash, walnuts, and goat cheese. Get the recipe at My Life Cookbook.

12 | Easy Keto Chicken and Zucchini Noodles Alfredo

Photo and recipe from My Life Cookbook

Try another Italian inspired dish minus the pasta. All you need to make this dish is butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, garlic, chicken, and zucchini. Get the recipe at My Life Cookbook.

13 | Crispy Air Fryer Pork Chops

Recipe and Photo from This Moms Menu

Do you love crispiness of food but want to avoid deep frying it? Try an Air Fryer to fry your food instead. To make this dish, all you need is pork chops, almond flour, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, creole seasoning, and paprika. Get the recipe at This Moms Menu.

14 | Keto Salmon with Pesto and Spinach

Recipe and photo from Diet Doctor

Get your nutrients in with this simple and delicious dish. All you need is salmon, mayo, pesto, Parmesan cheese, spinach, and olive oil. Get the recipe at Diet Doctor.

15 | Instant Pot Beef and Peppers

Make whipping up dinner a breeze by making this beef and peppers dish with an Instant Pot. This dish cooks up in 12 minutes with the Instant Pot! All you need to make this dish is bone broth, ground beef, red bell peppers, Seasoning, and a white onion. Get the recipe at 40 Aprons.

16 | Keto Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower

Photo and recipe from Food Faith Fitness

Do you love Philly cheese steaks but don’t want to eat tons of carbs? Try this healthier version that will get you vegetable servings at the same time. All you need is steak, cauliflower, green bell peppers, Provolone cheese, onions, olive oil, and salt. Get the recipe at Food Faith Fitness.

17 | Creamy Chicken Taco Soup

Photo and recipe from This Moms Menu

In the mood for some soup? Try this creamy chicken taco soup if you have chicken broth, chicken, Ro-Tel, taco seasoning, cream cheese, and shredded cheese on hand. Get the recipe at This Moms Menu.

18 | Eggplant Lasagna

Photo and recipe from KetoLogic

Swap out the heavy pasta with eggplant giving it a nutritional boost. All you need to make this dish is eggplant, sausage, olive oil, salt, marinara sauce, and cheeses. Get the recipe at KetoLogic.

19 | Instant Pot Pork Stew

Recipe and photo from Two Sleevers

Want something nice and hearty? Make this spicy pork stew in an Instant Pot. All you need is an onion, garlic, rotel, thyme, seasoning, pork, heavy whipping cream, and spinach. Find the recipe at Two Sleevers.

20 | Keto Pan Fried Coconut Shrimp

Try some sweet and crunchy keto-friendly coconut shrimp. All you need is shrimp, coconut flour, coconut flakes, fruit sweetener, eggs, salt, and coconut oil. Get the recipe at Meganseelinger.

Cut the carbs from your dinner meals by cooking up these delicious keto-friendly low carb recipes. Let me know which one of these easy keto low carb recipes was your favorite. Now that you have some ideas for dinner how about Breakfast? Find some more meal ideas below.

Related: 10 Easy Breakfast Ideas

I hope you will try and enjoy one of these easy keto low carb recipes for dinner. Let me know which one was your favorite.

Don’t forget to share the love by pinning below! Thanks for stopping by!


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Lifestyle

10 Easy Breakfast Ideas

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. 

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. Eating something in the morning will get you ready for the day ahead. What’s even better is having something delicious for breakfast. It’s always best to switch up recipes so you don’t get sick of eating the same thing over and over. Hopefully these 10 easy breakfast ideas will help you do just that. What makes these recipes easy is that it requires only 5 ingredients and under, so it’s super simple and easy to make. Enjoy!

If you ever get stuck on what to make for the week then check out $5 Meal Plan. They send you weekly meal plan recipes, ingredients list, and a nutritional breakdown so that it helps you save time and money when it comes to meal planning. Plus they’re offering a free 14 day trial right now, after the trial it’s $5 a month. It’s good for people who don’t like to spend so much time trying to come up with new things to make.

1 | On The Go Breakfast Muffins

Recipe and image from The Cooking Jar

These On-the-go Breakfast Muffins from The Cooking Jar have eggs, cheddar cheese, spinach leaves, bacon bits, and paprika. Doesn’t it look delicious? It’s great for a grab-n-go breakfast.

2 | Breakfast Energy Smoothie

Photo and recipe from Deliciously Sprinkled

Breakfast Energy Smoothie from Deliciously Sprinkled is perfect for those days when you’re strapped for time and need a quick pick me up in the morning. Whip this smoothie up if you have some OJ, yogurt, vanilla, and frozen berries around.

3 | Strawberry Breakfast Pastries

Recipe and Image from Just A Taste

These Strawberry Breakfast Pastries from Just A Taste is perfect for when you want a something a little sweet in the mornings. All you need to make this is some puff pastry, cream cheese, strawberry jam, strawberries, and egg.

4 | Breakfast Quinoa Oatmeal

Recipe and Image from Feel Good Foodie

This Breakfast Quinoa Oatmeal from Feel Good Foodie is super easy to make plus it’s so healthy for you. All you need is your favorite fruit, quinoa, almond milk, maple syrup, and salt.

5 | Sausage Breakfast Bombs

Sausage Breakfast Bombs from Thirsty Handmade Days is awesome for grab-n-go breakfast plus all you need are 3 ingredients which are breakfast sausage, crescent rolls, and cheese. Super simple!

6 | Breakfast Coffee Banana Smoothie

Recipe and Image from Homemade Hooplah

This Breakfast Coffee Banana Smoothie from Homemade Hooplah will give you the pick me up you need in the morning plus a nutritional boost from the bananas. All you need to make this are bananas, sugar, yogurt, milk, and coffee.

7 | Breakfast Street Tacos

Recipe and Image from Tried and Tasty

These Breakfast Street Tacos from Tried And Tasty are simple to make and all you need are sausages, tortillas, eggs, cheese, and tomato.

8 | Breakfast Yogurt Parfait

Recipe and Image from The Spicy Apron

This breakfast yogurt parfait from The Spicy Apron is a healthy way to start off your mornings. All you need are yogurt, granola, and choice of fruit!

9 | Chia Seed Blueberry Kiwi Probiotic Breakfast

This Chia Seed Blueberry Kiwi Probiotic Breakfast from Skinny Over 40 will give you a nutritional boost to start the day. All you need is chia seeds, yogurt, blueberries, and kiwi.

10 | Easiest Crepe Recipe

Photo and recipe from The Stay at Home Chef

Make the easiest crepes from The Stay at Home Chef. These will be a delicious way to start your morning. You can always add your favorite fruits, syrups, cream, or butter to crepes to give it an extra bit of pizzazz. All you need to make these are milk, eggs, salt, flour, and butter.

There you have it! Try one these easy and delicious breakfast ideas the next time you run out of things to make. Please let me know which one was your favorite!

Don’t forget to share the love by pinning below! Thanks for stopping by!


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Debt, Debt Journey

Debt Free Journey Update April 2020

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 19 months into our debt free journey and we are in still in limbo right now due to this COVID-19 mess. As of April, we have paid off $77,339 worth of debt which is still amazing in itself. Our debt pay off progress remains the same since last month.

When we first started our debt free journey, we had $116,000 worth of debt. We’ve decided to hold off this month on paying anything towards our last two debts: Student Loan & Personal Loan from family.

September of 2018 we had all this debt:

8 Credit Cards
1 Car Loan
2 Medical Loans
2 Student Loans
1 Personal Loan and 1 Personal Loan from family
Total $116,000

April 2020 we have:

1 Student Loan
1 Personal Loan from family
Total $38,661

In 19 months, we’ve come a long way by paying off $77,339 worth of debt so far. With the right strategies in place, getting closer to becoming debt free is actually not as difficult as I’d thought. Find out the 5 tips we used to help knock out the first $50,000 in 10 months below.

Related: How To Get Out Of Debt With These 5 Tips

Tips To Get Out Of Debt

If you also want to be on your way to achieve a debt free life, you must create a plan that will help reach your goal. The most important aspect of getting your finances in order is creating a monthly budget. It helps to outline where you’re spending your money or if there are any areas in your life you need to save for.

1 | Create a monthly budget

Creating a budget will help you take control of your finances and draw out your map to financial success. 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.

Debt-Free-Journey-Zero-Based-Budget-MyFinancialHill

Related: How To Budget Your Money For Beginners

2 | Saving During COVID-19

The reason we decided to stop paying down our debt this month is because of COVID-19. This whole situation has hit everyone hard and it’s affecting the economy. These are uncertain times right now, companies are laying people off or even cutting people’s pay. We’ve agreed that it was best to hold off throwing every cent we could come up with at debt until things settle down.

It’s probably best right now to save whatever money you may have coming your way instead of spending it unnecessarily. If you are also paying off debt, it may be best to be conservative with your spending right now.

3 | Look For Savings

RX

A Pharmacist from Walgreens told me about GoodRX. Look up any medication on GoodRX, find a coupon, print it, and bring it in to a pharmacy to get a discount.

A normal medication which was costing over $90 was about $13 with the printed coupon, it’s amazing.

Car Insurance

Our car insurance company automatically refunded back a few dollars most likely due to COVID-19. Did you get any refund check? If not, it doesn’t hurt to call them up and explain your situation if you’re car has not been driven for months now.

School Loan Forbearance

Take advantage of the school loan forbearance being offered due to COVID-19. Most Federal school loans will be in forbearance until the end of September, and they will also not apply any interest.

Amazon Discount

Those that have Amazon Prime knows how fast the Prime delivery usually is. Now with COVID-19, the shipping times have significantly decreased. You can speak with customer service and they may give you some form of credit if you have a legitimate issue. It may be a few bucks, but hey it’s something.

4 | Save on Food Costs

Prior to starting our debt free journey, we used to go to restaurants all weekend and barely cooked much at home. Once we started budgeting, we realized we were spending almost $800-$1,000 a month on food. That included groceries, take out food, and restaurants. You’d be surprised when you track all your transactions and find out how much you’re actually spending.

Ever since we started being mindful of how much we were spending on food, we’ve been trying to find savings in the food category of our budget. 90% of the time we are eating more at home which helps us save tremendously from spending money at restaurants. Plus eating at home is probably a whole lot healthier than buying processed food from fast food places.

If you need some ideas on recipes to cook, check these out:

Air Fryer Recipes Healthy and Low Carb for Dinner

10 Easy Breakfast Ideas

20 Easy Keto Low Carb Recipes for Dinner

Digital Coupons

I have to admit that I’m not an avid coupon collector or anything, it’s just too time consuming. To make things easier I use Ibotta where I can upload my receipt to get cash back on food, pretty simple to use.

Sign up for free at Ibotta and use the code YDIGCFJ to get your $20 welcome bonus

We have been making more of an effort to cook at home. If ordering delivery on occasion, using Rakuten is good for getting cash back on food delivery services like GrubHub or Postmates.

Sign up today with Rakuten to get $10 in a welcome bonus and be on your way to start earning cash back for online purchases. Don’t miss out on FREE MONEY!

To find more saving ideas, check out 95 Best Money Saving Tips to Start Now

5 | Make extra money if you can

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 HealthyWage and 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

RELATED:EASY WAYS TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY EVERY MONTH

6 | Second guess your purchases

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.

7 | Travel For Free

Now that most states are lifting their stay-at-home order, you may be itching to travel or take a trip somewhere. If you must travel, do so cautiously. On the financial aspect of traveling, did you know that you can get free flights, cruises, and excursions?

While we started our debt free journey, we use credit card points to pay for our trips. Learn how below. Ever since COVID-19 hit, we are taking precautions and not deciding to travel for the time being.

So far, we have accumulated over 500,000 credit card points which is an equivalent to around $5,000. We used those points to pay for our Carnival Cruise, Flight for Las Vegas, and so much more. Also, when we search for flights we use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights possible. If you’d like to learn about how we accumulate credit card points to cover our trips (before COVID-19), check out the posts below.

Debt Free Journey – April 2020 Update

Not much has changed since last month. Since we are holding off on paying any debt towards our last two loans, our progress remains the same. So far, we now have a total debt remaining balance of $38,661. We paid off $77,339 so far in 19 months out of $116,000 total debt.

I’m hoping the COVID-19 situation goes away soon so life can go back to normal. There is no interest accumulating for our last two debt items so it’s okay if we take our time to pay those back. COVID-19 is a slight hiccup on our debt free journey but I’ve always looked at this process as a marathon, not a sprint.

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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Debt, Debt Journey

January 2020 $69,522 Debt Payoff Journey

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 16 months so far into this $116,000 debt journey. We are more than half way done as of January 2020 as we paid $69,522 so far! There are a lot of factors that got my husband and I to this point. One day, we decided that enough was enough and set our goals to be debt free one day. This whole process is actually not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I had this preconceived notion that we were going to be sacrificing a great deal, it actually doesn’t feel like we have. There are plenty of factors that we’ve implemented to help us get to this point and will continue to use to reach our goal. I hope these tips can also help anyone else that wants to get out of debt too.

September of 2018 we had all this debt:

8 Credit Cards
1 Car Loan
2 Medical Loans
2 Student Loans
1 Personal Loan and 1 Personal Loan from family
Total $116,000

January 2020 we have:

1 Student Loan
1 Personal Loan from family
Total $46,478

We have a combined total income of about $120,000-$130,000 a year. Basically, we had almost a year’s salary worth of debt. How crazy is that? One day we decided to follow a plan to help get us out of debt because what we were doing definitely wasn’t working. Find out how we paid off $50,000 in the first 10 months of this journey.

Related: How To Get Out Of Debt With These 5 Tips

Tips To Get Out Of Debt

If you implement a few strategies, you can also be on your way to be debt free. It’s all about finding the right tools and tips to help save you money and manage it properly.

1 | Write down your list of debt

Create a list of your debt from the smallest balance on top of the list to the largest balance on the bottom of the list. It will give you an idea of what you’re working with. Don’t be discouraged when you see all the debt you have. You can get through this! If we muddled more than half way through $116,000 then you sure can too!

2 | Create a monthly budget

It which will help you take control of your finances and draw out your map to financial success. 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.

Zero Based Budget MyFinancialHill

Related: How To Budget Your Money For Beginners

3 | Save for an Emergency Fund

Unless you’re a psychic, you will never know what tomorrow will bring. You don’t want to be stuck in a position where you spent all your extra money paying off debt while not having anything saved up during an emergency like a job loss, medical emergency, and more. It’s so important to save a good 2-6 month portion for emergencies before throwing every extra money you have at debt. You can still pay debt while saving for your emergency fund but make sure you don’t forget this category in your budget.

4 | Use the Snowball Method to pay off debt

Snowball Method to Pay Debt - How To Get Out Of Debt With These 5 Tips - MyFinancialHill

5 | Make extra money if you can

  • Put money into a high yield savings account to earn money passively
  • Work extra shifts or over time
  • Drive for UBER  or Lyft
  • Be a babysitter or caretaker on Care / Petsit on Rover
  • 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 HealthyWage and other apps like Dietbet and Stickk. People make hundreds to thousands of dollars by challenging themselves to lose weight which creates a financial incentive.
  • Rent out a room by charging a fee on Airbnb. That can easily bring in extra hundreds of dollars each month.

Check out other ways to make extra money every month

RELATED:EASY WAYS TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY EVERY MONTH

6 | Second guess your purchases

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.

7 | Stop comparing your lives to others

Truth of the matter is you don’t have to spend tons of money on cars, travel, clothes, etc. to keep up with the Jones’. It’s your life and not theirs. Other people probably are up to their necks in debt trying to live lavishly so there is no point in trying to keep up with others. It’s best to focus on your financial goal and be content with what you have.

8 | Personal loans can help tremendously

As a matter of fact, we took one out years ago to move out of an expensive city. We used a portion of that loan to put away in our emergency fund, applied for a down payment on our home, and applied it for our debt. In a matter of 10 months, we also paid off that personal loan off too. Check to see if you qualify for one at Lending Club to help you consolidate debt.

9 | Find Savings

Food costs was huge expense for us. We spent almost $800-$1,000 a month on food. That included groceries and take out food. You’d be surprised when you track all your transactions and find out how much you’re actually spending. To cut costs on groceries I used Ibotta to get cash back when grocery shopping.

Cooking more at home will help prevent the need to buy take out food. Making large batches of food is easy with the Instant Pot like soups, stews, tender meat, and so much more. Using the Instant Pot will help you save time and money plus you can freeze any left overs.

I used Rakuten  to get cash back when booking travel, hotels, car rentals, online shopping and more.

If I was looking for spa treatment, oil change, restaurants, or activities, I went on Groupon to get the cheapest deals. At Groupon, get an extra 20% Off Local Plus An Extra 10% Off Travel. Use Code SAVE

Cut your cellphone bill in half by switching to Cricket Wireless, they even have free smartphones available. We pay $80 flat with all taxes included for 2 phones and unlimited data.

Get cheaper quotes by switching your insurance companies for the car, home, apartment, etc.

Do some DIY repair work for your home/condo/apartment by doing some research online and getting parts at Home Depot, or Lowes.

10 | Travel For Free

We didn’t want to sacrifice our travel while on this journey to pay off debt. We made it work by using travel card points to cover our travel expenses. By implementing the budgeting and snowball method, we quickly paid off all our consumer debt which in turn raised our credit scores. We qualified for travel cards that offer an equivalent of $500-$700 or more worth of points. We used those points to pay for our Carnival Cruise, Flight for Las Vegas, and so much more. Also, when we search for flights we use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights possible.

January 2020 Debt Payoff Progress

At the end of this month, we paid a total of $1,553 which consists of our snowball debt rollover amount. So far, we now have a total debt remaining balance of $46,478. We paid off $69,522 so far in 16 months out of $116,000 total debt. Slowly but surely, we’re chipping away!

It’s been a long year of 2019. 2020 is the start of a new year. I have a goal to achieve which is to be debt free by the end of this year! Making extra money, finding ways to save, sticking to a budget, while still having fun will get us there. I hope these tips will help you as well to get you started on your debt paying journey.

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.

Read More
February 2020 $72,060 Debt Payoff Journey - MyFinancialHill
Debt, Debt Journey

February 2020 $72,060 Debt Payoff Journey

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 17 months so far into this $116,000 debt journey. We are more than half way done as of February 2020 as we paid $72,060 so far! There are a lot of factors that got my husband and I to this point. One day, we decided that enough was enough and set our goals to be debt free one day. This whole process is actually not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I had this preconceived notion that we were going to be sacrificing a great deal, it actually doesn’t feel like we have. There are plenty of factors that we’ve implemented to help us get to this point and will continue to use to reach our goal. I hope these tips can also help anyone else that wants to get out of debt too.

September of 2018 we had all this debt:

8 Credit Cards
1 Car Loan
2 Medical Loans
2 Student Loans
1 Personal Loan and 1 Personal Loan from family
Total $116,000

February 2020 we have:

1 Student Loan
1 Personal Loan from family
Total $43,940

We have a combined total income of about $120,000-$130,000 a year. Basically, we had almost a year’s salary worth of debt. How crazy is that? One day we decided to follow a plan to help get us out of debt because what we were doing definitely wasn’t working. Find out how we paid off $50,000 in the first 10 months of this journey.

Related: How To Get Out Of Debt With These 5 Tips

Tips To Get Out Of Debt

If you implement a few strategies, you can also be on your way to be debt free. It’s all about finding the right tools and tips to help save you money and manage it properly.

1 | Write down your list of debt

Create a list of your debt from the smallest balance on top of the list to the largest balance on the bottom of the list. It will give you an idea of what you’re working with. Don’t be discouraged when you see all the debt you have. You can get through this! If we muddled more than half way through $116,000 then you sure can too!

2 | Create a monthly budget

It which will help you take control of your finances and draw out your map to financial success. 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.

Zero Based Budget MyFinancialHill

Related: How To Budget Your Money For Beginners

3 | Save for an Emergency Fund

Unless you’re a psychic, you will never know what tomorrow will bring. You don’t want to be stuck in a position where you spent all your extra money paying off debt while not having anything saved up during an emergency like a job loss, medical emergency, and more. It’s so important to save a good 2-6 month portion for emergencies before throwing every extra money you have at debt. You can still pay debt while saving for your emergency fund but make sure you don’t forget this category in your budget.

4 | Use the Snowball Method to pay off debt

Snowball Method to Pay Debt - How To Get Out Of Debt With These 5 Tips - MyFinancialHill

5 | Make extra money if you can

  • Put money into a high yield savings account to earn money passively
  • Work extra shifts or over time
  • Drive for UBER  or Lyft
  • Be a babysitter or caretaker on Care / Petsit on Rover
  • 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 HealthyWage and other apps like Dietbet and Stickk. People make hundreds to thousands of dollars by challenging themselves to lose weight which creates a financial incentive.
  • Rent out a room by charging a fee on Airbnb. That can easily bring in extra hundreds of dollars each month.

Check out other ways to make extra money every month

RELATED:EASY WAYS TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY EVERY MONTH

6 | Second guess your purchases

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.

7 | Stop comparing your lives to others

Truth of the matter is you don’t have to spend tons of money on cars, travel, clothes, etc. to keep up with the Jones’. It’s your life and not theirs. Other people probably are up to their necks in debt trying to live lavishly so there is no point in trying to keep up with others. It’s best to focus on your financial goal and be content with what you have.

8 | Personal loans can help tremendously

As a matter of fact, we took one out years ago to move out of an expensive city. We used a portion of that loan to put away in our emergency fund, applied for a down payment on our home, and applied it for our debt. In a matter of 10 months, we also paid off that personal loan off too. Check to see if you qualify for one at Credible to help you consolidate debt.

9 | Find Savings

Food costs was huge expense for us. We spent almost $800-$1,000 a month on food. That included groceries and take out food. You’d be surprised when you track all your transactions and find out how much you’re actually spending. To cut costs on groceries I used Ibotta to get cash back when grocery shopping.

Ibotta

Sign up for free and use the code YDIGCFJ get your $20 welcome bonus.

Cooking more at home will help prevent the need to buy take out food. Making large batches of food is easy with the Instant Pot like soups, stews, tender meat, and so much more. Using the Instant Pot will help you save time and money plus you can freeze any left overs.

I used Rakuten  to get cash back when booking travel, hotels, car rentals, online shopping and more.

Sign up today with Rakuten to get $10 in a welcome bonus and be on your way to start earning cash back for online purchases. Don’t miss out on FREE MONEY!

If I was looking for spa treatment, oil change, restaurants, or activities, I went on Groupon to get the cheapest deals.

Sign up for free here at Groupon to start getting your MEGA savings.

Cut your cellphone bill in half by switching to Cricket Wireless, they even have free smartphones available. We pay $80 flat with all taxes included for 2 phones and unlimited data.

Get cheaper quotes by switching your insurance companies for the car, home, apartment, etc.

Do some DIY repair work for your home/condo/apartment by doing some research online and getting parts at Home Depot, or Lowes.

Read More: 95 Best Money Saving Tips to Start Now

10 | Travel For Free

We didn’t want to sacrifice our travel while on this journey to pay off debt. We made it work by using travel card points to cover our travel expenses. By implementing the budgeting and snowball method, we quickly paid off all our consumer debt which in turn raised our credit scores. We qualified for travel cards that offer an equivalent of $500-$700 or more worth of points. We used those points to pay for our Carnival Cruise, Flight for Las Vegas, and so much more. Also, when we search for flights we use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights possible.

End of Month

At the end of this month, I found $867 in overage from budgeting. What gave us that overage was an increase of income from me working extra temporary jobs on my days off and from my husband getting a bonus. We then took that extra amount and combined it with our monthly debt snowball amount of $1669 to throw it at my student loan. We paid a total of $2,536 towards the student debt. We now have a total debt remaining balance of $43,940. We paid off $72,760 so far in 17 months. Slowly but surely, we’re chipping away!

Paying off debt doesn’t have to be the hardest thing in the world. Actually, I don’t think my life has changed all that dramatically. Once we got the ball rolling on paying off our debt our credit scores rose to the 800’s and now we qualify for awesome travel cards which we use to take trips and vacations. We don’t spend money unnecessarily and always try to find savings where we can and make extra money when we can. Some of these tips will help you keep some money in your pockets and pay off debt easily too.

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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Money

60 Best Mother’s Day Gift Ideas Under $50

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. 

Mother’s Day is coming up and what better way to show your love and appreciation for the person who’s raised you! Put a smile on your mom’s face by getting her something special. If you’re stuck and have no idea what to get her, don’t worry. You’ll see below 60 of the best Mother’s Day gift ideas to get her all for under $50. There are lots of unique gifts you can get her from all different categories ranging from jewelry, things for the home, spa related gifts, beauty products, things for the garden, and books. You’ll be sure to find her something she’ll adore for Mother’s Day.

JEWELRY

Get your mom some special jewelry she can wear that will remind her how loved she is. She will be sure to love these special jewelry pieces. They vary from essential oil bracelets, specially engraved or customized necklace to symbolize your family, and more!

[modula id=”1957″]

HOME

If your mom loves decor, get her something around the home that will remind her how special she is. 

[modula id=”1981″]

SPA

Pamper your mom with spa gifts so she can indulge in a little Rest & Relaxation at home. Have her wind down with some sweet smelling candles, beautiful flower soap, colorful and fun bath bombs, hand treatment, and more.

[modula id=”1994″]

 

BEAUTY

Treat your mom to some beauty products that will help keep her looking beautiful, healthy, and flawless. Keep her looking great with beautiful eye shadow, jade face roller, face masks and gold under eye treatment, facial exfoliator, hair curling iron, and more.

[modula id=”2007″]

GARDEN

Surprise your mom with outdoor gardening decorations to put a smile on her face. Does she have succulents? Use these cute and decorative pots for propagating succulents.

[modula id=”2019″]

BOOKS

Get your mom some books if she loves to read or color to remind her you’re thinking of her on Mother’s Day

[modula id=”2031″]

Show your mom some love on Mother’s Day, give her a hug, thank her for all those years she raised you to become the wonderful person that you are. Find her something special from this list of 60 best Mother’s Day gift ideas under $50 to make her smile on her day. You can still make your mom feel special without spending loads of cash. Would you like to find out some more money saving tips? Check out the post below.

Related: Best Money Saving Tips to Start Now

Please share the love by pinning below!


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15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
Lifestyle

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US

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. 

Do you love traveling but don't like spending tons of money to do so? How would you like to discover 15 fun and cheap places to travel all over the US? Some of the cities mentioned are hidden gems and some are big cities but there are still cheap things to do there. Discover some fun and awesome activities that you can do without breaking the bank!

Have you ever wondered where you want to go on your next vacation or trip? Were you ever undecided or just couldn't figure out which state to visit. You pretty much have to come up with some ideas of whatever state pops into your head or just go online to get some ideas. Don't worry, this page will give you some great ideas on where to plan your next adventure. But wouldn't it be nice if there was something that can pull up cheap flight fare information listing different cities for you?

There were numerous times where I wanted to plan a trip somewhere but had no idea where to book to and I had to literally put in different cities at a time to check the fares. Thank goodness I discovered Skyscanner. This site is awesome because it has an 'Everywhere' feature that pulls fare flight information for all states and even countries outside the US. It's perfect for indecisive people. Skyscanner also has the cheapest fares that I've seen around, it's awesome!

Next, click on United States then BAM, you will get a long list of the cheapest fares from your location.

This site will find you the cheapest fares and will give a whole slew of ideas on where to go for your next trip. Plus, you can even check out cheap fares outside the US too! Now that you've been prepped on how to find the cheapest flights with Skyscanner, let's find you some awesome places for your next trip!

1 Orange Beach, Alabama

Photo from: Visittheusa.com

Orange Beach is definitely a hidden gem and is known for their white sand beaches and turquoise water along the Gulf Shore. If you want a laid back trip or vacation definitely head to Orange Beach. There are plenty of fun things to do there that are perfect for those looking for a fun and budget friendly trip.

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Orange Beach, Alabama

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

There are numerous activities and places to visit in Orange Beach without it putting a strain on your wallet. You and your family can have a blast with tons of things to do in your itinerary.

Check out the cheapest rates for:

2 San Diego, California

Photo by Elizeu Dias

San Diego may be a city full of theme parks and million dollar homes but don't let that deter you from visiting. There are still a plethora of fun and cheap things to do in sunny San Diego!

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in San Diego

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

San Diego is a place that won’t strain your wallet but will keep you and your family entertained and will help you create beautiful memories. There are so many free or cheap things to do there and you may not even be able to cover them all during your trip. San Diego is a definite Must-Go place in the US. 

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3 Washington, D.C.

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Photo by Michele Orallo

Don’t know where to plan your next trip? How about the nation’s capital? Put on your walking shoes and enjoy the gorgeous monuments, explore the museums, memorials, walk through beautiful cherry tree lined paths, and so much more. You may not be able to fit all your fun, free, and cheap activities on your trip. 

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Washington, D.C.:

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

There are so many free and cheap things to do in Washington that it is sure to keep you and your family busy without breaking the bank. You may need a week to cover all these free and cheap things to do. Good luck!

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4 Fort Lauderdale, Florida

With miles and miles of gorgeous beaches, great restaurants, awesome art scene, and an abundance of free or cheap activities, Fort Lauderdale has something for everyone. There is no shortage of museums, parks, and beaches that will definitely keep you entertained while keeping more money in your pocket.

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Fort Lauderdale, FL:

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Fort Lauderdale seems to have it all from beaches, gardens, museums, art murals, activities along the water, and so much more. Plenty of things to do there when you’re on a budget. 

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5 Las Vegas, Nevada

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Depending on where you live, the flights to Las Vegas can be surprisingly very affordable. Las Vegas is a definite must-go to place! The best part is that you don’t even need tons of money to have fun there. 

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Las Vegas:

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Las Vegas will give you stimulation overload from all the night lights, live entertainment, shows, and so much more. There’s tons to do there without spending loads of money. It definitely is a place you need to visit if you want to have loads of fun without needing to spend to show for it. 

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6 Savannah, Georgia

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Want to go where there’s some southern charm? Look no further, Savannah is where you want to go. The city is quaint and known for it’s antebellum style architecture and beautiful parks and cobble stone streets. There really is no other place quite like it. Plus it’s surrounded by water which will give you plenty of affordable activities to do by there.  

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Savannah:

  • Go on the Botanical tour 

  • See dolphins on a tour at Tybee Island 

  • While you’re there check out the beach, pier, and pavilion

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Savannah is rich in history, beautiful architecture, gorgeous parks, and a place to really experience southern style hospitality. Great place to go to if you want to take it easy and just take in all the sites.

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7 Miami Beach, Florida

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

When you think of Miami, you can’t help but imagine luxury cars, expensive restaurants, and a place to be flashy. Don’t let this idea deter you from visiting. Miami is lined with beautiful blue water beaches, warm weather, parks, art events, and has so much more to offer that will help you stay on budget while having loads of fun! 

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Miami:

  • Beaches of course!

  • Day trip from Miami to Key West Tours

  • Bayside Marketplace is an open air and waterfront shopping place where they have live music, entertainment, restaurants, bars, and more

  • Check out Lincoln Road Mall to people watch from street performers, models, people with snakes or birds around their necks, or even catch a bite to eat by pulling up a chair at the restaurants or getting some drinks at the bars 

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Miami sure will not disappoint from fun in the sun, checking out some art, eating delicious food, and so much more. You can definitely make it a memorable trip all while staying under budget.

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8 Gatlinburg, Tennessee

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Do you love being in the great outdoors? Well, Galinburg is the perfect place to visit. Relax, enjoy the outdoors, take in fresh mountain air, and experience The Smoky Mountains. The best part is that there are tons of activities to do that is free or on the cheap!

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Gatlinburg:

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Gatlinsburg is an awesome place to go if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of reality. It will be a great and relaxing place to bring your family to for an experience of the Smoky Mountains.

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9 San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is known for their rich history and it is a place where you can experience diverse culture. Don’t be intimidated by the saying “Everything is bigger and better in Texas”, definitely doesn’t mean you will be spending more cash here. There will still be plenty of things to do like enjoying the beautiful River Walk to exploring caves and down to experiencing the Hill Country of Texas all while on a tight budget.

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in San Antonio:

  • Explore the River Walk of San Antonio where you can find a place to eat right by the water, watch boat rides, have a peaceful stroll, or shop

  • Explore some deep Texas history and learn more about The Alamo

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

San Antonio is full of history mixed with culture. Explore the Caverns, Museums, Art, Parks, and so much more. You’ll be able to do a lot of relaxing and exploring while being able to keep everything under budget.

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10 New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans AKA NOLA is the mega center where people celebrate Mardi Gras and party till dawn. There is so much more to New Orleans from the Cajun/Creole food, music to culture, historic landmarks, beautiful architecture, rich history and stories, among others. New Orleans offers so much to do and the great part is that you don’t need to break the bank to experience it all.

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in New Orleans:

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

New Orleans won’t disappoint if you’re looking to have a blast without spending loads of cash. There’s music everywhere, great food, relaxed vibe, beautiful architecture, and so much more. Definitely will be a trip worth remembering!

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11 Page, Arizona

Discover the natural beauty of mother nature’s work. Get a glimpse at awe-inspiring rock formations. Get your camera out to get some incredible photos that will give you an amazing backdrop unlike any other.

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Page:

  • Do you love hiking? Then you need to head to Horseshoe Bend for some hiking with a spectacular view for a treat

  • Discover a rock formation that looks like a bridge called the Rainbow Bridge, plus you can do more hiking there too

  • Also, get some amazing star gazing views at night

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
  • Get a guided hike at the Antelope Canyon and don’t forget to bring your camera for amazing pictures of the natural carved sandstone in the canyon

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
  • Discover wilderness and get more incredible views of Canyons and Cliffs at Vermilion Cliffs National Park, you will be amazed by the breathtaking views

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
  • Need more water activities? Go to Lake Powell

  • Powell Museum

  • Water activities including watercrafts, kayaking, power boating, paddle boarding, jet skiing, wakeboarding, swimming, waterskiing, and fishing

Page is a place you want to be to get some awe-inspiring and unique photos. It’s a place to revel in mother nature’s work of art and explore the great outdoors. The best part is there are tons of places to visit in Page that won’t strain your wallet. 

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12 San Francisco, California

When we think of San Francisco, we can’t help but think of Silicon Valley and how expensive it must be. Sure, it is a very expensive place to live in but don’t worry there are plenty of free or cheap things to do in this fun city. 

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in San Francisco:

  • Head to Alamo Square 

  • Did you ever watch the show Full House? Well, the Tanner family from the show had a home which were one of the iconic San Francisco’s Painted Ladies. Get a glimpse of the old Victorian style homes for a flash back into the past

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

San Francisco is a perfect getaway to enjoy the beaches, admire redwood trees, walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, and so much more. The greatest thing is, you won't have to break the bank to enjoy your time there. 

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13 Nashville, TN

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Who doesn’t love a little music? Visit Nashville to experience music galore along with the best southern food around. Nashville definitely won’t disappoint when it comes to having tons of fun without feeling the strain in your pockets.

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Nashville:

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Photo from Nashvilleneighborhoods

Nashville has so much music history, great place to go if you’re an avid country music lover. Just relax, stroll the parks and museums, and enjoy the live music all around. 

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14 Austin, Texas

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Ready for some fun and adventure? Austin is the place to go if you want it all from exploring mother nature, enjoying the live music scene, to eating some of the best food. There’s tons to do in Austin without needing to penny pinch.

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Nashville:

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill

Austin is a hip city where there’s an abundance of great live music, good food, and drinks. Not too far from downtown you can still experience the serenity of mother nature at its finest. You will surely have tons of fun without breaking the bank.  

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15 Los Angeles, California

Sure, Los Angeles may be home to the rich and famous but don’t let that stop you from visiting. Los Angeles offers so much to do with budget in mind as long as you know what to do and where to go. 

Fun and Cheap or Free Things to do in Los Angeles:

  • Don’t miss the incredible views and the iconic Hollywood Sign, all you need to do is go to the Griffith Observatory

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
  • Watch some improv at Asssscat

  • Visit Paramount Ranch to get a glimpse into the old Wild West, Hollywood’s movie set

  • Get your camera ready for the Urban Light exhibit

  • Check out awesome mind-bending architecture at The Disney Concert Hall

15 Fun and Cheap Places to Travel in the US - MyFinancialHill
  • Get those instagrammable shots at L.A.’s murals 

Los Angeles will be a memorable trip from experiencing all different cultures to checking out the museums, beaches, possibly spotting some celebrities, and so much more. You can still have tons of memorable fun without counting pennies.  

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Debt, Debt Journey

March 2020 $77,339 Debt Pay off Journey

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 18 months since my husband and I first started our journey to pay off debt. When we first decided to get serious about paying off debt we had a total of $116,000! Mind you, our combined yearly income is $120,000-$130,000 gross. Basically, we had almost ONE YEAR’s worth of gross earnings worth of DEBT! It’s mind boggling how far in debt we were and we just didn’t want to face the reality of it all.

Read More: How to Get Out of Debt With These 5 Tips

September of 2018

September of 2018 is when we finally snapped out of it. Prior to this month, we tried to find ways to save money here and there also tried to pay off debt our own way. Months and months, years and years went by and our debt was piling up to our necks and we continued to turn a blind eye and just kept telling ourselves to keep using credit (because you can buy whatever you want and just pay the minimum). So obviously our way was not working. So September was a turning point for us. My husband had a co-worker who mentioned  Dave Ramsey and how she ended up paying off her house listening to him. We were inspired and got hooked. We also started listening to Dave Ramsey’s podcast which also kept us motivated.

For those who are familiar with Dave Ramsey’s principle steps of paying off debt knows that there are something he teaches called the ‘Baby Steps’.

Photo: Everydollar.com Post: How to win with money in 7 easy baby steps

Are Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps In The Right Order?

So here’s the deal, we didn’t follow Dave Ramsey’s baby steps to the tee and still managed to pay off over $77K of debt in 18 months. I am SO glad we didn’t follow his steps because look at what happened these past few months- COVID-19!! Seriously, who the heck would’ve ever thought a pandemic would cause economic destruction resulting in millions of people not being able to work. Step 1 of the baby step is to have an emergency fund, which we had starting in September of 2018. Step 2 of the baby step is to pay off ALL DEBT besides the home. Then, the 3rd step is to save for 3-6 months worth of expenses for an addition to the emergency fund. Can you imagine if we listened to those steps and spent all our money paying off $116,000 off debt? We would’ve been stuck during this time with no 3-6 months of savings. This is where we deviated from his plan. We had a couple months expenses saved prior to starting this debt paying journey and just held on to that. Now, it serves as a cushion because currently I cannot work!

Save For Emergencies Before Throwing All Money At Debt

COVID-19 serves as a bleak reminder that we can NEVER predict the future! The most important lesson I have learned is that it is always better to be safe than sorry. The smartest thing you can do is to always save for emergencies. The savings can either be 2-6 months of expenses in case something unexpected happens because you just never really know what tomorrow will bring. When we first started the debt paying journey in September 2018, we had about 2-5 months worth of expenses put away in a high interest savings account just in case. So it was easy for us to start throwing money at our debt because we had the cushion to fall back on just in case either of us lost our jobs.

One thing that did help us tremendously was taking out a Personal Loan of over $20,000 a few years back. We used that money to move out of a really expensive city and get settled in the new area. That was actually the best thing that we did to help propel us forward to live better. We used part of the personal loan for moving costs and a year later we used half of it for a down payment of a house. We put about $10,000 down for a new home because we wanted a place to call our own. Read below on how you can save money from buying your first home, learn from our first time home buying mistakes!

Read more: Home Buying Tips to Save Thousands

The remainder of the personal loan was applied towards debt and also put away into a savings account where it accrues close to 2%. It’s actually nice seeing the account balance grow every month (totally passive). In a way, I am very thankful we took out a Personal Loan because we probably wouldn’t be at the place we are at today without it. The most important tip for starting your own debt paying journey is to not throw all your money at debt unless you have a decent emergency fund of 2-6 months!

Budget, Budget, Budget!

I couldn’t have paid off over $77K worth of debt had it not been for budgeting. I tried budgeting prior to the debt paying journey but never really got the hang of it. I never understood the concept. It’s actually really easy and I love budgeting now because it allows me to have control over my money.

Budgeting is very simple and I follow the zero based budgeting system. I’ll give you an example of a zero based budget.

Zero Based Budget MyFinancialHill
Husband Monthly Income$2,000Mortgage/Rent $1,200
Wife’s Monthly Income$2,000 Utilities, Food, Ins., Car, Pet, Savings, Debt, etc. $2,800
Total Income $4,000 Total Expenses $4,000

It’s a very simple concept to understand. Whatever income you have coming in each month, you must assign all the money towards your monthly expenses. Basically, at the end of each month you should be left with a zero balance (Income-Expenses). Don’t be alarmed, I don’t mean having a zero balance in your account, I mean having a zero balance on the budget plan.

Once you start budgeting, it will help you keep track of all your necessary and unnecessary expenses, it will also help you quickly discover why you may be living paycheck to paycheck and why all the money keeps disappearing.

Read more: How to Budget Your Money For Beginners

Budgeting is the most important aspect of this entire process, it will give you an idea of where all your money needs to go each month and help you keep track of it. Plus it will help curb all unnecessary spending. It will allow you to think twice before making a large purchase and help figure out if you have enough in your budget to cover those costs. It will also help you determine if you will have any extra money left over to throw at debt.

Confronting The Monster in The Closet

We couldn’t have taken the first steps to get out of debt without facing the reality of our financial circumstance. When we listed all our debt 18 months ago, we had a total of $116,000, ranging from 8 credit cards, 1 car loan, 2 medical loans, 2 student loans, and 2 personal loans. Now we only have 1 student loan and 1 family personal loan left to go.

Are you ready to confront the monster in the closet AKA debt. Get a pen/paper or type it out, whatever you prefer. Create a list of ALL YOUR DEBT from smallest balance to the largest balance on the bottom of the list. Now you know what you’re working with. Don’t be afraid when you see your total debt amount, it’s just a number. You can definitely pay down your debt too, but keep in mind that your journey will be a marathon, not a sprint unless you hit the lotto!

With the list on hand, you will target the first item on the list using the Snowball method. I’ve used this method to pay off over $77K of debt in 18 months so far and I’m still using it. It’s a very easy and motivating method that you can also try to tackle your debt. Read how you can use the snowball method to apply to your situation below.

Read more: How to Get Out of Debt with these 5 Tips

Now’s The Time to Start Finding Savings

For those of you are not able to work now because of COVID-19, it is a perfect time to look for ways to save in each and every category of your budget. Find ways to cut unnecessary food costs, shop for more affordable car insurance/renter’s insurance/home insurance, look for cheaper phone carriers, and more.

During this month, I found a major way to save on payments going out for the month. My student loan payment that must be paid is about $400. I called up my student loan provider and asked for a forbearance due to COVID-19 and being out of work. Basically, they are able to stop payments required on my account due to COVID-19 for 3-4 months and on top of that they are waiving all interest accrued for that duration. How awesome is that? Do you have student loans as well? Call them up and ask for a forbearance too, it will help free up some money for these rough months also it will save you so much of accrued interest during this time.

Read more:

95 Best Money Saving Tips to Start Now

Tips to Save Money on Your Phone Bill

Easy Ways to Save Money on Food and Groceries

Find Ways to Make Extra Money During COVID-19

Feb-March is when states slowly started implementing stay at home orders and businesses started closing down. Millions of Americans are now out of work. It may be difficult now but the government is rolling out help for citizens. There is the stimulus checks set to go out soon and also ramping up of unemployment benefits that may help make ends meet for people. However, what if you still need some extra money coming in while staying safe during these times?

The best way to make some extra money on the side would be to start selling items around the house. Do you have clothes, accessories, shoes, or electronics laying around the house collecting dust? Sell them to make some extra money. This way you can still earn some side cash without putting yourself at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 2020 Debt Payoff Progress

At the end of this month, I found $3,610 in overage from budgeting. Combining the $3,610 with our debt snowball rollover amount of $1,669 leaves us with $5,279. Where in the world did we get $3,610? It was both our combined tax return amount plus a temporary job assignment I took on one of my days off. Since we have our emergency fund in place, we throw every extra money we have at our remaining debt. We now have a total debt remaining balance of $38,661. We paid off $77,339 so far in 18 months. Slowly but surely, we’re chipping away! Key take away is before throwing all your money at debt, save for your emergency fund as well. Also, use your tax return wisely!

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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