My Debt Free Journey: The Budget Awakens4 min read

I have a confession to make….

I didn’t learn the value of a dollar until my late twenties.

Most of my life was spent living off credit cards and loans. Debt seemed so normal back then. My stepmom is a loan officer and even encouraged me to improve my credit score by using credit cards. The problem was, she didn’t realize I had no idea how to manage my money, let alone someone else’s money.

I started working full-time at the age of twenty and I was making more money than I had ever seen! Growing up, we didn’t have much. So, when I started earning money on my own, I was living it up!

Music festivals throughout the year, you bet.

Vacationing out of the country, all the time.

I had no problem paying minimum payments, I didn’t realize what I was doing was wrong. Click To Tweet

It was so easy to borrow money to fuel my extravagant lifestyle. And because I had no problem paying minimum payments, I didn’t realize what I was doing was wrong. My credit card debt added up quite quickly and reality eventually set in. I had dug myself a giant hole and, once again, became a slave to my money.

Getting on the right track...

I discovered Dave Ramsey a couple years ago, and a light switch came on. Everything he talked about made so much sense and borrowing money became so unattractive to me. I did my best to cut back on concert tickets, travel and shopping, but old habits die hard. Life happened and I continued to play the game of debt. It’s crazy how much a recent relationship influenced me to quit Dave Ramsey’s baby steps all together. I finally came to my senses and ended that relationship.

So now, here I am, twenty-eight years old and ready to breakup with debt once and for all! I have adopted a minimalist lifestyle. This has been extremely helpful in teaching me how to be content with less and truly loving the items I do own. If you want to change your spending habits, I encourage you to give minimalism a try. You can see my recent closet clean out video here. I love living on less than I make! This March, I was able to put $1,500 towards paying off my debt! Minimalism and side hustles have become two major factors in speeding up my financial journey and I’m so excited to explore them even more!

I don’t have a family yet, but I would like to start one soon. Becoming debt free before starting a family is one of the driving forces behind my goal of financial freedom. I want to instill positive money management skills for my family from day one. I personally know how detrimental it can be to date someone that doesn’t share my values. This has become a major deal breaker for me. I believe having a partner that’s on the same page financially is essential to success. I am so thankful my boyfriend shares my values and supports my debt free journey.

If you are searching for a support system, I recommend joining Instagram. There’s an amazing community of people encouraging each other to stay on track and reach their goals. It’s not always easy going against society’s norm, but you are not alone! 🙂

You can check out her video about her debt journey here: