Do you have an overwhelming amount of student loans, credit card debt, car loans, mortgage (or rent), and monthly bills on top of it all? Yeah, same.
Who I am:
To give a little background, at the time of writing this post, I am a 34-year-old married woman living in Florida with a combined, husband’s debt included, total debt (mortgage not included) of over $300,000.
Just writing that sentence makes me cringe and want to go hide under my comforter with all my animals.
How We Got Here:
We accrued this debt over the last 17 years through a combination of student loans and really poor choices. The majority of our debt, I would say about 80%, comes from our student loans with mine making up over 70% of the total loans. While I don’t regret getting my bachelor’s or master’s degrees I do regret going for my PhD and having to drop out while finishing my dissertation because I ran out of financial aid aka loans.
The remainder of our debt is due to credit cards and two car loans. I will go ahead and put most of the blame on me for the credit card debt racking up. For a long time, I have had a spending problem. Always feeling like I needed to compete with others on social media or in some instances even my own extended family.
Why am I Blogging:
The reason I am starting this blog is twofold. One, I want to have somewhere that requires me to be accountable for my spending and actions. Two, I want to be open, honest, and raw about my journey because I hope maybe I can help someone else out there dealing with the same things.
Goals:
My main goals are:
- Get out of debt
- Have an emergency fund
- Invest
- Save for retirement
I will be posting a breakdown of my goals in another post in the coming days. This will include a list of short-term and long-term goals to help accomplish what I need.
What You Can Expect from this Blog:
- Budgeting tips
- Debt repayment strategies
- Saving and investing for beginners
- Honest updates on my progress
- So much more
Wrapping it All Up:
I just want you to know if you’re also feeling stuck or unsure where to start, you’re not alone. Let’s figure it out together. I am hoping through this journey you all will feel inspired to share your own experiences.
Subscribe to the blog to get updated on new posts and follow me on socials for daily tips, motivation, and more.