Alright friends, this post is something I’ve wanted to write for a LONG time. Many of you know my family is on a serious mission to become debt-free this year. Let’s settle down together in my living room and talk about exactly HOW we paid off over $42,000 in debt in 2016 and 2017 combined, PLUS used cash for a cross-country move (CA to MI), furnished a home, purchased two vehicles, had a third baby, and fully paid for a surgery.
Does the title of this post shock you? BECAUSE IT SHOCKS US! We have been so diligent to transform our spending and debt payoff goals, and at times it was hard to stay focused on our goal because it felt so, so monumental. We had never accomplished something this grande before.
Because we track our progress through a Google spreadsheet I can say for certain we paid off more than $42,000 of debt in two calendar years. Friends, this is crazy exciting, and I really want to share more about how we are achieving our financial goals, because this plan is one you can adapt for your household, too!
Over a year ago I wrote a little about our family’s process to becoming debt-free. Our story is common, in fact I bet some of you can totally relate to our financial situation. In 2015, when we learned of a potential health condition with our then unborn child, we finally decided we were tired of chasing our bills and feeling the financial stress. We totaled our debt list and decided it was time to make a huge change with our finances.
Making that debt list felt like such a death sentence, but we powered through and agreed to “stay the course” together as a team.
On our debt list we saw many “traditional” debts: credit card, auto loan, student loans, and medical bills. In June this year, Zack and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, and we should be debt free around then as well :) It’s taken about seven years for us to decide together we are done (DONE!) with having debt. Especially because there is a really wonderful, encouraging way to assess our income, debts, and make a forward moving plan towards financial freedom.
SOME OF THE DEBT-RELATED QUESTIONS WE HAD IN THE BEGINNING:
- how do you actually spend less than you make?
- what do you mean, write a monthly budget? How does that work?
- how do you stick to your monthly budget? (What if something unexpected comes up?)
The minuscule details overwhelmed me in the beginning because I wanted to over-complicate things. (Hooray for my personality!) I’ll answer these three questions throughout this debt series.
But I quickly learned when you and your spouse are BOTH in agreement for debt freedom, your excitement and progress will multiply. Make sure you are on the same page, and use words like “we”, “us”, “our” when describing your plan of attack and goals.
What made Zack and I finally take action? We had reached a point where we couldn’t pay for all of our financial responsibilities. And we are parents! And we hold college degrees! And we know better than to spend more than we make. We know it’s OK to say “no” to unnecessary expenses (shopping, eating out, vacations), however we really struggled with following through.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES WE FACED BECAUSE OF OUR DEBT:
- it was hard to focus on our creative and family goals because we were overwhelmed / drowning in debt
- we often felt stressed, angry, weary, and exhausted. Essentially, we were sick and tired of being broke
- we didn’t have any significant money saved in case of an emergency, and we were overspending in certain categories (like groceries) which made it hard to pay other categories (like car insurance, car gas and/or rent)
How we were living wasn’t at all how we wanted to be living, and it wasn’t the example we wanted to be teaching our children. These two things were our biggest advocates for why we wanted to get out of debt.
Here’s the secret: the best way to get out of debt is to spend less than your income so you can save more of your income.
We follow a lot of advice from Dave Ramsey, and this book was a huge kickstarter for us to understand and apply his principles. Each month we fill our spending envelopes with cash (see above photos) so we don’t overspend. We go to the bank, take out the exact number of bill denominations, and then have a “stuff the envelopes” party ;) This also gives us a firm visual when at the store with how much we have to work with, and it gives us a firm amount each month we can throw at our debt.
Once we’re debt-free, the money we were putting towards debt goes towards other things: house, kids college, retirement, giving generously.
And so, here we are on this great journey to becoming debt-free. And not just that, but we are genuinely, ridiculously excited about our journey because we are making GREAT progress! Like I shared above, in 2016 & 2017 combined we paid off over $42,000 in debt.
The only way we accomplished this was by writing a budget every single month, using cash to pay for 90% of all purchases (some things, like insurance policies & utilities, are paid online with a debit card), and listing all debts so we can SEE our progress.
Another necessary commitment was to cut out all unnecessary expenses which allows us to make large monthly debt payments. And once a debt is fully paid off, we apply that payment amount to our next-in-line payment (this is called the “snowball” effect).
Be sure to read this book, The Total Money Makeover, for a more detailed outline of the plan we’re following. This is NOT an endorsed post, by the way ;)
See you soon for part II where I explain even more tips & encouragement towards becoming debt-free…
PS. we had to make some HUGE lifestyle changes to make our progress, one which I mentioned above, was moving from California to Michigan. By doing this we paid off 73% of our debt in just two years. We partially moved because of this goal, and so to see that it is working in our favor is hugely encouraging!
What questions do you have? Leave a comment below so we can chat!
xx
Is it not the MOST AMAZING FEELING EVER? We were also drowning in about the same amount of debt and when Chris got his new job we decided to finally tackle it once and for all. By the time it was all said and done, we cash flowed about $45K in debt and about $12K in other expenses throughout those two years. That is $57,000 that would have just been gone had we not been intentional about how we spent it. Amazing job you guys! Keep rocking it and I’ll be cheering for ya from Texas!
It’s really SO freeing. Once we put everything in front of us — our debt and our income, it was so much easier to make a plan. Thanks for the encouragement, I seriously think of you often when we make a payment, knowing you have gone before us is so great. It’s like we share in the joy together. xo
I’d love to know more about how you use a google spreadsheet to track. We have just begun to work together to budget and make sure we both know where the money is going. It’s hard on a limited income.
We essentially use the spreadsheet as a checkbook register, writing down what we pull from our checkbook (cash withdrawals and debit card purchases). We start with a specific paycheck amount, deduct our expenses, and then can see our balance. Zack and I do NOT use our debit cards without consulting with one another because we need to get “approval” from the other to make a purchase, unless it’s already written/included in our budget. Does that make sense? We do NOT make impulse purchases. This way we can know what’s available for a debt payment. Even with a limited income you can do this. DO NOT be discouraged. Don’t let the difficulties set you back, ask for help! Ask me! :) Feel free to email me directly… xo
Oh man, we’re totally there right now. Tired of being broke. And what’s insane is that I have this book on my bookshelf… i’m going to take it out today and talk to my husband tonight.
Tricia, I’ll be praying for your family. The first step to profess begins by moving one foot forward, then the next, then the next. Bit by bit big changes are made.
We have basically started doing the same thing. My husband was in charge of the budget a few years ago before he has the super busy job he has now. I’m now more responsible that everything gets paid, paid on time and that we can save every month. We had saved about $10k previously and then purchased our house two years ago. Excited to see the next post!
Thank you Stephanie! And way to go! ♥
Maggie, thank you for this post. One thing that I appreciate so much about you is your willingness to share things like this with your readers. We live in a society where most people try to present a perfect, problem-free life to everyone. But you’ve always been so down to earth in sharing your struggles with us. I appreciate that so much about you. :-)
I am curious as to what was the hardest thing you guys had to give up/do without?
I wish more people would have been honest and/or initiated more conversations about the DETAILS of financials. We could have avoided a lot of debt (I believe) had we known more information. I’ll write a debt FAQ post and will answer your question there ♥.
You mentioned after being debt free that you want to give generously. Do you tithe during the 2 years? We tithe a pretty hefty chunk so I’m curious.
We tithe because the Bible tells us to tithe, but specifically we tithe because we can TRULY afford to. If we were having trouble with what Dave Ramsey calls our “four walls”: food, clothing, shelter, transportation, then NO we would not tithe during that hardship. But since those things are fully covered with our income, yes we tithe. Giving generously is something totally different from tithing.
Congratulations!! We went through FPU in 2013 and are really looking forward to finishing the end of step 6 by Christmas 2019 (just in time to start planning for our 10 year anniversary!!) I think a lot of people look at his program and are turned off by exactly the things you talk about–delaying gratification, driving crappy cars and not having the same level lifestyle as parents (lol), but I am with you–it works!! We are so happy to be debt free and really looking forward to ways that we can give generously to others because we don’t have to worry about paying next month’s bills. You go girl!
CONGRATULATIONS on your progress, Jessie!!! Yeow!!!
Awesome! Congratulations!! We’ve been working on becoming debt-free. Hard work, but totally worth it.
Yes!!!!! xx
Same boat here and constantly feel the strain of debt and sont know where to start. My husband has a varying paycheck because he is self employed and has a seasonal job. How would you recommend dealing with that? Also because of this we don’t really count his money on our budget so it looks like we never make “enough” and constantly overspend. Ideas how to handle that too? I love that you are so honest and sharing so much. I’m really excited to read more and tackle this this year!
What you need to do is create a budget based on the BARE ESSENTIALS. Also, start keeping track of your income and over time you’ll be able to see a pattern and/or set a starting point with your income. This is called a variable income, and here is a link for more info on that: https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/how-to-budget-an-irregular-income
When you say you constantly overspend, what are you overspending on? This answer is something for you and your husband to review privately. Look at the last six months of spending and look to see WHERE your money is going. Again, is there a pattern there? I know you guys can get to a better point, the first step is to start asking questions and seek help from others. Start listening to Dave Ramsey’s podcast, it’s daily and it’s free (they’re also on YouTube). Here’s another link: https://www.daveramsey.com/show/?snid=show.listen-watch
xo
Hey Maggie thank you so much for this post.. it really inspired my husband and I who have actually come to an agreement to put this debt behind us.. I do have a question. We have been trying to follow the Dave Ramsey plan but how do you stuff your envelopes after uou budget because most times we don’t have enough money to fill them.. does that make sense? Like it we say we need $100 for gas and $200 for groceries what if we don’t have enough to put in? Does this make sense?!
Thank you!!!
Do you mean having the right bills, or literally not having enough money?
I’m excited for the next post in your series! Two questions – do you set up a cash envelope for the credit card debt (filling it with cash and the. Deposit it to make the credit card payment)? Also, how do you handle bills that are dues quarterly or semi annually (car insurance, union dues, life insurance premiums)? Thanks!
I’ll answer those in detail soon on my blog, but the short answer is no we use our debit card to make debt payments. We create “sinking funds” for quarterly/annual bills. We divide the amount needed by the number of months until it’s due and then take that amount our in cash monthly to stuff the envelope. Then before we pay that quarterly/annual bill we deposit the cash at the ATM and pay online with the debit card.
Good questions!!!
Thank you, Maggie! I’m glad you could read through all of my typos. :)
Congrats! Becoming debt free is an amazing feeling. My hubby and I just became debt free by selling our home for double of what we paid for it and bought our new home in the U.P. in cash. It is wonderful to not worry about debt and enjoy life.
WOW that is fantastic!
Essentially everything you said is about where we’re at and where to start? One huge question is the budget thing. I’m not sure if I’m not doing it right or understanding it quite right but I’ve Googled many different ones and they’re all about the same but to follow it and know the what’s and how’s I’m at a loss. Any tips there would be wonderful.
I used to use envelops to a degree, I think I’m going to have to start again and be way more diligent. Along with reading the book!
Thanks!
I would encourage you to click around on Dave’s website, here is a link about how to write a budget: https://www.daveramsey.com/budgeting/how-to-budget?snid=tools.budgeting-b
And DEFINITELY read the book. We love to listen to Dave Ramsey’s podcast, it’s super encouraging and you learn so much. Zack and I try to listen to a few hours each week.
With writing your budget, you want to write one with EVERY paycheck you receive. Say you get $1,000 as a paycheck, you need to write down a plan for every dollar of the 1,000 received and give it a place to go. Maybe you put $200 towards groceries, $200 towards car insurance, $50 towards clothing, $75 towards car gasoline, $100 towards tithing, and $275 towards debt. That should leave you with a $100 balance which you always want to leave as a pad in your checking account for forgotten expenses. That way you don’t overdraw your bank account. If the next time you get paid you still have the $100 pad in your account you don’t need to add another $100.
You also MUST write down ALL of your debts. Here’s a link for help with that :)
I need to get this book and I am interested in knowing more. My husband and I have been in serious debt most of our 27years of marriage and we are tired of it. We are at a point now where we can’t make min payments. We NEED this. I can’t wait to hear more tips. Will you be sharing more?
Definitely! Until then, click around on Dave’s website and read up on his process and why it works — it’s incredible! You will be encouraged! Watch this video, too: https://youtu.be/nepjvtfPpdM
This is an inspiring piece and I really love reading it. Its shows, if you are serious about debt repayment and work hard, get creative, fully dedicate yourself then freedom from the grip of debt is possible. The idea of using Google spreadsheet to track is an unique one. Yes, you are right we should stop making impulse purchases too. Thanks for sharing your secrets. Congrats on paying off your debt so quickly!
Thanks! :)
Hi Maggie, I am your instogram follover and And often times I’m inspired by your stories. But the getting out of the Depth blog story inspired me the most. I just would wanted to ask you a question how hard or easy it was to start making those budgets and committing to make any progrogress? We started with the out off the depth program recently, we have the book but we’re still kind of not really sure where to start. My husband is waiting for me and I am the one that dont have the credit card and never have depth but I am not sure how to budget. Having two kids and plenty of question I was wondering is there any advice that you have for the beginners that are committed to get out of the depth?
Congratulations!! I’ve followed you for a long time and have been excited to see this day come for you!! I do have two practical questions for you. With credit card debt, did you try to find a way to do a balance transfer for 0% interest during the time you were paying off? And yesterday you mentioned using curbside pickup for groceries (love that as a momma of 2 littles myself!)….does your store make you pay with a debit card, or could you do cash? Trying to navigate that one myself. So many things need a card these days!
We pay with a debit card for the grocery pickup, yes! And for the credit card debt, we put it in order of size according to Dave Ramsey’s baby step advice (google him). We didn’t do a balance transfer. Definitely don’t do debt consolidation… that’s not helpful.