I want to be debt free!
I want to be debt free!
I want to be debt free!
Have you ever wanted something so much that it actually makes you excited and happy? That’s how I feel about getting out of debt and staying out of debt. No matter what age you are when you come to this realization, don’t ever brush it off. When you finally realize it, embrace it, research it, tackle it and make it happen. I have been wanting to do this for so long and the time has finally come. In the video above I explain the five ways my husband and I have started
The hardest part is starting and so to help you get started, grab all your debt, write down the total balance and then write down the interest rates right next to each balance. Put them in order from the highest interest rate to the lowest interest rate and pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first. The only time I would pay another debt first is if the amount due is so small that it could be paid off within a few months. Otherwise pay off those high interest debts first.
Ideally I would not have ANY debt and that includes a mortgage. However since this decision is a joint one with my husband, we’ll have to wait and see after our house sells. I’ve already touched upon the subject of not taking out a mortgage to buy another house and just use the money we already have but as you can imagine, that didn’t go over so well. 😁 Meanwhile I am making weekly payments to our debt. At the end of each week, whatever we have leftover goes straight to the debt.
Below is a list of my debt. 😳
The amount of credit cards will shock you. 🤯
Prepare yourself and proceed with caution. 🧐
MY DEBT
ORIGINAL : see update below
- Mortgage – 4%
Car Loan – 4%/ SOLD CAR 10.22.18 👍🏻- Line of Credit – % fluctuates
- CC #1 – 15.49%
- CC #2 – 16.49%
Visa CC new – 16.99%/ PAID OFF 12.21.18 👍🏻 transferred here for 0%Amazon CC – 20.99%/ PAID OFF 07.31.18 👍🏻 via transferKohl’s CC – 23.04%/ PAID OFF 07.31.18 👍🏻 via transferTarget CC – 24.15%/ PAID OFF 07.06.18 👍🏻Lowe’s CC – 26.99%/ PAID OFF 07.31.18 👍🏻 via transferBest Buy CC – 26.99%/ PAID OFF 07.23.18 👍🏻
RESTRUCTURE:
9.28.18 I transferred the majority of CC #1 balance (above) to CC #2 (below) to get a 0% interest rate. Because I paid off the original balance a few months ago, they were now offering me a balance transfer with 0% interest for a little over a year.
10.12.18 I was able to transfer all the remaining credit card balances to 0% interest cards. I didn’t open any new accounts and just used what I already had. I was able to do this because as I paid down the balances, the transfer opportunities became available. And even with the transfer fees, the total owed was greatly reduced because I am no longer paying huge monthly interest rates.
- Mortgage – 4%
Car Loan – 4%/ SOLD CAR 10.22.18 👍🏻- Line of Credit – 5.75% fluctuates
Amazon Chase CC – 21.24%/ PAID OFF 03.09.19 👍🏻- CC – 17.99% / 0% until Aug 2019 only one left
Bank of America Master CC – 16.99%/ PAID OFF 12.21.18 👍🏻Bank of America Visa CC – 16.49%/ PAID OFF 10.23.18 👍🏻
💳 DEBT PAID: $21,628
🚗 DEBT SOLD: $3,850
______TOTAL: $25,478
I will be updating this page every time another debt is paid off so be sure to check back on occasion!
Thank you for watching and have a great day!
I really enjoy your videos.
How do you have money left at the end of the week?
I only have 9 children and I buy mostly bulk oatmeal & eggs from a local farmer (chickens not allowed here) for breakfast/lunch. For supper we have a meal with meat & veggies, usually bulk hamburger from a local farmer. Most everything else from Aldi. It seems so close and there is never any left at the end of the week.
Is there a specific percentage of income that should properly be allocated for groceries?
Also
My oldest, almost 15, is applying for jobs. What is the percenrage of a child’s paycheck that is reasonable to expect him to contribute to the household expenses? He probably will not make much but I think he should contribute to the grocery budget.
I mention in the video above how we’re making more money to pay the debt. The main way is putting in more hours at work. We pay for groceries with whatever money is left over after paying the bills which is sometimes leaner than we like. I’m working on a new grocery budget and plan on uploading a video on it soon. As for your teen contributing, I talked this over with my 17yo son for his opinion. I did this because I agree teens with jobs should contribute but my husband doesn’t so ours don’t. But we came up with two suggestions. One, he could buy his own food or two, take the total you spend each week, divide that by the total amount of people you buy food for or whatever percent you would like him to contribute. Hope you find that helpful!
Thanks for this post. I think is one topic that we should learn at school😛… that way we don’t have so trouble like we have about money when adults.
Thank you and I agree Sonia!
Great topic! I’m in budget mode myself. My husband had been laid off early on in knowing each other, but I say it’s the best thing because it has always made us live below our means. But it is still so easy to buy things you don’t need!
You mentioned moving, so move to Wisconsin! We live in a pretty low COL in central WI. Plus it should have some decent growing zones. Plus lots of local dairy, etc. You should do a video on potential areas yours considering once your to that point!
Wisconsin is on the list of possibilities. 😊
Love your videos. Watched the 5 Ways we are paying off debt vid and came over here to see how the interest rate method is working! Looks like – for your family, at least! – it’s
working well! Good luck on your journey! And, thank you so much for the work you put in on your youtube channel! Your kiddos are precious! And you, of course, are hilarious, as well as informative! – – Long comment already but wanted to say one last thing – I’M SO SAD YOU ARE LEAVING YOUR GARDEN, CHICKEN, FRUIT TREES, ETC. Someone is going to have an absolutely gorgeous home to live in! Like your minimalist interior, also. I’ll quit now! 77 y.o. and my mouth/fingertips on keyboard just WON’T SHUT UP!!! Thank you.
Thank you for sharing. I just stumbled upon your YouTube channel 2 months ago, and I just have to say a big thank you for making videos. Finally getting serious with paying our debts after this video, I needed this guidance to get started!
Wonderful Anita! I’m so glad you’ve found them helpful!
Love watching your videos. Other than when we were children, we were debt free once. It was a marvelous feeling! Hubby and I married young and had children quick. We were both raised in self-employed families, so it was only natural for us to be self-employed also. That came with a very unpredictable paycheck. We only had house and truck debt, but on our measly paycheck it was tight. We flipped our house, paid off ALL the debt (even what we owed family members), bought a 5th wheel travel trailer and sat happy. We lived that way for 3 years! Until we bought a house again. 🙁 Then a military move to Hawaii (which was incredible, but expensive) and now still have the mortgage and loads of CC debt. Haven’t paid vehicle loans since paying off our truck many moons ago. Don’t ever want to have another vehicle payment. Thanks for sharing!