This year has been a year of debt-blasting for me. So far, to date, I have paid off over $30,000 in student loans for my husband and me, and I’m proud to say that we are now officially totally paid off for two Bachelor’s and one Master’s degree. I was also able to save up enough for the dream honeymoon to Hawaii that we never had (we were totally broke when we got married) and even started a fund for our girls’ private school tuition for next year.
At 29 years old, that feels pretty darn good. And I have to admit that the feeling is kind of addicting. What once seemed impossible to me (having no debt) now is like a drug. I want more. We’ve never had credit card debt, but student loans and car payments are a large load to carry every month. My ultimate dream goal is to pay off all of our extraneous debt, continue to pay off our house, and then sell it and save enough to pay cash for our dream home.
It seems crazy, but seeing what I’ve been able to accomplish this year so far has got me dreaming big. To start, I set what seemed like a pipe dream to pay off our remaining debt: $16,000 dollars for the car we purchased three years ago by the end of the year. With Christmas coming up, it’s not going to be easy, but in the words of my idol, Barnie:
Challenge accepted.
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And UPDATE: I just paid that $16,000 check yesterday. We are officially debt-free, with just a house payment to go. It’s crazy how fast I was able to pay off that debt once I put my mind to it.
Here are a few of the strategies I used to pay off our remaining debt and still have money to get through the holidays:
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Image: Unsplash/Markus Spiske
Chaunie,
CONGRATS!!! I know that feeling! I just came across your blog today because I was doing some writing this morning and saw your name on a few articles. My husband and I paid off our debt and are in the process of establishing an emergency fund.
I know how hard you have worked and CONGRATS again!!!