Road to Financial Freedom

I want to share with you a story. A story about a girl who was so dependent on credit cards to survive while in college, even while working 2-3 jobs.

I was not good with managing my money, I would always buy things I didn't need.. I needed books for school, I 'wanted' new clothes, I 'wanted' to do those cool things with my friends and there I was oblivious to it all until I got my bills each month and realized I was drowning myself in credit card debt! I never had much direction in life on the importance of credit cards, and why they shouldn't be used for everyday life purchases... At this moment in life, I am somewhat grateful for the ignorance because it helped me get a better grip on my finances today.


As I look back at those irresponsible years, I see all the things I could have done better. But here's the thing.. if I would not have made those mistakes, I don't think I would be on this same path I am now. Sometimes you just have to stumble and fall before you can take off full speed running. And that's exactly what I did.

The day that really sticks with me is the day that I couldn't afford to get gas because my account was overdrawn, I had just quit my waitressing job because I was completely miserable, the 10 hour shifts making barely minimum wage in tips (some other issues as well) and feeling completely defeated and no where to turn. How was I ever going to get myself out of this mess. I was scraping up every penny I had to try to make ends meet and with credit cards maxed out, I had hit rock bottom. Borrowing money from people was not something I did, I always managed to find a way to figure things out but at this moment in my life, I was in complete despair. I couldn't even begin to put all the pieces together in my head on how I let myself get to this point. It was embarrassing, point blank.


As the years went on and I started making more money, I decided to make myself a budget worksheet. I would write down all of my bills that I had to pay each month, beginning of the month and middle of the month. I made a "virtual checkbook". I would keep track of all my expenses, and what I would spend my money on. Once you have a visual of how much money you actually WASTE, it is totally eye opening! As I was still working two jobs, I still struggled with money issues of course but I was making my way to the end of that tunnel... if it was the last thing I did!

Fast forward to May of 2014, our wedding month! :) My husband and I had been saving for about a year and a half to pay for our wedding ourselves. We managed to save up the $10,000 to have a gorgeous, intimate beach wedding with our closet friends and families in the beautiful Outer Banks, North Carolina. While we would have loved to have our entire family there, it was financially smarter for us since we were paying for the entire thing ourselves. We couldn't have asked for a more blessed day!! After the wedding was over, we racked up about another $1,500 in credit card debt - but this was in all my fault because there were things I really wanted and yes I was getting in over my head a little.

But here's the thing...it was kind of like a light bulb went off! I was more focused on bettering my life since joining Team Beachbody, and seeing all my friends and fellow coaches talking about how they are paying off their debt and are on their road to financial freedom, I got to thinking, WHY CAN'T I DO THAT?!?! So I did! I made a plan, I started paying more than just the minimum balances on my credit cards, and stopped using them all together! I have not made a single credit card purchase since May of this year, and I am so very excited.

Glad you stuck around this long because here's the best part of this post, since mid-May of 2014... yes, just shy of 5 months, my husband and I have managed to pay off $3,200+ in credit card debt! IT IS GONE FOREVER!! We have been working so hard and making daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices because we are looking to better our lives. With just two credit cards remaining, I am very excited to say... there is no doubt in my mind that we will beat our goal of wanting to be credit card debt free fairly soon!

Why am I telling you this? Why do you even care? I am sharing this with you because I know what it's like to struggle, I am paying off all this credit card debt and still have thousands of dollars in student loans! But I am on the road to a bright and financially free life... Credit cards are only as evil as you let them be, I am learning from my past mistakes and I am looking forward to a bright future! If you would like to join me on this journey, please reach out to me and let's chat! For more information about my budget worksheet, please feel free to email me at tbbcoachsteph87@gmail.com! I would be more than willing to share it with you!

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