Debt Free Me! Or getting there at least.

A couple of years ago, I wanted to go to the $4 car wash. You know - one of those pay and drive thru washes where you get to use "free" vacuums when you're done. It was after work on one hot summer day and I figured it was the perfect time to go - after all, it wasn't going to be raining anytime soon. So I pulled up, selected my car wash (the cheapest, because I knew that funds were low...payday was only a few days away) and inserted my card.... Nothing. So, I tried it again.... Nada. I checked my bank account; not only did I not have $0 in my checking account, but I had a -$8 in my savings account.

I was officially the most broke I have ever been - and I had no idea. I was totally and completely clueless about my money. 

You'd think that would be where my debt free journey begins.... Sadly, it's not. 

I kept my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad habits around for faaaar longer than I'm proud to admit. Sure, I wanted to change my situation - or at least I kinda, sorta wanted to. But it wasn't until the end of last year that I decided I was totally and completely sick and tired of being in debt. And when that happened, when I finally found the absolute determination to get out of debt, my life truly changed.

On January 1, 2015, my debt free journey began. I chose to follow the Dave Ramsey plan, reading The Total Money Makeover and listening to his free podcasts on iTunes and I Heart Radio before I "officially" started the journey, I was ready to go at the turn of the new year. 

Being a lot like myself in personality and mindset, Dave instantly became my financial coach and mentor. I tease (kinda) and tell people that, "Dave is my new BFF." It's pretty much true, I just think it's a one-sided friendship. ;) 

Anywho, with the stroke of midnight in 2015, my life became the opposite of Cinderella and began to come together, instead of falling apart. I had a sense of focus, of purpose really, and I was ready to tackle this debt. When I started, I thought it was easily going to take me 2-3 years to get out of debt. Little did I know, however, that I would become Gazelle-intense, as my new BFF would say, and really start to steam roll this process: 

• January 2nd - Baby Step #1 ($1000 in the bank) - DONE! Time to begin the "Debt Snowball"... 
• January 30th - Paid of my first credit card (the lowest balance), the Ann Taylor LOFT Mastercard. That had a whopping 26.99% interest. (I would say that I'm ashamed of that kind of interest rate hanging around for so long, but if you'll recall, I was the girl who literally couldn't afford a $4 car wash... My BFF calls this "stupid tax.")
• May 14th - Paid off my next credit card, the Discover card. When I first got this card well over 2 years ago, I got it so that I could do a balance transfer and have 0% interest on it for 15 months. I mean, surely I could pay if all off in that time right?! Ummm, how about no. How about I only kept adding to it and adding to it... But not anymore. By the time I paid off my Discover card, I was getting emails from them asking me to update my annual income. No Discover, I didn't get a massive raise; I just got sick of you. 
• Present day - As of today, June 22, 2015 (173 days after starting), I have paid off $11, 683.59 of my debt (which was all credit card debt by the way). I still have a good way to go, but I am making incredible strides (if I do say so myself!) and I am still incredibly motivated and pumped! My friends are all very supportive, even if they do poke fun at me from time-to-time, call me a nerd or say I'm obsessed or a fanatic - although, I take it as a major compliment! This is the most focused I have ever been about anything before.

I share this with you because I want you to know that it is possible to get out of debt. After my I got that first credit card paid off in January, the fire in me started burning bigger and brighter and since then I've started reaching my goals months before I thought I would, and I'm now looking at being 100% out of debt next March - only 15 months after I started and one month before I turn 30.

Sure, it's not fun all the time and I've made plenty of sacrifices along the way, but I've learned so much about myself along the way. I'm not looking back - instead, I'm looking forward to what's ahead. Come with me. :)