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WE’RE DEBT FREE!!!

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Confession: I started writing this post on June 22, 2018. THAT’S how motivated I was to finish this thing.

This is it. This is our debt free scream! We are officially consumer debt free!!!

Here’s a little recap, written as if we were live with Dave Ramsey:

Our names: Taylor + Jona

And where do you live? Troy, NY

Total amount of debt paid off: $89,075.45!

And how long did it take to pay off? 15 months and 13 days!!!

What was your range of income? We started at $90k and ended up at $127,000ish

Woah! That’s an average of $5,567 a month, did you sell something? We did not – but we did drain our savings down to $1,000 (we had about $15k in savings, so with that amount deducted, that’s still about $4,630 a month paid toward debt) and Jona did get a new job one month into the process.

What do you do for a living? Taylor does graphic and web design for a local property management company and Jona is a manager of administration and finance for a local non-profit. Taylor took on an extra freelance job as a side hustle and Jona worked Saturdays at a local jewelry shop, volunteered for market research, Young Living – IWOW = I WORK ON WEEKENDS!

What kind of debt did this include? $6k was Jona’s old credit card, $10k was Taylor’s car and the remaining amount were Taylor’s student loans. We were pretty normal!

So what happened 16 months ago to get you started on this journey? Jona – Well, prior to getting married in February 2017 I knew Taylor had a massive amount of student loan debt and fully accepted that he’d be paying them off for at least another 15-20 years. But once we were married, we combined bank accounts and while it did take a couple of months to see and get use to each other’s spending habits, I knew we could do more. I had used the Dave-ish program to pay off my student loans prior to my 30th birthday (ish because I was still racking up credit card debt), so I wanted to see how fast we could pay off Taylor’s loans. I checked out and read The Total Money Makeover from the library and was instantly hooked! We were ALL in! I remember in August 2017 putting everything into spreadsheets and guessing we’d be debt free within 5 years; April 2022 was our initial goal. We made our first household budget for September and never looked back.

Taylor, did you think Jona had lost her mind? Nope. I was on board to get rid of those loans.

What do you think is the key to getting out of debt? Jona – sticking to the budget! Creating a budget was the easy part (I’m the nerd with the excel spreadsheets), but sticking to it was the hard part. We said no a lot over the last 16 months but we did sneak some fun into the budget to keep us both sane. We’re looking forward to “loosening the reins” a little as we progress through the remaining baby steps but we’re officially convinced that budgets work, so we’ll continue to make one each month for the rest of our lives.

Taylor – I feel the same way, that’s all it really is, sticking to your plan.

Did you have any naysayers or more cheerleaders? Jona – We definitely had a little bit of both. I was very open on social media each month about how much was paid and how it was done, which seemed to inspire many but I also received plenty of push back about our methods. I had to remind myself that their opposing opinions had zero impact on our success. But the good far outweighed the bad: I gained a couple of amazing supporters throughout this process. I taught FPU twice over the last 16 months and have made new friends who understand how hard this journey can be. And I’ve reconnected with others via social media who have started this journey after seeing our success and I have to tell you, receiving their random text messages with their wins is one of the best feelings ever.

Taylor – Cheerleaders.

Who was your biggest cheerleader? Taylor – my parents. Jona – I mean, I know my family supported us but I don’t think they fully understood the sacrifices we made, why I just wouldn’t spend money on myself. Yes, I knew we were working hard and “deserved” a dinner out, but I think that’s what gets a lot of people into this mess; we oftentimes think we deserve a reward when really, you’re just doing what should be done in the first place. My biggest supporter was someone I reconnected with thanks to social media, shout out to Rhi! She started this journey with her husband about 9 months before us, unbeknownst to me, and fully understands the process. I cannot wait to hear their debt free scream next month – they are so so close!

Next chapter in our story: Jona – to become millionaires and that’ll be easy now that we only have our monthly mortgage payment! We know this will take a couple of years (okay, my goal is to be a millionaire by the time I’m 40!) and will continue to progress through the baby steps as follows:

  • Baby Step 1: save $1,000 cash
  • Baby Step 2: pay off all consumer debt
  • Baby Step 3: save for a fully funded emergency fund, cash (my goal is $25,000 because doesn’t that sound bangin’?!)
  • Baby Step 4: invest 15% of our annual income for retirement – this happens for the remainder of our working careers!
  • Baby Step 5: save for college (no kids, skip!)
  • Baby Step 6: pay off our mortgage!
  • Baby Step 7: live and give like no one else! *We’ll be giving 5-10% of our annual income once we officially reach BS4

Added as if we weren’t on the show: you should have ZERO shame about wanting to become successful with your money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being prepared for emergencies – because they WILL happen, saving for your future – because you will grow old and need assistance, living how you wish – because you are spending so much of your lifetime working and earning money, might as well learn how to maximize it’s benefits and living the life you’ve always dreamed of living. Yes, money does NOT bring happiness, this I know, but it does bring freedom.

Let’s hear a debt free screaaaaaaaaaammmmmmm! 

WE’RE DEBT FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! (You can actually hear our live #debtfreescream on my IG account – edited to say: we did our debt free scream live on IG but didn’t think to save it, boo. If you’re tech savvy and know how to access this video, please please please let me know.)

November in Review!

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You gals! You guys! Ahhhhhhhhh! Can you believe these numbers?! We are so.damn.close!!! Ahhhhhhh! (Grab your phone and search in the GIFS section “Home Alone” – the first one that pops up with Kevin running around upstairs, waving his arms up over his head… that’s me, in my living room, right now ha ha)

Drum roll please: In November we paid off a total of $6,120.88! In fifteen months we’ve paid off $87,058.57 and $70,867.31 of that was paid off in 2018 alone. Gah! 97.74% done!

Our debt balance as of December 1st: only $2,016.88

Queue the “They see me rollin’, they hatin’…” song, ha! All kidding aside, this is the song we have queued up for December 13th.

Here’s how we did it this month:
We followed our budget! Nothing new! Well, for the most part we followed our budget. We did have some items that we purchased in November that we didn’t budget for:

  • hosting for a website
  • a window plastic kit (drafty windows)
  • a replacement battery for Taylor’s iPhone
  • windshield wipers for both vehicles and two air filters – mega cheap if you order online and install yourself!
  • both of our vehicles had snow tires put on
  • a 2019 planner for me
  • ear buds and hair product for Taylor
  • a Christmas gift for each of our parents
  • and a birthday gift for Taylor’s dad

You’ll notice we bought gifts that weren’t covered by our gift sinking fund/envelope: we learned that we weren’t setting enough aside each month to prepare us for the holidays. Luckily we have some wiggle room – and it’s not like we spend an awful lot, one gift each – but in 2019 we’ll make an adjustment so that this time next year we aren’t guessing on how much to spend on each person. Oh, and we’ll now budget for snow tires each year seeing as it DOES snow every.single.year in the Northeast.

November was a three payday month for Taylor and my side hustle hours picked up now that I’m vending at the indoor Farmer’s Market location. Other than that, there was a whole ‘lotta sacrifice (or living without, or I should say less), as there has been throughout this entire process.

Meal planning-wise, we stuck to a pretty basic meal plan.

  • Every single Monday we made our favorite Indian dish.
  • Every single Tuesday we made fajitas.
  • Every single Wednesday we made BBQ tempeh with GBC.
  • Thursdays were taco pasta (plus pizza on Thanksgiving!).
  • Every Friday was chili fries! and
  • every Saturday was pizza.

Sundays lend for a little variety: I baked two cakes, made homemade sweet potato gnocchi, a curry butternut squash soup, the most delicious mushroom pie (that I’m also going to make for Christmas), Taylor tested out a couple pancake recipes and made homemade seitan breakfast sausage and we attended a family birthday dinner. I love this method of planning and am following something similar in December because it makes grocery shopping so much easier.

Let’s see, we still had some fun this month! We got two more punches for the Nine Pin 26er challenge and I cashed in my registration for the Troy Turkey Trot 10k. It’s a tradition I LOVE! I also got to hike a trail up to the scenic point near Mount Greylock with Paula; it was a gorgeous bluebird kind of day.

In all honesty, November was a blur. We just put our head down and kept to the plan. Sorry no additional photographs, I shared a lot via IG and honestly am just looking forward to my next post when we’ll be DEBT FREE!

My Favorite Young Living Products for the Holidays

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‘Tis the season to be:

  • eating a ton of junk food
  • burning those holiday scented candles
  • over-committing to everyone and every thing – shopping, wrapping, party-going etc.

Fa la la la la, la la la, la!

I’ve compiled a short list of my favorite healthy swaps, gifts and tips to help you get through this crazy time of the year.

Healthy swaps 
This concept is easy: replace items you already use or purchase for a different item that’s less toxic and healthier for your home.

  1. Candles: I know, I get it. They smell good, I use to burn them all the time. The section at TJMaxx use to get me every.single.time. But CANDLES ARE TOXIC. FAKE FRAGRANCES ARE TOXIC. Breathing in that gunk directly into your lungs has a negative affect on your body. It does, look it up! This whole post won’t be me shaking my finger, I promise. But seriously, this is one of the easiest swaps you could make… a diffuser! The possibilities are endless with Young Living, there are hundreds of oils and blends to choose from and not only do they replace candles, but they also replace plug ins and air sprays. Classic option: Christmas Spirit! I personally like to add a drop or two of Orange to the mix as well. I’ll start diffusing this blend the day after Thanksgiving. The desert mist diffuser is my favorite right now because it has the flickering candle light option and runs for up to 10 hours!
  2. Emergen C: I drink at least of 2 oz of Ningxia Red a day and kick it up a notch by supplementing with a probiotic during the colder months. Both help support your immune system (well, whole body! happy gut = happy face hint hint). I personally love the taste of the MightyPro option but when that’s out of stock, I reach for the Life 9. Everyone in your family will benefit from this swap!
  3. Hand soap/ hand sanitizer: similar to the candles up above, fake scents are a no-go in our household. There’s nothing worse than washing your hands and then 2 hours later still having that unnatural scent lingering around. Remember: your skin is your biggest organ. We’ve swapped out traditional hand soap for the Thieves foaming hand soap and the Thieves water less hand purifier. Both contain the proprietary Thieves blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata and rosemary. Have you ever seen this graphic? It’s pretty powerful!

4. Car air freshener: fake scents… seeing the theme? One new item in the holiday catalog is the car vent diffuser! Simply add a drop or two of your favorite oil or blend before hitting the road, and you’ll be breathing easy while rockin’ out to holiday tunes.

Gifts
Here are a few of my stocking stuffer or grab-bag favorites:

  1. Do you know someone who could use a little more sleep support? Do you need more sleep support? I love love love the Tranquil roll-on essential oil blend. It’s already got coconut oil in the blend, so it’s safe to use on the whole family. Keep one by your bedside and pass one along to someone you know who deserves sweet dreams.
  2. Someone on your list deserve a little relaxation? I love the Stress Away bath bombs! No fake fragrances, no fake dyes = they aren’t going to stain your tub! And they are cheaper per bomb than those sold at Lush, I did the math for you. You’re welcome. They are vegan (whoop whoop!) and with their skin-loving ingredients, your skin is going to be soft, smooth and moisturized.
  3. Any athletes on your list? I’ve tested and approve of the Cool Azul Pain Relief Cream! This cream helped me get through my 50k training and is perfect for any athlete that has occasional aches and pains. Or for the parent’s on your list that are chasing little ones. Or anyone really who slept the wrong way. I call this item nature’s bengay… minus the synthetic ingredients. Love!
  4. Lip Gloss – color abundant. I’m not a lipstick kind of gal, I’m a balm kind of gal. And it took me a while to try this lip gloss because I thought it would be a waste of money. But it’s light and adds the perfect amount of color for my special occasions – or day to day wear if the gal on your list is into that kind of stuff. There are a number of color options to choose from with the same formula – no parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals, bismuth, talc, synthetic fragrances or colorants – so it’s even safe to use on the little ones when they ask to dress up as well.

Tips
Have too much to eat or too much of one food group? Grab the Digize essential oil blend that came in your starter kit and rub a drop or two directly on your belly for digestion support.

You feeling a little run down? Need a pep in your step? Get your diffuser crankin’ with a few drops of Citrus Fresh and Peppermint (both in your starter kit) right when you hop out of bed to help you feel energized and ready to take on your day. Kick it up a notch by showering with one of the new Citrus Fresh Energizing Shower Steamers! Make them last even longer by breaking them in half; they’re pretty big!

Get a stain on an item of clothing while at a party? Add one capful of the Thieves Household Cleaner to a rollerball with water and rub directly on the clothing to pre-soak. Remember, clothing sits on your skin (largest organ), it’s important to assess what comes into contact with your body on a daily basis. A sample of this product is in your kit!

Looking for some new holiday diffuser blends? Check out Pinterest – there are a TON of great recipes already out there – no need to feel overwhelmed.

I could add a lot of items to this list, but alas, I must return from my lunch break. Have any additional suggestions or a specific question? Reach out to me – I’d love to help you one on one! And if you haven’t already jumping into this oily lifestyle, what’s holding you back?

October in Review!

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Are you getting sick of these monthly updates? If so, you’re in luck because there will only be two more. Two! Well, fingers crossed there’s only two. I don’t want to jinx myself or anything.

October was a stellar month for us. Despite barely working at my side hustle (ugh, rain), we still managed to put $6,365.74 toward debt! Boom pow!

This month was a three payroll month for me and we both got raises. Our annual gross salary increased by almost ten grand and I share this not to brag, not at all, but to be transparent, as I have this entire process. However, because coworkers visit this page (hello there, co-workers!) I’m not going to disclose who got what. Ask me how much I make in person and I’ll tell you, I’ve got nothing to hide. What I love most about Dave Ramsey’s plan is that it works, regardless of how much you make. Yes, if your shovel is smaller it may take you longer, but it works. You’d be surprised how much people assume we bring home in order to make this much progress… I can tell you you’re probably assuming wrong.

Rule number 3 of the Four Agreements: Don’t make assumptions.

YOU can do it, you just have to choose to do it.

We also got a boost this month in the form of a refund. $819.64 to be exact, from Navient. Looooooooong story short: one of the beau’s loans was eligible to have the last 6 months of payments refunded back to us once it was paid in full. This was a loan that was paid off back in September and we received the money in record time (compared to the 5 months we had to wait for a previous loan refund). That refund was applied immediately to the balance of the solo remaining loan; we chose not to have it deposited into our checking account.

Back to the stats!

This was our 14th month on our #financialpeacejourney and we’ve paid off a total of $80,937.71! That’s 90.86%!!

We only have $8,137.74 left to pay off! This month we hit the milestone of officially being under $10k!!

57 days until our DEBT FREE SCREAM! (December 26th)

Spending wise, we were pretty tuned in to what our budget dictated:

  • but we did overspend on our grocery line by $14 and by $10 on the eating out/alcohol line
  • the beau donated $10 for the Breast Cancer Walk through his employer
  • and we spent $8.64 on Halloween candy (note: no pumpkins this year)


Fun was once again built into our monthly budget! We got two punches in the Nine Pin 26er Challenge and won free box tickets to see Phish at the TU Center. I can tell you that two beers cost us a whopping $23 at that show! Yikes! And we splurged and went out to dinner the night we got the refund from Navient. We used money gifted to us from Christmas last year (!) for this special date night. It was the first time we had been out to dinner together, just the two of us, since February! It felt funny and I was super conscious / aware of how much I could easily drop in just one night, but we made compromises and had a delicious meal. If you haven’t tried the impossible burger at The Shop, animal style, you’re missing out! And take the gamble on the $3 random cans of beer – they were a fun twist!

Personally, I continued strong with the 30 Day Minimalism Challenge. And despite not sharing each day individually on IG, I did complete 27/31 days. I did a giant email purge during the last week and let me tell you, that one felt oh so good! Logging in each day and only have 14 items in my inbox is a delight. I can now solely focus on what’s truly important. (For reference, I started with 788.) I also purged a shit-ton of trash, legit garbage, from my bedroom closet. Why I had been stashing wrappers, receipts and old band aids (not used) in a box, I couldn’t tell you. I’m continuing to make progress each week and have been focusing on small areas at a time. I know that storage container cabinet in the kitchen is calling my name… so.many.mason jars!

Speaking of the kitchen, we had some great meals at home this past month! Here’s a look at some of the meals we ate (a number of photographs shared on IG):

  • Mondays: Indian stir-fry, tofu scrambles with home fries
  • Tuesdays: lentil soup, black bean soup
  • Wednesdays: spaghetti squash with a tvp & mushroom “meat” sauce, quick veggie stir-fry, tofu and broccoli
  • Thursdays: homemade sushi with spring rolls, beans & greens
  • Fridays: tempeh wraps with roasted broccoli, “fish” tacos
  • Saturdays: pizza!
  • Sundays: eggplant parm., a tomato bake with crescent rolls, beet balls and a homemade “mozzarella”

I also baked a beautiful (and tasty!) cake for the beau. He had been gone traveling for work so I decided to surprise him with a treat the day he got home (a sweet for my sweet). I stayed up late to bake the cake one Thursday night and then got up early the next day to pick flowers from our garden and frost it. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Running wise, I only ran 45.3 miles. I don’t blame my running friend buuuuuuut she’s on holiday and I’ve skipped the last two weeks. I’m lazy and prefer to sleep when left on my own, ha! It’s pretty damn dark out there in the mornings now, FYI. Excuses, I know. BUT I did do two at home workout videos (Cardio Fix and Upper Fix) and it is SAD how sore I was following those workouts. Like, sore for days. Whelp. I need to do more strength training.

October also brought the finale of my second Financial Peace University class that I co-taught with my friend Rhi. It was a success despite only one person showing up and taking a chance on herself. I can’t wait to follow along with her on this journey! I’ll most likely be teaching one more FPU class in January – keep an eye out for that announcement soon! ((I do not get paid to teach this class; it’s 100% volunteer work. I will show up whether I have one person in the class or 50. You do not need to share your specific numbers/debt with me but I will share mine. You do have to show up to all 9 classes. You may have wandered into debt but you cannot wander out (there is no quick fix).))

Whew! What a month! The final countdown is on…

Books I’ve Read: Q3 2018

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I honestly had to go back and look at my GoodReads account to see what/if I read this last quarter. I go through phases: I’m either obsessed with reading and can’t get enough or I won’t pick up a book for months. I’ve got a number of great titles on my list but I’m just unmotivated to read these days. I’m thinking that’ll change soon because it’s getting darker and it’s getting colder in the evenings. I’m determined not to turn on the heat until at least November 1st (Thanksgiving would be even better), so hopefully I’ll be snuggled in earlier in the evening with the beau and a good book. Or three.

I did read two books during the first week of July:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

This story is about 15-year old Christopher who is logistically very smart and decides to write his first novel as he tries to figure out who murdered a dog in the neighborhood, Wellington. I know someone very similar to Christopher – with high functioning autism – who also has a knack with numbers. This first person tale put even more into perspective for me (re: yellow cars) and I have to admit, I too enjoy making lists and found this format comforting. I gave it 3 stars.

The Call by Yannick Murphy

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK: The format, it’s told from the perspective of a veterinarian living in the Northeast, receiving phone calls from people within his community. While off-putting at first, you’ll easily adjust and want to read more.
WHAT MADE ME LAUGH: The little stories throughout – what his wife was cooking, what his children were up to.
DID IT MAKE YOU CRY?: Yes, yes it did.

I randomly picked up this book off of the bookshelf at work while waiting for another to arrive, and read it in two days. Chosen only because there was a cow on the cover, I got really lucky. The story is about a father looking for answers after his son was injured during a hunting accident. The format made it feel like you were reading through his personal journal, which made it very easy for me to get drawn in. Yes, I may have seen the ending coming a mile away but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it when it happened. I gave it 4 stars.

And I did start three other books this quarter – reading about 20 pages of each and returning them when they were due.

  • After This: When Life is Over, Where Do We Go? by Matthew Walker
  • Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Claire Bidwell Smith
  • Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews – I still have this book by my bedside and am now about 80 pages in, ha! This is an interesting book to say the least… also on the Great American Read list.

I’ve read 12 of 15 books in 2018.