This is how I feel right now. Seriously. Only that is a man. And I am not a man. Just in case you didn't know.
Let's talk about debt. If you have zero debt then I want to hear about it. That means you are a ROCK STAR in my eyes. It is motivating and powerful to be debt free. In January of 2011, I was in a much different place then I am right now. I was recovering from a horrible month of being in and out of the hospital, suffering from intense migraines and seizures and I also was sitting on:
$27,000 in student loans
$6,000 in a vehicle loan
$6,000 in hospital bills
=$39,000 in debt.
Are you sick to your stomach, yet? I was sick, very sick. I googled healthy supplements looking for a way to make myself better, so that I could be a wife and a mother and get back to work. I missed almost an entire month of work!!! And if you didn't know, I work in law enforcement full time on the night shift.
And in February of 2011 I found Shaklee.
I was looking to get healthy so I could have a life again. I never thought it would impact every other area in my life as well. Within a few weeks on Shaklee supplements I felt a world of a difference. It was insane. I finally was able to take care of my family, I was migraine and seizure free. I was free to be a wife and a mom again. I am so grateful and feel incredibly blessed to be able to take these great supplements and be healthy. I had a ton of energy and I felt so good!
Then it started to take off. People were emailing or asking me how I got better and how I lost weight. When you love things, you naturally talk about them or blog about them and that is what I was doing. It was just natural. I told them I was using Shaklee products and I loved them.
And my income grew! I found myself making extra money and I was able to pay off all of my hospital bills within a few months. Then I thought, what would happen if I paid off my van too? And I did!!! I was amazed! That was already $12,000 in debt! We now have zero car payments!
Then in May of 2011 I had a little breakdown. I was exhausted and I missed my kids. I desperately wanted to be at home with them and not work the night shift anymore. I blogged about that HERE.
Then I started to make goals and get serious. I thought, you know, if I can pay off 6k in medical bills, 6k in vehicle payments, then maybe, just maybe I can pay off my student loans and be able to work from home with my business full time and most importantly be financially independent and DEBT FREE!
And guess what? Now it is January 2012. We are now down to $15,000 in student loans. I have one student loan left. And I plan to have that paid off by this summer!
Now technically we won't be entirely debt free, we still have our mortgage. But I will be working on that too! AND I will be at home with my kids and STILL making an income and NOT working the night shift!!! Can you picture me jumping for joy? Because I am doing it. :)
Now we did use a financial program. And if you want more information on that you can email me and I will tell you what it was. It changed our family. We love it. We followed a simple method and it has been so easy!! And most of it was FREE! Because when you want to get out of debt, the last thing you need is to PAY for more things. That defeats the purpose.
So, I want to know, are you debt free? Do you have a goal to get debt free in 2012? Does your family have a plan to get there? I am passionate about helping families and love living a frugal lifestyle.
Have a wonderful day! :)
Erin that is so AWESOME that you've been able to payoff the things you have and getting that student loan debt down!!! I admire you for being able to do that!! If I could find a second job that I could work on that wouldn't conflict with my current job and not taking time away from my son and husband I would do it. However, having cancer and trying to work a second job would be impossible!!!
ReplyDeleteBut again, congrats on getting that debt down!!
www.ginnybrumback.blogspot.com
Congrats - those are some hefty goals! Good job!!
ReplyDeletecongratulations that is amazing! any chance you'd do financial coaching?? i have no clue where to start with my debt!
ReplyDeletehaha, maybe. email me at erin.branscom@gmail.com
DeleteI have a question. Did your migraines stop solely from starting Shaklee or did you combine that with quitting to eat certain things? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWe are debt free and it is a wonderful feeling. The main reason for us to get out of debt was so I could quit working. After we got out of debt and before I quit, I used my income to save up a lot of $ too for different things, like for my son to finish high school at a Christian school. It would have been extremely hard for him to go there on my husband's income. (I homeschooled him before that). And he has gotten scholarships to cover his college, so that is a wonderful blessing too. We need a new vehicle and have most of the cash set aside for that as well. We buy used vehicles. I set aside different money that I make for the car fund (such as yard sales and selling homeschool books and the interest from our checking accounts) plus we save money from my husband's income as well. That is the key now, not to spend every thing we make. We have some money set aside for an emergency fund too. Maybe I have given too much information but it also might help someone. Chris
Hi Chris, mainly with my supplements with Shaklee. I didn't start eating healthier until a few months later. I continued with the supplements and diet and the migraines are gone now. Hopefully for forever! :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I are debt free (not counting morgage) and have been for several years. We did our own version of Dave Ramsey's debt snowball. It gives you such peace of mind! Congrats and it sounds like you will soon be debt free as well!
ReplyDeleteWe plan on getting debt free this year!!
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I'd love to hear more about the program you used. We're definitely in debt and for medical reasons, I probably won't be able to work for the next year so we can use all the help we can get.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome and inspiring story!!!! I can literally feel your happiness and excitement through your post!
ReplyDeleteWe too are debt free and have been for years. It's not always easy, but it's definitely more peaceful.
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ReplyDeleteCongratulations! After taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course, my husband and I became debt free (not counting our mortgage) about a year and a half ago and haven't looked back! You can do it!! Don't give up!
ReplyDeletewww.jpandjamie.blogspot.com
That's incredible! How great for you. We went to private college, because everyone promised we'd get better jobs afterward. Ha! Now we owe 90k, plus mortgage. Grateful though that we have paid off all credit cards and other debt.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this! Would you be interested in sharing your story on our web site? If so I'd love to hear from you: workathomemarket@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd love to learn which financial program you used!