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Let’s get straight to the point:
I have $16,000 in credit card debt spread across four cards.
There’s no excuse I’m about to give you. No long story about emergencies. No “life got hard.”
This is 100% because I was reckless, irresponsible, and letting impulse wins turn into swipes for a temporary high. Retail therapy? More like retail self-sabotage.
For years, I paid the minimums. Never made a dent. Watched balances creep right back up because the minimums were too high, my income too stretched, and my decisions… questionable at best.
Eventually, the stress of it all pushed me into moving back home—because I genuinely thought I could live in my cute $1200 apartment forever with absolutely no plan to get out of debt. Girl. I don’t know what kind of fantasy I thought I was living, but discipline and “realistic understanding of how money works” were not characters in that story.
Yes. At my big age.
But I’m tired.
I’m tired of stressing every paycheck.
Tired of watching my bank account do the slow crumble.
Tired of feeling like adulthood is one big never-ending bill cycle.
So now? I’m choosing to take control of my finances so I can take control of my life.
Let’s talk about how I got here and more importantly, how I’m getting OUT.
How I Got Here
I make around $60K a year, and after taxes, I take home roughly $3,300 a month.
Immediately, about half of that disappears thanks to my car note (another irresponsible decision!), car insurance, and credit card minimums.
I had no savings.
They evaporated.
Gone. Not even a disrespectful $20 hanging on for dear life.
So when something went wrong?
Swipe. Swipe. Swipe.
And the debt grew…
and grew…
and grew.
The only reason I can breathe right now is because I moved back home. My parents don’t charge me rent, and I’m extremely grateful and painfully aware of how lucky I am. That breathing room is exactly why I’m doing this now.
Because I refuse to be drowning in this mess forever.
My Plan
Phase 1: Build a Tiny Safety Net First
I know—it sounds backwards.
Why save before paying off debt?
Because I’ve done the “pay debt with $0 in savings” thing before, and guess what happened?
An emergency popped up and I had to swipe the card again.
Hole gets deeper. Cycle repeats. Misery continues.
So not this time.
Goal: $5,000 emergency fund by April 2026 (five months from now)
How: $1,000/month into a separate high-yield savings account
That leaves me about $600–$700 “fun money” each month for food, gas, hobbies, and life.
It’s aggressive. But possible. And necessary.
Phase 2: The Snowball Method
Here’s the damage:
While I’m saving for my emergency fund, I’m still paying all my minimums PLUS an extra $200 a month toward the smallest balance.
Once the $5k is built up?
Every dollar that was going into savings will start attacking the debt. That’s another $1,000/month on top of the minimums and the $200 extra.
At that pace, the math says I’ll be debt-free sometime in 2027.
I hate that it’s that far away, but lying to myself is literally how I got here in the first place.
The Tools I’m Using
Nothing fancy. Nothing complicated. Just things that keep me consistent.
1. A Physical Notebook
I write every expense by hand before it ever touches a digital planner.
Something about pen + paper just makes it… real.
It’s my little financial brain dump.
Zebra Dual-Tip Highlighter Set
2. GoodNotes on My iPad Mini
Once I organize the chaos in my notebook, I transfer everything into a cute GoodNotes budget planner on my beloved iPad mini.
Everyone else has the Pro or the Air.
Me? I love the mini because it fits anywhere, goes everywhere, and lowkey feels more important than my phone at this point.
Here’s what I track:
- Monthly budget
- Debt payoff chart
- Emergency fund
- Weekly spending
- Goals
Apple Pencil Pro. / Apple Pencil alternative
Matte Anti-Glare Screen Protector
Books I’m Reading on Financial Independence
Because I’m not just trying to get out of debt—I’m trying to stay out. Some are on Kindle Unlimited as well!
Financial Feminist:Overcome the Patriarchy’s Bullsh*t to Master Your Money and Build a Life You Love by Tori Dunlap Bookshop.org | Amazon
We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power by Rachel Rodgers bookshop.org | Amazon
The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau bookshop.org | Amazon
The Simple Path to Wealth:Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life by J L Collins bookshop.org | Amazon
That’s it.
No fancy spreadsheets.
No color-coded 12-tab Google Sheets situation.
No side hustles I’ll burn out on after two weeks.
Just boring, consistent payments until the balances hit zero.
If You’re Starting Your Journey Too… Stick Around
I’ll be posting:
- monthly debt updates
- savings progress
- budgeting tips
- systems that actually work
- every mistake I make (because I’m not hiding the reality)
All with honesty, because shame has never helped anybody pay off a single dollar.
Drop your debt number below if you want—
and tell me what steps you’re taking.
Let’s figure this out together.