Category: Debt Free Stories

Money can be emotional. Few experiences compare to the joys of earning a long-awaited promotion or receiving a raise. Sometimes those experiences teach us that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I learned this lesson the hard way.

In June 2015, I earned a promotion as a public school administrator. Two weeks later, my wife, Megan, secured a new job as a teacher in the same school district. Our new jobs came with significant raises. I thought we had it made.

Before starting our new jobs, my wife and I celebrated with a vacation and spent a week basking in glory. Life finally seemed perfect.
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Have you ever asked yourself what normal is?

Lots of things are normal, right? I could write a long list of things that are normal and so could you!

But what about debt? Would that be on your list?

Well, when it comes to America, sadly, debt is normal!

How normal? I did a search on Google for “credit card debt” and this is what showed up:

What I discovered: In America, Debt = Normal

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Guess what? My wife and I just paid off our house.

Yep. We went to our local branch and plopped down some Benjamins for what remained on our mortgage.

You know what happened next? Nothing.

Wait . . . what?

Sure, the bank representative congratulated us for paying off the house -­ but there were no balloons, no streamers, no cake.

We just won the biggest financial race of our lives! We were able to accomplish what most Americans dream about. Shouldn’t there be some fireworks ­- or at least a sparkler and some rum punch?
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Meet Whitney Hansen, a 20-something who has kicked some serious money- and goal-setting butt — including paying off $30,000 in student loans in just 10 months. Here’s her inspiring story.

It starts with some serious hustle

“I graduated from high school in 2006 and didn’t really have the financial support system to get me through college, so I had to figure it out on my own. I moved to Boise (2 hours away) the night of graduation and started cosmetology school the very next day. I did the nail tech portion which was 3 months, so by August 2006, I was licensed, employed and beginning my college career studying Accounting at Boise State University. That mini career allowed me to have a decent income during college and I purchased my first home when I was 19.”
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