COVID-19 definitely put a damper on our family’s debt freedom journey (at first). However, my husband has since gotten a new job and we encountered some windfalls that have allowed us to pick up some of the slack and refocus on our debt-free goals. Now, (insert trumpets) we are credit card debt free!
Being Credit Card Debt Free
Prior to this, we had about $2,000 in total credit card debt. We only had about $500 left to pay off though. So, once we got a windfall, we paid off the last account balance of $498.21, and just like that, we are free of credit cards once and for all.
Honestly, it feels pretty weird! I know it will take of lot of dedication to continue being credit card free. Now, we are one step closer to financial freedom and the ability to put that money towards other debts.
What’s Next
And that is exactly what we have planned next!
Because we no longer have credit card debt to pay off, we are going to refocus that money on paying off the tool loans, the car loan, and student loans. To do this, we are going to focus on them in this order…
- Tool loans – roughly $10,000 owed
- Car loan – $19,216 owed
- Student loans – $24,185 owed
Once these things are severely paid down, we will focus on paying off tax debt and getting any other financial needs situated. Now, you’re thinking, how long will this take?
I’m hopeful it will take us between two and three years to be debt-free. The plan is to add some additional funding to our emergency savings over the summer and then attack our debt full-on. Every extra penny we have will go towards paying off each of these accounts (in that order). Any windfalls, such as cash gifts, bonuses, and over time will also go towards debt repayment.
Once we are debt-free, we will be looking to buy a home. Initially, that will be more debt, but because we are going to be financially free, it will be easy to swiftly pay the house off. Being credit card debt free has us both optimistic and thinking about our debt-free future! Readers, how did you feel after paying off all of your credit card debt?
Read More
- Does Afterpay Help Your Credit?
- Giving Can Be Toxic Too: How to Focus on Yourself
- 5 Things to Avoid to Live Debt-Free
- COVID-19 and Mental Health: Are You Checking in With Yourself?
Amanda Blankenship is the Director of Social Media for District Media. In addition to her duties handling everything social media, she frequently writes for a handful of blogs and loves to share her own personal finance story with others. When she isn’t typing away at her desk, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, husband, and dog. During her free time, you’re likely to find her with her nose in a book, hiking, or playing RPG video games.
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