You know what truly inspires me as Hubs and I travel the road to debt freedom? It is reading about the successes of others also paying off debt! While I’m always thrilled to see their progress, I want to keep up. Forget the Joneses. These days I’m doing my best to keep up with the Debt Crushers!
Who are the Debt Crushers? While I wish I could say that I know more of them in real life (because I know we are out there!), most are fellow bloggers I will likely never meet. I have several of them on my blogroll. They are the ones who share the details of paying off extra to XYZ company. It makes me want my own XYZ company to receive the same amount or even more! It also means that I am pushing as hard as I can to crush some major debt!
Is keeping up with the Debt Crushers unrealistic? Given that we all have different financial circumstances, it may be when it comes to keeping up dollar for dollar. Still, I think reaching for what others are doing (or more!) isn’t a bad thing. It makes me feel that if they can do it, so can I!
In my blog post of yesterday, I mentioned wanting to give more of a detailed list of our debts. I’m hoping that in doing so, it will serve to inspire others sharing this journey to debt freedom. Whether you are at the starting line, nearing the finish line, or somewhere in between, we all need to keep our eye on the prize of freedom from debt.
Where are Hubs and I on our journey? We started our journey on Jan 1 of 1017 with a whopping $55,749.69 of debt. By Jan 1 of 2018, we were at $46,408.39. As of today, we are at $41,344.43. Our debts, interest rates and current order of attack are as follows:
CC #1 $2,400 (0%)
Medical $2,400 (0%)
CC #2 $7,125 (0%)
Auto: $7,319.43 (1.99%)
CC #3 $9,900 (5.99%)
CC #4 $12,200 (0%)
Seeing the debts broken down in this manner also makes it easier for me. Attacking $2,400 feels a whole lot more doable than attacking the massive total of these debts.
For all of you fellow Debt Crushers, Thank You for keeping me motivated! While some months I may not have an enormous snowball, you inspire me to keep on going. Forget the Joneses; I want to keep up with the Debt Crushers!
You are crushing it! And look at all those zero or low interest rates. That helps a ton!
OneFamily recently posted…Weekend with no plans
Thank you! Getting these interest rates down has been key to our journey.
Dear fellow debt crusher Lucy, thanks for all your encouragement on your blog. I like to look at my numbers all laid out, too. Dear Husband and I name the debt categories in our household budget like:
Car loan with $8,800 left.
Then every time I take a look at the budget, my conversation with myself goes something like, “Well, you COULD go to the concert, or you could go for a hike in the park instead and put the savings toward that stupid $8,800!” It’s extra fun when we make a payment because we get to change the name of the category: Car loan with $8,680 left now!
By the way, I’m so honored to be on your blogroll, but my blog has moved to a FREE(yippee!) blog site. It’s no longer minimalistgranny. I won’t type my new site here and distract from your wonderful post, but if you’re curious, my comment name should link to it.
I like your way of thinking! Saving money by opting for a free activity….and then lowering your debt…I call that a win!
I was wondering where your blog had gone. The link and name are now fixed. Glad you are still blogging!
you are doing great! I love watching peoples debt numbers go down – its really motivating.
Thanks, Jan! We still have a ways to go, but we will get there!
Debt Crushers!!! I love it! I am honored to be part of that club. Like you, I would rather be like the Debt Crushers than trying to keep up with the Jones, or Smiths or whatever their name is!
Rhitter recently posted…On Updates on the Grands
You bet! You continue to inspire me to do more! Thank you for sharing your journey!
You are welcome! We need to inspire and encourage each other.
Rhitter recently posted…On FPU – Week 6
I agree. So many others have done it and so can we!
When I was paying off my student loans and credit card debt, personal finance blogs were so inspiring and motivating to me too! You are doing an excellent job on your debt payoff, way to go!!
Thank you!