Sallie & Perkins: ONE YEAR PROGRESS
Today is an anniversary of sorts. Or perhaps a birthday better describes today? More like a "Nerdversary" if you ask me! One year ago, Sallie & Perkins were introduced to the blog world. Introduced to the entire world, if you really think about it. One year ago, these two nerdalicious characters took a leap of faith and decided to share their debt journey with anyone who wanted to listen. They decided that putting it out there for all to read was a great way to keep themselves accountable, and hopefully help a few others along the way. They've tossed out numbers here and there and kept you pretty up-to-date on the student loan elimination, but today- they are ready to get really real.
We started seriously debt-slashing on 6/1/2013, with a total student loan balance of: $42,325.80 One year of debt-slahing later, on 6/1/2014 our balance is: $16,774.82
What did we do??
-- Cancelled our cable services -- Downgraded our cell phone plans to a cheaper option -- Cut back majorly on eating out -- Cooked healthy, simple meals at home way more often -- Budgeted for some fun every month BEFORE the month started -- Messed up here and there -- Got back on track and motivated ourselves to keep going -- Came up with ideas for creative, cheap dates --Sold extra crap on Ebay and Craig's List -- Used coupons and only shopped for necessities -- Made do with what we had -- Decided vacations were a must so we budgeted and paid cash for them -- Didn't let the vacation make us feel guilty and kept pressin' on -- Talked debt and budgets with as many people as we could -- Prayed for guidance and wisdom in our financial life -- Looked at the big picture -- Made much bigger efforts to conserve energy and lower our bills -- Celebrated every milestone along the way -- Oh, and we burned every old loan paper we don't need anymore!!
-- Cancelled our cable services -- Downgraded our cell phone plans to a cheaper option -- Cut back majorly on eating out -- Cooked healthy, simple meals at home way more often -- Budgeted for some fun every month BEFORE the month started -- Messed up here and there -- Got back on track and motivated ourselves to keep going -- Came up with ideas for creative, cheap dates --Sold extra crap on Ebay and Craig's List -- Used coupons and only shopped for necessities -- Made do with what we had -- Decided vacations were a must so we budgeted and paid cash for them -- Didn't let the vacation make us feel guilty and kept pressin' on -- Talked debt and budgets with as many people as we could -- Prayed for guidance and wisdom in our financial life -- Looked at the big picture -- Made much bigger efforts to conserve energy and lower our bills -- Celebrated every milestone along the way -- Oh, and we burned every old loan paper we don't need anymore!!
Thank YOU for reading along with us, for putting up with us, and for humoring us along the way. As you can see, we've still got a good chunk of student loans left, but we're attacking them at full-speed and hope to have them gone in just a few short months. It's been such an eye-opening experiencing… living BELOW our means, sacrificing material "stuff" we think we need or want. It's been one of the best year's of our lives and we cannot wait to reach that official debt-free milestone. If anyone has any doubts or fears about tackling their own debt, just know it IS possible and that small changes, over time, will get you there too!
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