Sarah Paid Off $33k In 3 Yrs Making ($26k Per Year)!

Pretty much everyone knows that paying off debt is not an easy task. It takes conviction, a strong "why", a plan, a budget and LOTS of encouragement. And as a coach, I've seen that one of the best ways for our students to stay motivated is to hear other people's stories, listen to their struggles and live vicariously through their wins.

This is the whole reason I started this "Journey To Debt-Freedom" series. I wanted to curate a reservoir of personal stories that will help you "find your own story" and keep marching forward toward your personal finance goals and ultimately to debt-freedom and beyond. 

Along those lines, if you have a "debt-free" or "on-my-way-to debt-free" story, I'd love to share yours with our audience. It's always such a gift to our subscribers and fans to hear your particular story AND will help you, especially if you have a a blog/platform/YouTube channel you want to promote (although that's not at all necessary).

Next up in our "Journey To Debt-Freedom" series, meet Sarah, The Budget Girl!

Introduce yourself, Sarah.

Hi! I’m Sarah Wilson, aka Budget Girl here on the internet, a YouTuber, debt-destroyer, side-hustler, speaker and financial wellness advocate.

I believe one of the keys to creating the life you want is to manage your money and I’m here to teach you how.

I’ve made weekly videos on my YouTube Channel for the past five years on how to live a frugal, fun and financially fearless life, showcasing budget activities, DIYs, how to invest, build wealth, raise your income, and live your best life with the aid of a budget.

I documented my successes and challenges paying off $33,000 of student loans in just 3 years on a tiny reporter’s salary of $26,000 / year.

I side-hustled, negotiated for better pay and positions and worked to drastically change my financial future. Now I’m even more passionate about teaching others how to manage their money, pay off debt and live the life of their dreams on less.

Give me a little bit of background about your financial situation and your decision to "tackle it". Tell me about how much debt you've paid off so far and in how much time. What is your debt made up of?

$33,000 of all student loan debt paid off in 3 years and 3 months on a 26k average income

Looking for a way to get started on your own debt-free journey? Check out my: 

 “Debt-Elimination Quick-Start Guide”. This free resource will have ALL the tools, forms and printables you’ll need while moving through this 30 day challenge.

What was "the moment" you decided, "enough is enough" and what actions did you take or resources did you use to get the process started?

I was laid off from my job and it about scared me to death.

Looking for a ways to live more frugally and address your debt? Check out my: 100 Frugal Ways To Save Money And Get Out Of Debt.

What was your "why"? What kept you going when you wanted to quit? How did you stay motivated?

Single person, out of work, fear mostly. no real choice.

Describe your "belief system" about money and (if/how) has it changed? Maybe even talk about how you were brought up to think about money and how that changed as you progressed through the process.

Bad things don't happen as often to prepared people.

What have been the biggest/toughest sacrifices you've made in your personal finance/debt-elimination process?

Moving to a tiny Arkansas town to take a pay raise where I knew no one and there was nothing to do. Entirely to pay off the debt.

Describe how it feels or how it feels to be "on your way" to debt-freedom. 

I now have a mortgage on a cash flowing property, but am debt free otherwise. It is very freeing to no have to pay a high interest on old things and have my full earning ability available to me.

This “$1000 In 30 Days Challenge and Resource Pack” is designed to help you find, cut and/or earn $1000 inside of 30 days so that you can: pay off debt with it, save it or invest it.

Here's the free downloadable/printable PDF.

What are some pieces of advice you would give to someone who's ready to get serious about tackling their finances?

Have and follow a budget. Emergency funds are a necessity. Be prepared to have them save you and don't get discouraged that you have to use them. Do not listen to people who tell you that you cannot improve your financial situation.

Where can we find you (website, social media, etc.)?

Website: https://budgetgirl.com

YouTube: Https://youtube.com/budgetgirl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gobudgetgirl

Instagram: https://instagram.com/gobudgetgirl

TikTok: Https://tiktok.com/budgetgirl

The Budget Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BGBudgetclub

Etsy Templates: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BudgetGirlGoods

Money beginners playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLH0k0rlQA6Db04PjJmICCZiaf7nF6szRm 

Call To Action

Now that you've heard ... story, maybe you're ready to take a closer look at a "framework" to start your own "journey to debt freedom". And, if you’ve hung out on this platform for any length of time, you’ll know I’m all about helping you to take action. And here are two very easy next steps to keep you moving in the right direction:

1. Download our free PDF guide that goes along with this series: “Debt-Elimination Quick-Start Guide”. This has a very comprehensive and dedicated video on establishing your “why”.
2. Head over to YouTube and start with the “Day 0” video. You can totally binge-watch the whole series if you want. That “first pass” will give you an idea of where you are and what it’s going to take for you to get to the next level with your own personal situation. And again, starting with your “why” is the absolute most important step.

I want for you to capitalize on any and all emotional momentum you’ve gotten from this piece of content by committing two just getting started by completing those two actions I mentioned above. If you’ve done that, congratulations, you’ve started! Now just follow the breadcrumbs and please let me know what’s helpful and what you might need more detail around.

Struggling Or Feeling Alone?

Join Our Private FB Group: Zero Debt Tribe

Now, if this decision process is something you struggle with and you constantly feel isolated about, I’ve got some great news for you and it’s free.

Our private Facebook group, ZeroDebtTribe. It’s a group of like minded people that are all somewhere along this P2P/debt-elimination/on their way to FI continuum. So click the image above and apply to join us. :)

Call To Action 

So, we’re all about taking action around here, so I wanted to offer you this free little resource that will help you get your finances organized an on track in less than 4 hours. It’s called our “Debt-Elimination Quick-Start Guide” and the link is in the video description below.

Looking for a way to get started on your own debt-free journey? Check out my: 

 “Debt-Elimination Quick-Start Guide”. This free resource will have ALL the tools, forms and printables you’ll need while moving through this 30 day challenge.

How can ZeroDebtCoach help you? 4 ways...

1. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and click the notifications bell to make sure you get our new videos every week. 

2. Download one of our free personal finance guides. You’ll learn some of the exact strategies I teach my private coaching students on how to organize and optimize their finances, obliterate debt and move on to financial independence by starting and growing online businesses.

3. If you’re looking for a community of motivated and like-minded people, go ahead and get on the waitlist to join our private financial coaching community. We only open it for new students a couple of times a year, so make sure to get on the waitlist.

5. If you need some help right now because you’ve got a burning issue, you need a problem solved, you want to talk through a complex situation, click on the button below.

All that said, let's keep on building your financial acumen and make this your best year yet!

Thanks so much for reading and we’ll see you in the next video post!

Some Of My Most Popular Posts

100 Frugal Ways To Save Money And Get Out Of Debt

30 Day Debt-Elimination Quick-Start Challenge

Budgeting 101: How To Build A Budget (You Can Actually Stick To)

What To Do When You Can't Pay Your Bills - Dave Ramsey's "4 Walls"

18 Expenses You Should Obliterate From Your Budget

How To Start Budgeting When You're Terrible At It

8 Steps To Erase Debt - And Get Your Life Back

9 Things We Do To Save Money Like "The Millionaire Next Door"

7 Budgeting Mistakes We All Make (And How To Correct Them)

What Is Financial Coaching?

$43k Paid Off!

The 4 Most Popular Reasons People Seek Financial Coaching

When Is It Okay To Say "I Can't Afford It"

How To Get Your $1000 Emergency Fund - Fast!

12 Things We Don't Spend Money On

How To Be Financially Prepared For The Coming Recession

11 Irregular Expenses You Probably Forgot To Budget

4 Not-So-Obvious To Rewrite Your Budget Every Month

12 Things You Should Buy At The Dollar Store And 5 You Shouldn't