Financial Freedom is possible

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Why is it so hard to talk about money? I’m not sure if it’s my upbringing or just society, but money talk has always been hush-hush for me until the end of last year when I decided that enough was enough and financial literacy and freedom was IMPORTANT, especially in a country where one’s credit score is a big deal. 

As the title of this blog post indicates, financial freedom is possible. I am coming real with y’all today! I’m throwing all caution to the wind because I am finally at the point where I can boldly say that I am credit card debt-free. From the beginning of this year to now, my husband and I got serious about money talk and our goal was to pay off all credit card debt (totaling over $24,000). Yes, I put a number to this because I need you to know the seriousness of this topic. 

My husband came into our marriage with no school loans and no significant debt, but ME? Sis was rolling in all sorts of mess. 

I was so angry and had no plans for being debt free because the majority of my debt was caused by medical bills, emergency spending, school loans, and living life with disability. I felt like it was “unfair” that I had to pay back! I wasn’t buying purses and shoes, I wasn’t living above my means, sooo, I was just angry and uninterested in repayment! I can’t even begin to share how unserious I was with my credit score, school loan repayments, and credit card debt. My friends can testify to how I would say “I wasn’t in debt because I had school loans and necessary debt”. I even thought that as long as I had “good savings and cash”, my credit score and debt were irrelevant. I believed these lies I told myself for so long and said I would deal with the debt once life became fair and I got heavily rich! 

This was a big mistake because things just kept getting worse with interest accumulating and me not knowing where to begin, but I knew I needed a long-lasting lifestyle change that could provide access to my financial dreams. Enough was enough. 

Whether your story is similar to mine, or if bad decisions led you to where you are, I want to tell you that you can start now to fix things.  If you’re looking for help in starting off your credit repair journey or if you plan to pay off debt, I recommend CreditRepair.com. They are trusted leaders in credit repair with over 500,000 clients served.

CreditRepair.com is a leading provider of credit report repair services in the United States. They are a team of credit professionals who educate and empower individuals to achieve the credit scores they deserve, and they offer a free consultation that can help you kick-start your credit repair efforts. 

I always prided myself on being literate and knowledgeable to an extent about finances, but I got MORE serious about it all at the end of last year (2019). Before I got married, I thought I was keeping up with debt and loan repayments to the best of my ability, but clearly my best wasn’t enough because my personal debt became a family debt and things just didn’t seem to get better. 

I knew change was coming when my husband and I started the year with a realistic budget, goals, and concrete plans to do better. We cut off so many things from our regular budget just to increase the amount we would be putting towards debt repayment! 

I want to emphasize that the first step to actually paying off debt and repairing your credit score is deciding that you are ready. I have seen firsthand how a readiness mindset and discipline can help you achieve your goals. There’s something truly inexplicable about prayers, faith, readiness, and working towards your goals. 

After I graduated from nursing school, I looked at my school loans and laughed. After we got married, I thought I was ready to start a life with financial freedom - but I clearly wasn’t. After we had our daughter, I thought I was ready to clear off all debt and do better - but I wasn’t. I had all of these things I wanted to do and achieve in my head, but I wasn’t writing any of it down, making a plan, or actively seeking out resources that could help me achieve my goals. 

My husband and I were both transparent with our financial history from the get-go, but with quitting my full-time job to pursue my dreams (a story for another day), and being an influencer trying to build a brand, the fear of the unknown actually held me back from making concrete plans! 

I used to say so many things like “what is the point in planning when I don’t even know what my income will be”? “When the money comes, I’ll pay off debt please”.

I eventually had to throw fear out the window, and I sat down with my husband to write down a plan with all the “sure money” we knew we would be bringing in (my passive income, my husband’s salary, etc.). We made a budget (very important), and I personally stepped up my hustle mentality because I knew that I needed to make more money to achieve the goals we had set. We prayed about our decision, and I put “pay off debt” on my vision board for the year 2020. Listen to me when I tell you that you have to decide that you are ready. 

I want to reiterate how IMPORTANT it is to be fully transparent and discuss your financial goals with your spouse (if you’re married) - actively sitting down to run the numbers together dollar by dollar. If you’re single, do this too! 

The second step is to find resources that CAN help you begin your journey. Resources like CreditRepair.com. I know that you are more than a credit score and you desire to do better, but your credit won’t fix itself. You have been doing your best till now, and where has that gotten you?

While my husband and I managed to pay off over $24,000 in credit card debt (even in a pandemic - thank you Jesus), I still had things under my credit score that needed fixing. My school loans and all the delinquencies that I racked up over years were still lurking and I needed help to tackle them. I got on a call with a credit service advisor and my journey with CreditRepair.com began. Their website is easy to navigate, and everything is written in plain, understandable English. Listen, everyone, I’m not a financial expert, but I am confident in this journey that I am on and I plan to keep you guys updated. Follow along with my credit journey over the next few months, and stay tuned for an opportunity to start your own credit journey. 

Saving and investing are much easier for us now. My husband and I continue to tweak our budget and edit our goals, and we’ve seen firsthand how debt can really hold you back from living your best life. I pray to never return to how I was before I began this journey to financial freedom. If you follow me on Instagram and watch my stories, you’ll know that I have been more vocal about these things. Financial freedom is possible!

Do you have any financial goals for yourself? Share with me below.

Thanks for reading, till later

God Bless.