HOW IT ALL STARTED

Hi, I’m Emily (and if you ask my husband, he’ll tell you I’m a free spirit who flies by the seat of my pants). But when it comes to money? That’s one place where “winging it” doesn’t cut it. We have four kids, big dreams, and an even bigger grocery bill, so financial security became a non-negotiable.

Our debt-free journey kicked off when my husband and I attended a Financial Peace University class at our church. Honestly, we thought it would just be a nice date night with free coffee. Instead, it was the plot twist of our lives. One homework assignment was to add up all our debt (minus the mortgage) and boom.

Instant reality check.

Let’s just say the number had us clutching our calculators like a horror movie popcorn bucket.

Up until then, we thought debt was just part of being an adult.

Car payments? Normal.

Credit cards? Necessary.

Student loans? Everybody has them.

Medical debt? Don’t get me started.

But somewhere between the lecture and the “oh no” moment, we realized maybe...just maybe...we didn’t actually have to keep living paycheck to paycheck.

So we made a plan. A big part of that plan? The cash stuffing method. Turns out, swiping a card feels like Monopoly money, but handing over cash is like ripping off a tiny piece of your soul. Painful enough that you actually spend less. Add in literally chopping up our credit cards (RIP plastic friends), and we were on our way.

Fast-forward: we paid off over $80K over 5 years and are officially debt free.

Nope, we’re not millionaires yet.

Yes, we step on Legos while budgeting.

But every month, we’re inching closer to our next goals. We are living proof that if two self-employed parents with chaotic schedules (and even more chaotic children) can take control of their money, SO CAN YOU!