I became very concerned with my student loan debt in 2014 after viewing a YouTube video, when a speaker said it was my duty to pay back the student loans I borrowed. He continued to state that I made a promise to the loan provider and to the man upstairs that I would repay it. Now reflecting, I believe the man that said it was Dave Ramsey. The man’s comment haunted me so much that I had trouble sleeping. I began praying about the debt and making consistent payments on it. Even at church, while I was supposed to be taking notes on the sermon, the debt loomed over my thoughts.
At the end of October of 2017, I had nasal polyps removed and had plenty of time to stay at home and recover. My favorite YouTube mommy vlogger had videos about living debt free. She even had an excel budget sheet and gave reference to Dave Ramsey. After watching countless videos on budgeting, I came across one of Dave Ramsey’s videos, and I committed to paying off my student loan. Ramsey’s words motivated me to take my debt by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. I needed the encouragement at the time. I was one-year post divorce, which I was still grieving, and drowning in debt. His words made me get excited about tackling the debt and getting a plan in place.
First, I wrote down all my debt a piece of paper. I faced the bad news that I was in a lot of debt. Earlier in October, I had replaced my refrigerator and toilet using a credit card, which was over $500. I was becoming stressed because I had consolidated all my debt onto one credit card of $6000 that required full payment by May of 2018 or I would be charged outrageous fees. Next, I wrote down my student loan debt. The amount was disheartening. It was a total of 115,000, plus an extra 1,000 for the month of October. I owed the government 116,000 in October of 2017! I was angry at myself, my prayers, my life. I felt hopeless until I remember Dave Ramsey stating, “Sell everything! Get a second job! Deliver pizza!” I devised a plan. I was going to become an in-home tutor. At the end of my sick leave, I had flyers for my tutoring services at the local library. I tried to sell items from my wedding, purses, and toys on three different websites-only one item sold. Finally, I decided to return to cosmetology. I loved doing hair, and I worked in the hair industry for five years while in college and my first year of teaching.
I earned my cosmetology license during my first quarter of college in 1997. I was unable to go with my high school classmates to the state board of cosmetology during the summer, but was able to go in the fall, and I passed the exam. I immediately gained experience at a local Fiesta Salon and later at SuperCuts. Once I obtained a teaching position, I transitioned from cosmetology to focus on teaching. In December of 2017, I applied to have my cosmetology license reinstated, and after paying a fee and taking an online class, I was a cosmetologist. I received my license in the mail on Saturday, January 6 and was hired at a local chain salon on Sunday, January 7. My goal while working at the salon was to make 1,000/month working 20 hours a week.
I was making my goal every month until March. I put in a request to decrease my hours due to my daughter’s weekend tantrums. Starting in March, on weekends that I had my daughter, I only worked Sunday. This decreased my income from $1000 per month to $775 per month. March was a very good month for me. I received my income taxes, and I was able to pay off all my debt, including my car lease. The final month of my car lease was July of 2018, but I had such an abundant amount of money that I was able to pay it off early. I was officially credit card and car lease free!
I began saving for a previously owned car to replace my leased car. It was a humbling experience. I drove a new Nissan Maxim that was fully loaded, my dream car. However, I began searching for a newer looking Chevy Malibu that was $5000 or less. After searching websites and dealerships, I finally found a Malibu for $4,800. I paid cash for it and could not have been prouder to own a car. Owning my car, I was able to contribute more than $500 towards my student loan. I could finally see the dream of being debt free coming true.
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