I love hearing about other people’s financial success. Whether someone just paid off all their debt, didn’t use a credit card for vacation, or started a new business adventure, I’m always fascinated and excited to hear their story.
While the end result seems so glamorous, the most interesting part of the story is often the journey and how they overcome their money problems. Improving your financial situation and fixing your money problems from the ground up is hard work no matter which way you look at it. There’s a lot that goes into meeting the overarching goals that you set.
It sounds super nice to imagine how someone may no longer have a mortgage. Or maybe they don’t have to work 40 hours a week to bring in a stable income. But it’s important to realize that this person had their uphill battle to reach success as well. Every one of us has had days where we’ve probably want to give up.
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What is My Debt Epiphany About?
I kind of started this blog on a whim almost 5 years ago now. I thought about waiting until I got my life more in order before purchasing a domain and writing my heart out to strangers. I initially thought, who’s going to listen to me or take me seriously? Maybe I should pay back my student loans and gain some authority before I start telling the world how to improve on managing their finances.
I was a single mom, paying off almost $30,000 in student loans on a single low-income. And, up until my website, I have much success or knowledge in personal finance.
Related: My Monthly Single Mom Budget Living and Paying Off Debt on $32,000/year
But I realized that there’s never a good time to start something great. Everyone’s story is unique. And I didn’t want to just pop up one day as the girl who had it all together. I started this blog when I did because I believe that sharing intimate details about my journey and my own money problems was just as important as sharing my future success story.
So while this blog is all about the journey, this particular post is about the unglamorous side. That includes the hard work and sacrifice. We all go through it. Why not talk about it? Here’s what my unglamorous truth has looked like when it comes to working my way out of debt, getting over my money problems, and becoming financially stable.
Working Every Single Day
Ever since I committed to building this blog, started side hustling, and getting serious about paying off my debt, I’ve been working in some form or another 7 days a week.
Sometimes the work I do is unpaid. Like when I invest in a blogging course or work on my blog. Last weekend I spent hours creating new freebies to give to those who sign up for my email list. I really wanted to take my time and create something that was valuable and helpful.
I also do other side hustles like focus groups and I do freelance writing a few days out of the week. Working every day is the norm for a lot of people who are aggressively paying down debt or working toward another financial goal.
Changing Your Lifestyle to Combat Money Problems
I haven’t made any drastic changes or sacrifices in my opinion in order to maintain and reach my goals. But I did cut some expensive habits that were holding me back financially. When you set strict goals for yourself, it really puts things into perspective and allows you to prioritize better.
I easily changed my lifestyle by basically living below my means and refusing to buy things I knew I couldn’t afford. Instead, I found more affordable alternatives that still allowed me to meet my wants and needs.
There is nothing really glamorous about living frugal, standing in long lines to get into free events, staying home and watching movies on Netflix because AMC is too overpriced for your budget, spending extra hours prepping and preparing food when you can just go to a restaurant and so on.
When you live frugally there will definitely be times when you feel like everyone else around you is having fun and living their lives while you’re just stuck. It’s a similar feeling to sitting in an office building on a warm day and watching the cars pass by filled with people who are free to go where they want and enjoy the nice weather. You keep telling yourself, your time will come…..and it will.
Related: 50 Everyday Expenses You Need to Stop Spending Money On
Always Being the Odd Person Out
When you start making extra payments on your debt or your mortgage you will get pretty excited. Then you’ll want to share your success with others. But it seems like other people don’t get it.
Most people don’t budget (unfortunately), live paycheck to paycheck and don’t even consider paying off their debt early. So when they see someone else like you or me doing it, a light may go off in their head but other times, you may just be written off as a money-obsessed weirdo.
The people in my life are supportive of my financial goals, but I don’t think some of them truly get it. That’s why I’m so thankful for the personal finance blogging community. If you’re taking the time to read this post, you must be at least be interested in financial stability. And maybe you want to be living a life that allows you to control your money instead of having it control you.
Not Being Able to Make Ends Meet
Even though I work constantly, live frugally and budget accordingly, when I had my 9-5 job sometimes things still seemed to fall apart and I’d feel as if I’m just scraping by until payday. My friends who lived paycheck to paycheck and didn’t even plan for the future seemed to have more money to go around than I do.
Sometimes I’d feel like I worked so hard only to make just a little progress. I’m sure we’ve all had low points like these. Mine was when I looked into my account on payday after making savings contributions, paying all my bills, and debt payments only to find out I had $26 to get me through the next two weeks.
When you’re faced with what seems like an impossible task, you make it work anyway. You prove that you’re better than the worst thing that’s ever happened to you.
Is It Even Worth It?
When you hear about and experience all the not-so-glamorous aspects of the personal finance journey, you may stop to ask yourself: Is this even worth it? Shouldn’t I just live today and let my finances work itself out?
I can only speak for myself, but my answer is heck yes it’s worth it. It’s so worth it to no longer have money problems. For the record, your financial issues will never ‘work themselves out’ on their own. You need to take action and be disciplined to really see a change.
I like to embrace every angle of this journey for what it is. The good times and the bad, the exciting moments and the boring ones. Because I know that the fundamentals of life and success don’t always involve cupcakes and roses. At the end of the day, I’m grateful that I’m here and still standing. Things could be a lot better, but they could be a lot worse too.
At the end of the day, I’m thankful for this blog and the community that has transpired from it. My Debt Epiphany was created for those who:
- Want get over money excuses/money problems and confront the real issues that are holding them back
- Are ready to increase financial awareness and get clear on their values
- Realize that debt doesn’t have to be their life story or reflect their lifestyle
- Are ready to embrace the fact that they can earn as much money as they want #nolimits
What unglamorous elements of the personal finance journey have you encountered and how do you deal with it?
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thesingledollar says
Oh, I definitely feel you on the “how can I have less money than ever when I’m trying so hard to get my act together” thing. The answer is that all the money you would have to play with is going into savings or debt repayment — leaving you feeling tighter than ever. But the end result is going to be *totally* worth it.
Chonce says
I completely agree. It’s important to remember that during my journey because I could easily have an extra $300-500 each month to play around with but then I would have not savings lined up.
Tonya@Budget and the Beach says
I know the feeling of watching your friends go out, travel together, etc while you are at home watching Netflix. That’s been my life the last couple of years and I’ve tightened the budget even more these last few months. I always loved the saying, “run your own race.” It give me just the pick me up I need to keep going because I have a specific mission and goal in life and I won’t let other people’s lifestyles get in the way of that or have it derail me. It may not be glamorous, but money smarts is sexy!
Chonce says
That’s a great saying to live by. Love your determination Tonya!
Kara says
Just the day to day can feel pretty unglamorous, but like you say it’s the day to day where we learn and grow!
Chonce says
Very true!
Jason @ TheButlerJournal.com says
You’re 100% correct when you said that your friends won’t understand what you’re doing. I have a certain friend hat hits me up like clock work EVERY Friday. The conversation is always about what I’m doing for the weekend or going out for drinks. I’ve told my friend that I’m working on this debt right now and that I only go out once a month. He just doesn’t get it.
Chonce says
Sounds like your friend is reallllllly persistent, haha. Sometimes I have friends over for drinks and cards if I don’t feel like dealing with the hype of going out and tipping the bartender. Hopefully your friend comes around and starts to hear where your coming from but you both just might have to be patient with each other.
Jennifer @ WanderlustWallet says
It can certainly be unglamorous to budget and go against the grain! It is also not glamorous to be thrilled about paying off a debt and realize you feel uncomfortable sharing your excitement and telling most people about it because it’s not something people usually talk about and you don’t want to make others who may be struggling feel bad. On the other hand, people are generally more than willing to ooh and ahh over a new car purchase or something similar when it comes to spending large sums. But I agree — it’s definitely so worth it!
Chonce says
That’s a great point. It DOES seem like most people would be more impressed to see you bought *cough* financed *cough* a new car than to hear you paid off your student loans. Luckily I don’t really care much about what people think, so I’m perfectly okay with the unglamorous life for now.
Jessica says
You are so right. It’s easy to look at the success of others and not see all of the hard work that went into getting there. I think it’s really important to highlight the ugly parts of debt repayment. I say that because knowing that this is a long, grueling process might help someone stick with it. No, it’s not fun to miss out on fun with friends while you’re paying off your debt. But debt repayment isn’t supposed to be fun. Paying of debt and saving is something you do because it will set you up for a better future. And when you reach that point all of the hard work and sacrifice will totally be worth it.
Chonce says
Well said, and you’re right it’s definitely worth it in the end. I do try to make saving and debt repayment somewhat fun by setting goals and giving myself small rewards as I progress. I also like that my bf and I are both working to pay off our debt at the same time so that adds to the motivation.
Holly@ClubThrifty says
It was not very glamorous at all when I was launching my freelance career. I worked full-time and basically worked all nights and weekends to get my assignments done. It wasn’t fun, but the sacrifice was worth it.
Chonce says
I definitely don’t find working so much the funnest thing ever, but since I’m doing something I’m passionate about I do perk up whenever I get to work on my blog or write something for a client. Thankfully I didn’t choose to pursue something I didn’t love doing or else I’d be miserable right now.
believeinabudget says
I started blogging so I could be connected to other PF bloggers. I don’t really talk the nitty gritty money details in real life with anyone, so I tend to turn to the online community for sharing milestones and asking questions! I feel like I am working 7 days a week as well, whether it’s investing in my blog or even doing a silly 10 minute mystery shop. Bottom line is it takes real hustle to get ahead!
Chonce says
I started my blog for similar reasons. Over these past few months I’ve found it empowering to be able to interact and share ideas with people who have similar goals and understand the things I’m going through. It really helps a lot.
Christina @ Embracing Simple says
I love this! It can definitely feel very unglamorous at times when we have a lot of nights in doing frugal activities in the comfort of our own home, while we have friends taking fun weekend trips to Vegas or going out for fancy dinners, etc. Even though we wouldn’t necessarily want to be doing those things right now and having to leave our babe at home to be able to, it still can feel “lame” at times to be having more simple forms of entertainment. I try to just focus on all the benefits that come from it though, and how we will hopefully be setting our own kids up for a lifetime of actually enjoying simpler activities instead of feeling the need to splurge on everything.
Chonce says
I love your mindset about it. I’ll admit there are times when I feel a bit lame too but at the end of the day, I know I will vacation eventually and there’s a season for everything. It really is a relief though to have your partner to spend time with so you both endure the journey together.
Sarah says
I love to read about how others succeed too. It gives me hope and reminds me that if I want it bad enough I can make it happen. The funny thing is, we have more money now (living on one income) than we ever had before and I’ve never felt more broke. We live frugally, but our house is ten years old and things need to be repaired. I try to keep in mind that our net worth is significantly higher than it was when we first got married, we are spending less, and saving more. Yet somehow I feel poorer than I did then. (I think it’s because we’re not spending money like its water anymore).
Chonce says
I get what you’re saying and I experienced something similar. When I was in college I was definitely broke, but looking back it seems like I was able to do so much and get out more. Now that I’m cracking down with my finances, things feel super tight but it’s only for a season in my eyes. The best attitude to have about it is an optimistic one and to realize that money doesn’t buy everything and you can be happy and content whether your budget is tight or not.
Charissa says
This was right on Chonce!! I felt like I was reading my story in your post. Paying off debt and continuing to live debt free is hard, especially when it doesn’t seem like we are making any progress and everyone else is having ‘fun’. However, my frugal fun doesn’t come knocking at my door later demanding to be paid. I am setting my family up for success and the peace from becoming debt free is something I will not trade for anything.
Chonce says
Well said! Being financially stable offers a certain type of peace of mind that is so worth it in my eyes. That’s why everything I ‘miss’ out on really isn’t a big deal.
Charissa says
P.S. I forgot to say that you are rocking your debt payoff and I am excited for you!! Keep up with the unglamorous.
Chonce says
Haha, I’m trying! Thanks for the support, it really means a lot 🙂
DC @ Young Adult Money says
I can relate to you working 7 days a week. Since starting my blog about 3 years ago I’ve been working in some form or another basically every single day. It never stops and there is always more to do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for the opportunities that have been given to me but it can definitely be tiring.
Chonce says
Yeah this whole working every day thing is new to me and I had to become content with the fact that there’s always going to be something on my to-do list so I don’t need to freak out or get stressed at all. It’s kind of like finals week in college, but the final exam never comes haha. The great thing is that I’m spending my extra time doing something that I love so sometimes it doesn’t feel like traditional work.
Barry @ Moneywehave says
I started blogging because I didn’t want people to make the same money mistakes I made. My blog definitely keeps me busy, I’m still trying to find that balance between full time work, my blog, and just relaxing.
Chonce says
I hear you on that note. You have to work to find a balance and determine your time wasters and cut them out of your daily routine.
Robin says
I felt the same way when I first started my blog– I thought, I better do some great things before I start this or no one will take me seriously… but it’s not about that! It’s the journey!
Glad you started, too. 🙂
seattlegirluw says
All of our repayment was unglamorous. Putting away money still is.
We both have health problems and now we have a house and car. So it seems like unexpected expenses are constantly rearing their heads. We go forward two steps, then take one back. And sometimes I go hide under the covers. Then I get over it (or have to get up to pee) and then I get back to dealing with the problem.
Fehmeen - Money Sonata says
I remember when you first started this blog and were mostly focusing on the freelance writing. You have come such a loooooooong way, it’s nothing short of impressive!
Choncé says
Wow, thanks for being a long-time reader!
Ana says
First of all, thanks for your courage to tell your story, and BIG congrats for your courage and persistency.
As a woman working in the personal finance and asset protection domains, I really find it very inspiring to see strong women like you, who despite the difficulties in life, both professional and person, succeed through hard work, passion and dedication!
Please keep up!
Best regards from Berlin, Germany!
Ana