MY JOURNEY TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM
Today's post is a bit different from most of my previous posts. I was thinking about all the different ways that I share in my posts to help you save money and work towards your goals of financial freedom. I realized that I have never truly told you my story and so today I am sharing an intimate moment as you might say, or a very real honest view of Saving Joyfully. This is my story and this is what has brought me to the place where I am today. I want my website to be a place that you come to find great ideas to save you money and also some encouragement. Hopefully, you view it as a resource and support for your journey as you begin to pay off debt and create a brighter financial future.
My Finance Story
My story began as a young girl raised in a large family without a lot of money and with 8 siblings. I had 3 brothers and 5 sisters to be exact and my father worked but my mother did not work making our finances tight at times. It was always a full house, and although my parents fed and clothed us, we often went without a lot of things that others had and as a child I noticed. There is nothing wrong with this, in fact, a more frugal lifestyle is better in so many ways, but I did not see it this way growing up.
My Grandmother
My Grandmother was a huge part of my life, she was my role model and my hero. Whenever we were in need of clothing, shoes, or even food, Grandma came to the rescue. My Grandmother was a bargain shopper and loved great deals and she rubbed off on me in a huge way. I began to notice the frugal ways she did things but still enjoyed a lot of luxuries and this piqued my curiosity. I became what you might call a student of hers and learned so much from her frugal ways, she gave me my love of coupons and rebates from a very young age. So much of the frugal side of me and the things I learned over the years came from my upbringing and the woman I viewed as my hero, my Grandmother.
Graduating and starting out on my own
I graduated from High school in 1999 at the age of 17. Like many college-bound teenagers, I did not have a clue what I really wanted for my future. I enrolled in college at this time because I knew my current job as a nursing assistant at a nursing home was not the job I wanted for my future. I did not receive the best education growing up, this became a huge struggle for me in college, making everything more complicated. I was determined to make something of myself despite these challenges. I had applied for College at Owens Community college, a local community college in the Toledo, Ohio area. I did not receive any scholarships or grants at this time and I did not receive any help with college from my parents. I was also informed I could not obtain any loans on my own and could not get anyone to co-sign a loan. Due to the fact I was under 26, I was told that my parent's income was still considered and because of this, I qualified for no help. I refused to let any of this stand in the way and so......my first greatest financial mistake began.
Credit cards and moving out on my own
I applied for credit cards and made my college payments on credit cards at this time. I could see no other way to achieve the life I wanted and so I made a huge mistake. Soon after I began college, I decided that it was time to move out on my own. I had a friend who was looking for a roommate and so I agreed to move in with her. I did not consider all of the expenses that living on my own would entail before I made this choice. My roommate was great, and I was lucky to have this opportunity to live with her. I have to say honestly that my roommate really helped me through a lot of hard times as I was starting out.
My hardest financial times
I proceeded down a path of one bad financial decision after another. By the time I met my husband Jason in 2004, I was so deep in debt that I could barely afford a thing. I cried often about the stress of this debt and I began to really question what I would do with my future. I couldn't even afford to feed myself most days, so I would swipe my card in the cafeteria at work to cover my next meal. I constantly picked up more overtime just to make ends meet and to make sure that I could pay my bills. Things seemed so hopeless for me at this time in my life. I met my husband Jason and we started dating soon after we really got to know each other, in 2004. I was really struggling with health issues as well at this time, and I ended up needing a pacemaker placed in June 2004. Thank God, I finally had a job at this point with health insurance. For many years I had not had any health insurance and I had just finally accepted a full-time position with Insurance a few months before. The health issues resulted in even more debt because of my medical condition. This made me feel even more like I would never get myself out of debt.
There is still hope
If you are at this point my friends just remember that I know how you feel. You are not alone and you can get yourself out of debt again. It is not easy to be so far into debt that you cannot see any hope for your future. I have been there and I can see exactly how some people feel this way, because of the great stress it puts on you. Author Dave Ramsey has shared in his books that during his struggle with debt, he as many others contemplated suicide. Suicide is not the answer though and if this is something that you are considering, please seek help. Your life is worth so much and you do have a future!
Our journey began as a couple
My husband helped me so much when we first met. He did what he always does very well and helped me prepare a budget. It was at this time that I began to get my financial life in order. I began to see why I needed to stop using credit cards and stop spending completely. There was nothing easy about any of the things that I had to do to get my financial state in order. I would love to tell you that right now I am completely debt-free. I am 37 years old now and I am still on my way to becoming debt-free. I do not want you to think that it is easier than it actually is to pay off this kind of debt. I can tell you that I have successfully killed a lot of the debt from my past. I have reached a place in my life where things are no longer as dark and depressing. I did graduate college, and I currently work a full-time job in medical billing for a local health care system. I am just like most of you where I am still working a full-time job and working on my financial goals.
Why I created Saving Joyfully
I created Saving Joyfully with the hope that I can help others just like me. I want to bring joy to those who may feel hopeless and let them know that they are not alone. My goal is to provide tips and ideas that can help you save more money every day. Most of the things I share with you here on Saving Joyfully are things I have learned over the years that have helped me. There were many difficult years, where all I could do was search for the best ways to stretch my budget. I have gained so much wisdom as I lived through these years of hardship, that I would like to share with you, my readers. There have been many great people that have influenced my life throughout this time, my husband, my Grandmother, great authors, and friends. Many people have invested in my life and for this, I am so very grateful. I Thank God every day for the blessings that I have in my life and I am blessed that I can use my hardships to help others. My journey to financial freedom continues on along with all of you. Thank you all so much for joining me on this journey.