How I got here - - - -
My personal debt pandemic happened over a year ago. My husband and I were cruising through life and enjoying the finer things without much care. We were living very comfortably. Things added up here and there, but we never felt out of control. We thought we were financially prepared to outlast even the roughest storm.
Rainy days are one thing, storms are another, but a financial hurricane is something we never expected.
The initial storm happened in August of 2019 when my husband lost his six-figure income in medical sales. High paying sales jobs have always been tough to find in our area, so we knew this would be a challenge. We had built up enough savings to hopefully survive, but the months dragged on. He decided it was best to take a much lower paying job at a local hospital to keep us afloat until he could find something better. This also allowed us to maintain good health insurance during the rough patch.
A financial storm is one thing, a financial hurricane is something else.
Our financial hurricane swept through in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. All the temporary plans we made were washed away as job opportunities disappeared and millions of Americans were thrust into unemployment. We were counting on hospital over-time and side work, which was normally abundant, to sustain us until things improved. Hiring for side jobs came to a screeching halt and overtime was frozen. We found ourselves smack dab in the eye wall – Category Five territory!
As the months passed and the outlook remained uncertain, we were faced with many tough choices and had to completely reevaluate our plan. In the midst of the most financially challenging period of our lives, and quite frankly for most Americans, we decided to begin our debt payoff journey. While I am not a financial advisor or guru, I want this blog to serve as a platform to highlight our path out of debt and how we are progressing. I will share monthly updates, money saving tips, and budget suggestions that have worked for us.
A financial catastrophe, like a weather event, leaves behind a path of ruin and requires reevaluation and rebuilding..
I have learned that it took the destruction to shake us up and change our course. Kinda like that old song says:
“I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright) sunshiny day”
Disclaimer: I am not a financial expert, nor do I claim to be. This blog is intended to show what is working for us and what isn’t.
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