Meet Elizabeth: a teacher, single sister in Christ, and a lover of everything yellow and fall. Read her story below to find out how she used her singleness purposefully in meeting her financial goals and how you can too!
Over the past 2 and a half years, I paid off $40,000 in student loan debt, saved 3-6 months of expenses in an Emergency Fund, saved $20,000 to put a down payment on a home, purchased a home and filled it with furniture and decor bought with cash, and invested 15% of my income back into my retirement accounts.
Whoa! How did I do that?
First, Jesus Christ. He makes everything possible through the Holy Spirit inside of me. His self-control, discipline, and strength fueled me. Second, Dave Ramsey. Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University and his 7 Baby Steps gave me the knowledge and the plan I needed to be successful. Third, my singleness. Because of my singleness, I was able to say yes to several jobs to earn extra money. Because of my singleness, I was able to move back in with my parents to pay off even more debt quickly. Because of my singleness, I was able to say no to things that didn’t help me meet my goals. Because of my singleness, I was able to focus on my goals with gazelle intensity and accomplish them. You can do that too!
It took me 14 months to pay off my student loan debt. In those 14 months, I stopped shopping. I stopped eating out. I stopped going places with friends every weekend. I stopped going on trips and vacations. – I started saying yes to babysitting and house sitting. I said yes to driving for Uber and Lyft. I said yes to a part time job at a bakery. I said yes to selling clothes online for Poshmark and Mercari. I said yes to figuring out how I could make extra money in every free moment I had. I had a goal, and I was laser focused on meeting that goal. It took hard work, discipline, and saying no. And it was hard. Oh, so very hard.
My ultimate goal was to pay off my student loans, so I could buy a house. I had tried to buy a house previously, and I could not get a loan because of my debt to income ratio. That lit a fire under me to work as hard as I could to eliminate that debt.
Two and a half years later, here I am. I have paid off all my debt. I have purchased my own home. I am using it for God’s glory and Kingdom work. I have met my goals and now get to enjoy the freedom that brings. I’m going on vacations again, shopping again, hanging out with friends again, and eating out again. That hard work and sacrifice was for a season, not a lifetime. I am so thankful for the knowledge Dave Ramsey gave me and the timing Jesus gave me. If I had not been single during this time, I would not have had the same results.
I encourage you to meet with someone who can help you set goals and establish a financial plan. Meet with someone who can help you write a budget, who can check in on you and see how you’re doing with your spending, who is winning with money and can also help you win with money. There is no better time to get your finances in order than when you are single!
Want to know something else really cool about Elizabeth? Because of her diligence and hard work, she was selected to be on the Rachel Cruz show. Listen here to hear her talk about being a FPU coordinator: https://youtu.be/TDy29LKGPGg
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