When Mary H. of Portland, Oregon looked at her credit card statements in 2022, she felt her stomach drop: $100,000 in debt, mostly from years of impulse shopping and living beyond her means. Today, she’s debt-free and sharing her journey to financial freedom.
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Here’s how she turned things around.
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Step 1: Face the Music
Getting real with herself about the situation was Mary’s first step — and harder than it sounds.
“I had to stop pretending everything was fine,” Mary said. “I lined up all my credit card statements on my kitchen table one Sunday morning and finally added up the total. I cried for hours, but that moment of brutal honesty was my turning point.”
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Step 2: Cut Up the Cards (Literally)
“Everyone says this is dramatic, but I needed dramatic,” Mary said. “I cut up every card except one for emergencies. No more ‘treating myself’ to designer bags or justifying splurges as ‘investments.’ Cold turkey was the only way for me.”
Step 3: Track Every Single Penny
Mary started using a budgeting app to track everything — even the $4 coffee runs.
“It was embarrassing to see I was spending over $300 monthly just on random Amazon purchases,” she said. “Knowledge is power, even when it hurts — and trust me, it hurt to know I spent that much on coffee. I’m a cliché.”
Step 4: Find Your Money Triggers
“For me, Instagram was my biggest spending trigger,” Mary shared. All those influencers making everything look must-have made her think she needed to shop, shop, shop.
“I had to unfollow hundreds of accounts. I also stopped going to the mall ‘just to look.’ Because let’s be real, I rarely just looked.”
Step 5: Create Multiple Income Streams
Mary became a side hustle queen to bring in more income.
“I took every job I could find,” she said. “I sold all those ‘must-have’ purchases on Poshmark. I started freelance writing on weekends. I even pet-sat for neighbors. Every extra dollar went straight to debt payment.”
Step 6: Snowball Those Payments
Mary used a tried and true debt paydown method — and it worked.
“I used the debt snowball method — starting with my smallest card balance and working up. Each time I paid off a card, I felt like I’d won an Olympic medal. Simone Biles, watch your back! (Just kidding! I love you, Simone!) That momentum kept me going through the tough months.”
Step 7: Build a Support System
Mary found companionship and solidarity when she finally started talking about it honestly.
“I finally opened up to my friends about my debt,” Mary said. “Turns out, many of them were struggling, too. We started having monthly ‘finance and wine’ nights where we’d share tips and hold each other accountable. Having that support made all the difference.”
The Result?
“It took me three years of intense focus, but I paid off every dang cent,” Mary said. “Now, I still love shopping — I’m human! And maybe a human who needs to do more work in this area!”
That said, Mary said she’s shopping more mindfully and within her budget. “The best purchase I ever made wasn’t a Telfar bag — it was my freedom from debt. (But the Telfar bag is a close second!)”
Her Advice for Others
“Start today. Not Monday, not next month, not when you get that raise,” Mary said. “The longer you wait, the bigger the mountain becomes. And remember: You didn’t get into debt overnight, and you won’t get out of it overnight. But you will get out if you stay committed.”
Today, Mary maintains a healthy emergency fund, invests regularly and still treats herself occasionally — but only with cash she actually has.
“The peace of mind is worth more than anything I could buy in a store,” she said. “Trust me on that one.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I’m a Former Shopping Addict: 7 Steps I Took To Get Out of Massive Debt