Home » BLOG » Debt » OUR DEBT FREE JOURNEY MONTHS 17 – 20

OUR DEBT FREE JOURNEY MONTHS 17 – 20

This article may include partner links. If you click, visit or buy from these links, we will receive a fee or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Please read our disclosure policy for more details.

 

"We do not have to become heroes overnight, just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, discovering we have the strength to stare it down"
- Eleanor Roosevelt

WE’RE BAAAAAACK

 

And just like that, my self imposed hiatus has ended.

 

First off, I apologize for quitting cold turkey on the blog the past, I'd say almost five months. A lot of things happened including life.

 

Suffice to say, I took to heart the famous words of Dave Ramsey, "there's a good place to go when you're broke - to work", which was where i was hanging out the past four months.

 

I quit writing on the blog, but I didn't quit paying on our debts or hustling to get them paid off 🙂

 

So with that,,, drum roll please.......

 

JULY 2018 Numbers

NOV 2018 Numbers

WHAT CHANGED?

 

So I've been busy selling Real Estate and was Blessed to have closed 2 deals to the tune of 2.4M that translated to a significant commission pay, about 30K worth of gross commissions, which I used to pour into our debt burden.

 

If you're new to the blog, I've shared a few posts about what I do as a side hustle and that how for the past 12 years I've been maintaining my license as a RE Sales agent; in case you're curious please head over to the following posts to get an idea of how good Real Estate was and still is to me.

 

 

The overall Real Estate market remained strong for the better part of the year but has significantly slowed in these last months.

 

I was just fortunate to have worked with my clients and get their properties sold before the market turned.

 

 

In my opinion, there will always be clients in every market, good or bad, it's maintaining the relationships and going out proving your worth that has to be a constant.

OUR PROGRESS

 

Total debt reduction of $24,378 in 5 months seems like a huge reduction but in light of my recent windfall, I still have a lot to work on in terms of locking down on our budget and spending, etc.

 

I'm nonetheless using this win, albeit baby step wins, to propel me into the coming year to fully work on paying off our one car and school loans coz looking at an 83K hole is still daunting.

 

To put things in perspective, we've started this journey March 2017, staring at a deficit of 124,965 in total debts, and added another 13k on top of it at the end of last year due to spending our 25th wedding anniversary in Europe. So to have made this progress in 20 months is something to celebrate.

 

It's slow progress, but forward progress just the same.

 

Our goal is and will continue to be to lean into this debt and retiring it the soonest possible time, so we can retire and live comfortably in 10 years.

 

Stay tuned...

 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

I'm very happy to announce that diligence paid off and I was able to pass the CISM, it's the Certified Information Systems Manager certification that's one of the coveted certs in Cybersecurity.

 

 

 

I've written a post about how to pursue a career in Cybersecurity below, from my experience, in case your curious and want to check it out, please head over to the link below;

 

 

One of the reasons I targeted this cert is that it continues to be one of the best paying certs and is definitely worth the investment in time and effort.  Not to mention that the bump in pay i'll get for earning it will definitely accelerate this debt-free journey even more.

 

If you're considering making a career change and are curious about what IT and Cybersecurity can offer, here's a good post by Business News Daily about the best certifications to have for all career levels in the field.

 

IT Security is a growth field and will continue to provide great opportunities both for now and the future.

 

If you're unsure where to start, you can check out this document prepared by the US Homeland Security on Cybersecurity Development Toolkit to help familiarize as well as prepare yourself for this challenging yet rewarding career opportunity.

 

You can reach out to me as well for any questions 🙂

 

 

UPCOMING GOALS

 

Part of my personal development routine is to listen to podcasts as well as reading, and one of the invaluable shows I follow is "The Model Health Show" by Shawn Stevenson.

 

In his latest episode, he highlights the story of Jemal King, an Illinois police officer who shared his story of how he rose from earning 36K a year to being a multi-millionaire in his 30s while still keeping his 9 to 5. It's definitely worth a listen since it will inspire you to think larger and take steps to realize your dreams of owning your future.

 

So, with the inspiration i've taken away from the podcast, one of our goals for 2019 is to get our Real Estate empire started 🙂 easier said than done but that's why goal setting and awareness is key to personal development.

 

Our goals for the year include:

 

  • Learning to invest in Commercial Real Estate
  • Learning to create multiple streams of income

 

It's going to be a fun and exciting year ahead and I promise to keep you guys posted every step of the way.

 

 

 

WRAPPING UP

 

2018 was a very rewarding year.  We've learned a lot, about ourselves, our whys, our goals, and dreams. There were ups and downs but for the most part, we came out ahead and we're truly grateful.

 

The momentum we gained while working on this journey definitely birthed ideas that we definitely need to focus on and pursue in order to see our goals and dreams fulfilled.

 

There's a lot of opportunities out there, it's a matter of putting in the time, effort and hustle to make them real.

 

Fasten our seatbelts, it's going to be an awesome 2019. I promise.

 

 

Do you have tips or tricks you'd want to share with us help us to accelerate our debt free journey? Please do comment below or email us at thedebtfreejourney(at)gmail.com, we'd love to hear from you.

 

Til our next post... Peace and Blessings to you All.

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.