Hello! It's been awhile, huh? 2018 didn't quite go as I had planned but I am ready to crush my goals in 2019! My main goal is to build my savings and pay off my credit card debt. I am loosely following Dave Ramsey and I'm on baby step #2. Baby step 1 is to build an emergency fund. Baby step 2 is to pay off consumer debt. I have 3 credit cards I am working on paying off, totally roughly $16,000. I'm documenting this more regularly on my Instagram @Simply_Hayford.
There was a time in my life I owed over $50,000 on multiple credit cards, student loan, car loan, and a personal loan. I know I could be further into my debt free journey by now, but I have come a long way! And I'm ready to be free of this debt for good!
One way I'm able to make a little extra money to go towards my debt, it using sites such as Swagbucks and savings apps like Ibotta. Since starting Swagbucks a couple years ago I have earned $1,267! That is nuts! I used to cash out for Amazon gift cards but I'm now cashing out to PayPal and using it to make extra payments to credit card #1. I have made $264.46 with Ibotta, again cashing out with PayPal. Neither one takes a lot of time to do and it's easy money. To sign up, please click HERE for Swagbucks and HERE for Ibotta.
I am also selling things on Facebook Marketplace, but I'm running out of things to sell! I've cleaned out the kids toys and clothes and my own stuff as well. I'm still finding things around the apartment, but selling is becoming more difficult with people not showing up or backing out last minute. So frustrating! Eventually I'll take what I have left to goodwill and just be done with it!
That brings me to my other main goal...decluttering, organizing, and minimizing. It's going really well and you can see some photos on my Instagram of my progress. I'm also trying very hard not to spend unnecessary money, which helps with minimizing and paying down debt, but I greatly struggle with this! I enjoy buying my kids little things but I'm trying hard to resist.
What are your goals for 2019? What areas, if any, do you struggle with?
