Hi! I’m Emily. Adam and I are thrilled to be the new bloggers! We will spend just a little bit of time introducing ourselves and talking about our finances. You might need to be patient with us while we warm up to the idea of sharing our lives and our financial struggles with this online community. Money, and especially debt, is something I don’t usually talk about. When I’ve brought up our debt situation or our budget in the past, I’m often met with blank or judgmental stares. Not that it really matters what others think of us, just that I realized how much of an uncomfortable topic it can be for some people. I’m hoping this community will be an outlet for us to discuss our finances, our budget, the crazy things we do to save money, our failures, and our wins.
We haven’t always been excited about paying off our debt, but right now we are both jazzed about it, and when we agree on something and we’re both excited about it (which almost never happens) it’s pure magic. We can move mountains when we both want the same thing. I hope you will stick around and encourage us to keep payng off our debt! It hasn’t been an easy path for us and it will continue to be a struggle. We could use all the good vibes we can get!
Here’s a picture we took together last year on Adam’s 30th birthday. Just a quick story on how this relates to our journey. I really wanted to do something HUGE for him, but as I went through all the options I couldn’t come up with something we could afford. I thought about a short cruise, a weekend getaway in a fun city, getting his motorcycle repaired, having a big surprise party, or flying his family in from Oklahoma and Indiana. It was one of those moments when I thought through my options and was feeling a bit helpless to the constraints of our finances.
Thankfully, the moment didn’t last too long. Not having the cash to throw money at a birthday celebration made me think longer about what he might really like and how I could creatively make that happen without spending a ton of money. I knew he really loved to receive cards from family and friends because he keeps almost every single handwritten note or card anyone has ever given him. I also knew he enjoys arcades but we’d never been to one together. I surprised him by having our close friends and family write notes about his strengths. People shared stories about how he’d gone out of his way to help them, how he’d been a loyal and trustworthy friend, how fun he is to be around. I compiled the letters into a small book and we laughed and cried while we read them out loud the morning of his birthday. Total cost, around $20. That afternoon I took him to Pinballz, an arcade in Austin. He beat me at ski ball, air hockey, and just about everything else, but I beat him a few times at the hoops. Near the end, we took this picture. It was one of the many times I realized that money doesn’t have to keep me from doing what I want to do, or what I should do. It was somewhat of a challenge to honor and celebrate him on a tight budget, but with a little bit of effort it worked out perfectly. These are the kinds of stories we will likely tell: we want to have a full, beautiful, fun life, and we’re determined to do it on a budget while we pay down debt.
Please stick around to see how it goes! I know many of you have been reading this blog for a long time, and we’re so happy to have your support. I would love it if you would introduce yourselves and tell us why you read this blog. Or just say hi. 🙂
Congrats on getting the blogger position! I’m excited to hear more about your story and to see your numbers.
Thank you! We are working on the numbers blog now. You might want to sit down while reading that post, though… We have A LOT of debt!
Hi,
Very creative ideas for keeping costs down. I also like the aspect of honoring on birthdays and everyday. Great job Emily!
Awwww Thanks! I learned from the best 😉
Good Morning and welcome. I look forward to hearing more about your journey to debt freedom!
Thank you! Freedom is what we’re going after!
Welcome, Emily. Sounds like you might be near me in Central Texas. I look forward to cheering you on!
Thank you! Yay Texas!
Welcome. I love reading this blog for the ideas to manage, save, and possibly make money. I look forward to hearing more about you.
Edward, we can’t wait to share our ideas! Thanks for sticking around!
Hi! Lovely story about his birthday 🙂 I’m looking forward to reading about your journey 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂
Welcome to Blogging Away Debt. Love the pictures. Looks like you have a lot of fun being together.
Thanks! We hope to bring more pictures to the blog and maybe even short videos.
Welcome. Looking forward to your journey. You seem to have such wonderful energy! 🙂
Vicki, that is so very sweet of you to say! Thank you!
Good Morning and welcome! I hope you find this community a great resource of support to help you on your quest. Can’t wait to read all about it! Wishing you great success.
That’s exactly what we were looking for and why we applied. And we are feeling so blessed already! Crazy!
Welcome to the blog. Wish you the best of luck getting rid of your debt.
Thank you! We’re gonna need it!
Hi Emily,
Thank you for offering to share your debt journey on this blog. I support you and look forward to reading your journey.
Thanks for the support! We feel it!
Hello! Nice to meet you 🙂
Hi Michelle! Nice to meet you, too!
Hello and so glad you two are here! I love your enthusiasm and energy 🙂
Susan, you are TOO sweet..Thank you so much!
Welcome. I’m glad to see the blog was taken over by a fellow Texan.
Thank you! We seem to have at least a few Texas readers, which makes me feel right at home. 🙂
Welcome! I look forward to following your journey!
Thank you!
Welcome to the blog! I’m excited to follow your journey!
THANK YOU! I’m excited to share it!
I love reading this blog because it reminds me to stay focused on the goal ahead yet also shows me that I’m only human too. It gives me inspiration to keep going forward as well as ideas to help along the way. Can’t wait to hear your story and cheer you on from blogland!
YES! Glad you’re reading along! We will try to stay focused, but ya… we’re only human 🙂
Welcome! I’m excited to read more about your journey. You’re very upbeat and positive! I think we all can use your good energy for motivation:)
Yes, Cathy, pease do! Glad to have you on this ride with us!
Hi Emily I live in Sydney (Australia) and love reading this blog I don’t have a huge debt but I do struggle on a parttime wage in a city that is one of the most expensive to live in so it’s all relative. Welcome and look forward to seeing you move to and eventually get to your goal
Wow! Australia! We will definitely be talking about living on less. It can be a challenge for me to not try and keep up with everyone or to be jealous of my friends who have a seemingly endless supply of funds…
Emily, I struggle with this also so I’m really looking forward to any stories/tips/suggestions you have for how to deal with this. I know not everyone is on a debt payoff journey, but my hubby and I face a lot of (perceived?) judgment every time we turn down offers to go out to dinner with friends, etc. We get very little support from our social circle so I turn to blogs like this to “meet” like-minded people:)
That’s really unfortunate. Have you tried talking to them about it directly? Something like: This is something we feel we need to do and we’d really love the support of our friends. If you want to have dinner cookouts and picnics are much better for us.
Hi and congrats. I don’t comment too much but love to read and get inspiration on this blog. I am, thankfully, debt free now but can always use the encouragement to stay that way. 🙂
Bobbi! That’s AWESOME!!!! I’m so happy for you and anyone that can climb their way out from under the mountain.
Love your enthusiasm!!! As a fellow Texan, I look forward to reading your blog and following your debt journey. Thanks in advance for sharing your story.
More Texans?!! I love it! Thanks for the warm welcome!
Welcome. I am also a Texan. Looking forward to sharing your journey. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Awesome! Thank YOU for saying hi and reading!
Welcome to the blog. I’m really excited to see a young couple serious about paying off debt! Good for you!! I’m pushing 60 and have been married for 37 years, my husband and I have 10 years of college between us, raised 2 sons, and will soon be a grandmother. Our only debt is our mortgage, and it’s less than $600 a month. We have always lived on a shoestring but have never had to go without anything we truly needed. I know you can do it and what a blessing it will be to you in the long run! I’m looking forward to your journey.
I look forward to your encouragement and the wisdom you can share with us! That’s amazing to only have one $600 payment! I know we can do it, it just is going to take a loooong time. 🙂
Hi Emily & Adam,
looking forward to read about your progress.
All the best for the journey!
Thank you!
Hi Emily & Adam! I’m on my own journey after a nasty divorce. I’ll be cheering you on and hoping to gather some great information from you.
Austin’s a great city – I saw a bit of it on “Bizarre Foods America” and I liked it so much I set one of my mysteries there.
Rock on!
Yep. Lots of bizzare things here. Come visit!!
Hi Emily! Great birthday ideas! Welcome and I look forward to hearing more about your journey! It’s nice to have a community to discuss debt and getting out of it!
Thank you! Yes, I already am feeling the support from this community. It would be easy to feel like you’re the only one on a budget or with a ton of debt, and that’s just not true.
Hello Emily – I live in Chicago. Welcome, I love your enthusiasm!!! I’m looking forward to reading your blog and learning from your journey !
Hi Emily!
So glad to meet you. I am looking forward to walking your journey with you and Adam. My husband and I are too, paying off our debt, one $1 at a time. I welcome your topics and am excited to be apart of it!
Welcome!!
Super excited to follow you on your journey! Will be watching from California! 🙂 great to have motivation since we are also on a debt payoff journey. 🙂
Hello, what a great attitude you have, look forward to hearing more! I am from a tiny town in SD so I always have a different perspective than people in large cities.
Hey Teresa, I’m in Brookings County. Where are you?
Lyman County.
Can’t wait to hear your story! You will be the fourth writers for this blog that I have had the pleasure of reading. Congrats, and good luck with the next blog! 🙂
And, you are in my favorite state! I’m in CA, but dream to moving to TX.
Welcome Emily and Adam, I look forward to your fresh perspective!
Welcome! I am excited to see a COUPLE on this blog and hope you plan to both blog regularly! How long have you been reading this site? I found the blog early on with the first blogger so am excited to see a couple. Wishing you all the best and hoping to get lots of good shared ideas from you!
Hi Emily & Adam!!!
I just found this blog today and can’t wait to check in and help keep myself motivated! My husband and I have been following the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps for a while now and we are currently working on paying off our debts!!!! Have a wonderful day and thanks in advance for keeping us all motivated! 🙂
Yay the torch has been picked up already. Welcome!
Hi Emily & Adam,
First off, I love the pictures. 🙂 Welcome to the blog. I look forward to hearing about your journey & wishing you both the best of luck getting rid of your debt.
First off, welcome.
I just recently started a financial debt reduction blog. I hit the point of no longer being able to stick my head in the sand.
I look forward to watching your tackle and beat your debt!