Blogging Away Debt Blogging Away Debt follows real people on their journey to debt freedom — with tips on the debt snowball, budgeting, cutting expenses, and staying motivated.

by Hope

After the heat going out right before Christmas and then again at the beginning of January, the first thing I had to address was getting heat in the house. I was able to immediately borrow some space heaters from Sunday school friends and we were able to live comfortably in our rooms while I figured out a long term solution.

I felt like I had few options and even less considering my job loss and dire financial situation. Therefore, I was just going to stick with using the space heaters and suck it up until something changes. But there was something that I hadn’t considered…the pipes in my house. Heat is used not only to keep us warm, but keep our pipes from bursting and it has already been the coldest winter since I’ve been in Georgia.

I just hadn’t though of it from this perspective. But my dad quickly pointed this out.

New Furnace for Me

Thankfully, my dad graciously offered to loan me the money for the new furnace. The total was $2,600. And the contractor was able to do it that week. So within two weeks, I had heat in my home again. And my dad, knowing my situation said that I can pay him back when I can.

Unfortunately, I did add this to my debt load. But I really couldn’t find any other way to deal with it and avoid even further expenses should my pipes burst, etc. I realize how fortunate I am to have a father who was willing to loan me that amount with no interest and timeline for repayment.

Thankfully this was the first major “emergency” I’ve had with my home since I purchased it. And hopefully with a new roof, new electric, new appliances, major work done to A/C at purchase and now a new furnace, I can avoid any additional costly issues for a little while.

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.