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

I have had several commentors ask about savings goals. Right now my focus is on getting 100% completely out of debt. I agree that having a 6 months cushion would be ideal. And will definitely be a goal…after I am debt free!

So for now, my savings is going to continue as follows:

1. $500 into 3 separate investments account monthly. One of those being a ROTH account. There is currently approx $1,600 in these three accounts combined. I have just increased it from $70 per week to $500 per month this month. This is all kept in my STASH account which has had mixed feedback from BAD readers, but I have to say, it’s made investing and savings so easy for me. And I thoroughly enjoy checking in on my investments and reading up on advice about once a month. Otherwise, I just let it run.
2. $750 into a savings account – this is technically my emergency fund account. I plan to increase this month deposit at the end of the year or early next year depending on getting all my remaining credit cards paid off this year.
3. $500 into a separate savings account – earmarked for travel. This is separate and specifically a focus due the anticipated death of my mom and related travel needed.

When I look at my forecast spreadsheet, which currently goes through the end of 2025, my 6 months savings amount will dramatically decrease toward the end of the 3rd quarter next year. My debt should almost entirely be paid off. And that is when I will turn my eyes to re-evaluating my savings plan.

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.