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

This summer I splurged. Don’t worry, no debt involved.

And before anyone asks, since I started my corporate job, I paid extra toward taxes every pay check. I had no idea how the large corporate salary, bonus structure and then income from my business would affect my tax rate so I was overly cautious. As a result, I got a VERY LARGE tax return. I won’t do that again…but it did make getting Princess a car and me my…

Doable without taking on any debt! And I love, love, love it!

Build a life you love

I have spent decades now building a life I love. Choosing work that allowed me to focus on my kids and never miss a thing with them. But it wasn’t til now, til here…that I no longer seek an escape. I have a home I love. My dogs have free roam of the house and yard, thanks to the doggy door and fenced yard. Stable love and relatively secure finances. I have the love a good man. And now I have the “luxury” item I always wanted and sought when we traveled – my very own hot tub.

So my splurge, well, yes, I could have put it toward my debt and been all done with my medical debt. But this…this gives me a peace and fulfillment that I have been seeking for a really long time. And it has taken away that “itch” that has been constant in my life for longer than I can remember…to plan the next adventure. Now I’m content to just be here. I work longer hours, more contentedly than every before and then I end my day or even start it floating in the water. Pure bliss.

I highly encourage everyone build a life they love, work at something that doesn’t feel like work and more importantly know that when the darkest times come…there is light on the other side. I would never be able to appreciate everything in my life now without the dark times.

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.