When I first began following the Debt Free Community on Instagram I was drawn in by the stories everyone would share about their debt free journeys. I find it fascinating to read about the progress others are making and also reassuring to know that I am not the only one in my position.

Your Debt Diary is a guest blog series by money bloggers and members of the debt free community for My Debt Diary. Each week someone new will share their debt story. This week Sarah-Jane from Saving Sarah-Jane shares her experience so far and discusses the importance of knowing exactly where your money is.

What stage are you at in your debt free journey right now?

I had my “sick and tired” moment in February this year. We celebrate our 8 month debt free journey anniversary in October and we have cleared more than half our debt in that time.

What is your debt total?

We started at £52,610 and as of 01 October 2018 we will owe £23,729.

What is your “why”?

I was 12 when I bought my first coat on store credit through my Nan’s catalogue. Over 30 years later and we are still in debt. Times are changing.

We now desire Financial Independence and to Retire Early (F.I.R.E.) more than shiny new gadgets and cars (*husband weeps*). Our goal is to provide a better life for our children and to spend more time together as a family.

Are you following a specific plan or method?

I love reading and listening to everyone’s advice. It all kick started with Dave Ramsey but we have never followed his baby steps plan 100%. You must always do what works for you.

The best thing that happened on this journey was discovering the debt free community on Instagram. Surround yourself with like-minded positive people who are achieving their dreams daily and you cannot fail to be inspired to do the same.

What are you doing to speed up the progress of your debt free journey?

I am a full-time stay at home mum to two young children and my husband works hard in the City. I manage our personal and his business finances and semi-hustle when I can. The biggest side contributions to our debt free dream so far have been:

• * Trading in our old ‘new’ cars
• * Cutting out all unnecessary expenditures
• * Finding cheaper utilities and services deals
• * Creating smarter meal plans and reducing our food bills
• * Selling all our old and unwanted items on eBay
• * Creating a zero household budget
• * No spend categories: no new clothes and toys

The key is to know where every penny is going and make your money work hard for you. Be clever with what you already have before looking for new income streams.

Understand and tackle your triggers. I am a ‘people pleaser’ by nature and a lot of our former money went on me buying unnecessary gifts for family and friends. Once I realised this and stopped – guess what happened??? They still love me!!! And I’m pretty proud of myself too.

I’d like to thank Sarah-Jane for today’s post. Please make sure to visit her blog at Saving Sarah-Jane. You can also find her on Instagram at @savingsarahjane.

You can read last week’s post here. If you would like to share your story with Your Debt Diary please leave a comment below with your email address or Instagram and I will get in touch. You can find me on Instagram here.