Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Williams.
Amanda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I had just finished my bachelor’s degree and the grace period for my student loans was coming to an end. After doing my budget, I realized there was no way I was going to be able to afford my car payment, credit card, and looming student loans on the salary I was making. Like most people, I didn’t get a big raise once I graduated. That’s when I had my aha moment and realized I needed to do something about my $86,000 in debt.
I knew what to do because I had tried and failed to get out of debt once before. I picked up a copy of The Total Money Makeover, attended Financial Peace University (FPU), and got to work. I created a budget that I stuck to and paid the rest of my money on my debt. I also enrolled in a program to obtain my master’s degree in cybersecurity. After a few months, the needle wasn’t moving fast enough. I made a drastic, but necessary, move. I sold the nice Prius Plug-In, I was upside down on and paid cash for a $5,000 Honda Civic. This gave me a huge head start by eliminating $17,000 worth of debt in one transaction.
During this time, my boyfriend was supportive, but not fully on board. After seeing my progress, he started his own journey. A few months later, we were engaged! We cash flowed our wedding, reception, and honeymoon. Now, with $133,763 in debt total, we had some work to do. Our debt consisted of student loans, vehicles, credit cards, and personal loans. It took us a total of three years and seven months to pay off our debt. The most important part was creating a budget and sticking to it. Finding ways to cut our expenses, increase our income, and tell ourselves NO were other major factors.
Now, we are completely debt free and no longer paying for the past! It’s amazing what you can do when you have no debt. We’re currently working on saving up an emergency fund to be prepared for whatever life throws at us.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My debt free journey has not been a smooth road! Some of the struggles I faced were low salary, staying motivated, getting my spouse on board, and all those unexpected expenses that pop up. Throughout it all, I kept my ‘why’ in mind. It’s the reason I started my debt free journey, got my spouse on board, and kept going when things got hard. Our why is to one day quit our jobs and go sailing around the world.
My advice to young women starting their own journey is to find your ‘why.’ Dream big here! What could you do if you had no debt payments each month? Traveling, providing for your family, giving generously, and having the freedom to do what you want are some of the most common whys. Once you figure out yours, make it obvious. Have visual reminders of your goals at home and work. Using a coloring chart or some other visual is a great way to be reminded and engaged with your goal. Lastly, find a group of like-minded people who are going through the same thing as you. Support during your debt free journey is crucial. I’ll leave you with this quote:
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”
― Earl Nightingale
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Debt Free in Sunny CA story. Tell us more about the business.
I started sharing my debt free journey on Instagram three years ago to stay motivated and find other people who were on the same journey as me. I had no idea it would blossom into this amazing community. I’m known for creating the hashtag #debtfreecommunity to bring like-minded people together. I specialize in budgeting, motivation, and helping people get out of debt.
As a brand, the thing I’m most proud of is bringing the community together with #debtfreecommunity. When I started it, I never thought it would grow to a community of thousands of people posting about getting out of debt, connecting, and rooting each other on. A lot of the time your friends and family in real life don’t understand the sacrifices you’re making to get out of debt. It’s nice to have people to talk to that just get it.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership in your industry or generally?
I think the biggest barrier to female leadership is speaking up and asking for what we want. We’re too timid and afraid of rocking the boat. We’re fearful of the confrontation and what might happen if we don’t get what we ask for.
Contact Info:
- Website: debtfreeinsunnyca.com
- Email: amanda@debtfreeinsunnyca.com
- Instagram: @debtfreeinsunnyca
- Facebook: facebook.com/debtfreeinsunnyca
- Twitter: @debtfreesunnyca
- Other: shop.debtfreeinsunnyca.com
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