“I am living the stereotypical, basic, and overly privileged example of why your parents don’t trust millennials.”

She is Glamorgrit, and she is like many women entrepreneurs today. She’s got fabulous ideas, works hard, wants to improve the lives of others, and. . . she’s in a mountain of debt. When I saw her Instagram feed, I knew I had to share her story on our blog. In her own words, this is how she got into debt and how she’s halfway to her goal of being debt-free. And yes. This IS your getting out of debt masterclass!
Download a FREE “Ditch the Debt” Worksheet by clicking here

“Growing up, I have always been a saver. My dad is an accountant and raised me with his frugal and “millionaire next door” mindset – until I turned 25. Something about suddenly living my dream of being a nurse in the big city, though I had been living here as a student before, gave me this sense of entitlement. . . that I now, a fully employed human contributing to society, deserved MORE STUFF. You know… glimmering, leather, look-but-don’t-touch STUFF. The types of things that my frugal self – before – had been so disciplined to resist. . .shopping deprived for years sprinkled with a tiny bit of independence. . . living within walking distance of the magnificent mile. They were all a recipe for the next 3 years of swiping + shopping = dopamine and bliss, baby! Barry’s Unlimited monthly package? I’ll take 5. SoulCycle 25 pack with a pair of LuLu’s and a Fiji water on the side? Let’s make it 6. Why? American F*CKIN’ DREAM, people.

Long story short, why I got into debt, is because of stuff. Shiny, fancy, meaningless, stuff, which I now, more or less, have sold on PoshMark (or listed… Vince Camuto tote bag still avail. Just sayin’).”

The Honest (and Brutal) Truth

“September 24th, 2018, is the day I decided to face my credit card demons. I got to work that morning and saw my debit card had been overdrawn over $400. Then, I did something I can barely even type because I am so ashamed. . . but for the sake of transparency, I asked my FREAKING FATHER FOR MONEY. His sigh of disappointment and long pause before agreeing put me in tears. I went back to work and cut up every single credit card I had. I had a VISA credit card through PNC, a CapitalOne MasterCard, and a Chase Reserve card. I went home and figured my total debt. . .  it was $9,877.40. Yep. I was just shy of being $10,000 in debt.

I remember being dizzy and my heart pounding out of my chest. I must have recalculated it seven times, but there were no mistakes. And if that wasn’t bad enough, this was right after I had received an almost $15,000 promotion. That was allowing me to take home so much more, right? Where the hell was it all going? This was the question that took me the longest to answer.

Once I started digging, I literally could not stop. It was like a horrible car crash, but I was watching MYSELF DRIVE THE CAR. Instead of being paralyzed this time, I decided to MOVE and figure out HOW I GOT HERE. I poured some coffee, gave the dogs Kongs filled with peanut butter bigger than their heads, and got to work.

I found an old journal that now is my Holy Bible of finance. I did not even know how much I was REALLY taking home, every two weeks. Okay!

Here’s how I set up my journal:

  • I wrote down all of my credit cards, debit card, and cash on hand
  • I wrote down every single transaction I made in August:
    • Dog food, dog daycare, cleaning service, rent, electric, storage – all equaling over. . . $5,000. FOR. ONE. MONTH. Rocks back and forth with glazed over eyes. . . “It’s not that bad. it’s not that bad,” I muttered.*
  • In August alone, I spent over $700 on UBER RIDES.
  • I was spending over $40 EVERY MONTH ON APPS.
  • My personal favorite: I was spending $75 EVERY 6 MONTHS ON A SUBSCRIPTION TO ALLURE AND ELLE MAGAZINE THAT WAS BEING SHIPPED TO MY SORORITY HOUSE THAT I HADN’T LIVED IN FOR 6 FRICKIN’ YEARS.

This was when I figured out what I was spending vs. what I was making, and here are the facts:

  • For the month of August, I made $3,572.95 for my personal account (my husband and I have a split account, but we both get an allowance for things like paying off our own credit cards).
  • For the month of August, I SPENT: $5,373.00
  • July? Spent: $7,453.86. Yeah. You read that right.

The worst part? These months were not blips on the radar. This was how I was living my life kind of “TRYING” to get out of my debt.

Then, the funniest thing happened after I added those months up. I put down my pen. I slumped back in my chair. With my hands on my head I looked up to the sky and took my first fulfilling breath that I had in months.

There it was. The answer to who was holding me hostage on this merry-go-round of debt from hell. IT WAS ME.

I popped a bottle of champagne and continued to grind. Cancelled every single app I had, the magazine subscription, made a plan for Wil and I to walk our dogs instead of daycare, figured out my walk to work. . . I then made my master book complete with only the facts: my income and the bills that I couldn’t adjust.

The hardest thing for me to admit is that I am and always was in control of my finances. I was single-handedly (and unknowingly) sabotaging my happiness. My freedom. My ability to even have a CHANCE of a brighter future. It hit me all at once that I was buying purses and feel-good moments in exchange for the ability to put our children through college. To own a home in a safe neighborhood in which to raise them. To be able to retire with my honey before the age of 100! This was the switch that was the catalyst for me and that feeling of theft, but knowing I was the crook, I never wanted to feel that way again.

Every Monday, I add up my debt. Every Friday, I pay off as much as I can possibly afford that week on my credit cards. Day by day, I am changing my self-defeating mindsets like “I’ll never make it to work on time if I take the train. I’ll never get out of debt!” into “I may be a little late to work but I can’t wait to listen to my podcasts and get a little cardio in too!” I don’t project dates for myself when I will be debt free, because I know I will get there as soon as I can.”

Download a FREE “Ditch the Debt” Worksheet by clicking here

Here are GlamorGrit’s Tips for Getting Out of Debt

  1. START. NOW. Face your monsters, TODAY. I know you are scared and may not feel ready, but love yourself to take this first step to better YOUR LIFE.
  2. GET. TO. WORK! Be honest with yourself. Start by looking at every single transaction you’ve made during the past month. Write them down or put them in a spreadsheet, if that’s your thing. Don’t even add it up. Now take two highlighters; use one color for “wanted” and the other color for “needed.” Look at where your money went.
  3. Now, before you add up everything that goes in and out, in that same space your wrote last month’s transactions, I want you to write 5 HUGE goals of yours, i.e., “Be a NY Times Best Selling Author. Own a home. Run a marathon.” Before you really face where you’ve been, you need to focus on where you are going.
  4. Tally up last month’s what went in and what went out. Then, find your number for what EXACTLY is coming in for this next month and what your non-negotiable expenses are. That is the sweet spot of honesty where you, my friend, will start to move the dial in your favor.
  5. Find a budget, every month, that works for you.
  6. Do not let anyone distract your focus from building your dream life. That includes negative voices, emotions, and your mother! You’ve got this. And, if you start to doubt you can, remember I am right there with you struggling. . . but winning too!

Meet GlamorGrit

My ultimate goal, through glamorgrit, is to improve the lives and well-being of others through giving them an unfiltered peak into mine.

What I use, what I wear – it’s all part of a journey of enlightenment to find what new gadget or lifestyle trend is actually going to make us grateful we invested in it, 30 years from now.

New trends are suggested by my followers and friends; preferably things that have caught their eyes, seem to be all the rage, and they’re just unsure if it’s worth the cash/time. I then take the plunge, for them, through at least 30 days of trying whatever it is and give them a full report at the end. I do this by ranking the trend or product on a proprietary 5-star ranking system on how much I think the item has the capacity to really change a life for the better, dependent on how much money, time, and effort is spent on it. This is all at no cost for them and no monetary profit, other than insight, for me. My posts are for everyone and anyone who has seen an ad while scrolling and wondered, “That looks amazing, and I think I should own it! But wait, should I?” These sentiments are intended to be enlightening for others to watch my real and non-advertised experiences and to then make more informed decisions to buy the tools that will REALLY assist them on becoming the best version of themselves.

Download a FREE “Ditch the Debt” Worksheet by clicking here

You can follow GlamorGrit on her website, Amazon, and Instagram:

Glamorgrit.com
Amazon.com/shop/glamorgrit
Instagram.com/glamorgrit

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