NOTE: This does not include my 9-5 income.
Okay, I’m going to be honest. The title is a little misleading, there were some things in play that allowed me to pay off all of my credit card debt (about $10K worth) and put over $17k in savings so let me mention the things that helped me get there in the first place, that might not help you.
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Due to COVID-19, I was able to get about bunch back in refunds from planned trips, events (like going to go see Hamilton — still super bummed about this), and trainings that were cancelled. I went in and calculated exactly how much I was refunded and it was about $2800. This is one of the biggest things that helped me get rid of all my credit card debt and stay afloat! Also considering that I wasn’t able to book anything saved me money, because ALL of my extra money usually goes to booking trips.
The reason why I wanted to start off with that is because folks tend to talk about how they saved all this money or paid off x amount of debt, but don’t tell you a lot of things that helped you get there in the first place. If we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic, I probably would still be putting money on my credit cards to go on trips because that is definitely my biggest weakness.
Now, on how I did it — because with all of that considered, I was still able to make about $17k In 10-Months.
And I did it by starting my own business. While my 9-5 income went to life expenses + credit card debt, my business income went to savings + credit card debt (yeah, I had a lot..).
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I got a significant amount back in my tax return because my business was at a net loss at the end of 2019. This worked out in my favor (and it’s the reason why you have to make sure you deduct absolutely EVERYTHING you can as a business owner). Half of this went to savings, the other half went to pay off credit card debt I had prior to all the COVID19 refunds. There’s so much information about taxes + owning your own business, especially if you are working at a 9-5 that can help you get a good chunk back in your tax return. You can deduct so many things as business expenses that in turn, will help you have to pay less taxes. Definitely hire a CPA to work with you if you’re not sure where to begin, but Turbo Tax for the Self-Employed is a GREAT resource (costs about $15/per month) that I input all of my business expenses into at the end of the month and helps me know what my profit is.
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For 15 months, I was essentially working two jobs: my 9-5 and my business. Although I didn’t make ANY money in my business within the first six months (which is why patience is SO important as a new entrepreneur), by month eight, I was already making the same income in my business as I was in my 9-5. Some months were definitely better than others. This also helped me pay off a bunch of debt that I had accumulated from starting a business in the first place, because things definitely add up. But every investment I made in my business, came back to me tenfold. Also—investing in your business whether that’s through hiring services, using supplies, internet, phone bill, etc. are all tax deductible items!
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Last May, I took out a $10k personal loan to consolidate credit card debt + help offset some business costs. I have paid about 30% off and plan on completely paying it off within the next couple of months using funds that I will receive from my closed out retirement fund from my 9-5. Some of you reading this might be saying that’s not a good idea, that I should just re-invest it, but the retirement fund is very California specific and since I don’t live there anymore, I rather pay off this debt that will end up saving me over $700 in interest and will remove that monthly payment.
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Lastly, with my move from California to Florida, I sold ALL of my furniture. Literally all of it, which got me about $1500 — all of which went to pay off more credit card debt + road trip expenses. This just goes to show that there are things you probably have laying around the house that you don’t need and you can definitely sell on Offer-Up or Poshmark if it’s clothes related.
I’ve done so much to pay off my debt + put so much aside. I had a lot of expenses such as rent (in California which is ridiculous in of itself), a car payment, car insurance, utilities, internet, credit card fees, subscriptions, business investments, a lot of traveling, ordering food, and “treating myself”.
My business started as a way for me to make a couple extra hundred dollars a month, I dreamed of being a full-time entrepreneur one day, but never thought I would have been able to make that life choice just 15 months after opening my business.
It took a lot of hard work, mistakes, and late nights. So if you’re reading this looking for a quick way to make a lot of money, this ain’t it.
But it only took one person to believe in me to be where I am today. (Honorable mention to Kayley Robsham, my amazing business coach just over a year ago, turned boss!).
For those of you who are just starting or even thinking about starting, you can definitely do it too. It just takes a lot of time, hard work and a ton of patience.
Here’s an Adult Pro-Tip for you: Put your savings into a High Yield Savings account (like with CIBC or Ally) to make money on your money that is just sitting in the bank! You can a 1-1.15% APY while banks such as Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, etc only give you 0.01%! Depending on how much money you have in savings, it could be a nice little bonus!
If you have any questions or want to chat a bit more about what I do, feel free to send me an email at jane@thriving-holistically.com or shoot me a DM on IG at @_janerodriguez.
Talk to you soon!
xx
Jane
