I finally paid off the last of my debts.

Just to answer a few questions:

My debt has been around for over 20 years, never really going away. It all started when I got a credit card when I was younger, thinking I’d deal with the payments later. Then student loans, car loans, and more credit cards slowly piled up over time. In total, it’s probably around £20k, but never all at once.

Two years ago, I had about £4500 in debt from cards and a large overdraft from my student/graduate account from my second degree.

I’ve been using 0% balance transfer offers between cards, and for the overdraft, I just worked on not letting it dip too low. Over time, I’ve managed to get above the overdraft limit.

To make this happen, I’ve worked overtime whenever possible. The pandemic helped since I’m an essential worker, so I’ve been lucky enough to still be working—and working overtime. Plus, there’s not much to spend money on right now, so I’ve been putting it into savings and paying off my last credit card just last week.

Where I’m at in life: I’m a mother with a husband and kids, own my home, and finally have a solid career after years of studying and raising a family.

Next on the list: I’m planning to buy a new car, but this time, I want to save up first, instead of undoing all my hard work to be debt-free.