Debt isn’t something that disappears overnight. It takes time. It takes effort. And sometimes, it feels like you’re just spinning circles without getting anywhere.

When we went all in on paying down debt between the summer of 2023 and 2024, we made sacrifices. Big ones.

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Sacrifices Along the Way

My husband took full responsibility for his mistakes and picked up a second job to help fix them. The progress was real — numbers dropping, balances shrinking — but the cost was high.

Most weeks, the kids and I were lucky if we saw him once. He worked 16-hour days on his “off” days from the military, and when he was on duty, he was gone completely. We were paying down debt, yes, but at the expense of family time. And the truth was, our relationships were starting to fray under the weight of it.

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The Day Everything Shifted

One rare evening in June, my husband was actually home — cooking dinner — when the phone rang.

It was the call I never imagined I’d get. My parents had found my sister. She was gone.

Even though I knew her struggles with alcoholism, nothing prepared me for that moment. Nothing prepares you to lose someone you love. The shock etched every detail into my memory, and with it came a sobering question: what are we doing?

Life can change in a heartbeat. And here we were, sacrificing the very thing we said we valued most — time together.

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A New Balance

We had to make a decision. Yes, we needed to pay off debt. Yes, financial freedom matters. But not at the expense of our marriage. Not at the expense of the kids’ relationship with their dad. Not at the expense of living life while we have it.

So, he slowed down the second job. Instead of working nearly every off-day, he now works one. Just enough to keep us moving forward, but not so much that we lose each other in the process.

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The Wins That Keep Us Going

Over the past year, we’ve still made progress. We’ve chipped away at balances. We’ve celebrated small leaps forward. And most importantly, we’ve stayed on the same page.

Recently, we had a conversation where my husband assumed he’d have to work full-time again after he retires. My response surprised him: “What if? What if we can make a plan to be debt free before you retire? What if retirement didn’t mean working again, but actually enjoying the life we’ve worked so hard to build?”

That simple “what if” lit a spark.

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Dreaming Forward

When I picture the future, I don’t see stuff. I don’t see clutter or debt. I see freedom.

I see us traveling together — like we did on our month-long trip to the West Coast and back. That trip filled my soul, reconnected us as a couple, and reminded us of the joy in being together as a family. That’s the life I want to build. That’s the memory-making future that makes the debt sacrifices worth it.

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Together, Stronger

Debt may have tested us, but it hasn’t beaten us. What once felt like shattered dreams now feels achievable. We’ve rebuilt trust. We’ve realigned our goals. And we’re walking this road together — more in love, more united, and more grateful for every single struggle we’ve come through.

The small wins matter. They remind us that we’re moving forward. They remind us why we’re fighting for freedom in the first place.

And step by step, win by win, we’ll get there.