What life is like after 6 years of NO DEBT

I just got my student loans forgiven. Now , to pay off $30,000 in consumer debts and then tackle my $108,000 mortgage before I retire.

I cannot justify a brand new washer and dryer, I've tried. I pay for a repair man to come fix before I will buy new. Only concern with second hand is that people aren't always truthful 😞

Is your duplex paid off? That’s really quick as you purchased a few years ago. I have a balance of $23,700 on our mortgage. We are paying extra principle every month. Looking forward to pay it off in 2024. Great video! What do you keep in your six month emergency fund, Sara? 🐶

I have watched you for years and remember the days of wal mart price matching when your little town didn’t have many choices with grocery stores. Love seeing how far you have come! Thanks for the great content!!!

I found your channel after watching a Dave Ramsey fb reel😊 Your story really spoke to me as I’ve never been a high earner. I’m married but kinda doing this myself as my hubby isn’t fully on board yet. can we ask if you’re still following the baby steps and if you are what step you’re on?

Girl, I watched every thing you put out as far as paying down debt, when I was trying to pay done my 39,000.00 debt. I was listening to Dave R everyday I was encompassing everything I could to keep my brain on the track. But you by far......helped me. You are an inspiration for sure, Thank you !!!!!

I’d go new, but not from a big box store. I’ve had better success buying from local independent appliance stores. The ones I have bought from will deliver and take away the old one for free, whereas the larger chains will sometimes charge. The independents are often in regional buying groups which let them charge competitive prices, often even better than is available at the bigger stores. It’s always worth comparison shopping, but I have always found the best prices for the same models at one of my local stores.

Been following you since like....2016?? You are the true inspiration. I still live in a rental as I did not know where I wanted to live but now I found atleast an area I want to live in. I also got mum to follow you and she is on the way to buy a horse farm now :)

May every young person who finds themselves swamped in debt be as wise as you and not only get rid of it, but also educate themselves financially.

💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

I have been watching you for years. I always loved your positivity. I know what it was to be scared of emergencies but now I own my own home and I had to replace my hot water tank and didn’t even worry about paying for it. It is a great feeling.

I’d love to know what organization you used to certify your dog! I live in Dallas, and I’m looking to volunteer with my dog at hospitals and such.

Congrats on your progress! I may go back and watch all your videos 😅

Can you share your money saving habits such as day to day living including meal prepping or shopping for clothes?

Buy a new dryer, they last at least 10 years and repairs are affordable, BUT you have to get the old style ones, the new modern ones are just crap, costly repairs and will not last as long.

Appliances are the one place I don't mess with. Let them bring the heavy stuff in and out. They have all the tools to do it and it takes them no time. And I get the longest warranty. I have ALWAYS needed the warranty. Also always worth the money (to me). It is a lot like paying for the repairs in advance I'll admit, but I've also had entire machines replaced with new ones... because of the warranty. So to me it's always buy new from Lowes/Home Depot and get the warranty. Loved this recap of your journey! I've been watching for years and years now and it's definitely helped me with being frugal and focusing more on what I want. So thank you. :D

Loved this video so much!!

Do you go on vacations? That's one of my big money spending vices.

What if you buy the used dryer and pay your handy guy to deliver it?

Congrats on your anniversary. I’ve been watching your channel since the beginning and quote you to my young adult kids all the time. We have lived a very frugal life and were always debt free, except our mortgage. But I took out loans for my TWO kids FOUR YEARS college, each!!! That’s 8 years of college, plus each studied abroad for a bunch of extra money. OMG!! The stress from that debt is crushing. We’ve since paid off our mortgage, but I couldn’t rejoice in it because I have so much student loan debt to pay off. I’m slowly making headway and put EVERY EXTRA PENNY I make towards that debt. I spend zero on myself or any extras. I think I might be paid off in another two years. (It’s already been 7 years that I’ve been paying off this debt!!). What a mistake I made. But I made my bed, so now I have to lie in it! Sigh. Thanks for posting your videos. I enjoy them very much.

I loved watching this video! Congratulations on 6 years of living debt free! I’m going from being debt free 2yrs to getting a home for the first time! It’s a little scary, because I do love being debt free. But this video inspires me to focus on what I can control, which is my budgeting, priorities, and commitment!

6 years wow!!!!!!! Congratulations 🎈

I’m so proud of you!!! Thank you for sharing your journey. My husband and I are debt free. I owe you a huge THANK YOU, as you were such a huge inspiration for me so many years ago. 💕

I remember when that video came out! I was crying happy tears for you ❤
I’ve been debt free for about a year and have never saved so much. I feel guilty at times but I worked really hard to get where I am now

Sarah, it’s been so wonderful to watch your journey. I remember when you first started and you were selling pizzas as a side job.
I am a few years older than you, and for many years, worked two jobs to get out of debt.
I have been debt-free for three years now. Same thing, I still live a frugal lifestyle but it is so nice not to have the stress of worrying about financial surprises. I have six months worth of expenses saved. What a blessing.
I still need more knowledge on investing. I have to work on that better.

I remember seeing you on Dave ramsey. Good job girl

Sarah, been following you since you were in debt. Love your channel and authenticity. You persevered with pure grit and hard work… you show that it can be done. Thank you!

Buy older dryers. Mine is 30 years old my repairman said never never get rid of it the new ones are junk!

Get the new dryer. You can afford it and it’s under warranty. Best wishes!

I really love this video ❤ thank you for all the videos

Sarah, I’ve always loved your channel. You’ve always been super positive, honest and transparent throughout your journey and bring such kindness and humour as well. Thank you for being such a lovely, helpful and inspiring human :). I love thrifting too!

I'm going to scream so loudly when you reach 100k. For some reason, I paid attention to how many subscribers you had when I first started watching, and it was in the low 400s!

I've been watching for over 8 years now. I still go back and watch those first videos. I loved watching you put groceries on the counter in your tiny kitchen(s) and make meals. I loved the videos then, and I love them now. I have nostalgia for those old ones, though, not gonna lie...

You are such an inspiration - thanks for sharing your journey with us!

Congratulations Sarah! You inspire me to get out of debt but it seems as though every time I’m on my way something happens. I’ve paid off one credit card and starting on another but boy is it hard. But seeing this video and so many of your others still gives me hope. Especially since I met you at the estate sale and I know you are a real person😂 and so KIND. ONE DAY I will be DEBT (STRESS) FREE. Thanks and God Bless you for all you do!

Don’t get Samsung appliances!! Stick with old school brands such as Maytag.

What a great recap! I’m newer to your channel and am inspired. Fellow aggie ❤

🎉🎉🎉

I'm not at the point where I wouldn't consider the money when deciding between new and secondhand. But if secondhand is available, it's a more environmentally friendly route.

Totally get a brand new washer and dryer. Even upgrade them. You can save money by washing more things in a good washer. It also can do a much better job. The one I bought I upgraded and it has a double spin on the wash cycle so the clothes come out almost dry. And the dryer is efficient and never fries anything. It can handle the biggest comforter. I ended up getting the LG Toploader’s. You will never regret upgrading your appliances. A couple hundred dollars is so worth it always get the best best best that you can get best quality crossing with best value. One of my appliances I found at Best Buy on the scratch and dent, and it was like new. No way would I ever have a used appliance. It will cost more in the long run. don’t just get the bottom of the bucket appliance. Go up.

I also went up on my dishwasher which has a bottle washer and three levels and the dishes come out, amazingly clean even on the short cycle that’s a GE profile.

When I purchased my stove, I considered for months. The Samsung I chose has an air fryer, griddle, glass top and the design makes it easy to clean. I’m almost done paying that one off, I did 0% financing knowing I would get it paid off. No regrets upgrading on that either. No regrets upgrading in the microwave either. I did buy one at a time.

A good appliance that you use every day that works well you’ll never regret. My friends and I’ve actually talked about this lol.

I also upgraded and replacing my central heat and air, and that save me, electricity, and I think I will not have to worry about for many many years – except yearly servicing. Never take on anyone else’s problems. New appliances are very efficient and save money.

🎉 love this! I have allowed myself to fall back into some debt again, and needed this inspiration to lock down the good habits again. For the few months we were completely out of debt, it was sooooo stress free. The combo of gas prices, grocery prices and some medical bills put us back to zero again, and then into the negative.
We are tipping back to paying it down, and I managed a SmartyPig account to have a nice, big payoff amount.
It's the passive income part I can't seem to add. 🤷‍♀️ I'll have to figure something out.
What are the numbers on a self serve single stall or two stall car wash??? 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Re the dryer I have never owned one and we use an indoor clothesline. It saves electricity and does not make your clothes smell and you get more wear out of them

Great video, I have been following you since the very beginning and wow what a journey watching you.

I was 43,000 in debts that is consumer credit cards it was 13,000 and 30,000 on my car took me 6 years 😮😮 to finish it

You are amazing. Great video.

looking forward to getting there. Newly separated four kids but focused! You go girl

I've followed you from the beginning! I ended up taking on a student loan about 6 years ago to finally finish my PhD. I knew what I was getting into and it was still soooo difficult to pay off with the interest. Luckily, I took advantage of the no interest period during and after COVID to pay off that loan. I also paid off a house, car, and home equity loan - all in 2 years. It's such a relief and now I'm building savings. It's amazing to see how your earnings stack up when you have no debt payment and are losing money to interest. Thank you for being an inspiration!

I've been here since the Mena days and loved the old videos! And it's so great to see how happy you are now and watching you enjoy life without the stress of debt. I'm curious, is there anything you would've done differently when paying off your debt looking back, knowing what you know now? Thank you for sharing your journey with us all!

You're able to bless us. I followed you diligently and am debt free for three years. It is a blessing!!!!

I would wait until a holiday, like cyber Monday, to purchase new appliances!

Excellent reminder.