The Rachel Cruze Show - Spending Habits for a Debt-Free Lifestyle

Episode Date: March 20, 2023

A debt-free lifestyle is all about spending and saving with purpose. I start out this episode by getting real about what that looks like in my monthly budget, then I talk with Jade Warshaw about how she paid off $460,000 (she’s the real deal, you guys). We'll also dig into the reasons we’re tempted to spend big during big sales.   In this episode: ·      What I Spend in a Month ·      How She Paid Off $460,000 in Debt (With Jade Warshaw) ·      Are Big Sales Worth the Hype? Helpful Resources: Christian Healthcare Ministries EveryDollar                                                 Sponsors pay the producer of this show, The Lampo Group, LLC, advertising fees for mentioning their services or products during programming. Advertising fees are not based upon or otherwise tied to any product sale or business transacted between any consumer or sponsor. The following sponsors have paid for the programming you are viewing: Christian Healthcare Ministries.   Learn more about your ad choices. https://www.megaphone.fm/adchoices Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the people who are in the longer journeys because you've got more debt, you have to create milestones to just take a second of a breather. And even if that's just like pulling back on one of the side hustles, just for a moment. You don't have to spend money, but just give yourself a moment to celebrate. Hey guys, welcome to this episode of the Rachel Crews Show podcast. I'm so glad that you're here. So in this podcast, we're going to talk about some of my personal spending habits

and how one of our Ramsey personalities, Jade Warshall, paid off six figures of debt. That's right. But first, let's talk about what Winston and I spend in a month. Take a listen. Oh, man, budgeting. It's a great thing. It is. But then it makes you really accountable to be like, man, this is really what we spend. And sometimes it's kind of hard to swallow. You're like, oh, my gosh, it just seems like a lot. But it's good to be intentional and on purpose with your money, which that's what a budget is. So we're going to look at a few overarching categories for the cruise household and let you know that every month our budget looks different because we have different needs. We have different things going on. So again,

I'm not going to bore you with every single line item because we have a lot of light items in our budget because we're very specific. But I do want to share with you just some of our high arching categories for our monthly budget and just give you some examples. And some of you are just interested. We're just like, what do you do? So Winston and I, we do. We budget together. And some months, it's like a very quick five-minute conversation of like, hey, you know, here's our consistent categories, but here are things that are changing. Here are things that we can take out from last month's budget and reconcile it. And so, yeah, these conversations are usually pretty quick. But we really try to pay attention to usually groceries out to eat. That's a big one. The kids categories and our categories. That's where things tend to fluctuate month to month. So again, very specific. with our categories and what we spend, but they change month to month.

So I'm going to give you just a couple of examples of what we have budgeted. Okay, we have babysitting. We try to do a few date nights out, and I don't know where you live, but babysitters are costing more and more. I guess if you have like a high school student versus, you know, someone that's actually like working in a career, I pay different depending on the age and the experience. So we budget about $200 for our date nights. that's what we budgeted in February. Also, just a little pro tip, if you budget for a babysitter,

then you're like, okay, the money's there, then we need to go out on a date. We need to leave the kids at home and leave and go on a date. So that budget category kind of helps us, gives us permission to get out of the house and leave the kids. We budget $300 for gas, and this category, again, month to month, it depends on how much we're driving. If we go to Knoxville and see Winston's family, like, you know, whatever is going on in the month. Sometimes we go over on this one. Winston has a truck. We have a minivan.

And so it just takes a lot of gas. This month, I had to pay for my girls to have summer camp. So our church is doing a summer camp. So I signed them up for that. I ended up being $460 for the two girls. So I put that in the bottom of our budget because any time it's just a per month expense that won't roll over, I usually put that at the bottom of our budget so we can see.

Grocery this month, I did awesome. I just want to brag on myself, just give myself a pat on the back. We spent $424. I budgeted $700, so we saved like $300 in that category. And that doesn't always happen. Usually groceries are right there at what we budgeted for, sometimes a little bit over. But it just felt so good.

I was like, oh my gosh, when I go under budget, I feel like I can celebrate. I also got a pedicure and a manicure. this month. So in the Rachel line item, I budgeted $100 for that and took $100 out of mine to get that done because that's just for fun. Okay, so again, month to month, everything changes. So there's some months that it's like, oh yeah, we had a weekend trip that we went and we had to spend more on gas or a hotel or whatever we were doing. Some months, nothing is going on. Some months you're signing up for summer camp. So again, things change every single month. That is why it is so

important, so important to budget before the month begins and look at your calendar and know what is coming. And, you know, you may overspend. And if you keep overspending in a category, either you're just overspending because you're not thinking about it or not being intentional, or the category is too small to be realistic for your lifestyle. So if you up a category, then go and lower some other categories. But you really do. You want to say, this is consistently what we spend. And if you underspend in categories consistently, then lower it. Don't just keep a big number in that category if you know you're not going to hit it. So be as realistic as possible. And if you have extra money, like we will now in our grocery budget for the end of the month, then you can put that

towards your baby steps, especially if you're on baby steps one three, if you're saving up an emergency fund, or getting out of debt, use that extra cash to help with that. But if you're in Baby steps four, five, six, or seven, you know, it's a little bit more like, yeah, you can throw it at something else, put in another category if you want to spend. So those are kind of more of just your intentional steps versus intensity, but baby steps one through three, definitely throw it at the next baby step. And when you're doing your monthly budget, the question you always need to come back to is, does your income, your money goals, and what you've got going on in life align with your spending? Because if you have goals out there, if you have things that you want to do, you want to

make sure that your money is a tool to create that as much as possible. And while your budget shouldn't change too drastically month to month, the fact is no two months are the same. So again, that's why I like creating a new budget every single month, even though the same categories will turn over. And sometimes you even keep the same dollar amounts month to month, which is great for consistency. But you want, you know, the surprises to be eliminated as much as possible because it's the worst when something comes up. And you're like, oh my gosh, we didn't plan for that. And you have to figure it out in the budget. That's one reason, too, the miscellaneous category is really big for those catch-all things.

And then when you're ready to start your next budget, again, just copy last month's budget on over. I use every dollar, the app, and it does that for me automatically, which is great. So, again, just making sure that you know exactly what you're spending is so, so helpful. And if there's any specific things for just that month, like celebrations, like birthdays and anniversaries, if there's other things going on like can. or school stuff, like very specific, put those at the bottom of the budget. So when it copies to next month, you can take those out. And it makes it really, really simple.

Now, if you still struggle fitting all of those changing expenses into your budget, here's another idea. Create a budget category called month-specific stuff, right? Or like something in there. And so you just kind of have a catch-off for those things. So you're not stressed of, oh, my gosh, did I not get everything written down? And it takes people about three months to get their budget, It's working.

So give yourself some grace and keep working on it. Again, it's going to take about 90 days, so keep at it. And I want you guys to be encouraged by it, though, that this is possible. Even if you feel like, oh, budgeting is a lot, I get it.

But just being intentional month to month, looking over your budget and just knowing, okay, here's where my money's going, it gives you a level of control. I am really pumped about today's episode because, first and foremost, my friend and newest Ramsey personality, Jade Warshaw is with me.

Thanks for being here. Of course. Thank you for having me. It's exciting. I'm so glad you're here. Oh my gosh. Okay, so I'm excited about this because I know so many of you are on your journey of getting out of debt. And we talk about on the show a lot that every income level is different, every debt level is different. So for some of you, you're like knocking out that like $40,000 student loan debt and you're like, can I do this? And I wanted to bring Jade on because her story is absolutely incredible and proves hope that people can do this.

that you can do this of paying off debt. So, Jade, I don't want to, like, give, like, the big number away. Yeah. But it's a huge number. It's a big number. How much did you pay off in debt? $460,000 of debt. Six figures, y'all.

Like, in upwards of six, not like $100,000. Almost half a million. $460,000. Okay. So, first and foremost, you did it, so it's possible to pay off the set. So walk me through, what was the debt and, like, what started this whole process? Okay. I like to tell people that it was consumer debt.

Like a lot of people think, oh, you paid off your mortgage. That's so great. I'm like, no, I wish that it was a mortgage. We did have like a small town home, but most of it was consumer debt. 280,000 of it was student loans. Yes, a big time. What were your degrees in? Music.

Yes. Musicians, Rachel. There you are. People who don't tend to make lots of money unless you're like Beyonce or Rihanna. That's right. That's right. And so, yeah, it was student loans. And then we had two cars we couldn't afford. credit cards, normal.

Yeah, it was. Very normal other than the student loans. Yes, and your husband, Sam, who's wonderful as well, but you guys were on this journey together. So, talk me through that first moment where you realize, okay, we have all this dead

and we don't want to continue to live like this and we have to make a change, but that has to be so scary considering the amount. It does. You know, Sam and I are great friends, first and foremost, and so it was easy to have the conversation,

but it was not easy for him to disclose that most of the student loans he brought into the marriage. I had lots, He had to bring in the most, and it was pretty quick after that. I think we both understood we're never going to have the life we want if we do not pay off this debt. So it was pretty intuitive, to be honest with you. And so what was the day that turned it?

I would say, and I tell this story, we were in the car driving, and student loans, credit cards, they'd been calling my phone all day. And it was like not even noon, and I kid you not, I probably had a dozen calls. And I was like, Sam, pull the car over. Like, pull the car over. We pulled the car over in like this back alley behind a bank, ironically enough. And we were just crying. And I was like, we're never going to have the life we want.

Like we're never going to have children. We're never going to have this. Like, I mean, I was just letting it all go. He was like, Jade, we can get through this. We're going to get through this. And that just really turned it for us that is like, okay, do or die. We must pay off this debt. And so what caused you to do the Ramsey plan versus like working just your way out?

I heard Dave long ago, like so many people did. I heard him on the radio. and it just put it on the back shelf, and this was time. I said, I think this guy, Dave, that I heard on the radio, I think we need to do it. We drove two Barnes & Noble and got the workbook, Total Money Makeover, and started walking through the baby steps. And the rest was history. Okay, so I love that picture of you guys in the car, and you are upset, your emotional and crying.

So for you, what was that deep emotion that it was triggering in you? Because there's a lot of, you know, women watching the show, married, single, moms, you know, once we're not kids, but like, there's that feeling that everyone has. What was that emotion? Was it fear? Was it sadness? Like, what was the... It was a frustration.

It was an incongruency because I'm a Christian person by faith, and I'd always heard this scripture, you know, I've come that they may have life and life to the full and that they'll have a rich and satisfying life. I was like, my life is not rich or satisfying, and it is not to the fullest. And then I later read the beginning of that scripture that says the thief comes to steal, and destroy, but Christ came to have life and life to the fullest. I was like, dead is our thief. It's stealing this from us. And I knew that. And I knew that this is not what God wants for me. And I have to make this right. And I knew that that's what he wanted. And he helped us make it

right. It's amazing. Okay. So you guys decide together. Yes. We're going to do this. So what did that journey from that point on look like? What were the first couple of things you guys did? Was it to disclose all the deck? Did you even know how much debt you guys had? Not at the time. Okay. We knew some of it, but with student loans, and there were so many of them, it's constantly changing because of the interest. Yes. So it was getting those numbers, logging on, and then creating a budget, Rachel.

Yeah. The budget, we did not have one before then, started working the budget, and then it was like, okay, we're not making enough money. So we had to get side hustles. I mean, please ask me about my side hustles. I was going to say, tell me about your side hustle. Oh my gosh, the side hustles. We did everything because we were still trying to find our footing as musicians, right?

So not making a ton there, but we did everything. called cupcakes. We trained dogs. My husband learned how I trained dogs. I did that with them. I worked at a vinyl tent company. Vinyl letters, tent, putting tent on windows and installing vinyl letters on like those big work trucks. I was my hands. My knuckles were ashy, Rachel. I was working. What was the most lucrative side hustle? What was the thing that you were like, if I had to go back and do that again to earn some extra cash? You know what? It was the things that we were already good at. So I did voice lessons. And since that was my wheelhouse, I was good at it, you know, naturally made more money at it. And so that's why I tell people, if you're side hustling,

try to pick something you already are great at. You already love doing. And it's just kind of an offshoot of what you're currently doing. Yes. I was already performing. So doing that made perfect sense. And I had a lot of clients because of that. Yeah, that's so good. Okay. And how long was the journey from beginning to end? Seven and a half years. Seven and a half years. All of all of seven and a half years because that first year we kind of piddled around. You know, people say Dave ish, we did that. Didn't cut up the credit cards immediately. And that's just a waste of time.

Yeah. If you hit the pedal to the middle, that's the way to start. It'll happen. Okay, so for someone that's on this journey and they're two years in, and they still have that other, like, maybe 20 grand out there, or whatever it is, what kept you guys motivated? Because that's a long jade. Like, because we say with the debt snowball, it's on average 18 to 24 months.

And again, that's the average over a decade of place. pulling numbers and all of that. So you guys were longer that. But obviously you got a larger debt than average too. Yeah. But what kept you going in that process? You know, like I said before, I knew that this was God's plan. He wanted us to have this life, the borrower, slave to the lender.

And I knew that. And I knew that if we just worked this plan, I listened to the Ramsey show every single day during that time, just to stay motivated. And I would say that to people. Be around the community. Like if you're in FPU, if you're working the baby steps, stay connected to that community. because that's what keeps you going. Hearing people do debt-free screams every single day,

we can do this. Okay, that's good. So you've said, not to use your words now, but on this process, there were a couple of really helpful things. One was the budget. Yes. You said that.

One is community and encouragement. What are like maybe two other things would you encourage people to do? Well, if you're married, you've got to keep the lines of communication open. That's a big one. And you've got to find ways to celebrate. Like I say all the time for the people who are in the longer journeys

because you've got more debt, you have to create milestones to just take just a second of a breather. And even if that's just like pulling back on one of the side hustles, just for a moment, you don't have to spend money to take a breather. But just give yourself a moment to go, okay, I can, year three, you're three and a half, okay, like what does this look like? You have to build in those milestones to celebrate. Yeah, because, you know, because there's a piece to all of this

where I feel like it's sometimes easier on this side of the camera to be like, work extra side hustles, cut everything out of the budget, just go, go, go, go, go. And to an extent, you know, you can do that. But also there's a level that it's like my mental capacity to just like breathe in life. So how did you guys kind of balance that you and Sam in that? Does that make sense? It does.

Because because of bell intensity is really important. But again, for a long course of years and years and years, how did you guys balance like that having that break? Maybe it was that, pulling back like a side hustle. It was pulling back a side hustle. For us, we had the luxury. We worked on cruise lines. So it was like, I almost feel like God was just like giving us a little wink

because we would be in these beautiful places. We couldn't do any of the fun stuff because we had no money, but it's like, but at least it's sunny outside. At least there's an ocean. The Caribbean is right there. Yeah, but one of the things I did, I started learning how to cook like gourmet meals. So that when we were home, we weren't going to restaurants.

So I would learn how to cook these restaurant meals and sit down with salmon. And it was like, this is our reward. We just paid off, you know, however much money today. We have no money in our account except our cushion, but at least we're having a great meal. You know, it was, that's what we did. And you just learned to be content. You learn to not care what people think.

We didn't have furniture in our house for such a long time. We just made a joke of it. That's right, that's right, yes. This is what we're doing. And pretty soon our friends got on board, so. So good. I know, I've quoted this book a few times already, but the psychology of money.

I read that. I'm reading it now. Okay, yes. But he talks about your ego. and how that's the thing that gets in the middle of saving money. That's the thing. I mean, and it really is. We're like, when you can just put your ego aside

and truly not care about what people think, because we talk about comparison living and stuff all the time, but there's something about even just pinpointing that word for me that was so, I don't know why, it just was so good for me, because it's that. It's putting our ego aside and saying, yeah, we don't have furniture. We're going to make it joy. We can't continue to try to keep up with everyone else

and make ourselves feel good about the clothes we wear the garbage. It's not about that. It's really not. That's right. So that's powerful. I love that as an example. That's so good. And you would be surprised, the people who, when you just say out loud, I'm working a budget, I'm working a financial plan. I'm doing this thing. Dave Ramsey, how many people respect you more for it? As they see that you're sticking to it, you're doing it, they're like, well, maybe I need to start, you know, looking at my finances. So it really is a mirror and it can affect, you know, your sphere of influence in a major way. Yes, that's so good. Okay. So you touched on this earlier, but you and Sam working together. So what would you say to, because you, in a sense, we're very blessed that, like, you came to them and y'all both were quickly on the same page, but that's not a lot of the stories for a lot of people.

What were a couple of things that you saw in you guys working together that maybe can be encouragement to someone who's working this plan with a spouse who might be a little reluctant? I think that the biggest thing I say, I call it a vocab rehab. I say you can't say words like his debt and my debt and your money. It has to be we and ours. and I think if you start using those words, they're a lot more loving, number one, and it indicates that we're in this together. And two, just don't say things

that are going to make the other person feel shameful. Like, if Sam told me he had this debt, I could have totally shamed him, like, how could you spend that on college? But instead I was like, all right, you know, I do. I said I do, so I do to all of it, you know, and you have to remember that. I do is for all of it, not just the good stuff.

No, that's so good. My therapist last week About marriage though But it's in the same vein when you said that I was like God that's so true We were talking about how anger is kind of like the fun emotion Because you're like adrenaline's going and you're like yeah Yeah you're like blah blah blah

And while that's there usually It's paired with something deeper There's something else going on And so how the door of anger is really hard for your spouse to walk through But it's much easier to walk through when you say like I'm just so scared Or like, I'm just so sad that we, like, there's other ways to approach the conversation, even though there might be some anger, you might be like, what, but to try to dig it for yourself,

kind of dig in and say, okay, what really is going on? What am I, what am I feeling? And that's an easier door for a spouse to walk through than the anger door. That's right. Even though anger can be very fun, very, very freeing. But I thought that, it's kind of vulnerable to, anger's not, you know. It is. Saying I'm scared is a lot more vulnerable than I'm angry. That's right. That's right. So that's even like the way you approach it because you were talking about the vocab. But even the way you approach the vocabulary too, yes. Kind of gives that open door to the spouse, which I think is so good. Yeah, and we set times to talk about it. It was a big, heavy elephant in the room. It's not something that you're just like casually bringing up. And so it's like, hey, I think today we need

to talk about like what our next steps are. Or like, let's set up a time to sit and talk about it and not just like spring it on them. Yep. You know, so all of that is helpful. That's so great. Oh, well, you guys have done an incredible job, Jay. Thank you. I mean, it really is. I mean, their story and even more detail, because I'm sure I'm going to be having you on much more in the future. Let's do it. Thank you so much for having me.

Okay, so where can everyone find you? Yes, find me on social media right now. You can find me at Jade Warshaw. And soon you'll be able to find me at jadeworshaw. So that's great. I know. And all her stuff, you guys, with food, her Instagram is so good. Like the way you break everything down,

like even just meal-wise, I'm like, oh, it's so good, Jada. So yeah, make sure to check out everything Jade is doing. You've really walked it out, and you guys did it. And it's just so inspired. so I so appreciate you coming on, sharing your story, and it's like, oh, it's just, it's amazing. Today we're tackling the big question, are big sales worth the hype? You know the drill. You see a big sale that's announced, and it brings up a lot of emotion, a lot of excitement, even a little bit of stress, because you're like, oh my gosh, I kind of

buy all this stuff. And listen, I love a good sale as much as anyone else, and basically, I only buy clothes that are really only on sale. That's usually what I do. But the question is, are sales always worth the hype? So let's take a look at what's really happening here. First, let's talk about some of the reasons that sales are very common for businesses to have. First up, attracting new customers and boosting their reputation.

I mean, how many times have you heard about a sale from a friend or someone online and people are just naturally willing to share what they love about the item, how excited they are, and if the store's having a good sales, make sure to check it out. They're having a good sale right. now. So it's very normal. And also, businesses want to encourage you to try something you normally

wouldn't buy. So say that the store has a new product that people aren't quite motivated to buy because they don't know if they're going to like it or not. Well, if the business puts it on sale, people are more likely to spend their money and risk their money because they know it won't cost them as much. And lastly, businesses sometimes have sales to move excess inventory. So if they a lot of stuff, they'll put it on sale to move out that inventory. Now, I guess that none of this is brand new information to you. It's kind of common sense. So then why are we so often tempted to completely lose our minds when we see a big sale?

Well, according to Kit Yarrow, a professor of psychology at Golden Gate University, she says a sale sign causes a physiological arousal in our brains and clouds. our reasoning. Yes, Kit, I think it does. Yep. She goes on to say, we become more competitive, emotional, and less rational when we see sale signs. And as a result, we make some of our worst shopping decisions. Oh, gosh. Isn't it true, though? It is. It's true for me. You see something, you're like, oh, it's on sale. Yeah, spend that. I mean, yeah, because originally, look at the original price. Oh my gosh. And here's the sale price. So, you just, you just, you just, justify it and it is. It's pretty unbelievable. So some retailers are banking on you getting excited and

buying. Some aren't, but some are. So again, just be aware. Now, I've also got a fascinating study from an independent nonprofit advocacy group called Consumers Checkbook. And in it, Checkbook looks at major retailers and whether or not the sales they market are actually legit. Yep, because guess what? Checkbook discovered that most big box store sales, the price is, the price is, and the price are totally bogus because the retailers offer the same sale price more than half the time. So, I mean, it's just crazy. So that means that the original price, if there is no sale, it means that's like crazy marked up then. And the retailer never actually expected to sell the product in the original price,

but they do want you to feel the pressure and the excitement of a sale so that you'll go ahead and get the deal and buy the product. And Checkbook found that these stores are most likely to be the most mislellan. leading with their sales. Are you ready for this? It makes me sad. Amazon, Gap, William Sonoma, Banana Republic, Dix, Old Navy, and Wayfair. Some of those are great stores.

But again, it means their original prices are already pretty marked up. So when it goes on sale, that's the price it should have been in the first place. Now, on the flip side, Apple, Costco, and Bed Bath & Beyond were the most likely to offer legitimate sales. And that is true.

You think about that. I think about Apple all the time. I'm like, yeah, like, stuff really goes on the sale. Like, what that's marketed at, that price, like, that's what it's worth, right? And if it goes on sale, that's awesome. Then you do get a good deal. But, okay, so what can we take away from this? Well, first, I want to make it clear that sales are not a bad thing.

They actually can be great for both businesses and consumers, right? I mean, if you have something you want to buy and it goes on sale and it's cheaper, and that's a great deal. That's awesome. So you don't need to be weary of sales and be like, oh, my gosh, like, oh, all this stuff. But you do need to think through, hey, is this appropriate for me to buy? Can I afford it and ask yourself some questions?

Or just realize, okay, is this something I need or something I want? Because a lot of people will wait until a big annual sale, like Black Friday or Memorial Day sales, to buy something that they want. So they stock up on things, like clothes or furniture. And when those sales come, you know, every year, they buy a bunch of stuff and save a lot of money. And that's a legitimate tactic. And again, I do this all the time.

I shop sales, and I think it's great. So it's really smart. But the last thing I want you to do is to go buy something that you don't need. So, again, sales are not bad, but I don't want you to use sales as an excuse to overspend while you're hyped up. I'm like, oh my gosh, everything's on sale. So here are six questions to think about. Keep in mind the next time a big sale is announced. Number one, can I afford this and is it in my budget?

So that alone will say yes or no. Okay, do you have the money for it? And do you have money in that category that you planned for before you even know that the sale happens? So you can look to see, okay, do I have the money? And is it in the budget? Is this the lowest price I can truly get? This is another question to ask. So don't assume the sales price is a good price.

Take a look, shop around, compare prices and make sure that you are getting a great deal. And if there is an item that you have your eye on for a while, know that it'll probably drop in price, so delay your gratification and wait a little bit longer until it goes on sale. Ask yourself, will I actually use this item? Ask yourself that. I know it sounds like a very basic question, but for real, I mean, are you going to use it? And sometimes, again, the idea of just buying something because it's on sale is so easy. So say, okay, if I'm going to use this, then I can look to buy it. But if I'm really not going to use it, I don't need to buy it. Another question is, do I really need to act now?

Sometimes you feel the pressure to act and there's like this urgency. So if you can wait 24 hours before you buy it or not. And again, I did this with a pair of jeans. A sale came up from a store that I love and I was like, look. I was like, oh my gosh, so cute jeans. I'm like, I don't need it anymore. I have some money in my budget. I could, but do I need it?

And I waited 24 hours and then I didn't even think about it again. So that's legitimate. Wait 24 hours. also ask yourself, is this a need versus a wants? So again, I get fed so much. I feel like on social media or in my email of sales and cute things that are out there. And you're like, oh my gosh. But when you ask yourself, okay, do I really need this or do I just want this?

And when you kind of have that comparison happening, it sometimes takes your emotions down and you actually legitimately are thinking through logically, do I need this or do I just want this? All right, the last question is, if it wasn't on sale, do you still want it? This is a good one, too. I have justified purchases, even like a shirt that I'm not crazy about, but I'm like, I mean, it's kind of cute, but it's on sale. It's only like $12, you know, I didn't just buy it. And I'm like, eh, but if it was like $50, would you buy it?

And it's like, no, because I don't really like it. And just because it's on sale, I tell myself, you should buy it because it's just on sale. I couldn't pass it up, right? So just think, if it's not on sale and you wouldn't buy it, then don't, don't buy it. And remember, you guys, the best way to save money is not to buy anything in the first place. I always am like, oh my gosh, I save 40%. That means I spent 60%, right? I mean, you're still spending money even when it's on sale.

So if it's not in the budget, don't spend it. Gosh, it's Jay just amazing. I mean, absolutely incredible, you guys. And I hope this motivation for you all in Baby Step 2, regardless of what your debt amount is, that you can pay it off. It may take longer than the person next to you, but listen, it is possible for anyone. So I'm so thankful that Jade came on to share her story. And I'm going to thank you guys so much for listening to this episode.

And if you would, just share this episode with a friend who you know needs motivation for paying off debt. And also leave a review. It helps out the show so, so much. So let me know how much you love it. and I love reading your comments. So leave a review and subscribe to the podcast if you haven't. And remember you guys to take control of your money and create a life you love.