Get ready to take notes!
A single mom and army vet paid down more than $87,000 in debt with just three habits, Good Morning America (GMA) reports.
Nyajuok Tongyik Doluony is a single mother and Army veteran determined to pay off her debt in 2020. Doluony had racked up nearly $90,000 in debt and accrued five-figure credit card bills and car payments as well. She wanted to make sure she didn’t leave the army with her debt in tow and committed to devising a plan to become debt-free.
“I was desperate. I didn’t want to get out of the army with my debt. I wanted to just focus on taking care of myself and taking care of my kids,” Doluony told GMA.
Photo Courtesy of Good Morning America
That’s when she decided to take on three major principles from financial guru, Dave Ramsey, proven to get her out of debt. First, she created a personal purpose for why she needed to get out of debt and started tracking her spending weekly. Second, she tackled high interest debt first. Lastly, she looked for ways to bring in extra cash.
Doluony began by utilizing Ramsey’s EveryDollar budget app which allowed her to organize her expenses and delegate and track every single dollar down to the week, even accounting for each meal in advance. She then started paying off her debt, prioritizing those bills with the highest interest first. An accrued paid leave check from the Army for $17,000 helped Doluony a lot when she finally left and she knocked each bill off one by one in order of importance based on their interest rate.
During all of this, Doluony was also bringing in extra income picking up weekend shifts as a nurse, a job skill that came in handy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also began selling items she didn’t use in her home and even started reselling items found on eBay and at her local Goodwill on Facebook Marketplace, generating $700 one month.
Photo Courtesy of Good Morning America
“It’s really a mindset. I learned to change my mind from consuming to you know just really building wealth. After I paid all of that off, I found a sense of relief. It doesn’t matter where they are or where they come from. I believe whatever you decide to do for your life, it will come to fulfillment,” said Doluony.
Now she is debt-free and she hopes her story can inspire others to do the same. Paying off $87,000 of debt was no easy feat but she did it by “stat[ing] her plan” and adopting 3 simple habits that ultimately changed her life.
Congratulations, Nyajuok!
Photo Courtesy of Good Morning America