Giving Things Up Is Hard (Like, Really Hard)

Giving things up is hard. Like, really hard.
Honestly, that’s why for a long time I didn’t think I would ever be able to get out of debt. Why even try? This must just be my place in life. And one thing I look forward to every single day is my Starbucks coffee. I work hard — I want a coffee.

But I also want a different home on property.
If you read my first post, you already know the goal I’m working toward.

One morning, I was having coffee with two beautiful friends of mine. We meet up every so often to catch up and hype each other up. I told them how badly I wanted to buy my dream home, but that my debt would never allow me to do that. One of my friends told me about a book she thought I might enjoy — a book about money, debt, and finding freedom. I told her I’d check it out.

Later that day, I found it as an audiobook, bought it, and started listening.

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Where the Shift Started

It’s written by a woman who talks about money, debt, and all the emotions and habits that go along with it — and how to change the way we look at our money. That’s where things started moving in a positive direction for me.
Check it out using this link (This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.) : Get the Hell Out of Debt by Erin Skye Kelly https://amzn.to/4r9C1yz

I started really looking at my money and what I was doing with it every day. And I started asking myself one simple question every time I went to spend:

Do I want this… or do I want my dream home?

The “this” wasn’t always a shirt, obviously — but you get the idea.

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Simple Systems That Helped Me

After paying my bills, I made a spending budget and decided to see if I could actually stick to it.

Turns out… I could.
And it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be.

The first month I did this, I actually had money left over to put into savings.

If there were things I wanted that didn’t fit into my spending budget, I saved for them instead of saying, “Forget it” and spending anyway. Slowly, my spending habits started to change — and honestly, my habits were a big part of the problem.

This wasn’t an overnight transformation. It was slow. I had to keep my goals in front of me and remind myself why I was doing this. And when I slipped up, I had to remember that setbacks are part of the journey — not a reason to quit.

(And I think it’s important to say this: as I write this, I am not debt-free. I actually had a spending setback just last month because of two unexpected medical bills.)

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Why Sustainability Matters More Than Speed

I’m sharing all of this to encourage you to just start somewhere.

Maybe that’s:

• downloading the book I mentioned,
• setting a simple spending budget,
• asking yourself “this or that?” before buying,
• or just really looking at where your money is going every day.

Start small. Make a few changes and see what happens.

Getting there fast doesn’t work for me. And honestly, I don’t think it works for most people — especially people like me. This is a process. A literal journey.

And understanding that small changes matter more than speed is what makes this doable… and, most importantly, sustainable. If you’re paying off debt and feeling like you have to give up everything you enjoy, I hope this reminds you that there’s another way. Progress doesn’t have to be perfect — it just has to be sustainable.

Working on your own money journey? I’d love to hear what small change you’re starting with.