I Was $9,000 in Debt. Here’s How I Paid it Off in Two Years

When I left New York City, I was nearly $9,000 in credit card debt. Looking back, it’s a bit mind-boggling that I wasn’t more concerned. But at the time, I had a mix of beliefs and blind spots that made me think it wasn’t a big deal.

Growing up, I saw my mom, and later, my older sister, use credit cards for everything. They had separate cards for nearly every retail store we visited. So when I turned 18, I followed suit, not realizing those cards often came with sky-high interest rates (20% or more!).

Like so many of us, I never learned how personal finance actually worked. I didn’t know how to check my credit score, what impacted it, or how compound interest quietly made debt worse over time. Ignorance really was bliss, until it wasn’t.

In New York, I earned between $30,000 and $38,000 a year. That sounds doable, but with Manhattan rent, subway rides, groceries, and the occasional night out, it added up fast. I joke that they used to put peanuts on my desk every Friday. It just wasn’t enough.

By 25, I was thousands in debt with no real plan to get out.

I did what I could to make minimum payments, knowing missed payments would hurt my credit. But I didn’t realize how little those minimums did to stop the interest from snowballing. The debt felt like a mountain I couldn’t climb.

I knew something had to change.

How I Paid Off $9,000 of Debt in Two Years

Here’s exactly what I did to get out of debt and start building a stronger financial foundation.

I Moved Back to Ohio

There were several reasons for leaving NYC, but one of the biggest was this: I didn’t see a sustainable future in the magazine journalism path I had chosen.

So, I packed up and moved home to Ohio. My sister let me live in her condo for just $200 a month, an incredible upgrade from my $1,600 shoebox apartment in Manhattan. My pride took a little hit, but financially, it was the smartest decision I could’ve made.

I Took the In-Between Job

Back in Ohio, I had no clear plan. My dream job had turned into a financial dead end, and I didn’t know what came next.

Fortunately, a friend of my sister’s had just had a baby and needed a nanny. I said yes. The job gave me the freedom to write freelance articles during nap time and slowly figure out what was next.

It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked. I was earning enough to cover my reduced expenses, and I could finally breathe.

I Hatched a Plan

Every extra dollar I made no longer went to clothes or takeout.

Instead, I got serious about debt. I did some research and found two strategies:

• The Avalanche Method: Pay off the highest-interest debt first while making minimum payments on the rest. Once one’s paid off, move to the next highest. 
• The Snowball Method: Start with the smallest debt balance to build quick wins, then roll that payment into the next one.

I chose the avalanche method and built a spreadsheet to track every cent. It wasn’t fun. But it worked.

I Consolidated My Debt

Eventually, I found a credit card offering 0% interest on balance transfers for 18 months. I ran the numbers and realized this would allow me to finally pay down the actual debt instead of just battling the interest.

So I made the transfer and threw every extra dollar at it. That move accelerated my progress more than anything else.

Two Years Later, I Was Debt-Free

Getting out of debt wasn’t easy. I gave up my dream city, late-night drinks with friends, and more than a few new shoes. But the confidence I gained from finally understanding personal finance, and taking back control, was unmatched.

Becoming debt-free didn’t just change my finances. It changed how I saw myself.

If you’re ready to make your financial foundation a priority, I’ve got a great place to start.

Here are seven books I highly recommend for anyone beginning their money journey.

Then, if you’re ready to get the exact strategies I used to land my dream job, earn 4 promotions and 5x my salary straight to your inbox, subscribe to my weekly newsletter here.