<prompt> Human: I often see success stories on this sub where someone tells the tale of how they shoveled their way out of 20,000 in credit card debt, paid off their mortgage and now invest 40 percent of their paycheck, all while making 31,000, planning real well, never leaving the house and eating rice for every meal. Those stories are great, but their inspiration has always been limited, at least for me. Of course I want to be in control of my finances, but at times the road has seemed so long and steep. So I come to you today with a story of minor success. Its the tale of how Ive been walking a moderate debt reduction road, and how I realized just today how far Ive come. In August of 2014, I had a mortgage and student loans that I was paying. I wish they were less, but to date, I have done nothing to kill them off. Theyre on my list, though. At that time, I also owed about 2,500 on one vehicle loan, 9,700 on a second vehicle loan, 7,000 on one credit card a balance I had been carrying for years and 2,350 on a second card. That was more than 21,500 in debt that I had to stare down every day. I had 1,200 in my checking account. I was paying 500-600 per month, there was little to no disposable income each month, and I had spent years thinking about how I was stuck in this hamster wheel. I decided one day that I needed to get my shit together, and I started lurking in here, reading a few finance blogs, and actually paying attention to my money. This was the most important part. Once I started actively looking at my finances, things started to become clearer, and I started to gain interest in planning, budgeting and dealing with my money in a responsible way. I started off by building my own spreadsheet for budgeting and expense tracking, and I used that fairly religiously for a couple of months. This gave me a good idea of what I was spending and where. Early last year, I made a rough budget, and I started taking steps to eliminate debt. To start, I refinanced my 2,300 car loan and paid off the 7,000 credit card. This effectively lowered the interest rate on that debt from 19.9 percent to 3.25 percent. I then listed my other vehicle for sale, and wound up selling it last fall for slightly more than I owed on it. I then literally emptied my bank account to purchase a used car outright. At this point, I had eliminated a credit card payment and a car payment.Then I started using YNAB I know its not for everyone, but its definitely for me. Using YNAB, I quickly had a real handle on my money, and a detailed budget. Around this time, I also started using a debt snowball spreadsheet, which listed all of my debts and planned payments and utilized a snowball plan. So here I am in February, a year and a half out from deciding I needed to get my shit together. I have one car loan, and I just paid my second credit card down to nothing. I use it for monthly expenses and bills for the large amount of cash back I can rack up, and thanks to YNAB, it never gets away from me. I now have a revolving credit line of about 35,000, and Im utilizing none of it. Instead of 21,500 in short-term debt, I have 6,000, all on the car. I have 2,000 in the bank. Using the snowball, Ill pay off the car this summer, and will begin throwing money at my student loans. I dont own a mansion, I dont have 1 million in my retirement fund. But thats not the important part. The important part is that Im not yet 30 years old, and I know what my money is doing. I know how unlikely it is, but if I kept on the snowball plan without any deviation, I will have paid off my student loans in two years. At that point, I will have freed up 1,400 of monthly cashflow since August of 2014 -- money I used to pay toward debt. If I kept going, I will have retired a 30-year mortgage in 9 years.My wife and I havent changed our lifestyles much to make this happen. Weve just started paying more attention to our money. If were nearing our budget for clothing, we dont buy clothing, or if we must, we take some cash from our restaurants budget to fund the trip. We dont do crazy vacations; we just drive a few states over and stay with friends for a few days. Your mileage may vary, and your road may be shorter or longer Mine will continue for years. You may want to eat rice every day to guarantee your millionaire retirement. You may want to pay minimum payments for 6 years to maintain the ability to eat out twice a week. Those are personal choices and theyre all fine. But its important to remember these journeys are less about the steps, and more about the mindset. You have to change the way you think about money. If you get a wide and detailed look at your money, youll see where its going and what youre really paying for. Then set your priorities, whatever they may be, and start your own journey. Go get your shit together.  <response>: I started YNAB a year ago with two credit card debts, horrible credit, no savings, outstanding medical bills and nothing left at the end of a pay cycle. Thinking about money left me feeling ashamed and hopeless so I just...didnt. I didnt look at my spending, I didnt think ahead, I didnt have a plan. Twelve months of diligent YNAB use later - my credit improved enough that I was able to get a personal loan to consolidate my credit cards at a lower interest rate, I have a credit card that I use for the awards and keep paid off, I have a small savings account, my medical bills are all paid up, and even with a slightly smaller paycheck increased my FSA contribution, I am saving at a higher rate and have a few dollars left over. One of the big motivating factors for me has been that my boyfriend makes 2-3 times as much as me and I want to be a financial asset, not a drain. Were house hunting and want a combined household and shared expenses to be a positive change for BOTH of us. He is currently getting on the YNAB wagon. Im still in debt, and I still feel broke. But Im budget broke instead of balance broke - which makes it a LOT easier to roll with the punches. : Most importantly, YNAB is budgeting without shame - the classes are all very positive and the focus is on moving forward, not dwelling on past mistakes. After years of feeling sick every time a bill arrived, now I can open them without fear. : 