The Getting Out of Debt Storyline

Over at LearnVest, Jill Davi shares her story about how she racked up $30,000 in credit card debt, and then paid it all off. It’s a nice “taking control of your finances” story, but like a lot of other narratives about people getting themselves out of debt, it follows a familiar storyline: Person with massive credit card debt decides to cut up her credit cards, then makes major life changes to cut back on spending (i.e. moving in with another person to pay less in rent, cutting out shopping completely, creating spreadsheets), and then pays off the massive debt load in a relatively short period of time (for Davi, it was paying off $30K in 18 months, while earning a little more than $30K a year — which is extraordinary).

I like a good “getting out of debt” story — they can be inspiring. I just wish they were sometimes a bit more relatable, because stories like these can make it sound like pulling yourself out of debt can be an easy thing to do, when it’s something a lot of people struggle with. I’d love to read a piece about someone who got herself or himself out of debt, but about how it wasn’t easy, how it took a lot of time to fix some deep-rooted, unhealthy habits, and how it’s fine if you fail a few times along the way, but that it can eventually be done. Anyone have a story like that?

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