Category: Money | Follow-up: ✓ Week 8 | Read time: 6 min
Someone came to me with $15,000 across three credit cards, earning $45K a year. They hadn't opened a statement in months. Sound familiar?
Here's exactly what we did.
The Situation
After rent, bills, and minimum payments, they had about $1,800 left each month. Sounds like plenty, right? But it was vanishing. Takeout 4-5 nights a week. Subscriptions they forgot about. Random Amazon purchases at 2am. The minimum payments alone were eating $480/month and barely touching the actual debt.
They weren't bad with money. They just didn't have a system.
The Plan
Week 1-2: The Audit
Before you fix anything, you need to see it. All of it.
- List every debt: which card, what balance, what interest rate, what minimum payment
- Download 3 months of bank statements
- Categorize every transaction: rent, food, transport, subscriptions, shopping, going out
- Find the "leaks" — the spending that doesn't match what you think you spend
This person discovered they were spending $360/month on food delivery apps. They thought it was maybe $150. That gap is where the money lives.
Week 3-4: The Squeeze
Not about deprivation. About awareness.
- Cancel every subscription you haven't used in 30 days. They had 9 subscriptions and used 4. That's $85/month back instantly.
- Meal prep 4 nights a week. Doesn't need to be fancy. Rice, protein, vegetables. They went from $520/month on food to $280. That's $240 saved.
- Call your phone company, internet provider, and insurance. Ask for a better deal or switch. They saved $45/month in 20 minutes of phone calls.
Total freed up: $370/month. That's money that was already there — just being wasted.
Week 5-6: The Snowball
Take every dollar you freed up and throw it at the smallest debt first. Not the highest interest rate — the smallest balance. Why? Because paying off that first card completely gives you a psychological win that keeps you going.
Their smallest card was $2,100. With minimum payments plus the extra $370, they'd clear it in about 5 months. But they also started selling stuff they didn't need on Facebook Marketplace — another $400 in the first month.
Week 7-8: The System
- Automate everything. On payday, before you can touch it:
- Rent and bills: auto-pay
- Debt snowball payment: standing order
- $50 into a "don't touch" savings account
- What's left is yours to spend guilt-free
The key is removing decisions. You don't "decide" to pay debt each month. It just happens.
The Follow-Up: 8 Weeks Later
They paid off $4,100 in the first 8 weeks. The smallest card was gone. They were $270/month lighter on minimum payments. Projected debt-free date: 14 months.
But the biggest change? They said: "I actually opened my statements for the first time in 2 years. The meal prep alone saved me $230 in the first month. I can see the finish line now."
That's what a plan does. It turns an overwhelming problem into a series of small, doable steps.
The Takeaway
You don't need to earn more money. You need to see where it's going and redirect it. The debt snowball works because it's simple and it gives you wins early. The hardest part is week 1 — actually looking at the numbers. After that, it's just following the system.
Got a money problem? Ask Neady. I'll build you a plan.
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