![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/2.png\")
<\/figure>Alicia T. Chew<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Paid off $40,000 in one year (40% of her debt).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2705Worked with a financial trainer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alicia decided the best way to conquer $100,000 in credit card and student loan debt was to work with a financial trainer who could guide her through the process and hold her accountable for the changes she needed to make.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Debt-free influencer, Alicia T. Chew, is a top D.C-based fashion, lifestyle and travel blogger. Since launching her blog in 2011, Alicia has been named one of the top D.C. fashion & beauty Instagram accounts to follow<\/a> by Washingtonian Magazine, highlighted on Essence Magazine\u2019s website<\/a>, interviewed by The Washington Post<\/a>, and was featured by ELLE Magazine<\/a> in their April 2017 issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As her brand and income grew, Alicia decided it was time to get serious about her debt. So she enlisted the help of a financial trainer to get her finances in shape!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne method my financial trainer suggested was to pay off any bills\/credit cards with the greatest interest rate first and opt for payment plans for those bills with lower interest rates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever I get paid for a blog project, I would put:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve improved my credit score by 100+ points and pay off 40% of my debt in the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more: www.aliciatenise.com<\/a> Paid off a $20,00 bank loan in 1 year<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705Leveraged their good debt to pay off the bad Leanna and her husband decided to sell their home after it increased in value and used equity to pay down their \u201cbad\u201d debts. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2016, debt-free influencer, Leanna Carson, and her husband invested in real estate by purchasing their first home<\/p>\n\n\n\n in a fantastic neighborhood. They knew the value of the house would increase, and they\u2019d eventually make money on their purchase. That time came in 2020 when they decided to sell their home and use the money to tackle other debts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Good debts are any debt that increases your net worth as you pay it (i.e., mortgages), whereas bad debts do not. Using the equity in your home to pay off debt is one way to use good debt to conquer bad debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe spontaneously decided to sell our house in July 2020, and because we had a decent amount of equity in our home, the home\u2019s value had increased, and we had owned it for more than two years (no capital gains), it just made sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After they sold their home, they paid off student loans, credit card debt and their second car! They were also able to set money aside for investing and our next home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The couple also committed to paying off high-interest debt first and always paid more than the minimum payment to speed up the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more: www.changewithusblog.com<\/a> Paid off $23,000 in student loans, credit card debt and personal loan debt in one year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705Negotiated a higher salary <\/p>\n\n\n\n Flynanced is a travel and financial freedom platform where debt-free influencer, Cinneah El-Amin, teaches her followers how to travel and build wealth. She created this platform to challenge the narrative of shame around money and encourage others who want to manage their money while also pursuing the things that bring them happiness and joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThanks to negotiating a higher salary, a realistic budget, clarity around my spending triggers, and using the debt snowball method, I am now debt-free! <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI paid off over $23,000 of student loan, credit card, and personal loan debt and documented my journey throughout 2020 to show other millennial women that no matter what mistakes we\u2019ve made in the past, we are worthy of a life without debt!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more: www.flynanced.com<\/a> Paid off $60,000 of student debt in three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705Paid herself first, each pay cycle<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paying yourself first means: Before you pay your bills, buy groceries, or do anything else with your money, you set aside a certain amount that will go toward savings.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n After finishing college with over $60,000 in debt, debt-dree influencer, Anna Barker, ignored the problem for a few years until she realized it wasn\u2019t the life she wanted to be living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFriends who had graduated around the same time seemed to consider carrying massive amounts of student debt as normal, but after doing the math, I decided that it was definitely time for a change in my financial habits, with the ultimate goal of becoming debt-free.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paying yourself first means: Before you pay your bills, buy groceries, or do anything else with your money, you set aside a certain amount that will go toward savings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI still left room in my budget for things that I truly wanted to spend money on (travel, primarily) but made sure that a major portion of each paycheck was also being devoted to my financial goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more at www.logicaldollar.com<\/a> Paid off $28,000 of student debt in three years on a $31,000 annual income. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705Put half her paycheck toward her debt By sharing living expenses with her partner and roommate and taking on side hustles, Zina was able to put half of her paycheck toward her debt each month.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Debt-free influencer, Zina Kumok, tackled $28,000 of student loans in three years, all while never earning more than $31,000 a year. She kept a strict budget and continuously looked for new income streams and ways to cut spending so she could put a large part of her earnings toward her debt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt first, I would do internet surveys for about $1 each. Then, I worked as a freelance writer. Any time I got extra money, I added it toward my student loans. I would also open bank accounts with sign-up bonuses and put the money toward my loans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out: Ideas for your next side hustle<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe biggest change came when I moved in with my then-boyfriend and friend. Splitting the rent with two other people made a huge difference. At that point, I was able to put half my paycheck toward my debt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more: www.consciouscoins.com<\/a> Paid off $100,000 of debt by changing her relationship with money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705Asked Credit Card Companies for Lower Interest Rates Jessica took charge of her debt and boldly asked her credit card companies to work with her by adjusting her interest rates. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Debt-free influencer, Jessica Caver Lindholm, struggled with over 100k in debt for many years but ultimately took control of her finances and becoming a self-made millionaire by managing her money-based anxiety and focusing on small, actionable steps she could take to reframe her relationship with money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI called her credit card companies to ask for a lower interest rate or exceptions when I needed them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was constantly struggling and anxious about paying off my debt until I shifted my personal narrative and stopped letting it control me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n She took back power by making consistent monthly payments for more than the minimum whenever possible. It\u2019s challenging to attract something and control it if it brings you constant fear and anxiety. By reframing her relationship with money, Jessica connected with it on her terms and attracted it with positive energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more: www.tolivingfree.com<\/a> Paid off $30,000 in student loans in under three years and visited all 50 states along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705Think outside the box with housing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heath and Alyssa bought an RV on Craigslist and took their freelance video editing and marketing business on the road. They have spent the past seven years traveling (mostly) full-time while running two remote businesses.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Debt-free influencers, Heath and Alyssa Padgett, took the typical downsizing story, turned it on its head and put it on wheels! After graduating from College they had $30,000 in student loan debt. Rather than settling down and slowly paying off the debt over 10 years, they decided to completely reimagine their housing situation and build an on-the-go life that allowed them to pay off the debt faster while indulging their desire to travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe bought an old RV on Craigslist, found ways to save money or even camp for free, and lived as minimally as possible. We paid off all our student loans in under 3 years and visited all 50 states along the way.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more: www.heathandalyssa.com<\/a> Paid off a $20,000 bank loan in one year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705Downsized her housing Sarah downsized her housing and transportation expenses to tackle a bank loan with steep monthly payments. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2020, debt-free influencer, Sarah Hovind, owed the bank $20,000 from a loan she had taken out to invest. Although investing is a great idea, she learned the hard way how steep loan payments can outweigh the benefits of borrowing money to fund business ventures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTaking charge was difficult, but I decided to downsize from my nice (but expensive) downtown condo to a shared townhouse outside of the city core. Next, I got rid of my car. That was also tough for me, but given the many transit options in my city, I had to acknowledge my car wasn\u2019t necessary. These two things cut my expenses considerably.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarah also found ways to increase her income by monetizing her Instagram. Using Instagram, Sarah showcases local events, restaurants, and brewery news and encourages people to take advantage of all their city has to offer. In 2020, Sarah was nominated for \u201cBest Blogger\u201d and \u201cBest Instagram\u201d in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more: www.sarahsociables.com<\/a> Paid off $78,000 in debt in 23 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705Used no-spend challenges to stay focused on goals and eliminate mindless spending<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jen Smith runs the Frugal Friends podcast, which has over 1 million downloads. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n As soon as they finished their honeymoon, newlyweds, debt-free influencers, Jen and Travis Smith, set to work tackling their debt. At the time, Travis was between jobs, having relocated to start married life, and Jen was making $35k. They quickly diversified their income streams with extra jobs together made $88K annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI used no-spend challenges<\/a> to detox my spending and show me things I was spending mindlessly on or that I just didn’t need like I thought I did. It was doing those things over and over for two years that finally got us to the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more: www.modernfrugality.com<\/a> Paid off $70,000 in four years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705She made the most of her two-income household Scarlett paid off her debt strategically, tackling the first $20,000 in three years (during graduate school) and the remaining $50,000 in one year.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Debt-free influencer, Scarlett McKnight, created ThirtyEight Investing after beginning the journey to paying off over $70,000 in graduate student debt for physical therapy. The number 38 represents her ultimate goal of achieving financial freedom by that age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDuring the three years of full-time graduate school, I took a Financial Peace University course, read dozens of books in personal finance. I took on two extra jobs during school and was able to pay off approximately $20,000 within three years. After graduating, I was able to pay off the remaining $50,000 of student debt within one year of dedicated and exhausting work. This included first tracking my personal cash flow, utilizing a strict monthly budget and only living on bare necessities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI figured out how to live off my husband\u2019s income and pay all net income from my full-time job toward my debt. All the while earning passive income via my website.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Passive income:<\/strong> earnings derived from a rental property, limited partnership, or other enterprises in which a person is not actively involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn addition to creating wooden projects to sell on Marketplace, I bought two rental properties that earn positive cash flow. It was the most rewarding and intense twelve months of my life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn more: www.thirtyeightinvesting.com<\/a> Do you aspire to a debt-free lifestyle? These debt-free influencers did, but to get there, they had to adopt new habits and tackle their debt for good. In addition to sharing the amount and type they\u2019ve overcome, they gave us their top tips for saving money and paying down student loans, credit card debt, personal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-planning"],"accredited":{"author":{"name":"Anna Caldwell","url":"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/author\/acaldwell\/"},"categories":[{"name":"Financial Planning","slug":"finance-planning","url":"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/category\/finance-planning\/"}],"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/820x312_ADRBlog_15TopMTips_DebtFreeInfluencers.jpg"},"acf":{"edited_by":null,"reviewed_by":null,"fact_checked_by":null},"yoast_head":"\nTip #1: Work with a Financial Trainer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Follow: Instagram<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/8.png\")
<\/figure>Leanna Carson, Change with Us<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2705Paid off high-interest debt first<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip #2: Know the Difference Between Good and Bad Debt<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip #3 Pay off High-Interest Debt First<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Follow: Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/5.png\")
<\/figure>Cinneah El-Amin, Flyananced<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2705Used the Debt Snowball Method<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nTip #4: Negotiate a Higher Salary<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip #5: Use the Debt Snowball Method<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Follow: Instagram<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/1.png\")
<\/figure>Anna Barker, Logical Dollar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip #6: Pay Yourself First, Each Pay Cycle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Follow: https:\/\/twitter.com\/logicaldollar<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/3.png\")
<\/figure>Zina Kumok, Conscious Coins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2705Worked side hustles to earn extra income<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip #7: Add Side Hustles to Earn Extra Income<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip #8: Put 50% of Your Paycheck Toward Your Debt Each Month<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Follow: Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/4.png\")
<\/figure>Jessica Caver Lindholm, To Living Free<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2705Built a healthy relationship with money<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip #9: Ask Credit Card Companies for Lower Interest Rates<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#Tip #10: Build a Healthy Relationship with Money<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Follow: Instagram<\/a> and Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/7.png\")
<\/figure>Heath and Alyssa Padgett, Make Money Rving<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip #11: Think Outside the Box with Housing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Follow: Facebook<\/a>, The RV Entrepreneur Facebook Group<\/a> and Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/6.png\")
<\/figure>Sarah Hovind, Sociables<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2705Sold her car<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip #12: Downsize Your Housing And Transportations Costs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Follow: Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/9.png\")
<\/figure>Jen Smith, Modern Frugality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip #13: Use No-spend Challenges to Eliminate Mindless Spending<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Follow: Instagram<\/a> and Podcast<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nScarlett McKnight, Thirty-Eight Investing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Debt-free](\"https:\/\/www.accrediteddebtrelief.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/10.png\")
<\/figure>Scarlett McKnight, ThirtyEight Investing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip #14: Make The Most Of Your Two-Income Household<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip #15 Create Passive Streams Of Income<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Follow: Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Pinterest<\/a> and Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"