Emily’s $15K Debt Story: How She Paid It Off Without Extra Income

Emily’s $15K Debt Story: How She Paid It Off Without Extra Income Meet Emily — a 30-year-old administrative assistant from Melbourne who found herself $15,200 in debt across 3 credit cards and a personal loan. Like many Aussies, she wasn’t living extravagantly, but the debt kept piling up. What made her story remarkable? She paid it all off in 18 months — without increasing her income. 📉 The Debt Breakdown Credit Card 1: $5,000 @ 18% Credit Card 2: $3,200 @ 20% Personal Loan: $7,000 @ 12% Emily was making minimum repayments and barely seeing progress. She realized she needed a plan, not just hope. 🧠 The Turning Point After discovering the Debt Snowball Method from a finance podcast, she made a decision: “I’m done with this debt — for good.” ✅ Step-by-Step: How She Did It 1. Listed Debts by Balance (Not by Interest) She focused on small wins . By tackling the smallest balance first, she gained momentum and motivation. 2. Created a ‘Bare Bones’ Budge...