She Maxed Out Every Credit Card Possible | Financial Audit

my name is Nikki I'm 27 I hail from. Dallas Texas and this is financial audit. welcome down to Austin from Dallas what. do you do for a living I work for HEB. actually Central Market in the meat. market oh very cool okay what's your. position there uh production level one. production specialist level one okay. what does that bring in what's your so. that's about. um 40 000 a year okay very nice now when. you started at HEB you what was like the. position you started with uh just.

customer service front desk so that was. like four percent less and then how many. positions have you had until this one. just this just this one okay very cool. and what's the career trajectory from. there uh butcher becoming a butcher for. Central Market well it's like 40 50 000. like what are we looking at that's. actually a number I I don't know I'm not. aware of but there's several positions. before you get there I think at least. seven. um and I'm actually training tomorrow to. start a new position which would be. production specialist level two what are.

you gonna make with that. until I have the discussion with them. I'm not sure okay well because I mean. well Austin's the most expensive city in. Texas but Dallas certainly isn't very. cheap forty thousand dollars before. taxes. it's not a ton for the area so how are. you living how are you feeling so it's. actually I have a second job as well. because oh very good before working uh. so I work for salad and go and that's. about 17 000 per year and what's your. position there.

um I work as a shift lead. doing what uh part-time closing shifts. so I just make sure everyone stays on. task and uh you know count the money and. do all the inventory stuff okay yeah. very good. I just got that though just got. something yeah yeah I'm thinking after. taxes you're probably. bringing in a solid and you just started. it right so you probably don't have. fully know. my first check will be in three days.

oh it's nice yeah they're not in an. incredibly High tax record by any means. but. yeah you still would be paying something. I don't know. [Music]. something I think that's about it I've. been trying to think of like 3 400 just. to be safe I average about 20. oh 11.25 yeah yeah. yeah. so you're at that 30 Mark you're at that.

30 definitely wouldn't want to have any. rent above that but I think okay. like that's where it is and that's you. know living the roof over the head is. usually the most expensive part of the. needs category and that certainly is. true for you because that's eating up 30. of the 50 that you know goes towards. needs now what is your referral. financial situation I know I have a. stack of papers here and the vast. majority are debt so we know this is. debts that's that's that we're going in.

what's up what's your life what's going. on um I'm living paycheck to paycheck. where I feel like I'm I'm drowning I. mean sometimes I only have three to. twelve dollars to my name after each. check because I'm paying what's due like. so from HEB I get paid weekly so I. budget like what my do what my bills are. until the next check and then with salad. and go it's every two weeks but of. course I don't I haven't got my first. check there so I've been just kind of. fighting it. um but as you can see I have nine credit. card lines one personal loan.

um I did have a car loan but my car was. totaled recently so they gave me the. difference of that car and I bought a. car for cash so I don't have a car. payment for that how are you able to. save up the cash. um so how much was it so my loan on the. car was only 16 000 and my car was. valued at 23. so actually thank gosh. that worked out and my dad just had a. car that he only owned like 5400 on it. so I was like hey let me buy it and so. it worked out of course my insurance. went up on that but not by much it kind.

of. I guess not necessarily even the playing. field but from the car payment that I. had every month I had enough like. available for how much the insurance. shot up yeah when I got that car okay. okay so what is this car it's a 2015. Camry how many miles. 119. yeah okay now give yourself a score. of zero out of ten oh yeah before I got. the second job I felt like I was at a. zero right now I feel like I'm out of. one because I have impulsive behaviors.

and how have you gone to this position. in the first place why are we in these. credit cards why are we in the personal. loan why you know what's up what's. happening with you okay that's a long. story but let's go back 10 years when I. was 18. I decided I didn't want to have. a job I want to take a brief moment to. thank today's episode sponsor Kudos. Kudos is a free shopping extension that. helps you pick the best card at checkout. doubling your credit card rewards on. over 15 000 sites for instance if you. usually earn three percent back on your. credit cards on stores like Sephora.

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big decision to make at the time when. you're probably supposed to get a job. more than any other and so for eight. months I just took out credit card after. credit card after Signature Loan after. signature did you understand no no I was. yeah I was a young adult I didn't really. understand that. um so I actually went homeless for two. weeks made the get out of jail free card. with my dad I said hey I need you to. come get me I'll do whatever I can just. I need I need some help. um so he drove me this is when I was. living in Salt Lake. um I moved to Texas within two hours I.

got a job and started working two. full-time jobs to pay off all my debt at. that time it was racked up to twelve. thousand. um fast forward to 2017. I was like. almost 21 or 22. I get in a major car. accident and I was out of a job for a. year and a half from a back injury and I. racked up all my credit cards again just. trying to survive. after I was physically able to work. again I worked two jobs and I paid it. all off again and fast forward to last. year my boyfriend passed away.

um in his sleep because I'm so sorry. lost almost everything but myself but. then I just I've been I was out I was. without a job for like three months four. months and then. um I just got a job and I've been. working and making ends meet where I can. and finally I got a second job who would. hire me and I'm just trying to work my. butt off to get back out from under it. but I realize I have some habits I need. to understand so that I can do better. and be better also I'm like about to be.

28 in 10 days I don't have a retirement. fund or an emergency fund and on my way. here my check engine light turned on. [Music]. yeah yeah I'm a pretty strong person so. I think that's why I get hit with a lot. you in therapy yeah yeah yeah that would. be first recommendation from all this. I'm very sorry for your loss thank you. that's terrible thank you I'm. oh yeah we definitely want to get you on.

the other side of this absolutely uh how. do you feel about working today what is. your mindset around work are you. enjoying working. um I actually do have two jobs where the. people I work with are amazing and it. makes going to work every day fun it. doesn't seem like a a chore or anything. I mean it does it does eat away a lot at. like my sleep and like I get really. groggy and short-tempered because I'm. just I'm working a lot I want to get you. to a point where you're like working one. job 40 hours a week and bringing in like. sixty thousand dollars to start with yes. well how many hours a week are you.

working at HEB so HEB 40 flat sometimes. I get overtime if they allow it and then. how many at the salad place so that's 20. to 22. you're working a lot so certainly. can't complain there what we just want. to work on is it's not increasing your. income through work experience and. everything like that we'll get there we. got to go through the deaf debt that is. actually an insanity yeah so eleven. thousand dollars was the original loan. term that you took out for 36 months so. basically a three-year car loan but this.

is at 13 interest 13 death interest yes. all right let me start taking notes on. this so This Is the personal one right. yes so this was actually uh through. Lending Club it was a balanced transfer. loan. um so I transferred these all to my. credit cards and I watched and I watched. an episode where you had a girl credit. for cards in front of you I went ahead. and shredded all of mine so I can't yeah. I can't purchase on on them if you want. to reward her by chopping up those. credit cards which are well shorting.

them hit the Subscribe button right yeah. does that feel good okay yeah no. definitely subscribe we're trying to get. the 750 000 subscribers thank you to. everyone who has subscribed I love you. you so much this is to be pretty new. yeah yeah so why why don't you take this. out like two months ago so actually. um maybe I don't in my logic it made. sense so in my um in my budget like my. nine credit cards they just be like I I. could only pay the minimums and that was.

costing me 540 to 600 a month and like. four of those credit cards were over. thirty percent like two of them were 37. interest and they were all maxed out. before I got this loan so I was I mean I. mean I was struggling to survive and I. was like I've got to look into something. it was another what were the minimum. payments that came up to at that point. um so if I I can show you yeah okay. because they're um they're all over the. place so let's see. um just in the month of like January I.

have like a hundred thirty Thirty fifty. five 145 52 40 and then 155 on nine you. probably saved a little bit in terms of. the minimum monthly payments but those. things were probably at like 24. encroaching like 30 interest depending. but we're able so. am I happy with 13 not even close but I. understand the consolidation to get it. down that was probably a smart play that. is a play a lot of people think or if.

you just consolidate your cards like oh. my goodness you're not actually making. progress because you think you made well. it depends on the mindset yes a lot of. people if you consolidate your cards. then you might just continue to go into. credit card debt because all of a sudden. those balances went down to zero so it's. time to spend money we got money again. whoa but no absolutely not. um we'll go through and see what that. looks like for that and then you know in. terms of do you feel like you made. progress so you're gonna let your foot. off you know the gas and now to start. paying this awful we haven't heard any. more than minimum monthly payments on.

this yet but we want to get there so. actually I feel like I've I've let my. foot off the gas with this one because. why the last two times the last two. times that I paid off my credit cards I. racked them all up again this time. they're shredded I can't use them. anymore yeah but it's probably like. connected to Apple pay or something. online no no no no no no you I. enclose them no you should even though. that might with your credit for a little. bit I don't give a sh because you've. gotten to a place where you've gone into.

so much debt where you had to take out a. death 13 personal loan to get through it. we've clearly demonstrated you're not a. credit card person yes so it's fine. that's fine that's a good thing the vast. majority are not credit our people in. our culture that's okay as long as you. recognize this you already took the step. and you uh shredded them up but now it's. time to close those accounts I just. don't want you to have access to it what. you could do you could well that's why I. try to offer that alternative that fizz. card you can have that because that. actually helps with credit but it pays. it off immediately just like a debit. card so it works for that if that's if.

that's something you really care about. you can do that but no more credit these. credit cards close them okay and. taking a foot off the pedal I I I I. don't get it because you've you know. built up stuff in the past how does that. mean we shouldn't be paying this off. crazy right now I'm doing the best I can. and I just got my second job that's. that's what I've been doing that's good. why did you say I feel like I've left. the gas off the pedal because because of. this thing over here that I've done in. the past why should we not be going full. you know Full Throttle yeah well so.

I I am I feel like it's better this time. because back in the day I would have. just seen that the balance is paid off. and I would have Justified you know. taking my friends out to eat or like. going fine but why not go crazy still. though to pay it off why have you let. off the gas. um you're doing the thing that everyone. says happens when some people do this. like don't prove them right right well. before I got salad and go I didn't have.

more than three to twelve dollars to my. name so there wasn't any money to go. towards this now there is you know so. well you didn't have three to twelve. dollars to your name but come on I've. been through your spending oh okay yeah. oh hey you got me there yeah for sure so. yeah like okay let's not start throwing. them out right away okay okay shall we. Capital One so we did make sense if you. know you're not a cricket person you. chopped them up they were still 77 of. purchases on here.

yeah I I I I don't remember which ones. those are for that pain and interest of. a dollar what I mean come on just pay. this off immediately it doesn't make. sense. but then past doofy of 29. past due pass due on how much how much. possibly there's only what seventy seven. dollars what okay okay so this was this. is a crazy situation and I understand.

you get that all the time but actually I. had so I had two Wells Fargo accounts. and I did I did do my research and and I. I closed one of them and because that. one was costing me the monthly fee and. so I had closed that one but forgot that. these credit cards like automatically. withdrew from that and so when it like. processed the payment it was on the. wrong account and by the time I got the. right account on there it was already. past due and so yeah that's not properly. managed and we can't have credit cards.

regardless of why yeah First Premier. Bank fees you're getting monthly fees on. this so just close this thing you're not. spending money you're not spending money. you had eight bucks and then you paid it. off but you're getting eight 23 monthly. fees for having fees the fees pay them. off it doesn't make sense right yes okay. so we're having monthly fees. total fees charged this year so far. almost 70 bucks. in total interest charges here almost 50. bucks so.

stop oh this card was for there was a. lot of paperwork uh but we have a Shop. Your Way uh. something MasterCard this is a. MasterCard yeah so oh well we still have. a balance on this yes so so we couldn't. consolidate all of them no no there's. two that still have balances it's the. shop your way and the venmo account uh. credit line penmo has a credit line.

what the yeah. it's all completely in the out 7 48 54. is owed on the Mastercard at the time of. the statement made a minimum monthly. payment towards it thank goodness you. did not pay anything but we lost 20. dollars of Interest. total interest charges here so far 150. bucks. that's the one thing I'm kind of happy. with the consolidation still a death. interest rate at least we're not having. these 25 30 something across multiple. accounts being accrued on a monthly.

basis City double cash we did make sixty. four dollars of purchase this year told. that that my Toll Tag goes to that my. toll road well stop it goes to checking. account now it goes to checking account. now yes or Fizz because at least that. gets automatically paid from the. checking account so it works like a. debit card but again it's I can't have. you just accruing balances and not. looking I can't be doing that in 1.63. interest charge on this new balance 96. dollars. is this another leafy. uh yeah so there's yeah there was. another that was the the other card so.

it was that in my Capital One they. weren't attached to that second one that. I closed dude if you cannot manage it. you cannot have credit cards regardless. of the reason why if it cannot be. managed you cannot use credit cards. it's as easy as that. again I am happy you've torn them up but. if you cannot use them you cannot use. them it does not it is not much more. complicated than that. yeah watching your videos made me. understand I'm not a credit card person. 200 interest 30 a late fees this year.

[Music]. lovely. some visa thing. yeah nothing. payments well there was nothing. yeah I try not to use that one what does. this go to. um soon to have gotten lots of some. paperwork here. oh I'm not sure hold on if it's got the. 31 that is to my at-home credit line. that I have home at home at home.

[Music]. I used to buy Decor. No No it should be completely empty. right now total interest charged 2023 so. far. 90 bucks and then 29 of fees close these. stupid cards. closest stupid cards I will I will. I can't believe there's a venmo debt.

what was that minimum what's the minimal. empty payment on that MasterCard uh the. the one right before the MasterCard of a. balance that's like 30 a month. oh. I didn't know people could have been. venmo card 15 bucks in interest lost oh. and 634 only made a 30 minute monthly. payment so 30 on both yeah. you made purchases three bucks of. purchases what was it uh Apple.

subscription cancel it yeah. whatever it even is is cancel it doesn't. make sense right now. 29 interest rate. so we need to know. just going. into this situation you've Consolidated. sure that's great and I'm happy but are. you actually gonna make a change. I really I really. I I want to say right now yes because it.

matters so much to me because the way. you just phrase that what does that even. mean I want to say right now yeah okay. well because I I'm working on not being. as impulsive as I was before I'm trying. to make different decisions and be more. responsible with like I'm an adult now I. can't be this like 18 year old kid that. still doesn't you know want to live by. the rules or like you know just I'll pay. it later it's fine whatever I'm just. tired of being so nonchalant. um I realize that like there are goals.

that I I want to meet like buying a. house having a piece of land that's mine. and like you know hopefully traveling. and doing things that I enjoy without. feeling like I'm going into debt for it. or you know like that it's not I want to. I want to do things that make me feel a. little bit more free than I do now and I. have to say like three strikes I'm out. like I I've done this two times before I. hate being back in this position now and. I don't want to be in it again so it's. like this is my like no I'm not can I.

swear I'm not doing this anymore like. I'm over it I'm over it because I'm. about to I work for a company that's. really really good and I'm about to have. a straight path to to something that. could be really good as a career path or. even just as a skill set to have you. know for the future and I don't want to. like frivia frivolously spend my money. and not get something out of it when did. you decide that. from watching your videos how long have. you been watching my videos for two. months okay so as we go through the.

checking account yeah you're not giving. me confidence right away and I don't. want to be Debbie Downer and that's okay. it was 2 400 on your checking account we. can celebrate that that's awesome but. then we're going to Tom Thumb and then. money eventually not money in Benny's. Cafe and Love Sushi ATM withdraw 350 who. knows who that went then we're going to. Sonic drive through venmo Fuzzy's Tacos. fuzzies tacos in and out burger gross. BoomerJack's Grill selling out money. cash app and out money and King scoopers. and apple liqueur that was to celebrate.

the one-year passing of my of my. boyfriend so we went out and did like. all the things that made like all we. made New Traditions and and visited some. of his old ones I know I couldn't afford. it but it wasn't hard for me to I know I. understand that I understand that wasn't. a good decision but I'm not regretting. that at all but what's not hard to. dislike is Little Caesars we need to be. going Little Caesars and Wendy's and. Wendy's I love Wendy's nugs and Subway. and South Gara thing and Toyota Music. Factory and Pavilion and Len invitation.

concert in the concert thing and Jack In. The Box and when moving out do we need. to be doing that no that's that's my. weakness I need to stop eating out I. mean I literally work for a grocery. grocery store so like I don't have an. excuse me. convenient especially in our driving. culture but you work there pick it up on. your way out and I know HEB people get. discounts they do we do we do you are. not getting discounts at those Wendy's. nugs no so stop but I do have the key.

tag so have you really changed no not. yet but I'm making smaller I'm I'm I. feel like in in my in. I'm trying in your head you want to. change where in the past you didn't want. to change but you still haven't changed. you haven't made actions to change well. my my first step is is contacting you. and being on here so I can figure out. what I can do no that's great but if. you've been watching it for the last two. months though and you know you've. related to the people situations that's. why people come on wanting to get help. but then you're really in other people's.

situation or other people relate to your. situation so thank you for coming on. here that's great you're gonna help. thousands of people hopefully but still. you're in the other side of that. situation why did you why have you not. done anything why are you going out to. eat it just makes me so nervous it makes. me feel like the conversation's not. worth it because you just haven't done. anything. I I go out and eat out of convenience. and I I I'm going to stop doing that. because I'm gonna. have that money allowed for groceries. and like learn to cook more and and meal. prep and and I will I promise I will I.

do it I I promise I I work at a grocery. store I have no excuse anymore if I want. to pick something up I can just grab it. and instead of going through the. drive-through I can make it myself. do you make food I do I do I cook I do. and especially when HEB has a good deal. on like chicken I'll buy like 20 pieces. for twenty dollars and I'll put in the. freezer for a long time there if you. look at the dates I don't know what the. processing time is on those checking. cards last month which was only 10 days. ago right and if you check like the.

difference of date well the road trip is. also a lot of money spent at one time. um but I did for for a long time most of. my days of the week I I eat from home. and then. I yeah I got to okay yes recently it's. been a lot. I went I should have gave you another. month but this is the most recent and I. wanted to be honest. um but yeah what's the point of this. other checking account. so that actually was a checking account. I opened when my boyfriend and I were. buying a house together and that was the.

way that we could get money into an. account easily because he also had fnbo. and so when you transfer money it goes. instantly to that next account you don't. have to wait for process. we did we had it for three months before. he passed. and then what happened so it was in his. name so his parents oh good it wasn't. about that yeah okay yeah so I'm just. but I'm not glad of course that's. absolutely terrible that everything. happened I'm just glad that you did not.

have to all of a sudden have an. expensive mortgage on your back alone. yeah I was more than willing to like try. and help and like stay there as long as. I could until probate process but they. didn't want me to stay any longer so. what's the purpose of this checking. account now so that's the that's the. credit union I want to move to from. Wells Fargo because I don't want to be. with us here including McDonald's and. ramen and nail salon and IHOP and nail. salon Cinemark Theaters which suck. anyway go to Alamo Cinemark Theaters. which sucks anyway go to Alamo but. try and buy food there.

okay that was concessions well that's. less than 17. every time you need to say. something or I'm like bought and then. you're like all right why. stop with the excuses yeah you wouldn't. be going to any movie theaters anyway. unless you're working at it yeah point. it doesn't make sense well my three. areas of fun that I like to do is. concerts movies and and eating but I. need to hone in on being good at cooking.

my own food and then being like I don't. have your own concerts play them on the. speakers. yeah just watch live recordings of your. favorite artists this is you're just. okay I'm just I'm just nervous I'm like. are we we can lay out a budget as we do. for everyone clean up a budget we can. talk about a game plan is that actually. gonna do anything. let me see your attempts at budgeting. you said there's attempts of budgeting. yes yes yes yes yes so I for the month. of January all the way till now this is.

how I like I play out my month excuse me. so this is like my last month I write. down everything that's due. um and like an estimate of what. um what else is coming out and then this. is July right now so like each little. tab is what's going to be due on. um the next check so when I get paid on. I these are all based on like my. paychecks from HEB not from salad and go. because I haven't gotten a first check. there yet subscriptions. so Subs is conscription yeah and so that. was when I had the car loan that's. actually not anymore so this this July.

would be better for you I'm confused so. this is your attempted budget but you. didn't follow it well this this shows at. the bottom like where like what I made. and like what I was able to save that. that month and like and what was also. like due so like based out of what I was. paid like that's how much I like had to. go out of that check that was what went. into savings now a lot of that I have to. calculate to make sure I have next. month's rent I don't that's that's why. like it's just like making sure even all. this stuff didn't wasn't isn't on here.

I don't I I always just I I guess like. back I have impulse I have impulse. problems impulse control I just if I'm. hungry and I don't. yes and yes I need to I need to learn. how to I can go to I literally work at a. grocery store I just need to like be. like this is the money for that and I. can't do anything else it's really like. I I because okay so well this makes me.

even more nervous then because you've. made budgets so if we make a budget will. you follow it 100 now this is this is. the difference yes because this is. basically me writing down just what's. due for the month it's not really like. me like I mean even for gas food and my. my cat like I don't have numbers for. that because I didn't really ever know I. just if I had the money for it I'd buy. it and so I need the help to like write. a strict budget and stay to it I'm. really good at being disciplined if I'm. given like a plan I just I don't know. how to write one out and I feel like if.

I wrote one out on my own I I wouldn't. follow it very well because. you know I just. as much as I'd like to admit I I'm I. mean I'm I'm only prioritizing the. things that are due the hands that are. in my pocket and then I'm just like. spending the money that I have for. myself because I'm like oh well I have. it it's mine I can spend it what about. your career before we do that are you. happy where you are or do you want to do. something else. um I'm happy where I'm at what do you. want to do it's a dream career.

um I kind of want to be like a tour. manager of of bands like or like own a. venue of myself of my own that's like. where there any certifications you can. get for that I don't know I just have to. break into the industry though what else. what else I feel like that's an overly. competitive industry what are other. things no not that I'm like Don't Live. Your Dream you should pursue but what. else can we do to just increase your. income what else do you like to do well. I I graduated high school with my CNA. and I specialize in geriatric Memory.

Care like elderly people and hospice and. stuff. um but that's really emotionally taxing. in the last couple of people that I've. taken care of I got really personal with. and so I took like a Hiatus from that. just so I can like focus on creating. emergency. 401ks a lot of people tell me that I've. just always been super scared to jump. into that industry without a safety net. you know well you're I mean but you're a. talker she's a good thing it's a good. thing for one a show like this and two. sales I mean you could always do there's.

certifications for anything if you want. to do sales you can check out the you. know coursers who I partnered with you. could like that because they you can get. into Tech sales there but you could do. any kind of certification and that could. help you land a position a lot of sale. okay you're right some sales it doesn't. have a safety net but my first sales job. that I got started at thirty two. thousand dollars a year plus commission. and what was that cars auto no I was. selling a tech a a a a online. um uh like plugins that's it's kind of.

oh no way but it was a kind of a tech. thing I guess okay yeah yeah so the. technical understanding yeah Amazon. education is one place yeah and in most. of my positions I have like it's like. sales driven so like I've worked at a. fish store where I had to sell fish. products so I was really good did you. get a commission with that I did get a. commission there I got I got 10 of my. sales which was cool and then like. Central Market I mean I work in the meat. market so I try to drive you know. suggestions I'm just talking about boost. your income because you're able to just. uh sell someone something and get it.

sales I just brought that up because. that's an idea what else would you enjoy. though what else did you enjoy I I think. I think I I don't know I have. when I graduated high school I thought. for sure Healthcare was where I wanted. to be and then I realized it's just like. it's too much I want to do something. that's like different than so I I don't. know I really it's really hard because. like my two brothers they like they've. always known what they wanted to do. growing up and have you taken a career. quiz no tell your career quiz okay and.

just see see if that helps okay let's. see if that helps. um I could see you being a customer. service manager almost I'd be really. good at that I think you'd be good at. that too yeah because it'll be okay yeah. yeah I'm fine it's just that's one of. the things I'm passionate about because. it it sucks being like I don't know what. I want to do I just know what I'm good. at and I just generally enjoy helping. people and I just dude I see customer. service all over you if we can get you.

some certification customer service then. maybe start more on the ground floor but. then pursue places that have the. opportunities to move up in customer. service whether that be in person or. virtual you know I see customer service. written all over you because you have. that gentle soul and you like to talk to. people and all this stuff I feel like. that's perfect just helping people and. then you know if you get in the place. where you can manage a team like that. would be awesome I mean the the first. like the first time someone gave me that. opportunity was solid and go like I I.

interviewed at a job a job fire a job. fair and I just started as team member. you know just to get my foot in the door. and the lady that was sitting across. from me she goes actually I want you to. be my shift lead and I was like okay. I've never done that before but imagine. if I convert that into like a 40 hour a. week nine to five customer service. manager role let's do it I mean look at. some certificate occasions and stuff. like that yeah so you can do I partner. with course groups but there's a lot of. options out there too that can help you. with different Avenues. um I just did them because I like Tech. because I worked in Tech and their Tech.

but yeah you can go anywhere and do. anything so that might be something to. look into but we need to talk about the. budget and get out of debt so rent we. already know rent is 1125 is that. including utilities no uh utilities is. about a hundred dollars more including. gas electric internet yes sir that's all. yeah I live with my little brother so we. split it in half so it's it's typically. like 50 to 75 but it's under my name so. I just pay it and then he just sends me. the money for it so how much comes out. of yours. so 100 for you total or 100 for both of.

you I budget 100 because it fluctuates. with you know like Texas weather and all. that in your car insurance so that's. 320. are you getting health insurance. through HEB. um I am good. which is taken out and then okay yeah. yeah yeah is there a 401k match with. either of these companies yeah so AGB. matches uh I think up to three percent I. don't know 100 up to three percent up to. three I would immediately start taking. that if you're not because that's 100. return on your investment you have a.

death 13 interest rate but fun fact 100. is bigger than 13. so we take that yeah. so start taking that immediately and. then. um I'm not going to say what to put it. in yeah I understand. you can talk to a financial advisor what. I have mine in are just low-cost index. funds entirely uh uh Target retirement. funds or something I did in my 401k. because they're just targeted to retire. by a certain uh you know decade half a. decade and it starts off more. aggressively earlier it is gets more.

conservative the later it is cool those. are those are things that I did uh okay. car insurance cool then minimum monthly. payment for debts. um that's we have. 4 30. groceries. with you and your brother do you split. things no he he buys all of his own. stuff he teaches he's a jiu jitsu brown. belt so he he like strictly meal preps.

and he's actually going to help me after. telling him about this episode. um and my older brother who told me to. come on. um he told me he would help me figure. out a meal plan and like be able to. budget because he's been doing it for. 300 bucks take advantage of that. discount as well 300 bucks is what you. get for groceries total paper makeup all. that crap whatever needed to keep your. life alive a hundred dollars okay what. do you need for your cat. um. glitter food yeah she cost me about 75.

to 100. yeah and then what I would do because. it's worth it so I know Dave Ramsey. advises against it but I've personally. saved hundreds and hundreds if not. thousands of dollars same with a friend. of mine as well get pet insurance she. needs it yeah 100 bucks so you said 75. to 100 okay let's say it's 75 get it up. to 100 by doing that okay. yeah and then any other minimum monthly. payments that you can think of that. you're required to expense what a gas. how much do you spend on gas a month so.

that's about forty dollars a week. that's expensive is this a long commute. well yeah it's about. uh 20 20 minutes away from where I work. at HEB and they're about the same. distance for salad and go 173 a month. okay yeah. average down anything else that you take. care of on a monthly basis a therapy how. much is out of pocket so that's actually. free right now with HB it's uh I just do. the minimum per monthly and that's. awesome so but I could budget in more.

but I just I haven't been able to so I. haven't thought about can you feel you. need to. um no it's working out really good for. me right now okay so you have a feeling. you need to that's something that we can. definitely put in the budget okay for. sure oh um there there are two things. that I want um like subscription wise I. just haven't I haven't gone into it yet. I want to do a fitness membership and. I'd really like to do audible. um I used to have Audible but I canceled. all my subscriptions other than one when. I kind of lost everything. I I like to listen I like to listen to.

books when I'm when I'm like on my walks. or or even at home getting ready and. stuff I actually have this like. I don't know I just like listening to. people read to me it's it's better than. me I don't know I I just that's. something I want it's not necessarily. like a need I'm saying yeah no fraudible. for now listen to free audiobooks on. YouTube for now okay uh yes for Jim okay. how much is the gym membership you're. looking at I think it's like 10 to 15. I. want to say it's 10 but I just budgeted.

15 for fees and stuff free you'll get. audible eventually but free audiobooks. on YouTube for now because YouTube okay. is an incredible free resource for so. much so you need 2663 to survive on a. minimum monthly basis which is why you. had no money because you're bringing in. that extra from the salad place which. you did not have enough money beforehand. yeah it was almost negative every month. and then now your needs category is. essentially 70 of your income and it's. 68 of your income which is crazy it. should be no higher than 50 right but. because of this extra job and I am glad. you're bringing in this extra money.

because that's what's going to take you. from being in debt for the rest of your. life to actually. having a rest of your life so you have a. thousand two hundred. thirty seven dollars left on a monthly. basis. so what we do from here and this is. pretty simple in terms of I think. snowball definitely makes sense for you. uh but uh the first two months you set. all that aside in like a high-yield. savings account I use Sofi Link in the. description below love you uh it's a.

high yield 4.3 percent and it's only. going up with interest rates so it's. great you can do you can get also. bonuses but whatever. um I would uh put that in there so you. have a one month emergency fund saved up. on the side. so you do that for two months and then. after that. you are paying off in one month. MasterCard in half of them or sorry. venmo and half of Master Guard. and then month number four you're paying. off completely MasterCard and then you.

put in the rest towards the personal at. that point the personal loan ten. thousand dollars one thousand two. hundred thirty seven dollars. takes eight months. so this is this is 12 months and you're. completely debt free and do you. understand just how insanely like. like in terms of all the people trying. to get out of debt in their life how. insanely. incredible that is that's essentially a. blessing a year people would dream for a.

year. yeah dream for a year yeah and you can. just do that but not even doing anything. extra than you're doing now just by. following a strict budget. that's awesome I that that was the. number I I couldn't like I couldn't. create myself like I couldn't figure out. how long it was gonna take me and I. think like the unknown of like not. knowing where like when it's gonna take. or whatever was was allowing me to. justify those really bad and stupid. impulsive decisions to you know like. drive through the drive-through or or.

you know go to a concert or take my. friends out to eat but I can't I can't. afford that and I understand now and I. won't be doing that anymore and I'm. sorry guys but you're gonna have to buy. me meals if you're taking I've I've. chalked up enough of those on a list so. like it's like it's gone some days go on. some dates get some people well if not. right now yeah never mind no no no thank. you but yeah well I'm okay it's okay I. mean like if someone wants to buy me buy. me dinner I'll I like to have a good.

time but I I don't know if I'm looking. at a date right now I actually much. rather go to concerts if you want to. watch concert tickets done. some really just it's rent it's. utilities it's car insurance it's your. minimum monthly debt payments it's your. groceries toilet paper extra household. blah blah blah makeup no cat stuff gas. to go to and from places and gym outside. of that there's nothing we saw some. other subscriptions in there they're. canceled yeah nothing for entertainment. YouTube it's free watch the ads it's.

okay yeah they do they pay for me my. filmographer editor and uh producer as. well so. this no what's clear is. 12 months I think that is a blessing for. most people who are trying to get out of. debt I said it already in the show I'll. say it again like okay I can see someone. in your position you'll have a fire lit. under for a couple months a couple. months. but you've gone into it again it's a.

never-ending cycle if you paying off. debt going into that pain off debt going. into debt like maybe we pay off the. venmo MasterCard you have a little we. have a one month emergency fund saved up. on the side. and then I fear you just make those Max. those out again you need to. shred you need to close those accounts. so you don't. don't so when I close those accounts. like what kind of like I've I've always. been told to keep them open like just. read them don't use them for your credit. right well I fear that because you have.

a mobile you can request another card. you can get them online you can get them. on Apple pay stuff like that I fear if. you have access to it just because of. your past and admitting that you're not. a credit card person it comes with. addictive tendencies that you're gonna. go down the path again right where I. think that the negative of you going. into all these insane debts over and. over and over and over again over the. course of a decade is much more. negatively impactful than you having a. low lower credit score and that's why I. said again use that fizz card because it. acts like a debit card but it does boost.

your credit okay I can do that yeah I. can do that if it's not that gonna okay. yes closing them is obviously the option. I've just when I got into debt the first. time they froze my credit score at 304. so like my credit score just means. something to me ever since then but it's. it's a small thing you're right. everything you're saying is right it. doesn't matter to just. uh good payments on your personal loan. and even more and that's gonna show good. on your credit if you do the first thing. that'll show good on your credit you.

don't have a car payment so that's not. gonna help but eventually I mean you'll. probably want to get a house eventually. well yeah. when you get a mortgage so I mean. and it's fine you honestly. at one point a year from now the only. thing that might be on your credit is. just like fizz but that's okay because. it'll at least keep it alive and your. your age will build but durgatory marks. and stuff like that like that I they'll. fade off eventually everything but okay. again spent hundreds and hundreds of. dollars going out to eat spent 225 on.

gas when you said it was 173. so this is. we. both spending was up to 500 in total. so this is plus plus the traveling. brought it to a thousand so I mean come. on you just can't afford that we can't. afford a thousand dollars. you can't there's nothing left over yeah. that's not happening anymore that that I. mean I don't have any travel plans. coming up or anything I just want to.

work and get out from under this and. when I say it time and time again but. which is where you're at with no. retirement 27 giving up your best decade. of compound growth on this track the. cycle continuing over and over and over. again you're dying on the Walmart you're. dying on the HEB floor. you're dying on the HEB floor 90. because they're trying to pay for rent. and you're paying for rent because you. never saved up enough money to put down. on a home. who knows what Social Security is going. to look like by the time we're in. retirement so this is it's it's a make.

or break for you because you're trying. to catch up on retirement you don't have. an emergency fund of which by the way so. 12 years to get a one month emergency. fund and pay off all these debts and. what do you need to survive with the. debt minute monthly payments we're going. to save up ten thousand dollars for an. emergency fund should be fine for you oh. sorry no no no no no no no no no no I'm. Gonna Save up thirteen thousand two. hundred dollars and thirteen thousand. two hundred dollars. after what you saved up I just wanted to. take a brief moment to give a shout out.

to the checking account I use in the. savings account I also use that as high. yield and that is so far Sofi is an. all-in-one banking app that I personally. use for my money management when it. comes to my checking account and when it. comes to my high yield savings account. at the time of recording this video. their high yield savings rate is all the. way up to 4.3 percent that is so hard to. beat and I am taking advantage of that. all day so if you follow the link in the. description below and you set up direct. deposits you can take advantage of a. bonus of fifty dollars or all the way up.

to 250 and that's a bonus I personally. took advantage of so yeah I just wanted. to give them a quick shout out because I. personally use them and the link is in. the description below for two months. divide that by about a thousand seven. hundred which is what you'll have extra. on a minimally basis after the debts are. paid off it's going to take you just. over it's going to take you about six. and a half months to have a full 800. emergency fund so it's just a year and a. half a year and a half from now where a. lot of people come on the show it's five. years it's like a decade so a year and a. half your life is incred.

you're putting you're doing 50 25 25 50. of your needs is the max where your. needs can go I try to have that less if. possible but Max then you can have 25. percent of fun go to those concerts go. to the eating out and do what you want. to do in terms of that that's 25 no more. and then 25 percent isn't being invested. what I would do is max out your Roth IRA. every year and then whatever's left in. that 25 category is going towards. funding your 401k and they're good okay. good because I want that all to be going.

towards retirement just because we're. behind at your age if you need to start. saving up for a home saving up for a car. stuff like that you're taking that from. your wants and needs like five percent. from wants five percent from needs and. have that ten percent being saved in a. high yield for those additional things I. don't want to start taking away from. your retirement I really don't yeah no I. want I really want to like I want to. power through and make sure I double. down on that because yeah I wasted 10. years of not doing it you did you did. but you're you're coming on the better.

side of this now you already actually. did a good thing by doing the. consolidation. what matters is you just you need to. fall into one to two camps you need to. fall into the good camp the good camp is. you consolidated. never spent on the credit cards again. pay off the consolidation as quick as. possible whereas the other Camp is okay. they Consolidated their credit cards now. they have money they can spend on their. credit cards they're going to spend. money on their credit cards and they're. not going to go crazy to pay off the. personal loan as soon as possible so. fall into the good camp Camp a not Camp. B can't be bad. and then your career really think about.

it look at certifications maybe go in. the customer service field I saw your. light your eyes light up when we talked. about that that might be something worth. considering and then as you're doing. that continue your career track through. HEB try to make more money through there. pick up as many hours in any place you. can I'm happy you already got the second. job so I don't have to get you on and. about you with that but I'd work as many. hours as you physically in mental health. can and because that could cut this down. from a year and six months to a year and. three months maybe which would be. awesome or even quicker if you really.

just went crazy but the way you're doing. it now I'm again glad you picked that up. rent can't go higher in the future until. income increases you're at your max rent. okay you're at your max rent luckily. understand they might increase it but. yeah I work I live in an apartment. complex that like when we just renewed. they only charge us an extra fifty. dollars to stay so it's a good Community. to stay in if I need to it's not going. to jump up that much hopefully I mean. yeah I don't know until it happens but. yeah. and and I'll I'll prove it to you that.

this is different like the the the the. Nikki before definitely probably would. have just like told you what you wanted. to hear and then just like moved on but. no I'm I'm tired of that that those. those habits holding me back I I want to. go to those concerts I want to earn you. know traveling I want to I don't want to. not be able to afford it I want to do it. and be like yeah I did this because I. earned it I worked my off and I'm. rewarding myself at this point instead. of just like. you know doing it to waste time.

absolutely so I mean even. when you're done and you're 28 of paying. this debt off and you have a fully. funded emergency fund 25 of your monthly. income going into Investments 975. dollars for 37 years which will get you. to 65 at the average rate of return for. the stock market of eight percent will. get you to 2.64 million dollars 2.65. million dollars which in today's money.

would be. 1.25 million dollars which following the. four percent rule. would be a fifty thousand dollar salary. every year you could withdraw from. without decreasing the overall balance. or your retirement portfolio and is that. like giving me to like a hundred that I. would have like that much saved up oh. okay all right yeah let's sustain you. for the rest of your life let's let's do. it let's do it okay. Sometimes some people say three percent. but I think if you're doing it by 65 you. should be fine three percent is usually.

if you're like retiring earlier like 40s. and then what's the max I can contribute. to like the like the advertisement right. now is six thousand five hundred okay so. max that but that increases with uh. retirement okay understood. yeah because I wanna I wanna hit that. Max I playing catch up and then 401K you. probably wouldn't hit it but it's 22 500. you might if you increase again your. salary you increase the salary your. percentage stays the same but the amount. you're contributing right increases. right because if if I stay with HEB at.

the same like where like I'm continuing. to to get more opportunities and move up. there and like obviously. um do more there and I could keep salad. and go and you know. shoot that number for 22 000 and then I. could just put my salad and go hours. into that retirement if I can I would. love to still do that because I don't. mind working hard now so I can rest easy. later yes let's do it do you have any. final thoughts. um I'm really glad that I came on here. if you guys have any questions or just. need like a hard talking to like. definitely email him you will not regret.

it. um I hope this helps someone out there. it definitely helped me and I want to do. a checkup I would like to show you that. I'm not gonna just fall back in. absolutely I promise you and don't this. up okay we're rooting for you all right. okay thanks. for Nikki I really hope she succeeds and. proves my doubtfulness wrong. for her Hammer Financial score however I. mean she was pretty right towards the. beginning we've been getting some people. guessing right uh recently but spending. it a butter come on all this spending.

all the traveling all the concerts. running zero out of ten can't be better. than that debt no IRS debt or. collections but not much better so one. out of ten their retirement there's. nothing zero out of 10 emergency fund. there's nothing zero ten we'll say. there's nothing to draw a ton rounded. that's a hammer Financial score. unfortunately right now zero out of ten. but that'll easily be a five or six out. of ten in a year and a half if she. follows what we laid down and that's why. I go so strict because it's worth it in. the end check out all the resources I. either use or would use in specific. situations Linked In the description.

below like a high yield savings account. or investing where you get a free five. dollars if you put in five dollars. following my link and other things like. education as well. don't forget to follow my Instagram and. Twitter thanks.