Debt Free Apps That Will Change Your Life.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted this reel and talked about money! After that, I had over 200 people say they wanted tips and tricks for paying off debt, so here they are friend!

Undeniably, Thailand was the best decision I have ever made! Most importantly, it changed the trajectory of my life and I will be forever grateful! I got a wonderful souvenir. I call him my husband now.

The beginning..

Once my husband and I were seriously dating we were very intentional about how we would combine Germany expenses along with US expenses, so we could plan for the future. I remember being on the phone with my fiancé then telling him that I couldn’t leave America while paying I had over $2500 in bills monthly. This did NOT include rent or utilities. It was just the monthly payments I needed to make. Yall, I was paying for furniture from years before because it was 0% for 4 years. Generally, how many of us can keep a white couch clean for 4 years? However, when I sold that couch for $100 it was so gratifying.

Anywho, I was paying for furniture, car, monthly subscriptions, credit cards, credit cards, & I think another credit card. As a matter of fact, minimum payments will have you paying your credit card down for YEARS. Leading to interest racking up each and every single minimum payment.

Funny thing is years before I went down the credit hole, my dad had gotten me the Dave Ramsey box of information and book about being debt free. I hadn’t opened it until I had a serious talk about freedom. FREEDOM. Man, that word can mean so many things to so many people. When I think of financial freedom, my first thought is being able to decide to sell our home and move anywhere. The ability to not have to think about what payments I will need to keep in mind, while I venture off in the world. By all means, freedom means so do whats right for you!

What does freedom mean to you?

What does financial freedom mean to you?

I did use the Dave Ramsey debt free method… but edited. Haha. While paying off debt in the beginning, I didn’t give up much of anything, but I cut things way down for that reason. For example, I made my own tea instead of going to Starbucks. I found alternative ways to save money. I did indeed sell a BUNCH of things, which was super helpful to give me a head start to being debt free.

Certainly, one thing to keep in mind is the debt free journey may take time, you will need to sacrifice & a budget does not mean no fun!

Finally, Here are the apps I used to pay off $70,000 of debt last year!

First, use pen & paper for your debt free journey.

This is NOT an app, but its important to realize a good breakdown of last month’s credit card, bank account, shopping, etc. This is when the REAL OOOOO NOOOO WE DIDN’T happen for us! I believe anyone who wants to get serious about being debt free needs to start with a pen and a paper. In fact, January 2019, we spent $1000 on food. Literally, FOOD! Just thinking about it I’m like WAHHH. No, we do not have kids yet. Just two food connoisseurs I guess.

Once you write it all down, you can write down a budgeted amount for each item per month. The topics can be budgeted/spent. We changed our food budget and chased it the whole year. We definitely spent less than $1,000, but couldn’t reach that $400. I think the saying is if your dreams aren’t big enough haha.

Now to the real apps

1. Mint: Budget Tracker & Planner

If you LOVE notification and accountability, Mint is the app for you! You sign into all of your banking information and it connects to your life! You create a budget for each category on the app and it give you a weekly review email and notification along the way.

What it does:

1. Tracks spending: This helps you stay on top of any and all shopping. You know when you go to target and let target tell you what you need… That will be a NO! ahah in all seriousness, you get a notification and updates and spending. This allowed me to catch the small subscriptions I was spending money on like that one time I paid apple for space! Get rid of all the extra nonsense payments!
2. Create a budget: Mint allows you to stick to your budget because it creates a realistic budget. As the days go by, you can easily check where you are on the budget & your debt free goals
3. Set goals: As a one stop shop for financial things, Mint allows you to set goals on the app & gives you those ACCOUNTABILITY notifications! Which brings me to the feedback you get from the app which is AMAZING!!
4. Money move tips: Along with allowing you to feel empowered about conquering your finances, you get all the money tips & tricks. Like this blog post but more frequent!
5. Track bills: Can I admit something to you? I am one of those people who like to press send on bill payments. Mint notifies you when bills are due, and how much you’ve put towards balances!
6. Money alerts: Okay, if you aren’t an alerts person, do NOT turn notifications on. Mint will hold you accountable and send you multiple notifications if you keep swiping that card. So if you have an accountability issue, THIS is the app for you!

Here are some apps I’ve heard good things about:

2. EveryDollar: Budgeting app

EveryDollar allows you to see where your money is going. This is one of the main things I learned early on in my debt free journey. Tracking your spending and budgeting HOW you want to spend your hard earned money is essential!

What is does:

1. Spending totals: you get an overview of how much you are spending over time. 
2. Spending breakdown: Let’s you know how much you’ve spent by category
3. Monthly income: This will help you catch your Starbucks trend. Ahah On a serious note, it will let you see trends in payments.
4. Income vs. Spent: allows you to be able to compare how much you’ve earned & spent.

For Couples:

3. Honeydue: Couples Finance

Couples Honeydue is for you. My husband & I combine our finances, but if you are not ready for that plunge this is a great alternative to reach your debt free goals!

What it does:

1. You get to choose how much you want to share with your partner.
2. Everything in one place: All of your bank account balances are in once place & organized.
3. Monthly house hold spending limits per category which can be customized
4. Bill reminders for those of you who like to click the submit button each month.
5. Encourage your partner through the app with a choice of over 18 emojis
6. The app allows you to divide expenses and take care of things when you are ready.

4. Zeta: Couples Finanace

What it does:

1. A money manager for couples: it’s the one stop shop for you and your partners expenses. Allows you to split expenses between you and your partner, track your personal and shared bills, & achieve money goals together.
2. Budget & expense tracking: set a budget, check bank balances, track individual & combined spending and saving
3. Privacy: you can share as much or as little as you want with your partner
4. Communication: you can receive monthly, weekly, or daily conversations about money.

Always remember to make a goal and go after it! DO NOT hold back because you’ve got this!

At the end of the day,

I hope these apps help you towards your debt free journey.

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