Today, I want to share with you the story of how I got my financial independence back…
I’ve always liked writing. It’s a part of who I am, a passion that has fueled some of the best moments of my life. I even made my wife fall in love with me by writing her a poem on our 10th date, a clumsy but heartfelt string of verses that somehow captured her heart. So, naturally, I built this grand narrative in my head: my writings would be my ticket. I believed they would make me rich and famous, allowing me to build a life of comfort and creative freedom. But guess what? Life had other, more humbling, plans for me. I held onto the common belief that a college degree was a golden key. I thought that finishing college would grant me a high-paying job that would allow me to buy anything without looking at the price tag, to treat my family, and to live without the gnawing anxiety of financial insecurity.
That dream dissolved almost immediately. The reality was a stark, cold contrast to my youthful optimism. I couldn’t even speak about financial independence because I was living paycheck to paycheck, a frantic dance from one bill to the next. The end of the month wasn’t a time for celebration; it was a time of dread, of shuffling funds and hoping there were no unexpected expenses. Asking my family for help wasn’t an option—they were kind, loving people, but they were struggling too, caught in their own financial battles. There was no safety net to catch me. When my wife and I got married, our love was strong, but our bank accounts were weak. We worked two jobs each just to stay afloat, a grueling routine that left us perpetually exhausted. I’d come home from my day job only to head out for a few hours of evening shift work, passing my wife in the doorway as she did the same. Most nights, our dinner was whatever was cheap and fast, which often meant canned food. It felt like no matter how hard we worked, we were stuck in the same cycle, running on a hamster wheel with no way out. The harder we pushed, the faster the wheel seemed to spin, leaving us breathless and in the exact same spot. If this sounds familiar, you’re NOT alone!
Countless people chase financial freedom, envisioning a life where money is a tool, not a tyrant. Yet, for so many, it always seems out of reach, a distant horizon that recedes no matter how hard they try to approach it. For years, I was stuck in that terrible cycle of living paycheck to paycheck, drowning in a sea of credit card debt and student loans, and carrying the immense weight of worrying about my family’s future. Every cough from our child, every strange noise from the car, sent a spike of panic through me. What if something serious happened? We had nothing to fall back on. This constant stress was a heavy blanket, suffocating our joy and our dreams for the future.
…Is there a way out?
One rainy Tuesday evening, after a particularly stressful day of juggling bills, my wife and I looked at each other across our small kitchen table, and something snapped. The exhaustion was written all over our faces. We said it was enough—we knew things had to change. We couldn’t live like this anymore. That decision, that shared moment of desperation and resolve, was the real beginning. The first step was switching our mindsets from victims of circumstance to architects of our future, and from there, one decision led to another. It wasn’t a sudden explosion of change, but a slow, deliberate series of choices. Slowly but surely, we started making progress, and before we knew it, we had finally turned our lives around. We began by devouring books about money and financial independence, turning our local library into our second home. We took a hard, honest, and frankly painful look at our spending habits, tracking every single dollar for the first time in our lives.
The journey wasn’t easy, and I won’t pretend it was a simple, linear path to success. There were setbacks and moments of deep frustration. We had some rough days and nights where the old anxieties crept back in, and we asked ourselves if we could ever make it to the other side. There were times we slipped up, made an impulse purchase, and felt immense guilt. But we learned to forgive ourselves and get back on track. We did make it. From the simple act of brewing our own coffee to the complex process of learning how to make our money work for us through investing, every small victory built upon the last. I hope my story will inspire you to believe that you, too, can say goodbye to those bad financial habits and the stress they create.
It’s time to take control of your life. It’s not about becoming a financial guru overnight or being perfect and saving 80% of your income (let’s face it—that’s unrealistic and unsustainable for most people anyway). It’s about taking small, consistent, and intentional actions that compound over time, leading to major and lasting changes. It’s about choosing your future self over your instant gratification. The power you feel when you make a conscious choice that aligns with your goals is incredible. If you want to know the specific steps I took to get my financial independence back, keep reading. I’m laying it all out for you.
1. Education is power
One of the first and most fundamental things that will help you stay on top of your financial game is knowledge. You cannot fix a problem you don’t understand. Instead of relying solely on the fragmented advice from people around you—who may be well-meaning but just as lost—take it a step further and commit to educating yourself. Make it a new hobby. Listen to podcasts during your commute, follow legitimate money experts online who break down complex topics, invest in a few highly-rated financial books, and consciously consume content based on this subject. I swapped mindless scrolling on social media for reading financial blogs and watching YouTube channels dedicated to personal finance.
The more you learn about core concepts like budgeting, the real impact of inflation, the different types of retirement planning, the psychology behind your spending habits, and the basics of investing, the better and more informed choices you’ll make. Knowledge transforms you from a passive participant in your financial life to an active, empowered one. You’ll start to ask the right questions before making any purchases, big or small. Instead of just looking at the price, you’ll ask: “Is this a true need or just a want? Will this purchase help me in the long run, or is it based on a fleeting impulse? Does this align with my goal of becoming debt-free?” This internal dialogue becomes your first line of defense against poor financial decisions.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially if you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. Many genuine experts are willing to offer free tips on their social media pages or schedule free introductory webinars for their communities. Absorb everything you can. I quickly learned that I didn’t agree with every financial planner I was following. Some advocated for extreme frugality that felt suffocating, while others promoted high-risk strategies that terrified me. But I learned a few valuable things from each one of them. This diversity of opinion was crucial, as it helped me to form my own well-rounded opinions and develop practices regarding money that felt authentic and sustainable for my family and me.
2. Started being responsible
Another thing that helped me get my financial independence back was being radically honest with myself. This was tough. The moment I stopped blaming the economy, my “bad luck,” or my low-paying job and realized that I was ultimately responsible for the situation I was in, my entire mindset changed. It wasn’t about shame; it was about empowerment. If my choices got me into this mess, then new choices could get me out.
Of course, it’s critically important to not blame yourself in a destructive way and talk negatively about your past decisions, because that will only make things worse. Financial guilt can be paralyzing. You have to accept the fact that you made some mistakes, likely with the information and mindset you had at the time. Approach your next stage with understanding, self-compassion, and respect for the person who is trying to do better. Trust me, it makes a huge difference! You can’t build a new future on a foundation of self-hatred.
With this new sense of ownership, I started tracking every single expense. My wife and I used a simple spreadsheet, but an app or even a dedicated notebook works just as well. We documented grocery store trips, utility bills, streaming subscriptions, rent, clothing purchases, that daily coffee, entertainment—EVERYTHING! I was no longer ignoring receipts or tossing them in a drawer. I actually sat down weekly and spent time understanding my financial situation in detail: how much I owed in total, how much we earned collectively, how much we would need to earn to have the lifestyle we wanted, how much (if anything) we were saving, and where our money was actually going. This was the financial check-up we had avoided for years.
As you can imagine, the reality hit me hard. Seeing the numbers in black and white was shocking. The amount we were spending on takeout and other small conveniences was equivalent to a car payment. But that shock was necessary. It was the splash of cold water I needed to wake up. Knowing exactly where I was standing, no matter how bleak it looked, allowed me to be more mindful of my resources. It removed the vague, free-floating anxiety and replaced it with a concrete problem that I could begin to solve. It empowered me to stop guessing and start planning my path towards financial independence.
3. Saying goodbye to unnecessary expenses
I knew that one critical step that would take me closer to financial independence was setting a budget, but I couldn’t do that effectively until I cut our unnecessary expenses cold turkey. After reading several books and listening to podcasts, my wife and I had a painful realization: it was largely our own daily choices that had us eating canned food for dinner. We were leaking money in dozens of small ways that added up to a massive hole in our finances.
We went out with our friends twice a month, which always turned into expensive evenings; we had lunch on the go almost every day because we worked two jobs and felt we “had no time”; we weren’t home enough so we could cook and take care of ourselves in a more affordable way; and when we were home, exhausted, we were constantly watching TV, which often led to seeing ads and feeling the urge to buy more things we didn’t need. I don’t know if you agree with me or not, but I just mentioned some of the worst things you could do for a healthy lifestyle or for financial independence! That lunch on the go alone was costing us over $500 a month when we did the math. It was a staggering figure.
I used to think we didn’t have money because we just weren’t lucky enough or because our jobs didn’t pay enough. But the truth was, I wasn’t paying attention to how harmful our seemingly small spending habits actually were. So, we made some hard choices. We cut back on going out and instead started hosting potlucks or game nights. We committed to meal prepping on Sundays, which not only saved us money but also meant we were eating healthier. We focused on making our lives better and richer in ways that didn’t involve a cash register—cooking at home became a fun, collaborative activity, we started reading from the library instead of endlessly scrolling, and we discovered free local parks and hiking trails, enjoying activities that weren’t just about spending money.
Once you shift your perspective to what genuinely adds value to your life, everything changes. The feeling of deprivation is replaced by a sense of purpose. For example, once we quit some of our old habits and learned how to make the most with what we had, we realized we were a big part of the problem, not just the lack of money. It was our habits, not our income, that held the most power. That’s why I decided to share my journey and help other people see that they have more control than they think.
4. Setting a realistic budget
Setting a realistic and sustainable budget was the true turning point for me. This wasn’t just a mental exercise; it was our new financial blueprint. I didn’t just write down a simplistic idea of my income and expenses. Following the principles of zero-based budgeting, I allocated every single dollar to a specific job, whether it was for utilities, rent/mortgage, entertainment, groceries, debt repayment, or savings. At the end of the month, our income minus our outgoings equaled zero. This meant no money was left unaccounted for, adrift and ready to be spent impulsively.
This detailed approach was incredibly eye-opening. For instance, I didn’t realize how much I spent on convenience purchases beyond just takeout. The pre-cut vegetables at the grocery store, the subscription services we barely used, the delivery fees for online orders—it all added up. While having a budget might seem limiting or restrictive from the outside, it’s actually the opposite. It is the ultimate tool for freedom. It’s a great way to stay focused and to ensure that your spending aligns with your goals. It removes guilt from your spending because you know the money for “wants” has been intentionally set aside after all your needs and goals are taken care of.
To avoid getting overwhelmed, I wanted to keep things simple, so I followed the general guidelines of the 50/30/20 rule: 50% of our after-tax income was for necessities (housing, food, transport), 30% was for wants (hobbies, dining out, entertainment), and 20% was for savings and debt repayment. This rule was much easier to follow than I anticipated, and for the first time, it gave me a sense of profound control and the freedom to get what I truly wanted, guilt-free. We could adjust the percentages slightly if a big expense came up, but we always aimed to hit that 20% savings target.
I knew that sticking to a routine would help me achieve financial independence, and the feeling of empowerment that came from this new structure was immense. The fact that I was able to pay all my bills on time without stress, get what my family needed, and still save a significant amount was a huge hit. It was proof that our efforts were working. The best part is that my wife followed the same method for her paycheck, and we managed our finances as a team. After just a few months, the results started being truly impressive, with our debt shrinking and our savings growing.
5. Creating an emergency fund
Another critically important step in my financial independence journey was building an emergency fund. This was our financial firewall. At first, coming from a place of having nothing, I thought setting aside $500-$1000 was a monumental achievement and would be just enough. It felt like a fortune at the time. But after reading various financial books, I soon realized that a true emergency fund needed to be much larger. I needed at least three months’ worth of essential living expenses—that’s rent, utilities, food, and minimum debt payments.
Given the instability I had felt for so long, I wanted to take it a step further and set aside six months’ worth of expenses. My wife and I agreed this larger buffer would help us sleep better at night. You never know what might happen, especially with inflation constantly rising, the job market being unpredictable, and the political climate remaining volatile. This fund was non-negotiable; it was our top savings priority, even before aggressive debt repayment or investing.
I set a clear target for myself and automated the process by transferring a fixed amount every month into a separate, high-yield savings account. It was crucial that this account was separate from our regular checking account, making it harder to dip into for non-emergencies. But here’s the psychological trick that made a big difference. I didn’t want my main “savings” to be constantly associated with the fear of an emergency. So, that 20% of my income designated for the future was actually split in two: 10% went into our long-term savings and investment goals, and 10% was funneled directly into the emergency fund until it was fully funded.
It took a while to reach our ambitious six-month goal, but once I hit that target, I felt a sense of security I had never experienced before. It was a profound, bone-deep relief. We were finally prepared for any potential challenge, whether it was unexpected medical bills, urgent car repairs, or even a sudden job loss. Even though the amount of money in my bank account was satisfying and we had officially met our goal, I still decided to continue putting 5% of my monthly income toward my emergency fund indefinitely—just in case. It was a small price to pay for priceless peace of mind.
6. Changing my mindset
This was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done because I was so used to being negative and feeling like a victim. But believe me when I say, it was also one of the most impactful and best things for me. I realized through my reading that I had a deeply ingrained scarcity mindset—I was constantly worrying about not having enough, visualizing bills piling up, and living in fear of the next financial disaster. I saw every purchase as a loss. It was a terrible, stressful place to be, and it colored every aspect of my life with a shade of grey.
Thinking this way only made me feel more stressed, anxious, and angry. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. And do you know what the worst part was? I knew my mindset was unhealthy, but the way I tried to cope with the stress wasn’t any better. It was pure escapism. Each time I felt overwhelmed by our financial reality, I’d escape by binge-watching shows for hours, volunteering for overtime at work to avoid going home, or going all out with my friends on a Friday night, spending money we didn’t have just to feel “normal” for a few hours. None of which truly solved the underlying problem; in fact, they made it worse.
Scarcity vs. abundance
I noticed that it was only a vicious cycle that I was responsible for maintaining, and therefore, I was the only one who could get myself out of it. One of the books I read had a chapter dedicated to a scarcity vs. an abundance mindset. Even though I was very skeptical at first and considered it fluffy, feel-good nonsense that was only going to work for rich people who don’t have that many worries in their lives, my wife convinced me to give it a try. She said, “We’ve tried being stressed and negative, and it hasn’t worked. What’s the harm in trying something new?” Since we didn’t have a lot of money to begin with, what could’ve happened anyway?
So we tried. Instead of focusing on what we lacked, we focused on what we had. We practiced gratitude. And after a while, I noticed that the simple mental shift of thinking from a place of sufficiency and opportunity—believing that I could become financially independent and could get and do everything I truly wanted if I planned for it—made me more aware of my own power. The majority of my worries regarding not having enough were gone, replaced by a proactive energy. My mind, once filled with dread, was now filled with ideas on how to increase my income, how to optimize our budget, and how to grow our savings.
It sounds weird, I know, but I dare you to give it a try. The shift is subtle but powerful. Once you tell yourself that you can have something if you truly want to, your brain starts working differently. You’ll think of *how* to achieve it, and you’ll honestly assess if that item or experience will actually make you feel fulfilled. It will be a lot easier to say no to different impulsive purchases if your decisions come from a place of abundance and long-term vision, not a place of deprivation and short-term desire.
This change is hard at first, especially when your reality doesn’t match your mindset. But faking it until you make it really works here. It allows you to make confident, forward-looking decisions and take calculated risks, knowing that you have the capability to achieve financial independence. It worked for my wife and me, and I’m absolutely sure it will work for you as well.
7. Getting rid of debt
If you’re in debt, you probably feel that crushing weight every single day. It can be pretty hard to get out of it, and it feels like you’re trying to swim with an anchor tied to your feet. For me, it wasn’t good. I constantly felt like I was weighted down by past mistakes, and the interest payments alone made me feel like I was taking one step forward and two steps back. I couldn’t properly focus on getting the financial independence I was chasing because my money was always spoken for before I even earned it.
Besides budgeting, one of my main priorities after adopting a new mindset was to tackle my debt head-on with a clear, aggressive strategy. I began by paying off the smallest balances first, regardless of the interest rate. That small, quick win of eliminating an entire debt was the biggest motivation I needed to continue my journey. Seeing that “balance paid” notification gave me a jolt of hope and proved this was possible.
Once I felt more confident in my financial abilities and had a few small wins under my belt, I tackled the high-interest debt, such as our credit cards, with a vengeance. I heard about the snowball method from one of my friends, so I gave it a try. We listed every single debt we had, from smallest to largest. We paid the minimum on all of them except the very smallest one. We threw every extra dollar we could find—from our budget, from cutting expenses, from any extra work—at that one debt until it was gone. Then, we took all the money we were paying on that now-extinct debt and rolled it into the payment for the next-smallest one. I put every extra dollar toward paying down loans, and watching the “snowball” grow bigger and knock out larger debts was incredibly satisfying. It was worth every sacrifice!
If you’re in a similar situation, I know it can be difficult and feel endless. But be patient with the process and fiercely focus on paying your debt and setting a realistic budget that allows you to make progress. Create a visual chart, celebrate each debt you eliminate, and stay the course. Once you have that debt covered and you are finally free, your journey will only get easier and accelerate. The money you were paying to your past will now be yours to invest in your future. There are many amazing tips on The Price Makers, so if you ever need help with finances or spending less and buying more, we’re here for you!
8. Living below my means
This was probably one of the concepts that made the biggest difference in my financial independence journey, and it’s something I continue to practice today. Since I was used to living paycheck to paycheck for a long time, my baseline was spending every dollar I earned. Spending money on different things I didn’t actually need was one of the biggest reasons I was in that situation in the first place. Adopting a lifestyle of intentionally living on less than I made was revolutionary. It created a permanent margin in my financial life, a gap between my income and my expenses that I could use for savings, investing, and building wealth.
I started to analyze my motivations for spending and noticed that many of the things I thought I wanted were actually driven by societal pressures, not a genuine desire for items or experiences that would bring me happiness. It was about keeping up, looking successful, and fitting in. I learned to say no to things that didn’t align with my long-term goals of freedom and security, and I managed to save a lot of money that way. It was empowering to tell a friend, “That new restaurant sounds great, but it’s not in our budget this month. How about we host a game night instead?” Most people were surprisingly understanding.
Believe it or not, owning less actually made me feel richer. The constant desire for more was gone, replaced by an appreciation for what I already had. My wife even admitted that having a smaller wardrobe filled only with clothes she truly loves and feels great in saved her so much time and stress every morning. It eliminated decision fatigue and the feeling of “having nothing to wear” despite a closet full of clothes.
As for me? I was never the most stylish guy, but simplifying my life gave me the freedom to say “yes” to experiences that genuinely made me happy, rather than agreeing to things just because others expected me to. I learned basic car maintenance to avoid costly mechanic bills. I discovered a love for cooking elaborate meals at home instead of paying for overpriced restaurant food. Cutting the clutter didn’t just clear space in my home—it cleared space in my mind, too. This new mental clarity and the extra cash flow allowed my savings to grow even more rapidly than I had imagined possible.
9. Investing in my future
Once I got my high-interest debt under control and had fully funded my six-month emergency savings, it was finally time for the exciting part. I decided it was time to think about investing for my future. This is the step where you truly start building wealth and making your money work for you. I opened an IRA (Individual Retirement Account) and made sure I was contributing enough to my workplace 401(k) to get the full employer match—that’s essentially free money you should never leave on the table. These actions were to help secure a comfortable retirement. My dream is not just to stop working; I want to truly live. I want to relax, lie on the beach all day long, sip on cocktails, and spend every day with my wife and the people we love, so I need to be financially secure to make that vision a reality.
At first, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the whole investing thing and didn’t know where to start. The terminology—ETFs, index funds, asset allocation, risk tolerance—felt like a foreign language designed to confuse beginners. So, just as I did at the beginning of my journey, I took some time to educate myself. I treated it like a class I needed to pass. I read books, browsed reputable financial blogs, and even joined some free webinars hosted by investment firms. I learned the basics of passive investing in low-cost index funds, which felt like the perfect strategy for someone like me who didn’t want to spend all day picking individual stocks.
I kicked things off with small, automated contributions—just enough to take advantage of my employer’s matching—but as I grew more comfortable and my knowledge increased, I gradually increased how much I was putting in. Watching my investments grow has been one of the most exciting and validating experiences of this journey. The real magic was seeing the power of compound interest in action—my money was earning money, and those earnings were then earning their own money. It was like I had finally built a small, silent machine that was working for me around the clock. I knew that I was on the right path, and true financial independence was closer than I ever thought possible.
10. I learned to be patient
I don’t know about you, but I can’t work under pressure and I hate doing things unless I can find some fun in them. While the initial idea of getting out of debt and reaching financial independence gave me a few headaches and sleepless nights, I made a conscious decision to approach it from a positive place and actually be excited about the process. I reframed it from a chore of deprivation to a game of empowerment. This shift in perspective was crucial for staying motivated for the long haul.
My wife and I celebrated every win, no matter how small. We paid off a credit card? We would have a special movie night at home with our favorite snacks. We hit a new savings milestone? We’d go for a long hike at a beautiful state park. Every extra dollar I managed to save felt like a point scored in our game. This positive reinforcement kept me going when things felt slow. I knew that I wouldn’t reach my goals overnight, so patience was needed. But by treating everything like a game with levels and achievements, it worked like magic. It kept things light and prevented burnout.
So, if you’re in a similar situation, feeling buried and hopeless, I’m here to remind you that it won’t be easy, but you can absolutely do this. Progress is not always linear; you will have good months and bad months. Don’t be hard on yourself for past mistakes, but be brutally honest about all the unnecessary things you might be buying in the present. Be kind to yourself, but also be disciplined. Sometimes, the problem isn’t about the money we don’t have, but about the thousands of small, unconscious decisions we make that cause us to lose the money we do have. Take it one day, one decision at a time.
If you need some help with your journey and want a structured guide, I highly recommend you check out this book. It’s a fantastic resource for helping you kickstart your financial independence journey with practical, actionable steps. Keep learning, keep growing, and be patient with yourself. Your future self will thank you for the hard work you’re putting in today. Until next time, here’s another post you won’t want to miss: Free Money? Here Are 7 Sure Ways to Get Them
