Month: April 2021

How I became Debt Free!

Emer FarrellLeave a comment

I am FULL of hope. The nicest thing has happened. Along with so many well wishes on my own debt free journey, I have received so many messages from many of YOU, who are so eager to get going on YOUR OWN journey to Debt Freedom.

So as a summary to share some ideas, I’ve put together a quick list of things that I did; so that I could pay off over €27k in debt in 18 months, while still paying all the usual bills (plus some rather large expenses too!). Over the coming weeks I’ll go into more detail on each of these, but as a quick summary, here we go…

💚Step 1 – I looked at where my money was going

💚Step 2 – I divided ALL my spending into NEEDs and WANTs

💚Step 3 – I started to Budget and give every single Euro a purpose

💚Step 4 – I started to Meal Plan and stick to a Shopping List

💚Step 5 – I cut or reduced every single expense I could, switching providers in most cases

💚Step 6 – I calculated all of my debt, set a clear plan for paying it all off

💚Step 7 – I explored ways to bring in additional income, no matter how small

💚Step 8 – I committed to using what I had – clothes, makeup, cleaning products etc – only buying new when replacements were needed

💚Step 9 – I built an Emergency Fund so that I had the security/comfort blanket that I would have previously relied on the Credit Card to do

These are the main steps I took to get on top of my finances and reach debt freedom. It has been a complete shift in mindset, and I am truly thankful for my changed relationship with money!

I am Debt Free!!

Emer FarrellLeave a comment

For the very first time in my adult life, I woke up on the morning of Friday April 9th with no consumer debt.

I have done it – I am now Debt Free!!!

I can’t describe to you how good it feels to say this! In 18 months, I have paid off €27,759.70. I have been very determined the last few months and made some changes to my budget which allowed me bring my debt freedom date forward by 7 months. This debt was spread across Credit Card(s), a Personal Loan and a Car Loan.

The feeling of freedom comes not only in knowing that I no longer owe money, but in knowing that I was able to achieve this – something I thought impossible and completely out of reach for me just over 18 months ago. I’ve done it on a single salary, while paying off all my usual bills, increasing my investments, building a solid rainy day fund, starting a business…while still maintaining a pretty nice lifestyle!

I stopped WASTING my money and started WATCHING my money instead. More to come on a summary of what I did to reach this goal and my future plans etc. But for now I shall revel in this achievement.

I won’t do the usual Irish modest take on it – instead I will say that I am really darn proud of myself and look to the future with JOY. And finish off by saying, with all the honesty in my heart – if I can do this, YOU can too!

Let’s catch up!

Emer FarrellLeave a comment

So, I have been neglecting this blog a little over the past few months. Things have been busy with work, and I’ve started to work on honing in on some new skills for a new business venture. I’ve been keeping active on Instagram, so I thought I’d do a highlights round-up of what I’ve shared over there since I last posted here!

In early November I shared how I moved mobile phone providers to save €624 a year! I’m beyond delighted with the move, I have unlimited calls, text and data for the super price of €7.99 a month, compared to the €60 a month I was paying before! Not only that, but with 48’s referral scheme, I have managed to have at least half a year’s bills taken care of so far! You can read my post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHQ0h3anOjg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I then shared some tips for keeping energy costs low – everything from turning off the immersion (takes me back to my teenage years!) to taking care of your applicances. You can read my post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHqjDNYHhQe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I shared a post on popular marketing techniques designed to make you part with your hard earned money! I took a look at the movie The Joneses; where a family of stealth marketers are sent to influence their neighbours to buy the latest and greatest products. You can read my post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CH6DJj7HMO5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Towards the end of November I declared my interest in disposing of the term ‘Disposable Income’! I have since firmly replaced this term with the far better ‘Opportunity Income’. You can read my post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CH-3x5Znkdk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In December I did a daily Advent Calendar – each day focusing on a new suggestion to develop a better money mindset. You can check out my highlights for all 24 reels!

I also shared an open and honest post about how I needed to reconsider a product launch for One Foot in the Save at the start of the pandemic. I wanted to highlight that dreams don’t have an expiration date – if you fail, try again. You can read that post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIleXn9n5IW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I then shared some DIY Gift Ideas in the run up to Christmas – but worth a look for any time of the year! You can check that out here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIwJ683ncS8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I had some fun creating a Frozen style song for Budgeting – Do you wanna build a Budget?! Check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CI-hIBNHRMQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I also shared some tips to help aid conscious spending on Christmas food – over spending, and subsequently wasting, at this time of year is something we have all been guilty of. Check it out for next year here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJCJwHZHEKq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In January 2021 I announced my plans for my ‘Yes to the Future Year’! This contract (yes I drew up a contract!) outlines my financial, health and personal goals for 2021. If you want to check out my contract, see it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJWiR0VHELo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I also started an IGTV series in January called Money Matters. You can check out the first 3 lessons in the IGTV section of my Instagram page.

At the end of January I shared an updated version of my Pay Day Routine. This does need updating again, but definitely worth checking out to see if you can adopt any of my habits into your own pay day routine. You can check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKboU-8HHo0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

At the start of February I shared some Side Hustle totals for January. This extra cash came from online surveys, market research, phone referrals, reselling online, tax refunds and sales from the Etsy store. If you’re looking for Side Hustle Ideas, you can read the post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKwgRT-nn8s/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

I then shared some clever ways to save money at the supermarket. Food Expenses make up such a large portion of our monthly expenditure, so it’s important to seek out savings where we can. Check out those tips here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLhcV7engXp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In March I shared a few different ways to save money on Netflix, one of which is an amazing hack to cut your bill by 2/3! If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you don’t want to miss this post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMCh6cUHfTU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

So there’s a few highlights of what I’ve been sharing over on Instagram for One Foot in the Save. I’ll be back to regular posting here now also, with a big announcement coming in my next post! Thanks for sticking around!