105: Budgeting Yourself OUT of Debt and Into a Fantastic Life with Jen Hemphill

Jen Hemphill was born in Colombia and lived there for the first eight years of her life. The economy was really bad, and her earliest memories were of a scary time when her educated father did whatever he had to do to make money. Her redheaded dad stood out in Colombia, and it wasn’t a safe place for him to be. So, they moved to the U.S. Jen remembers being embarrassed for not having money, knowing her friends had it. She attended the same college where her mother was a professor. Discounted tuition coupled with scholarships and a bit of parental help allowed her to graduate with no debt. She bought a car, paid it off quickly, and felt very proud of herself for doing so. Then, she met and married her husband. They took 15 years to pay off his $40,000 in student loan debt. She thought they were doing great, but a deeper look at their finances about 10 years in revealed a huge mess. Thinking back to her childhood, she realized she needed to make big changes in order to get ahead. Her family went on a budget, cutting out all unnecessary spending to focus on paying off the debt. Jen uses a series of labeled bank accounts to ensure they stick to their budget and now saves for purchases rather than raiding the emergency fund to pay for things. Jen took what she learned and became an Accredited Financial Counselor, knowing that there are so many others who need to be pointed in the correct direction. She calls herself a Money Confidence Coach, because when you have confidence in your money management skills, you can tackle any problem. In This Episode We Cover:Jen's money storyHow she made money to buy things she likesHer position entering and leaving collegeThe reason why she got a discount on collegeHaving a mindset of being an extremely frugal personHow long it took to pay off her family's debtThe reason why she took a hard look at finances within her marriageHer financial awakeningHer upbringingHer Thrift Savings Plan and emergency fundThe importance of accepting and understanding individual money storiesHaving 15 separate bank accountsWhat her future plans areMoney issues that she sees repeatedly in her clientsExamples of variable expensesAnd SO much more! Links from the ShowBiggerPockets ForumsWaffles on Wednesday: Make Your Own Free Mobile Expense Tracking App in 30 MinutesBiggerPockets Money Facebook PageBiggerPockets Money Survey Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow105