Credit card debt: $0; Associated feeling: priceless

Many of you know I racked up a shit-ton of credit card debt during my free-wheeling days in the Bay Area.

I was really in denial about it and as the years went on I was literally living paycheck-by-paycheck, paying minimums and hoping I wouldn't get laid off. The turning point for me was when I figured out that unless I got the debt under control I wouldn't be able to go to law school.

It was then that I had an opportunity to work remotely for a year and move back in with my parents. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and while I never thought I would live with them again it turned out to be an amazing opportunity. During the year I lived at home I paid off about 90% of my debt. The remaining 10% left when school started was manageable - I could pay more than the monthly minimum and then make some large payments during the summer months when I was working.

Happy for me, I got a huge tax refund this year. I'll be able to pay off the last bit of remaining credit card debt and still save a chunk for the future.

I mention all of this to say that it's possible to get debt-free. People file for bankruptcy with less debt than I was carrying - I wanted to avoid that route and I was able to, thank SBJ!