Drowning in debt, she started saving and ended up buying several properties

The woman was up to her neck in debt and could not find a solution. Student loans, credit cards, and frivolous purchases held her back financially. But he managed to go ahead and even buy several properties.

Julie Haneline, 36 years old, is originally from Greenville, South Carolina, USA. USA, he started saving after taking a finance course at university.

Five years ago, she decided to challenge herself not to spend any money for a month, beyond necessary bills like rent. And the result shocked her the amount of money he was wasting about frivolous purchases.

$37,000 Debt Experiment

The experiment was so successful that Julie decided to do it every year. Since then, generally save between $1,300 and $1,700 each timeaccumulating savings of approximately $8,500.

Although she chooses January as her month, a time when many people are low on funds after the Christmas and New York holidays, any month will do, she reflects. Meter.

Julie’s journey to financial freedom began after her graduation in 2007, leaving her with a debt of approximately $37,000 following student loans, credit card bills, and buying a financed car.

“There was a time when I had to start putting taxes and rent on my credit card at university because I wasn’t making enough money from my part-time job,” she tells British media.

“I’ve also made bad purchasing decisions. I liked buying new clothes. At 20, I didn’t have the self-discipline that I have now!” she recalls.

She initially focused on paying off the debt, but once she did, in 2014, Julie he remained frugalthis time with the aim of saving money.

Change of habits, investments and success

The idea then was to start opting for certain sacrifices in order to save money.

“Having a roommate wasn’t ideal in my 20s, but I did what I had to to pay off the debt and save up for my first home,” she reveals.

Once she paid what she owed, Julie decided to invest the money she had saved up in the purchase of a property. “After I bought my first home, I knew one day I would rent that property and start investing in real estate,” he says with the confidence of a business owner.

So it was that in 2019 he bought a second home, moved into it and rented the first one. And the wheel began to turn.

Practically with a magic formula, the young woman ended up buying two more houses, which she rented. Of course, the only debt she currently owns is the mortgage on their homesbut he also earns a good income from it.

Julie will rarely touch her savings, but she acknowledges that she’s been indulging travel on a cruise to the Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

you have to say no

For anyone looking to cut back on their spending or switch to “no spending month,” Julie has various tricks to help you stay on track. And there’s one that arguably scores the best advice: “Say no.”

“Don’t go out to eat, don’t buy, don’t drink alcohol, stop unnecessary memberships and subscriptions, such as gyms, boxes with beauty products, applications, etc”, exemplifies.

While she acknowledges that aesthetics are hard to put aside, she recommends take minimal care of hair and nailsand only buy items at the grocery store that are for a recipe or healthy snacks.

What’s not allowed: Saying “I may need this later.” And point to items like extra bags of chips or cans of soda. One formula to get started is to pick a few “forbidden” categories for excesses.

In short, the month without expenses does not end up becoming a cross, far from it. “It’s just one of the 12 months of the year and it’s worth it,” she confirms.

A fasting-type diet that emphasizes eating whole, nutritious foods and eliminating sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, soy, and dairy products also contributes to your success for a month without the expense, the American points out.

Planning your meals before embarking on the no-expense month, as well as being creative with what’s in your pantry, adds to the list of requirements. Also, surf the net to find recipes with what “one has at home”.

Legion of 400,000 followers

After publishing some of his favorite financial tips on tiktokJulie has more than 403,000 followerswith one of her most popular videos including her must-have tips two separate checking accounts: one for “fun money” like nights out and gifts, and one for bills, gas and debt.

“I love encouraging people, helping them and providing positive energy to others. Not spending in January makes me very happy because it saves me money and resets my spending resolutions for the year”, underlines the woman who, with her self-discipline, she managed to get some They don’t get it in a lifetime.