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Category: High Debt

High Debt/

I Have Three Types of Debt and a 9-to-5 That Does Not Cover All of It. Here Is What I Am Actually Doing.

I Have Three Types of Debt and a 9-to-5 That Does Not Cover All of It. Here Is What I Am Actually Doing

Nobody tells you this part. They celebrate the degree. They ask what is next. And somewhere in the back of your mind you are doing the math on what all of it actually cost. The tuition, yes. But also the credit cards you leaned on when money got tight. The personal loan that covered the gap. The student debt that was just supposed to be normal.

I did everything right on paper. I stayed in school, got the degrees, built the resume. I came out the other side with a 9-to-5 job I am grateful for and a debt load that does not quite match the life I thought I was building toward. Credit cards, a personal loan, student loans. The full set.

So here we are!

This post is not a success story with a clean ending. I am in it right now. Some months I hit my targets and some months something unexpected happens and I am recalibrating. What I can offer is a real system that is actually working, the mistakes I made before I figured it out, and the specific things I do every payday to keep moving forward without making myself miserable.

If you are dealing with multiple debts on an income that does not feel like enough, this is for you.

First, the Honest Picture of Where I Started

Before I could do anything useful with my debt I had to actually face what I owed. Not a vague sense of it. The real numbers.

I sat down with every account open and wrote four things for each debt:

  • The current balance
  • The interest rate
  • The minimum payment
  • The due date

That list was uncomfortable to make. It was also the first time I had been in the same room as my actual financial situation in a long time. Something about seeing it all on one page made it feel more like a problem to solve and less like a cloud of dread following me around.

If you have not done this yet, that is your first move. Not a budget. Not a debt payoff calculator. Just a list. Four columns, every debt. That is it.

The Three Rules I Set Before I Made Any Other Decisions

Once I had the full picture I made three rules for myself before I started building a plan. These came from watching myself fail at other attempts where I skipped this part.

Rule 1: Minimum payments are not negotiable.

Every debt gets its minimum payment every month before anything else happens. Missing minimums damages your credit score, adds late fees, and can trigger penalty interest rates that make your situation worse. There is no strategy worth risking this.

Rule 2: The plan has to include my actual life.

I am not going to stop buying books or cancel every social plan for two years to pay off debt faster. I have tried versions of that and they do not hold. A sustainable plan is one I can actually run month after month. So my budget includes real spending money for the things that matter to my quality of life. Not unlimited. But real.

Rule 3: Progress is progress, even when it is small.

On months where I can only cover minimums, that is what I do. Keeping everything current when that is genuinely all I can manage is not failure. It is maintenance. It keeps the situation from getting worse while I figure out the next move.

The System I Use Now

Every payday I do what I call a paycheck reset before I spend anything. It takes about fifteen minutes and it has changed how I relate to money more than any other habit I have built. Here is the short version:

  • Write down the actual amount that hit my account after taxes
  • Subtract every fixed bill and minimum payment due before next payday
  • Decide deliberately if there is any extra to throw at one target debt
  • Set my living budget for the rest of the pay period from what is left
  • Check in briefly at the end of each week to stay on track

That is it. No complicated spreadsheet. No tracking every coffee. Just a clear picture of what I am working with and a conscious decision about where it goes.

I go much deeper on this in the paycheck reset post, which is worth reading if you want the full breakdown.

How I Decided What to Pay Extra On First

With minimums covered the question becomes where to put any extra money. I use a hybrid approach.

I picked one target debt based on two things: the interest rate and how close it is to being gone. A debt that is nearly paid off and also has a high rate is a good early target because you get the psychological win of eliminating it and you stop the interest bleeding quickly.

I do not stress about optimizing this perfectly. The best debt payoff strategy is the one you actually stick with. If seeing a balance hit zero keeps you motivated, pay the smallest first. If knowing you are saving the most money long term keeps you going, attack the highest rate. Either works better than doing nothing.

One More Thing About Having Multiple Types of Debt

Credit cards, personal loans, and student loans all behave differently. Credit cards tend to have the highest interest rates so they cost you the most the longer they sit. Personal loans usually have fixed terms so you know exactly when they end. Student loans have the most options, including income-based repayment plans and pause options, depending on your situation.

Understanding the type of debt you have changes how you prioritize it. I always recommend calling your student loan servicer directly if you are struggling because there are more options available there than most people know about.

Where to Start If You Are Just Getting Here

Make the list. Four columns, every debt, today. Not tomorrow. Today.

Then come back and read the paycheck reset post because that is the habit that actually moves everything forward. Everything else in High Debt builds from that foundation.

This is a slow process. It is not linear. But it is absolutely possible on a regular income without extreme sacrifice, and that is exactly what I am proving month by month.

The Paycheck to Debt Decision Planner in the shop is the three-page tool I use for my payday reset every single month. It is $5 and you can use it starting this paycheck.

High Debt/

Why “Just Budget Better” Doesn’t Work When You’re Overwhelmed With Debt

Why "Just Budget Better" Doesn't Work When You're Overwhelmed With Debt

People love to say “just budget better” as if budgeting exists in a vacuum. As if the only thing standing between you and financial stability is a better spreadsheet or more discipline. When you’re overwhelmed, that advice doesn’t feel helpful. It feels dismissive.

When money stress is high, budgeting stops being a neutral tool for me. It turns into another reminder of everything that isn’t working. Every category feels too tight, every number feels off, and instead of clarity, I’m left feeling more pressure than before. That’s usually the moment people assume you need to try harder, when in reality, that’s the moment your capacity is already tapped out.

When money is tight, I don’t magically become more organized. I actually do the opposite. I avoid logging in. I delay decisions. I let things sit longer than I should because looking at them feels overwhelming. No app or budgeting method has ever fixed that response. If anything, strict budgeting makes it worse because it asks for structure at the exact moment I need flexibility.

What I’ve learned is that budgeting isn’t always the place to start. Sometimes it’s something you work back toward once things feel steadier. When I’m overwhelmed, trying to “budget better” just adds another layer of pressure. What helps more is simplifying the situation so I can stay engaged instead of shutting down.

That usually means stripping things down to the basics. Instead of a full budget, I look at a simple list of bills. Just what’s due and when. I don’t worry about categories or perfect allocations. I’m just trying to understand what I’m actually dealing with in real time. From there, I focus less on optimization and more on consequences. Which bills cause real problems if they’re late, and which ones have some flexibility? Are there due dates that can be moved to line up better with a paycheck? Sometimes a single phone call makes a month feel more manageable.

Overwhelm also changes how progress needs to be measured. When everything feels abstract, I lose motivation quickly. Looking at balances that barely move doesn’t encourage me to keep going. Tangible actions help more. Tracking small efforts, like selling items to put money toward debt, makes progress feel real even when it’s slow. That’s what keeps me showing up instead of avoiding everything.

I also don’t try to solve the entire picture at once. When money is tight, I decide what gets paid first and let the rest wait. I make one paycheck decision at a time and reassess as I go. That approach might not look impressive on paper, but it keeps me functional. And staying functional matters more than following a perfect plan I can’t maintain. I’ve written more about how I actually make those decisions when money is tight, because figuring out what gets paid first has mattered more for me than trying to follow a perfect budget.

A lot of budgeting advice ignores the reality of living in an economy where wages don’t match the cost of living, rent keeps increasing, groceries cost more every month, and extra income isn’t guaranteed. When the math doesn’t work, no amount of discipline fixes that. Pretending otherwise just turns systemic problems into personal failures.

I’ve had to unlearn the idea that struggling with budgeting means I’m irresponsible. I already carry enough shame around debt and where I “should” be by now. But shame has never helped me make better decisions. It’s only ever made me avoid them. Letting go of that has made it easier to approach my finances with honesty instead of fear.

Budgeting can still be useful. I’m not against it. I just don’t believe it works the same way in every season of life. When you’re overwhelmed, the goal isn’t control. It’s stability. It’s staying present enough to keep making decisions, even if they’re imperfect. Sometimes that means setting aside advice that sounds good and choosing what actually fits your reality. That’s why I focus more on deciding what debt gets paid first when money is tight instead of forcing a perfect budget.I’m not against budgeting. I just know that sometimes capacity has to come before structure. I’m still figuring out what works for me in different seasons, and I’ll keep sharing it as I go further in my High Debt series! Follow along! 

High Debt/

How I Decide What Debt Gets Paid First When Money Is Tight

How I Decide What Debt Gets Paid First When Money Is Tight

When money is tight, deciding which debt to pay first can feel overwhelming and produce a huge mental load. Every bill feels urgent. Every balance feels loud. And somehow, no matter what you pay, it still feels like the wrong choice.

For a long time, I thought there was a perfect order. Some clean, strategic formula that would tell me exactly which debt deserved attention first. But when money is tight, the goal isn’t perfection. It’s stability. And stability looks different than optimization.

Before I decide which debt to pay first, I look at my actual life. Rent. Utilities. Groceries. Transportation. If paying a credit card means I’m stressed about basic living expenses two weeks later, that’s not responsible. That’s reactive. Debt never comes before keeping my life steady.

Once the essentials are covered, I stop thinking about balances and start thinking about consequences. Some debts are loud but flexible. Others move quickly toward fees, reporting, or escalation. When I can’t pay everything, I prioritize what could create immediate damage not what simply looks intimidating. That’s the exact framework I break down in my paycheck-to-debt decision planner.

I’ve also stopped obsessing over the size of a balance. A larger number doesn’t automatically make it the priority. What matters more is timing. What’s due before my next paycheck? What will add stress if it sits untouched? When money is tight, I care more about what keeps the next few weeks calm than what looks impressive on paper.

If I can’t pay something in full, I make a partial payment without turning it into a moral crisis. That took practice. For a long time, anything less than the full amount felt like failure. Now I see it differently. Paying what I realistically can is still participation. It keeps the account active. It keeps me engaged.

And when two payments feel equally important, I choose the one that lets me breathe after I click submit. That might not sound strategic, but it is. The payment that reduces mental noise is often the one that makes it easier to keep going.

I don’t try to solve my entire debt situation in one paycheck. I decide what keeps me stable now and let future paychecks handle future decisions. That approach has done more for my consistency than any strict budgeting system ever did.

Debt still exists. The numbers are still there. But the pressure feels lighter when I focus on maintaining stability instead of chasing the perfect order.

If you’re in a tight month, the “right” debt to pay first is the one that keeps your life functioning. The rest can follow. If budgeting still feels impossible right now, I’ve written about why “just budget better” doesn’t work when you’re overwhelmed with debt. You can check that out here! 

High Debt/

My Paycheck Reset: How I Rebalance After a Bad Money Month

My Paycheck Reset: How I Rebalance After a Bad Money Month

Some months don’t just go a little off track. They fall apart. A bill hits earlier than expected, something unexpected comes up, or I’m already exhausted and make choices I wouldn’t have made in a calmer season. By the time the month ends, the damage feels done, and the pressure to “fix it” immediately kicks in.

I used to treat those months like failures. I’d promise myself I’d be stricter next time, more disciplined, more on top of things. That approach never worked. It only made the next month feel heavier before it even started. What’s helped more is having a reset that isn’t about erasing the past month, but about getting steady again without spiraling.

For me, a paycheck reset isn’t a fresh start. It’s a re-entry point. It’s how I move forward after a bad month without pretending it didn’t happen or punishing myself for it.

The first thing I do is shrink my focus. I don’t look at the entire month or the full debt picture. I look at the next paycheck only. What’s due before the next time I get paid? What absolutely needs to be covered so my life doesn’t get disrupted further? Keeping the scope small makes it easier to stay engaged instead of freezing.

Once I know what’s immediately due, I think in terms of timing and consequences rather than totals. I’m not trying to optimize or catch up all at once. I’m trying to prevent the situation from getting worse. That might mean letting some things wait, making partial payments, or choosing the option that buys me time. Resetting is about containment, not perfection.

I’m also careful not to overcorrect. After a bad month, it’s tempting to cut everything non-essential or try to make up for lost ground aggressively. That usually backfires for me. Extreme restrictions make me more likely to burn out and repeat the same patterns. Instead, I aim for balance. I tighten where I realistically can, but I don’t strip everything down to the point where the next few weeks feel unbearable.

Part of the reset is deciding what not to focus on right away. I don’t obsess over balances or replay every decision that led to the bad month. That information doesn’t help me move forward. What helps is getting back into the habit of making decisions at all. Once I’m doing that consistently, clarity comes back on its own.

This is also where prioritization matters. When money is tight after a rough month, I lean on the same approach I use to decide which debt gets paid first when money is tight, because making one clear decision matters more than trying to rebalance everything at once.

I’ve noticed that the reset is working when my relationship with my finances starts to feel calmer. I’m checking accounts without dread. I’m making decisions instead of avoiding them. I’m not fully caught up yet, but I feel steadier, and that matters more in the moment. Progress doesn’t always look like numbers moving dramatically. Sometimes it looks like staying engaged instead of giving up.

A bad month doesn’t mean I’m bad with money. It means I’m living in real life, where things don’t always line up neatly with a plan. The paycheck reset gives me a way to respond to that reality without adding shame or pressure. For me, rebalancing isn’t about starting over. It’s about getting stable enough to keep going, one paycheck at a time.

If you need a simple way to map out that next paycheck without overcorrecting, here’s the paycheck-to-debt decision planner I created and use to reset after a rough month.

High Debt/

How I’m Navigating Debt in a Broken Economy (With Accountability, Not Shame)

How I’m Navigating Debt in a Broken Economy (With Accountability, Not Shame)

I’ve been thinking a lot about what accountability actually means in a season where the economy feels broken. Not broken in a dramatic, headline way, but in a quiet, everyday way. The kind where you work full time, do what you’re “supposed” to do, and still end up living paycheck to paycheck.

For me, accountability no longer means doing everything perfectly. It means showing up even when I don’t want to. It means being honest about what I can and can’t sustain, and then committing to the choices I make instead of constantly backtracking.

A simple example: if I say I’m done using DoorDash, then I’m done. Not “mostly done.” Not “unless I’m tired.” If I give myself that boundary, I stick to it. That’s accountability for me right now. Not punishment. Not restriction. Just consistency.

What makes this season especially hard is that so much of the advice around debt assumes the economy is fair. It assumes wages match the cost of living. It assumes rent isn’t increasing faster than paychecks. It assumes groceries are manageable and that finding a part-time job to supplement income is realistic. None of that feels true right now.

I work full time. And still, things feel tight. That disconnect messes with your head. It makes you question yourself instead of the system. It turns financial stress into personal shame, even when the math doesn’t add up.

For a long time, I carried the belief that I shouldn’t have gotten myself into this debt. That if I were smarter or more disciplined, I wouldn’t be here. I have degrees. I’ve done the work. And yet, there isn’t a savings cushion that reflects any of that. That narrative is hard to shake. It’s easy to turn debt into a moral failure instead of what it often is: a combination of timing, systems, and survival.

That’s where the shame creeps in. And shame is what makes people avoid their finances altogether.

I’ve learned that strict budgeting doesn’t work for me when I’m already overwhelmed. Neither does pretending I can’t enjoy my life at all until every balance is gone. When I try to force myself into rigid systems, I don’t become more disciplined. I shut down. I avoid looking. I backtrack. That’s not accountability, it’s burnout.

What’s been more helpful is narrowing my focus. Instead of trying to fix everything at once, I make decisions that keep me engaged. I prioritize what needs to be handled first when money is tight, and I give myself permission to let the rest wait. I’ve written more about how I decide what debt gets paid first when money is tight, because that shift alone has helped me stop spiraling.

I’m also learning how to track progress without turning it into another source of stress. I don’t need constant reminders of how far I still have to go. I need proof that my effort counts, even when it’s small. That’s why tracking things like selling items to pay down debt has worked for me. It makes progress feel tangible, not abstract, and it helps me stay consistent instead of giving up when things feel slow.

Accountability, in this season, looks like showing up imperfectly. It looks like choosing systems that don’t punish me for being human. It looks like making progress wherever I can, even if it doesn’t fit into a clean spreadsheet or a viral money framework.

I’m not pretending this is easy. And I’m not pretending I have it all figured out. But I am choosing to stop layering shame on top of an already difficult reality. The economy can be broken without me being broken too.

I still believe in accountability. I just believe it should support your life, not shrink it.

If you need a place to start, I put together the paycheck-to-debt decision planner I’ve been using to sort what gets paid first when money feels tight. You can check it out here. 

High Debt/

Selling Stuff to Pay Down Debt: How I Track It So I Stay Consistent

Selling Stuff to Pay Down Debt: How I Track It So I Stay Consistent

If you’ve ever tried selling stuff to pay down debt, you already know the hardest part isn’t listing one thing. The hardest part is staying consistent.

 

Because you’ll sell something, feel proud for 10 minutes, and then the money disappears into life. Groceries. Gas. Random adult emergencies, like my plant medicine 😅. Then you’re back feeling broke like nothing changed, and it’s hard to stay motivated.

 

So this is the setup I’m doing right now, so when I’m back home and ready to sell again, I don’t quit after two sales. No complicated budgeting. No perfect plan. Just a simple system that makes it easier to follow through and actually see progress.

 

If you’re still deciding what to sell first, I wrote a full breakdown here: What to Sell First to Pay Down Debt (And How to Track Your Progress)

Why selling stuff to pay down debt feels pointless without a system

Selling your stuff is a great idea in theory. It’s quick money, it clears space, and it feels like you’re finally doing something.

But a lot of people stop because:

  • they don’t know what to sell next
  • they can’t find the item after it sells
  • they forget where they listed it
  • fees eat more profit than expected
  • the money gets absorbed into regular life
  • they can’t see progress, so it stops feeling worth it

And I get it. When you’re already overwhelmed, you’re not trying to become a full-time reseller. You’re just trying to make extra money without stressing yourself out even more.

Step 1: Pick a realistic sell list you can actually finish

I’m not doing the thing where I list 30 items in one day and then hate my life.

I’m starting with 10 sellable items. That’s enough to build momentum without turning my home into a storage unit.

Some easy categories to start with:

  • kitchen gadgets you never use
  • clothes you keep skipping over
  • decor you’re bored of
  • unopened beauty products
  • old tech that still works
  • random “why do I own this” items

The goal is not to sell your entire life and certainly not the items that you absolutely love and want. The goal is to get quick wins that make you feel like this is possible.

Step 2: Create one “sell zone” so you don’t re-clutter everything

This is the part that makes selling feel messy. You start pulling things out and suddenly you’re surrounded by piles.

So I’m doing one designated spot:

  • one bin, basket, or corner that is clearly labeled SELL
  • everything going for sale goes there
  • nothing moves until it’s time to take pictures and wrap them up with a label system.

If something sells and you can’t find it, that will make you quit. It’s frustrating, it’s stressful, and it makes the whole process feel not worth it. So I’m avoiding that from the start.

Step 3: Take photos in batches so the listing doesn’t feel exhausting

Listing feels hard when you do everything one item at a time.

Batching makes it easier:

  • set up good lighting once
  • take all photos at once
  • upload them later
  • write descriptions after

Even if I don’t post anything for another week, having photos ready makes it so much easier to follow through.

Quick photo checklist:

  • one clear front photo
  • a close-up of the brand/label
  • a close-up of any flaw (so nobody can argue later)

Step 4: Decide your pricing boundaries before anyone starts negotiating

Negotiation is where people start spiraling.

So I set two numbers:

  • Price Goal: what I want to get
  • Lowest I’ll Take: the number I won’t go under

That way, if someone offers something annoying, I’m not sitting there debating my whole life. I already decided.

Step 5: Track fees, because this is where the money “disappears”

This part isn’t fun, but it matters.

If you sell something for $40 but:

  • shipping takes a chunk
  • platform fees hit
  • you had to buy supplies

Your profit is not what you think it is.

And when you don’t track fees, it starts to feel like you’re doing all this work for nothing. That’s one of the biggest reasons people stop selling stuff to pay down debt after a few sales.

Step 6: Make a rule for where the money goes (so it actually counts)

This is what turns “selling stuff” into actual progress.

If you don’t decide what happens to the money, it will disappear into random spending. Not because you’re irresponsible. Because life is life.

My rule is simple:

Every sale gets applied to a specific debt on purpose.

Even if it’s $8. Even if it’s $15. It counts. Progress is progress. If you sell a $12 item and apply it to debt, that’s still progress. The point is stacking small wins until it finally feels like momentum.

Step 7: Track it so your brain believes it’s working

This is the difference between “I sold something” and “my balance actually moved.”

Selling stuff to pay down debt works better when you can see the proof:

  • what sold
  • how much you made
  • what the fees were
  • what you actually earned
  • which debt it went to

Because when you can see the progress, it stops feeling pointless. It starts feeling like momentum.

That’s why I made a simple tracker to keep everything in one place and make the progress feel real. If you want to try the same setup I’m using, grab it below: 

👉 Sell-to-Debt Notion Tracker

👉 Sell-to-Debt Excel/Google Sheet Tracker

 

If you want to start today, do this

Keep it simple. Don’t turn it into homework.

  1. Pick 10 items
  2. Put them in your sell zone
  3. Take photos in one batch
  4. Decide your price goal + lowest price
  5. Track your first sale so it feels real

That’s it. That’s the setup.

You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a system you can stick with. You can do this! I’m sure gonna try!

High Debt/

What to Sell First to Pay Down Debt (And How to Track Your Progress)

What to Sell First to Pay Down Debt (And How to Track Your Progress)

If you’re anything like me, you’ve had that moment where you look around your apartment, and you’re like, yeah, I have too much stuff. And also, yeah, my debt is not playing with me.

I’m not here to pretend I’m a finance expert. I’m just a regular person who wants more breathing room. And honestly, selling my stuff has been one of the only things that feels doable when I’m overwhelmed.

But I’m going to tell you the real truth:

Selling things only helps if you can actually see that it’s helping.

Because if you sell something, the money disappears into life, and you can’t tell if your debt went down at all, you’ll stop. That’s human.

So this post is about two things:

  1. What to sell first if you’re trying to make quick money
  2. How to track it so you don’t burn out and quit after two sales

What to Sell First (Start With the Easy Wins)

When people say “sell your stuff,” that sounds cute until you realize you don’t know what to sell. So here’s how I’ve been doing it, without making it a whole emotional journey.

1. Kitchen stuff you do not use

This is the fastest category because people love “barely used” kitchen items.

  • air fryer you don’t touch anymore
  • blender you swore you’d use for smoothies
  • extra pots/pans
  • random gadgets (waffle maker, rice cooker, etc.)

If it’s taking up space and you don’t even like it… it can go.

2. Clothes you keep skipping over

Not the sentimental stuff. Not the “maybe one day” stuff.

I mean the clothes you don’t even reach for, even when everything else is dirty.

  • jeans that don’t fit how you want
  • shoes you never wear
  • coats and bags you forgot you had
  • anything with tags that’s been sitting there for months

3. Home decor you’re over

This is one of the easiest sells because home stuff is always rotating.

  • lamps
  • wall art
  • organizers you bought in a motivated mood
  • little side tables
  • mirrors

If you wouldn’t buy it again today, it can go.

4. Beauty stuff you don’t use

I’m not saying sell half-used skincare unless you’re comfortable with that, but you’d be surprised what people buy when it’s:

  • unopened
  • brand new
  • limited edition
  • or still in packaging

Think backups, sets, tools, and bundles.

5. Old tech + electronics

Tech sells. Period.

  • headphones
  • keyboards
  • controllers
  • old tablets/kindles
  • small speakers
  • ring lights

If it still turns on, it has value.

The Part Nobody Talks About: Why Selling Still Feels Like You’re Broke

Here’s the part I had to accept:

Selling things doesn’t automatically fix anything.

Because you can sell three things and still feel like nothing changed.

Why?

  • fees eat your profit
  • you forget what you listed where
  • you don’t remember what sold
  • the money goes to food, gas, random life things
  • you don’t apply it to anything specific
  • you lose momentum because nothing feels real

That’s where I used to get stuck.

Like yes, technically I made money. But I couldn’t prove it to myself, so it didn’t feel motivating. And motivation matters when you’re trying to stay consistent.

My Simple System: Sell → Track → Apply It to Debt on Purpose

This is the only way it started feeling worth it for me.

Not complicated. Not perfect. Just consistent.

Step 1: List the item and give it a quick “code”

This is optional, but it helps so you don’t lose track of what’s what.

Example codes:

  • KITCH-01
  • CLOTH-02
  • HOME-03

It doesn’t have to be cute. It just needs to make sense to you.

Step 2: Track the sold price and fees

This is where people get annoyed, but it matters.

If you sold something for $35 but fees were $6 and you forgot that… you’re going to think selling is pointless.

Tracking the fees is how you stop lying to yourself about profit.

Step 3: Apply the sale to a debt you’re paying down

This part is the game-changer.

Instead of “I sold something and now I feel slightly less stressed,” it becomes:

I sold something and it went to THIS debt.

My balance moved.

My effort mattered.

That’s what keeps you going.

How to Stay Consistent (When You’re Not in the Mood)

This is the part people don’t want to admit, but I will:

You don’t stop because selling is hard.

You stop because it starts feeling pointless.

So I started making it easier on myself.

These small things helped a lot:

  • keep a bag/bin for “listed items” so you’re not searching later
  • take photos once and save them in a folder
  • keep a few boxes and mailers on hand
  • tape, scissors, marker in one place (do not make yourself hunt for supplies)
  • write the item name the same way every time so tracking stays clean

Basically, reduce the friction so you don’t quit.

The Tracker I Use to Make Progress Feel Real

I made a simple tracker for this because I needed something I’d actually keep up with.

It’s built to help you:

  • list what you’re selling
  • track sold price + fees
  • see your net earnings
  • apply each sale to a debt
  • and watch your balance go down

Nothing fancy. Just effective.

If you want it, you can grab it here:

👉 Debt Declutter Selling Tracker for Excel and Google Sheets

👉 Debt Declutter Selling Tracker for Notion

Or make your own with the guidance of my system above!

If You Want to Start Today (Do This)

Not tomorrow. Not “when you have time.” Today.

  1. Pick 5 items you can live without
  2. List 2 of them
  3. Put the listed items in one spot so you don’t lose them
  4. Track the sale when it happens
  5. Apply it to one debt on purpose

Even if it’s $10. Even if it’s $20.

Progress is progress.

And if you can see it, you’ll keep going. That’s what I’m hoping for!