Welcome to Member Money Moments – a Q&A series sharing the wisdom, struggles, success, and goals of our Happy Money Members as they navigate their journey to financial freedom.

How does money and or debt affect your mental health?

What do you find is the most difficult challenge you face when it comes to money?

💰Saving Money
✍️ Creating A Budget
🤑 Impulse Spending

What do you wish you knew about money growing up?

I wish I knew effective ways to save money, not only by saving a certain amount but also by not wasting money on unnecessary things, less splurging.

What topics would you most like to learn about when it comes to money?

💸 Learning good spending habits 
💳 How to manage debt 
💰 How to save + achieve financial freedom 
😊 Healthy budgeting techniques 
🧘 Tools to assist with financial wellness & money

What is one piece of advice you would give to others on their personal finance journey?

Don't use a credit card unless absolutely necessary. Create a monthly budget and stick to it. Put some money to the side, even if it's just a few dollars each month.

What’s your first financial goal when you become debt free?

In what way did Happy Money assist you in your personal finance journey?

I'm quickly able to pay off credit card debt at a lower interest rate, improve my credit score immediately, and feel better organized by having only one payment.

Member Money Moments – A Q&A series with Happy Money Member Luisa

💰Saving Money
✍️ Creating A Budget

I wish I knew more about debt to income - how to build a better credit score.

I promise you, no matter how stuck you feel and no matter how much debt you're drowning in, YOU CAN get it under control if you take it one small step at a time!

Do not bite off more than you can chew.  And to make more than the minimum payment or you'll never get out.

As a single mom, things were tight even with the child support. It was easy, too easy to put things on a credit card and make the minimum payment. When my ex got hurt and the child support stopped I found myself upside down. I had been trying to start small and pay off cards - I took a chance with Happy Money to consolidate all these cards with a way cheaper rate. And actually have things paid off. I am able to breath again and not live check to check.

Member Money Moments – A Q&A series with Happy Money Member Joyce L.

💰Saving Money
💳 Managing my debt
🤑 Impulse Spending

So much! I wish I knew about budgeting and how to do it properly, and I definitely wish I knew about the importance of saving when I was growing up.

How to save better, the dangers of credit card debt (still kind of learning this one) & how/where to invest money for best future financial outcome.

🚘 + 🏡 Purchase a car and continuing saving with a long term goal of owning a home.

The Payoff Loan helped me pay off all of my credit card debt, which almost immediately caused my credit score to sky rocket. Because of this I was able to move in to a new apartment and restart my savings journey. Happy money has given me the tools I needed, a financial restart button.

Member Money Moments – A Q&A series with Happy Money Member Patricia J.

I wish I understood how hard it would be to save money. I would've tried harder when I was younger!

💰 How to save + achieve financial freedom 
😊 Healthy budgeting techniques 

If you're trying to get ahead of your debt and interest rates are the only thing holding you back, consolidate! I can't even begin to explain how much I've saved and how much it changed my everyday budgeting!

🏡 As of April 2022, I am credit card debt free. Thank you, Happy Money! I still have my student loans to tackle, but I desperately want to save and buy a home. 

Trying to get established in a new city is difficult, so I ran up a lot of debt when I moved. With high interest rates keeping me behind, I felt like I would never climb out of it! Even my above minimum monthly payments seemed like they were just paying the interests. The Payoff Loan saved me--it gave me a way to consolidate that debt at a much lower interest rate. After years of struggling, I paid off a huge amount of debt in just two years. Happy Money helped me manage my money in a healthier and more effective way by saving me thousands in interest fees.

Member Money Moments – A Q&A series with Happy Money Member Cara C.

When growing up, I wish I would have had a better understanding of interest and how it accrues over time. Swiping a card makes it easy to get out of control fast. If you can't afford to pay it off next month, then you really should not be swiping your card today.

 😊 Healthy budgeting techniques 
🧘 Tools to assist with financial wellness & money

Not all financial institutions are the same. Review the APR on your cards regularly and try to eliminate those with higher interest rates. If you are buried in debt like I was, it may be overwhelming but write everything down or build a spreadsheet with all of you finances. Focus on paying off loans/credit cards with the largest interest first. This will allow you to only accrue interest at the lower rates. As you pay off balances and increase your credit, look to consolidate debt with The Payoff Loan to lower your payments even further. If you pay the same amount as you did when your payments were higher, you'll pay off your full debt sooner!

🏡 My dream has always been to purchase a home. I was just pre-approved today and will begin the process of not only purchasing, but building my first home!

The Payoff Loan took a chance on me when no other financial institution would. It allowed me to reduce my interest to a third of what credit cards were charging. This allowed me the ability to pay more toward principal and ultimately eliminate my debt. Now, I am debt free and working to buy my first home. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Happy Money gave me that opportunity!

Member Money Moments – A Q&A series with Happy Money Member Andrew J.

That making money doesn't guarantee that you will always have money. You need to set a budget to save.

Prioritize what is important and set reasonable goals.

My goal is to save money where I can do spontaneous things without financial worry.

The Payoff Loan allowed me to make a significant shift in my financial life. I was able to pay off debt that was drowning me. My credit score immediately increased by 97 points.

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