Hey! Today I have an inspiring debt payoff story from Steffa Mantilla. She cleared $40,000 in consumer and student debt so she could become a stay-at-home mom and launch a business. Enjoy!
My husband CJ and I have been married for over a decade. You might assume more years together means more financial wisdom, but it wasn’t until our tenth year that we truly took stock of our money life.
Like many couples, we settled into a routine and surrounded ourselves with friends who lived the same way. That comfortable echo chamber created a “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality and left little motivation to change.
Today, we’ve paid off roughly $100,000 in total debt and are on track to pay off our mortgage within the next three years. There’s no quick fix to becoming debt-free, but our journey shows what’s possible with focus, communication, and consistent action.
More debt payoff stories:
- How We Paid Off $161,000 In Student Loan Debt in 16 Months
- How Amanda Paid Off $133,763 In Debt in 43 Months
- How We Paid off $266,329.01 in 33 Months
- How I Paid Off $29,000 In Debt By Living In a Van
Our Debts
In 2016, CJ and I were approaching $200,000 in total liabilities: roughly $165,000 in mortgage debt, $12,000 in student loans, and about $30,000 in consumer loans. We were a dual-income, childless couple who treated money as if it were endless. Most of our friends maintained similar lifestyles, so it felt normal.
The issue was that much of our life was on payments—we convinced ourselves we “deserved” it. Fancy vacations, new cars, and furniture bought on credit consumed a large portion of our paychecks. From the outside we looked comfortable, but in reality we were one missed paycheck away from struggling to make even minimum payments.
What Made Me Want To Change My Career
By 2016, after 11 years of marriage, we were ready to start a family. I had spent the same amount of time in zookeeping. I had worked from Avian Intern up to Senior Keeper for Carnivores and loved working with animals, but I’d reached the ceiling for hands-on roles. Higher positions were supervisory and would take me away from the animals I loved.
Zookeeping schedules are demanding: early mornings, weekends, special events, and holidays. I was burnt out and capped in pay—after a decade and advanced certifications, I earned about $16 an hour (roughly $30,000 annually). When we ran the numbers for childcare, it became clear that if I stayed in that job, we’d effectively be losing money. I would also miss out on family time.
I raised the idea of being a stay-at-home mom and we began to plan seriously.
What Needed To Happen To Make This Work
To make staying home feasible, our budget required dramatic changes. Talking about money felt awkward at first, but we set aside pride and guilt. Open, nonjudgmental communication—without blaming each other—was essential to build a plan we could stick to. Instead of letting stress pull us apart, our financial challenge brought us closer.
We agreed on a few key goals:
- Pay off all non-mortgage debt
- Reduce frivolous household spending
- I would find flexible work to cover any budget shortfall
Our Money Mindsets
As a wedding gift we’d received The Total Money Makeover, but neither of us had read it for a decade. We literally had a financial roadmap on our shelf and weren’t ready to use it. Money is a personal topic and people carry different beliefs and habits. I knew investing mattered but accepted debt as normal because everyone around me had it. CJ grew up in a household where money was a taboo, always scarce; once he had steady income he enjoyed newfound freedom to spend.
Neither of us had been taught how to build wealth or live debt-free, so changing our mindsets was a necessary first step.
How We Got On The Same Page As A Couple
I read The Total Money Makeover quickly, but CJ wouldn’t pick it up—he preferred reading for leisure. So I used subtler persuasion: we listened to the Dave Ramsey podcast during car rides, I talked about other people’s debt-free celebrations, and we dreamed about what eliminating debt could do for our family. Seeing others succeed helped make our goals tangible. Pairing those conversations with concrete plans gave us a shared financial vision for the next 20 years.
Our Plan To Pay Off Debt
We had about $42,000 to clear before I could leave work. Although our savings and investments were scattered, some immediate actions could reduce our balance quickly.
We used funds from several places:
- Sold childhood mutual funds my parents set up (~$2,000)
- Sold company stock from CJ’s bonuses (~$3,000)
- Reduced our $15,000 emergency fund down to $1,000 (~$14,000)
Those moves covered a large chunk, leaving about $23,000. The biggest ongoing savings came from tracking and reorganizing our budget. We discovered we were spending nearly $800 a month on dining out and entertainment, in addition to $600 on groceries. Cutting back on social outings and taking on overtime at work freed up about $1,800 per month to apply to debt. In 12 months we paid off the remaining balance. During that period I became pregnant and needed to plan for the loss of steady income.
Making Up The Deficit In Our Budget
While on maternity leave I still had accumulated sick days that paid me for a time. I explored part-time roles at the zoo, but childcare costs made continued employment impractical. I learned that several zookeepers supplemented income with pet sitting and dog walking, so I decided to offer similar services through Rover.
Rover provided an existing client base, and my background working with animals was a strong trust signal. I made clear I would bring my baby along, so I accepted only small or elderly pets and conducted meet-and-greets to ensure safety. I eventually secured two midday dog-walk clients and several cat-sitting assignments. These gigs covered the $500 monthly shortfall we expected after my maternity pay ended, without needing childcare.
Paying Down The Mortgage
As my child grew, I began building a business around personal finance. I taught myself blogging and became a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI), launching the blog Money Tamer. I wrote during naps and reinvested blog income toward our mortgage principal. CJ directed extra income toward the house as well, and we sold items we no longer needed. Over the past three years we’ve applied close to $55,000 toward our mortgage, bringing our total debt reduction near $100,000.
Our goal is to pay off the house within the next three years.
Final Thoughts
Getting out of debt is possible even if you feel lost. Many people grow up where money is a taboo topic and schools rarely teach practical financial skills. It’s never too late to change course. We spent more than a decade spending without restraint before we committed to a new mindset: viewing money as a tool to buy freedom rather than to accumulate consumer goods.
If you’re part of a couple, regular meetings to dream together are crucial. Create a shared vision so both partners work toward the same goals and can support each other when temptation or setbacks occur. That teamwork and mindset shift fueled our progress; while our journey isn’t finished, we’re well on our way to financial freedom.
Author bio: Steffa is a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) and founder of the personal finance website Money Tamer. She built her online business while being a stay-at-home mom and has paid off over $100,000 in debt. Today she helps others get their finances under control and work toward similar goals.
Are you trying to pay off debt? What are your dreams for life after debt?