Collin’s Story: Me Vs. $40K of Credit Card Debt, and How I Dug Myself Out
Let’s talk about finances. Yes, like really open up & have an honest conversation!
I think I felt some of you wince as you read that sentence. It is just so uncomfortable (or cringy as my kids would say!) to bring up money in any conversation. I mean, most people I know would rather talk about their sex life than chat about their income or expenses.
But not talking about our finances can leave us feeling alone and alienated, especially when struggling to stay afloat. Did you know that the U.S. credit card debt figure is at an all-time high of $870 million?! So if you’re having a hard time with debt, you’re certainly not alone.
That’s why we’re starting a new series on Hip2Save to bring our money struggles to light, no matter how uncomfortable it may feel at first.
As some of you may know, I have my fair share of stories to tell that apply to my issues with spending. But after years and years of work and teaching myself new habits, I’ve been able to turn them around for the better (I mean, I did start a frugal living website after all 😂).
Today, I’m starting with how my money troubles all began. Buckle up, because we’re in for a rocky rollercoaster ride.
Growing up, I struggled in school to fit in.
One of my most vivid memories of elementary school is the day I literally tried to run away from school. Every day, my sisters and I walked to school together and this particular day was no different. However, as soon as we arrived at school, I had the horrible realization that I had left my glasses at home.
Clearly, this was not a big deal in terms of my vision as I was able to walk to school without any issues but it was a HUGE deal for me on a personal level as these glasses had become my entire identity. Without my glasses (and also my hair being pulled into a ponytail), there was no way I was going to face that classroom of first graders. Side note – my older sister was able to contact my mom who graciously dropped off my glasses so I could go on with my day.
I still have that one day ingrained in my memory. Looking back, it seems like such a little thing, but knowing I still remember that day so clearly makes me realize that it was much more then forgetting my glasses. It was the story of a little girl who didn’t feel comfortable in her skin, who felt out of place, and who could hide it all with her magical glasses. Those glasses were her safety net.
I also learned early on that I had a learning disability and had to work that much harder to keep up with my peers. Homework and tests were a constant struggle and remained this way my entire school career. Each class, each math problem, each homework assignment built up doubt inside of me.
At 10 years old, I witnessed my parents divorce and my dad move all the way across the country. A few years after that, I moved with my mom and sisters from Houston, TX to Boise, ID. We moved to Boise not knowing a soul. I think for my mom it was a way for her to begin again and start a fresh, new life. I am forever grateful for that move. Although at the time, that wasn’t the case.
As a teen, my self-doubt led to low self-esteem, which led to self-medicating with drugs in an attempt to escape my problems. I almost didn’t graduate high school.
Then at 19 years old, I got pregnant.
In case it’s not clear, it was not a planned pregnancy. As I watched all my friends apply to colleges and shop for their dorm rooms, I was filling out a baby registry and stocking up on diapers… oh and watching endless hours of A Baby Story on TLC. That show and eating bowls of Kraft mac & cheese were my sanctuary.
I also began to start stressing about the financial hardships that would inevitably start popping up down the road. As many of you already know, having a baby is expensive, especially when you don’t know the first thing about finances.
Reflecting on this monumental moment in life, I want to express that even with the uncertainty and apprehension filling me up, I was able to give birth to a healthy, beautiful, and amazing baby boy who stole my whole heart. It’s pretty incredible how joy can still wash over you during milestones like this, regardless of all the other emotions I felt until that point.
Then my fears and toxic thoughts eventually returned, and I developed an eating disorder.
In an effort to regain control of my life, I turned to my relationship with food, specifically filling up on what I loved and then purging afterward, also known as bulimia. I was ruining my body from the inside out, but what, when and how I ate felt like the only area in my life that I could completely control. Bulimia became my best friend.
I isolated myself from friends and family. I climbed deeper into my hole of depression. Every single day the vicious cycle of addiction would begin again. This was my life.
Along with the physical and mental damage, I was also creating a financial strain on my life. Binging on huge amounts of food is not frugal. On top of that, my desire to keep up with the Joneses (and give the perception that I had it all) led me to fall deeper and deeper into debt. I thought if we wore all the expensive stuff and drove the nice car that somehow my life would magically feel good – oh, how wrong I was.
To stay afloat, I opened a credit card account.
And then another one, and another one after that, then store credit cards were filling up my wallet. I was very good at coming up with reasons why it made sense to have THAT many credit cards. Oh how good I was at filling my head with excuses.
Before I knew it, I had acquired $40,000 in just credit card debt alone—and that doesn’t even include my car loan or mortgage. That didn’t stop the shopping. In addition to bulimia being a huge part of my daily life, the other thing that kept me numb and disconnected from the reality of my problems was shopping. Oh, how I loved to shop.
If $40k seems like a scary number, that’s because it is. I had never imagined my spending would spiral so far out of control! The hole I was digging got deeper and deeper, and the vicious cycle continued.
Collin beat herself up, then Collin escaped reality with her BFF bulimia and second runner up shopping.
This went on for years.
In the midst of this numb life I was living, I got pregnant again and was blessed with another sweet baby boy. I thought my life would change and get so much better – hello, I had two healthy boys and a supportive husband.
What is wrong with you Collin? Why aren’t you filled with happiness and joy? I was so good at pretending on the outside – making it seem I was living this fantastic life. But the truth was that I continued to dig deep and isolate myself from the world. My eating disorder was my life.
And then at my lowest, pregnant with my third child and recognizing that my credit card debt and depression didn’t have much room to get lower, I hit rock bottom.
Oh the guilt I felt for failing as a mom, not only to my sweet baby girl inside of me, but also to my two boys right there in front of me just wanting the simple gift of a present mom. I felt like an empty vessel of a person just going through the motions in life without actually living it.
Not many people were aware of my relationship with food since I had isolated myself from sharing those struggles with my friends and family. That said, it was clear to them that I wasn’t in a good place. Keep in mind, at this point, my family and I were struggling financially – BIG time. Things sure get expensive when you are trying to keep up with the Joneses AND feed your addiction.
I hit rock bottom one weekday morning while crying on the bathroom floor. I finally said to myself, “I can’t do this anymore,” and shortly after picked up the phone to call my dad to ask for his support not only emotionally, but as well as financially, to help me get treatment.
So I checked into rehab.
Without anyone else prompting me, I knew I needed help, and I knew that unless I was truly wanting to break this addiction, rehab would have been a waste. I am so fortunate that my dad was able to help get me into a great rehab facility to begin working on regaining the mental and physical strength to fight my eating disorder, especially since Piper would be due in the coming months.
But one of my biggest takeaways from being in that treatment center wasn’t centered on my own problems, but instead on the hurdles that others have to tackle every day. It gave me that eye-opening realization to count my blessings and be thankful for what is going right in my life. Talk about a perspective check!
While I was in the 28-day program, we were lucky enough to have my mother-in-law come out to help with the kids and the support I felt from my family definitely kept me motivated to complete the treatment even when it felt like too much. I came out feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders and just overall so much better, but just because I had finished my program didn’t mean that it was smooth sailing. Even to this day, the struggle with food still lingers because it was an addiction that engulfed my life for years.
Nevertheless, I was ready to be in control and get healthy, not only personally but financially! Since I wasn’t spending loads of money anymore to continue my food numbing and retail shopping coping mechanisms, it shed light on just how much money I was actually throwing away each month. When I heard about couponing, I had no idea those little pieces of paper would have such a powerful impact on not only paying down my debt, but help me to launch a business, and regain control of my life.
First, I had to learn the ropes of shopping with coupons.
Anyone who dives head first into couponing will tell you that there is A LOT to learn and a whole lot of math that comes with it. Remember when I said that I grew up struggling in school? Well, imagine my excitement when I finally got couponing and was able to apply this knowledge to our family’s day to day expenses and start actually saving us money—the complete opposite of what I was doing before (AKA spending money we did NOT have!). Love those light bulb moments!
Having never felt great at much of anything created a depression that painted a negative image in my mind of myself and my value. But because I was finally grasping a concept, it reinforced my confidence and self-worth to ignite that fight I had against my low-self esteem, health struggles, and my debt. It was a small win but it was life-changing.
I will admit, prior to having that light bulb moment, it took me months to understand the whole coupon thing. In the beginning, I was honestly spending money on items that our family didn’t necessarily need. Learning which deals made sense to purchase for our family was a key factor in actually SAVING us money. Is it really a deal when I have a stockpile of endless bottles of personal care and beauty products, with many being items that my family doesn’t use?
The thrill of getting a great deal with those magical pieces of paper can be addicting. And as you all know from my first post, this gal (that would be me) has got an addictive personality. So needless to say, when I first started couponing, I got a little too excited about the freebies and deals… and to keep things real, was spending MORE money on products my family didn’t even use. 🙈 Collin, Collin, Collin…
Months went by and I finally had the much-needed light bulb moment when my hubby asked me a simple question, “How come we have so many bottles of curly hair styling products when none of us have curly hair?” – Welp, I really couldn’t answer that with anything that would make sense. However, that question made me reevaluate why I was couponing and I quickly realized that I needed to change my focus. It was no longer about the thrill of the deal, but about truly saving my family money.
Having to discipline myself to only make purchases that made sense for me and my family is how I came out on top while couponing.
In addition, I found that using a cash-only system when shopping kept me honest about my purchases. Knowing I had a set amount of money in my purse made sure I stuck to my initial shopping plan without any add-on items. This was especially helpful when I was grocery shopping as it made me so disciplined to stick to the grocery budget as I would leave my debit/credit cards at home. We all know how tempting it can be to drop a few extra items into the shopping cart – and then BOOM… budget blown.
As I got better with my shopping habits and scoring deals, I started sending them off via email to my friends and family. I was so excited about all the money I was saving and had to share! And then I got a reply back to one of my daily messages from my sister, Marley, that said, “You are sharing so much awesome info with us, you need to start a blog so that you can continuing sharing all of this with others, too…”
And then, Hip2Save was born.
Way back when the site was hosted on Blogspot (in 2008), I started cranking out the deals to a small and humble following. One reader turned into 10, which turned into 100, and the more I posted, the more my site grew. I couldn’t wait to share the latest coupons and deals, and I was thrilled when I realized that this newfound passion was actually becoming a viable business. I felt empowered, excited, and just downright smart.
It also felt so great to be good at something, especially since it was helping me cut back on my spending so I could finally start paying down my credit card debt. And I was having so much fun! I was a one-woman show back in 2008, on top of the world, and I loved every second I spent working on the site.
However, the site did require a lot of time and it never really “closed” so I was essentially working 7 days a week. It was to the point that I had my laptop out during family events making sure my readers knew about the latest CVS deals or hot promos at Walgreens. To keep it real, as exciting as it was to be growing Hip2Save into a thriving site, there was no balance in my life and Hip2Save was all-consuming.
I was working for hours on Hip2Save each day – NOT because I was hoping to make money and grow a business, but because I was so passionate about sharing all of this money-saving knowledge with others. I truly had no clue back in 2008 that you could actually make money blogging. I still have to pinch myself as it’s pretty incredible to get to do what I love while making money and supporting my family… and I’m even more grateful that I get to employ people around the country who share in my passion.
Thinking back, I am so incredibly appreciative of my supportive husband who was serving in the Marine Corps when I began blogging and was always my cheerleader, even back then when I really didn’t know where this was going.
“How can I help?”
I hired my first team member—my sister, Bryn, in 2009. She helped me source coupons, write posts, and respond to our awesome readers. I loved having her by my side through the ups and downs, and I could never put into words just how grateful I’ve been to have her in my life.
We spent a couple of years fine-tuning the site, only to realize we hadn’t stopped growing, which is a great problem to have in the blogging world! I brought on a few more employees to grow our team and felt overwhelming joy when I realized this passion-project-turned-business was actually helping others improve their financial wellbeing as well.
In fact, Stacy, one of my amazing employees, happened to share this message with our team recently:
“One of my original goals when I started working at Hip2Save was to pay down our debt. I hated seeing so much of our one-income budget going to paying creditors. Well… today was the day. All of my credit account balances are officially $0. It only took about 18 months…”
Phenomenal, right?! Being surrounded by such an inspiring community of like-minded, financially-savvy and passionate individuals is one of the reasons I love to wake up each and every morning, grab a cup of coffee and jump onto my computer.
Learning how to coupon, sharing my finds, and becoming empowered through saving money has changed my life entirely!
Couponing has certainly changed over the years with more policy restrictions and a focus on digital promotions. While I am grateful to have been able to turn my financial situation around years ago, many of the savings tactics I used no longer apply, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other successful strategies I can share.
Want to know some of my strategies? Check out these posts below:
Want to keep learning the best ways to keep some extra cash in your pocket?
Check out our 10-Week Financial Boot Camp! In this series, you’ll receive weekly emails featuring money-saving challenges, helpful tips, and even budget-friendly meal ideas to keep a little more cash in your pocket.
Thank you so much for sharing! I think it is so important to be honest about the highs and lows of life.
Wow Colin, I had no idea you went through this. Thanks for sharing it with everyone on hip2save. I looked forward to reading the 2 part. You know, the part where you heal yourself. Very lovely of you to share. This year has been difficult for me………I am encouraged by the depth of your strength. When you get older and your kids get older, their struggles become your struggles, At some point, you realize, you can support, encourage but ultimately they have overcome it on their own. Thanks again. PS now the keto diet makes sense………
❤️
Thank you for being vulnerable. I know that your story will be used to help others. You are an amazing woman!
Thank you Jennifer. ❤️
Thank you for your honesty, I know how scary this is.
Wow I cannot wait to read part 2! Thank you for sharing your story with thousands of followers, so much honesty in it! I think it will help so many! Much love being sent to you <3
Thank you so much.
Wow thank you for sharing I can’t wait to ready more. Sorry you had such a hard time but thankful you came through okay and able to share.
You’re amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing!!!
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Thank you Collin for sharing your real world with us and being so transparent
Loved reading this, it is very hard to find honest good and truthful people out there. Being in my mid 20s it is so easy to see people living a picture perfect life and not knowing the real truth behind there stories. I appreciate reading this and it will hold an impact on my life.
Thank you. I really appreciate the comment.❤️
It is so amazing that you shared your story! You are helping more people then you could probably imagine! Thank you
Thank you for sharing. I think many of us look at successful blogger or site owners and feel envious, they have it all together. The perfect life, etc… it’s nice to see others are “normal” too
Collin you are so strong and so brave. To share your life’s story and the obstacles you have overcome is the ultimate gift you can give your lucky readers. Even though I’ve never met you, I feel like you’re a good faraway friend that I keep in touch with everyday through Hip2Save.
You have obviously come so far in your journey; your successes are hard won and you have taught us so much along the way. Thank you for all you do and sharing your deepest, most personal life experiences with us!
Wishing you only joy, happiness and health for you, your husband, your children and the rest of the Hip2Save team <3
Thank you so much for that Bunny. It means so very much to me. ❤️
So well said!!! I couldn’t agree more!! Blessings to you and your precious family.
Collin,
Thank you for being transparent and sharing your life story with us.
Its not a requirement of you but you are choosing to share your life so that it can possibly help someone else that is or has dealt with your same struggles. Thank you so much!
You are so welcome, and thank YOU for the comment. ❤️
You are so brave!
Thank you. ❤️
It’s amazing all you went through. It can really give hope to others struggling in different or similar ways to see you can survive, thrive and help others every day. I’m so thankful for you and your site. Thank you!!
Thanks so much for sharing ❤️
Thank you for sharing Collin! I know your story can help others!
Thank you so much for your honesty with all of us! You know I’m guilty of looking at people and assuming they have the perfect life, never really knowing their back story! It’s very uplifting to hear that someone like yourself can come from such a dark place and still get her life together!!! We are all struggling to some degree or another and we all need to support each other 😘. Can’t wait to heat part 2!!
Thank you so much for the comment. ❤️
Wow! It’s so amazing of you to share your journey. Looking forward to how you tuned things around in part 2. Please know that you are blessed and appreciated.
Words are powerful!! Thank you for your story
You are amazing and courageous! You help so many people and families with your website!
Ooooo I hear an amazing testimony coming!!!! Love!! ☺️❤️
Thank you for sharing ❤️
Thank you sooo much for sharing this! You are so courageous! This is something we ALL struggle with. especially In this superficial world we live in encourage by big billboards, social media, and commercials.
I thank you very much for opening yourself and your life up to us. I know facing the truth is brutally hurtful. You’re such a beautiful and brave human being.
Writing your story like that in the raw now that takes courage. I always admired you and how you came up with this website . Not just for money saving but for all the other branches along with it! I have saved so much money over the years and all thanks to you . But today you just gained a whole new level of respect from me . It’s does take a lot to share all the details of your life to the world . Hat’s off to you . I would love to learn a thing or two about getting away with credit card debt . Can’t wait for part 2 🙂
Thank you Dity. Your comment is so very appreciated. ❤️
Collin, I hope you know what a blessing you are to so many others. As hard as it was to go through all of this, you are now able to lift and offer hope to so many. Thank you for being willing to share your story!
This is a scary topic and you have guts to share, BUT we all need to hear this. We can learn from you. You are an inspiration and a success story. You go girl!
Thank you for sharing. You continue to touch so many of us in such impactful ways!
Thank you for your honesty on such a taboo subject. I had extremely low self esteem for most of my life from being molested as a child and from having a very angry father. I have struggled with addiction as far as shopping for many many years. Even after I stopped doing it in order to feel better about myself I still struggled with doing it out of boredom and for that very short amount of time you feel that high before the guilt kicks in. I hid purchases and credit cards from my husband for years. While I have changed a lot of my habits, it is a hard addiction to overcome. I applaud you for speaking out on this issue. I think it is a big issue that affects far to many people around the world
Jennifer, thank you so much for opening up and being so transparent about your own personal struggles. I can relate. ❤️
You are strong and brave. Feel free to email me anytime. I am here for you friend.
Thank you for telling us your life story. I know it couldn’t have been easy to put it in black and white. Everyone has a past, but look at everything you’ve created. You should be so proud. I admire you even more now and I didn’t think that could be possible. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your journey! Everything can be used for good! Blessings to you and your family!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING!! I love your honesty! Takes guts to be this vulnerable (especially in such a public setting). I have followed your site for 10 years and have always admired your realness! Lots of love!
Thank you for being a loyal reader through all of the years. ❤️
I’m hooked! Cannot wait to hear more especially how you overcame the darkness. You’re pure sunshine Collin and so on topic! This path is much needed and relevant in today’s modern world.
Collin – Long time reader, first time poster. Love the blog and glad you’re moving this direction. Very brave of you to ‘put it all out there.’ I can absolutely relate to the $40k in CC debt and some of the depression you experienced. There are a lot of financial blogs out there but few I feel I can relate to. One of my favorites is MrMoneyMustache. He’s like Dave Ramsey minus the religion. He does talk a lot about ‘giving back’ but religion/spirituality is not his focus. His focus is FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early). For me his blog is very entertaining. He has a sense of humor I really appreciate. I’m excited to see what other blog posts you make and how your personal story pans out. Best of Luck!
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I will definitely be checking out MrMoneyMustache – thanks for the suggestion.
Thank you for sharing Collin! I’m sure it’s not an easy share by any means but it’s honest and real and appreciated. I am waiting to read part 2! Thank you for all you do!
It’s crazy that you open up to your followers more and more each time. Thanks for sharing another part of you!
Thank you Collin for continuing to allow us to see a very raw version of u. This timing is uncanny as I am in the process of working on my financial freedom. Cannot wait to read part 2! This must have been hard to write, emotional and scary. But, ur struggle is a light for more than one person who might be going through the same thing or has gone thru the same thing. Reality is -that many of us have much more in common than we think & don’t know it bc it isn’t spoken about or shared openly. ♥️ this sounds like ur journey was exactly right to have a greater impact on others
I so appreciate the comment. Thank you. ❤️
You are awesome up one side and down the other. In this “influencer” “blogger” society we live in, it is so easy to forget that real people with real struggles live on the other side of that computer screen. I have been a longtime fan of hip2save and you are always real and honest. You have saved me tons of money over the years, and I thank you for that. More importantly, I thank you for not ever glorifying your own existence or exaggerating how “amazing” your life is. When you moved into that little house, you could have made it look like a palace through camera angles etc…. Instead, you told us….this is a tiny house! But it was full of your sweet awesome family and we were all so happy for you. I could never say enough about your strength, humility, sassy sense of style, and adorable personality. Thanks for sharing!!
Awww, thank YOU. 😊❤️
Love the real talk and yes I can relate! Excited for part 2! 💕
You are an amazing woman and you inspire me every day to be a better person. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you SO much for sharing this! I know it couldn’t have been easy to share this but you are helping so many. I’m currently digging myself out of a debt hole, I look forward to part 2.
Thank you for sharing this. You’re an inspiration. Looking forward to reading part 2.
Please share more!! Your not alone
Your journey through life is truly amazing! From where you were to where you are NOW! Huge WOW! I’m on the edge to read part 2! All I can think is…. YOU overcame all of that!!! What an incredibly strong women you are!!! 👏🏼🙏🏼👊🏼
Thank you SO much Teresa! 👊❤️
Thank you for being vulnerable with us ❤️
OMG. This would be an amazing book that could help many of us.
Thank you so much for sharing!
First we LOVE hip2save – thank you for all this awesomeness we love it! You are so brave to be open, honest and put yourself out there to help others.
I admire you for sharing your story with all of us. I’m so glad to see how well you have turned your life around ❤️