She's On The Money The $60k Debt Wake-Up Call That Changed Everything
Jan 18, 2026
Marnie, a community member and Money Diarist, shares her transformative journey from being $60,000 in debt to financial stability. She reflects on her lack of financial education despite a comfortable upbringing and how impulsive spending led to her debt. Discover how she learned financial literacy through resources and overcame challenges, including her child's health crisis, by tapping into emergency funds for early intervention. Now, she's building savings, investing, and embracing an abundance mindset while advising others to take small steps towards financial freedom.
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The $60k Wake-Up Moment
- Marnie discovered she had around $60,000 of personal debt from a car, a wedding and home setup that she never learned to manage.
- She realised she wasn’t bad with money, she just hadn’t been taught how it works and that reframing changed everything.
Credit Card Fueled Wedding And Travel
- Marnie charged her entire overseas wedding, a six-week luxury trip and home items to a credit card after the bank issued a $30,000 limit.
- She then added a $24,000 car and $10,000 buy-now-pay-later solar panels, rapidly pushing debt to about $64,000.
Use Education And Hustle To Crush Debt
- Marnie immersed herself in financial education from She's On The Money and applied the tips immediately.
- She increased income, worked extra jobs and aggressively paid down debt within about a year.
