About Me
Started A Spending Fast. Ended My Debt. You Can Too.
About Anna Newell Jones
The Short Version
I managed to substantially improve my financial situation without the help of finance professionals. I made some very serious lifestyle changes by following a Spending Fast and Spending Diet plan, messed up a lot along the way and ultimately came out victorious when I managed to eliminate all of my debt! Now, I'm on a mission to help others get to living a debt-free life too!
The Long Version
At the tail-end of 2009 I was suffocating from the weight of my $23,605.10 in debt (this amount may be more or less than others debt, what matters is it was bad enough for me).
The cycle of debt and remorse needed to end. I decided to take drastic action, so I made the decision to stop all non-necessary spending.
On January 1st 2010 my year-long Spending Fast commenced. I also started this accompanying blog to document my progress, and to keep myself honest and accountable throughout the process.
Since the Spending Fast meant spending money on necessities only, bare-bones living went into full-effect.
When I started the Spending Fast my only goal was to try to get rid of my approximately 6k in credit card debt, because I felt that was weighing on me the heaviest. At the end of the year-long Spending Fast (2010-2011) I was amazed that I had managed to pay of $17,911.89 in debt!
Since I still had some debt at the start of 2011, I began the Spending Diet. (A Spending Diet is a modified version of the Spending Fast where I give myself a $100 a month “non-need” allowance. The Spending Diet is waaay harder than the Spending Fast by the way)
I was shocked that 15 months from the beginning of the Spending Fast process I was able to completely eliminate all of my debt! Yes! It's true!
It turned out that the Spending Fast and Spending Diet processes had dramatic results. I was (and still am sometimes) in disbelief that it actually worked, that I was able to stick to the strict and sometimes daunting Spending Fast and Spending Diet to make it to this side- the debt-free side!
Now, I continue to write about staying motivated and about living life without all the crap (I'm a natural spender, so I need to keep that in check!). I am also extremely passionate about sharing my experience with others since I've found a way to get (and stay) out of debt that actually works.
In a way, I feel obligated to share what I know because I want you to have a life free from debt too!
Believe me, you deserve this!
Ready to get started?
Take the plunge by signing the Get Out of Debt Spending Fast Pledge here.
Some links to get you started:
I encourage you to look for the similarities in our stories rather than the differences. The feelings associated with having debt, are universal, no matter the debt total.
● Getting Started with the Spending Fast
● Dreams of Becoming Autonomous
● Should I Buy It? (a printable take-along)
● How to deal with the Social Side of cutting back on spending
● And, be sure to share your successes, struggles, and questions on the Community page
Please know - YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
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Don't miss a thing!
In addition to writing And Then She Saved, I have a day-job is as a clerk for the state (it's as glamorous as you imagine it is:), I'm an identical twin, and I'm allergic to just about everything, except for pine trees. My husband Aaron and I live in Denver, Colorado, we love to eat sweets, go camping, and shoot weddings and portraits through our free-lance photography business.
If you'd like to send me something through the mail, here's the address: P.O. Box 40280, Denver, CO, 80204
About Me