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We just moved and I finally received our escrow balance in the mail yesterday. I drove to the bank and used the night deposit to get the money in the bank and then went online to send it to the credit card! We're a little short without taking us down to 0 to get through until pay day, but one week from today we will be able to pay it off.
Our debt began with our honeymoon 11 years ago. We stupidly put the whole thing on a credit card. So today, I feel like we are finally paying off the honeymoon!
(Does that mean we're no longer newly weds? 
) The second purchase was a Kirby vacuum cleaner because the sales lady hit us up within two days of getting home from the honeymoon and we were still unpacking and moving into our new home together. From there it was necessities we weren't expecting in our first home. Water heater, new fridge because the old one broke, down payment for a car, etc. Then we bought a new house before selling the old house and carried two payments for 11 months! (Never again!) We ended up needing to put groceries and bills on the cards. Then my husband lost his job for about a year. So...three years ago, I finally faced it. I didn't add it all together at first because I couldn't face it. I just started throwing money at it. When I finally did add it all up it was $23,000. So I estimate we probably had $27,000 at is worst.
It has been hard! We have sacrificed! But now, I look back, and it wasn't so bad. It was mostly the heavy, heavy desire to accomplish our goal. I have spent many sleepless nights with figures dancing through my head.
We shop at Aldi for groceries, get 99% of our clothes at the thrift store and simply do not shop, ever. In fact, funny story...when my son was five and in daycare before getting on the bus for school, his shoes were starting to get worn out. I knew this, but because I never go shopping (I really don't), the opportunity to buy him new shoes simply did not present itself. Then one day I noticed his toes were hanging out the front! My husband noticed too and said he'd go that day while the kids were at school and buy him some new shoes. When my son got off the bus that afternoon he was wearing brand new shoes. I was surprised and said, "Wow, did Daddy bring those to school for you today?" He said no, the director of the daycare gave them to him!! I was absolutely mortified and promptly made a $50 donation to the center because they wouldn't accept money for the shoes!
I thought I would share our story as inspiration for anyone struggling out there. It can be done! And there is such a feeling of safety that comes with paying down debt. And now I get to watch our money grow rather than constantly sending it away and getting nothing for it.
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