Hi there! You new here? We love that you found our gay little corner of the web. Here at Debt Free Guys, we’re all about helping queer people live lives they truly love inside and out. We think happiness is a 360-degree experience (purpose, love, money, wellness, and lifestyle) that you also deserve. After reading our article below, see how we can help you more here.
Queer Money and the Debt Free Guys
A year and a half after we started dating, we came out of the closet about our money and admitted we had $51,000 in credit card debt. Hear how we paid that off fast, became the Debt Free Guys and started Queer Money®. Also, get your copy of the 5 Building Blocks of a Happy Gay Life here.
Who are the Debt Free Guys and what’s Queer Money®?
How we got into $51,000 of debt (and paid it off fast)
The quick and the dirty is that after being infatuating and disgustingly in love with each other for nearly 2 years, and spending accordingly, we found ourselves sitting on the cold floor of our dark, dank basement apartment wondering why our lives kinda sucked.
They didn’t suck suck. We were just stuck-suck (in our mid-30s renting a basement apartment), and it was because we were in $51,000 worth of credit card debt. $51,000!
The truth is, we both came to our relationship with different amounts of debt for different reasons.
David got his first credit card with a $500 available credit for a trip to Ireland when he was 19. It was to be used for emergencies. He returned home with a $500 balance having never seen an ambulance or police car. Then, he carried a lingering and growing balance until a year and a half after we met.
John moved to Denver CO with $5,000 in his pocket and was in $25,000 of credit card debt a year later from decorating his apartment fancy, buying all sorts of new clothing, a new car and snowboarding gear.
A year and a half after being together and a year after living together, we decided we wanted to buy a vacation home in the Rocky Mountains. Within minutes, we realized we couldn’t afford this, our conversation devolved, and we admitted we had $51,000 in credit card debt between the two of us.
The irony was that, at the time of this Moonstruck face-palm, we were both working in financial services. Combined, we had 15 years of experience. So, Mr. Cobbler, we were helping other people with their money and clearly not helping ourselves.
To put it bluntly, we were financial f-ups. We were spending $400 a week on groceries and $400 a week eating out and at happy hours. We’d buy new outfits every weekend because we “couldn’t be seen in the same thing twice.” We stopped for breakfast and coffee every day.
Every. Single. Day.
Debt anchors your future earnings to your past. - David Auten of Debt Free GuysClick To TweetFast forward 2.5 years later and we were 100%, completely debt free. We paid off all $51,000 of our credit card debt using our unique Debt Lasso Method that we shared with CNBC, Good Morning America and more (YouTube it!).
Soon after, we moved out of the basement and started living the lives we always wanted but couldn’t cuz we were stupid – stupid because we knew better but didn’t do better.
That’s not the end of the story, though.
We came up with systems and processes and figured things out the hard way, even though that last part was unnecessary, and we paid off our debt.
We’re now using our personal and professional experiences with money to help others in our community, the Ls, the Gs, the Bs, the Ts, the Qs and, yes, the As.
So, if you feel frustrated and hopeless like you’re the only one not living as fabulously as you want, we’re here to tell you that we can help you.
Here’s what we had to say about our debt free journey 5 years later in this Queer Money® Follow-Up:
How can you get more Debt Free Guys and Queer Money®?
✅ Subscribe to the Queer Money® podcast here @ debtfreeguys.com/qm
✅ Hear this original Queer Money® episode @ https://apple.co/35j0N7N (the sound’s not great)
✅ Join the conversation in the Queer Money Facebook Group @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/QueerMoney/
✅ Email us with questions @ [email protected]
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We’re David and John Auten-Schneider, the Debt Free Guys (www.debtfreeguys.com) and hosts of the Queer Money® podcast. We help queer people (and allies) live fabulously not fabulously broke by helping them 1) pay off credit card debt, 2) become part- or full-time entrepreneurs and 3) save and invest for retirement.