Just a short while back, Marisa Mae was caught in the paycheck-to-paycheck trap, her credit cards stretched to their limits with no emergency savings to speak of, all while wrestling with constant financial stress. Today, she’s on a clear path to retire as a millionaire. Her secret? Mastering the art of debt repayment without succumbing to severe frugality. Marisa managed to eliminate five-figure consumer debt, not by cutting out her cherished coffee runs, but by smart financial planning. Isn’t that supposed to be a big FIRE faux pas?

Marisa’s turning point came at rock bottom—stranded without a place to stay or a dollar to her name. But instead of going back to restrictive budgeting and punishing herself for her overspending, she built a financial plan that worked specifically for her. 

Now, Marisa is ready to show others that achieving financial freedom, eradicating debt, and even starting to invest can all happen WITHOUT cutting everything enjoyable out of your life. If you’re battling to escape bad debt, Marisa’s approach could liberate you faster than you think—even if you struggle to find financial balance. 

In This Episode We Cover

How Marisa went from a financial “mess” to being on track to become a millionaire in retirement 

The spending hack that allows you to treat yourself WITHOUT going over budget 

Why you CAN invest while paying off debt (and the right way to do it)

Why taking on good debt to grow your business/side hustle isn’t a bad thing 

The “slow” path to becoming debt-free that is MUCH more successful than the beans and rice diet 

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

Mindy on BiggerPockets

Scott on BiggerPockets

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Financial Badassery

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How to Pay Off Credit Card Debt FAST ($30K+ in 1 Year!)

(00:00) Intro

(01:05) Paycheck-to-Paycheck and Worth $0

(04:29) Enough is Enough

(07:20) Paying Off Debt While Still Spending

(10:21) Investing While in Debt!?

(14:41) Finally Debt-Free?

(16:58) Managing Her Money

(21:38) Best Tip for FIRE

(24:08) Connect with Marisa!

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-573

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