⏱ Takes under 60 seconds. Any amount. Any debt.

This isn’t about how big the number is—it’s about progress. If you haven’t made a payment yet, consider this your nudge to go make one right now. Missed a week? Just submit the total since your last entry.

Submissions will be included in future week’s Snapshots!

Okay, I’m convinced this strategy has saved Bailey and I a ton of money. At a minimum, it has saved a massive amount of time. And that is, ordering our groceries for pickup through our local store’s app.

The grocery stores in our area (mostly Kroger, Meijer, and Walmart) all have a grocery pickup feature that costs literally nothing as long as your order is at least $35. Also, their associates are not allowed to accept tips, so there’s no pressure on your part.

And guess what, it saves us money because we don’t walk through the store and just put things in the cart because they look delicious or interesting.

When we order on the app, it’s much easier to stay focused on the food we plan to actually eat in the coming week. And it for sure saves Bailey time since she doesn’t have to go physically pick out the groceries.

Seriously, it’s one of the most practical money-saving tips I have for you. Try it this week!

If you feel like the world of AI is moving faster than you can keep up (yeah, that’s how I feel), then check out The Deep View Newsletter! It's free and I am subscribed because every day, it gives updates on what's happening with AI and what you need to know. And when everyone is coming out with some sort of AI tool and workplaces are quickly adopting it, it doesn’t hurt to stay informed on what’s going on.

If you’re a decision maker at your company, you need to be on the bleeding edge of, well, everything. But before you go signing up for seminars, conferences, lunch ‘n learns, and all that jazz, just know there’s a far better (and simpler) way: Subscribing to The Deep View.

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Shout out to Owen and Allison for the progress they’re making towards paying off their house! This couple is insanely focused on knocking out their debt ASAP. They have paid off $170k of their mortgage balance, $136k being in extra principal payments.

Here’s what Owen had to say about their progress so far:

That blows my mind — 10 years cut off their loan timeline in just 2.5 years.

Their biggest challenge at the moment is preparing for the next phase of life as a family of three instead of rocking it as DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids).

There’s a lot of extra expenses associated with children (trust me, I know), but they’re focused on still paying off the last $50k of their balance. They want to be totally free financially so their baby can grow up with parents who don’t stress over a house payment.

Yeah, this couple is an anomaly. But don’t think that this member spotlight is only for people who’ve paid off huge balances. Here on the Payoff Challenge, we celebrate all kinds of progress.

If you want to be featured in the Payoff Challenge Newsletter or related videos on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok, this is your chance! Any amount of debt payoff is worth celebrating here in the member spotlight.

According to the credit bureau TransUnion, Q3 of 2025 actually saw a fairly significant increase in low income borrowers taking out personal loans (24% increase) and opening new credit cards (11% increase). The assumption is it’s due to continually increasing prices of necessities like food, housing, etc.

I know it’s tough to get around those expenses, but this is exactly why getting ultra focused on paying off debt is the only way to make progress instead of taking steps backward. Read more here.

Bankrate.com runs an annual emergency fund savings survey. Their findings show that only 30% of Americans can actually cover a $1000 emergency from their savings, and another 17% can cover it from their income. Those are some tough numbers to swallow.

If you have consumer debt, only pay minimums on your debts and stay focused on saving $1000 ASAP so you can cover smaller emergencies. Then use the debt snowball to pay off your debts before building up that sweet 3-6 month full emergency fund. Read more here.

Mortgage Balance on January 1st, 2026: $70,000

Current Mortgage Balance: $66,873.76 (▼$200 since last week)

Balance paid off since start of challenge: $3126.24

Source: Paycheck, Savings, Interest, Etsy Sales

*This includes monthly principal payments as well as additional payments.

Another $200 to the balance from our savings this week. Staying consistent!

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