In this issue of The Payoff Challenge:
Community Debt Payoff Snapshot
Submit your debt payoff totals for this week!
Dollar Designator: A simple envelope system budget app
Weekly Action: Cancel annual subscriptions right now!
Member Spotlight: Brian’s Kicking off His Debt Payoff Strongly
My Home Payoff Update
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Community Debt Payoff Snapshot
Congrats to everyone who paid off debt this week! Let’s put this into a fun comparison.
We paid off a total of $2398 last week! Someone actually put a good chunk of cash at their debt after having received an inheritance. Bravo on a good use of this gift. $2398 is almost exactly what we spent on a trip to Orlando a couple years ago. Cheap flights, cheap hotel, as cheap of food as possible, and we still spent $2400 across 4 park days at Disney and Universal. So fun, but if you have consumer debt, it can really slow you down!
$799 was the average paid off. This was about how much our first apartment rent cost per month. But I mean, that’s been 10 years ago.
$799 is also the equivalent of 205 gallons of chocolate milk. I’ve been running a lot lately and man, chocolate milk hits after a long run.
Numbers only move if people act—which brings us to this week’s check-in!
Weekly Check In!
How Much Did You Pay Off This Week?
⏱ 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!
Sponsorship
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Based on the envelope system, Dollar Designator makes it incredibly easy to spend and save within your means.
Just make envelopes and split up your income and expenses across them. It’s that easy!
Check out my how-to video right here:
This is a budget app I had a direct hand in bringing to you all, so I’m really excited about it. You can try it completely risk free (no credit card required).
Intro Offer:
The first 100 to sign up will get it for only $24.95 for the first year. Again, when you sign up, you’ll get a 60-day free trial which doesn’t require a credit or debit card.
Caleb’s Actionable Strategy
Don’t Miss Your Subscription Renewal
I know I’ve talked about this recently but we got bit last week, so the wound is fresh.
Action: This week, go check what subscriptions you have. If there’s something you aren’t using, cancel it. Right. Now.
We had this supplement subscription we didn’t feel was helping. When we signed up, we’d set a reminder for a few days in advance of the renewal to re-evaluate. We did re-evaluate and we decided to cancel it. But we didn’t cancel it in time. We got charged, it shipped out, and it’s not returnable.
So learn from our mistakes.
Member Spotlight
Brian’s Already Paid Off Over $2300!
Brian is new to his payoff journey but he’s already kicking it into high gear. $2352 paid off from his debt and working towards that sweet sweet victory of no longer being chained to the banks.
Right now, his biggest challenge is cutting out financial services that charge high maintenance fees. It’s taking away available cash to throw at his debt.
Brian is trying to pay off extra with his side gigs of his store on eBay, Poshmark, and Mercari. Such a good way if you’ve got some things around the house you don’t need anymore. Keep knocking out the debt!
If you want to be featured, fill this out! Any amount of debt payoff is worth celebrating here in the member spotlight.
Caleb’s Challenge Update
Progress We Made Towards Our Payoff
Goal: Pay off our remaining mortgage ($70k) by our 10-year anniversary on June 17, 2027 (less than a year left).
241 days left
Mortgage Balance on January 1st, 2026: $70,000
Current Mortgage Balance: $46,599.53 (▼$167.51 since last week)
Balance paid off since start of challenge: $23,400.47
Source: Paycheck, a bonus, savings, interest, an Escrow surplus payment, Etsy poster sales, selling scrap metal, a bicycle, a TV cabinet, and a laptop
*This includes monthly principal payments as well as additional payments.
Current Mortgage Balance
This week, we had some of our extra come from debit cashback, and the rest come from savings!
Refer a friend and receive my quick-start guide for saving money TODAY on your existing expenses.
That’s it for this week! I already can’t wait for next couple week’s editions as we start getting numbers to include. If you have any feedback, respond to this email or drop me a line at [email protected].
Till next week!
Caleb
