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: Don’t forget your FSA!
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 $675 last week! That’s enough for a good backup generator. Nice to have in the midwest during the spring, trust me.
$225 was the average paid off. That’s enough for some good coffee beans to make coffee at home for a year.
$225 is also the equivalent of 57 gallons of chocolate milk.
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!
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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 Forget to Use Your FSA!
Now that it’s November, you’ve got two months left to use your healthcare FSA or dependent care FSA! These are tax advantaged accounts, but cannot be carried over to the following year.
Action: This week, go check the balance of your FSA(s) if you have one. Make a plan for using it before the end of the year so you don’t lose the funds!
One year, we had an FSA that still had a few hundred dollars in it at the end of December. Since FSAs cannot be carried over into the next year, I bought a bunch of bandaids, bandages, ibuprofen, first aid kits, and a scale from the FSA store on Amazon.
Use it or lose it!
Member Spotlight
I Want to Celebrate Your Progress!
But I need your help to do it. Get featured here for your wins!
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).
234 days left
Mortgage Balance on January 1st, 2026: $70,000
Current Mortgage Balance: $46,399.53 (▼$200 since last week)
Balance paid off since start of challenge: $23,600.47
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 just put some extra from savings at the house. Pretty stoked for next week’s mortgage payment to hit!
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
