3 Steps to Beating Debt Stress

Show Notes

• Guest: Christine Lee
• Host: Tara Alderete
• Publication Date: February 3, 2026

Highlights

• Christine talks about the slow accumulation of debt as the family’s expenses outpaced their inconsistent income.
• Christine talks about being on the other side of her debt repayment journey and how the discipline she’s learned has set her up for long-term success.
• Christine and Tara discuss why it’s so important to get help quickly if you’re struggling with debt, and why Christine doesn’t believe she would have been able to get out of debt on her own.
• Christine talks about how quickly her five year plan went by, especially once she started to feel the momentum of her success.
• Christine and Tara talk about how being free from debt allows you to enjoy the rest of your life so much more.

Episode Transcript

Note: Transcripts are machine-generated and may contain errors.

Tara: Hello, and welcome to Long Story Short. Christine Lee from Corona, California, joins me today to talk about her debt payoff journey. Christine paid off more than $40,000 in credit card debt in five years, which is just incredible. I'm really excited to learn more. Debt—we've all heard of it. Most of us have it. Debt seems to be an unavoidable reality of life. But what happens when it starts consuming life?

Here at Money Management International, we believe that financial challenges aren't meant to be faced alone. On this podcast, we hear stories of people whose lives have been changed by MMI. Their stories are unique, personal, and inspiring. Stay tuned. We're sharing each guest's long story. Short. Christine, welcome to the show.

Christine Lee: Hi, thanks.

Tara: I really appreciate you being here today. Before we jump in, tell us a little bit more about you.

Christine Lee: Sure. I live in Southern California, and I was kind of born and raised here. I enjoy, you know, the sunshine out here, you know, so being outdoors, of course, the beach. We do a large family, so I have four kids. I'm married and just really enjoy the sunshine, the beach, biking. I used to run—not so much anymore these days—but my knees are, you know, not what they used to be. But, you know, just generally like to be active.

Tara: Wonderful. Well, Southern California is the place to be for that kind of stuff. I envy you, especially in the winter. So I appreciate it. Christine, it looks like you began working with us here at MMI after just making minimum payments and seeing, like, little movement on your debt. So I wanted to ask, what was happening during that time before you reached out, and how did you find us?

Christine Lee: Sure. We had started seeing our finances, you know, overspending a little bit above what we could handle. And then obviously those just snowballing. So really, you know, you start with one credit card, spend a little, pay it off, spend a little, pay it off. But, you know, year over year, month over month, as those things continue, it just really snowballed to where it was unmanageable.

You know, years ago, we were kind of struggling on one income, partially two income. So it just really—our finances were somewhat unstable in the income. So through the years, you know, again, that did snowball. And, you know, one credit card leads to two, that leads to three, and so on. And so we were actually able to come to a spot where we were really feeling pretty stuck. Then you're paying a minimum, but it's not even putting a dent in your principal.

So with that being said, you know, we reached out to our bank. You know, we bank with B of A, and we kind of talked to them, and they had some debt management, which at the time we had no idea existed. And then going through our bank, we were confident that they were reputable, and we thought, okay, well, maybe we do look into this and maybe we really think about this. Because then in essence, they were really able to help manage that interest to where our payments were, in fact, putting a dent into our principal, which then would allow us to actually have a reasonable chance to be debt-free.

Tara: You know, I love that you said that because I think a lot of times we sort of forget about how important the folks on our regular financial team can be, our insurance agent and our bank and our financial institutions. And folks like that can really provide some valuable resources and recommendations. So I appreciate that you shared that. And yeah, you know, that debt can then snowball, and the interest rates can be just simply overwhelming and make it feel like you'll never get out. 28 to 30 years seems like something that you could never accomplish. So you came to us. I'd like to ask what your experience was like working with the counselors at MMI.

Christine Lee: Sure. It was all positive. Honestly, we, you know, we got a phone number, we called them up, we were in contact right away. They provided pretty much all the information we needed. I'm kind of a question asker. I didn't really even have to ask them any questions. It was pretty simple, honestly. It was efficient.

I mean, at the time, it's kind of crazy to think about now, but it was right at the cusp of COVID, actually. So it was right at that, like, March 2020 timeframe. We had obviously been struggling prior to that. And so, you know, a lot of things were uncertain at that time, but MMI really was very seamless. You know, there was really no delay, troubles, problems. And then we just really got started. I want to even say, honestly, like the next month or within weeks, we were able to really switch our payments and make them effective.

Tara: Pretty quickly. That's great to hear. You know, I wanted to ask you, COVID and then just life situations happen. And I think it's so easy to experience one setback, and then it sort of snowballs and we get completely thrown off track. How have you safeguarded your finances against unexpected situations today after completing the program?

Christine Lee: Generally speaking, our income is manageable based on our expenses. But once you get that debt inserted into there, then you really are living paycheck to paycheck. So you're not able to set anything aside. There's truly no extra for anything. I mean, regardless of like vacations or, you know, I mean, you have no extra.

So now that we have been able to come out to the other side, we can actually use, I mean, at that point, you mentioned, you know, $40,000 in five years. I mean, we were paying close to $1,000 a month. So we had $1,000 a month, but it wasn't going anywhere.

So now being on this side, you know, we're able to set aside hundreds of dollars, and we're able to snowball that in the positive way. So, I mean, it does take discipline, obviously. It does take planning.

But I think between the planning, the discipline, and being on this side of debt, even $100 a month, you get $1,000 a year for whatever, you know, expected, unexpected things, car maintenance, so on and so on. So between those three things, planning, discipline, and then really choosing to set that extra that now is available, that has become available aside.

Tara: So planning, discipline, and really being structured about your consistent savings, it sounds like, is what you're doing to make sure when life happens, you are ready to handle it. And that's wonderful. I think we were able to get interest rates lowered to around 5% on average, which is the thing that makes that big dent and makes it possible to pay off this debt so quickly.

You keep talking about this idea of coming out the other side, and I love the way that you put that. It's almost like you sort of go through this journey, and then you come out the other side, and it's like, wow, the sun is shining. It's a whole new day.

So I wanted to ask, what advice would you give somebody else who's in a similar situation, just simply struggling with debt and feeling like they'll never be able to get out to that other side?

Christine Lee: Honestly, we had no idea these types of assistance or companies existed. So, I mean, it's really, it is just one of those things where it was the light. I mean, like you mentioned, I mean, credit cards are at what, 25%, 23, 25? And so, I mean, comparably, it's just astronomical.

And I think that I would just say to somebody, I mean, it's a cycle, right? That's the hard part, is it's a cycle, and you really feel like you're barely getting by. But I do think in our situation, it wasn't too late per se, but we should have done this many years ago. I mean, we should have got earlier. Like, I think anybody who's incurred debt knows after a year or two years or three years, this is going south.

Tara: Yeah.

Christine Lee: So I would say try to get ahead as early as possible because it's very slow in the sense where you build to that upside down scenario where you're paying money, but nothing is going down. That is sort of slow in a sense. So I would say when you see those signs coming or you clearly know this is the direction we're going, to try to be early.

So, I mean, we probably incurred that debt. I mean, we did incur that debt over years.

Tara: Sure.

Christine Lee: So we had no idea this was out there. So, I mean, that's also part of why I agreed to do this because it did help us. And I do want other people to know about, you know, this company and service. Because truly, I do firmly believe we would never have gotten out of $40,000 without this.

Tara: So it brings me to another question. You know, this podcast is really all about breaking that stigma around debt so that people do know services are available and that they do feel more comfortable in reaching out. It's amazing that we all have. It's something common, yet we rarely talk about it. So what do you think that individuals and nonprofits like MMI can do or are doing to sort of break that stigma and make a change?

Christine Lee: Sure. I mean, I do think that it is there. There is that stigma because people don't want to necessarily admit they don't have it under control. And money, right? Like money is always a thing, right? It's status or it, you know, whatever. So I think these positive experiences also I think are kind of rare, honestly. I think that maybe people have tried things, you know, quick loans or I don't know. There are so many things out there, but the majority of them are negative or they're a quick fix. But really, finance and money is not a quick fix. It's not a quick fix.

So I think in that respect, it's really just having the persistence. And then I don't know, honestly, truly, I think if you know people, just even person to person who has something, you know, I think that word of mouth, you know, is a great thing also, right? Like how did that happen? Or because I really, I mean, you know, the phrase is kind of silly, but I mean, you don't know what you don't know. So I think kind of getting it out there and word of mouth and just elaborating on the positive experiences. Personally also, you know, I've had a myriad of the negative ones too that just, you know, make things worse or, you know, put more on your debt.

Tara: Yeah. I think to your point, you know, we hear about those negative experiences so often that it's almost a little bit scary or it feels like it might be too good to be true. But you've said a couple of times, you know, that this doesn't happen overnight. You can see the signs coming. And when you do, you should reach out immediately. And it's true. You know, it doesn't happen overnight and you're not going to get out of debt overnight. There is no quick fix, but you can get out of debt in significantly less amount of time than you would, you know, going it alone, making minimum payments. So it really is a journey. It is a journey. Life is a journey. Debt is a journey. Financial wellness is a journey. And it's so much more than paying off debt. So what was the most important thing you learned on this part of your financial journey?

Christine Lee: Your money is tied so much to your well-being. I mean, who you are, your emotions, your stress. I mean, it's foundational to life, to your lifestyle. So I think in that respect, the shifting from kind of despair, I mean, when you're thousands of dollars in debt, you think like, what am I going to do? It's so much stress.

And so the shift from that to the idea that there are tangible steps, there is an actual plan. And if I keep to it, there's light at the end of the tunnel. I mean, five years sounds like a long time, but honestly, it kind of felt like it went quickly, to be honest.

Because again, the snowball in the other direction, like you start with, you know, payment one, and then it grows to payment two, and then it grows to payment three, and then you see thousands of dollars coming off of you, and you're like, oh my goodness. And that momentum keeps going. And then in the positive way, it shifts your whole life. Like your stress is lessening. You become hopeful. Like, okay, this is actually possible. So you go from that despair to that, okay, I can have a future again. I can have a future again.

You know, like I can think about having a car again. I can think about, you know, there's all these things that open up. And so I think that that's something that I learned is that it really is just kind of that one tiny payment that starts and then that snowball, but it really does help as a whole of you as a person and your stress and your daily life.

Because let's face it, when you are in debt, you are thinking about it every single day. Every single day, it's on your mind. Every single day, you're stressed about what are you going to do. Every time you purchase something, you still have that looming debt of, can I afford this? So really, it's that huge shift. And I think that that's something I experienced and something that I learned. There's so much hope in a lot of ways that impacts a myriad of areas of my life.

Tara: It's so exciting, this idea of moving from despair to hope. I love it. And I think you explained it perfectly, the way that people feel. It feels crushing, and it feels like it is ever present. You did it. You moved from despair to hope. You paid off over $40,000 in credit card debt, which again, is just simply amazing. So what does being debt-free mean to you? What now?

Christine Lee: The burden of stress alone has been invaluable. Yeah. And like I said, I mean, purchasing things, it feels free. You know, even if it's, you know, a $5 thing on Amazon, prior to this, you know, you feel the debt and the weight of, oh, can I afford this or whatever, even though it's literally $5, right? Because that's how debt goes. I mean, you put 100% of everything into your debt. So I think the freedom of that.

And then now the holidays are not awful because you have to think through finances again, you know, because I mean, we're there now, right? We're past Thanksgiving. We're into the holidays. You know, you want extra special treats. You want to be giving. You want, you know, but within the confines of debt, it's stress versus now in the confines of structure and hopefulness and zero debt.

I mean, I can truly say like now we're in a manageable place where we do not have debt and we do give and spend in Christmas time, but we feel happy and confident versus stress and like, oh, we're just adding thousands to an insurmountable amount anyway. So I mean, I think that that's where we are and where we're going. And you know, again, with discipline and consistency year over year, the holidays can be enjoyable, having friends, family, you know, because all those, unfortunately, cost.

It costs to do all those things and the tree lightings and the cocoa and the fun things, unfortunately, in life cost money. And so I think that that's something we can also even pass to our children, right? Like our kids can now see we're not all frazzled and stressed out and, oh, sorry, you can't have that treat this time. We can't afford it or we don't have money or whatever. It's the next generation. Our kids can see that and our kids can, you know, in essence, benefit from that kind of worry-free mom instead of the stressed out, we have thousands of dollars that are not going anywhere.

Tara: Yeah. You've said it perfectly throughout. It really does affect every aspect of your daily life. So I love it. Again, this idea of moving from despair to hope is just wonderful. It gives you a good warm feeling to take with you for the rest of your day. Christine, I have loved talking to you today. Was there anything else that you wanted to share with us?

Christine Lee: It is a journey and it does take discipline and work. And I mean, I don't want to discount that. We've done it. So it's possible. You know, you just have to really invest in yourselves. I mean, that's what it is. It's the hard work upfront and it's the consistency, but it will pay off if you're disciplined and consistent. And it really is invaluable to have that stress go from your life.

Tara: Yes. Thank you so very much. It was a pleasure to meet you and to talk to you. And I appreciate your candor and the conversation. And you have a wonderful season.

Christine Lee: Thank you.

Tara: This guest is a real MMI client whose success is a result of hard work and dedication.

While MMI cannot guarantee results, taking early action can increase available options and improve long-term outcomes.

Thanks for listening to this episode of Long Story Short, brought to you by Money Management International. To learn more about our work and how we're helping people in all walks of life repay debt, balance their budget, and find lasting financial peace of mind, visit moneymanagement.org.

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