One word to describe Steph: passionate. She entered Project Money feeling ready to soak up every bit of knowledge from her Summit Financial Coach, in hopes of gaining back her financial security and being able to purchase more income properties. Thanks to her driven nature and crafty ability to pick up new skills, Steph successfully paid off four credit cards and one personal loan and saved thousands of dollars. Keep crushing it, Steph!Her top insights:

1. Use Summit’s Climbr^® app consistently to see spending in real time and stick to a budget.
2. Use a calculator! I spent a lot of time using my calculator at the grocery store or creating a budget every time I got paid. When money was super tight, I found myself really paying attention to wants vs. needs.
3. Try a checkbook app – I found one that helps me track how much is in my checking account after I pay all my bills on payday.

Her “aha” moment:“I created a spreadsheet of my expenses. I was struggling to understand how someone like me, who makes a decent living, was struggling financially. That spreadsheet was very apparent – I was clearly overspending. It was then that I realized I was in trouble if I didn’t change.”