Dear Debt, I’m Going to Defeat You

Hey everyone! Hope you’re having a great week. We have another inspiring dear debt letter, this time from Mortimer. Mortimer is a recent law school graduate and father of three beautiful children working to overcome nearly $250,000 in student loan and other consumer debts. He blogs about his path to doing so in just five years—by December 2020—at Mortimer’s Money Machines. The blog contains free calculators to help you on your own path to debt freedom. He’d love to have your support and hear your stories about conquering debt! 

Dear Debt:

Thank you. Thank you for giving me, at long last, the clarity to find a solid vision plan for my future: financial independence. Thank you for teaching me how to exercise my own resourcefulness in times when I lost my job, had a new baby, and barely knew how to claw my way to the next car, credit, and student loan payment. Thank you for teaching me about finding happiness even in those times.

Thank you for teaching me the value of spending time with my kids because I didn’t have money to do anything else. Thank you for teaching me how to feed those children with thrifty meals that still provide lots of nutritional value. Thank you for reminding me about the incredible resource that is our public library, just over a mile from our house, and situated next to a massive public park. Thank you for encouraging me to bike to work and school with the kids.

But you’ve taught me all you can. It’s time to move on. Over $200,000 in student loan debt, and almost $250,000 in total debt is just too damn much. And now that you’ve taught me everything you can, I don’t need you anymore. As long as you’re around, I’ll never be free. So now I’m going to use everything you taught me to defeat you.

I bootstrapped and stayed up late while still working 50+ hour weeks to create a new website and debt freedom calculator so I could see just how quickly I can crush you. Then I created a true wage calculator so I could find ways to boost my real income without getting a raise. Now others can too.

Your days are numbered. You’ll be gone in five years, if not sooner, one way or another. Any last words?

With resolve,
—Mortimer

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Melanie

Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health. Every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide. In addition to her love of personal finance, art and music, she is also a karaoke master and a cat mom to Miles and Thelonious.

Latest posts by Melanie (see all)

• Talking About Money and Mental Health - September 12, 2022
• Dear Debt, We’re Better Apart - June 27, 2022
• Announcing The Mental Health and Wealth Summit - May 4, 2021