Holy ****, people. Just...wow. My victory isn't going to be as potent as many of yours, but to me, it's the most financially rewarding thing I've managed in years. Decades, even.
Last year, I was burried under a small mountain of debt, in the form of a truck payment and credit cards. The truck was easy enough: I sold it. I twisted my work's arm JUST a little and got them to pay for a T-pass to get free bus and train rides into work. As far as benefits go, it was pretty cheap for my work, and saved me hundreds a month.
Anyway, I started taking the money that would have gone into my truck's debt, and instead I put that into my credit cards. The credit cards weren't a lot, per se, but it seemed like every month I'd toss $400 at one card, and then somehow still spend $350 or more on the same card. I wasn't really getting unburied all that fast, I was just barely keeping the hole from going deeper.
So, I started getting aggressive in ways to cut back. Lowered the Internet speeds. Paid the early termination fees in in order to drop my cell phone carrier and went to a 3G plan with Republic Wireless. Limited my food budgets and cut back on some of my going out money (although I did still go out, just a little more responsibly).
Finally, I got the idea of targeting my highest interest credit card with payments, and not spending anything on it. Once it was paid off, I moved to the next one. I had four cards, total. My goal was to get these paid of in 2014, so that I could start 2015 without credit card debt. Unfortunately my cat got sick in December, and that cost me about $750 to get her well again. So the credit cards still existed in part by 2015.
Still, I just got my paycheck today, and with this one, I have paid off the last of my credit cards. Zero dollars owed on any of 'em. ZERO. I even had one card with a $47 balance that wouldn't have been due until Feb 28th. I paid it too, just to ACTUALLY have a real zero balance. Now my YNAB screen shows me as having a positive net worth. That's not factoring in student loans, but hey, one mountain at a time.
You guys, and the guys over at Reddit, both helped me a lot with my personal budget. You told me the things I didn't want to hear, and you gave me positive reinforcement when I needed it. My girlfriend was also a constant in a sea of change. It's good to have good people.
Thanks guys and gals!