Samantha and Michael Bahil had about $50,000 of car and student debt between them when they took out a $20,000 loan for their wedding.
Michael had a bachelor’s degree and his own student debt from SUNY Oneonta and had moved to Albany to work for an entertainment company headquartered there. The company was hit hard by digital music streaming and closing its stores, and Michael was doing email marketing and web merchandising there before he got laid off.
Just before the wedding, Michael got sick, and wound up diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. The regular treatments he needed would have cost $10,000 apiece, the couple said, if not for Michael’s health insurance and an assistance program. The Bahils analyzed their expenses and made a budget, cutting expenses where they could. They dropped their grocery budget from $1,000 a month to $700. When friends invited them over, they would bring pre-made meals to avoid ordering out. After a few months, they cut their cable subscription.Living “intentionally” helped them become debt-free in less than two years, in May 2018.