Courtesy Laura Dunn The debt avalanche strategy is helping Laura Dunn and her fiancé pay off credit card debt.
- The average US wedding cost $33,931 in 2018.
- My fiancé and I aren't spending quite that much - a total of $28,964 that we're splitting with my parents - but we're also clearing out debt at the same time we're paying for our dream wedding.
- Using the debt avalanche strategy, I'm putting $1,200 per month towards my credit cards. By the time we get married in March 2020, I'll have paid off all but $2,602.
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I started my wedding Pinterest board years before I met my fiancé, Johnny. And now that Pinterest has board "sections," it's worse. I have two boards (one private, one for my bridal party), 45 sections, and 968 pins, ranging from attire to DIY. I can't wait to marry Johnny next March.
I'm excited because we are definitely having the wedding of our dreams, and though we're not quite spending what the average US couple shelled out last year - $33,931, according The Knot's 2018 Real Wedding Study, let alone the $44,000 that so many other couples spent last year per Brides' 2018 American Wedding Study - the total cost of our wedding is $28,964 (we're splitting it 50/50 with my parents and our share is $14,000).
We're paying off $23,000 in credit card debt at the same time
My fiancé and I ran the numbers to figure out what we could afford before we made any wedding decisions. The first thing we decided to do was pay off my $23,000 in credit card debt. So this effort doesn't go to waste, we aren't using any plastic to pay for the wedding.
To pay off my credit cards, we're using the debt avalanche strategy. That's when you start by paying off your highest-interest debt while continuing to make the minimum monthly payments on any other debts, then working your way through your debts.
The other debt-payoff strategy is called the debt snowball - you pay off the smallest balances first and work your way up, which gives you some positive reinforcement.
The nitty-gritty numbers
Using the avalanche strategy, I'm putting $1,200 toward my five credit cards monthly. (Before this, I used to contribute $915 - when my car was paid off in June, I was able to add almost $300 more.) By the time our wedding day arrives, I'll have paid off all but $2,602 (compound interest notwithstanding).
In addition to debt, thanks to my side gig as a freelance writer, I'm able to contribute extra money towards the wedding. Between the two of us, my fiancé and I transfer $1,050 or more into a savings account each month. (This depends on how much extra income I bring in, but the minimum between us is always $1,050.)
How we're doing it all
To stay within my monthly budget, I've had to opt out of a lot of vacations with friends and family - such as our annual ski trip, summer tubing, and annual pass to a local water park - which makes me feel flaky. Thankfully, everyone has been very understanding, which makes it easier.
Plus, we've found ways to spend time together in free or low-cost ways, such as visiting coffee shops, hanging out at home, and making use of $5 Tuesday at AMC movie theater.
In addition to saying "no" more times than I'm saying "yes," I use Google Docs and a budget to keep myself in check. (I plan out my month based on what I can afford from my $50 entertainment fund.) But my best tool by far is the accountability I have with my husband-to-be.
Sometimes it's uncomfortable, but our relationship has blossomed as a result of our hard-core honesty and dedication to eliminating debt.
- Read more:
- How combining finances is helping this couple pay off nearly $300,000 in debt
- A couple who paid off $133,000 in debt, including 16 student loans, swears by a stunningly simple trick to keep from overspending
- How to use a balance transfer card to pay off your credit card debt, in 5 steps
- A man who paid off $118,000 in 5 years started by channeling his rage into a 'debt tornado'