This 28-year-old used "No Spend January" to kickstart paying off her debt

Julissa Mercedes is a 28-year-old living in San Diego, California. Despite working a job that pays her a six-figure salary, she still doesn’t feel like she can spend her money freely.

This year, she decided to participate in “No Spend January,” a challenge to only spend money on the bare necessities for a whole month. No takeout, no coffees, no shopping sprees. She documented some of her experience on her Instagram account.

For Mercedes, this challenge was part of a larger plan to get her finances under control. After taking on thousands of dollars of debt in her early 20s, she now has the goal of paying it all off by the end of the year.

To hear the rest of her story, click the audio player above.