From 2011-2014, my husband and I paid off over $36,000 in debt ranging from credit cards to student loans to car loans - everything but our mortgage. Once it was paid off, I felt like we could breathe again. We bumped up our emergency fund, started a Roth IRA for each of us, and maxed them out. We also paid off the remaining student loan (another $16,000) my husband's parents had taken out for him back in the day. We downsized our house and moved closer to work, family, and the grocery store. :) Being out of debt, I was able to quit my job and take one for far less pay that made me much happier. I eventually switched to part time to go back to school to pursue a second degree. During this time, we bought a new-to-us car in cash, which turned out to be a lemon. After a few years of near constant issues, we gave up and traded it in for a much nicer new-to-us car, with a loan. It was fine, we could easily swing the payments and pay it off in about half the loan period, then we’d plan