One thing I never thought I could do was buy a house of my own, especially as a single mother! Living with undiagnosed ADHD as an adult I changed my mind a few times in college and now have ALOT of school loans but only two Associates Degrees. While these college credits , jobs and life experience has taught me to really be observant in life and learn to read people and adapt quickly, I did not learn to save money. When I was 21 I NEVER thought I would be a single Mother at age 30 with 2 kids and a job that does not pay very much and a crappy rental house. But, there I was two young boys and struggling to pay rent. I had to work two jobs to survive financially.
I knew at this point it was time to buy my own house that provided a stable environment for my boys and I. I started by going to my bank and pulling my credit report. You need to just rip the band aid off and see where you stand debt wise.
(ADHD Moment) *One very important thing……..make contacts! find people you know that can answer questions you may have or guidance.
Okay back on topic. Start with your smallest credit card or bill and just pay it off when you have the funds. if you have any debt from a divorce call them and tell them that debt was from your divorce and you want to dispute it. Next, pick a credit card bill to satrt making BIG payments on and the minimum on the others. They call it the “snowball effect” I have posted the link below to read about it more in depth.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/what-is-a-debt-snowball
I also used this app called Digit that actually helped me pay off different credit cards by taking small amounts and paid my credit card for me. This is the link below.
https://digit.co/r/-1ROrhefkV?ab
When I received my tax return I paid off most of credit cards to get beloew a 30% balance. Once I did that I spoke with a mortage broker to start the process to be preapproved for a home mortage. Now do not forget this will take time and does not happen overnight so be PATIENT. Being a Mom with ADHD patience is not an easy task for me. While I was patiently doing all this I also saved money as much as I could.One of my favorite cash back apps is IBOTTA. Before each grocery store trip I go through the app and look for items that I can get cash back on and add it to my list. One trip I was able to get $20 cash back! Check out IBOTTA with this link down below. ( I do not work for IBOTTA, I am just giving my experience with this app) It was the easiest for me to navigate and use.
https://ibotta.onelink.me/iUfE/8cc13c64?friend_code=jcsljkyhttps://ibotta.onelink.me/iUfE/8cc13c64?friend_code=jcsljky
Hey! Check out the Dosh app. It pays you automatically when you shop and dine out. Download the app, link a card, and start getting cash back. https://link.dosh.cash/MARINAT5
Here’s my QuicksilverOne referral link: https://capital.one/2IJ8lbs
Once I finally paid off what I could and kept in contact with my broker and real estate agent I was Finally able to start shopping for a house. Now there is a lot more details to this but this should at least get you started. Feel free to comment with any questions!
https://youtube.com/channel/UC78-rONVNUTerLkre7MgeMA
