who Will win $10,000?

Congratulations to our Season 11 Project Money teams! Apply now to be a part of our 12th season.

TOTAL SAVINGS INCREASE: $80,863 | TOTAL DEBT REDUCTION: $62,442

Congratulations to our Season 11 Project Money teams! Apply now to be a part of our 12th season.

TOTAL SAVINGS INCREASE: $80,863 | TOTAL DEBT REDUCTION: $62,442

CONGRATULATIONS JEFF AND SUE OUR $10,000 WINNERS! SUMMIT CREDIT UNION PROJECT MONEY

Meet the season 11 Teams

Jeff & Sue

Savings Increase: $36,080 Debt Reduction: $11,384

Read Their Story

Congratulations, Jeff and Sue, on winning season 11 of Project Money – and the $10,000 prize! We’re proud to see how far this couple has come on their road to winning the competition. By re-establishing their savings and setting up a plan for the future, they feel financially liberated for the first time. By the end of the program, they reached each of the goals they had set and even surprised themselves with what they achieved along the way. Way to go!

Their advice for owning your finances:

Meet with a financial advisor to take a look at where you are and where you’d like to be
Create a budget and learn to stick to it
Run your family’s finances like a business: Money in – expenses = money saved!
Have honest conversations about finances and hold each other accountable
Use Summit’s Climbr tool to manage your finances. It puts everything related to your finances right in front of you!

2019…What an Amazing Year!

December 31, 2019

Jeff and Sue

Well folks, here we are at our final blog of Project Money Season 11! This has been an incredible journey these past seven months as well as a gratifying experience. If we were told how much we would accomplish in this time, we would have thought that you were crazy. There was no way we could do all that in seven months! But, look at us now – we actually did!

Graduated and Moving On (and out)

December 26, 2019

Jeff and Sue

As some of you know, our son spent five years in the Marine Corps and is currently utilizing the GI Bill to further his education. This last Thursday, he graduated from Madison College with an Associate Degree as a Liberal Arts Transfer student. He has been accepted at UW-Stevens Point where he will continue to pursue a degree in wildlife law enforcement.

A Special Day of Giving

December 18, 2019

Jeff and Sue

Since we were little, we were always being reminded that Christmas is the season of giving. When we were young it was all about what we wanted from Santa, with little thought of others. When we became parents, we focused on making Christmas special for our own families. As we get older, it is easy to get caught up in the commercialism of the holidays and we can often lose sight of what is really important.

See the rest of
their journey

Emily

Savings Increase: $17,282 Debt Reduction: $8,355

Read Her Story

Emily set out to achieve financial freedom in her Project Money experience. By maintaining a budget and cutting back on excess spending, she was able to get there. She’s built up an emergency savings and has a rock-solid plan established, putting her well on the way to meeting her long-term goals. But she also realized that keeping healthy spending habits doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself from time to time. Most importantly, the lessons she learned in Project Money have helped her remove anxiety around finances and find peace of mind. Keep it up, Emily!

Her advice for owning your finances:

Don’t wait! We all need to start somewhere. The sooner the better!
Avoid overspending on your credit card. Paying your bill weekly can help keep track of exactly how much you’re charging and whether it’s sustainable
Use automated transfers wherever you can. This way, you guarantee that your minimum debt payments will be made each month
Prioritize savings if you’re able, so you can withstand any unexpected expenses

final days of project money

December 31, 2019

Emily

As I walk into the final days of Project Money, I’m taking a moment to reflect. Reflect on the progress I’ve made and how far I have come over the last seven months. Budgeting, saving and paying off debt is hard. There are a lot of distractions when you are trying to reach those goals.

Some things I’ve learned through Project Money:

Benefits Planning for 2020

December 26, 2019

Emily

This is the time of year that your employer may have sent out notices that it’s time for your annual elections. Normally, I would have left my elections for benefits as is, but this year I decided to reevaluate to make sure I was making the most of what is offered to me.

Unplanned Vet Trips

December 18, 2019

Emily

“You take your dogs to the vet a lot,” my brother told me during our Thanksgiving gathering. Yes it’s true, I had to make another visit to the vet for both of my dogs. This time it was Ranger’s regular scheduled checkup, but he tested positive for Anaplasmosis, a tick born infection. Well, I knew exactly where this came from, our trip to Door County at the end of October. I also decided to take Remi in for a test once I found Ranger had the infection, and she tested positive too. Again, this month consisted of more unexpected costs from the dogs. But that is life, right!?

See the rest of
their journey

Becky & Steve

Savings Increase: $17,043 Debt Reduction: $25,979

Read Their Story

Becky and Steve complete their Project Money experience with a renewed outlook on their financial life. Setting spending limits and learning to avoid relying on credit has helped them break the frustrating cycle of debt. Not only did they pay off their home equity line of credit (HELOC) and other debt that had been holding them back, they did it ahead of schedule. They’re planning to keep up their momentum, scheduling quarterly meetings with their Summit coach in 2020. What’s next financially? Tackling college costs for their two kids and enjoying a family trip to Hawaii. Keep owning it, guys!

Their advice for owning your finances:

Meet with a Summit Financial Coach to get a budget established, then track it on Summit’s Climbr tool
Spend within your means – if you don’t have it, don’t spend it!
Find an accountability partner to help you stay on track to achieving your goals
Set up several savings accounts and name each one – then budget how much to place into each on a monthly basis

our final blog

December 31, 2019

Becky and Steve

Wow! I cannot believe it has been seven months since we started this journey. In the past seven months, we have saved over $13,000, paid off over $20,000 in debt, started several savings accounts to save for future use, doubled our 401K giving and continued to tithe to local and international missions. Additionally, we’ve paid cash for two vacations, paid cash for Christmas gifts, helped our son pay for college, learned how to truly set up and stick to a budget, and most of all, changed our mindset on our finances and put into place good financial habits.

Pre-made meals

December 26, 2019

Becky and Steve

With both of us working full-time jobs, we have often wondered if it would be less hassle to just order meals from one of the many meal services that are available. My sister gave us a gift card for a local meal service located in Wauwatosa. We ended up getting three meals and a dessert with the $100. The first two meals were four servings, which fed three people with no leftovers and you still had to add a side to the meal, whether it was rice or a salad, etc. The third meal was six servings, which fed four people, with our added bread.

Better to Give than to Receive

December 18, 2019

Becky and Steve

As we wrap up 2019, I am reminded of how grateful and thankful I am of all we have been blessed with, especially in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. One of the things we committed to earlier on this year was to give 10% of our income to support local missions that were near and dear to our heart. Our church, Soles for Jesus, Fort Wilderness, Compassion International, and K-Love.

See the rest of
their journey

Emily & Ginger

Savings Increase: $10,457 Debt Reduction: $16,722

Read Their Story

Seven months of savvy money habits have made all the difference for Emily and Ginger. By establishing a budget and focusing on a detailed repayment strategy, this debt-reducing duo completely transformed their financial standing. Paying off their car loan and credit debt and slashing into their student loans have made Emily and Ginger optimistic about their daily and monthly outlook. They’ve even been able to look toward long-term goals like moving into a new home and saving for their kids’ college education. We know the best is yet to come!

Their advice for owning your finances:

Creating a budget is the first step in changing your habits for the better
Hold routine “money meetings” to take stock of your financial situation
Evaluate different strategies of saving and debt reduction, then create a plan that’s right for you!

final reflections

December 31, 2019

Emily and Ginger

As the end of the year closes in, we feel very proud of how far we have come throughout our journey in Project Money. We are ending this year in a completely different place than where we began, and we feel confident and optimistic about our financial outlook for the coming year and beyond. We are so grateful to Summit Credit Union for this opportunity and for our whole community that has been cheering us on every step of the way. Many people have asked us what we have learned or what changes we have made.

Winding Down and Gearing Up

December 26, 2019

Emily and Ginger

This is our second to last blog with Project Money season 11. What a journey it's been! So much of our experience over the last seven months has been centered on reducing our debt, increasing our savings, and working towards building a sustainable budget. We've had many successes, including paying off our credit cards and our car loan. We refinanced our student loans and increased our savings and retirement contributions.

we did it!

December 18, 2019

Emily and Ginger

This week we made some major progress on two of our goals: moving forward with refinancing our student loans and signing up for a family cell phone plan with extended family!

See the rest of
their journey

Search form

Search form