The Question That Changed My Financial Mindset

July 9, 2026

I walked into my second meeting with my financial coach thinking we were going to talk about budgets. Instead, she completely changed the way I think about retirement and debt.

I admitted that I had been hesitant to turn my 401(k) contributions back on because I was worried about how much they would reduce my paycheck. I wanted every extra dollar I could get. My coach reminded me that my company matches my contributions, which means that by not contributing, I was essentially walking away from free money.

Then she asked me a question that completely stopped me in my tracks: “Why are you so worried about paying yourself through your 401(k), but not worried about paying interest to your credit card companies?”

I didn't really have an answer.

Next, she started opening my credit card statements, and I quickly realized I had never actually read one before. I pay my bills every month, but I had never taken the time to understand where my payments were going or how much I was paying in interest. As we started adding everything up, I was shocked to discover that I had already paid around $1,400 in interest this year alone.

Seeing that number made everything click. I had spent so much time worrying about losing money by investing in my future, but I wasn't paying nearly enough attention to how much money I was giving away in interest. Looking back, it was a difficult realization, but an important one.

The best part of the meeting wasn't just identifying the problem—it was leaving with a plan. Together, we mapped out a strategy to start paying down my debt. Part of that plan includes opening a Summit Credit Union credit card with a 0% introductory interest rate to transfer some of my balances.

I'll admit, my first reaction was fear. Opening another credit card sounded completely backwards. But this isn't about creating more debt. It's about stopping interest from piling up while I work to pay down what I already owe.

Honestly, I never even knew something like this was an option.

One thing I'm learning through Project Money is that there are tools and strategies available that I simply didn't know existed. For so long, I thought my only option was to keep making payments and hope I'd eventually get ahead. Now I have a plan.

I know it won't happen overnight, but for the first time, I feel like I'm making intentional decisions instead of simply reacting to my finances. And that's a pretty good feeling.