* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

    ‘Wheel of Fortune’: Amputee Wins $60,000 After Breaking Incredible ‘Curse’ – Hastings Tribune

    Wheel of Fortune’ Amputee Breaks Incredible ‘Curse’ to Win $60,000!

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Emerging Memory and Storage Technology Market Analysis Report 2025-2034 | AI and HPC Boom Fuels Surging Demand for Fast, Low-Power Memory Devices – Yahoo Finance

    How AI and HPC Are Driving Explosive Growth in Fast, Low-Power Memory Technologies Through 2034

    Ostin Technology (OST): Volatility’s Warning or Contrarian Opportunity? – AInvest

    Ostin Technology (OST): Navigating Market Volatility – Red Flag or Hidden Opportunity?

    St. Francis Medical Center brings advanced robotic surgery technology to Northeast Louisiana – KNOE

    St. Francis Medical Center brings advanced robotic surgery technology to Northeast Louisiana – KNOE

    Wayve Expands Engineering Leadership to Power Next-Gen Autonomous Driving Technology – Silicon Canals

    Wayve Boosts Engineering Leadership to Accelerate Next-Gen Autonomous Driving Innovation

    Frontdoor Announces Tech Expert Dr. Bala Ganesh as Chief Technology Officer – Business Wire

    Frontdoor Appoints Tech Visionary Dr. Bala Ganesh as New Chief Technology Officer

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

    ‘Wheel of Fortune’: Amputee Wins $60,000 After Breaking Incredible ‘Curse’ – Hastings Tribune

    Wheel of Fortune’ Amputee Breaks Incredible ‘Curse’ to Win $60,000!

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

    North Star Sports & Entertainment Network: Coming soon – KTTC News

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Emerging Memory and Storage Technology Market Analysis Report 2025-2034 | AI and HPC Boom Fuels Surging Demand for Fast, Low-Power Memory Devices – Yahoo Finance

    How AI and HPC Are Driving Explosive Growth in Fast, Low-Power Memory Technologies Through 2034

    Ostin Technology (OST): Volatility’s Warning or Contrarian Opportunity? – AInvest

    Ostin Technology (OST): Navigating Market Volatility – Red Flag or Hidden Opportunity?

    St. Francis Medical Center brings advanced robotic surgery technology to Northeast Louisiana – KNOE

    St. Francis Medical Center brings advanced robotic surgery technology to Northeast Louisiana – KNOE

    Wayve Expands Engineering Leadership to Power Next-Gen Autonomous Driving Technology – Silicon Canals

    Wayve Boosts Engineering Leadership to Accelerate Next-Gen Autonomous Driving Innovation

    Frontdoor Announces Tech Expert Dr. Bala Ganesh as Chief Technology Officer – Business Wire

    Frontdoor Appoints Tech Visionary Dr. Bala Ganesh as New Chief Technology Officer

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Money Matters: How these gym instructors went from $50,000 in debt to being fiscally fit

June 18, 2023
in Business
Money Matters: How these gym instructors went from $50,000 in debt to being fiscally fit
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Samantha and Michael Bahil had about $50,000 of car and student debt between them when they took out a $20,000 loan for their wedding.

After the wedding, they wanted to buy a house but had no idea how. So, they got serious about paying off their debt.

Now the fitness instructors are homeowners, and debt-free aside from their mortgage.

Samantha, 33, who goes by Sam, and Michael, 38, met at a Gold’s Gym in Albany, N.Y.’s capital district. Sam was training with Michael’s roommate at the time, and she and Michael started taking fitness classes together.

Sam was about to graduate from college and working as a waitress when she bought a new car: a 2012 Honda Civic. That added five figures of debt to her loan balance from SUNY Albany. 

Michael had a bachelor’s degree and his own student debt from SUNY Oneonta and had moved to Albany to work for an entertainment company headquartered there. The company was hit hard by digital music streaming and closing its stores, and Michael was doing email marketing and web merchandising there before he got laid off. 

Realizing he’d put on weight and needed to make a change, he joined a Gold’s Gym. He got a job there too, earning less than $10 an hour at the front desk.

From there, he shifted completely to fitness and became a certified personal trainer. Sam, who started working at the gym herself, got certified too. In 2015, Michael bought a new car, a Subaru.

Fast forward to their July 2016 wedding. The couple took out a $20,000 loan to cover a little more than half the cost of a “big, standard American wedding,” despite their existing debt.

“We weren’t financially literate,” Michael admitted. “We made mistakes.”

They covered the rest of the wedding themselves, setting aside money from every paycheck they could.

Just before the wedding, Michael got sick, and wound up diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. The regular treatments he needed would have cost $10,000 apiece, the couple said, if not for Michael’s health insurance and an assistance program. 

After the wedding, they used their cash wedding gifts to pay off most of the $20,000 wedding loan. Two months later, they buckled down to pay the rest of their debt. 

Michael had gotten into gym management, and the couple was making about $100,000 combined while they chipped away at their more than $50,000 balance.

Sam said she learned debt payoff techniques from YouTube videos and books like “The Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey. She joined the debt-free movement on social media.

The Bahils analyzed their expenses and made a budget, cutting expenses where they could. They dropped their grocery budget from $1,000 a month to $700. When friends invited them over, they would bring pre-made meals to avoid ordering out. After a few months, they cut their cable subscription.

“We had to focus on not using boredom and weekends as an excuse to spend money,” Sam said.

Living “intentionally” helped them become debt-free in less than two years, in May 2018.

The next year, they said they saved $40,000 toward buying their first home, a 1,500-square-foot Colonial-style house in the Albany area. They made a 10 percent down payment.

They got a puppy, increased their emergency fund, replaced Sam’s car with a used car they bought in cash, and started new jobs at Orangetheory Fitness teaching classes and training clients. The jobs offered flexible hours and higher pay per hour. For extra income, they both spend a few hours a week training clients outside the gym, and Michael has a second side hustle as a DJ. 

The Bahils recently celebrated five years debt-free aside from their mortgage. They titled the post on their blog, A Financially Fit Life, “Shedding the weight and keeping it off.”

Their main goal has been investing for retirement, and in recent years have maxed out their Roth IRAs. 

“We don’t have access to 401(k)s [through a job], so we take that burden on ourselves and make sure we’re responsible for it,” Sam said.

Life is more laid-back, with time to work out, read, watch TV (they still do not have cable), and play with their pit bull mix, Max. If one of them has to wake up before dawn to teach a class, they have room in their schedules to nap.

And they travel, including an anniversary trip every year, usually to the Caribbean, always paying in full to avoid taking on any debt.

As a couple without kids who already own a home, Sam said the main question now is what else should they do?

“It is very cool that we can look to our future and look forward to it and really be excited about it,” she said. “We could pick up and move if we wanted, we could go on a long vacation if we wanted. It’s a totally different place from where we were before when we started.”

Julia Barrett-Mitchell contributed to this story.

Read More

Tags: businessMattersmoney
Previous Post

: ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host Pat Sajak is retiring after 40 years. Why you shouldn’t stay at a job that long – and why you should.

Next Post

The Moneyist: I met my wife in 2019 and we married in 2020. I put her name on the deed of my $998,000 California home. Now I want a divorce. What can I do?

Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

June 29, 2025
Fireworks sales support Folsom youth sports: ‘This is our biggest fundraiser’ – Sacramento Bee

Fireworks Sales Ignite Support for Folsom Youth Sports: “This Is Our Biggest Fundraiser

June 29, 2025
Murder, she measured: The impressive science behind Agatha Christie’s poisons – Big Think

Deadly Secrets Unveiled: The Fascinating Science Behind Agatha Christie’s Poisons

June 28, 2025
Science and social norms – Golf Course Management magazine

How Science is Revolutionizing Social Norms in Golf Course Management

June 28, 2025
Study Links Skipping Breakfast to Poor Diet and Lifestyle Habits in Teens – Olive Oil Times

Study Links Skipping Breakfast to Poor Diet and Lifestyle Habits in Teens – Olive Oil Times

June 28, 2025
What Worries the World – June 2025 – Ipsos

Top Global Concerns Shaping June 2025

June 28, 2025
Small business owners aren’t jumping for joy about the US economy – but they still aren’t jumping ship – The Guardian

Small Business Owners Hold Firm Amid Ongoing Uncertainty About the US Economy

June 28, 2025
U.S. uninsured rates could resurge if Trump’s budget bill passes – NPR

U.S. Uninsured Rates Could Surge if Trump’s Budget Bill Becomes Law

June 28, 2025
Emerging Memory and Storage Technology Market Analysis Report 2025-2034 | AI and HPC Boom Fuels Surging Demand for Fast, Low-Power Memory Devices – Yahoo Finance

How AI and HPC Are Driving Explosive Growth in Fast, Low-Power Memory Technologies Through 2034

June 28, 2025
Axios Event: Media execs are betting big on women’s sports – Axios

Axios Event: Media execs are betting big on women’s sports – Axios

June 28, 2025

Categories

Archives

June 2025
MTWTFSS
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30 
« May    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (699)
  • Economy (722)
  • Entertainment (21,613)
  • General (15,611)
  • Health (9,761)
  • Lifestyle (727)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (723)
  • Politics (728)
  • Science (15,939)
  • Sports (21,219)
  • Technology (15,707)
  • World (702)

Recent News

Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

June 29, 2025
Fireworks sales support Folsom youth sports: ‘This is our biggest fundraiser’ – Sacramento Bee

Fireworks Sales Ignite Support for Folsom Youth Sports: “This Is Our Biggest Fundraiser

June 29, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version