I firmly believe that a couple coming together and uniting around common goals creates one of the strongest forces there is.
After talking with Sky and Madison McClure, I’m even more convinced of this.
One day, Madison- who mostly handled their money- realized they were facing a mountain of debt.
After a few conversations, she was finally able to get her husband, Sky, to see the severity of the situation.
They started working together on a plan and the rest is history.
Here’s their story:
How Did They Meet?
Sky and Madison met in high school.
After being cast as Danny and Cha-Cha in the school musical “Grease”, they spent lots of time together working on a dance scene and they’re feelings for each other grew from there.
Sky had planned to move to California after graduation to pursue an acting career, however, when the time came, he realized he didn’t want to be away from Madison so he came home.
They went to college together and were married shortly after graduation.
How Did They Find Themselves $106,000 In Debt?
During college, they both took out student loans to cover their undergrad degrees.
They were able to get their Master’s degrees covered due to Sky’s employment with the university, however, once they finished school, they financed new cars as well.
At that time, they didn’t think anything of it because that’s what society tells you that you should be doing.
When Did They Realize Something Was Wrong?
As the person who mostly managed the money, Madison realized something was wrong once she started to feel the weight of being under the student loans, cars, and a new mortgage.
She tried to have money conversations with Sky, however, he never really seemed interested.
It wasn’t until she was able to show him where they would be if nothing changed and where they could be in 20 years if they came together on a plan that Sky became open to making a change together.
Sky credits Madison for being resilient, but also trying new ways to communicate the same message- which was that they needed to get out of debt and focus on growing their net worth.
What Did They Do To Gain Traction?
Madison had read The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey and was listening to his podcast. She suggested Sky look into both for himself as well.
They also continued to map out different financial projections for themselves as things changed.
They started living on a budget and switched from swiping their debit cards all the time to using the cash envelope system.
The changes were hard in the beginning, but as they stayed consistent, things got easier.
How Did They Continue To Date While Living On A Strict Budget?
While paying off their debt, Madison and Sky left a little room in the budget for the occasional night out, however, they spent a lot of time at home enjoying one another’s company.
They would do things like listen to jazz while they read books and then talk about what they were reading.
This not only helped them stay focused on their financial goals, but also helped deepen their relationship as they began to think about what they wanted their life together to look like in the future.
What Are Madison and Sky Focused On Now That They’re Debt Free?
Now that they’re no longer sending big payments to debt, Madison and Sky are focused on building up a 6-month emergency fund.
This is to safeguard against life situations that could cause them to go back into debt.
They also plan to build wealth for themselves by utilizing the strategies laid out in JL Collins book “The Simple Path To Wealth”.
What Advice Do They Have For Other Couples Looking To Get On The Same Page And Start On Their Journey?
Madison recommends finding new ways to send messages. Instead of nagging a reluctant spouse, share podcasts, books, videos, or even data with them to find what triggers that desire for them.
She also recommends keeping things big picture and using verbiage that helps them dream of a better future. So instead of “this is what we need to do and we need to do it now” try something like “hey wouldn’t it be amazing if we could work together and accomplish [a particular goal] in the next 10 years.”
As the initially reluctant spouse, Sky thinks it’s important to stay resilient and relatable.
Stick with the process of trying to get your spouse on board if it’s important to you, but do so in ways that are relatable for that person…not necessarily how you would want the info communicated to you.
Resources Mentioned In This Episode
The Simple Path To Wealth by JL Collins
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
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