Anessa Guess on becoming debt-free.

Anessa Guess on Becoming Debt-Free: From Financial Survival to Stewardship

After unemployment, student loans, and rebuilding from scratch, Anessa Guess paid off her debt, built savings, and learned what true financial stewardship looks like.

There was a time when my name was publicly associated with financial struggle.

What people didn’t see was the long, quiet work that followed. The discipline, faith, and intentional decisions that ultimately led me to become debt-free. Four years after rebuilding from unemployment and near financial depletion, I am now debt-free, financially stable, and deeply rooted in stewardship.

Not because of a windfall, luck, or a perfect plan, but because of discipline, faith, revision, and grace over time.

This is the story behind that transformation.

When the Math Didn’t Work

In 2021, I was 26 years old and coming out of one of the most humbling seasons of my adult life. I had been unemployed for eight months, and at one point I was just one month away from depleting my savings entirely. Every decision felt heavy. Every bill felt loud.

It wasn’t just financial stress. It was emotional, spiritual, and mental strain layered on top of uncertainty.

Like many people, most of the financial advice I absorbed during that time was simple but strict: save as much as possible, don’t carry debt, and don’t have more than one credit card.

But knowing the rules and living them are two different things — especially when you’re trying to rebuild from the ground up.

There were moments when the work felt so slow and so hard that I thought, “I should have just listened to my mom and stayed on the path to becoming a pharmacist.” That path felt clearer. More predictable. Safer.

But what I came to understand is this: it didn’t matter what job I had — if the stewardship wasn’t there, the outcome would be the same.

My Debt-Free Journey: Rebuilding After Financial Hardship

A Long View of Freedom

When I first moved to Houston in 2018, I lived with my cousin for a season. During that time, they suggested a simple rule that quietly changed everything: don’t let your credit card balance go over what you can’t afford to pay back the next day. At the time, I was make $7.25/hr so I chose $300 but I’ve capped myself at $500 even though I make much more.

That rule became the foundation of my financial stewardship. It wasn’t about restriction — it was about awareness. Over time, it fundamentally changed my relationship with money.

In 2021, I was blessed to get another job and car after my old one (paid off) was T-boned and totaled. I loved that 2009 Toyota Camry. Because of the credit discipline I had practiced, I was able to finance the new car with a 0.89% interest rate.

I originally set a goal to pay off that car by my 30th birthday in 2024. It wasn’t an unrealistic goal but it didn’t benefit me significantly to do so at that time. Instead of forcing a payoff just to hit a milestone, I chose something more strategic: I restructured my life to support my long-term goals.

That restructuring included:

• Taking a new job that paid more and aligned with work I enjoyed
• Moving to a less expensive apartment, saving $400 per month
• Switching my phone plan from $163/month to $300 per year
• Cooking more at home and being intentional with spending
• Negotiating and lowering recurring bills
• Using rewards thoughtfully instead of emotionally

The progress wasn’t flashy but it was steady.

From Scarcity to Structure

At the beginning of 2024, I saved $10,000 and paid off my student loans.

That moment was deeply affirming. It wasn’t just about eliminating debt — it was proof that discipline really does compound.

Later that year, I saved another $10,000. Originally, this money was earmarked to pay off my car. But after revisiting my financial plan, I made a different decision: I used that money to extend my emergency fund, invest, and help family.

There were moments where I admittedly relaxed my intensity. And in 2024, while actively looking for another job, I chose not to make any major financial moves until I could properly restructure again.

That pause wasn’t failure, it was prudence (Proverbs 19:14).

This year, I also began investing through my HSA, viewing future health as part of long-term stewardship, not an afterthought.

And eventually — with clarity, margin, and peace — I paid off my car a couple of days after my 31st birthday (December 2).

4 years. Debt-free. Thank God.

The Spiritual Work Behind the Numbers

This journey wasn’t only about spreadsheets and budgets. It was deeply spiritual.

Hebrews 12:11 became my banner verse:

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

I read through Proverbs with intention, marking every passage that spoke about:

• Diligence
• Laziness
• Wealth and poverty
• Wisdom and stewardship

What I learned is this: God is not anti-wealth. He is anti-disorder, haste, and neglect.

Stewardship required patience. Discipline required humility. And freedom required consistency — not perfection.

What This Season Taught Me

Becoming debt-free didn’t make me superior. It made me secure.

It taught me that:

• Financial recovery is not linear
• Revision is not failure — it’s wisdom
• Discipline compounds just like interest
• And your lowest season does not get to define you

I went from being one month away from running out of money to building margin, savings, and peace. It did not happen overnight, but faithfully.

If You’re Still in the Middle

If you’re reading this while still in the “during,” I want you to hear this clearly:

Your story is not over. Your past does not cancel your future. And your discipline today is building something you cannot yet see.

Start where you are. Revise when needed. Stay faithful to the work.

Freedom is not loud, but it is possible.

And sometimes, the most powerful testimony isn’t how you fell… …it’s how you learned to stand wisely again.

About the Author

Anessa Guess is a marketing strategist, founder, and writer based in Houston, Texas. She writes about faith, stewardship, identity, and rebuilding with intention. She is the founder of Field & Mercy and ARC Collective, spaces rooted in care, discipline, and thoughtful living.

You can connect with her at:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anessaguess
• Website: sites.google.com/view/anessaguess