12 Days of Giving Day 4: From Eviction Fears to a $10K Debt Payoff Game Plan - Single Mother Story

The holidays are here, the cards are swiped, and a lot of you are sitting there doing the math you’ve been avoiding all year. In this 12 Days of Giving episode, Daniela shares the story of a single mom in Richmond, Virginia who was one denial away from a full breakdown: new apartment, two little girls, $10K in credit card debt, and zero clue how to keep from getting evicted again. 

This isn’t a cute budgeting story. This is “I’m at the edge of the cliff and I don’t know what the hell to do next.” Daniela walks us through how she sat down with this mom and started at the absolute basics: what a budget actually is, what savings actually means, and why pulling your credit report is non-negotiable even when you’re terrified of what you’ll see. When they pulled it, the truth hit: multiple cards, sky-high APRs, and $10K of debt that her paycheck could not support.

But here’s where it flips. Instead of shame and “you’re bad with money,” they built a plan: lay out every card, every APR, every balance. Tackle the ones that give you the biggest win fastest. Call the creditors and tell the damn truth about what’s going on. Negotiate. Get the APR down. Build short-term and long-term wins so she’s not just surviving the month, she’s rebuilding her life. And they did one more powerful thing most people skip: they brought her two little girls into the conversation and turned money into a game, not a threat. 

We also dig into the emotional side: what it feels like to be at the edge versus already over it, why people wait until the last possible second to ask for help, and how involving your kids can actually speed up your own mindset shift. Daniela talks about using vision boards, values, and real talk to anchor someone before you ever touch the spreadsheets. Because if your head is still in “I’ll never get out of this,” no plan will save you. 

Then we turn the camera on you. If you’re approaching the edge, standing on it, or already hanging off financially, this episode is your wake-up call. Daniela doesn’t sugar-coat it: it’s never too late, but it is on you. No one is coming to fix this for you. Small wins, boring habits, and asking for help early is how you change the story. I close the episode by calling out exactly what we all know: you just spent a ton of money on the holidays, you’re feeling it, and now is the moment to move—not “next year,” not “when things calm down.”

This is one of our 12 Days of Giving episodes running December 12–23, where we highlight real stories, real mess, and real ways forward. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pKDDgLWgJpg

As always we ask you to comment, DM, whatever it takes to have a conversation to help you take the next step in your journey, reach out on any platform!

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Chapters

• 0:00 12 Days of Giving: real money story of a single mom
• 2:46 How to face your credit card debt when you’re scared to look
• 5:10 Why “I’m just bad with money” is BS for single moms
• 6:10 The truth about using credit cards to survive with kids
• 8:23 How this single mom started attacking her credit card debt
• 9:28 Teaching kids about money while paying off credit card debt
• 11:47 Step-by-step plan to get out of credit card debt after the holidays
• 14:52 What to do when you’re at the edge of a financial cliff
• 15:42 A message to every parent drowning in credit card debt

Transcript

Stoy Hall: 0:10

Happy holidays, everybody. We're back with another day of 12 days of giving what you all know. We bring on some badass who decides to tell us a story that is near and dear to them and how it could be you. It could be someone you love, and some of that outcome. Today we've got Daniela on to tell us one of her stories and go through it with us. So Flora is yours.

Daniela Molina: 0:32

Hi. Hi everyone. Um, happy holidays. I'm super excited because this story, I feel like we all find ourselves in it. Um, whether that's a perspective of parent, child, or an outsider. So, um, I've gotten the privilege to help a lot in the community here in Richmond, Virginia. And one of the things that I get to do is really sit down with families and really talk about their finances. So where are we at? What are your goals? And a lot of that conversation starts off really rough, right? They're a little intimidated about having that conversation. But with this specific family, um, they had two young children. It was a mom, single mom. And she was really trying to get herself together. She had just moved into the new apartment after, like really struggling to find housing for her children. Um, and she just didn't know how to navigate her finances now that she had a home. She didn't wanna get evicted again. And so how do you have that conversation? So we sat down and we talked about like, do you know what a budget is? Do you know what savings is? And we're talking about the basics, but sometimes a lot of people don't know the basics. And so we had to start off there. Um, and one of the big things that I remember having this conversation with her, she was really like, oh, but I have credit cards. And I was like, okay, and, and, and how often do you use them? She's like, I use them all the time. Like I use them to supplement the fact that I don't have enough income coming in to pay for the things for my daughters. Um, and at this time it was back to school shopping and we were right about to start hitting school and I was like, well, good thing is, um, a lot of schools give a lot of. A lot of churches give back to school backpacks with materials. So make sure you're tapping into that community to be, to be able to get that. But then how do you think about planning for those field trips, lunches, all the things that come with having children, um, and especially if they're children who are involved. How do we look at that? So we pulled out her budget, but we really, one of the really big things I wanted to look at was at her credit, like, what's your credit score? Who do you owe? How much do you owe? And. Does it belong to you?'cause we know sometimes these credit reports will pull information that's incorrect. So is there something in here that we have to dispute? Or how long have you been having this? And you had no idea? She had never pulled her credit report before. She just knew that at some point she started getting denied by her credit cards. And I was like, uh, okay, well let's start seeing where that, there's a root to that while you keep getting denied. And she had like$10,000 in debt. And that doesn't seem like a lot, but it is for somebody who is trying to live paycheck to paycheck and trying to like. She just couldn't afford it. And we know credit cards APRs are really high, so she didn't really understand. She's like, I'm making payments, but like it's still there. It's not going anywhere. And she didn't know how much she owed on each card, which looks very different. So we had to analyze, okay, we have all these credit cards. These are the a PR for all of them. How do we tackle? Well, we tackle the one with the largest debt. The one with the lowest interest. So where do we find the balance in those cards? So you can pay off that one quicker. So you can move on to the ones that are a lot harder, a lot higher. And then we think about, okay. Can we call the creditor and talk to them and tell them the financial situation they're in? Surprisingly, those really do work. So it worked in her hand and we were able to lower her credit a PR, which was fantastic. So she started feeling a little bit better, but I told her this is a process like you're not gonna get out of$10,000 debt tomorrow. It just doesn't work that way. But we talked about budget. Short-term and long-term plans. So she feels confident about it. And the best part about all of it was that we involved her children, her two young daughters were part of the conversation so they could understand. So we made it more like of a game, like, okay, if I give you$5 and I asked you to give me three, are you gonna give me the far? Are you gonna give me three? Or are you gonna save any money? Or are you just gonna tell me you can't? So just a game to really understand like. Do her children understand what's saving? Do her children know the value of money? Because as a family, you can work together to meet those goals. So that's what we did. Um, a lot of meetings, a lot of like really understanding, um, credit scores, understanding budgeting and saving, and really sitting down and being like, at some point maybe you need to find a job that is paying you more so you can sustain yourself. But at this moment. Is there things that you can do actively to make sure that you don't fall on hard times again? Um, so we stay in contact and she's doing well. She's still paying off her debt. Uh, but it feels like she's in a much better mindset space, um, obviously financially too, but mindset is a really big one for me.

Stoy Hall: 5:35

Where was she emotionally when she first came to you? Because we, we see it all the time. I know you do too. And, and both your work. On camera and off camera, um, of. People really don't come to you or ask for help until it's like, I don't wanna say it's too late'cause it's never too late, but it's like they're pretty deep at this point.

Daniela Molina: 5:54

They're pushing it. Yeah.

Stoy Hall: 5:55

Yeah, they're pushing it and I always trying to figure out like where they are emotionally. I know where they're at emotionally there, but like, is there a step before that that we can actually try to get them at before it's like, damn, you're, you're halfway down the cliff and I'm trying to throw a lifeline to you. Where was she emotionally? By the time she came to you? Was she already over the cliff or where? Where was she at at that point?

Daniela Molina: 6:19

I think she was at the edge of the cliff. Like I think she was at a point where it was like almost breakdown like I had. I don't know what to do at this point. And I'm seeking like dire help. Um, because she was a person who was willing to make the sacrifice. Sometimes we find ourselves with people who are at that point, but are not willing to go forward and do what needs to be done in order to get their finances ready. So she was in that mindset. But before we even talked about like, okay, the bad news, I guess is how do you view money? That's the question I ask everyone before I talk to'em, like, how, what, what does money mean to you? What does it look like? Um, if you had a dream life, what does that look like? That gives me an idea of like your values, things you care about. So we actually did a vision board of all the things that she would wanna accomplish. Like, and not just financially, but just in general. A lot of it was like traveling with her children, savings, having an emergency savings, which she's never had. Those things told me like, okay, you care about these fundamentals. So before we hop into the problem, I already have an idea of who you are, what you stand for, how you view money. So when we start having those conversations, I can one, be a little more transparent about my own story because I think that's valuable. You sharing. Your own financial hardships and moments where you maybe fell short, encourages someone else to know well, but she got out of that so, so I can too. So those are the things that we really do beforehand. We sit down and start crunching numbers and really being like, let's pull out your statements, you know?'cause that's the. That's more of the work aspect of it. But a mindset needs to happen before we get there because if we do this and your mindset's still like, I'm never gonna be able to get outta debt. Debt is so bad. Like you're gonna be stuck there for your whole entire life. You're gonna continue seeing those moments as hardships. So that's what I like doing. Um, I think it just helps build one relationship and trust because people are embarrassed. People don't wanna talk about the hard thing.

Stoy Hall: 8:31

How old were the girls at that time, like when you first started with her?

Daniela Molina: 8:35

Uh, so they were five and seven. So they were young, I mean, young enough to understand money. So like they're at that age where like they could understand the value of money, but you know, like kids like, oh, I want this for Christmas and I want this other thing, you know, so they, this was a, a shift where they were able to see their mom be vulnerable. But accepting help. And I think when kids get to sit down at the table and really also learn and be included in those conversations, kids, and I think you mentioned this to me in actually one of our segments, kids Young S3. Can already start building financial habits and understanding money, value terms, things that they're gonna need. So start starting them young is like, just this, it helps, it helps make a difference. So I remember us talking about that, that was extremely valuable and really shocking to me. So, um, we, I like to incorporate that. Now, knowing what I know that children should be part of the conversation too,

Stoy Hall: 9:37

and I want you to think about, obviously, I want you to think about her. But I wanted you to think about the other people you've helped who don't have children involved or children at all. Okay. And when I ask this, I, I, I wanna see if there's a comparison. I don't know if you ever thought about it, but when you got the children involved with her. How quickly did she actually start to pick up on the mindset shift change, because she was also teaching her kids compared to someone who never got their kids involved or don't have kids at all. Have you been able to, as you think through it, like Oh yeah, she picked it up a lot more because she was actually double instilling that in herself. One for herself, but also for her kids to keep up with.

Daniela Molina: 10:19

Yeah, absolutely. There is a shift there when you're a parent. You sort of wanna be the model for your children and you wanna, and you know that this can impact them because you've seen the consequence in your own life sometimes. And so you wanna do better for the next generation for your own kids, especially if you want to leave them any assets in the future, right? Like you're like, I'm working hard, I'm trying to get them into a place, and you don't want your own children to struggle. I think that's something that. Um, a lot of parents try to prevent any way they can. That's why there are parents who extra spoiler children because they don't want them to lack anything they might have. Um, and so I think when um, it's a parent to children ratio, yes, that looks a lot more promising and I think it's a little quicker than solo, uh, trying to get your finances. So we've obviously helped people who, um. Are handling their finances by themselves, they need a little extra push. Um, and that's when you sort of become their own cheerleader. Like, Hey, tell me about, I, I would text people and be like, tell me one good financial thing you did this week. What was it? You save five bucks. You went to the grocery store and used coupons. Like it sounds so silly and it sounds so small, but like they're actively thinking about money and how can I do these things to actively make change, which means we're in the right direction. We're not there yet, and it's gonna take a second, but I need you to actually feel like you can do it and actively do the things that I'm asking of you to make that happen.

Stoy Hall: 11:55

What would you say to those that are listening now, um, that are like, well, shit, that's me.'cause I know they're out there and that my mom was the same way, so I, it like hit home for me this story, but. What would you say? For those that are listening, they're either at the edge, they're over the edge, or even approaching the edge. And most importantly, like we need help everyone. And I think if you're someone who's approaching that edge, like you feel a breakdown coming through, now is the time. Right? Before would be the time, but now is the time because. It's easier to change now and develop now than it is when you are hanging over the edge. Um, what would you say to those people that are listening to kind of get them well, to kick'em in the ass and say, it's time for you to take the step and go meet with someone and go get help.

Daniela Molina: 12:38

It's never too late. I know that that is something we say all the time, but it really is, you should not let money control your life. In that way, you should have money work for you. We talk about this all the time, but you want the mindset of being able to know that you can accomplish it. Look back in your life and remember all the things that you have accomplished that you thought you would never accomplish. That's the same mindset with money. Like you went through hard things and you got over hard things. Um, and sometimes yes, maybe you're at a later, uh, point in your life and you're like, I can't. I'm not getting income like I used to. I'm not gonna be able to go on that yacht like I wanted when I was, you know, in my twenties or thirties. And that's okay. Think about how money works now in the area that you're in and the age that you are in and the things that you want to accomplish. Um, but it really is never too late. Seek resources. If you don't make the first step, no one else is gonna help you. It's like that saying like, I can lead a horse to water, but I can't make a drink. Same way, like you can spend your whole life complaining about your finances or you can take active steps to get your shit together truthfully. Um, so don't let a moment pass by time is valuable. As we know we are not getting any younger. Um, and our finances will only grow as we continue to push ourselves and seek other opportunities. So don't give up. I mean, there's not a singular person that I've ever talked to who can't get their finances together. Um, there's this woman who, uh, I actually follow, um, she's called the baa. Um, she's a black woman who helps other young, um, people really get their finances together in small steps. So it really is a small step. Saving money is easy. That's the easy part. Creating an account to make money work for you is the easy part. The hard part is creating a habit. The same way you have a habit for maybe eating a cookie at the end of the night. Create a habit to make sure that your money is moving the way that you want it to. You don't wanna spend your whole life working and never see the fruits of your hard work. So this is a time, don't give up. Seek resources, seek financial, um, planners who can really guide you. Um, we don't know it all. Um, and some people are even using AI for their finances. Like what are the steps that I need to take in order to save 10,000 when this is the money that's coming in? And that sounds silly, but it is those steps and never. Knock on the small wins. Small wins lead to bigger wins. So starting small is not a bad thing. You should be proud of that and just keep going. Um, you never know where you'll be if you don't take that first step. So if you really wanna see a change in your finances, like now is the time to really tap in, um, and put the boots on and get working. Like, no more excuses on why you can't do the thing that you wanna do.

Stoy Hall: 15:50

And it's, it's the holidays and I know you just spent a whole shit ton of money right now. I know you did. I know you broke. Yeah. And I know you're feeling a certain way'cause we all get to that point. Now is the time where you're feeling that, that it's gonna be the hardest, but this is the time that you do need to take that step. So the resources are available@nobswealth.com. There's plenty of advisors and planners on there and other resources for you. Whether you follow them and just learn from them or reach out to'em, hell reach out to me. I'll guide you to whoever the hell you need to go to as well if it's not me. So just use the tools that are in front of you, both from our podcast and those around us because now is the time. Tomorrow's too late. Yesterday was yesterday. Now is the time. Danielle, I appreciate you. I appreciate the story. You keep doing the badass work you're doing both on the camera and off the camera so we can help these people get ahead in life and that's ultimately what we're here for. That's why the team's here, and that's exactly what the 12 days of giving is for.

Daniela Molina: 16:47

Awesome. Thank you.