About Me

This is more than just a debt blog. It’s a website about transforming who you are and finding your purpose through improving your finances.

I’m Choncé (pronounced Chon-say), a personal finance expert and professional writer who helps ambitious millennials and Generation Z, recent college grads, want-to-be entrepreneurs get unstuck by regaining control of their money so they can live a life with more possibilities and fewer limitations.

You want to stop stressing out about money, pay off your debt, and feel like you have enough.

You’re tired of living paycheck to paycheck, being unable to handle unexpected expenses, and feeling like you can never get ahead.

You want to be excited about your job and income again, be able to afford an impromptu vacation and live life on your own terms.

Right now, you may be struggling to organize your money, create a solid spending plan, and be consistent with paying off debt.

However, I hope you haven’t convinced yourself that there’s no possible way to turn your situation completely around.

I’ve never felt like I fit in or felt comfortable with the status quo. When everyone was going right, I wanted to go left. If this is how you feel about people’s frightening but comfortable position about debt, you’re not alone.

Deep down, you know you deserve better than a lifetime of monthly payments and you’re ambitious and hardworking enough to do what it takes to get to the other side.

You’re ready to leap into action and seize a better future for yourself and your family. It all starts with having the right money mindset and the proper tools and strategies to get you there. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do it all alone.

How I Can Help

As a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) personal finance coach who’s overcome many of the challenges you might be facing today, I use my experience to help people like you break through your doubts and setbacks to restore financial confidence.

On this blog, you’ll learn:

• How to get over your top money excuses and confront the real issues that are holding you back
• How to increase your financial awareness and get clear on your values so you can avoid equating more material items with true happiness
• Ways to embrace a frugal lifestyle and all its benefits
• How to say goodbye to dead weight like debt and unnecessary expenses that are disrupting your progress
• How to embrace the fact that you can earn as much money as you want #nolimits
• How to finally view your financial life as something that you have complete control over

I believe that we were meant to do more than just work and pay bills until we roll over and die. The real challenge is choosing your values and intentions for your future wisely. Then, regaining control over your money so you can use it as a tool to create the life you truly want.

Where I Came From

2013:

I was a single mom living in a low-income apartment on government assistance. My lowest point financially was when I had to search on the ground in the parking lot of my apartment complex for quarters because I couldn’t afford to wash my clothes. I distinctly remember pacing around my apartment and praying that I could just earn $1,000 per month to meet my basic expenses.

2014:

I was stressed out about money and fed up with it. I found my first full-time job post-college with a starting pay of $15/hr. It wasn’t much, but it was more than I’d ever made so I started working on changing my mindset to get more serious about improving my relationship with money. I also stepped out on faith started this blog in December.

2015:

I kicked off the year with aggressive debt payoff. I cut my expenses, moved to more affordable housing and ended up paying off $11,000 in debt including my high-interest car note after earning less than $35,000 for the entire year. I also started freelancing as a side hustle to bring in more money.

2016:

I finally felt more financially secure. I was committed to a frugal lifestyle and happy to be in control of my money again and able to continue to knock out my debt. I got married half-way through the year and enjoyed a wonderful wedding for under $10k. My side hustling took off and started to compete with the income from my day job. At the same time, my day job was draining me and taking its toll on my quality of life so I started saving up to prepare for a transition away from my stable job. In September, I made the decision to quit my day job and start working for myself as a personal finance writer, blogger, and coach. My husband and I still managed to pay off more than $14,000 in debt that year despite me taking the leap to self-employment.

2017:

This year was a slow down in some cases for me. I paid off my student loan debt and my husband paid off his car loan. I found it ironic and wonderful that a student loan company paid me to write about my experience on my blog. That was the icing on the cake to becoming student loan debt free. After that, we slowed down on paying off his student loans and tried to enjoy life a little more. I took The Happiness Dare and  I started focusing on improving my mindset even more and living more intentionally. I actually call 2017 my “Year of Yes” because I started saying yes to myself, prioritizing my personal goals, and truly accepting and owning my authentic self.

I was able to drive 10 hours away to Tennessee with my husband to mourn and bury his grandmother after she passed. That’s when I realized I was starting to create a life I didn’t need to escape from and money was the tool that helped me establish it. I didn’t have to think twice about being able to afford a last-minute trip to Tennessee or check in with a boss to take the time off. A huge financial burden had been lifted from me now that I had less debt and more control over how I used my money and my time.  I also started my Facebook group to connect with people on a more personal level and help them reach their goals.

As a woman of faith, I give all the glory and credit to God for helping me change my perspective and overcome my financial obstacles. My faith grew during the trying times so I could not only help myself but others break free from the chains of debt as well.

Philippians 4:11-13

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Interviews and Mentions

His and Her Money: How Single Mom Chonce Maddox is Working Hard to Become Debt Free
Fruclassity: Chonce’s Journey to Debt Freedom
Cook With a Shoe: Destroying Debt with Chonce
PersonalIncome.org: Top 25 Personal Finance Blogs That Actually Help
Martinis and Your Money: Millennial Weddings on a Budget – Interview about how I got married for less than $10k
Good Morning America – This Mom Paid Off $50k of Debt
Chonce Maddox Helps People Improve Their Relationship With Money
Top 70 African American Personal Finance Bloggers
5 Expert Tips to Make Money Talk In Your Relationship More Romantic

Valuable Resources to Help People Organize Finances and Get Out of Debt
Black Enterprise: 7 Black Millennial Financial Experts to Follow on Instagram
How to Become a Virtual Assistant and Make $100 Per Day

Buzzfeed: 11 Black Finance Experts to Follow If You’re Ready to Get Your Money Under Control

Penny Calling Penny: How We Paid Off $50,000 of Debt in 4 Years

What You’ll Find Here

You’ll find tons of information, advice, and resources about improving your money mindset and managing your finances properly on this blog. I put my all into developing the content and I’m a straight shooter who doesn’t like to sugar coat everything.

I love to teach, share, and help people succeed so that’s the type of community I’ve built my blog around. You’ll find lots of encouragement and positivity here along with real solutions to some of your most significant financial issues and obstacles.

I’m also keen on helping people who truly want to be helped so I always add a little extra something for my email subscribers whether it’s free tools, money-saving hacks, step-by-step guides and other advanced content.

I want to see you win, so I’ll forever be cheering you on during your financial journey. Say yes to better finances and a better life by joining the community today!

Feel Free to Start Here:

Need to save more? Check out my ultimate guide to saving in every area of your life along with how to save your first $1,000 or build an emergency fund fast.

Need to earn more? I can talk about side hustles all day and I even started a series to discuss specific opportunities in detail. Here are 80+ extra income ideas that don’t suck and 20 cool ways to make extra money TODAY.

Trying to pay off debt without going broke? Aren’t we all! Here’s how my husband and I paid off $14k in one year along with two key things I to cope with a long debt repayment journey.

If you’re struggling with your food budget, you can read about what my family and I did to get our food spending down to $300/month.