Testimony by Mirtha Gonzalez
Moving from Debt to Assets Graduation at Somerville Community Corporation
June 3, 2008

Do you know how it feels to carry a heavy burden?

That’s what it was like for me every day.

Most of you already know me, but you might not know the struggles I’ve gone through.

I’m 20 years old, I have four girls, and my highest education was getting my GED. I made a lot of mistakes growing up, and one of those mistakes was not thinking of my actions. I’ve purchased phones, placed things under my name, and even took money from the bank, when I did not have the money. I could not pay my bills every month because the money was not there. I did not know how drastic the consequences could get, so I managed to put myself in debt for more than $9,000. My life was not easy.

Here is what I’ve done to lighten my burden. I was told about this program Moving from Debt to Assets and decided right away to give it a chance. I had nothing else to lose. When I came to the first session, it was not what I expected at all. I had pictured a large group in a classroom listening and taking notes from a teacher. Surprisingly it turned out to be a small group, and, though we took notes, it did not come from just one person. We were all teachers. We learned from each other and our experiences.

I have learned about so many brilliant ideas on how to make my financial life less of a burden. For example, we all know everyone hates grocery shopping. It’s always so crowded and the register line is so long. But I learned that, if I go prepared with a grocery list, I wouldn’t have to keep going up and down the aisles. Most importantly I now use coupons for things I use consistently, and I never bring my card to avoid any fees, and this helped me stay within my budget. I now save over $200 a month, and I can use this money to pay off my bills. Being on TAFDC, I am given a monthly budget of $342. It’s not much, but I am able to make small payments to four old accounts. I recently closed two this month and, in doing so, the money that went to them would be applied to the remaining accounts, and I’m proud to say that, as of July 1st, those accounts will be paid off in full. I will no longer be in debt, and I will never go back to that person I once was. It’s not easy, but, with you guys as my support, I believe that my every goal will be reached. I believe OUR every goal will be reached.