When i started watching the TFD channel I was in thousands of dollars of credit card debt, with $6,000 I owed my university in collections, and a credit score in the low 600s. I felt like I'd never dig out of that hole and I had no idea where to even begin. Now, just few years later, all of that debt has been paid off, my credit score is much improved, and I've been pre-approved to buy a home. TFD helped me find confidence in my ability to handle my money, gave me steps I could understand, and didn't make me feel like financial success was out of reach. Thank you Chelsea and Lauren (and the rest of the team) for making this channel.

I come from a traditional Asian family where the parents sort of see their children as an investment and expect their children to take care of them especially financially when their children have grown into adulthood and started making money. We are labelled as "sandwich generation" as we not only have our own young child/children to take care of, but we also have our elderly parents to take care of in term of their daily living costs and expensive healthcare bills. And honestly this cycle causes many people failed to come out of their financial difficulties. Some people choose not to have children at all because of it. I saw this pattern and to avoid myself from falling into this trap, I had to fight hard, even if it means my parents are not being happy with me. Sometimes you have to realise that it is your very own family who drags you down and keeps you in the low social economic status. I'm not saying all, but some Asian parents definitely need to change their mindset and be more responsible with their own finance.

I’m so tired of spending the majority of my pay checks on debt. Just listening to this real, relaxed convo about finances is very motivating. It’s time to just get these things taken care of and behind me. You’re the best Chelsea! 💕

"Get good with money, so that it doesn't define you!"

I can really relate to your life growing up. I grew up with hand-me-down clothing, walked to work ever since I could work legally, saved over $10k before age 18, and got a scholarship for university that covered all expenses for the first 2 years and covered tuition all the way through grad school. I never had the rebound of spending copious amounts of money though. I'm now left with the fear that maybe someday I will run out of money, even with my frugal habits. I'm very careful with credit cards and only use them rarely to keep building my credit and remain careful with my spending habits in general. Hearing your personal story and how you have remedied your relationship with money motivates me to not be so hard on myself when it comes to budgeting. Thanks for that, Chelsea!

I started watching TFD when I was 19 years old, in university and with no idea how I will pay off my student loans ($30k). I regularly watched the videos daily, as I took the buses (I used to take 3 every morning) to my 9-5 depressing job. Today, I am 26, I have managed to pay off my student loans, I have reasonable savings which allow me to feel free, travel and engage in my hobbies, I left my job and increased my earning capacity by specializing in my field an am currently attending graduate school (which I pay out of pocket).

I grew up similarly up to a point. The major difference is that my parents went bankrupt when I was 4 and we ended up homeless. They divorced and my mom went bankrupt again more recently. I was so afraid of credit cards that I didn't have a credit score for a long time. And now I'm trying to make a decent one. So far 680.

That awkward pause after “If your joy is to spend on designer handbags” 😂😂😂

I will forever be thankful to my parents for the relationship I have with money. We were high-middle class I would say but my parents were savers and we never spent on frivolous things. They show us the value of money from early on, we had some nice things (not everything we wanted it of course), we went on some vacations but nothing extravagant and the more important thing 'live within your means"..credit was an absolute no-no for my father who I don't think used a credit card until he was on his 40's. Thanks to their planning and hard work they fully paid for all my college, including my MBA which allow me to start my adult life with a high education, the ability to get a decent/high paying job and no debt. They provided for a great start and I did not put it to waste. I know that's an exception... and I did have to help paying my husband's college debt but I realize how lucky I have been and hoping to be able to do the same with our son.

This was a beautifully candid confession, so relatable. It's amazing how our connection with money / improper spending originates from our mindset.

Great story. Goes to show that being financially stable isn't always a fairy tale story

I've been in an odd situation compared to most people. I grew up fairly well off. I wasn't "rich" but definitely upper middle class. I could get the nice things for Christmas but not year round. Because I grew up unaffected by money, I never thought about how it could impact someone's life. But I was able to learn some about finances from my parents directly and from watching them. I had a bank account at 8. I ended up going into a low paying field and boy was it a wake up call. My parents subsidized my career for about 2.5 years, and I'm only just in the last 8 months been 100% responsible for all my bills. Now it's figuring out "This is what I need to pay my bills and save. This is what I can spend. How do I make plan to pay down my student debt without getting exhausted from being frugal? How do I start saving for retirement?"

Thank you for this story Chelsea. I can totally relate. Back in primary school I would always be the only kid in my grade to not go on school trips as I could not afford to go, and always having to borrow pens from other schoolmates as my stationery were very cheap.

I really appreciate how frank you are in these videos. Thank you for sharing all the tips and personal experiences you have.

Thank you for being so candid! All of this information was stuff that I really needed right now!

Chelsea thank you for being so candid with your viewers. Sharing your story so openly goes a long way towards helping others shake the shame we feel over past financial decisions and gives us hope for ourselves. I appreciate you and your channel very much.

Currently 22, and I will say I grew up with a lot of similarities. I’m so happy that I found this channel my sophomore year of college! It really helped me fight the urge to “spend whatever on whatever I wanted”. Thank you, Chelsea, for sharing your mistakes. It’s really helped me avoid making them too.

This is your absolute best video. It describes everything you need to do emotionally, mentally, and physically, to get better with money today. I have to be honest, this video changed my entire outlook. I took notes, and I have made the necessary changes where money does not define me anymore. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This is my new favorite TFD video! Thanks for the honesty, it really came across and I appreciate your voice.

I grew up having to work having to help my parents afford our power bills & rent. That includes babysitting before I could get a work permit. I went into college in high school with a special program, so I graduated with an AA, allowing me to get into a single dorm when I went to University. I also worked between to save money for college & in college. I always assumed that I’d always be a saver like my grandmother. However, as soon as I didn’t need to worry about rent (because of student loans for a dorm and scholarships) I started spending on all the things I never knew I was missing or wanted but could never afford. I discovered as soon as survival mode is over, I was one of those people who tries to overcompensate for that survival mode I was in.