Roots of Personal Finance Member Spotlight: Chantal & Stephane Perron

High school sweethearts, Chantal and Stephane Perron were model credit card holders—paid their bills on time each month and never had to deal with collections. But they knew the bills were piling up and it would only be a matter of time that they would end up in major trouble. 

Like most families, Chantal and Stephane spent too much money eating out. They also had trouble saying no to their children whenever they asked for something. "Roots has definitely helped us with this," Chantal said. "We only eat out now if it is budgeted and we absolutely have to. We limit our coffee consumption and started making it at home instead. We have talked with the kids and explained to them that we can't always buy them everything they want and that we need to stick to the budget if they want to be able to continue their activities."

In addition to budgeting, Roots has also helped Chantal and Stephane communicate better. By working together, they've been able to save their $1,000 emergency fund and paid off a little more than $20,000. Their Christmas shopping was paid for in cash, they don't have to rely on credit cards to get them to their next payday, and they have a plan to be debt-free in five years.

The Perron's advice to you is, "Give Roots a try and trust the process and there is always room in your budget if you evaluate where your money is currently going. It will be tough at first but worth the reward in the end. Never give up. If you fall off the wagon, just get back on and keep trying."