A Year in Money: Four People Share How They Spend, Save, and Pay Off Debt

Many Americans dream of owning a home, raising a family, and retiring comfortably. But with prices rising on almost everything, those goals feel harder to reach than ever. Credit card debt is growing across the country, with the average person carrying about $7,000 in card debt. For some people, that number is much, much higher.

For one full year, The New York Times followed four Americans as they tried to reach their money goals. There was a mental health counselor in Texas, a musician in New Jersey, an athletic trainer in Kansas, and a librarian in Arizona. Each person had a different story, but they all shared one big challenge: a large amount of debt that was hard to pay off.

Adriana Dyurich, 51, earns a good salary as a counselor in San Antonio, Texas. Even so, she was deep in debt because she supports her whole family. Her parents and adult children live with her for free, and she sends money to relatives in another country. One Christmas, she spent $8,000 on holiday expenses and put it all on her credit card.

Ms. Dyurich decided to get serious about saving money. She joined a financial program, opened a savings account, and moved her $30,000 credit card balance to cards with no interest for a short time. By spring, she had saved $7,000 and used it to pay for home repairs instead of going further into debt. That felt like a big win for her.

But setbacks kept coming. Her mother needed $12,000 in dental work. A summer trip to Spain cost $6,500. By September, her savings were below her goal and her credit card debt had grown again. She is making changes — like skipping a friend's wedding to save money — but helping her family will always be a priority for her.

Shawn Fitzgerald, 32, is a musician living at his mother's house in New Jersey. He used to have a steady engineering job and $30,000 in savings. He gave all of that up to follow his dream of making music. In 2022, one of his songs got one million views on TikTok overnight, giving him hope that his plan would work.

Things did not go as planned. Mr. Fitzgerald turned down a record deal, moved to New York City, and spent all his savings over two years. He also racked up $30,000 in credit card debt. Then he was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had to move back home to recover from surgery.

During the year The Times followed him, Mr. Fitzgerald struggled to stay on track. He gambled away $300, maxed out his credit cards, and put off a plan to sell T-shirts. But he also found bright spots — he discovered $2,000 in old accounts, landed a brand deal, and started doing moving jobs for cash. By September, he was earning $2,500 in a single month.

Damon Downs Jr., 29, is an athletic trainer and father of three in Kansas City. He earns $50,000 a year and takes on side jobs for extra income. But he had more than $50,000 in debt and barely any savings when The Times first met him. He had slowly collected seven credit cards over the years to pay for things like vacations and furniture.

Mr. Downs set big goals: pay off his credit cards and save $10,000 to buy a house. He made great progress by April, cutting his card balance to just $1,550. Then tax bills, a breakup, and new living expenses wiped out his savings. He took on a factory job starting at 4:30 a.m. to earn more money, and by fall, his credit card debt was down to $1,000.

Charity Lees, 46, is a librarian who spent years avoiding credit cards — until she moved to Florida for a job that did not pay enough. She started using a card to cover her bills, and when she did not get a promotion, she spent even more to cheer herself up. By the time she moved to a better-paying job in Arizona, her credit card debt had grown large and her student loans were still unpaid.

Ms. Lees made real progress when the government forgave over $61,000 of her student loan debt because she had worked in public service. She used bonuses and refunds to pay down credit card debt. But in April she lost her job. She found $13,000 in a forgotten retirement account that helped her survive until she landed a new library job in Oklahoma in September.

All four people showed that managing money is rarely simple or straightforward. Life keeps throwing surprises — medical bills, family needs, job losses — that can knock even the best plans off track. But each person also showed real determination to keep trying, learn from their mistakes, and move forward toward a more stable future.