From financial stress to financial freedom: Kim and Bob’s MyBudget success story

If you’re looking for stories of people getting out of debt, Kim and Bob’s client success story shows what’s possible with the right budgeting support. While their story happened in Australia, the same personalised MyBudget service is now helping people across New Zealand take control of their money.

For Kim and Bob, that journey started with a single phone call.

When they joined MyBudget in 2010, they were living on one income, raising four young children, facing debt collectors and at risk of having their power disconnected. With a personalised budget, ongoing support and a clear financial plan, they paid off $28,000 across 12 different debts in just 13 months.

More than 16 years later, Kim and Bob are still MyBudget clients. With ongoing money management and support, they’ve travelled as a family, bought reliable cars, supported each other through two cancer journeys and are now saving to buy their first home.

By the time Kim picked up the phone to call MyBudget in 2010, her family was drowning in debt. They were being chased by debt collectors, credit cards were maxed out, bills were piling up and they had already been turned away for debt consolidation loans elsewhere.

“We’d tried to get consolidating loans. No one would touch us,” says Kim.

Looking back, that phone call changed everything. It marked the moment their family stopped surviving and started planning for the future. 

Kim and Bob fell into debt because neither of them had grown up learning how to manage money. Bob was the eldest of 10 children, where money was spent when it was available and budgeting simply wasn’t discussed. Kim had a similar experience, and together they never developed the money habits their family needed to stay ahead financially.

“When we got paid, we spent it. We’d wait until the bills had to be paid, then we’d get charged late fees. We were always going backwards,” says Kim.

When they started their own family, those habits followed them. Kim became a stay-at-home mum while Bob worked to support the family. Four young children, everyday living costs and relying on credit card debt to fill the gaps slowly created a cycle that became harder to escape.

They weren’t living beyond their means. They simply didn’t have the financial systems or money habits to stay ahead. It’s a situation many families face, including here in New Zealand. Life rarely goes to plan, and a major life event can quickly turn an already stretched budget into a financial crisis. That’s exactly what happened when Bob was diagnosed with cancer.

Unable to work while undergoing treatment, the family’s income dropped to next to nothing almost overnight. Medical appointments increased, bills kept arriving and the pressure became unbearable. Their rent fell behind, they owed more than $4,500 in gas and electricity bills, and the power company warned their electricity would soon be disconnected.

The debts quickly snowballed.

By the time they reached out to MyBudget, they owed $28,000 across 12 different debts, including credit cards, household bills, infringement notices, tax debt and other accounts that had been referred to debt collectors.

Facing eviction and terrified they were about to lose everything, Kim remembers lying awake night after night wondering how she was going to keep a roof over their children’s heads while protecting Bob from the financial stress so he could focus on  fighting the cancer.

One morning, after another sleepless night, Kim saw a MyBudget television commercial. She remembers thinking, “This is our last lifeline.” With nothing left to lose, she picked up the phone and booked an appointment. 

Although appointments were usually weeks away, a cancellation meant they could be seen that same week. Sitting in the waiting room, Kim was convinced there was no way anyone could help them.

“She came back and said, ‘Oh no, we can make this work.’ We both burst into tears.”

MyBudget helped Kim and Bob get out of debt by creating a personalised budget, managing their bills and repayments, and giving them ongoing support when they needed it most.

Everything changed when someone finally looked beyond the debt and saw the family behind it. 

For the first time in months, they could see a future beyond debt.

“When MyBudget helped us, it was like you start to breathe good air… air that gives you a healthy mind to start to think,” says Bob.

With a personalised budget and clear financial plan in place, Kim and Bob finally knew exactly where their money was going. Every bill had been accounted for, their repayments were manageable and, perhaps most importantly, they no longer had to carry the financial burden on their own.

“That was the first night I’d slept in a month,” says Kim.

The transformation didn’t happen overnight. It came through hundreds of small, intentional decisions, sticking to their budget, paying their bills on time and slowly watching the debt disappear. 

Kim even calculated that staying with MyBudget cost less than continuing to pay late fees, interest charges and missed payment penalties on their own.

That completely changed the way they viewed budgeting support. It wasn’t another expense. It was one of the smartest financial decisions they’d ever made.

Within just 13 months, they had paid off $28,000 across 12 different debts.

But while the financial result was remarkable, it wasn’t what stayed with them most.

It was the feeling.

That sense of relief gave them something they hadn’t experienced in years: the confidence to stop living from one financial crisis to the next and start looking forward to the future.

Becoming debt free didn’t just improve Kim and Bob’s finances. It gave them the confidence, stability and freedom to start building the future they wanted.

Paying off $28,000 gave Kim and Bob more than financial freedom. It gave them choices. For the first time in years, they could look beyond the next payday and start planning ahead. 

In 2013, they took their children to Vanuatu to visit Bob’s family. Between 2017 and 2019, they saved enough to buy their son his first car. They were no longer just paying bills. They were creating memories. They were building a life.

Perhaps the biggest change wasn’t just in Kim and Bob. Their children grew up watching their parents move from financial stress to financial stability. Instead of seeing overdue bills and uncertainty, they saw what was possible when a family had a plan.

I often say it’s not just our clients that we’re helping. When we help one family reduce financial stress, the positive impact reaches everyone around them, especially their children.

Tammy Barton |MyBudget Founder & Director

Then, as it would happen, life tested them again.

Years after Bob’s cancer diagnosis, Kim was diagnosed with cancer herself.

This time, although the health battle was just as challenging, their finances weren’t.

Their bills were under control. They didn’t have to choose between paying creditors and focusing on treatment. The financial systems they had built over the previous decade gave them stability when they needed it most, while the MyBudget team continued supporting them through one of the most difficult periods of their lives. Instead of worrying about bills, they could focus on what mattered most: Kim’s health, their family and getting through treatment together. 

“We would’ve been on the streets if it wasn’t for MyBudget,” says Kim.

Looking back, that’s why Kim describes MyBudget as a “godsend.” It wasn’t simply about getting out of debt. It was about knowing that, whatever life threw at them next, they had a plan to get through it together.

Kim and Bob’s financial timeline

Kim and Bob’s story shows that financial freedom isn’t achieved overnight. Here’s how their journey evolved over more than 16 years with MyBudget.

Over more than 16 years, MyBudget didn’t just help Kim and Bob get out of debt. It supported them through every stage of life, adapting as their family, finances, health and goals changed.

Getting out of debt was only the beginning. As Kim and Bob’s life changed, MyBudget continued helping them plan for new goals and make confident financial decisions.

Over the years, MyBudget Loans helped them purchase reliable family cars, visit loved ones in New Zealand and plan for the future, always ensuring the repayments fitted comfortably within the budget they’d successfully followed for years.

When the opportunity arose to simplify several existing repayments, debt consolidation became another smart financial tool. Rather than juggling multiple lenders and due dates, they combined eligible debts into one manageable repayment, freeing up around $875 every month (more than $10,500 each year) to put towards the future they were building together.

For Kim and Bob, debt consolidation wasn’t about escaping financial stress.

It was about making their strong financial position even stronger.

Because they already had healthy money habits, a personalised budget and a long-term financial plan, debt consolidation became another way to simplify their finances while continuing to work towards their family’s goals.

You can learn that getting out of debt is possible when you have a realistic plan, healthy money habits and the right support behind you. 

Their story shows that no matter where you live, financial hardship doesn’t always start with bad money decisions. Sometimes it starts with life. Illness, job loss and unexpected challenges can quickly derail even the most determined families.

Another thing Kim and Bob’s journey teaches us is that asking for help isn’t a sign of failure. It’s often the smartest financial decision you can make. No matter how overwhelming your situation feels, there’s always a way forward with the right support.

You don’t have to have all the answers to get started. You simply need a plan and someone who can help you build it.

Sixteen years ago, Kim picked up the phone because she didn’t know where else to turn.

Today, she and Bob are planning overseas holidays, saving to buy their first home and looking ahead with confidence. Their story won’t be exactly the same as yours, but your first step could be.

“You guys were there for us then, and you’re still here for us now,” says Kim.

If you’re struggling to manage multiple debts, feeling overwhelmed by your finances or wondering whether debt consolidation is the right solution, our team is here to help.

Book Your Free Appointment 

Or call MyBudget NZ on 09 849 6285 to speak with one of our expert Money Coaches today. Together, we’ll build a personalised budgeting plan that works for your life and your goals.