My Financial Fresh Start: The Real Story Behind This Project

Claire Ellison
Dec 12
4 min read

Your fresh start begins here.

Money is emotional — let’s talk about it.

A Different Kind of Money Story

Most financial blogs start with success stories:

“I paid off six figures of debt.”

“I max out my retirement accounts.”

“I built wealth before 30.”

This isn’t one of those stories.

This is a story about growing up in a small town with loving parents who worked hard but were never given the tools to understand money beyond survival.

A story about learning emotional spending before learning how to budget.

A story about falling into debt, climbing out of it — and falling back in again.

A story about shame, avoidance, and more than one fresh start.

And this is the story behind The Financial Fresh Start.

Growing Up Without Financial Literacy

I didn’t grow up in a family that talked about money openly. My parents worked blue-collar jobs, stretched every dollar, and did their best — but money was a source of quiet stress, not conversation.

Without realizing it, I learned three things early:

Spending money could create temporary relief from hard emotions
Avoiding uncomfortable conversations felt safer than facing them
Money was emotional, unpredictable, and something to fear

None of this was intentional.

It was simply modeled.

And I carried those lessons with me into adulthood.

College: The Beginning of Emotional Spending

I left for college with a strong work ethic and multiple scholarships — but no real understanding of how to manage money.

Then came my first credit card.

I used it the way many young adults do:

to blend in, to feel equal, to live the life around me even when I couldn’t truly afford it.

That’s when emotional spending quietly turned into debt.

I didn’t know how to stop it — because I didn’t yet understand why I was doing it.

Early Adulthood: Debt → Payoff → Relapse

I paid off my credit card debt for the first time as a senior in college, and I thought I was fixed when I saw that zero on the statement. After graduation, I landed a job at a Big 4 accounting firm — my first exposure to corporate life.

I was surrounded by people who dressed differently, spent differently, and carried themselves with a confidence I didn’t feel.

So I tried to keep up.

I also made choices that felt responsible at the time — like buying new cars — but that kept me trapped in cycles of being upside down on loans and chasing payments that never seemed to end.

This was when I learned something important:

You can have degrees in accounting and still struggle with money if no one ever helped you understand your relationship to it.

The numbers weren’t my problem.

The emotions were.

The One Financial Decision That Changed My Direction

In my early 20s, my grandparents sold me a home they owned — for the payoff of the remaining loan.

At the time, I didn’t fully understand what a gift that was.

That home gave me equity when I had very little else.

It gave me stability.

It gave me breathing room.

It gave me a foundation.

It was the best financial decision of my early adulthood — even though I didn’t make it myself.

And yet, even with a good job and a home, I still struggled with emotional spending and debt cycles.

Because stability doesn’t erase emotional patterns.

Awareness does.

Marriage, Honesty, and the Slow Work of Change

When I met the man who would become my husband, he had healthier money habits than I did:

He paid off credit cards every month
He kept an emergency fund
He planned ahead
He didn’t attach shame or identity to spending

He helped me build a budget.

He helped me pay off debt — again.

He helped me believe I could change.

But healing wasn’t linear.

There were moments I hid balances out of shame.

Moments I avoided statements because they triggered guilt.

Moments I overspent because I felt insecure or overwhelmed.

Moments I had to start over — again.

That’s when I learned another truth:

Healing your relationship with money isn’t a one-time event. It’s ongoing, honest work.

Where I Am Today

Today, my life looks very different:

We own a home with significant equity
We have multiple investment properties
We contribute to retirement and brokerage accounts
We’re raising children who will learn about money earlier than I did

And yet — I’m still human.

I still catch myself slipping into old patterns.

I still feel emotional triggers around money.

I still have moments where I need to reset.

And that’s okay.

Because you don’t need perfection to build a strong financial future.

You just need honesty and a willingness to keep going.

Why I Created The Financial Fresh Start

I created this space because I know what it feels like to:

feel ashamed of debt
avoid looking at your numbers
spend to cope
feel behind even when you’re trying
grow up without guidance
want better for your kids
rebuild — more than once

I also know what it feels like to be a first-generation earner — someone who outgrows the financial reality they were raised in and struggles with the emotional weight of that shift.

This is not a place for perfection.

It’s a place for progress.

For compassion.

For honesty.

For stories that sound like yours.

Money is emotional — let’s talk about it.

Your financial fresh start begins here.

And I’m honored you’re here.

— Claire Ellison

🌿 Where to go next

If this story resonated, you may want to read:

Or, if you’d like gentle encouragement along the way, you can join the Financial Fresh Start Newsletter for weekly support without pressure.