A teacher and toddler mom recovers from a wedding loan and impulsive spending habit — now she’s debt-free and enjoying family trips without guilt. Enrolled Debt: $30,665
Graduated: August 2025
Program Length: 3 years, 2 months
Meet Cara G., A Teacher and Mom Who Paid Off $30,665 in Debt
Cara G. is a second-grade teacher and mom of a two-year old toddler. She is passionate about animals, helping others and spending quality time with her husband, son and family.
For years she was used to spending first and asking questions later, but over time, her credit card use and a wedding loan overwhelmed her with debt.
Much of Cara’s uncontrolled spending came from a desire to help people and a self-described lack of impulse control — something she is now addressing in a positive way.
Eventually, she decided to get help with her debt so she could build a better life for her son.
When did you realize it was time to get help?
One day I was like, “how am I ever going to get out of this?” I wanted to be done with constant bills coming in and not being able to pay them — just the interest forever. I was struggling to meet basic bills.
So, I did a form online, and when someone from Five Lakes called, I just thought, let’s do it!
What helped you trust Five Lakes and feel confident it was right for you?
The representative I spoke to was really nice.
He was super honest about how it works.
He made it seem doable. Also, he didn’t sugarcoat it, and that made me trust the process.
He made a good impression. If he wasn’t as nice on the phone I wouldn’t have gone through with it. He made it seem doable.
The best part was the peace of mind that Five Lakes was handling it. I just had to put the money in the bank and know that in a couple years it was going to be over.
How did you feel when you graduated?
Mostly, relief! Relief that none of that’s hanging over me anymore. When you’re already struggling to meet basic bills, it’s hard knowing you’ve got all that debt too.
Now, I have more money to put in savings, and if there is an emergency — like we need a new roof or something — I know we’d be able to handle it.
What do you enjoy most about being debt-free?
There’s less pressure and my son gets to do things like soccer and gym class every week. If I was still paying over a thousand dollars a month in credit card debt, he wouldn’t have those things.
We even went to Great Wolf Lodge recently — probably wouldn’t have been able to do that if we didn’t have the money saved for it!
Has the experience changed how you think about and manage money?
Now, my paycheck goes into a shared account, and I have a set amount to spend. It’s better that way. My goal is to keep putting money into a savings account and not get in any debt that is avoidable.
What advice would you give to others who are in debt?
My friend is actually going through the process now. We talked about it, and I told her, “it’s not going to get better unless you do something. You might as well put as much as you can into the Five Lakes account and let them handle it. You’ll just feel better and have a plan.“
Post-Grad Cara Enjoys Splurging on Family Time
With support from the attorneys at Five Lakes, Cara completed a straightforward plan that lowered her eligible monthly payments from $1,000 to about $300 a month.
Now, she’s more mindful of emotional spending and uses guardrails like automated savings and monthly spending limits.
Best of all, she and her husband are able to put their money toward things that bring them joy, like sending their son to soccer and gym classes. Recently they went on a family trip to Great Wolf Lodge — it may have been a small spending splurge but it was one they planned for and could enjoy guilt-free!
Real client compensated for sharing their authentic experience — results and savings reflect their individual circumstances.