Sarah Kendall is a personal finance writer based in Queens, New York who paid off $34,000 in debt while raising two kids on a single income. Furthermore, Sarah Kendall writes about budgeting, credit cards, debt payoff, and couponing strategies from real lived experience — not a finance degree. However, Sarah Kendall is not a licensed financial advisor — therefore all content on NYTReprints is for informational purposes only. For official financial guidance see the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Certified Financial Planner Board.
Sarah Kendall
Personal Finance Writer — NYTReprints
Queens, NY · 12 years managing a family of four on a single NYC income · Paid off $34,000 in debt while raising two kids
Family Finances
in 3 Years
Family Budget
Covered
Based In
Queens, New York
Covers
Credit Cards · Budgeting · Debt · Savings · Investing · Insurance · Mortgages · Tax · Couponing · Side Hustles
Not a Licensed
Financial advisor, CFP, CPA, or investment professional
If You Can Make It Work in New York, You Can Make It Work Anywhere
I’m Sarah Kendall, and I spent 12 years figuring out how to keep a family of four financially afloat in Queens, New York — one of the most expensive places on earth to raise kids.
My husband and I raised two children on a single income in New York City. We didn’t have a family financial advisor. We didn’t inherit money. We had a tight budget, a mountain of debt, and a determination to figure it out.
Over 12 years I became obsessive about personal finance out of necessity. I mastered extreme couponing, learned to stack cash-back credit cards, negotiated bills, opened high-yield savings accounts before they were trendy, and built an investing habit starting with $50 a month. We paid off $34,000 in debt in three years while raising two kids in New York City.
That’s why I started NYTReprints — because the personal finance advice I needed wasn’t written for people like me. It was written for single professionals with disposable income, not Queens families stretching every dollar to cover rent, groceries, childcare, and MetroCards.
I write about what actually works for real families. No finance degree. No Wall Street background. Just 12 years of making every dollar count in the most expensive city in America.
What Sarah Covers on NYTReprints
💳 Credit Cards
Cash-back stacking for grocery and household spend. Which cards actually pay off for families — and which ones trap you in rewards you’ll never use.
🏠 Mortgage & Home Buying
How to navigate first-time home buying without getting burned. Down payment strategies, mortgage comparison, and what lenders don’t tell you upfront.
💸 Debt & Personal Loans
The debt payoff strategies that actually work on a tight budget. Snowball vs avalanche, balance transfers, and when debt consolidation makes sense.
🏦 Banking & Savings
High-yield savings accounts, best checking accounts for families, and how to build an emergency fund on a budget that feels impossible.
📈 Investing for Beginners
Starting from zero. Index funds, robo-advisors, and how to invest your first $50/month when you think you can’t afford to invest at all.
🧾 Tax & Filing
Tax software comparisons, deductions families actually qualify for, and how to stop overpaying your taxes year after year.
🛒 Couponing & Deals
Extreme couponing meets cashback apps. How to stack Rakuten, Ibotta, and store loyalty programs for maximum savings on groceries and household essentials.
🔧 Credit Repair
How to rebuild your credit score without paying for services you don’t need. What credit repair companies actually do — and when to use one.
🛡️ Insurance
Life, health, auto, and renters insurance for families on a budget. How to get covered without overpaying — and what coverage you actually need.
💼 Side Hustles
Real ways to earn extra income as a stay-at-home parent. What actually pays, what wastes your time, and how to turn extra income into debt payoff fuel.
The $34,000 Debt Payoff Story
In 2014, my husband and I had $34,000 in consumer debt — credit cards, a personal loan, and medical bills — and a second child on the way. We were living in Queens on one income, and the math wasn’t working.
I spent six months obsessively learning everything I could about personal finance. I read every book. I followed every blog. I tested every strategy. Some of it worked. Most of it was written for people with financial breathing room we didn’t have.
So I adapted. I built our own system — part debt snowball, part extreme couponing, part cash-back credit card optimization. We tracked every dollar. We said no to a lot of things. And three years later, we were debt free.
That experience is the foundation of everything I write on NYTReprints. I’m not telling you what the textbook says. I’m telling you what worked when the stakes were real and the budget was tight.
Important Disclosure
Sarah Kendall is not a licensed financial advisor, Certified Financial Planner (CFP), CPA, or investment professional. All content on NYTReprints is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial professional before making significant financial decisions. NYTReprints participates in affiliate programs — see our full affiliate disclosure.
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