How We Paid Off $128K of Debt and Work Under 20 Hours a Week

Monica and I paid off $128K of debt in under a year. Today we work fewer than 20 hours a week combined. When we started out as nurses, that would have sounded impossible.

The pay rates here are from March 2025, when this was first written. Pay changes every year, so check current rates in Map My Pay.

We thought we were doing everything right

We both had steady jobs. We worked hard and kept picking up extra shifts to make ends meet.

Behind the scenes, we were drowning in debt:

• We financed a Volvo XC90 for $76,000, with a $1,270 monthly car payment.
• We had over $25K in credit card debt from moving costs and everyday bills.
• We still owed $20K in student loans from nursing school.

We were also worn out:

• We both worked 50 to 60 hours a week.
• We felt like we couldn’t say no to extra shifts because we needed the money.
• Even with all those hours, we still couldn’t get ahead.

We were stuck in survival mode. We were always stressed and always tired. We kept wondering how other nurses paid for vacations, savings and a life outside of work.

The problem was the system, not us

We thought the problem was us, but it wasn’t. We were working harder than ever, but we didn’t know how the system worked.

We didn’t understand the pay scales, nurse-to-patient ratios and overtime laws. Those are what decide how much money you actually make as a nurse. Once we figured that out, everything changed.

Moving to Northern California changed everything

We left New York City and moved to Sacramento. Our pay doubled right away.

• I make $109 an hour as an evening-shift ER nurse.
• Monica makes $140 an hour as a per diem night-shift nurse.
• We bought our dream house and paid off $128K of debt in under a year.
• We work fewer than 20 hours a week combined and live comfortably.

It’s not just us. One of our followers and his wife went from making $200K a year to over $350K a year. They did it just by moving to a different city in California.

To see what this looks like over a full year, read our nursing income for 2024.

Why Northern California pays nurses so well

California’s ratios, pay scales and overtime laws are unlike anywhere else in the country. That’s why the highest-paying staff nursing jobs are in Northern California. We cover more of this in why we left NYC to be nurses in California.

Most nurses don’t know how to do three things:

• Target the right hospitals.
• Use shift differentials and overtime pay, including 1.5x and 2x pay.
• Set themselves up for the highest-paying roles.

Working harder is not the answer. When we learned how the system works, we doubled our income and got our time back. If you want to see how working fewer hours can still pay well, read how nurses can work 20 hours and earn $120,000.

What we did with the extra money

Making more was only step one. We also had to stop the money from leaking out. That meant a debt payoff plan that wiped out $128K in under a year. The next step was learning to set up a 401(k), Roth IRA and other retirement accounts the right way, and to start investing.

We were where you might be now: overworked, underpaid and stressed out. We figured out how to get out, and now we want to help you do the same.

Written by Jason, RN. I went from $37 an hour in New York to $143 an hour in California and paid off $128K of debt in under a year. I share our numbers in the Nurses to Riches newsletter and on YouTube.