Jennifer wasn’t quite sure what she was getting herself into when she launched her business five years ago. “I started it the absolute wrong way,” she admitted.

She might not have known all the ins and outs of entrepreneurship, but she did know a thing or two about baking. “I started this little business out of my home,” she explained. It was the most wonderful time of the year, and she decided to make chocolate-covered cookies and decorate them to look like Christmas characters.

Little did she know this decision would change her whole life.

The word budget was the last thing on Julian’s mind until this year.

“We lived with my mother,” he explained. “I have a job here in New York, but it’s very expensive to live in this area.” And it’s especially challenging when you have three growing boys! The decision to share housing expenses with his mother allowed Julian’s wife, Nicole, to stay home with their sons.

But everything changed at the beginning of the year.

“Something unexpected happened,” Julian said. “We lost my mother to a tragic accident. It was horrible for all of us. It was such a big hit.”

We all agree that education is important, but student loan debt in the United States recently topped $1.4 trillion. Yes, you read that right. Not million. Not billion. Trillion. That’s enough zeros to make your head spin!

And the worst part is that most students (and their parents) don’t know what they’re really getting into when they sign on the dotted line. We asked EveryDollar budgeters to share what they wish they had known about student loans before agreeing to take them on. Here’s what they said:

When Joanna made the trip from New Zealand to Colorado, she didn’t expect to make the United States her home. “I came over to stay with a lady on a ranch who needed someone to help train horses,” she explained. It sounded like fun, so she hopped on a plane and came over.

Less than a week after she arrived, she met Mark, the man who would soon become her husband.

EveryDollar just passed the one-million-budgeters mark! One! Million!

We’re a little excited. Can you tell? This milestone means more to us than a number. It means more debts paid off, more savings accounts funded, and more lives changed. And it means way less stress for a lot more people.

For those of you who joined us in this budgeting movement, thank you! And for those of you who are ready to take control of your money for the first time, welcome!