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:

Jessie and Chris had a busy year in 2016.

They were newlyweds learning the ins and outs of marriage, and Jessie had just started a brand-new job. Those two changes alone are a lot to take on in a single year, but they also managed to pay off their debt, too!

“Right after we got married, we started talking about our future and how we wanted to be successful,” Jessie explained. “For the first time ever, we came together and said, ‘Okay, what’s our plan?’”

It’s time to celebrate your successes!

Think of all you accomplished in 2016 and the people you accomplished those things with. Don’t focus on anything you didn’t get done. Look at the positive strides you made that you can be proud of. It’s important to stop and give yourself some credit for what you’ve done well!

This coming year, you’re going to accomplish even more amazing goals and share even more amazing memories with the people you love. But before you start making big plans, we wanted to give you a little inspiration to help you stay in the zone.

Here are four of our favorite money wins from EveryDollar budgeters!