User Spotlight: How Beth Turned Her Financial Stress into Confidence with Debbie

 “The stress of finances is something that I've always been conscious of.” - Beth McReynolds

Who Is Beth?

Beth McReynolds is no stranger to setting goals. As a school principal in New Orleans, she’s spent her career helping students and staff achieve theirs—and setting plenty of her own along the way. But when it came to money, she admits she didn’t always apply that same focus.

“I’ve always been strategic and goal-driven professionally,” she said, “but I had never taken those strengths into the financial space before.”

How Did She Find Debbie?

That started to change last summer, when Beth discovered Debbie, a financial wellness app she found through her longtime credit union, Community Financial CU. What started as a fun way to track savings quickly became a transformative experience.

“I was initially kind of addicted to the gamified portion—just getting my little coins,” she laughed. “But over time, it became about so much more.”

Debbie gave her the tools and vocabulary to understand why financial freedom had always mattered to her—even if she hadn’t articulated it before. For Beth, it all came back to independence.

What's Beth's "Why"?

“It’s important to me to be able to do the things I want in my life. As I get older, those goals become loftier—starting a family, owning property. My desire to maintain independence and have choice has always been my ‘why.’”

As her ambitions grew, so did the pressure. While she had always been aware of financial stress in her life, Debbie helped her unpack it and start building toward real change.

What Changed For Beth?

The app didn’t just help her rethink her goals—it reshaped her habits. One of the biggest shifts came in how she thought about credit.

“I knew I didn’t want to use it, but I couldn’t really tell you why,” Beth explained. “Then I went through a Debbie module that helped me see it made more sense to take from my savings than rely on a credit card.”

She also began building up her savings with more intention. Previously, she’d add money when she had extra—but it wasn’t part of a consistent budget.

“Having a prescribed goal made a big difference,” she said. “It gave me a number to work toward, so it felt like I was building something over time—and that made it less overwhelming.”

Beth's Big Wins

Beth points to two major wins since starting Debbie: curbing her credit card use and regularly contributing to savings. The app’s “savings streak” feature, which rewards users for consistency, played a key role in helping her stay motivated.

“It’s one of the features that made me feel successful early on,” she said. “You build in smaller steps, and with each step, you feel more confident. That’s what keeps you going.”

Takeaways

Though she hesitates to offer advice, Beth encourages others to focus on celebrating progress—even if it’s small.

“Debbie is a helpful tool because it lets you be proud of where you are,” she said. “It’s not just about winning—it’s about building consistency, and that consistency creates momentum.”

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