On Christmas morning, Jayla's husband, Tony, unwrapped a pair of shoes with the words "Debt Free" printed across their tops. Confused at first, Tony read the words with a questioning look. "Yeah," Jayla responded. "I want you walking around debt free."
In a now viral video of the moment, Tony has little time to respond before Jayla hands him her phone, which is playing a recorded conversation between her and a Sallie Mae representative.
"Congratulations to him, he's one lucky guy," the rep concludes the call, signifying that Jayla had successfully completed her mission of paying off the rest of Tony's student loan debt.
"I'm a big crier, so there were instant tears in my eyes," Jayla told BuzzFeed about the moment. "Seeing his appreciation was all I needed, but it also was so special to me that he cried too since he doesn't do it often. He knew how much of a sacrifice I had to make in order to pay them. After the video cuts, I received the biggest, longest hug, a million 'Thank yous,' and an 'I owe you the world now.' I am just so happy we can close that chapter of debt!"
But how was she able to pull this off?! Well, the mom of two attributes her best gift ever to discipline. At the beginning of 2021, the couple — who met at a tailgate in college — sat down to discuss their finances and set goals to eliminate some of their debt. However, because these are COVID times and no plans seem to be safe, the Henrys faced an unexpected obstacle: Tony lost his job. Gratefully, Jayla's social media presence was growing and brand partnerships kept the bills paid and the savings account growing.
On top of an emergency and kids fund, Jayla was also secretly setting money aside to pay off Tony's student loans — a gift she sees as a return on her husband's previous sacrifices for her. "Before I became an influencer I was a stay-at-home mom bringing in zero income, but I wanted to be home with my baby. Not once was I led to feel bad about it — only appreciated for all I did at home and with our son! That alone made me want to pay it back," she said.
"I've never really been one to splurge on anything, let alone loans, but I knew to accomplish something like this I really needed to look at the bigger picture of my spending," she shared. "Only buying what we needed, not what we wanted, accounting for any money coming in and out and how much I could afford to set aside from each paycheck... My husband thankfully became employed in July and that was a huge help for bills and our savings."
When Jayla and Tony first met, she took the initiative by approaching him, throwing an arm around his shoulders, and saying, "I just want to let you know, you're going to be my husband." Now, nearly four years later, Tony plans on using his architecture degree to design their first home and, without the pressure of student loans hanging over his head, they're on track toward a debt-free future.
