In this post, I’ll discuss the strategies I used to: Live on $530 a month; Save $4,500 for my emergency fund, reaching a $10k goal in 4 months; Earn an extra $3,430 this quarter (and why that might not be a great thing); Save $6,900 for investing in 3 months; and, Why I’m investing […]
Q3 2017 Financial Review – $4k of Student Loans Paid Off + $5k Emergency Fund Saved
In this post, I’ll discuss the strategies I used to: Make my final $3,800 payment on $67,000 of high-interest student loans; Save $5,000 for my emergency fund in 3 months; Spend less on travel when I visited South Carolina and Cape Cod; Get a “like new” computer for less than $100; Live on $800 […]
- Afford
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I Just Paid off $67,000 of High Interest Student Loans in Less than 2 Years – and Saved $23,600 in Interest!
Goodbye High Interest Debt, and Good Riddance.Table of Contents There has been a giant smile on my face all week because I just reached a HUGE milestone in my journey to becoming debt free. On July 28th, I paid the final $3,815 balance due on the high interest portion – originally totaling $61,800 when borrowed […]
Q2 2017 Financial Review – $21,500 of Student Loans Paid Off!
Q2 was a great quarter — I put over $21,000 towards shrinking my $100,000 high mountain of debt! That’s over 20% of the total I owed when I graduated college. Quarter 2 (April, May, June) is where I try to learn from my Q1 Spending Plan Review and address my problem spending areas. I […]
Q1 2017 Financial Review – $2,072 of Student Loans Paid Off
Quarter 1 (January, February and March) is always the test drive of any Spending Plan. Frequently, in Q2 or Q3, things will change, spending categories will be added, and allocations will be shifted to accommodate the latest information. For the first three months, though, my aim is to stick as closely to my plan […]
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Spending Plan 2017 – Pay off $31.8k of Student Loans, Live on $850 per month
A Spending Plan gives you a framework for how and where to spend your money in order to achieve your goals and live your life in alignment with your values. Want some background on how to create a Spending Plan? Read this post, which discusses: The top 2 reasons to create and follow a spending plan (one is definitely […]
STOP Budgeting! Do This Instead & You Can Spend Your Money AND Achieve Your Goals
Outside of the personal finance world, the b-word is a dirty word. No, not that word. I mean BUDGET. When someone says you should budget, you probably have visions of eating a bland peanut butter sandwich every day for lunch; having to shamefully text your friends that no, you can’t go for drinks after work, […]
- Habits + Goals
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The Only 2 Factors That Determine If You Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions
Photo by Karina Carvalho So we’re a month into 2017 at this point, how exciting! New year, new you… right? Since it’s a brand new year, have you made any lofty resolutions to overhaul your life? I have. However, in 2017, I’ve gone about it a little differently than in years past. This year, instead […]
- Habits + Goals
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Goals for 2017 – Dream Board!
This year I decided to create a visual of my goals in the form of a dream board. I first defined my goals for the year and a list of things that I want to experience or achieve. Then I wrote a list of words that represented these goals and achievements, and then I searched […]
2016 Review – Paying Off $33k in Student Loans + Living on $4,500
In 2016, my expenses were less than $4,500, but I still had a lot of fun – after all, my main priority is enjoying my twenties while aggressively paying off my student loans. I went to a few festivals, including a brew festival, a music festival, and a chowder festival (who knew that was a […]
2015 Review – Graduating College, Getting Job(s), and Repaying $9,750 of Student Loans
2015 was a roller coaster – I was working towards graduating with honors in my bachelor degree program, trying to get a full-time job in my field, and sifting through the stacks of old student loan information that I had conveniently forgot about for the past four years while in college. I was also […]
- Lifestyle Design
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What is Lifestyle Design?
Photo by Chris Lawton Imagine you wake up, without an alarm, to soft sunlight and the sound of waves crashing on the beach. You prepare your favorite cup of fragrant tea and stroll along the sand sipping and feeling the sunshine warm your skin. After your walk, you spend some time preparing a delicious breakfast […]
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Why Debt is Not For Me
Photo by Tim Marshall If you search google with “why debt is…” it will first complete your query with “why debt is good.” I went down that rabbit hole to see the reasons people have for thinking (or rationalizing) that their debt is good. The idea of “Good Debt” versus “Bad Debt” is perpetuated throughout the […]
TwentyFree Launches!
Photo by Stephan Kunze Blogging has been on my to-do list for a long time now. As you’ll come to see, I fondly call my “bucket-list” my to-do list, since I have every intention of completing each and every thing on that list as soon as the opportunity arises. But more on that in another […]