Photo by Daniel Fazio via Unsplash.com I'm excited to announce some big salary changes this year! As you guys know, I made about $49,000 last year, plus about $3,000 with my summer job for a total of $52,000 gross income. It was definitely enough to pay off debt and live comfortably, but with some of the [...]
Tag: career
An Honest Review of the 4 Jobs I Worked During College
Photo by Clark Street Mercantile via Unsplash.com You guys know that a big part of my student loan debt story included my attempts to keep my loans as small as possible by working during college, both in the summer and during the school year. That being said, I've never talked specifically about what jobs I had [...]
Why I Moved to D.C.
Photo by Casey Horner via Unsplash.com When I told people I was moving to Washington D.C., they tended to give me some version of the same reaction: "That's expensive!" And they were right. My rent has increased almost $400/month, and I'm anticipating a lot small cost of living increases (gas, groceries, eating out) that will definitely [...]
Budgetting for an Upcoming Move | My June Budget
Photo by David Boca via Unsplash.com I'm navigating some semi-uncharted budget territory this month since I'm planning the expenses of moving. This means budgetting for a security deposit, first month's rent, moving fees, getting my plates and license changed (since I'll be moving from Maryland to DC), parking, furniture, and probably some other hidden costs. So [...]
Waiting Through the Chaos: Having Patience When You Have No Control | LIFE UPDATE
Photo by Hédi Benyounes via Unsplash.com In my head, my life has been completely nuts lately. In reality, things are actually pretty calm and slow. The reason I feel like life is crazy is because there are so many changes on the horizon, and I'm constantly ruminating on how to tackle them, logistically, mentally, and financially. [...]
My May Budget
Photo by neONBRAND via Unsplash.com Hey Team, I have to admit that I felt very reluctant to write this post for a number of reasons. Firstly, I decided to entirely pause contributions to my 457 in favor of saving for some midterm goals. For some reason, I feel guilty about this. I think it's because [...]
How to Determine the Right Amount of Money for your Emergency Fund
Image by Sagar Rana via Unsplash.com Because of mostly watching clickbaity YouTube videos to learn about personal finance while I was in college, I used to believe that every adult should have a $10,000 emergency fund. Exactly $10,000. Every single person. Naturally, it's more complex than that. But the advice still seemed to vary from [...]
My First Post-Debt Budget: April 2019
Image by Toa Heftiba via Unsplash.com This is an exciting post for me to write, since my April budget was really fun to make. It's been a work in progress since I wrote about it in my post What Will My Life Look Like #debtfree? and now it looks entirely different, with changes in both income, [...]
When the Magic Really Happens: I’m Debt Free
Image by Sean Patrick Murphy via Unsplash.com Hey Team, What's that quote about turning an impossibility into an inevitability? Due to a plan and willpower that made it inevitable, I'm debt free now. I paid off $11,422.84 10 months after I graduated, and 7 months after starting my career as an English teacher. Was my [...]
January Net Worth & Debt Update
Photo by Nicole Ditt via Unsplash.com With another month passed, I'm officially only 2 months (or 5 payments) away from becoming #debtfree. This process has been both humbling and inspiring. Sticking to a tight budget has shown me what I'm capable of doing with money and what is really worth spending on. It has also [...]
Teachers Talk Money 