Photo by Brooke Lark via Unsplash.com If you follow me on Instagram (which you should if you'll get value from it: @wrachelwrites), you've seen these graphs which break down my yearly spending by percentage. I added up exactly what I spent last year (thanks to my budget records, this was easy to do), and made [...]
Tag: debt
I Finally Calculated My Retirement Number and the Result Shocked Me
Photo by Erick Palacio via Unsplash.com I've been focused on being in control of my finances month-to-month, but I've put off thinking about a longer-term goal: my (early) retirement. Don't get me wrong, I know exactly how much I want to be investing each month once I get my emergency fund fully built, and I even [...]
On Credit Cards
Photo by Code Mnml via Unsplash.com So, I've never talked about credit cards on my blog. I didn't even realize this until my friend wrote in for a Q & A, asking "Do you have a credit card, and if so, how do you use it?" I thought it warranted an entire post. In my [...]
A Comprehensive Guide to Free & Cheap Things to Do in Iceland
Photo by Jeremy Bishop via Unsplash.com In my post last week, I wrote about all of the pricey things I did in Iceland-- ice caving, glacier hiking, boat riding, kayaking, and snorkeling. While all of these experiences enhanced my connection with the most beautiful country I've ever visited, there are just as many amazing things you can [...]
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 [...]
I Found Out I Wasn’t Debt Free…
Image by Paweł Czerwiński via Unsplash.com I visited my parents' home a few weeks back to celebrate my brother's birthday. I came through the front door, towing boxes from my car since I've been moving all my things there slowly. I walked through my routine of taking my boxes down the basement, talking to whoever's home [...]
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. [...]
April Post-Debt Net Worth Update
Photo by Isaac Smith via Unsplash.com Hey Team, I'm excited for this one. You may have noticed that I didn't write a net worth update for February or March, but you'll be surprised to hear that I didn't check my net worth privately, either. This number will be just as much as a surprise to [...]
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 [...]
Teachers Talk Money 