Hi Everyone! First of all, I noticed it has been quite a while since I posted. I’m sorry if you’re someone who looks forward to this! I have some updates of course since December. - I did end up getting a small raise and a bonus in the spring. That will help for when insurance starts coming out of my check. That change will likely take effect in August. - I’m tracking well for my goal this year. I keep calculating how close I can get to May 2019 for my debt free date. I keep getting closer and closer. - I may start paying for my car insurance and phone bills. I’m on family plans for both, b ..read more

By way of my Granny, I have become an eBay seller. She has been selling old toys for some extra money. She isn’t technologically savvy enough to get them posted, so I help her in that area. She doesn’t drive, so my mom handles the shipping for her. We’ve been doing this side hustle for about a month and I’ve learned a few tips and tricks for those just starting out. The items have to be clean and organized before posting.  Use eBay’s recommended shipping as a guideline. - I thought shipping would be a lot cheaper than it actually is. This hurt our profits at the beginning.  Be ..read more

It’s time for the 2017 wrap up and a new net worth update. To start, let’s go over my goals set for 2017. Original 2017 Goals Pay off $14,000 in debt.   - Exceeded Save $700 for a vacation. - Saved the cash, but overspent and ended up spending $870 for the trip Save $800 in my auto account.  - Missed this target. Moved over money and cash-flowed any maintenance. I keep thinking that if I can get more debt paid off it will be easier to save money for a new car in full. Home Stretch Goals Pay off all Plus Loans - completed 12/11/17 Be at 50% of debt paid off - completed Pay off $20 ..read more

Hi guys! It’s another exciting day here. We have a guest blogger, Mark from FoosBallZone. Enjoy the new post and check out his information and website as well. ———————————————————————— The holiday season is here and that means we will buy presents for people we love. But, we don’t have to spend a lot to give them interesting presents. Think about the personality of the people you are buying and I will inspire you with interesting presents which won’t make you spend too much. Enjoy my list of cute present for Millennials: Leather tassel charging cable - $10 I like devices that have two pu ..read more

I hit my first long term FI goal. I’ve just submitted my last payment for my Parent PLUS Loans. Today is payday and I woke up anxious to get my payment sent out. It’s still pending, so I’ll officially celebrate next week. This is an exciting feeling. It’s the endorphins I needed to catapult me into a stricter budget. It’s been a long journey to reach hitting this goal - In part because I chose the Debt Avalanche vs the Debt Snowball. Now I’ll be focusing on my Auto Loan and Fed Loans in the New Year. I would like to get $20,000 paid off this year, but I also have been using my credit card to ..read more

It’s been a bit, but I’m doing some financial recalibrating. I mentioned how I was going budget free lately. I’ve decided it’d be best to get my butt back in gear. I did an analysis of my debt payments towards my Plus loans. It’s interesting to see the trends. I can tell where I lost focus or other things came up. I’m going back on the budget train in January. Right now, I’m giving a final December push to finish the year by paying off $20,000 in debt. I’m close, but need a little extra to get it closed out. I’m starting to adjust my budget and envelopes for 2018. I would absolutely love to ..read more

This month was my attempt to get back on the budget train. I only really use two categories for my cash. They are Gas and Spending money. Gas prices have gone up, the plumber sent us his bill, and Murphy showed his face. I brought my phone and $20 to the flea market. I left with neither. I didn't put my phone in my pocket and I left it in our little wagon. I looked back, and my phone was gone. I traced and retraced my steps, but I knew it had been stolen in that 10 minute timeframe.  I have set aside cash for the plumber, so that is taken care of. I have about $30 for gas money next we ..read more

Today is a great day. It's Friday, it's payday, and my blog was mentioned in a list of the top 100 Millennial blogs on the web. That's a pretty cool honor. I am actually number 100, but still happy to be included at all. Here's a link to check out the other bloggers mentioned. Many of these I recognized from the blogs I read and the intstagram accounts I follow. I know that it's best to live without needing to know it's payday, but I still do. Today is the payday I get to put everything toward my student loans. It's exciting and honestly something I look forward to because I know I'm one payc ..read more

My family is headed back to school/work and fall/ holiday plans are already in the works. I'm down to just over $5,000 left on my last parent PLUS loan. I recently received my last planned raise in pay. I realized that I am officially at that place where over half my income can go to my debt avalanche. I'm going back to using cash for gas and other expenses. I am doing my own version of the envelope system. I've taken out an allotted amount of spending money per week. I can do as I wish with that. I can go out for drinks, pick up lunch, buy hair products, and lust after fall fashions. No judg ..read more