Learning from my debt, one paycheck at a time.
I'm going to stop investing for one year. WHAT!? You say? Let me explain... For the last couple years, I have been taking the approach of investing, saving, AND paying down my student loan. I was paying a lot more toward my student loan (1100/month) than I was toward investing for retirement (600/month) or saving … Continue reading To Invest or Pay my Student Loan?
I am jealous of people who are naturally good with their money. We always hear about how there are "savers" and "spenders". I am a spender. I was raised in a household of spenders, most of whom continue to be spenders to this day. I have said it before and I'll say it again, I … Continue reading Confessions of a Spender
So one of the podcasts I listen to is the YNAB podcast by Jesse Meecham, the creator of YNAB. YNAB, if you're not familiar with it, is a budgeting software (short for "You Need A Budget") that can be used across platforms like your cell phone and computer. Anyway, in this specific episode of the … Continue reading Why I’m Going to Stop Planning Ahead
In this post, I will talk about some of the reasons you should decide to feel good about the fact that you might suck at budgeting (for now). That’s right: You’re supposed to suck at budgeting when you first start out, and you will keep on sucking at it for a while, and that’s okay. … Continue reading 6 Reasons Why SUCKING at Budgeting is the Key to Success
Hi there, This is just a quick update to share with you that I have been interviewed about my financial journey and the best ways to get out of debt by the folks over at Mespo! In case you aren't familiar, Mespo provides a platform to reduce your monthly costs, manage your money across all … Continue reading Debt Dummy Update: July 31, 2017
So yesterday I decided to look at my historical spending trends in YNAB (my budgeting software) in order to see where I am doing well and where I could do better, and what I came away with was this: I am spending way too much on groceries. I think this has been sort of a … Continue reading Overspending on Groceries (Whole Foods is my Kryptonite)
In this post, I will talk about the addictive nature of shopping, and how to manage impulses to shop. This post is a follow-up to my recent post: The YNAB Glitch: What Happened When the Budget Went Down (a.k.a. Self-Control or Lack Thereof) . I wanted to follow-up on some more after-shocks I experienced from my spending … Continue reading 5 Ways I am Kicking the Urge to Shop (Shopping Addictions and Motivational Enhancement)
This post is about what happened when a glitch in my budgeting software rendered my budget meaningless, and what I did in the 48 hours that followed. So last weekend, I signed into my YNAB account to do my regular budgeting activities. In case you are not familiar with YNAB, let me introduce you. YNAB … Continue reading The YNAB Glitch: What Happened When the Budget Went Down (a.k.a Self-Control or Lack Thereof)
So this week I had the pleasure of attending a 2-day course for work called "Planning Your Financial Future". One of the many perks of being a government employee. This was awesome for a variety of reasons, including that the days were shorter by an hour than my regular days (but I still got paid … Continue reading Facing the money-stress monster, talking about money, and learning to climb out of debt
Makeup, fashion, waxing, lotions, creams, self-tanners, manis, pedis, perfume: it's all really EXPENSIVE. Like Dolly Parton said: "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap." Even if you are just doing basic level things (brushing your teeth, washing your hair, wearing deodorant of some form, moisturizing occasionally, maybe wearing mascara, lip chap, etc), … Continue reading Beauty, Fashion, & General Girl Stuff: What are you willing to pay for?