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 [...]
Tag: debt free
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
