A no spend challenge is when you challenge yourself to not spend in certain categories for a certain period of time. You can do it for a week, a month or a year, and you can customize it to fit your needs and goals. Obviously, you will need to spend money on necessities, but even […]
Afford
Yes, you can afford to live your ideal life, even on an entry level salary, even if you still live at home, even if you have six-figures of student loan debt. Read on for tips, tricks, and hacks for earning extra cash, saving more than you thought possible, investing like a boss, getting out of debt, and achieving financial independence in your twenties.
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Ultimate Guide to Paying Off Debt
When you think about becoming debt free, it can be overwhelming to imagine all of the questions that come up, like: How much debt do I even have? How does debt payoff work? What order should I pay off my debt? Should I pay off debt or invest? This article will walk you through the […]
The Secret to Complete Freedom: Financial Independence
What if you never needed to work again, and you could still live the life of your dreams? This is possible through a concept called Financial Independence (also known as FI). When you’re financially independent, you don’t rely on income from a job to pay for your basic needs or wants. You aren’t living paycheck to […]
Save Thousands This Year With A Saving Challenge
Have you ever wished you had so much money that you could easily afford to take a last minute vacation to a tropical island when your friend invites you, or to drop an envelope of cash containing the downpayment on your dream house in the realtor’s office as soon as you see that gorgeous […]
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Powerful Student Loan Payoff Stories (+ Strategies) From People Like You
I had no idea how I would pay off the $100,000 of student loan debt I had accrued in college – maybe you can relate. Once I started, I’d look at the stories of other people who were fighting the same struggle I was. In these stories, I’d find goldmines of tactics, tips, and motivation. It […]
Budget-Friendly Gifts You Can Give For Christmas
Christmas is coming! The season of gift-giving is just around the corner. Do you already have gifts for your family, friends, neighbors, and officemates? Don’t worry, there’s no need to break the bank just to find something nice. Here’s a list of budget friendly gifts (that you can make at the last minute too!) […]
The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Emergency Funds
Dealing with an emergency – whether it is a family member getting sick, your car breaking down, or getting laid off from your job – is stressful enough. These emergencies get even worse when you don’t have enough money to get you through a difficult time. Unfortunately, anything can happen, no matter how carefully […]
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Millenials in Debt: Ignore Outdated Advice and Become Debt Free
This article will dive into the following topics: Changing Times: Why “good” debt has become a myth Bad advice: The outdated advice you hear all the time to avoid at all costs Debt alternatives: Options you can consider instead of accruing more debt Become debt free: The order in which you should pay off […]
Earn Extra Money: 9 Awesome Ideas You Can Use This Week!
Is your payday still a week away? Are you trying to figure out how to make money fast this week? Making more money is always a great idea, but finding the time to fit in a second job? Well, that’s a lot more difficult. Fortunately, we are now lucky enough to be living in […]
Budget Cheat Sheet: How to Make a Brand New Budget in 6 Easy Steps
Wouldn’t it be great if someone would tell you exactly how to create a new budget – for your first time, for the new year, or when your old one just isn’t cutting it? That’s what this post is all about – six straightforward steps that will help you put together your best budget ever. […]
5 Actionable Budget Tips for the Perfect Spending Plan
Do you want to create the perfect budget that is easy to follow and helps you achieve your financial and lifestyle goals? If you implement these five actionable budget tips, your budget this year will be better than ever. By perfecting my budget, I managed to pay off over $70,000 of student loans and save a […]
How to Simplify + Improve Your Budget in 8 Easy Steps
A better way to budget: a Spending Plan gives you a framework for how and where to spend your money in order to achieve your goals and live your life in alignment with your values. Want some background on what a Spending Plan is (hint: it’s better than a budget!) and how to create one? Read this post, Spending […]
Spending Plan 2018 – Save $15k, Invest $24k, Live on $1k per month
A Spending Plan gives you a framework for how and where to spend your money in order to achieve your goals and live your life in alignment with your values. Want some background on how to create a Spending Plan? Read this post, which discusses: The top 2 reasons to create and follow a spending plan (one is definitely […]
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Healthy & Productive Habits + Getting a Promotion with Half the Required Experience
In this post, I’ll discuss: Habits I implemented in order to get a promotion with only half the required experience Productivity strategies I utilized to get a bonus even though my company didn’t give out bonuses this year The system I’ve used to start getting up earlier and getting into work more than an hour […]
2017 Review – $27k Student Loans Paid Off + $17k Saved + $950 Spent Per Month
In this post, I’ll discuss the strategies I used to: Pay off $27,600 of student loans this year; Save a $10,000 emergency fund in 4 months; Increase my net worth by $40,000 this year; Live on less than $1,000 a month, while traveling and enjoying life; and Save $6,900 for investing in 2 months. […]
Q4 2017 Financial Review – I saved $11,400 in 3 months!
In this post, I’ll discuss the strategies I used to: Live on $530 a month; Save $4,500 for my emergency fund, reaching a $10k goal in 4 months; Earn an extra $3,430 this quarter (and why that might not be a great thing); Save $6,900 for investing in 3 months; and, Why I’m investing […]
Q3 2017 Financial Review – $4k of Student Loans Paid Off + $5k Emergency Fund Saved
In this post, I’ll discuss the strategies I used to: Make my final $3,800 payment on $67,000 of high-interest student loans; Save $5,000 for my emergency fund in 3 months; Spend less on travel when I visited South Carolina and Cape Cod; Get a “like new” computer for less than $100; Live on $800 […]
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I Just Paid off $67,000 of High Interest Student Loans in Less than 2 Years – and Saved $23,600 in Interest!
Goodbye High Interest Debt, and Good Riddance. There has been a giant smile on my face all week because I just reached a HUGE milestone in my journey to becoming debt free. On July 28th, I paid the final $3,815 balance due on the high interest portion – originally totaling $61,800 when borrowed – of […]
Q2 2017 Financial Review – $21,500 of Student Loans Paid Off!
Q2 was a great quarter — I put over $21,000 towards shrinking my $100,000 high mountain of debt! That’s over 20% of the total I owed when I graduated college. Quarter 2 (April, May, June) is where I try to learn from my Q1 Spending Plan Review and address my problem spending areas. I […]
Q1 2017 Financial Review – $2,072 of Student Loans Paid Off
Quarter 1 (January, February and March) is always the test drive of any Spending Plan. Frequently, in Q2 or Q3, things will change, spending categories will be added, and allocations will be shifted to accommodate the latest information. For the first three months, though, my aim is to stick as closely to my plan […]