From goal setting and budgeting to investing and insurance you’ll find a frugal perspective on everything personal finance related.
Making your first budget to pay off debt can be scary. It’s not as simple as assigning percentages because every person's finances are different. But the results are in and budgeting is a necessity to achieving your financial goals. Sure you can get by without a budget but you won't get ahead without one. My husband and I have been budgeting together since before we got married and it's set a foundation for us to be able to pay off over $64,000 over 18 months. There are a ton of methods, spreadsheets, printables, etc. to create a budget, but I…
Everyone I talk to about debt tells me “I know, I need to get on a budget.” In my head, I’m like “duh!?!” But the truth is, I remember what it’s like to be single on a 36K income staring 60K of debt in the face. It’s horrifying, overwhelming, and seemingly impossible. So I just ignored it. I let the interest pile up and said I just can’t do this. Flash forward two years and the budget is a vital part of my life. I am by no means a master budgeter and I’m always the one that ends up…
I’m on a financial high going into November. It’s my favorite time of year; the weather is crisp, people are happier, and my favorite holiday, Black Friday, is right around the corner. I’m on cloud 9. And I have one more thing making my money-saving heart flutter (or palpitate, I can’t tell the difference lately.) My student loan is now 4 digits. I’m finally under 10 grand! I didn’t see this day coming anytime in my 20’s and it’s here. You guys, hard work and perseverance pay off! And I’m really excited to have you to share this moment with.…
The No-Spend Challenge Guide is Here! I’m humbled, proud, honored, and squealing with excitement to announce The No-Spend Challenge Guide is here and available on Kindle and Paperback on Amazon. Better yet it's only stinking $3.99! We’ve all done No-Spend Challenges whether it’s out of necessity or to achieve our financial goals faster. I’ve read books on quitting spending for a year but until now there hasn’t been a comprehensive guide on how to do short challenges effectively. So I wanted to write that book. Budgeting and money management are some of the hardest concepts for people to…
Student debt is a crippling start to adulthood. When you’re buried with loans, it can be hard to recover. But when the tuition and college-related expenses cost between $20,000 to $50,000, how can you help your child pay for college and not go into debt? We have six strategies for paying for college that won’t put you or your college-bound child into debt. How to Pay for College Without Going Into Debt I obviously took out student loans to pay for grad school so today's post is a guest post from Matt Satell. I hope you enjoy another perspective! 1.…
We’re putting 59% of our total income toward achieving student loan freedom. Want to see the budget we’re using and how we’re spending the other 41%? You’re in luck. When I say we paid off $53,000 of student loan debt in a year people are flabbergasted. They think it’s awesome but they always have an excuse as to why they can’t do it. “My loans are three times as much as yours.” “I have a kid, I can’t work any extra hours.” “I literally can’t think about my loans, it gives me anxiety.” We don’t have lucrative jobs, we didn’t…
Are you ready for this? We paid $5,000 of our student loan debt in one month. That’s crazy even for us! We were able to do this for two reasons: the budget and some discipline. UPDATE: As of August 31, 2017 Travis and I are STUDENT LOAN FREE! We paid off $77,646.54 in 23 months! We never have the perfect budget. In the 14 months we've been doing this we've always had to tweak here and there to make it work but paying off our student loans is the priority and that puts all spending into perspective. Over the last…