This article was originally seen on Forbes.com. The desire to tithe is the same as the desire to go to church every Sunday, pray when someone needs it and give thanks to God when you’re grateful. For many Christians, tithing is less of an obligation than an opportunity to give back. Unfortunately, the ideal of tithing can bump into a harsh reality: some people just don’t have enough money to give. So how do you tithe responsibly while ... Read more...
How Much Interest Are You Paying?
One of the biggest reasons I started paying extra on my student loans was because I realized how much money was going to interest. When I started paying off my student loans, my minimum payment was $350. About half of those initial payments were going to interest. That means $175 a month - or 10% of my take-home pay at that time - was being flushed down the toilet. Interest is the money you pay to the bank for letting them lend you money. ... Read more...
What I’ve Learned From My Blog
This week is the three-year anniversary of this blog. I started writing it in 2012, one year after I started paying off my students loans. Two years after that, I became debt-free. Three months ago, I started working for myself." These events are not mutually exclusive. Having a public blog kept me motivated to pay off my loans within my goal, and it also taught me how I relate to money. It forced me to account for my decisions, even if I ... Read more...
What Being Debt Free Taught Me
One year ago, I became debt free. I paid off my student loans in three years, making my last payment on Nov. 15 2014. That day changed a lot of things - I suddenly had more money to spend, a weight lifted off my shoulders and more capacity for charity. But a lot of things stayed the same. I thought when I became debt free, my attitude about money would change. I would suddenly feel rich and wouldn't have to worry about saving, buying a ... Read more...
What’s next?
Since I paid off my loans a few weeks ago, people have been asking me, "What's next?" "Will you continue blogging?" "What will you do now that you've paid off your loans?" I thought I would feel more rich now that I've paid off my loans, but now I see that my finances aren't in the best place. I've only been contributing 6% of my salary to my retirement account and my emergency fund is down to $1,000. So after a few weeks of not tracking my ... Read more...
Less than $10,000 of student loans left!
Today I celebrate a happy day. Today my student loans are in the single digits! I used to read about people with $10,000 worth of student loans and get so jealous. Even now I almost can’t believe that in 11 months, I will be debt free. Even though I am getting closer to my goal, I’m still learning more about my relationship with money. I’m a perfectionist and it’s easy to get discouraged when you want your finances to be perfect. Even when I ... Read more...