When I first decided that I wanted to pay off my loans early, I realized I needed to cut costs. Everywhere. That included my makeup and skincare products. Gone were the days of going to Sephora every time I wanted a new lip color, in came drugstore makeup. Growing up I was always envious of girls with designer lip glosses and eyeshadows, so it felt amazing once I started buying the brands I once coveted. But spending so much money on ... Read more...
Why I’m Making My Own Halloween Costume This Year
After my grandfather passed away in January, I inherited his sewing machine. I'd always wanted to learn how to sew, and now I had no excuse not to. I'd learned to hand sew as a child, but using a sewing machine had always intimidated me. I signed up at my local sewing store for six weeks of Sewing 101. The class cost $150, which felt like an incredible luxury at the time. I learned how to thread a bobbin, replace a broken needle and sew ... Read more...
How I save money on clothes and hobbies
A couple weeks ago I recorded a podcast about my debt journey. One of the comments that the interviewer made was about how I had to get creative to find ways to save money while paying off debt. I get most of my books from the library and most of my movies from Netflix. But if I do want to buy something, I scour used DVD stores (where I picked up 5 copies for $12 last week) and ebay for the best prices. I love to do embroidery so I ask my ... Read more...
How I’m getting a free flight to Europe: A Q&A with Richmond Savers
A few weeks ago, I met Brad Barrett, a CPA who blogs about travel rewards. Brad’s website, Richmond Savers, helps people who want to travel for free, but don’t know how. Brad helps people figure out how to use credit cards to travel for free. Q: What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about using credit cards for points/miles? A: I think people are concerned that it is going to take up a lot of time and effort to earn ... Read more...
I’m sick of hearing excuses
The more excuses you give for a decision, the worse it is. The more you need to justify the financial decision, the more money you’re losing. Here are some of my other favorites: "I work really hard so I deserve to eat out/shop/[insert wasteful money habit here]." Let me tell you something, we all work hard. At least we all think we work hard. I doubt I know anyone who thinks they don’t work hard. Does that mean we all deserve to buy ... Read more...
How I went to Spain for 10 days and only spent $2,000
Since I’ve been blogging, I’ve advocated being frugal for the sake of something greater. For me, I save money on rent and entertainment so I can afford to travel. Now that I’ve arrived from my 10-day trip to Spain, I’d like to share how I was able to do it for $2,000. Lodging: Last time I went to Europe, I stayed in hostels the whole time and paid about $40 a night. That’s $40 for crowded rooms, drunk people coming in at 3 a.m. and no ... Read more...