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 wasn’t sure who was reading. Readers witnessed how I learned to budget, save money and pay off my loans.

I’m sure I would have paid off my loans early without this blog, but I’m glad I didn’t. It’s motivating to look back and see how stressed I was; now, I feel grateful and appreciative. Even though I still worry about money, my anxiety has mostly decreased.

This blog also launched the career I have now. After I paid off my loans, news outlets and other blogs started reaching out to me. I was featured on Fox News, Time Magazine and Yahoo. A few friends saw my story online, withouth knowing it’d be my face they’d see. It was during an interview about this blog that an editor asked if I’d be interested in writing for them.

I’d freelanced for a couple of publications off and on since college, but I had never considered it a possibility. Having someone offer me a writing gig (and a well-paying one too) made me realize it might be possible to be a full-time writer.

Six months after I became debt-free, I married my boyfriend of six years.

Four months after that, my husband and I moved to Denver, where we work for ourselves. To say this blog changed my life is an understatement. This blog has created the life I have now.

Thank you to all my readers, my fellow bloggers and my friends. Writing is a lonely profession, especially when you’re an extrovert. But putting my thoughts out in public made me feel less alone, that I wasn’t the only one worrying about money. Now I’m gearing up to launch my first course on paying off student loans, and I hope to reach more people struggling like I once was.

This blog has taught me that whatever I’m feeling, there’s someone out there feeling the same way. That no matter what I’m worrying about, it too will pass.

That’s what brings me to my next topic. My friend Melanie of Dear Debt recently commented that many people find her blog after Googling, “I want to kill myself because of debt”.

No matter your financial situation, suicide is never the answer. Or as another blogger said, “Suicide is a long-term solution to a short-term problem.” If you’re having problems making your loan payments, contact your lender. You may be able to change your payment plan – many are geared toward low-income graduates. 

If this issue is something you’re dealing with, I encourage you to check out the resources below. There is always a solution. Reach out to your family and friends – many may be dealing with similar problems.

• Loan counselors
• Find a counselor
• Suicide prevention
• Loan forgiveness, cancellation and other programs

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