GOAL

I'm 90% I didn't do the last few days on my 14 days of Love blog thing. I was so out of it on cold medication last week I honestly don't care. I'm finally coming through the worst of it though. My sore throat has disappeared and now I'm just a walking bucket of snot. Which actually isn't too bad; at least I can blow my nose and move on with my life without having to take intense medication that makes me a walking zombie.

So I spent a couple of days doing my best to map out my financial future. It's imbedded in my DNA to try to plan and organize even if it's silly. My life sometimes feels like a series of jokes and downfalls of my plans. What is that saying? "Best laid plans"? I'm making this financial map with a big, giant, humongous grain of salt. I know things occur, I know bad stuff comes up, I know that there will always be road blocks to my goals. HOWEVER, I will work my hardest to reach my goal so I can finally be debt free.

Using an Excel spreadsheet I worked out the numbers if I continue to pay $1745.60 a month in student loans. My original deal with Wells Fargo was a $90,000 loan on a 30 year repayment plan that when calculated with interest will eventually cost me around $230,000 to pay back. BUT, if I stick to my twice a month payment planing (paying a total of $1745.60 a month) I will finish paying off my loan by April 1st of 2018.

It's both amazing and heartbreaking for me to potentially be free of this loan in 5 years. Amazing because not many people can rid themselves of such a large amount of debt in such a short amount of time. Heartbreaking because even though I'll finally be free of debt I'm going to have to miss out on so much. I'll be 33 the time this is (maybe) over. Only then will I be able to start saving for a house and that will take me a few years to do. By the time I can afford a house payment I'll be (probably) 35 or 36. Only then will it be responsible to have children (at least for me). I'm still partially on the fence about having children but I know that if I was to have them I'd want it to be earlier than that. I sometimes think it's best to put away certain life plans because it makes me feel too sad about my current situation. Luckily, I doubt I'll ever get married which (for me) is such a blessing because I could never afford a wedding (even one of those super adorable cheap-y Pinterest weddings).

I don't want this post to be a super bum out, even if I am feeling pretty bummed out right about now. For the past few years my heart has been pulled toward fostering children. Maybe this whole debt thing is to prevent me from having my own biological children because I have a bunch of lovely foster children just waiting for me. I would love to hit 33, be debt free, start creating my dream home and then bringing in loads and loads of children who just need love. I babysit for a friend of mine sometimes and baby's are hard. They crawl everywhere and it's your job to teach this little thing how to be a person. That's a pretty insane thing to do. When you foster children you get this lovely little human who pretty much already knows the basics and it's your job to love them and give them a better home than what they came from. How easy is that?!?! These children come from terrible homes with drug addicted and abusive parents. To be a great parent to them you just have to be there and be healthy and loving. I'm awesome at that.

I figured out a way to make this repayment a little easier to swallow. A reward system (a reward other than the joy I get from not being in debt). Every time I pay off $10,000 in principle I get to buy myself a present. With each $10,000 principle pay off the gifts can get better. They can be whatever I want. I've estimated paying off $10,000 in principle by September 2013 and I've already started thinking about what I want. Nice makeup? Some new clothes? Basically, I want to drop $50-$100 on myself. Yes, that money could go towards my loans but it's nice to treat yourself.

14 Days of Love

Yikes, time flies! I don't know how people manage blogs and full time jobs. And those mommy bloggers, how do they manage a houseful of kiddos and trying to make insightful, fun, and helpful blog posts?! So, time obviously slipped by but at least this time I have an excellent excuse. I'm totally coming down to with the sickies; months of allergies have finally taken their toll and I'm shacked up in bed with a major sore throat and hacking cough. But the blog must go on so here are Days 6 through 12 for my two week celebration of love :)

Day 6: Sweets Made Easy
I really love Bakerella and I REALLY love when she posts easy to make sweets. I've saved a few of the more advanced creations for further down. Here  are a few of my favorite easy sweets from Bakerella:

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies: Love treats that are easy to eat and get festive with the red and white.

Cheesecake Pops: Easy and versatile, a recipe that can be adapted for any holiday.

Day 7: Not So Easy Sweets

Vintage Valentine Cookies: Not necessarily tricky for the recipe but I've always had major issues with printers. If you have access to a great one this is a must try recipe. So cute and a definite show stopper.

14 Layer Chocolate Cake: Absolutely messy and gorgeous, I bet this cake tastes divine. The time and care to create all 14 layers is definitely a labor of love.

Day 8: Dang Near Impossible Sweets

Rose Cupcakes: These cupcakes are almost too gorgeous to eat. I can barely draw a circle let alone craft fondant roses.

Box of Chocolates Cake: This is definitely in my top 5 of Bakerella creations. The little details on all of the individual cake pop chocolates are so adorable.

Day 9: DIY Gifts

BrightNext has some great gift ideas (see below for great decoration ideas too!!)

Day 10: DIY Decorations

BrightNest has some amazing decoration ideas.

Day 11: Fancy Dinner
A great valentine's dinner doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, Just pick a meal you both love, grab some of those lovely desserts from above and enjoy each others company by candlelight. Throw in some extra love by doing the dishes afterwards ;)

Day 12: Romantic Picnic
Same principle as a fancy dinner just outside. Go to a spot that's special to you as a couple (first kiss, first date, etc) and enjoy the scenery. A day spent soaking up the sun cuddled up next to someone you love is a beautiful thing.

14 Days of Love: Days 4 and 5

I'm doing a series on easy, fun, cheap ways to celebrate Valentine's Day. Click here to read about days 1 through 3. Today I'm covering days 4 and 5.

Day Four: Do something you hate
Now, take this with a grain of salt, I'm not recommending doing anything that makes you scared, uncomfortable or uneasy but an easy way to show someone that you care is to do something solely because it makes them happy. I enjoy a clean house, today is my day off and I've already put away laundry, done multiple loads of dishes, swept, vacuumed (you get my drift). My boyfriend is not a cleaner. Frankly, he's pretty sloppy. I will admit that there are times that it drives me crazy, there's nothing worse than feeling like your mate's personal maid. So, on the days that I come home and see that he's done the dishes, put away his clothes or done ANYTHING to clean up it makes my little black heart swell with love. My guy enjoys documentaries and art films while I enjoy action packed blockbusters so we make sure to go to both. Go on a hike, go to a museum just do something to celebrate your partners interests and likes.

Day Five: Make a mix tape (or a mix cd or play list for you hipsters)
I will never stop loving mix tapes. I know that technology is old and dated and frankly impractical but it is seriously the most romantic thing a fella can do (at least for me). Now I'm not saying that a mix cd has no love but it doesn't even take close to the amount of time and effort a good mix tape requires. Don't even get me started on an iPod playlist. That's just a few clicks you lazy bastards. Maybe I'm biased because the first guy I ever loved used to make me the most amazing mix tapes filled with artists I still love. I still have these tapes 10 years later (my love for them lasted a lot longer than my love for that guy).  A Valentine's mix tape has to have a love theme or share some romantic significance for you and your partner. Here are a few of my favorite love songs (please don't judge my love for pop-punk):

Click Links for the youtube videos!

The Avett Brothers: Live and Die

Alkaline Trio: Clavicle

The Ataris: I Wont's Spend Another Night Alone
***you thought I was kidding about really enjoying music that was only vaguely good 10 years ago, jokes on you****

Blink 182: I'm Lost Without You

The Beach Boys: God Only Knows

The Honorary Title: Cut Short

A New Found Glory: Connected

A New Found Glory: Too Good To Be

The Lumineers: Stubborn Love

The Cure: Love Song

Court Yard Hounds: See You in the Spring

Plain White Ts: 1 2 3 4

Sam Cooke: Wonderful World (I think this is one of my favorite love songs ever, so classic)

Keane: Somewhere Only We Know

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Maps


Also, I thought I had a ton of love songs for this list but after going through all my records, the internet, my ipod, etc I realize I just have a fairly long list of songs about how incredibly sad you can be after breakups. Seriously. I had to google love songs because apparently my music taste is 50% upbeat music to run to and 50% songs to listen to when you're on the edge of suicide after failed love. I should probably look into that because it doesn't seem healthy.

14 Days of Love

So I had an amazing plan to do all these blog posts about easy DIY gifts for Valentine's Day. I was going to do one post each day before Valentine's; I had even made a lovely Word Document with links and helpful hints. Of course my computer chose that time to die out on me and now it's February 3rd and I've done nada but oh well! I figure I can do my best to try to post some amazing, helpful, lovely ideas for love day.

I swear we our on the tail end of a money hemorrhaging season. The holiday's drain you, there's tons of money spent on Thanksgiving food, Christmas presents, New Years booze and sparkly dresses (or maybe that's just me). THEN the end of January just happens to be my anniversary and then 2 weeks later I'm supposed to get all romantic and gift-y again for Valentine's day. That's a lot of stuff to deal with. I already told my boyfriend that I can't deal with all that so we went on a trip right in the middle of our anniversary and Valentine's day and on the actual day of love I'm just going to order a pizza or something. It's just too much pressure to try to be romantic all of the time.

However, there are so pretty easy ways to show the one you love that you really do care during this time of year and most of them you can do with out breaking the bank. Since it's already the 3rd day of February here are 3 easy/cheap/fun ideas to try to up the romance this love day.

Day One: Breakfast in Bed
This one is incredibly easy. There's nothing more lovely then waking up and realizing your partner has risen early to create a wonderful meal for you. I love breakfast but it usually takes my stomach a bit to wake up but whenever I wake up and my boyfriend has gone out of his way to make coffee for me (a drink I love and he is not very interested in) it warms my heart. Valentine's day (to me) is all about sweet gestures to show someone that you care.

Here are some great breakfast ideas:

Day One: Breakfast in Bed

Photo Courtesy of SweetCDesignes

Cocoa Kissed Red Velvet Pancakes

Day Two: Handmade Cards and Poetry

Jade Louis Designs

A handmade card is so much more thoughtful than a store bought one. I'm in no way artistic but I like the idea of taking time to create something for some one I love.

Day Three: Scavenger Hunt:
I've never done one of these but I've seen them on movies/TV and they look pretty adorable. Thinking of significant places you share with your mate and taking the time to lay out clue is just really sweet and thoughtful. I think it's pretty obvious that I value thoughtfulness over material objects. I'd rather have a really sweet gesture from someone who really gets me than a generic store bought gift.

Need Some Inspiration

There comes a time in everyone's journey (towards whatever) that you need a little motivation/inspiration/fuel for your fire. I'm about to end month one of a two year journey towards financial freedom. I keep looking at how far I have to go instead of looking at (and appreciating) all the progress that I've made. So while I sit here and enjoy my morning coffee and eggs here are some easily Googled stories of other people who have faced the student loan debt monster and survived.

Paying off $22,000 in debt in 18 months

Paying off $15,000 in Student Loan Debt
Does it make me a monster to sort of eye-roll when people talk about "debt" that's under $20k? I'm pushing triple digit debt over here and would KILL for some itty bitty amount like that.

Advice for those with Medical School Debt
Apparently it is not uncommon for those with Medical School Debt to make student loan payments of $3,000 a month. I'm sure they probably look at my debt situation and eye-roll, haha. Also, in order to keep things in perspective this article talks about how there are still senators making payments on their student loans.

I had found other articles but I've already featured them before, there's the crazy kid who ate rotten food to save money (don't do that, just buy fresh food, paying off debt isn't that important) and then the jerk face who managed to pay off $90,000 in student loan debt in one year (and he just happens to make $100k a year).

This isn't the greatest blog post of all time but every once in a while it's important to remember that you're not alone in debt. Millions of people have money problems and there's so much inspiration and good advice out there. I'm going to make it through this mess, it's not going to be easy and it's going to take some time but in 2 years I'm going to be in such a better place.

Bump in the road

It's really early so I'm not even bothering to find good pics. Sorry.

I had a bunch of amazing posts planned out (I'm an insane planner) but the universe had other plans. My computer is once again on the outs. Remember last year-ish when I had to have a ton of repairs done? Same thing. Basically the DC jack (the thing you plug the cord into to charge) is very loose and is unable to charge. The battery works just fine (to my knowledge) but I'll most likely have to take my computer in to have the part replaced.

DC jack. So small, yet so vital. 

I had been hoping that it was similar to what was happening last time, that the jack itself was just loose and needed a little glue or something to set it straight. I went through the trouble of watching multiple videos on DIY fixes only to open my laptop up (such a pain in the ass) and see that the jack is still very secure but the inner prong is, how do you say, loosey goosey.

I've been borrowing my boyfriends computer but it's just not the same. I have all of my files and my pre-sets and the things I like on my laptop. It's obviously a very first world problem but anyone on a tight budget knows how much of an issue any little unexpected expense can be. Hopefully I can take it to a local shop who can do the repair on the cheap.

Crunching Numbers

Source

Way, way, way back in September of 2011 I posted my monthly budget. I was trying to figure out ways to save up for my student loan bills. It was after that time that I was mailed the letter saying I owed $821 a month in student loans. I want to take a look back and update the numbers to see how far I've come in a little over a year.

Looking back I have no idea how I managed to scrap an extra $745.60 out of my 2011 finances. I know I couldn't really afford to make any more payments on my previous student loan which was embarrassing and frustrating. Luckily, my Mom was able to help me with that. I am very proud to say that I have made every student loan payment now myself and even though it's hard I feel very accomplished for doing this.

How I saved money this past year:
-Got a better job where I make about $10,000 more a year (thank you Lord!!)
-Moved in with my boyfriend, splitting the costs of bills is a life saver
-Free cable and Internet due to my boyfriends job (yes!)

I've been taking the bus more and more which is great at saving on gas costs. I've been terrible about it this past month because it's been really cold and I've been working two jobs. Leaving the house at 5am or 6am and getting off at 10pm is hard enough without having to wait for a bus. But it's definitely my goal to take it more this month. Got to pinch pennies where ever you can!

If you noticed above the difference between what I spend now versus what I make leaves a nice little chunk of ~$1000 left each month. This would be the extra $1000 I plan on spending each month on my student loans. I had contemplated just making an additional payment each month and putting the rest in savings but the difference is pretty astounding:

I remember every time I called Wells Fargo and asked for help I never understood why they only thing they suggested was paying more. Now I sort of get it, it's the interest that kills you. I'm at about 8% interest right now and most of what I pay doesn't do anything to chip away at the principal loan. They way I see it, this year I'm paying around $6000 dollars in interest no matter what, I'd rather pay a little extra and pay off $3000 more of my loan. I've done the math for about 2 years out and if I keep making huge payments I could knock it down to around $50,000 which is so much more manageable than close to $100,000. Now, this math is all based around my interest rate staying at 8%, knowing my luck it'll skyrocket to a million and I'll just die. However, if that doesn't happen, or if *gasp* luck could smile down upon me and LOWER that interest rate I can make such a huge interest in 2 years. I'm a little bummed about not being able to save for a house but once I pay off this thing I'll have so much extra cash it'll take me a year to save up.

So that's it. That's my financial goal for this year. Pay as much of this silly, stupid, God awful loan off as I can. However, here's the catch. I want to be able to do it and still have a life. I read an article recently about a guy who managed to pay off $26,500 in student debt in 2 years. This is great. Except dude did some CRAZY ass shit, like not turning on the heater in Atlanta winters. I turn on the heater and I live in Texas. He also sometimes ate spoiled food. I'm all about financial goals and sacrifices but I want to prove that it is entirely possible to save money and pay off debt without becoming a shell of a person. I can live life and live it BETTER than before because I'm becoming more and more financially sound.