Watching my fiancé graduate and the commencement speaker dropped that in 1872 a term’s tuition cost about what a small mocha would cost today.
$4
I saw that as well. Definitely a WTF moment

oozey mess

shark vs the universe

blake kathryn

JBB: An Artblog!
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$LAYYYTER
ojovivo
Show & Tell
todays bird

Product Placement
Peter Solarz
cherry valley forever

#extradirty

@theartofmadeline
Cosimo Galluzzi
we're not kids anymore.
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her

pixel skylines

Janaina Medeiros

seen from Netherlands

seen from Malaysia

seen from Canada

seen from T1

seen from El Salvador
seen from Ukraine

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
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seen from Brazil

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@howabouttheroad
Watching my fiancé graduate and the commencement speaker dropped that in 1872 a term’s tuition cost about what a small mocha would cost today.
$4
I saw that as well. Definitely a WTF moment
End of an era
These last 6 months have been pretty crazy. Â I feel great about having taken down $6,200 in my debt, including bringing my credit card balance to 0 and paying a year an a half ahead in my student loans. Â My original goal was to be completely debt free after a year....year an a half....but plans have changed due to an opportunity I could not pass up.Â
While trolling around craigslist looking for part-time / one-off gigs I saw that an airline had posted that they were hiring for flight attendants in the area. Â I have had a couple people in my life who have worked for the airlines so I have tasted the delicious nectar which is flight benefits. Â I read up on the job a little and decided to give it a shot. Â
After a phone interview I was asked to drive to Portland for a group interview. Â The day started with 40(ish) applicants and as the day progressed people were weeded out until 6 of us were offered jobs. Â I accepted.
I start my 1 month of training in Portland on June 22nd and find out where I will be stationed the second week of July. Â Ideally I will be able to stay in Medford but it is likely I will have to relocated to Portland, Seattle, Anchorage, or Boise. Â This will definitely be a financial strain in the short term so I have suspended my debt free efforts for now. Â Accepting this job reduced my income substantially but I am excited to have health, vision, and dental insurance, a retirement fund, and of course flight benefits. Â
I will continue to update my debt free fans on this blog but keep an eye out for my travel related posts in the second half of the year.
Thank you all for your support and keep your updates coming.
Josh
Fingers crossed
So I am going to keep the post a bit vague for now, but I may have some big changes coming my way that will effect me in several ways. Â I will post some details later this week once I know more. Â Just wanted to keep my tumblr friends in the loop.
How I will feel when I have a positive net worth
Reminds me my net worth is now at -$17,800
How I will feel when I have a positive net worth
Have you met Katie?
I met Katie on /r/debtfree while searching Reddit for subs related to debt and money management. The sub seemed dead and I made a post there suggesting we bring it back to life. Katie replied showing some interest so we took over moderation and it’s been growing steadily ever since. Here’s more about Katie.
Who are you?
Katie, 27, I’m from New Zealand, working in the Civil Engineering industry and have a mountain of debt to conquer. I come from a country of famous mountaineers (Edmund Hillary, anyone?) so I’m well placed to be conquering this particular mountain!
Why did you start blogging?
I’m sick of all the blogs that show these picture perfect lives. I wanted to show the flip-side of that, while poking fun at myself.
What are your favorite blogs?
Sprinkle Bakes (Sucker for the gorgeous desserts), Hyperbole and a Half - not sure if this counts as a blog, but it’s amazing! Debt Departure (naturally). Most of the other blogs I follow are local New Zealand ones.
Where do you focus your financial energy?
Definitely debt and budgeting. I’d be lost without YNAB at the moment!
When did you decide to take control of your finances?
It’s been a long time coming and in Feb/Mar of this year, I decided I was sick of having almost 10 years worth of accumulated debt hanging over my head. I made a plan, contacted the bank and they gave me an amazing deal to help me pay it off faster!
What was your biggest financial blunder?
Getting a credit card? That’s probably been the hardest to deal with. I can’t be trusted with revolving credit it seems. I’ve spent a lot of money on a lot of silly things. I can’t even account for half of the stuff that has ended up in my debt pile.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to others?
Shop around, get yourself better interest rates. When one bank heard I was leaving them for another bank they offered to match the deal I was getting at the new bank, just to retain me. Banks want to make money of your debt and will happily renegotiate just to keep you.
What is the first thing you’ll save for when you’re finally debt free?
That answer is easy! A nice long holiday!! Preferably somewhere in Europe, during summer, with endless sunshine, gorgeous beaches and delicious food.
Where can people find out more about you?
http://katiebell.me
ITT Tech Ban in California
I saw this in my news feed today and thought I would share it. I also went to a for profit online University that used similar shady recruiting practices. http://www.kdrv.com/news/California_Tells_For-Profit_Chain_to_Stop_Enrolling_Veterans.html
Here's how you Post It Forward
The idea is simple: If you have a message that might help someone through a tough time, then someone out there needs to hear it. Even if you just want to promote awareness, this is your place to do so. Â
Don’t worry, it’s easy. You can make a video. You can write a text post. Whatever you’re comfortable with.Â
Hey, you can even GIF about it.
We’ve built a special Post It Forward GIF selfie maker so you can GIF about whatever issue you’re posting it forward for.Â
Make a Post It Forward sign. You can draw it yourself, or you can print one in any of these classic colors:
Fill in the blank with who or what you’re posting for—a cause, your family, your friends, your fandom—even for yourself if that’s who needs it.Â
Take a selfie with your sign. Caption it with a personal story, a dash of advice, or just a few kind words of support. Or don’t. It’s enough just to let someone know you’re on their side. Tag your post with #PostItForward. Encourage your audience to do the same with something they care about. That’s what posting it forward is all about.
The more people we get talking, the more support we’ll all be able to find in each other. #PostItForward is where a conversation turns into a community.
We’re all in this together. The story of your life can change someone else’s. Post It Forward. Â
$13,900 left on my predatory student loan...
A bit of a tumble
As some of you who have been following me know, I recently quit my job as a server for a local restaurant and went back into sales on the weekends. Â I knew this would be a hit to my income but I definitely misjudged exactly how much of a hit it would be. Â We are about halfway through the month and I have only paid $300 to my student loans so far. Â On top of that I have rent due and my car loan payment coming due this next week and will have to dip into my savings to cover it. Â
Part of the problem is temporary, commissions lag 30 days, so I should have better prepped for this lull in my income, but part of it will be permanent / semi-permanent. Â
I also found out that my living situation which has been so good to me for so long is coming to an end. Â It wouldn't be appropriate for me to post why but I will be looking for a new place probably in September. Â No matter what I find it will be an increase in rent by $100 or more a month. Â
So I’m in a bit of a pickle.  Anyone have any suggestions on ways to make up the difference in income and bills?  I am definitely open to ideas.
Thanks in advance.
Where are you off to next? Hop on Couchsurfing to find your next great adventure.Â
Have you met Josh?
My name is Josh, I am 27. Â I live in Oregon, work 7 days a week to kill my debt, and I enjoy travel.
Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging late in 2014 when I started traveling across the country. Â I used tumblr as a way to tell the stories I was experiencing day in and day out as a trekked across the country.
What are your favorite blogs?
I follow a lot of travel blogs like travel-junkies and traveling vanilla bean but spend most of my time interacting with people in similar financial situations like a-life-less-stressed and fromdebttodreams;
Where do you focus your financial energy?
I mostly focus on paying of debt. Â Budgeting and frugality are tools to get to the end goal which for me is being debt free.
When did you decide to take control of your finances?
I consider myself a traveler before all else.  My problem has been that I always need to end my trips to come home and deal with my fiduciary responsibilities, and I don’t want that burden anymore.  So I have decided to work until the debt is gone and I can be free.
What was your biggest financial blunder?
Easy.  My biggest financial blunder was going back to school online instead of in classroom.  It was far more expensive and I went to a for-profit university. Shortly after "Graduating" the school went bankrupt and I have been unable to find my transcripts but I still owe on the student loans. Around $17,000 for a 2 year degree….ridiculous.
What does blogging mean to you?
Blogging is a way to hold myself accountable and to talk about this very private subject in a public way.  It lets me vent without complaining, to express myself without embarrassing myself, and to be an example for others who are struggling without having to be a role model.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to others?
Chart your progress and build a support group.
What keeps you motivated?
Where can people find out more about you?
People can visit me at my blog, howabouttheroad.
Have you met Josh?
Student Debt Rising
According to the Wall Street Journal, the average student loan debt from 2014 was $33,000. This is up an additional $4,000 from the figures of 2013, when the average rounded out at about $29,000.Â
Based on the past rates, it will only continue to rise.
jasonhaines replied to your post:Effing Debt
what are you charting your debt with?
I’m just using good old excel.  If you are interested in my spread sheet / equations I’d be happy to send you over the original doc.
Effing Debt
Anyone else have a chart like this on their desktop?
Have you met Nick?
My name is Nick, I’m in my mid-twenties and l live in the northeast United States. I graduated from college in 2012 and started working right after graduation as a business analyst. It’s nothing too exciting but basically I work in between the technical and the business people, making sense out of the data that the company receives. I enjoy the problem solving aspects of the job and the people that I work with – I’ve made a lot of new friends at my job. I currently live at home as my girlfriend is in her senior year at college.  It allows me to take advantage of living almost rent free.
Why did you start blogging?
I was completely stressed out looking at my student loans and the total amount I owed. I tried to just follow “out of sight, out of mind” but that just caused me to panic whenever the subject did come up. I started doing research and realized that there were other people out there like me, and I didn’t want to be paying off my loans for 10 months. I figured I would start a blog like others had done to share my journey and keep me accountable along the way.  I’m also hoping to offer people some useful advice and prevent others from getting into the same situation that I ended up in.
Which part of financial literacy do you focus on most?
My main focus is on paying off debt, as that is the most pressing concern for me right now. I also work on budgeting as I think it’s helpful in my debt payoff journey. That helps me put the most money possible towards my debt by keeping spending down in other areas! As far as investing goes right now, I’m kind of in a “set it and forget it” mode right now as I don’t really have enough free cash to make any huge investments at this stage.
When did you decide to take control of your finances?
A few months after graduation and after starting my first job. The first few paychecks I just let boost up my savings and checking accounts, as I had never even imagined receiving a single paycheck with that much money. This ties into my earlier post of why I started blogging – I knew that I didn’t want to have loans and be in debt the rest of my life. My parents always complained how they were one emergency away from having to take on more debt and worry about money. After doing research I realized it didn’t have to be that way and you don’t have to live like that. Taking control of my finances gives me more control in other aspects of my life instead.
What was your biggest financial blunder?
Not doing enough research before attending school. I could have went to community college for free with my grades and then transferred to the same school I attended with additional scholarships. I would have had half the debt that I ended up with. I have managed to avoid credit card debt, car loans, and most unnecessary spending though!
What are your favorite blogs?
Some of my favorite blogs are Mr Money Mustache, Budget Bytes, The Single Dollar, Budgets are Sexy, and Root of Good. I follow a TON of financial blogs though and enjoy reading as much as I possibly can. Of course I also like following along with all the Tumblr blogs I follow like Debt Departure, A Life Less Stressed, and various others. Sorry to anyone I missed!
What is most important for controlling your expenses?
I think that it’s all about doing everything in moderation. You don’t have to decline all social events and become a hermit to prevent spending money. If your friends want to go out after work, just get one drink and then move onto water. You still get to spend time but you aren’t spending $20+ on drinks each time you go out. Get water instead of soft drinks, that sort of thing. Always look for room to optimize in areas of your budget that aren’t as important to you. If you want spend money going out, maybe you can save some money on your cable bill instead? That’s a better solution than increasing your overall spending. It is possible to enjoy life and save/pay down debt at the same time without being a miser!
What keeps you motivated?
My motivation comes from watching my debt continually go down and seeing that I’m making real progress. Even further in the future is that I’ll be able to see those numbers go just as quickly in the other direction as I build up wealth to spend on travel and other experiences as opposed to spending it on debt.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to others?
Keep track of your expenses, you’ll be surprised at what you find. Many people think that they are only spending $300 on food a month when in reality in might be closer to $500. Or that they are blowing $50 on X each month without even noticing it. Once you have a budget established, you can start shifting money from things that aren’t as important to you to the things that really matter to you.
Where can people find out more about you?
You can checkout my blog, From Debt To Dreams.
April by the numbers
I always like jumping onto Tumblr this time of the month. Â Everyone is posting their progress and goals for the next month. Â Seeing all of your successes inspires me to keep pushing to reach my debt free goals. Â
That being said lets see what April has brought me:
Total debt April 1: $21,448.88
Total debt April 30: $19,953.80
Amount paid in April: $1,495.08 Â
Debt paid per day in April: $49.84
Percent of debt paid YTD: 22.07%
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The $1,495 paid in April is a $170 improvement from March which is very encouraging.Â
It is crazy for me to see that I am paying almost $50.00 EVERY DAY toward my debt.  I can’t wait to be debt free and start putting that money into a travel account. Â
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Lastly I have $14,278 left on my student loan, my birthday is May 24th, and my papal account is [email protected] Â feel free to send me a dollar or two to help me tackle this beast.Â
I’ve had a rough morning, but this made me tear up a little bit.Â
Mint doesn’t factor in that July is a 3 paycheck month for me, so July 31st will be my final payment on my federal student loans.Â
Then onward to my private loan! I should be completely debt free 2 days before my 24th birthday at the latest.Â
Way to go!Â
Thank you! I should be completely debt free by September 22, 2016 (at the latest, it’s probably actually going to be sometime that August, but plan for the worst, right?) and I should have $5,000 saved up by January 2017 to get my new, debt free life started off right!Â
So exciting. Â Congratulations!