I'm bringing Clueless back!

After a 2 year hiatus and a ridiculous blogging identity crisis or two, I'm back! I may have learned a thing or two about finances since I was here last but frustratingly I'm still in the same spot. Stuck in student loan and credit card debt and determined to get out. As much as I tried to become a lifestyle blogger, I always came back to finances. I felt stuck or bored writing about much else and I felt guilty writing too much about finances in a lifestyle blog. So I'm back and better than ever.

What's been going on in the past two years? Here's a really quick recap:
I lived in NYC until May of 2012, when I moved to WI to be with MG (my guy) who proposed the weekend I moved.

After 6 months we didn't work out. Let me tell you, moving for a guy is tough, to say the least. Thankfully we're still on good terms and I always want the best for him. I moved back to Minnesota and lived with my parents for 9 months.

A month after moving with them my 21-year-old sister dropped the bomb that she was getting married in 1 month! She lives in England for the Air Force so this caught us off guard to say the least!

After plenty of family chaos, I'm in my own apartment now and I am so excited to have a break from moving!

Coming back to Minnesota made me realize I'm madly in love with Minneapolis and don't plan on being a resident of any other state again. I'm thankful for all the moving I've done but I'm so happy to have found a great home base. Who knew it was right under my nose the whole time? Staying put will certainly save me money too! But this doesn't mean I'll stop traveling. My travel bug is just as strong as ever and I'm continually learning how to use reward points to travel on a tight budget. In fact, I was just in Utah visiting Jessie thanks to a free flight from credit card points! 

I thought about buying a house and I even put an offer down (definitely a clueless move!) but that goal is on the back burner until my debt is gone. On that note...

I got myself out of credit card debt while living with my parents. Stupidly, I got myself back into credit card debt (start up expenses for your own apartment are expensive!!) and I'm ready to quit again, once and for all. I also paid off my smallest student loan while living with the rents and I am eager to get the other 3 gone asap!

I work remotely in inside sales and I work 3 side jobs to increase my income. Yup, 3. I own Katie Pelton Resumes, I host Freezer Meal Workshops via Wildtree, and I babysit a few times a week. The idea is to put that extra money towards debt so my full-time paycheck can cover more than just my minimum expenses.

I'm still getting my bearings as a single lady in Minneapolis. I'm loving exploring the area, getting involved in all that this area has to offer, and meeting new people. I joined a wonderful group of Minnesota bloggers, I started volunteering, and I started a book club. Maybe I'll even start dating this year ;)

I have some big goals for 2014 and I so happy to be back sharing my progress with you!