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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

What a difference a month makes

As I adjust to my new job and prepare to move into my new home on Saturday, I wanted to pop in with a few more updates. Just because I haven't blogged doesn't mean I haven't been excited about working on my financial situation! Trust me, I've been pretty uprooted this month, mostly in the name of finance.

I moved out of my apartment so a sub leaser could take over my rent. That meant extra money for me, even though I still haven't moved into my place yet. What have I been doing in between? I stayed with my parents for a week and have bouncing around to dog sitting jobs. As great as the extra money can be, the lack of routine and not having my own kitchen has lead me to spend much more money on coffee and meals. I've been living out of my car while I bounce from home to home and it's been a bit hectic.

After working from home for the past year and a half, my new job is quite the adjustment. It's fast-paced, interesting and challenging. I absolutely love what I do and the people I work with so it's a wonderful adjustment to make.

Another big adjustment, especially for the sake of this blog, is that my new income is higher. That paired with moving into a house with roommates for lower rent, I will really be able to really crack down on debt for the first time in a long time. This has made some changes in my perspective on money and I can't wait to write more about it.

I have found it hard to write about my finances when it felt like no progress was being made. That is all about to change and I couldn't be more excited. I have big goals and I finally feel like I'm in a position to get out of this hole without living on a super-strict, unrealistic budget. 

I'm not on track to accomplish my original 2014 goal of paying off $20,000 in debt this year but that doesn't mean I can't try to get close!

Friday, April 4, 2014

Life isn't boring!

Whew, just when I think life is about to calm down it goes haywire again. Honestly, I kind of love it because it means I'm packing a lot of life into my days. As so many things happened, I didn't even know how to write about them so I simply didn't. But I love writing, I love being accountable for my goals, and I love the blogging community. So here I am and here I hope to stay. Quick recap of 2014 so far? I quit my job! I took this job when I first moved to Wisconsin. I took the first job I could find because I needed to be paying for a wedding and there weren't many options in small town cheeseland. During my interview, the CEO worried I would be too qualified, and he was right. When my engagement ended and I moved home to Minnesota, the company allowed me to work remotely, as many of their employees do. It helped with my big transition home, but I was still left uninspired and unchallenged with this role. Every time I tried to advance myself, my requests went unfulfilled and I was barely able to make ends meet with my entry level pay. Fortunately, on Tuesday I accepted an amazing job offer with a company who acts like a family. The role will be challenging, inspiring, and full of potential for growth, both financially and personally. I am so excited for this new chapter to start! With the new job comes financial changes. I've been struggling to keep up with my small paycheck and I'll finally be able to cut credit cards out of my life. I'll have room for extra income to actually pay off debt and I can make some serious progress. I have felt so defeated lately that it's been a low priority but I know the more I pay off, the more money I can free up later for a much more comfortable life. I'm also looking to move with roommates. I currently live alone and could save up to $300/month if I had roommates. Not only would that help financially, it would be a lot less lonely. Between working remotely and living alone, it's been very isolating and pretty depressing, especially in the winter hibernating months. The search for great roommates and a subleaser for my apartment continues but I'm hopefull about the idea! There was a boyfriend for a brief stint, who I was absolutely crazy about. It started quickly and very happily and ended just as quickly and painfully. Fortunately, it's behind me now and I'm quite happy being on my own. I'm the Literacy Coordinator for an organization that works with Down Syndrome kids. I run the literacy tutoring program and I'm working on wrapping up our first session and starting our summer session. It is so rewarding and I'm so thankful to have a volunteer position that I love! I've been a total nerd lately and loving every minute of it. I've been reading a lot and our book club is becoming a night I look forward to every month! We have read The Husband's Secret and Me Before You, both were excellent. We read Cutting for Stone but no one liked it, oops! Next up is The Circle and I'm excited to start! Also, while living alone I find so much time on my hands. I started watching TedTalks on Netflix and they are fascinating! And last night I started How The States Got Their Shapes and I'm learning so much about the US. I figure instead of watching one more rerun of Friends (as great as Friends is), I could actually learn something! Any suggestions on documentaries or nerdy shows, please send my way! My resume business has been steady all year and it has been fun to see growth. I even got an updated headshot for my website, go check it out! (Katie Pelton Resumes) Lastly, I've been doing yoga and it is nearly magical. It helps me physically, mentally, and emotionally and I hope to always keep it part of my routine. I also plan on getting a bike and a kayak soon so I can really enjoy all that Minnesota has to offer! Minneapolis has the most miles of bike paths in all of the US and ya know, we kind of have 10,000 lakes. Now only if this snow would go away pronto! It feels great to be back! Happy Spring!