Motivation Is A Funny Thing

I let 8 months go by without blogging. And guess what? You haven't missed much. Sure, life continues to have a lot going on and in typical Katie fashion I continue to make huge changes on the regular. But when it comes to finances, I don't have anything exciting to show for my blogging absence. I wish I could tell you that I won the lottery in January and had no need to worry about money anymore. But honestly, I just got sick of writing about financial stress and stupid mistakes that kept me there. Every post started to feel the same year after year and I needed a break. 

Quick recap: 

• I still write resumes as a side job and it continues to have growth. 
• The salary I'm making is very comparable to what I was making so that part is still pretty much the same.
• I still have a bit of credit card debt. However, it's on a 0% interest credit card for now. 
• My student loans and car loans are still very much there and still annoying. 
• I still babysit and dogsit and wear myself out with side jobs. 
• I still spend too much and save too little. 

What's new:

• I got my real estate license and joined a real estate team. I'm working on a salary and saving my money until I can build a savings to switch to a commission only position. The income potential is very exciting and scary. 
• I moved to the other side of my duplex with people I don't know. The rent went up only slightly, which is still a good deal for this area. However, I don't recommend moving in with people blindly. I signed a year lease and can't leave until May. 
• I recently started listening to Dave Ramsey's podcasts from his radio show. Not only do I learn more about financial situations, it keeps smart advice in the front of my mind. 
• I started reading The Financial Diet blog and it feels like such a smart community of financially like-minded women and it helps me realize I'm not alone with my mistakes. 
• I very rarely use credit cards anymore and I'm getting much better at not buying things I don't need. There's a LONG way to go here but I have noticed a decent change. 
• I've always been one to work a lot of hours. I'll pick up odd side jobs and work as many shifts as possible all to throw that money away on stuff I probably don't need. Then on Tuesday I read Bridget's article and it shifted things around for me. I work too hard to be dumb with my money. 

So why am I back to blogging? My motivation is back. My financial situation has become dire enough that I have no choice but to change. My posts are finally going to show some results.  

When I turned 27 in June, I looked at my finances and realized I'm way too old to be making these dumb decisions. I have no one else to blame but me and I'm the only one that can get me out of this mess. It's time to grow up and it's about to happen in a big way.