Right after I had officially started my first job out of college and moved into my first apartment in a new city I was feeling like I’d really made it! That was, until my Dad asked me “have you made a budget?”

I had never kept a budget before, but I figured everything was fine. I had a “great” salary after all. So, I ran the numbers- and I had spent more than I earned in the last month!

This was my “oh shit” moment. I was in a total panic. I thought people with good jobs got to live life the way they wanted to! It felt scary and I knew if I continued on the path I was on I’d be in serious trouble, especially considering I was still in the grace period for my student loans.

So I got educated. I started budgeting. I got deeeeep into my own spending data, analyzing trends, habits and patterns. I set goals. I worked overtime. And in January of 2020 I cut the final check to pay off over $28,000 in student loans, less than four years after graduating college. Less than a year later I bought my first condo.