I am just a girl, sitting in front of her planner, trying to save money and organize her budget...

Where to Begin

After completing my BA at a private college, I pursued my MA in a state with a very high cost of living. I found myself with a large sum of student loan debt in addition to credit card debt. I had a post-graduate degree but ended up moving back home with my family. Luckily my job search did not take long. I was able to land a job that offered paid overtime, benefits, and room for growth. Within months, my long-time boyfriend and I purchased our first home. I felt like I was on the right path and couldn’t have been happier.

Then, as a first-time homeowner, I started listing all of the bills I had to pay and it was overwhelming. I realized I had debt on top of debt and felt claustrophobic. I started a plan to climb out of the hole I made for myself. I strategically used my overtime to pay off what I could but it didn’t really amount to much.

One day while scrolling on Facebook I saw a post about Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace University. I recalled that when I was a teenager, my boss at the time had paid for our whole company to take FPU. I had never really put his teachings into practice, but knew that I needed structure and discipline to get ahead. I began making a budget and a plan for my debt snowball. I can’t say that I ever got “gazelle intense”, but I have continued to follow some basic principles from FPU.

Planning a Solution

As an avid planner, I began using my Happy Planner to document my budget and debt-payoff progress. I have a beloved Excel spreadsheet, but needed constant reminders (and pretty ones at that). Writing in my trusty planner is cathartic for me. Although it can feel duplicative, the repeat nature of having digital and paper documentation further solidifies the success in my mind. I get to celebrate it in both modes and appreciate how far I’ve come. I get such joy out of decorating my planner each week, so adding in the financial goals/successes tends to be the highlight of my week. Over time I have developed my own method, and began helping others create a planning system that worked for them.

I am not perfect, and still have to fight my constant desire for retail therapy, but I have realized that I look forward to pay day now. It feels like a game each time I make another payment. Each thing I check off of my to-do list gets me closer to defeating the final boss.

Future Goals

That leads me here! I want to share resources to make others more successful at paying off debt and allow them to be able to appreciate the journey. Whether your goals are to dig yourself out of debt, or to save money on everyday purchases in order to save for a lavish vacation, I want to help! Please check out my resources for ideas and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need some personalized advice. Budgets and planners are two of my favorite things and I love to nerd out with or to anyone who will listen!