Remembering Why
Halfway through summer! It's felt like a bit of a rollercoaster at times.
Saying goodbye to my kids was hard. Training at the country club started three weeks before school got out, which meant three weeks of juggling three jobs at one of the most hectic points in the school year. I got sick.
But I also ran my second marathon, and I ran it with my cousin, which has been a long time goal for us. One of my closest friends got married last week. My boyfriend and I have been able to make some fun memories. And I get to return to my teaching position in the fall.
Financially, the summer has also felt like a bit of a roller coaster. I haven't been working as many hours as I hoped at the country club- I can make good tips during a busy lunch shift and great tips during a busy dinner shift, but it's frustrating to know that I could be killing my debt goals if I could just get more hours. I really like working at the tanning salon, but, unfortunately, these two jobs in combination are working against each other- they both need me most at the same times (evenings and weekends) and because the tanning salon puts out their schedule a month in advance (the country club does theirs every week), the salon gets first dibs on my time. I can't just pick up shifts there when the country club doesn't need me even though there is potential to make a lot more income at the club. From this experience, my advice to fellow debt-crushers is this: if you're going to juggle multiple jobs that pay by the hour, try as much as possible to have the higher-paying job schedule you first, or see if they can just give you a set weekly schedule. Part of me is wishing I had taught summer school, but I know my heart and brain needed to recharge after a school year of teaching. Even when crushing through debt with “gazelle intensity,” you still have to consider things long-term. Burning myself out in the career I love isn't going to benefit anyone. I’ve also had to deal with the reality that, when planning your budget merticulously, small unexpected expenses suddenly don't feel so small. If you've ever been a traditional college student, you remember when a $20 copay for a quick urgent-care visit could feel like a heavy burden, or when you wanted to buy a gift for a friend and had to decide if you wanted said gift to reflect how much you cared or how broke you were. Granted, the consequences are much less now if I mess up my budget (no bank overdraft fees, thank goodness) but it still reverses my progress if I have to dip into my emergency fund and replenish it with my next paycheck.
I'm still making progress. It still feels satisfying every time I move a marble between jars. But crushing debt is a marathon, not a sprint, and sometimes marathons get long and discouraging along the way. As I ran the marathon in June, at points I had to remind myself that I had friends waiting for me at the finish line, that there was a gorgeous finisher’s medal reserved for me, that I had put so much training into it, and that if I didn't give up, eventually I would cross the finish line. Now, as I run this financial marathon, I have to remind myself:
That my parents sacrificed so much to keep my debt from being worse than what it is. If I am careless with my finances, then I throw away all they did for me.
That I know I am called to adopt, and adopting will require having my finances in order. Somewhere in the world right now, there is a little girl waiting in an orphanage or a foster home hoping she won't age out without a family. The faster I get rid of my debt, the sooner I can be the answer to het hopes and prayers.
That I want to be able to give freely. Of course, there is never an excuse for me to not be giving, and my current budget includes tithing and giving to a few ministries/charities, but i’m dreaming of a day when I can afford to surprise groups or individuals in need with a huge check.
That I don't want my debt to affect others. I don't want my parents having to bale me out- I want to be able to help THEM out someday if they need it. If God has a long-term future for my boyfriend and me, I don't want him to have to pay off my student loans.
That I have already come so far:
That God commands us to pay off debt as quickly as possible (Romans 13:8). Seeing the numbers on my balances drop is satisfying, but remembering the real “why” is what will keep me going!
Updated numbers:
Paychecks from Tanning Salon:
-140.99
-206.70
-116.60
-159.08
Regular Student Loan Payments:
-149.55
-28.64
-28.64
Squoob:
-127.34
Paychecks from Country Club:
-26.32
-260.22
-381.90
Apps:
-108.11 from GoogleAdsense (my YouTube channel and this blog)
-10.74 from Pact
Sales: -200.00 from selling a Tria Beauty device on eBay
-10.00 from selling shoes on Facebook Market Place
Total: $1,954.83
Total debt paid so far: $4,634.53
Average debt per day: $28.97
On Track to pay off: $10,574.05
But I also ran my second marathon, and I ran it with my cousin, which has been a long time goal for us. One of my closest friends got married last week. My boyfriend and I have been able to make some fun memories. And I get to return to my teaching position in the fall.
Financially, the summer has also felt like a bit of a roller coaster. I haven't been working as many hours as I hoped at the country club- I can make good tips during a busy lunch shift and great tips during a busy dinner shift, but it's frustrating to know that I could be killing my debt goals if I could just get more hours. I really like working at the tanning salon, but, unfortunately, these two jobs in combination are working against each other- they both need me most at the same times (evenings and weekends) and because the tanning salon puts out their schedule a month in advance (the country club does theirs every week), the salon gets first dibs on my time. I can't just pick up shifts there when the country club doesn't need me even though there is potential to make a lot more income at the club. From this experience, my advice to fellow debt-crushers is this: if you're going to juggle multiple jobs that pay by the hour, try as much as possible to have the higher-paying job schedule you first, or see if they can just give you a set weekly schedule. Part of me is wishing I had taught summer school, but I know my heart and brain needed to recharge after a school year of teaching. Even when crushing through debt with “gazelle intensity,” you still have to consider things long-term. Burning myself out in the career I love isn't going to benefit anyone. I’ve also had to deal with the reality that, when planning your budget merticulously, small unexpected expenses suddenly don't feel so small. If you've ever been a traditional college student, you remember when a $20 copay for a quick urgent-care visit could feel like a heavy burden, or when you wanted to buy a gift for a friend and had to decide if you wanted said gift to reflect how much you cared or how broke you were. Granted, the consequences are much less now if I mess up my budget (no bank overdraft fees, thank goodness) but it still reverses my progress if I have to dip into my emergency fund and replenish it with my next paycheck.
I'm still making progress. It still feels satisfying every time I move a marble between jars. But crushing debt is a marathon, not a sprint, and sometimes marathons get long and discouraging along the way. As I ran the marathon in June, at points I had to remind myself that I had friends waiting for me at the finish line, that there was a gorgeous finisher’s medal reserved for me, that I had put so much training into it, and that if I didn't give up, eventually I would cross the finish line. Now, as I run this financial marathon, I have to remind myself:
That my parents sacrificed so much to keep my debt from being worse than what it is. If I am careless with my finances, then I throw away all they did for me.
That I know I am called to adopt, and adopting will require having my finances in order. Somewhere in the world right now, there is a little girl waiting in an orphanage or a foster home hoping she won't age out without a family. The faster I get rid of my debt, the sooner I can be the answer to het hopes and prayers.
That I want to be able to give freely. Of course, there is never an excuse for me to not be giving, and my current budget includes tithing and giving to a few ministries/charities, but i’m dreaming of a day when I can afford to surprise groups or individuals in need with a huge check.
That I don't want my debt to affect others. I don't want my parents having to bale me out- I want to be able to help THEM out someday if they need it. If God has a long-term future for my boyfriend and me, I don't want him to have to pay off my student loans.
That I have already come so far:
That God commands us to pay off debt as quickly as possible (Romans 13:8). Seeing the numbers on my balances drop is satisfying, but remembering the real “why” is what will keep me going!
Updated numbers:
Paychecks from Tanning Salon:
-140.99
-206.70
-116.60
-159.08
Regular Student Loan Payments:
-149.55
-28.64
-28.64
Squoob:
-127.34
Paychecks from Country Club:
-26.32
-260.22
-381.90
Apps:
-108.11 from GoogleAdsense (my YouTube channel and this blog)
-10.74 from Pact
Sales: -200.00 from selling a Tria Beauty device on eBay
Average debt per day: $28.97
On Track to pay off: $10,574.05
Is this just in 2017? Or since 2015? Either way, nice job!
ReplyDeleteThe two big jars are from 2015 until now and the little one is 2017 (it was full on NYE). Each marble is $75
ReplyDelete