Blog - Page 2 of 252 - Making Sense Of Cents

How We Paid Off $161,000 In Student Loan Debt in 16 Months

Last Updated: October 2, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 11 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hello! Today, I have a great debt payoff story to share from a reader, Kristin Burton. She paid off $161,000 in student loan debt in 16 months, and also just recently paid off her mortgage. Below is her story, enjoy!

In 2016, I finished grad school with $161,000 in student loan debt.

That six figure debt created more stress than I ever thought possible.

I initially got my first job as a Physician Assistant and was over the moon excited to have my first salaried position.

However, I very quickly realized it would be very difficult to ever get ahead financially with my minimum student loan payment of around $2,000 per month over the next decade.

Even though it is well within societal norms to take out student loans to get a degree, especially a graduate degree, I experienced substantial shame over having it when it was all said and done.

My husband brought no debt to our marriage, so the major financial burden we experienced had all been thanks to yours truly.

Rather than wallow in my sorrows, I sat down with my husband and we crafted a plan to get rid of it. [Read more…]

NerdWallet App Review – A Super Helpful Money Managing App

Last Updated: October 16, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 5 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The following is a sponsored partnership with NerdWallet. All opinions are 100% my own.

Welcome to my NerdWallet app review!

Are you looking for a new money app to help better your finances?

NerdWallet started out as a personal finance website back in 2009 with the goal of helping consumers make better personal finance decisions. They now have a super helpful money management app that I am going to talk more about today.

The NerdWallet app makes it easy to learn what you need to do to master your money. With the NerdWallet app, you can stay on top of things all in one place and maximize what you already have with tailored insights and clear next steps.

And, you can’t go wrong with the NerdWallet app.

Today, the website and the app provides financial guidance to more than 160 million consumers every year (yes, 160 million!).

You can download the NerdWallet app for free through the App Store and on Google Play. [Read more…]

What You Need To Know About Affiliate Marketing For Beginners + How 17 Bloggers Earned Their First Affiliate Income

Last Updated: September 28, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 14 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you interested in learning about affiliate marketing for beginners?

Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular ways to monetize your blog because it’s somewhat passive, and it’s something that can truly help your readers when done well.

That’s why, today, I want to talk about affiliate marketing for beginners. I’m going to start with some background on myself, why I love affiliate marketing, what affiliate marketing is, and how you can get started.

I’m also sharing what other bloggers have to say about affiliate marketing. I asked bloggers who took my Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing course to answer a few questions, such as:

When they started their blog
When they earned their first affiliate income (how long it took them to earn it, how much it was for, and how they felt)
Their top tip for bloggers trying to get their first affiliate sale.

Their answers are super motivating, and I am so excited to share them all with you. [Read more…]

Do I Need A Will? What You Need To Know About Wills & How to Create One For Free

Last Updated: September 25, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Do I need a will?

Lately, I’ve been hearing that question and many other questions about having a will.

I completely understand, and this can feel like such a complicated topic.

Putting a will together is something that most people don’t think they need when they are young. You might think nothing will happen to you and that you have plenty of time before you need to write one.

However, having a will is something that can protect your assets and help your family members decide what to do once you pass. It can also make the probate process much quicker and smoother if you didn’t have one.

Losing a loved one is never easy, but if you’ve ever dealt with a death of someone close to you, you may have heard how helpful it was if they had a will. No one has to guess what they would want to happen, as a will honors their wishes. [Read more…]

Should You Have Life Insurance If You Don’t Have Children?

Last Updated: September 23, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 1 Comment

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The following is a sponsored partnership with Aflac. All opinions are 100% my own.

Lately, I have received many emails from readers about life insurance.

One of the most common questions I hear is, “Should I consider a life insurance policy before I have children?”

No matter your age, the necessity of life insurance can be a hard topic to consider. However, while the subject might be difficult to reflect on, it is also an insurance option that can benefit your loved ones significantly, regardless of whether you have started a family.

Whenever I am asked the above question, my answer is always the same. Regardless of your family situation, life insurance is still a product to consider.

However, I understand the hesitation — you might think there is no reason to take out a life insurance policy if you don’t have children. September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, so it is the perfect time to talk about Aflac life insurance and why you may want it!

[Read more…]

10 Of The Most Common Questions About Having A Side Job

Last Updated: September 21, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Today, I’m going to answer some of the most common questions about having a side job. These are questions I get asked a lot by readers and other questions I see asked online.

If you’re thinking about getting a side job or starting a side business, you probably have some questions. I know there were things I was curious about before I got started.

So, if you have common questions about having a side job or making extra money with a side hustle, then this is the article for you.

Finding ways to make extra income can change your life in huge ways.

I say that because I believe it. Here on Making Sense of Cents, I talk a lot about making extra money, especially through side hustles. After all, having side jobs changed my life and allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loan debt.

My side job (this blog) even turned into my full-time business, which is something I will always be grateful for. I love my business, I earn a good income, I travel full-time, and I have a great work-life balance. [Read more…]

How I grew my blog to over 80,000 page views a month in 14 months

Last Updated: September 18, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 16 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Today, I have a great guest post to share from Steph from the Debt Free Family. She is sharing her blogging journey from the start until now, and how she built her traffic to 80,000 page views a month. Enjoy!

A little over a year ago, I decided to start a blog.

In that time, it’s grown from 0 visitors to over 80,000 page views a month. I’ve been able to go part time in my day job and I’m now earning more from my blog than I do at work which feels fantastic, and so I’m super excited to share with you how I did it!

Hi everyone, I’m Steph Addison, mum of 3, and I own Debt Free Family, where I write about anything to do with family finances, whether it’s savings, increasing your income or budgeting.

For the longest time, we never had any money.

There was never enough left towards the end of the month (or usually about half way through it!) and we spent way too many years not understanding why we were always broke.

Cars were financed, holidays went on credit cards (because how else would you pay, right?!) budgeting didn’t exist in our world and honestly…we didn’t give it a second thought. [Read more…]

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