Budget Archives - Making Sense Of Cents

How We Paid Off $100,000 in Debt in 40 Months: Marriage and the Military

April 20, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 8 Comments

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Hello! Today, I have a great debt payoff story from Nolan Martin. Nolan is a military officer who successfully paid off $100,000 in debt in just 40 months. Below is his story.

We were incredibly anxious to get our lives started together. Fresh out of college and new to the military life, I convinced my wife, Erin, to marry me. Like most new couples, we both entered the relationship with plenty of debt on both sides. I was fortunate enough to receive a “career starter” loan of $35,000.

Erin represented the “normal” in America with over $40,000 in student loans. Then of course came the things you have to buy in a new marriage: the car, the house, and the puppies. On February 1^st, 2012, we had accumulated over $100,000 in debt.

The reality didn’t really hit us until we looked at the bank account after getting our first house. When you see the summary page of your accounts and it says, “You Owe $297,000,” it is enough to make you realize that you have to make some significant changes.

It was on this day, that Erin and I realized we wanted to live a debt free life and were willing to make the sacrifices it would take to be successful. [Read more…]

How This Couple Retired In Their 30s and Now Travel Around The World: An Interview With Go Curry Cracker

April 18, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 20 Comments

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How This Couple Retired In Their 30s and Now Travel Around The World: An Interview With Go Curry Cracker My monthly Extraordinary Lives series is something that I really enjoying doing. First up was JP Livingston, who retired with a net worth over $2,000,000 at the age of 28. Today's interview is with Jeremy, Winnie, and Julian, also known as the family behind Go Curry Cracker.

With the goal of traveling around the world, Jeremy and Winnie were in their 30s when they retired around six years ago. Their 3-year-old son travels with them and has already been to 29 countries as well!

They were able to do this by saving intensively – over 70% of their after-tax income.

In this interview, you'll learn:

How they retired in their 30s.
What made them want to retire early.
How they live comfortably, rent houses with private pools, fly business class, and travel a ton – as opposed to the myth that early retirees are boring and just eat beans and rice to survive.
How they decided on the amount they needed to retire.
What they do about health insurance in early retirement.

And more! This interview is jam packed full of great information! [Read more…]

I Thought I Was Too Good For Community College

April 16, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 57 Comments

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4 reasons you should go to community college first Whether you are about to head to college (no matter what your age may be), if you have a child who is about to attend college, or if you know someone who is about to experience this, then this article is for you.

When I was around 17, I applied to several different colleges, but one mistake I made was that I didn't even give community college a thought.

Unfortunately, there is a stigma attached to going to community college, like thinking it is for those that can’t get into a “regular” college, for those that don’t have enough money, or for those that have no other options. When, in fact, these are all far from the truth.

And, sadly, I bought into these myths and thought I was too good for community college.

The stigma about going to community college is absolutely ridiculous. [Read more…]

How I Paid Off Over $42,000 in Student Loans in 34 Months (Earning $36,000 Per Year)

April 6, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 28 Comments

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Today, I have a great debt payoff story from Val Breit. She paid off $42,000 in student loans in 34 months, while earning $36,000 per year. Below is her story. Enjoy!

How I Paid Off Over $42,000 in Student Loans in 34 Months (Earning $36,000 Per Year) I burst into tears.

For the first time, I was selecting my own student loan lender to help pay for my graduate school tuition.

After seeing the chart that explained the $50,000 I projected to borrow for college would actually cost me nearly $100,000 to repay, I cried. Hard.

I knew I was not going to earn very much as a school counselor, so I felt like this was a death sentence. I was going to be paying off this student debt forever.

After this harsh reality slapped me across the face, I got my act together and decided I was going to do whatever I could to avoid paying that horrifying $100,000 amount.

After 6.5 years, I graduated with a 4.0, a master’s degree in school counseling, and over $42,000 in debt. After consolidating, my loan servicer put me on the standard 20-year repayment plan, but I knew there was no way I was going to be paying for my college education that long. [Read more…]

One Year Later: My Extraordinary Interview Series Roundup

April 4, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 17 Comments

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One Year Later: My Extraordinary Interview Series Roundup One year ago, I launched a new series here on Making Sense of Cents where I interview people who are doing extraordinary things with their lives.

I started this new series because I wanted to show you all real stories about financial successes, and I wanted you to get to know the people leading these extraordinary lives.

I figured this would not only be great motivation, but it would also show everyone the different things that are possible. Plus, interviewing these amazing people is a great way to learn from them as they share their secrets to success with us.

Here's a quick snapshot of the people I interviewed this year:

How This 28 Year Old Retired With $2.25 Million
This Successful Entrepreneur Went From Welfare To Earning Millions – Interview With Kimra Luna
From Rags To Riches- How Tina Immigrated To America With Nothing And Now Has A Net Worth Of $2,000,000
How This Couple Does Van Life With A Baby (and a dog!)
How This Successful Family Of Four Makes Travel Blogging Work For Them
How This Family Moved To The “Hood” And Paid Off $120,000 In Debt
How This Couple Bought An $11,500 RV, Traveled To All 50 States, And Built A Thriving Business
How This Couple Paid Off $204,971.31 In Debt
How We Paid Off $195,000 In Debt In 18 Months!
How This 29 Year Old Is Building A Real Estate Empire
How Elizabeth Reached Financial Independence By 32 And Moved To A Homestead

[Read more…]

7 Ways My Relationship With Money Has Changed

April 2, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 46 Comments

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7 Ways My Relationship With Money Has Changed It's crazy to think about how much my life and my relationship with money has changed in just a short amount of time.

I still remember, quite vividly, struggling with money and living paycheck to paycheck. I remember thinking about how $25 could completely break me, crying over dropping food because I was so stressed out and every dollar mattered, and more.

And, it wasn't just that I didn't properly manage my money, I also had an unhealthy relationship with money.

I still have a lot more room to grow, but I do think that my relationship with money has greatly improved over the years. And, it can only get better from here.

It's not just because I’m earning more now than I used to. I've learned a lot about myself over the years, and I've also learned more about money, which has helped empower me. [Read more…]

Real Life Frugality- 20+ Ways Our Family Of 5 Is Frugal

March 28, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 20 Comments

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Real Life Frugality- 20+ Ways Our Family Of 5 Is Frugal Hi, I’m Ariel, Michelle’s sister-in-law and editor! Working for Michelle has given me the unique opportunity to not only read and learn from nearly all of the content she’s published on Making Sense of Cents over the past couple of years, but our relationship has given me a firsthand understanding of how her money making and savings tips work in the real world.

When I was 20 years old, my now husband and I bought our first house, we’ve added to our family, learned a lot from our mistakes, and we are now building a path towards financial freedom. This year is a big year for our family, as I’m about to graduate from Washington University with a degree in English Literature, and my husband will be adding a graduate degree in History.

I’ve never thought of myself as frugal, but the more and more I learn about the concept, I realize that, in a lot of ways, I am frugal.

While I have consciously grown this skill set in the past few years, some of my practices have grown out of necessity. In the past, I would rather have referred to my practices as resourceful and aware, but no matter what you call it, frugal means you are finding ways to save money. [Read more…]

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