In many ways, January seemed like a false start. It seemed to really just be an extension of the holidays. I had strong enthusiasm entering the new year, that quickly petered off as I saw things going nowhere.
I worked only two gigs this month, which for me is pretty bad. I rely on my side hustle income to reach my goals, because my current income doesn’t afford my debt payoff dreams.
January felt long and slow. I felt sad and lazy. I felt left with no words, no motivation, trying to muster up all those goals I had so wistfully and thoughtfully outlined.
Then I got my first gig of the month just last week. And since then, it has dominoed into other gigs. I got a one-time writing gig, I got a Brand Ambassador gig, and I just confirmed working as part of the event staff for a crazy, artist created, miniature golf extravaganza.
Suddenly, February and March are booked up and it looks like I will be able to reach my goals! I’m so excited for new experiences, meeting new people, and more adventure.
I crave adventure and get bored easily. Routine is okay, but I like to mix things up. Side hustling offline gives me that.
So the next two months look pretty good, but this month kinda sucked. I made only $100 in side hustle income, out of my $400 goal. I meditated some, but could have been better.
I am happy to report I did do some guest posts, two in fact for Girl Meets Debt and CNA Finance. I also finished a book that I’ve had since grad school that was collecting dust.
So while I was lacking in some areas, others were just fine.
It’s interesting to think about work and motivation. Now that I have worked lined up, I’m super pumped and excited and want to do MORE. When there was nothing going on, I felt like doing nothing.
Work inspires work, work begets work.
I have to remember to keep busy in the right ways and just keep moving.
Now on to the numbers….I was only able to put $1,007 towards my debt. Not quite my $1300 goal, but close enough considering I only made a little bit of extra money.
Grad loan: $35,174.50
Undergrad loan: $8,036.29
Total: $43,210.79
I can’t wait to do my taxes. I really hope I can get a decent refund to throw a chunk of money toward this debt. I am desperate to see my grad loan in the 20’s and my overall debt in the 30’s. It seems so much more manageable! But I can’t move in haste, as I have so very little cash to work with at the moment.
As Tonya once told me, it’s about progress, not perfection. I just love that. We keep inching our way toward our respective goals, trying to do the best we can along the way.
How was the first month of the year for you?
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41 comments
I completely tanked all my goals this month. With my MIL passing away and being out of state (and out of country!) for most of the month, they just weren’t a priority. That’s okay. We can make the next 11 months count! One bad month does not a year make 🙂
No one can hold that against you this month. You’ve had an insane month. One month does NOT a year make and the future is looking brighter already. It sounds like you are back — let’s catch up soon!
January was pretty slow for me as well.
Between burning vacation days and a little bit of travel for work, I’ve hardly actually been at work.
My side hustle is tutoring. Since students are between semesters, I’ve only tutored 2 hours in January. Hopefully, this picks up in February and March as students get into their classes.
Hmm tutoring is a nice side hustle, but yeah January is not a very good month, I’m sure. We’re easing into the new year and things will pick up.
January always seems like one big hangover to me. I don’t seem to get into gear until March! Regardless, it sounds like you have lots of exciting opportunities ahead. Just don’t overbook yourself! Sometimes when I’m coming off a super boring time, I accept every opportunity that comes my way, only to find myself exhausted half way through my commitments.
Yeah, I’m kinda afraid I did overbook myself, but we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully I won’t feel burnt out in mid Feb.
As you know, January wasn’t exactly my favorite month either. I also didn’t do as well with my debt repayment as I had hoped but it’s still one step forward in the right direction. 😉 Thanks again for such an awesome Debt Confessions Melanie!
Girl, you rocked it! You can’t even talk. 🙂 But I know January was hard for you in other ways, so hopefully Feb will be less bumpy. Thanks so much for the opportunity, I LOVED writing a debt confession and received lots of great feedback.
January went pretty well for me, surprisingly. I put $1315 towards my debt, so that was a nice drop. One of my debts went from 5 figures to 4, so that was a nice mental trick.
I hear ya on waiting for refund time. It’s the biggest deposits my account will likely ever see, unless I end up with a crazy bonus system in the future (doubtful).
Wow, that’s incredible! To see your debt go from 5 to 4 figures must be SWEET!
Wow! Rock on! My January has been so slow on the side hustle front. I’m closing two this week, so my total was around $240/$500 goal. Bummer. But at least it looks like you’re going to rock the upcoming months!
I need to get so much better about guest posts. I’ve been lazy on just sending request emails.
You did better than me with the side hustles! I’m just getting into guest posting and it can take a lot of energy.
January felt like a long month to me as well. At least you have some gigs lined up for the following months! I also can’t wait to (hopefully) get a nice tax return to go towards my student loans.
It felt so long! Dragged out for sure. I’m excited for the gigs and hopefully we both get a nice refund.
What a great thought indeed – it really is about progress! January seemed to be not very stellar for most people (including myself), but that’s great that gigs are going to pick up in February and March!! Tell us more about this book! 🙂
Progress, baby, yeah! Feeling good about it. The book is called Reality Shows, and it’s from one of my favorite performance artists. Very nerdy and arty, so I didn’t want to share with everyone. I have some interests that are so not PF related.
I’m so happy to hear that things are picking up! It’s funny how when one things happens it just snowballs into something, whether that’s sometimes good or bad. I had a good income month, but it’s been spendy. I need to cut way back and get a fricken grip in Feb!!!
Glad your income was high at least. That’s awesome. February will be better.
It’s just one month – you’ve got 11 more to totally rock! 😀 I know it’s easy to get into a funk when your time didn’t quite go as planned, or you didn’t meet every goal you set out to achieve. But like you (and Tonya!) said, it’s all about progress. Just keep moving forward and you will succeed, you will see the things you want to see in your life, and you will accomplish your goals. January is nearly behind us now, and it’s on to a fresh month with February!
Yes, 11 more months to try again. Every day I wake up and think, this is another day to try again. It really helps. Progress is the forward motion and it’s much better than stagnation. I’m excited for a fresh start!
I love how you phrased that last part. It’s all about what you are doing to get to the end goal. It’s not always going to be the way we want it to be, but as long as we are working to get there!
And lady- $1k is a ton of money to put to loans in one month- that’s a celebration!
Thanks, girl. It feels so slow. You are killing it though! I’m trying to compete with you, haha 🙂 But, it’s not a race and I’ll get there in time.
A little over 1k is better than nothing! Whenever I’m able to throw something towards my loans, I feel happier than putting in nothing! January always feels like a long hangover from the holidays, but at least everything ahead is looking better! It was a lazy month for me too, but at least I was able to get some of my non-work related goals ahead of the curve!
You’re right, I need a little perspective shift. 1k is A LOT better than nothing. My non-financial goals were pretty good as well. 🙂
You’re definitely not alone with having a slow month. I finally got a job, but not until mid January, and I just got my first paycheck today. Definitely looking forward to February!
Congrats on getting a job, that is so exciting! That feeling of getting your first paycheck is so magical. February is going to rock!
Awe. It gets better. Like you said work begets work. Im kind of bummed because i really don’t have the time for a side hustle. Im in my last semester of grad school and growing the blog, while working a job that requires me to travel all around NYC on a regular basis. Would love to hear about any side hustles you may know of that don’t require a lot of energy. Finding a side hustle has been THE HARDEST for me.
I’ve worked as a brand ambassador, event helper, mother’s helper, and more. I find gigs on Craigslist and Taskrabbit and word of mouth. I am trying to get more online side hustles though, so I can stay at home more 🙂
I had a similar January. Two weeks ago I felt I was working like crazy and getting nowhere, then in the past week a whole bunch of job opportunities came up. I think we just need to trust that we’re taking the right actions and they will eventually yield results.
January just must be a slow start. Glad things are picking up for you too! We need to always realize we’re taking the steps, and results will come…we just don’t know when.
Sounds like a slow start but everything’s going back to a hectic pace soon enough! At least you had some time to breathe and now you can move into the next few months with energy and enthuasism. 🙂
Yes, things are about to get crazy! I hope the energy lasts, but I’m feeling pretty good now.
January started slowly for me as well, but picked up in the last couple of weeks. I think it just takes everyone a few weeks to adjust from being in vacation mode. I think Spring/Summer is the time to really focus on side hustles. I was really shocked by how much Fall shenanigans cut into my motivation and side hustle money.
I am a new PF blogger and just found your blog. Love it!! Can’t wait to spend way too much time in front of the computer looking at old posts. January was my first month making a payment towards my $22,000 in graduate school loans and I was able to pay $300.00. Nothing near your awesome total but it is a start and I can’t wait to have more progress!
http://meagainstthedebt.wordpress.com/
It seems like you did okay for January. Remember, SLOW PROGRESS IS BETTER THAN NO PROGRESS.
YES!! Keep on going, it’s like running a marathon 🙂
January was a decent month for me, I was able to hit my goals and continue making progress just like you said. Gotta keep moving forward and any forward progress is good progress. The cold and snow has really taken it’s toll on me though, I wish it just warm already!
Even though you were only able to pay $1,000 towards your debt it’s still a huge amount and glad to hear that February and March are looking better for your side income.
I love Tonya’s quote too, so true! You still did great, Melanie! Over $1k is a massive overpayment, remember you are in the minority of people trying to pay off their debt early! Not everyone wants/can afford to through over $1k on debt each month and you’re doing great! I think it’s great that you have the motivation to side hustle! I don’t, I simply refuse to 😉 Unless of course, it’s a super amazing gig that I will looove doing 😉 Good luck in February!
Sadly, with the 10 year repayment plan my minimum payment is $900. If I changed to Income Based Repayment, it would be far lower, but as you know I’m trying to even beat out the 10 year part, at least for my grad loans. It is good that I can afford that though. Most people can’t and end up going with the 25 year plan. I’m trying to make it all work!
I love Tonya’s advice: it’s not about perfection, it’s about progress. Maybe the lack of gigs in Jan gave you a little time to recoup some energy for your full Feb and Mar! You’ll do great this year, you already have!
Yes! I’m feeling so pumped about Feb and March. I have a little pep in my step 🙂