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Well, May was interesting. I officially scaled back some of my outside work and focused on writing, and online work (p.s. if you need a writer, holler!)

Overall, it has been going pretty well. I’m juggling my full-time work, with my freelance responsibilities, while making sure I rest, spend time with my man, and still have an awesome life. I seriously don’t know how some of you do it. I applaud you.

Financially, May was a rough month. Right before heading to the Oregon Coast for Memorial Day, my boyfriend’s car had a flat tire. 2 tires and $210 later we were on our way to the coast. I probably spent another $200 at the coast. Although it was Memorial Day, we decided to celebrate our 6-year anniversary a bit early. Our actual anniversary is in 2 weeks, but he has a gig. It was so wonderful to spend some alone time, away from the computer, and just enjoy the sunshine.

After saying ‘I love you’ after three weeks of dating. At a karaoke bar, of course.

In addition, I purchased some concert tickets for later in the summer, and also had to put a very large expense on my credit card, for which I will be reimbursed. I also increased my retirement contributions from $50/month to $100/month.

To save you from suspense, I have to sadly admit that this has been the worst month for repayment since I started the blog in January 2013. 🙁

I was only able to put $366 to debt.

My current debt total is: $39,991.96

That is dangerously close to $40k and I can’t wait to make another payment. Usually I’d beat myself up over this, but here is why I’m not sweating it:

• I don’t regret the money spent on our anniversary one bit
• The tires were overdue for a change
• I will get reimbursed a large amount of money, for expenses I had to pay for upfront (i.e. the money is coming).

Also, it feels pretty rad to log into my account and see this:

I’m ahead, my loans aren’t even due until next year! Hehe, but I won’t be slacking off. Once I get reimbursed, I am going to throw the rest of it back to my student loans. I also expect to get some more checks this month. Although I was thrilled at putting $1400 to debt last month, this month was a disappointment. But that’s the name of the game with debt. Up, and down, joy, and pain — it’s a roller coaster.

So watch out June — I’m coming for you!

Graduating college can be one of the most exciting times of your life. After four plus years of studying, working hard, taking exam after exam, graduation can seem like a nice culmination point for you to start the next chapter of your life.

I remember after I graduated college, I was so excited. I vowed to never take another test, or take a boring general education class. I also vowed to take everything I learned in college and apply it to my life and career.

Shortly after the dopamine started to wear off, I realized I had to adjust to a new routine and create a new life. I was no longer in the safe bubble of school, but I had entered the scary “real world.” I was no longer able to survive on my student loans, which I’d have to pay back soon enough.

Read more at VOSA.com

Hello weekend warriors, debt busters, freelance magicians, and jugglers. I hope whatever you are doing today, it is awesome, just like you.

No surprise, but I am working. I am going to be a writing machine today.

First of all, I wanted to share some awesomeness from my friend Laurie at the Frugal Farmer. She has created an e-book on How to Teach Your Kids About Money. For the price of a fancy mocha at Starbucks, you could learn some helpful tips on starting these important conversations with your kids. If you don’t have kids, it’s a great gift for others in your family that do!

Also, because I’ve written so sparsely here, I wanted to share my work elsewhere:

Romantic Weekend Getaways for Couples – Memorial Day is coming up! Ryan and I are going to the coast next weekend and staying at a dirt cheap motel with free breakfasts, and free bikes to ride. I can’t wait!

How to Set Up a Stress Free Savings Plan – Don’t think too much about saving. Just do it!

Don’t Let Debt Get in the Way of Retirement – Seriously, I wish I would have started saving for retirement early. I am now adding $100 a month to my retirement, while aggressively paying off debt.

Also, in other exciting news, I got a haircut. Why is this important? Because I get a haircut once a year, so my last haircut was one year ago. I also decided to do something crazy and get bangs. I haven’t had bangs since 6th grade! My eyes don’t believe my face — I am still on the fence about how I feel about them. But it’s something new!

What are you doing this weekend?

Oftentimes when people think about saving money, they think about it as this big, arduous, stressful task.

That little voice inside your head screams:

“Saving money is more work.”

“I don’t make enough to save.”

“I want all my money in one place.”

“Who cares about saving money? YOLO.”

But I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way. Saving money doesn’t have to be time-consuming, let alone stressful. Let your savings work for you! Here is how to get started:

Read more at VOSA.com

In the personal finance world, we are always talking about ways to save money; cut out lattes, clip coupons, implement no-spend days, pack your lunch, etc. Some people have gone so far to suggest that people should move from high cost of living areas like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to more affordable areas to save money. I don’t think that this is terrible advice, but I don’t think it works for everyone either.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California; not a cheap place by any stretch of the imagination. My studio apartment cost $1,000 per month and I had to have a car. Between gas, insurance, and repairs, it was a money sink. Living on a nonprofit salary wasn’t easy, but I did it.

Read more of my post on VOSA.com