July 2016....

July was a really good but busy month. It started out with a solo trip to Mexico and followed immediately with a new car purchase. A few days after I returned from Cancun, my 14-year old car essentially said ENOUGH! I knew it was only a matter of time and I am thankful for the years my car rolled with me! Literally!

July was a decent month. The biggest change was in my Net Worth with the new car purchase. The value of the car drops immediately when you drive off the lot. I love my new car and it has already taken me to Ohio once for my family reunion and to visit CJ. I will be riding back to Ohio to work there for a week again in September. The increase in liabilities was partially offset by gains in my retirement account.

Overall, not a bad month. I am working to adjust the budget to account for the new car payment. I wanted to get the car now and get acclimated to the payment vs. moving back into my condo next year and taking back on the housing payments and new car payment at the same time. It all worked out from a timing perspective.

My Goal is still to pay off a minimum of $30k in debt this year and to pay off Private Loan #4 and Private Loan #5!

June 2016....

June was a good month. I snowballed $2,400 for May and June and my net worth improved slightly.

So Much Change...

Y'all it's been world wind of a few weeks. I took my second solo vacation out of the county to Rivera Maya Cancun earlier this month. CJ couldn't get away from work and I needed to get away. Loved it!!! I am completely sun-kissed! 😘 I stayed at Secrets Playa Mujeres which was all-adult resort and completely amaze-balls!!! Good food, sun and beach! Love!!! ☀️☀️☀️

Less than a week after returning from vacation, I had to finally say Goodbye to my car of 14 years...The Green Machine!!! It served me well considering it had major rust corrosion and was welded together in so many places. This car's engine and transmission were still going strong but things kept breaking off underneath and I needed a set of new tires before Winter. With one more year at home, I decided it was time to get another vehicle that I can ride for another 14 years!!! LOL I'm happy and I was more than ready! My new car is a Nissan Murano SUV and I love it! It's sporty and fun, just like me! 👍🏾

I got my first real haircut too!!! It's super fly! Lots and lots of curly layers!!! I'm so happy and I didn't need to fly to LA or NYC to get a deva cut! I found a salon specializing in curly hair on the North Side of Chicago! Thank goodness for Instagram!!! My Sis found the salon and stylist for me!!! 

I'll definitely have to change up the budget to fit in the new car note but I have a year to get used to the new payment and get ready for the move back home. 

I am on target to have all but one private loan paid off by the time I move back to the condo in September of 2017, a minimum of $40k in savings and just over $100k in retirement balances. The last private loan will be paid off in December of next year with my annual bonus and I would have paid off just over $100k in student loan debt!!! Oh yeah!!! This move home with my folks was an absolute life saver!!!

May 2016...

Sorry this is a late post. June is almost over already. I have been so busy!

May was a decent month. I did not snowball the extra $1,200 in May but I did snowball $2,400 in June so that extra reduction will show next month. Making good progress through the year and credit score remains strong. 

April 2016...

April was a decent month. My net worth continued to improve and is heading in the right direction towards positive territory! I am ecstatic with the progress!

My tenants have been wonderful over at the condo and they keep the place in immaculate condition. Unfortunately, they are divorcing and I am not sure if the wife will renew the lease. Her daughter is enrolled in the local high school which is one of the best in the area so I know she would like to stay. I am just not sure if she can afford the rent on her own. She has until July 1st to let me know if she would like to extend the lease. I currently rent it for $1,600/month. I would be willing to go down to $1,300/month if she wanted to stay for another year. My plan is to reach out to her in the next couple of weeks.

I would like to stay at home with my parents for one more year and then move back to the condo next September. CJ is working on his move to Chicago and we'll be in the same city soon. I am more inclined to abate the rent with the current tenants over the next year because it's only one year away, the current tenants take such good care of the unit, get along with the neighbors and it would cost me about $2,000-$3,000 to relist the condo and get it ready for a new tenant.

I'll keep you posted! Fingers crossed!

March 2016

Hi Guys & Gals!

March was another good month! I am very happy with the progress so far this year and looking forward to having a positive net worth! 

The Debt is steadily going down! The market rebounded and gave a good lift to my retirement balances! I continue to snowball an extra $1,200/month on my student loans and contribute 5% to my 401k to get the 100% match. I also contribute 15% to the ESPP at work which is close to $1,400/month in savings. My credit score fluctuates in the mid to high 700's but remains strong. 

Work is good and it's been super busy. We lost a team member in the middle of March and had to redistribute the workload. Instead of covering the entire footprint and sharing responsibility, I gained primary responsibility of my own regions. It's a big shift in the role but I'm up for the challenge. I've got a good Manager in this position and love that I get to work from home every Monday and remotely as needed. Definite plus! I can do my job from anywhere. 

Looking forward to the Summer and getting to see my nephew play travel baseball. He's so excited! 

February 2016...

Hello Everyone!

February was a solid month. I returned to snowballing and paid down $2,200 in debt. I increased my ESPP contribution to 15% in January so my stock purchase went up by $1,360. I contribute $680/paycheck towards share purchases which are made at a 15% discount on a quarterly basis. I use the lower of cost or market value in my net worth calculation. In this case, the market value is slightly higher than what is represented here. My retirement accounts held up but did get hit by market decline.

$2,200 is budgeted to be the minimum debt payment on a monthly basis going forward and includes a $1,200 snowball. I also pay about $75/per month over the minimum balance on my credit card.

My goal is to pay off all of my Private Student Loans and save $40k+ by December 2017.

January 2016...

Hi Everyone!

January saw a sight dip in Net Worth primarily due to market decline that negatively impacted my retirement account and an adjustment to the trade-in value on my car. The decline in asset value was slightly offset with an increase to my after-tax savings percentage to 15% (maximum ESPP contribution rate allowed). I am going to give this higher amount a try for the quarter to see how the revised budget and decreased cash flow works out.

There was no snowball in January as I paid off two loans December and I paid off all Christmas shopping in full this month. Overall, not too shabby. My debt decreased and I am looking forward to 2016!

December 2015 & 2015 Year End Recap....

Hi Everyone!

2015 was a good year! I didn't set out specific goals like I did for 2014 but I did excellent!

All in all, I was able to do the following in 2015:

• Paid off a total of 3 Private Student Loans! 
• Total Debt Repayment for 2015 was $34,556 vs. $11,083 for 2014.
• No New Debt!  
• Ended With $18,053 in Cash/Marketable Securities vs. 11,110 for 2014.

Highlights Since Start of 2009 Debt Repayment Journey:

• Paid off a total of $64,985 in student loan debt. 
• Paid off a total of $10,360 in credit card debt. 
• Improved my net worth by $140,429!

NET WORTH JOURNEY

2016 DEBT PAYOFF

2016 MONTHLY DEBT PAYOFF

PROGRESS SINCE MOVING HOME 09.14 TO 12.16

CREDIT SCORE UPDATE 12.16

Student Loan Update...

Talk about BITTER SWEET! 

The Sweet Part is that I paid off Private Loans #2 and #3 (see the charts to the right) and I received a Distinguished Performance Rating at work!  

The Bitter Part is that my entire bonus went to pay off loans and I don't get to play with any of the money! BOO!!!! 

Any Hoo! The 2015 Grand Total for Debt Payoff is....$34,556!!! That compares favorably to $11,083 for 2014. Still moving in the right direction, even if it is hard to part with the hard earned cash! 

November 2015...

November was a decent month. My NW improved. I did quite a bit of traveling in November so I did not snowball the extra $1,070. All in all, it was a decent month and progress was good. 

October 2015...

Hi All!

I am writing from Ohio. I am working remotely for a week and a half while visiting with CJ. I appreciate the flexibility I have with the new job at the Bank. The work/life balance is so much better than in my previous position and helps with the long long distance relationship.

I'll be doing a bit more traveling over the next couple of months. I am spending Thanksgiving with CJ in the Washington DC area and then I am off to Miami in December to celebrate my friend's 39th birthday. I will turn 38 the week before! Sagittarius Ladies!!! =) CJ is spending Christmas with me in Chicago and I will probably come back to Ohio to ring in the New Year with him the following week.

October was a decent month. My net worth bounced back primarily due to a positive shift in the market and rebound of my retirement account. I paid off Private Loan #1 in September so I took that $70 monthly payment and added it to my new snowball on Private Loan #2. The total snowball is now $1,070/monthly in addition to the minimum $1,335 payment. So I pay $2,400/month towards my student loans. I am looking forward to the day when that is no longer and I am praying that the Fed doesn't make moves to increase the interest rates soon. There has been a lot of talk about a rate increase in December.

All is well. I have no complaints. I will find out my annual bonus figure in about a month and I have roughly $13M in stock that will become unrestricted in December. I received the stock 3 years ago with an annual bonus but had to wait 3 years for the restrictions to fall off. The stock will get added to my investment balances bringing the total to approximately $26M. I will be making adjustments to to my deductions over the next two months to account for the extra income and taxes due. The plan is to use my December annual bonus to pay off Private Loan #2 and Private Loan #3.

That's all folks. I am doing pretty good. I hope you are doing well too! Thanks for reading! =)

September 2015...

September was a good month. I was able to pay off Private Loan #1 in Full and improve my net worth. I still have a little vacation cleanup that will happen in October but things are still moving in the right direction so I am happy.

I really can't complain about a thing. As I enter into the second year of leasing my condo and moving home, my net worth improved just shy of $40k which is huge after years of minimal progress. I finally have savings and I am making headway with my debt. All good things.  

Next week, CJ and I will celebrate our one-year anniversary but we will hold off on officially celebrating until the end of the month. His Dad is coming to town for homecoming in OH this weekend and Northwestern's homecoming and my 15th year reunion is next weekend.

I am still working out and feeling great! I only workout about 3-4 days a week now instead of 6 days but I am incorporating more weights at the gym to tone. My weight has gone up slightly but I think it's more due to muscle than anything. My clothes are still pretty loose. Starting a new wardrobe is in the plan over the next several months.

August 2015....

Hello Everyone! I am plugging along. August was decent for debt reduction. The market hit everyone pretty hard last month and that trend will likely continue into September. So, with vacation spending and market fluctuation, the asset side of my balance sheet will take a hit but the real focus remains on debt reduction. That is going along well. I am actually happy to report that I made the final payment on Private Loan #1 below today! That loan is now paid off in full. One private student loan down with six more to go! =) 

CJ and I went on vacation last week to Marco Island, FL and then spent the long holiday weekend in Chicago visiting with family and friends on both sides. We vacationed well together and had a blast. We did have to deal with the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika but once that cleared up, the weather was amazing! My co-worker made the suggestion and we loved it there and can't wait to get back.

I know of two more trips this year that I will be taking. One trip to Maryland for Thanksgiving to meet CJ's family. Another weekend trip to Miami in December to celebrate me and my friend's birthday. Those trips will be fun even though it will be my first holiday away from my family. My Sis put it pretty good when she said "the same people there for Thanksgiving will be with you 5 days later to celebrate your birthday, so go have a good time!"

Tenants signed the new lease for the next year and that's also good news because they are great  and low maintenance. All good things to report! 

July 2015...

July was a good month so no complaints. It was also a month with three paydays. My Net Worth improved by almost $5M due to ESPP savings, retirement contributions/gains and debt repayment.

My Tenants are renewing for another year so that is great news. They have been fairly low maintenance and I am super appreciative. Rent is paid on time and usually early. So thumbs up there! Next lease term begins September 1st. 

One of my Private Loans is nearing payoff in September which is great! Still trying to decide if I will pay off the $24M loan next with my annual bonus and stock payout or if I will continue to snowball to the next largest loan. All of the private loans have just about the exact same interest rate. Mentally, it would be nice to knock out 3 more loans by end of year so I am leaning that route. The good news is that I am making progress which hasn't happened before and it feels amazing!

On a personal note, my relationship with CJ is still going strong. We hit the one year mark in July. I just got back from spending a week in OH where I worked remotely for the week. CJ joined us at my family reunion in IN last weekend and then I drove back with him to OH for the week. I just got back this morning. Since it's long distance, it's the longest we've been able to spend together and we got along really well and had a fun week together. It was a good test. Miss him already BUT we are going to FL at the end of August to vacation for a week. We found a ridiculous deal on Priceline and booked. Looking forward to turning off my computer for a week. I haven't had a chance to do that since February.

It also looks like CJ will be moving to the DC area in MD by the end of the year. I am already paving the way at the Bank to be able to split my time between OH/Chicago and MD/Chicago until we decide if we will be in the DC area or in Chicago. To be determined. For now, we are just enjoying what's is and looking forward to the journey.

Exercise and Fitness is going great! I am probably in my best shape since college and I enjoy working out at least 30 minutes a day. It helps that CJ works out as well and my Sis has even joined in on the health kick and she's doing good.

That's all folks. Hope you all are doing well! Thanks for reading. =)

June 2015...

June was a decent month overall. My net worth improved by almost $2M fueled primarily by debt repayment. The market hit my retirement investments but no worries. I will continue to contribute, get the company match, buy low and watch my investments grow over the long haul.

Below is a YTD chart on all non-mortgage debt. The Goal is to pay off Private Loans #1-#4 by the end of the year with regular monthly payments, $1,000 monthly snowball payment, annual bonus and year end stock payout.

I continue to save approximately $700/per month through my company's ESPP Plan. It's forced savings since it is deducted directly from my paycheck and stock is purchased quarterly at a 15% discount.

The tenants will be renewing for another year so good things all around. Hope you guys are doing well. Thank you for reading for your encouraging words! 

May 2015...

May was another good and steady month. I am finally under ($100M) net worth and on my way to positive territory! Still chipping away nicely at my private loans and saving consistently on a monthly basis. I am so thankful for this opportunity to right my course and things are really looking up.

I will be reaching out to the tenants this month to see if they want to renew their lease for another year. Their daughter is starting HS this year and the local HS is one of top schools in the area and within walking distance from the condo. I am pretty sure they want to renew. I will confirm this week and get the revised lease to them to sign. I already revised it last week so it's good to go.

Everything on a personal level is also going well. The relationship is still going strong. Hard to believe CJ and I will hit the one year marker next month. We are trying to decide on next steps. Looks like we will still be doing the long distance relationship for a while to come as he's been presented with some pretty great employment opportunities in the DC area. I don't mind splitting the time between DC and Chicago because it gives me more time to tackle my finances. He's completely on board and our families are supportive. Thumbs up! 

April 2015...

April was another good month. My net worth improved by $4,000 primarily due to $2,000 in debt repayment, $1,400 in retirement savings/gains and approximately $800 in other savings.

The tenants called to ask if I thought about selling my condo and let me know they are interested in buying. I reached out my Realtor but the market hasn't rebounded enough to the point where I can sell without taking a significant loss and I am not prepared to come to the table with a large paydown to get a deal done. There was quite a bit of interest in the condo as a rental so I don't believe finding tenants will be difficult in the future. 

Overall, a very good month and I am excited about breaking below the ($100,000) net worth mark in May. Things are definitely moving in the right direction. Thanks for reading. =) 

March 2015...

March was another good month! I snowballed an extra $1,000 towards my student loans. The increase in credit card debt is solely due to the expiration of my balance transfer offer. I needed to rollover the amount to another credit card to take advantage of a new balance transfer offer. Everything else is on pace and coming together. The tenants in the condo are working out great!

The new job is good. They increased my responsibility and I've gotten positive feedback on my performance so that's awesome. My new job also comes with more flexibility. I asked for and received approval to work from home on Mondays and occasionally on Tuesdays. This will allow me more flexibility with the long distance relationship and traveling. The relationship is going good. 9 months strong. I just drove back from Indianapolis this morning from a weekend getaway. It's the middle meeting point for us as far as distance. We had a good time.

Health and fitness is going great! I started the Beachbody Shaun T program called T25 in January and finished last month, ran the 8K Shamrock Shuffle and started a Saturday Bootcamp program with my Sister. I am down over 20 lbs, several inches and I look and feel amazing. Best thing is that I did it all for me and I am actually enjoying the workouts. It's finally a part of my routine. I get up at 5am and crank out at least 30 minutes of intense workouts and then I get ready for work. I try to get in runs when I can during the week and then I have Bootcamp on Saturday mornings at 6am. I even won the Biggest Loser Contest and I get my fee waived for the next phase of Bootcamp! $150 back in my bank account! That's motivation!

Hope you guys are doing well. Thanks for reading. =)

February 2015...

February was a decent month. I ran across a few unexpected expenses but overall, I made excellent progress and made my first extra $1,000 snowball payment on my student loans. The news I am happiest to share is that my student loan balance has fallen below $200,000 for the first time! The balance is down to $198k from a high of $232k. 

Below is debt repayment YTD. I am off to a good start for 2015!