I graduated with $25k in student loans from a public state university. With a need-based scholarship covering 100% of tuition and fees. And a part-time job for living expenses. 😳
$25k wouldn’t be as so bad if my loans actually paid for my education. Instead, it funded my lifestyle. I refused to live at home, even though my parents were nearby. I ate out all the time and had a healthy shopping habit. My girlfriends had a free reign with daddy’s credit card and I tried desperately to keep up.
After I graduated, I moved to the most expensive city in the country and then realized that I wasn’t making enough for living expenses and loan repayments.
So I did a couple of smart things. I moved back home with Mom and Dad and became your typical millennial boomerang kid. That summer, I forfeited every paycheck to the Department of Education. That was a little painful, but easier to do sans rent.
And soon after, I learned about the near-religious movement that is financial independence. The skies opened.
Over the course of 7 years, I slowly began to prioritize things that made me happy and stopped spending money on things that didn’t. It was a slow process, but now I have nightmares getting manicures, luxury handbags and beautiful cars.
Instead, what I want to buy is my freedom. My “F-You” fund lets me take a few months off work almost every year. My mental health is thankful.
Eventually, my fiance “FM” and I hope to build up our fund so much that we could take off from work indefinitely, if that made us happy. This blog documents parts of our journey. ❤