Cast off the Shackles of Yesterday

Here it is, a moment almost eight years in the making:
I am now officially debt free!

Kickin' off those financial chains (that have become an unfortunate fashion statement of my generation) and running forward toward the future! It took just shy of eight years, but my student loans and car loan are now fully paid, and I feel $45k+ lighter (ouch, my soul). Just in time for my personal goal of breaking free before my 30th! (Can I get a "fuck yeah"??)

BONJOUR! Welcome to your debt free life!

When it comes to debt, there are often feelings of "being behind" or comparing against others. But really, this isn't a race in which we compete against one another. It's a race for all of us to get to the other side as soon as we can. A struggle against the "man" and a bitchin' awful burden that we all need to help push each other through. AND a race we need to then convince each other to stay out of and never run again, so as not to have a Sisyphean debt situation that haunts us til we're old and crotchety. (Because interest rates make people crotchety!)

So, while some of these may be obvious, I've had enough friends who have said, exhausted, "I can't wait til I get there" that I've compiled a list of things I did over the years to chip away at that mountain. Some being things I wish I'd have always done - so that I could've paid off my shit even sooner. These aren't financial wizardry, but hey, whatever gets the job done!

• Spend like you're as poor as you were that first summer : When I first moved down to Milwaukee, I was making $30k a year and working 50+ hour weeks (#salaried). My student loans had kicked in in full force and I had long since burned through any savings over the years (from trying to pay for uni upfront). I was pretty damn poor. And... it was a fantastically fun summer. I had a good time, and no money. Baseline. I know that I can live on a little, and that means a lot. They always say to not ramp up your living expenses too much as you make more money over the years, and then you can save more. It's true. 
• Keep pushing : Speaking of that first job.... OH my goodness, negotiate!! If I had a time machine, I'd kill Hitler, hug my grandma, and tell my 22 year old self to not be such a weak tit pansy and negotiate on that first salary. Know your worth and push to get paid what you deserve. Because over time, you'll make percentage raises. And when you get a pay raise on dirt, you just get slightly more dirt. (And this isn't Waterworld.) Keep fighting for more. 
• Work smarter, not harder : Pay off your debt with the highest interest rates first. Period. If you have credit card debt, then you better be tossing every spare dime you have at that shit, because the APR will murder you in your sleep if you don't. 
• Make it work for you : If you do have to pay using credit, get a card that gives you some sort of perk. Whatever your fancy is: airline miles, cash back, etc.* AS LONG AS YOU PAY IT OFF RIGHT AWAY, it can help you save in other ways.
• Know when to hold 'em : IE know what you're willing to splurge on and what you're not. Gas money to go see family? 100% yes. A nicer pillow for my creaky neck (#cuzim90)? Yes, or I'll die -  and the pillow will save a chiropractor bill. That root canal? Well damn, sure. Getting my nails done? Ha, not unless you mean getting some polish from the dollar store and doing them myself. Getting a soda at dinner? Yeah, I could buy a whole liter for that same price. AKA some things are worth your money, and some things are just fluff that you can do without. I mean, I went without internet for three years in my twenties (no smartphone either, I went to the library). So. Much. Savings.  
• Buy thrifty : Thrift stores forever! For furniture, tchotchkes and literally 95% of my clothes. Especially in my early twenties, I owned very few things that weren't on their second life. (I had never spent more than $20 on a pair of pants until I was 28.) If you hate the idea of pre-owned goods: A) good luck in a post-apocalyptic future state and B) then at least get a bargain! Outlet stores and sales seasons for bargain goods. And haggle for everything else. (Did you know that some dentists will give you a discount if you pay in cash? Don't ask me how I know that. Just know that it can be worth it to ask them.)
• Save on housing : you don't have to have that fancy apartment with in-unit laundry right away. You can live in a cheap (but safe) "shithole" for a bit, or at least do without some luxuries to save some moola.
• Be thrifty : Have the same amount of fun, but spend less. 
• Hit up happy hour instead of buying drinks or food full price. And always, always have leftovers.** 
• Have a water between every drink on a night out to save your head and your wallet the hangover. 
• If you're making a meal, stretch it out - add more noodles to that sauce, tag on some bread so you get filled up faster and eat less of the more expensive stuff, don't always have meat with every meal, etc.*** Buy fruit in season, buy in bulk for the rest, and freeze what you can. That includes buying snacks in bulk and then putting them into your own little baggies (like a drug dealer - of Teddy Grahams). 
• Go to free local events. 
• Travel on foot instead of Ubering. 
• Make your own damn coffee at home. 
• Fix things instead of buying new things. DIY some shit. 
• You don't have to pay for a gym - there are plenty of free videos online.
• Laundry can be skimped a bit - change into lounge clothes as soon as you get home from work and that blazer can be worn again! Also, air dry as much stuff as you can.
• Unplug shit and shut off lights. Seriously, it does add up. And #SaveThePlanet.****
• Keep the beater car as long as you can : Not having a car loan is the best. It lets you pay off other stuff faster. Don't feel bad if you have a beater car. If it's safe and it runs, hold onto it. Even if the tape deck is busted. 
• Vacation cheaply : Don't nix travel, just be careful about it.
• Visit someone you know and can crash with. Then you can save SO much, and, bonus, you get to see people you care about. (Thank you friends, for your kindness and your couches over the years!) 
• If it's cheaper to drive/train/bus than to fly, give that a go. 
• Instead of eating out on your trip every meal, hop to a grocery store and make some sandwiches or grab some cereal. 
• Try a "staycation" and go someone closer to home - odds are there are some really cool places within a few hours of where you are, and day trips mean you get to sleep in your own bed at night! 
• If you're lucky enough to travel for work, piggy back a few days off the end of a work trip to take time for yourself to enjoy. 
• Buddy. System. Travelling together means splitting costs as well! 
• Ask for practical gifts : My favorite Christmas gifts for the last ten years: contact solution and Nyquil. These are expensive necessities that Santa brings me to save me money. Thanks, Santa!
• Keep chipping : Every little bit really does help. Holiday bonus? Birthday card cash from grandma? Random money you found in your books while moving? (Yeah, I have some depression era tendencies of not trusting banks. Fight me.) Just push it all towards that principal, man.  

So... hate the idea of budgeting? Yeah. We all do. Just, be conscious of your spending. Make little changes that help you chip away without feeling like you're deprived. And then, deprive yourself from time to time to ramp up the pay off. It's a tough fight but, you know what they say.... love, is a battlefield. And we love having things (like a college education and a car that runs in all the gears). So sometimes we need to take on debt and then fight it, to get the junk we love. The point is, that we all keep fighting, and that we make it to the other side. Because, man oh man, does that other side feel fantastic! 

I did it! Cheers to victory and a debt free future!

* I have a Gap card. It gives me Gap cash to spend at Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic or Athleta. And I frickin' love it. Is it an "adult" choice? Probably not. But I've gotten almost $1000 in savings on clothes since I got it. What does that look like? $600 in gap cash and $400 worth of extra savings from being a card holder. That free card cash has bought me jeans, work outfits, swimsuits, a full suit for the beau, baby shower clothes, Christmas presents for my family, etc. Plus, since I get that shopping bug, what's better than FREE clothes??

** You know where I first became a "regular" in Milwaukee? The Bees.... As in, the Applebee's. Because it was walking distance from my apartment (no taxi fare or DUI ticket fee). They had a 2 for $20 dinner special where I could eat an app and a dessert with a friend and then take my full main meal home for leftovers. Add on a $2 long island (or two). And boom, I've spent less than $15 for dinner and drinks with a friend PLUS two meals worth of leftovers. I have no regrets about those nights at the Bees, and neither does my wallet. 

*** When I studied abroad, I spent every dime on travel. When it was a regular week at uni though, I ate like a weird homeless person. I'd haggle for potatoes and carrots from the gypsies at the market on Sunday, pick up a pack of 80 euro cent "hot dogs" from Li'dl (the Aldi's of France), buy a few baguettes and some wine, a box of noodles and some butter. My total cost for food for the week would be around 10 euros (a little over $15 at the time). Again, baseline. I know I can survive off that and not die of scurvy - so I can eat on the cheap if needed and make something out of nothing. I also lost a lot of weight. So. Bonus.
**** Also, you know where you can charge that cell phone for "free"? Pretty much anywhere but your home. The library. The coffee shop. The office. Those places all have a much bigger budget for their electric bill than you do probably... Just saying.