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My One Year Student Loan Payoff Update

  January 28, 2022 marked my one year anniversary of paying off my student loans . Reflecting back on choosing to pay off my student loans leaves me with several take a ways that I want to share with you! In September 2020 I decided to become debt free by utilizing the debt snowball method to pay off all my debt. Before this I had struggled to save and really understand basic financial principles. As a first-generation college student, I received a scholarship to attend undergrad for free, but the scholarship did not cover summers. During the summers I took out student loans to cover costs without paying interest rates or how much I was taking out. By the end of undergrad I had amassed a little under $17K. Fast forward to graduate school I received another scholarship that covered my education. At the time I was a teacher in a new very expensive city and I had missed the cutoff to have my paycheck last me throughout the summer. So, I decided to take out a loan for two summers to keep

Surviving My First Winter Storm

(This is a photo of my apartment steps covered in snow.)

 

Day two of the Winter Zombie Apocalypse and I’m still without power. It’s now been over 48 hours and yesterday morning I decided to come to what’s called a Warming Center. After waking up at and it being ONE degree yesterday morning I said no ma’am I got’s TO GO ! But basically the Warming Center is a place where you can warm up, charge your devices, and have hot food. The one I’m at is actually a senior citizen center and it’s pretty nice. I brought a comforter with me and everything I’d need to stay the night. Based on the update from my apartment complex it looks like I’ll be here another night or two as the power still has not come back on. Overall, my experience has been okay at the Warming Center. I have eaten good thanx to the locals who have brought in Chick-fil-A, pizza, lasagna, desserts, chips, chili, and gourmet grilled cheese. Someone even brought in heaters. Lord, it felt so good to eat something hot. I am so thankful, I might not be in my warm apartment but I am safe which is all that matters. I’m documenting my time here and hopefully I’ll have a video for you this Saturday. Recently, I did a video on Adult Daily Living Skills: Winter Safety Tips and I would say that I prepared pretty well but I honestly did not expect the power to go out. So always expect the unexpected! I also forgot about my battery bank for my cellphone and by the time I found it I couldn’t charge it up. Other than that I would say I was as prepared as I could be. My biggest worry now is all of my groceries that will most likely have to be thrown out and considering I just went grocery shopping last week Ms. Duggan is not too thrilled about that. 

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