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
It’s my favorite time of the semester you know the one where free money is involved?! My semester started a week ago and my refund posted shortly after. If you’ve been reading my blog or watching my YouTube channel, then you know I am a champion for scholarships and free money. This past year my employer decided to pay for doctoral degrees in full which greatly assisted in my debt free journey. Figure 1: This is a thumbnail of my latest YouTube video “I Got My Summer Refund Check” where I am sitting in my office with my hand under my chin with a smile while looking at the camera. Although my schooling is paid for, I still have several scholarships that provide some overage. My goal is to not only obtain my doctorate degree for free but to make money while doing it! This summer I received two scholarships for $500 each for a total of $1000! One scholarship was given to me by the university without me having to apply while the other is for my work with a local community college. With