So now for some bragging! While I deplore some choices that necessitated student loans, I am a firm believer in accepting the past and moving forward. As it stands, I have paid off over 6,000 of my student loans in the past three months, which is ahead of my budgeted payments of 1800/mo. My original goal was to pay off by September 2015. I am passing these goals by practicing practical finance and occasional minimalism. These are often tough choices. I am daily forcing myself to live like I am still a broke college student in order to save maximum income (I'm talking serious beans and rice/ spaghetti action) . I also have retained my part-time college position as a server to generate student-debt income. This means I work roughly 70 hours a week. The plus side of this is that being nearly always at work, I have very little time to buy shoes or clothes I frequently crave. Also, I have less time to consume extra snacks, saving groceries. A shout out to BudgetsAreSexy.com and Dave Ramsey's gazelle program for assisting in my goal-setting and planning. For those looking to pay off debts or just save money, here are a few of my keys to success. Enjoy!

1. Grocery Sales: I pretty much only buy BoGo items, which is usually cheaper than Wally World. I also occasionally coupon when I have time/energy. I save nearly 100 a month doing this. When items I eat/think I need are not on sale, I simply have very...creative...meals.
2. Alcohol: While it may seem tempting to live the night life with restaurant companions, having witnessed firsthand how much they are spending on recreational beverages is crazy. Make it a habit to just say no.
3. Technology Sacrifices: I do not have cable or a nice phone. I also have switched to straight talk to save money on my phone plan. Netflix helps alleviate the entertainment sacrifice and is only $10/mo.

Hello again! After a lengthy hiatus, I have returned to my beginner blog. My blog topics will largely including posts concerning student loans, personal finance, and graduate realism. I hope many of my posts and article references will prove useful to the thousands in similar situations. Feedback is very welcome!