I got my hair cut yesterday! For all my frugality and for all the belief I hold in my mantra ‘Nothing saves you money like not spending money,‘ I spend money on haircuts. Recently my hair has been looking pretty rough. I had really bad split ends and the bottom four inches of my hair […]
Author: Kara
#OscarSoWhite….and Male
Last week the 2015 Oscar nominees were announced. If you’ve paid even the slightest attention to it, you know that there was some very real backlash to the list this year. While the Oscars, like Hollywood, traditionally are dominated by white male stories, actors and directors, this year they were particularly so. KaraKara Perez is the […]
Halfway To Being Debt Free!
Happy Saturday! I spent the morning doing some quick calculations and I am very happy to report that after 2 years of repayments, I am more than halfway to paying off my loans! Total Borrowed: $25,302 Total Owed Today: $11,912 When I think that at this point last year I was $17,200 in debt and […]
Smart or Dumb: Financial Decisions
Welcome to the first post in a new series I’m starting up. Smart or Dumb is a great game that I play with my best friend. We invented it in college and have been using it to make some very important decisions ever since. It goes a little something like this: You ask your best […]
Then and Now: Spending vs Frugality
My story is simple and fairly common: I graduated with just over $25K in loans in 2011. I worked as a waitress for a year while living at home and saving money for a move to Austin, Texas. Once I got to Austin, I started working as a waitress while I had a pretty cool […]
A Year of No Clothes
A common trend I see among people in the personal finance blogosphere is a total ban on clothes shopping for a set amount of time. The truly hardcore do a full year, but lengths range from one month to a few months. It’s a flexible goal- some people allow themselves to buy the basics (underwear […]
Using ‘Found’ Money for Your Fun Spending
Sometimes, when you have budgeted your primary income and have allocated your side hustle towards your financial priority (be it debt, savings, or a big purchase), you find that you have nothing for that cup of coffee or those cute new flats. You wish you had an extra $20 just for some fun spending. I know […]
Loan Payoff Update
I’ve realized that I have yet to really lay out my loans for the world to see. I always like seeing these posts on other people’s blogs. It makes you feel like you’re not alone with your debt. So today I’m going to show everyone how much I owe, where I owe and what I have […]
7 Things You Could Have Done With That Bar Tab
Here in Austin, drinks are pretty cheap. Most drinks in dive bars are between $2-$4. If you want a fancier bar or liquor that’s not well, it’ll usually run you between $5-$10. The really nice places have $13 drinks, but who can afford the really nice places? I’m not doing much drinking these days but there […]
Numbers For a New Year
Happy 2015! I am SO glad 2014 is over. It was a tough year for me and I am looking forward to having a fresh start. I learned a lot last year and went through some challenges I never expected to. I’m hoping to take all the good knowledge and habits I now have into […]