Debt Free Scream

Student loan debt was a burden I lived with for just about my entire adult life.

But not anymore! As of today, I'm officially debt free.

It all started way back in 2006 when I had taken out a student loan to study abroad for a summer in Italy. It was 100% worth it and I had an incredible time.

When I graduated from college, my loan was in its magical grace period for a year. And exactly a year after I finished college, I started grad school. So I deferred my undergrad loan until I finished my master's degree.

Grad school was crazy expensive, and while I paid for summer classes out-of-pocket, I took out loans for the other 6 semesters. I finished the program in 2011 and had another year of that magical grace period.



BUT a few months before my grace period ended, I got laid off from my job. So I consolidated my student loans and made a call to my loan officer to have my payments deferred for a year. Interest was accruing but I didn't have to make any payments for a while. I took the worry-about-it-later approach and spent a year trying not to stress over all the debt that was in my future.



When it was finally time to face the music, I was completely overwhelmed.

From 2013-2016, I was on an income based repayment plan offered to people working in the nonprofit sector. The plan allowed for minimal payments and the promise that if I made on-time payments for 10 years, the remainder due would be forgiven by the federal government. Additional payments wouldn't be counted toward the forgiveness program - only 1 per month counted. This deal sounded too good to be true! And in retrospect, it was. I wasn't even paying off the monthly interest I was accruing. Each year my principal balance would increase. Maybe it was the federal administration in place at the time or maybe it was my own naivety, but I somehow felt a hopeful security in the loan forgiveness program. Knowing my debt had an end date made it seem like less of a burden.

In 2017, when the first wave of public service loan forgiveness applications made their way to the government for review, the majority were denied. Nervous, a bit heartbroken, and not willing to put my entire financial future at risk, I decided to take my debt into my own hands. The federal government wasn't going to have my back, so it was up to me. So I got aggressive with my debt and, with Alex's support and encouragement, I paid off the balance in just under 2 years.



When I hit the final "submit payment" button, a wave of pride and relief washed over me. I'm free from student loan debt and all the stress that comes with it. And because Alex is a huge Dave Ramsey fan, I had a mini debt free scream squeal in our apartment. Because in NYC, a scream can mean anything from a mouse to a murder.

A Vail of a Time

In 2018, we skied a total of zero times and with both Alex and I aching to get back on the slopes, we booked an 8 day ski trip to Vail.

We stayed at the Sitzmark Lodge right in Vail Village - we could walk to the lifts, the restaurants, and were in the heart of the village. Plus our room had an amazing view of the slopes!

Vail had the best ski conditions I've ever skied in! There was fresh powder on the mountain and tons of sunshine. The mountain was big enough to keep both me and Alex exploring the whole week. And those beautiful back bowls with clear blue skies...just marvelous. I went to ski school for a few days to hone my skills and get confident (and I was lucky enough to have had the best ski instructor ever). Alex and I also had a few days together skiing on the mountain.

The food in Vail was absolutely fantastic. We ate out every night at: White Bison, The Fall Line, Sweet Basil, Alpenrose, La Bottega, Swiss Chalet, Up the Creek, and Matsuhisa.

We ran into a friend of Alex's randomly one evening and grabbed a fantastic drink by the fire at Remedy.

At the end of the week, we were invigorated and totally at ease. We headed home with sore muscles and clear heads and happy to have skied our hearts out. 

Material Girl

I pledged at the beginning of 2018 to take stock of what enters my wardrobe and to take accountability of my choices.

I did this experiment to be more mindful in a bunch of different ways:

• One, to be more thoughtful of the planet. Fast fashion factories produce poorly made products that need to be replaced quickly. Textiles are clogging our landfills! 
• Two, to be kinder to humanity. A lot of the big box stores out there treat their factory workers horribly. 
• Three, to take a true inventory of what I wear and love, take a moment before making an impulse purchase, and de-clutter my overflowing closet accordingly. 
• And four, to be conscious of my spending and save a bit of dough. After a wedding and a honeymoon, and with a hefty balance on my student loan debt (thanks grad school!), it was time to put some money away.

That being said, my efforts were sometimes successful and other times not so successful.

When I began the process, I realized sections of my wardrobe were in need of a serious refresh. Like my workout gear. After years and years of working out at home, my gym attire was in desperate need of an overhaul.

I made some observations along the way that guided my behavior too -

I stepped up my recycle game:
Over the course of the year, I made 4 trips to GoodWill. I also consigned three large bags of items using ThredUp.

I stepped up my reuse game:
I gave a perfectly good set luggage to my brother. (After having purchased a new one for our honeymoon, there was a spare set collecting dust that could be put to good use). I gifted my mom a handbag I rarely wore that she had admired. And I offloaded a bunch of fun-but-maybe-too-young-for-me costume jewelry to my brother's fiance. And I purchased second hand clothes in December.

I now know that I need to step up my reduce game. I brought a whole carry-on's worth of clothing into my home in 2018. Recognizing this is half of the problem.

There's most certainly room for improvement (oh the fast fashion purchases!) but that's what this experiment was all about!

In 2019, I will be curtailing my shopping habit and again making note of what enters my wardrobe. Here's to a less indulgent and more thoughtful approach to clothes shopping this year.

We may be living in a material world but I don't want to be a material girl.