Become Financially Independent

I am finally for the first time at a point where I can pay for my tuition without using a loan or credit! I lived really cheaply this year and paid down some of my debts. I even saved some money that I’m going to put into my debt. If I save $300 a month then I can pay my tuition every semester and afford my living expenses too!

I signed up to get Amazon advertising on my blog. I have to still get the widget and post it on my blog. I think that I get money if someone clicks or buys something. Its a good passive way to make money but we’ll see if I make any at all :)

This year I have funding for school and I have funding for next year too. The year after that I will go on a paid internship. So for the first time ever I will know that I will have an income for 3 years in a row! But how will I spend my money? I’m not going to go nuts with the spending. I have gotten used to living thrifty and I would rather save and pay off debt than blow my money. So here are my future financial plans:

1. Create a budget
2. Have my bill payments automatically withdrawn from my account. That way I won’t have to think about them and I will never miss a payment.
3. Pay extra on my credit cards and pay off some entirely.
4. Buy a new laptop (I really need one).
5. Get a faster internet connection. This way I can watch online videos and make better use of the internet for entertainment.
6. Rearrange my cable/internet package because I am paying for some channels I don’t want.
7. Start saving with automatic payments to a savings account.
8. Save for visits home.

Thats all I think. I don’t want anything else and I don’t really need anything else. But I will finally get a good pair of boots and stuff to keep warm in the winter because I’m tired of being cold. I’m still not going to buy a car because that will create a whole bunch of expenses and really I don’t go anywhere other than to school and the grocery store around the corner.

I won a 3-year research grand for my Ph.D. Too bad I might only be here for another year though. I’m late in getting funding. I don’t think they will give me money while I’m on my on-year internship so probably next year I won’t get the grant. But If I get an internship then I will get paid anyway.

It’s so hard planning and dealing with things when you don’t know how much money you will earn in a year or each month. Now I will know and I can plan things out. I will save money because I am used to living thrifty but now I can actually pay down some debt! I’m am so relieved!!!!

This is the time of year when I have to wait and see if I will get any work or money for the summer. If not then I guess I’ll be living off credit. Next year I am hoping to get teaching assistantships because I have seniority. Still, if things don’t work out I’ll live off credit. I really don’t care anymore. I’ve been dealing with this crap since I started university in 1997. Now I am nearing the end of my Ph.D. and I’m still dealing with the same crap. I am so sick of not knowing if I will have a job or money. I don’t feel like worrying about it anymore. I’ll just spend myself into the ground and pick myself up after when I finally get a high paying job. SAVE YOUR MONEY SO YOUR KIDS CAN GO TO UNIVERSITY WITHOUT STUDENT LOANS! Don’t put your kids through the crap I had to go through.

I think that next year I will have a few different options for supporting myself. I will keep my fingers crossed about getting a research grant for next year. I also still have to hear about a scholarship I applied for. I can also apply for funding from the university for my last 4 semesters. I may also get funding from my supervisor. Plus I could apply for some counseling jobs. It will be for just one year, one more year till I can start making enough money to really start reducing my debt.

I am less worried about this goal. Not because I am closer to becoming financially independent, or that I am making more money. I just began to realize that I will probably be able to find another job if money gets tight. I have a Masters degree. I can also live off credit for atleast a while. I don’t think I will end up homeless. Once I finish school and get a job I will be able to live thriftly and pay everything off. The only person I have to take care is me and I have no one depending on me financially.

Last semester I was pretty broke so I didn’t buy much besides food. I couldn’t afford much so I stopped wanting things. Next semester I will earn more but I still don’t want anything. This will save me a lot of money! I think I have everything I want right now so I won’t blow my money on useless crap :)

This semester I will be earning more so I will start saving each month as much as I can. I will also pay down my student loans as much as I can. I need to get out of this hole!

I cut down on my spending big-time this month. I didn’t buy any clothes or jewlery or anything that I really didn’t need. My money went to rent, food, tuition, and thats about it. I can cut down and it wasn’t that hard. There were things that I thought I wanted, but I just told myself, save your money until you can afford it :)