Budget First

A few times I've posted about tightening up my purse strings to get a handle on my finances and while I'm proud of the progress I've made, I still have a ways to go. I left undergrad with a huge amount of debt, sometimes when I think of the total number I want to scream and curse the day I stepped foot in Drexel University (a little dramatic moment for ya) but such is life, can't do anything but roll with it.

My major focus when it comes to my finances is to tackle that debt first and set aside a saving plan. I'm happy to announce since seriously tending to this since my move back to Brooklyn I've paid off 2 of my private loans and on my $35,000 federal loan I only have $12,000 left to pay!!! Who rejoices over $12,000 debt? ME! Once I'm done with this I will feel more confident taking on the expense for med/grad school.

Some things I've found to help me out in this whole process:

• Mint.com- it's an app that keeps track of my spending and sets up budgets and alerts for my overall goal. It's been a bit hard sticking to that $20 restaurant limit but I'm working on it. Whenever you go over your set budget it sends an alert to your phone, I always read it "Hey You! You don't have money for that!!!" but it's much nicer than that. It's also very clear to see how much you make verses how much you spend in a month. (Note: that is clearly NOT a screenshot of my account but wouldn't that be sweet!)



• Credit Karma- since the ultimate goal is to abuy a home for Chunks and I this is a major focus. I've made great progress with my number since tackling my loans and adding a credit card. I was that only undergrad who refused to get those million credit cards and ruin my credit and still managed to do so anyway ::sigh:: Anyway, back to Credit Karma it also sends you alerts about changes to your report an score and also gives you tips on the next moves to make to increase your score.

Any of you have any budget buddies that help you keep a handle on your purse strings? Have you tackled your own debt/finances?