It’s Personal is an anonymous blog series about the personal lives and finances of women.
How old are you?
30
Where do you live? City and State (or Country if outside the U.S.)
Dallas, TX
Do you like where you currently live? Why or why not?
Yes, there is a lot to do in the city and the weather is decent year round!
Do you have any hobbies?
Yes, working out, cooking, hiking, traveling
What is your highest level of education?
Bachelor’s
If you went to university/college, what school did you attend? What did you study?
Grand Valley State University; HR
What is your current occupation? If not currently employed, please say “Not Employed”
Talent Acquisition Manager
If you are currently employed, what is your yearly salary (or approximate yearly compensation)? Feel free to include any bonuses or other compensation perks you may receive this year.
My base is $106K + 20% bonus + $2,000 cash incentive so basically about $129K per year
Have you ever been promoted at work? Please elaborate if so.
Yes! I was promoted twice at my current company. Once was an in line promotion so I advanced levels simply by working hard and showing my value. The next promotion was from an individual contributor role to a manager role and I had to interview internally for the promotion.
Have you ever negotiated your salary? Please elaborate if so.
No
Do you have a second job or side hustle? If Yes, please explain.
No
Are you single / in a relationship / married?
Relationship
If you are in a relationship / married, do you and your partner have joint or separate finances?
Separate
More It’s Per$onal:
Do you have any children / dependents?
No
Do you have any pets?
A dog!
What is your monthly rent / mortgage for your household?
2000
About how much do you spend on groceries each week?
$85
Are you debt-free?
Yes
If you are debt free, how much debt have you paid off and how long did it take you to pay it all off?
I wish I kept better track! But I think I paid off about $40K in college debt and $15K for my car loan. I paid off my schooling debt in 4.5 years after graduating and my car debt in about 2 years.
If you do have debt, what kinds of debt (i.e. credit cards, student loans, car) and how much debt do you have?
N/A
Are you currently investing/saving for your retirement?
Yes
If yes, about how much do you have invested/saved for retirement? Are you satisfied with this number?
I have about $100K between my 401k and Roth. Yes I’m happy with this!
What’s been your favorite purchase of 2023 so far?
Idk! I haven’t spent much money this year on things because I have been trying to save for a house! I did go on vacation to Punta Cana so I guess they might count!
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self? (Doesn’t have to be money-related)
Instead of being hyper focused on getting out of debt, I would have set some money aside to start investing earlier, especially because my debt had low interest rates.
Do you have any current goals you want to accomplish? (Health, Fitness, Financial, Travel, etc.)
I’m trying to save for a 20% down payment on a house and I am almost to the goal! I also am trying to get back into working out since I paused my gym during COVID.
What are you struggling with in life at the moment, if anything?
Meeting new people/having friends to hang out with. I moved to Dallas after college and it took me a few years to establish a friend group. Once COVID happened a lot of my friends dispersed and now I’m starting from scratch again so that’s been hard. It also seems to get harder to meet friends in your 30s.
8 Easy Tips for Making Friends As An Adult
What accomplishments of yours are you most proud of?
Becoming a manager at work, running a marathon, not settling in a relationship even though that might have been the easier thing to do
What makes you imperfect?
In my career, I had to interview 5-6 times before I finally received a promotion to the next level of my career. But I kept going, even though some days I literally wanted to cry.
Now that I’m in my role, I have a lot more empathy for others. Even though it can be embarrassing that I failed so many times, I love to share my story because I know it can be an inspiration to others to keep going.
It’s Personal is an anonymous blog series about the personal lives and finances of women.
