It’s Per$onal is an anonymous blog series designed to shed light on the intricate details of the personal finances and lifestyles of women.
Name:
Grey
How old are you?
25
Where do you live? City and State (or Country if outside the U.S.)
Washington, DC
What is your highest level of education?
Bachelor’s
Are you single or married?
Engaged
If you are married, do you and your spouse have joint or separate finances?
N/A
Do you have any children or dependents? If yes, please explain.
No
What is your total monthly rent / mortgage for your household?
1870
Has Covid-19 impacted you financially in any way?
Thankfully, no
What is your current occupation? If not currently employed, please say “Not Employed”
Project Associate
What is your yearly salary (or approximate yearly compensation) for your current occupation?
51,000 salary with a $3 – $4k bonus expected at the end of the year
If you are currently employed, do you like your job? Why or why not?
Yes, I mostly like my job. I’d like to move on to bigger and better things in the near future, but it has given me some really good experience in my field and helped me build my resume. It’s my second job out of undergrad, and I think I’ll go to grad school soon to further build my career and qualifications.
Do you have a second job or side hustle? If Yes, please explain.
No, I thought about getting a second job to help save for grad school (I worked retail and baby sat in high school and college), but I don’t want to give up my evenings and weekends! As much as I’d like to save some extra money, working a side hustle on top of a regular 9-5 seems exhausting.
If you have a second job or side hustle, about how much money do you make monthly from your second job / side hustle?
N/A
Do you budget on a consistent basis? If so, please explain how you currently budget:
Yes! I love planning my finances and I’m pretty strict about budgeting. I’m currently saving/investing 13% of my net income for retirement, split between a 401k to get my minimum employer match and a Roth IRA with a roboadvisor. I put 25% into a HYSA for my grad school fund, and another 4% into an account dedicated to my travel fund (I love traveling and it’s something I will never feel bad about spending money on). I give myself $500 of “fun money” per month that I can spend guilt-free on anything I want – dinners out, happy hour drinks with friends, clothes, makeup etc. The rest of my income goes toward my necessary expenses like rent, groceries, insurance, phone, bus pass, etc. Living in an expensive city means rent always takes a big chunk.
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 graduated undergrad with about $12k in student loan debt. It took about 2 years to pay off. I usually paid triple the monthly required minimum and also put any extra money (work bonuses, Christmas money, etc) towards my loan balance. I’m kind of dreading going back into debt to pay for grad school, but hopefully it’ll be worth it.
Do you have any student loan debt currently?
No
If yes, about how much student loan debt do you have?
N/A
What is your monthly student loan payment amount?
N/A
Do you have any credit card debt?
No
If Yes, about how much credit card debt do you have currently?
N/A
Do you have any other kinds of debt? If Yes, please explain:
No
Do you know what your credit score is?
Yes
If Yes, what is your credit score?
770
Are you currently saving for retirement?
Yes
If yes, about how much do you have saved for retirement?
Almost $15k
What does an ideal retirement look like for you?
Hopefully retiring abroad and being able to travel regularly.
What’s your biggest purchase of 2020 so far?
My finance and I bought a new couch recently to try and make our apartment (and work from home lives) comfier. We haven’t really bought new furniture before, so it felt like a very #adult moment.
Biggest purchase of your life?
Probably my laptop or big trips?
What do you spend money on that brings you joy?
Travel and good food
What are your short term money goals, if any? ( < 1 year)
Put another $8k into my grad school fund and at least another $5k towards retirement. Also, figuring out with my fiancé how much we actually want to spend on a wedding and make that amount work with our budget and other goals!
What are your long term money goals, if any? ( > 1 year)
Start saving for a down payment on a house.
What is your #1 financial concern right now?
Trying to figure out how much to spend on a wedding. Even a modest wedding is clocking in at $20k right now, and that just seems a little crazy to my finance and I. We’d kind of rather have that money for travel or a down payment, but we’re taking time to reflect and decide what we want.
What financial victory/success are you most proud of?
Paying off my undergrad debt so quickly. Being debt free has allowed me more freedom to make other decisions about my life and take new opportunities as they come.
Anything we didn’t ask about you that you want to include?
Nope!
