OK, so I felt like this was a timely post in light of the government shutdown and the possibility of families not receiving food assistance in the coming months.  If you aren't aware of all the changes, you can read about it here.  I want to keep this post focused on how families can save money whether they receive government assistance or not.  It is essential to squeeze every penny at the grocery store because eating is a necessity and is usually one of our most significant monthly expenses.  Let's begin...

I am always trying to find ways to pay off my debt faster!  One of my favorite ways is to participate in the gig economy, particularly ride sharing (driving for Uber & Lyft).  Now, I try to drive every other weekend when I don't have my kids.  Last year, I made about $2,500 just from this gig and I didn't even drive that much!  Here are some things I do to maximize my time and earnings:

Wow!  Sitting down with these numbers is both empowering and depressing.  LOL!  I mean the massive amount of debt that I have taken on between school, cars, and business expenses, it's amazing!  I use this blog for motivation and accountability so an important part of that is transparency.  In this post, I will break down all of my debt, investments, and bank balances so I can use it as my baseline for progress throughout the year.  Well, without further ado, here we go...

It's the end of the year and if you are subscribed to my newsletter, you know that I send a financial word of the week every Wednesday!  It is a financial term that you should know and will be helpful on your financial journey.  The whole purpose of my blog is to educate and improve financial literacy so that goal is always at the forefront.  With that said, I wanted to do a recap of all 2018 WWW terms (in case you missed it).  If you want to subscribe, just click here and type in your email at the top.  Ready?  Let's Go...

Has it really been three months since my last post?  Man, time flies!  I had to step away because my final semester got really crazy.  I felt like I was on the verge of failing and I kept thinking to myself, I did not come 2 years to not graduate on time.  Well, the good news is... I PASSED!  So, although it was hard for me to step away from the baby I built up over the past year, it was worth it!  I am now officially an MBA, and I am so proud of myself for it.  The next question is what next?  What do you do with a newly minted MBA?  When I started my graduate school journey, I was in a different mind space.  I wanted to work my way up the corporate ladder and become a VP of HR.  Now, HR is no longer my focus, and I don't really have the desire to work for anyone else in corporate America.  So, now what?

I tossed a few ideas around like continuing on to get my Ph.D. so I can be a college professor.  I feel like it would be an excellent way to mesh my two loves (HR and personal finance).  It would be almost impossible to do that in any other setting.  Also, I am always complaining about schools not teaching personal finance topics so why not be part of the solution instead of whining about it?  Then, I also think about how long and arduous this MBA was, and a Ph.D. would be double that.  Whew!  I don't know.  Only time will tell!  

​In the meantime, I am back to focusing on my CFP (Certified Financial Planner) studies and giving you all the personal finance information you were craving.  Don't worry!  Even if I do go the Ph.D. route and get accepted, the cohort doesn't start until next fall, so I'm not going anywhere anytime soon!  In my 2018 recap, I will go into my current numbers and show you where I stand.  The hiatus was tough without you all there to keep me accountable!