Debt Free Climb

One Millennials journey from debt to debt free

November 2016 Goals

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October came and went so fast. During the month I was happy to accomplish some essential goals completed for the blog. I was able to get three new posts under my belt, got a logo for the site, and started connecting with other personal finance bloggers via social media. As November will be my 2nd official month running Debt Free Climb, I am excited to keep the momentum going and produce more valuable content.

Let’s review my October Goals Results

Student Loan Debt

I successfully completed my goal and paid off one of my remaining Great Lakes Loan accounts. I had a balance of $1.58k and was able to call and make a single Credit Card payment with my Chase Sapphire Reserve Card for $1700. With this payment, I was able to meet the minimum spend for my Chase Sapphire Reserve card and got 100k bonus points! Check out my post on Paying my Student Loans Via Credit Card. After making the payment, I immediately paid off my card, so no additional debt was created.

As of now I have paid off $16,159 and am on pace to meet my goal of $18k paid off this year.

Website

  1. I created three new posts in October. I would like to increase this number going forward.
  2. Set up my Twitter account. Say Hi!
  3. Improve Writing – This will be a work in progress.
  4. Seek Feedback – My goal is to be more engaging on social media and plan to get 1v1 blog coaching by the end of 2016.

Also in October, I became an affiliate partner with LendEdu. LendEdu is a Student Loan Refinancing Marketplace. I used LendEdu to confirm that I am paying off my Student Loans in the most cost efficient way possible. If you have Student Loans, fill out the short questionnaire to check out what type of Interest Rates you are qualified for all in one place. It’s fast, free, no obligation to buy anything, and best of all No Hard Credit Pulls (your credit won’t be affected)! Check out this Link* or the graphic link in the sidebar to get started!

Personal Education 

In October I was able to read “Rich Dads Cashflow Quadrant” by Robert Kiyosaki, “Buy Buttons” by Nick Loper, and am halfway through the audiobook of “168 Hours” by Laura Vanderkam.

“Rich Dads Cashflow Quadrant” was a continuation of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” which I read in September. It was a good reinforcement that I don’t want to continue in the “E” (Employee) Quadrant but rather make the transition to the “B” (Business Owner) Quadrant in the next few years.

“Buy Buttons” wasn’t originally on my list for October but I was super excited to get the book because I am a big fan of Nick Loper and his podcast. This book is packed with so many platforms to make extra money with a side hustle. I’m discovering many websites that I have never heard of and am excited to put some of them to action.

“168 Hours” has been on my list to read for a while. I was able to find the audio book on Overdrive using my library card for free! Check out my post on Why you should spend more time at the Library to learn more about the Overdrive App. I currently listen to this book on my drive to and from work. So far this book is a wake-up call that I waste a lot of time during the week. I plan to document my time in 30min increments for one week to identify gaps in my productivity and work to correct the gaps

Meditate

In October I was not pleased on my meditation schedule. I started the month off strong, but throughout the month I was not consistent in dedicating the time to meditate. I noticed that I became more easily frustrated and overwhelmed when I took extended breaks from meditation. This is a top priority in November to use my Muse Headband (details on Muse in my recommendations page) to Meditate.

November Goals

Student Loan Debt

Currently, I am down to my final Student Loan at Great Lakes. $8.3k @ 3.15% Interest. All my payments will now Snowball into 1 and in November I plan to make a bulk payment of $1700 (which is 53% of my monthly take-home pay). With this payment, I will be right at my “$18k paid off this year” goal with a month to spare to try to reach the $20k mark.

Website

  1. Write at least four valuable blog posts
  2. Continue to increase engagements and followers on Twitter. Setup Pinterest Account and create Infographics to share for my blog posts.
  3. Improve Writing
  4. Increase Subscribers and make improvements to my email content
  5. Seek Feedback and make improvements on the site

Personal Education

I plan on reading at least three books this month.

  1. Finish “168 Hours” and improve my time management
  2. “#AskGaryVee”, “Jab Jab Right Hook”, “Thank You Economy” by Gary Vaynerchuk
  3. “Automate This” by Christopher Steiner

I also would like to complete 2 Video Courses I started in September.

  1. “Zac Johnson Udemy Blogger Course”
  2. . “Quitn6”

Continue to listen to Personal Finance/Financial Independence Podcasts and read blogs and articles (3-5 daily)

Meditate

As mentioned earlier I am not pleased with my October Meditation results. My goal is to use my Muse headband and make it a priority to Meditate 4 times per week. I noticed I am in a better mood and stay focused more when I consistently meditate. I know there is a great value to be had in meditation and want to make the most out of it.

 

Let me know in the comments if you have any advice or thoughts on my November goals. I will be back next month to report on my November results and December goals!

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