How I Paid off $20,000 in Student Loans in 14 Months

My generation is one of the most burdened by student loans. Here's a few recent statistics, courtesy of the American Student Assistance:

• Of students pursuing education, 60% borrow to help cover the costs
• There are approx 37 million student loan borrowers with outstanding student loans today
• 14 million of those 37 million are under 30
• In 2010‑11, about 57% of public four‑year college students graduated with debt, borrowing an average of $23,800 (in 2011 dollars). 66% of those earned bachelor's degrees from private schools - they had debt averaging $29,900.

You already know that I paid off $20,000, which is right around the average amount of student debt that a person in my generation has. What's not average is that I paid it off between May 2008 and July 2009. 14 months. 

Much to my chagrin, I haven't been able to re-access my student loan account and find the exact dollar amount I paid off. I know it was right at or slightly above $20,000.

I know people who take years to pay off their student loans - along they way, they get a new car, maybe a house, great clothes, and the list goes on. I didn't pursue any of that until after my loans were paid off (and even not now - I'm still driving my car from high school, we're still renting, etc). 

So how did I do it? I must have be making a ton of money, right?

My Situation: 2008 stats

• In May 2008, I started working full-time 3 days after graduating from college. 
• I was an hourly employee, earning $15/hr ($30,000/yr). 
• As I remember it, my bi-weekly paychecks were around $700. 
• Looking back at my taxes from 2008, my adjusted gross income was $20,038 (from 4 jobs: my full-time job, Coldstone Creamery, Pampered Chef, and cleaning my dad's shop). Keep in mind that's BEFORE taxes. I couldn't tell from looking at my taxes what my net income was...does anybody know if it's listed on there somewhere? (I read that the average taken out for taxes is 15%...so then my net income would have been $17,032.30.)
• I paid $1,748.43 in interest on my loans. 
• I lived in a 2bed/2bath apartment with a friend. My rent was around $400/month. 
• Anything fun, had to be free. 
• I lived off cereal for breakfast, the worst ham & cheese sandwiches money could buy for lunch (aka, cheapest meat, cheese and bread), and dinner would have been anything I could buy off the grocery store sale ad, or more cereal, or fruit.

My Situation: 2009 stats - keep in mind, I had my loans paid off by July 2009

• My 2009 adjusted gross income was $36,198 - I worked 3 jobs: my full-time job, at my dad's shop and Pampered Chef. Again, this is BEFORE taxes...anyone know where to (easily) find what my net income was? (Taking out 15% for taxes, my net income may have been around $30,768.30, which seems high for what I was making.) 
• I think my bi-weekly paychecks were around $800. (Now I'm wishing I'd tracked all of this closer!)
• I'd paid off enough of my student loans in 2008 that I only paid $160.68 in interest in 2009. 
• My living situation was the same, same car, same everything. I rarely bought new things (clothes, etc) unless it was considered a "need". And my wants vs. needs requirements were extremely strict. 

My Payment Philosophy

Now, this isn't for everyone, and it's certainly risky but every time I was paid, I paid my bills, brought a few very cheap groceries and then put everything else on my student loans. Meaning, at any given time, I had $100-$200 to my name. 

And it was worth it.

I would go back again and do it all over. That feel of freedom, knowing that I didn't own the government anymore, knowing that I was now working for myself and not just to pay back the government...so freeing. 

College graduates, don't be deceived by that first paycheck. I always kept in mind that that money wasn't mine - I owed someone else to be where I was and earning what I was. Until I paid that back, the money wasn't mine. And those 14 months of sacrifice were totally worth it. 

Don't give in to trying to keep up with all your friends, or trying to be where your parents are at. Keep your eye focused on the prize: on being debt free. You won't regret it. You can do it. I believe in you.

Adventures in Freezer/Pantry Cooking: Week 4

I'm starting to think we're just really blessed in the food department. And it's no wonder my freezer is always full! This was a leftover week!

Note: My aunt and uncle spoiled us by treating us to Restaurant Week at Gram & Dun, so that was one meal for each of us, and leftovers made a dinner for us. My grandparents also stopped by for a short visit on their way through from Sioux Falls to Charlotte, took us out to Chinese and left all the leftovers for us - enough to feed an army! This week I had a one-day conference that included lunch and another day we had pizza in the office. 

Meal 1: Leftover pizza

• Outcome: 2 servings
• Leftovers tip: When you have leftover pizza, heat the oven to 350 and reheat your pizza in there for 10 minutes. The crust stays crispy, and it's just as good as the first time. (No soggy microwave crust!) 

Meal 2: Leftover spaghetti noodles

• Outcome:  1 serving
• Leftovers tip: If you don't mind a "bland" lunch (it's never bland to me, but it would be bland to Jordan), add a little butter and parmesan cheese and heat up spaghetti noodles. Add a serving of fruit (an orange, in this case) and veggies (some carrots) and your lunch is ready to go!

Meal 3:  Leftover Porterhouse Pork (from Gram & Dun), with leftover rice (from last week's pork chops & rice) and leftover green beans

• Outcome:  2 serving
• Leftovers tip: Don't toss out those leftover sides that don't really "go" with anything now that the main dish is gone. If we hadn't had leftover pork from the restaurant, a chicken breast would have been a good way to round out this meal. By watching for sales, you can find chicken breasts on sale for around $1.50/lb

Meal 4, 5, 6...etc...: Lots and lots of leftover Chinese

• Outcome:  5 servings (2 lunches and 2 dinners for me, 1 lunch for Jordan)
• Leftovers tip: Leftovers that include rice can sometimes become dry when you microwave them. Combat that by either sprinkling a little water on the rice or microwaving a glass of water while you reheat your meal. This helps keep the rice moist. 

What's the most creative way you've used up leftovers? 

Adventures in Freezer/Pantry Cooking: Week 3

We had quite a few leftovers this week, so my cooking was really sparse (that, and it's been a crazy week at work).

Note: I had a work event one evening that included dinner, and also had 2 lunches out for work with clients. One of those I brought home leftovers and Jordan ate that for a lunch. We also had Papa John's pizza at some friends' house another evening. 

Meal 1: Eggs and toast - this is our standard Sunday lunch. 3 eggs for Jordan, 2 eggs for me, 2 pieces of toast each, enjoyed with peanut butter, honey, or jelly

• Outcome: 2 servings 
• Approx price: Less than $3
• Affordable shopping tips: Eggs frequently go on sale for $0.99, so I try to only buy eggs when they're that price. We always buy the cheapest bread, which is normally $1.58 - bread does occasionally go on sale for $0.99, so I usually buy at least one loaf (more if I have space in my freezer for bread). And although we looooove JIF or Planters or Peter Pan (or basically any other kind of peanut butter), we buy the cheap Midwest Country Fare, which I think is around $3.50 for 40oz. 

Meal 2: Sandwiches and carrots (deer meat courtesy of my parents, cheese was a Christmas gift)

• Outcome: 2 servings 
• Approx price: Less than $3
• Affordable shopping tips: Bread is the same as above; a bag of baby carrots will occasionally be $0.99, otherwise a 2lb bag for $1.99 is my normal buying point. Good meat and cheese can be purchased by watching for sales - 8oz of brick cheese will go on sale for $1.99 and the same goes for 2lbs of luncheon meat as well. 

Meal 3: 1 frozen pizza

• Outcome: 2 servings 
• Approx price: $2 - Jacks, Classics, HyVee
• Affordable shopping tips: No, it's not as good as Digiornos, but the price is right for a fast, easy meal. HyVee has the 5/$10 sale on pizza pretty often, and the HyVee brand is our favorite. We lucked out one day when they had a sale for 7/$10 HyVee pizza. We stocked up, and got 2 rainchecks so we can get the deal one more time. $1.76 for a meal is too good to pass up!

Meal 4: Salad and sweet potato fries

• Outcome: 2 servings 
• Approx price: $2 - $1 for a bag of salad, $0.92 for sweet potato
• Affordable shopping tips: I love sweet potatoes, but they're never usually affordable (in my opinion - b/c you can get a 3lb bag of potatoes for $1 sometimes). Jordan spotted them for $1.18/lb and made homemade fries for us. Salad bags are usually $3, but if you watch for a sale, they're occasionally $1 each. We also watch for salad dressing sales - there's usually a Kraft sale for $0.99 each. 

Meal 5: Crockpot Ham & Brie Strata

• Outcome: 2 servings (this was actually frozen from before Christmas) 
• Approx price: $5-10 (this was a Jordan cooking extravaganza, so I'm not actually sure what everything cost)
• Affordable shopping tips: Jordan watched for a sale on brie - he found it for $4. 

Adventures in Freezer/Pantry Cooking: Week 2

As I move forward in preparing what's in our freezer/pantry, here's what we've enjoyed this past week:

Note: Jordan was out of town visiting friends Monday-Thursday and I had clients in town and a new-employee welcome lunch (aka work paid for 4 meals for me) so if it seems like there's not enough food for 2 people for a week, that's why.

Meal 1: Pork chops (courtesy of my parents) and rice, 1 pint home-canned beets, and we finished up the head of lettuce with our dinner

• Outcome: 4 servings (1 dinner for us, 1 lunch for us)
• Approx price: Less than $2

Meal 2: Using the leftover 2 cups of smoked turkey from last week, I made a green bean, turkey, potato soup

• Outcome: 6 servings
• Approx price: Less than $3

Meal 3: Salmon (thanks for fishing in Alaska every year, grandpa!) (cooked at 350 for 20mins, sprinkled generously with dill, garlic salt, and lemon pepper) with 4 cups of corn (picked from my uncle's field this summer and shucked, cut and frozen ourselves) and a leafy salad (courtesy of the friends we were having dinner with). And I totally forgot to take a picture.

• Outcome: 5 servings (enough for dinner with friends, and we left the last serving at their house for a lunch)
• Approx price: For us, technically free

Meal 4: Spaghetti with ground beef (thanks mom aand a quart of home-canned green beans

• Outcome: 6 servings (enough for dinner with friends, and two extra for lunch)
• Approx price: Approx $2 (this meal used ground beef from my parents, and the sauce and box of spaghetti were $1 each)

Are these types of posts interesting or boring? Does it help with your meal planning at all? 

Pork Chops and Rice

When we got married, Jordan let me know he didn't like pork chops - they were too dry. This recipe seems to combat that dislike!

Pork Chops and Rice
Mix 1 1/2 cups rice (not Minute Rice) with 2 cans cream of mushroom (or chicken) soup, 1 can water, and 1 package dry onion soup mix (or Ranch dressing seasoning/dip mix) in a 9x13 pan. Place pork chops (2-4) on top. Bake, covered, at 350 for 2 hours.

Easy and delicious!

Green Bean and Potato Soup

This was one of my favorite soups growing up - all of us kids loved it, in fact. I've tweaked mom's recipe a bit to be my own, and Jordan and I really enjoy this soup in the chilly fall and winter months.

Green Bean and Potato Soup
2 cups ham, cubed (or I've used smoked turkey, and it was delicious)
1 pint green beans, drained
4 cups chicken broth
1 onion
carrots (I usually have 10-15 of those pre-peeled large baby carrots)
potatoes (4-5 medium potatoes)

Cut up onion, carrots, and potatoes and let simmer for 15-20 mins in 1 tbsp butter. Stir in 1-2 tbsp flour. Season with pepper. Add chicken broth and simmer for 15 mins.

In a separate pan, make a roux by melting 2 tbsp butter, then whisk in 2 tbsp flour. Slowly add 1 3/4 cup milk - the roux will start to get chunky, so it's important to add the milk slowly and keep whisking the entire time. This should make your broth nice and smooth.

Add milk mixture to veggie mixture (make sure it isn't boiling), then add 2 cups ham and 1 pint green beans.

Stir and enjoy!

Adventures in Freezer/Pantry Cooking: Week 1

My 2 freezers (fridge and the mini upright one we have) and our little pantry are full to the brim with food I've stocked up on from shopping the sales ads and from the meat that our parents have given us. With all that food, I figured we better start eating it down (up?), since we're planning on moving this summer (rent is getting too expensive) and why should we spend more money on food when I have a ton of it right here in the apartment?

My goal is to buy as little extra ingredients as possible and just cook with what I have. I'll still be buying the staples (bread, milk, eggs, peanut butter, etc) and fresh fruit. I have a ton of home-canned veggies, so those will be my go-to veggies for meals.

Meal 1: 1 Knorr Pasta Side (chicken & broccoli flavor) - I only buy these when they're $1 - 1 big chicken breast (4 hours in the crockpot, then shred and mix with the broth...so moist) - this was frozen from a meal Jordan made me a month or so ago - 1 pint home-canned green beans

• Outcome: 3 servings (one dinner for both of us, one lunch for me)
• Approx price: Less than $3

Meal 2: Small smoked turkey (all day in the crockpot; fell apart when it was ready to eat - yum!) - given to us by Jordan's mom last Christmas b/c she didn't want it - 1 quart home-canned green beans, 2 Knorr Pasta Sides (cheddar flavor)

• Outcome: 4 servings (one dinner for my sister, her husband, Jordan and I) PLUS 2 cups leftover smoked turkey and 2 cups broth (thinking of making soup) 
• Approx price: $2 (since our only cost was the pasta sides)

Meal 3: My office orders in food frequently, and I am not above taking home the food that will be thrown away! One place that sends a TON of food is Lydia's, so the last time we ordered from there, I took home all the leftovers and made 5 8x8 freezer meals out of them. 1 8x8 pan of pasta with red sauce, 1 pint home-canned green beans (2 servings), frozen brussel sprouts (2 servings)

• Outcome: 4 servings (2 days of lunches for both of us)
• Approx price: Less than $1

Meal 4: 1 Lick the Spoon Chicken, Bacon & Ranch pot pie, 1 head of lettuce for salad. This was a little bit of a disappointment - Lick the Spoon is in Sioux Falls, and they were having a special on their take&bake potpies (normally $8, on sale for $5), so I ordered 6 of them to pick up over Christmas when we were in town. The potpies that Lick the Spoons serves are a very generous meal for "one", so I knew that I could get a good meal for Jordan and I out of 1 pot pie. Much to my disappointment, the take&bake pot pies are smaller than the ones they serve in their restaurant (which are curiously priced the same...). Lesson learned.

• Outcome: 2 servings (lunch for us)
• Approx price: $6 ($5 for the potpie, $1 for the lettuce - we have dressing, etc at home already)

How do you plan meals? Do you have lots and lots of meals stocked up in your home? Or do you shop every week for what you need?

2013: In Review

In addition to loving our city and growing deeper friendships with people here in KC, here are the highlights of our year:

January: We entered 2013 by finishing up our 10-day South Dakota holiday with a ski trip in the Black Hills. We loved our time with family and friends, and it was bittersweet returning to the new city we'd grown to love. I did some freezer meal baking and exchanging with friends, and wondered why I didn't do it more often. Jordan first brought up wanting to quit med school, and my reaction was not everything a loving wife's should be. And Jordan studied like a crazy person.

February: A Pampered Chef mini-conference brought me and a friend to St. Louis for the weekend, where we got inspired to build our businesses (and then I didn't do much with it). My calendar says I spent a lot of time at the gym, eating out, spending time with med school friends and working like a crazy person (crazy, because I was trying to find a new job, as the current one was making me crazy).  And Jordan studied like a crazy person.

March: We spent the first weekend at a cabin in central Iowa with 4 couple friends from Northwestern. This was our 2nd yearly trip together, and we hope to do it again in 2014. I traveled back to SD for my high school best friend's baby shower and to help my sister plan her wedding. We experienced our first (and last) "med school prom" and I enjoyed my last days at QM and my first few days at Woodruff Sweitzer. We celebrated 3 years of marriage, and continue to grow more thankful for each other. And Jordan studied like a crazy person.

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

April: Other than Jordan's birthday, this month was pretty uneventful as I got adjusted with my new job. Jordan's mom came to visit over her birthday weekend; we enjoyed a spa day together while Jordan studied like a crazy person.

May: My driving foot got pretty tired this month, when I made 2 solo trips back to SD for 2 bridal showers for Kay and her bachelorette party. And Jordan studied like a crazy person.

The sisters, at Kay's bachelorette party.

June: This was the summer of weddings for us - we went to Jordan's cousin's wedding in Amana, IA and my sister's wedding back in SD. I traveled for work to the Pacific Northwest and climbed on top of a huge potato pile. Mom came to visit us and we potted a whole bunch of plants for the patio, I went to a fabulous women's conference at our church, and Jordan took a break from studying like a crazy person and continued to wrestle with quitting med school. God really prepared my heart, as I secretly was hoping he wouldn't continue (but wanted him to make his own decision, so kept that opinion to myself).

Our growing family!

You may have eaten a potato that I stood on.

July: Jordan decide to NOT study like a crazy person anymore! We met with the dean, and officially withdrew from medical school. Much rejoicing happened all around. We went back to SD for another friend's wedding, and spent a weekend at a bed and breakfast near Lawrence, KS to celebrate our third anniversary. 

Picnic lunch, during our bed and breakfast weekend.

August: My sister and her hubby visited us and enjoyed our sweltering KC summer weather. I traveled to Memphis for client planning meetings with the rest of my team, we also spent a morning at Graceland while there. I made a bittersweet trip back to SD for a friend's bachelorette party and a funeral. Jordan started classes at UMKC, and is pursuing a master's in computer programming, expected completion: August 2016.

Caitlin and I in Memphis, enjoying Beale Street after a day of client meetings.

September: After a crazy busy summer (we were either gone or had visitors 8 out of 13 weekends), we kept September pretty boring. We celebrated my birthday, took a class on the Theology of Beauty at church, played sand volleyball, had friends over for dinner, and enjoyed spending time with our gospel community. I got a new boss, 3 new accounts, and more leadership opportunities at work. Jordan and I started the 9-week membership class at church.

Hubby made my favorite beet salad for dinner. So. Good.
Also, note the cleverly placed wine glasses that tell my age.

October: Mom visited and we went antiquing for hours. I spent a wonderful weekend in Omaha with 3 of my dearest girlfriends from SF, all of whom were probably more excited to be kid-free for the weekend than they were to be with me ;) We're hoping to make this a yearly trip, as well. I spent a day with my 2 aunts shopping till we dropped at the KC Holiday Mart.

Girls' weekend in Omaha.

November: We spent a getaway weekend at a friends' house (from our community group) where we enjoyed fellowship with our friends, I spent an afternoon making bread and we both did some target practice with a handgun. A friend/former co-worker from Sioux Falls was in town for work, so I spent 2 lovely evenings catching up with her - I'm always wishing her and I could work together again! We went home for Thanksgiving and had an early celebration for mom and dad's 30th wedding anniversary. We can only hope that in 30 years we'll have as great a legacy as they are leaving for all of us.

Out with our friends from community group, who we sadly didn't take a photo with.

December: This month flew by, with only 2 weekends at home before returning to SD for the rest of 2013. We spent one weekend in Columbia, MO for my work retreat and work holiday party, where they wined and dined us and also got hotel rooms for everyone in the company. To say I think my job is fabulous would be an understatement. We left for SD on the 21st and crammed in as much time with friends and family as possible, it was bittersweet being home - we love the fellowship we have in SF and are sad that we can't continue to invest in our friends/family there each week, but we're so thankful for the friendships that have been growing here in KC, too. We, again, spent a weekend skiing, and again, came home with no broken bones (only sore muscles). 

WS Holiday Party

2013 brought many changes, and was good to us. We're excited for 2014 and have resolved to spend more time at the gym and less time spending $$. (Don't we all want to do those things?) We're thankful for how richly God has continued to bless us, are thankful that He sent His Son, and that we have God's unending grace and love to sustain us through each day. We hope you're thankful for the same things, and that He continues to reveal more of Himself to you and us in the coming year!

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