Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow and we all know this is a time for turkey, family, and great food here in the United States but it is also a time to stop and remember the things that we are thankful for. I figured I would do a short post in the Thanksgiving spirit with a little personal finance twist to it, and let you know about 5 things in my “personal finance life” that I am thankful for. I’ll call it my personal finance Thanksgiving post.
1. Being able to live home after college – I am very grateful that I have a good relationship with my parents and they are even offering me the opportunity to do this. I pay $100 in rent, and that is probably saving me around $1000 a month for the cost of living in my area. Even though this situation isn’t ideal, the benefits outweigh the negatives at this point allowing me to accelerate the payment of my loans.
2. My school’s career development office – They were very instrumental in helping me secure my first job. They offered one-on-one help in getting the job and were constantly checking in and letting me know of available jobs that I have may have missed seeing. There is also the added benefit that if I’m ever looking for a job in the future they will always help.
3. My current job – I’ve been really lucky to land my current job. The people I work with are awesome, and a few of them started right out of college like me so we can relate. The work is pretty interesting and I stay busy, but it is not too stressful. I started out with 15 vacation days, which is awesome and definitely something important to me. The salary is pretty competitive (plus a pension and 401k matching) and my commute really isn’t that bad compared to most people. If I got another job offer I think it would definitely have to match the vacation and be a significant increase to convince me to leave.
4. Family and friends – I already spoke about my parents being supportive and helpful, but other members of my family have been equally as helpful. My grandma actually gave me some money to put towards my loans when she heard about how large they are! And my girlfriend has been nothing but supportive and understanding of my situation and the reasons behind not moving out on my own yet.
5. This blog – Starting this blog has really helped me move along. Prior to this I just hid from my loans and tried to pretend they weren’t there. I still do that from time to time, but when it comes to looking at my total each month they are staring me right in the face. It has also helped me with budgeting, tracking my spending, and constantly learning new tips & tricks as I go. I am extremely thankful for every ready and every comment that I get, and even knowing that 1 other person is reading my blog is what motivates me to keep going!
Photo Credit: julesandjoe flickr
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