A Penny Saved

I’ve been thinking about starting my own personal finance blog for a long time, but was worrying that it might be too time-consuming, as I already work full-time, manage a business website for my dad, and am trying to get my own webcomic/writing website off the ground. So, when I saw yesterday’s post, I just had to apply right away. After all, I feel I have something to say about personal finance. I certainly spend enough time thinking about it!

So who am I? I’m 22 and I just graduated from a very expensive liberal arts school with a degree in English and $50,000 in student loan debt. In retrospect, my choice to attend that particular college was not the smartest decision I’ve ever made, but that’s part of the reason why my resolve to make better financial decisions in the future is so strong. I live in an area with a weak job market and as an English major, I was worried that I might be doomed to working at a coffee shop forever. Fortunately for me, I took a bunch of computer science courses when I was still in school, so I managed to get a job in tech support for a small software company. It’s a very laid-back company with a casual dress code, so I didn’t even need to buy a new work wardrobe. My co-workers are fun, friendly people; I’m making a decent entry-level salary and have good health insurance; so, in short, I’m thrilled with it!

My main goal is to pay down my student loans in less than eight years. But it’s also important to me to save for my future. So, two secondary, more immediate goals of mine are to build up an emergency fund of $3,000 (I already have $1,500 in a high interest savings account) and deposit $1,000 into a Roth IRA by February 1st. My posts in the this blog will be an effort to record my “adventures” in meeting these goals and a place to share my thoughts about the world of personal finance as I encounter it as an adult for the first time.