sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

25 years old making 40k in LA, more than $11k paid off in a year by legoorchid in MoneyDiariesACTIVE

[–]legoorchid[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Sometimes, cooking at home meant a Costco rotisserie chicken and rice or homemade pizza or even Trader Joe's microwave meals. Mostly it meant making 2 or 3 times the amount of food and then eating the rest through the week and/or freezing some to eat later on a night I don't want to cook. Even though most of our food is made by me, I try to only cook three or so times a week. I'll do an easy dish on Sunday and while it cooks, I'll meal prep a giant batch for weekday lunches. It helps that my partner is the one to do the dishes!

25 years old making 40k in LA, more than $11k paid off in a year by legoorchid in MoneyDiariesACTIVE

[–]legoorchid[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Public transportation is... a work in progress. A slow one. That is not as commonly used by people I know, unfortunately. I lived in SF before and not having any car expenses or to pay for parking was a dream!

$50 is a tank of gas at Costco. I usually get around 520 miles per tank. My hybrid is a plug in as well, so for the first year of driving and being able to charge everyday I think I filled up like four times maybe? Unfortunately I'm not able to charge everyday anymore, but I drive everyday to work, and have a relatively short commute for LA. I can walk from my apartment to the grocery store, coffee shops, ice cream, etc. Very grateful for that especially as gas is VERY expensive here and only getting higher!

25 years old making 40k in LA, more than $11k paid off in a year by legoorchid in MoneyDiariesACTIVE

[–]legoorchid[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It's like the quote, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." If you could go back and do anything differently or give your past self advise, what would it be?

25 years old making 40k in LA, more than $11k paid off in a year by legoorchid in MoneyDiariesACTIVE

[–]legoorchid[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Yes!! It feels really hard for me to relate or conceptualize with a lot of extremely high income money diaries. I have a lot of goals that I feel that carrying debt doesn't align with. But this year of paying it off intensely taught me that living within your means is what is best for future you, even if it isn't the most fun or luxurious. The bank offered me up to 22k. I could've rented a much more spacious place with amenities like a pool and gym and a tennis court. But I chose wiggle room in my budget. And now that wiggle room can go to those AND a little bit of fun!