Well, well, well. July was a really good month.
1) I ran another 5k race. I hadn’t been able to train much, so I didn’t know what to expect time wise, but I shaved a whole 97 seconds off my first race. *jumps for joy!* I’m still a slow runner, but it was fun to see such progress. I also beat a guy that beat me in the first race. He wore jean shorts in the first race and losing to a guy in jean shorts hurt my dignity. I’m glad to have that back 🙂
2) I was sent on my first business trip with my company. I can see why many people complain about business trips because I slept like garbage all 4 days, but it was fun to have a change of scenery and meet a lot of new faces.
3) My darling sister L has turned herself into a country bumpkin. She now has 3 dogs, 5 chickens and a new house bordering the middle of no where. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with her new dog and relaxing at her almost country abode. I could never move to the middle of no where, but its nice to have the escape every now and then!
4) I turned into a reading maniac. After getting the Casual Vacancy out of the way, I’ve been averaging about 1 book/week in July. These aren’t little books either! Several have been 400 hundred pagers. After law school, it is a common thing for many lawyers to never read a book for fun again. ever. I’m so glad that didn’t happen to me.
And to the numbers!
As I wrote about in my last post, I had my money spread too thin. I was saving for a car, but the numbers didn’t make sense. My student loan interest is too high when compared to my savings account and future loan interest on the car. I decided to cut my Car Fund down to $1000 and send the excess plus any planned contributions to my student loans.
I was worried I’d have a low number this month, but again, I was wrong. I really need to stop doubting myself!
….drumroll please!
Debt Progress
End of June Debt: $31,307
End of July Debt: $29,167
That’s $2140 paid off this month!
It’s hard to believe I am TWENTY-nine thousand dollars in debt. That’s a TWO out front. Not a THREE or a FOUR … just a big ol’ #2 leading my debt.
This Debt Repayment Month is brought to you by the number 2. 🙂
Also, my smallest loan is nearly gone. I have $652.50 remaining. If you’d like, now is the time to say your goodbyes to loan #3. The next time you see it, it will be paid off!
How did you do in July? Do you have a favorite Sesame Street character? (I’m a big fan of the Count and Cookie Monster!)
Goodnight Debt. 
You’re under $30,000!!!! WOO HOO!!! That’s awesome. 🙂 I am glad you emptied part of the car fund onto the debt as well. I think it was a wise decision considering you’ll still be financing a good part of it at a lower interest rate 🙂 I cannot wait until Loan #3 is gone for you!
As for the 5k run… you shaved 20 seconds off your average pace – that’s a huge amount! Congrats on beating jean shorts guy… how is that even comfortable?!
About Sesame Street… I love Cookie, and the Count. I’m ashamed to admit that I imitate those two frequently when I’m being a goof-ball and playing around with the fiancé. It takes a special kind of person to be friends with me 😉
(Sorry for the insane amount of exclamation points!)
Thank you, thank you! It feels so good to be under $30k! Loan #3 will be dead soon.
I didn’t even think to calculate my pace improvement. 20 seconds is huge! I’m so new to running, I’m just happy to cross the finish line in one piece. And I don’t know about jean shorts guy. I worry about tags and seams on my tech gear. He ran in jeans! What a weirdy.
Bahaha! I do the same thing. I can’t count anything slowly without breaking into the Count Ah Ah AH!
(p.s. I like exclamation points!!! No worries!!!!!!!)
Well done! I love that your post is inspired by the number 2. That must really feel awesome! I think it is wise to put the money towards your debt instead of a car and minimize the interest costs as much as possible. Many people drive their cars for a long long time. If you have an emergency fund, you can afford car repairs but still cost less than car loan payments.
Congrats on beating jean shorts. He had to go down.
Thanks! I plan to drive my car into the ground. Hopefully, that’ll be 10+ years from now. I’ve never been a car owner so I’m excited for the transition!
Down with Jean Shorts!
“He wore jean shorts in the first race and losing to a guy in jean shorts hurt my dignity. I’m glad to have that back.” LOL. Awesome. I may run my first 5K in September. I downloaded the Couch 2 5K app, so if I actually make some progress by the start of September, I’ll sign up for the race. I have to admit, I don’t feel super motivated.
Congrats on your loans! They’re definitely a pain in the butt, but paying them off definitely feels like a massive accomplishment.
And for the record, Snufflufagus was always one of my favorite. The Sesame Street movies all have a very dear place in my 30 year old heart.
Thanks! I’m so happy to see them go away so quickly!
I say, Go for the 5K!! C25K is a great program. That’s how I started. My next race is at the end of September. If you need a challenge buddy, I’m in. I could definitely use some accountability!
How could I forget about Snuffleupagus!? He was great! Fun Fact: His first name is Aloysius. Aloysius Snuffleupagus. What a crazy name!
that’s amazing!! good job!
Thanks!