We’re already well into December, and that means that the paycheck has rolled in, the investments are transferring and I have to look through my finances anyway. It is the perfect time to review my journey and just keep myself accountable.

What happened this month?

So, I almost skipped this update for two months straight. This has mainly been due to a combination of tons of deadlines, work and the fact that I’ve had to dip into my savings, which means that the number hasn’t looked all that impressive to me, to be honest. But we are still heading in the right direction, so I just have to keep my head held high.

As you already know, I’ve done a huge closet clean-out, so that meant extra money for me, but it has also taken a long time to upload all these things for sale. That’s just how it is. I am also really swamped with work, so I am honestly just looking forward to getting through with all the work and really enjoy my Christmas.

Savings

My general/apartment savings are currently $5,431.
Slow but steady increase. I had to dip into the savings account last month, so we’re rebuilding it and perhaps aiming for $9,800-10,000 instead of $6,000. I do want some extra cushion, since I am not sure what life will throw at me once I have to choose a place to study for my Master’s.

Investments

My current investments are $4,770 out of my $33,000 goal.
My net worth is $-45,689.
I’ve increased my investments the last two months, so we’re picking up speed, which is really nice. I’ve accumulated some more debt, but this is used to pay off my tuition fee loan, which is a more expensive loan – so it is a calculated risk. It will all be OK in the end.

Debt repayment

My current tuition fee debt is $54,634.

Books I’ve read and texts I’ve written

I’ve read “Cant Hurt Me” by David Goggins and I am currently reading “The Alter Ego Effect”. It will be a slow progress though, because I need to channel all my energy into my dissertation.

Goals for next month

My goal is to finish off those stupid deadlines and get on track with my dissertation. Meanwhile, thanks to the wake-up call from my closet clean-out, I am also in a mindset of saving money and squirrel as much away as possible. Hopefully that will translate into more savings and investment… and debt payoff as well.

How is your December going, and how did November go? Do you have any goals?

We are at the end of September and that means that the paycheck has rolled in, the investments are transferring and I have to look through my finances anyway. It is the perfect time to review my journey and just keep myself accountable.

What happened this month?

While my blog activity is still put on a back-burner, then I am happy to stay consistent with my monthly updates. Just the fact that I am posting my finances online (albeit semi-anonymously), means that I am keeping myself more accountable and think twice before making movements that impacts my finances.

September has been intense, in the sense that I’ve been busy with my internship and then university also started. So I have more than enough to look into, and it will probably continue in October. I still have ideas for posts to write, and, more generally, the direction I want to take my own writing, but I have accepted that it is better to have it on the “not to-do list” for now and simply wait until I have some more breathing room. I am still doing things I enjoy and find important, after all.

Savings

My general/apartment savings are currently $4,874.
Slow but steady increase. I even had some unexpected expenses this month, so I am happy that I still came out with an increase. We’ll just carry on with this until we reach the $6,000 mark, and then I’ll see if I should lower the monthly payment for more investing/debt repayment instead.

Investments

My current investments are $4,088 out of my $33,000 goal.
My net worth is $-44,796.
I paid off a debt I “owed to myself” and added some extra debt repayment. My investments were kept on the same level though, but I figure that I will start increasing that from November and onwards, as I have a few big expenses this month I need to save up for. But the net worth is slowly moving the right way, which is nice.

Debt repayment

My current tuition fee debt is $52,664.
I owe myself $0!

Books I’ve read and texts I’ve written

I am currently reading Dostoyevsky. I’ve also read a number of nonfiction books related to studyinng, such as “Make it stick” and “How to take notes”, which have been very useful and inspired me to amp up my efforts. I also have a few books waiting on me for my dissertation, so I try to make sure I read at least 1 hour a day besides the standard studying.

Goals for next month

My goal is to amp up my activity level for October, as I want to focus more on strength training. Othewise, now that university has started, I figure that I will be busy and need to develop an even more co-dependent relationship with my calendar. To-do lists are awesome. Other than that, I am actually trying to use up a lot of skincare products so I can’t take them with me back to London, and then I am working to save up for big expenses and more investing.

How did your September go? Do you have any goals?

We are at the end of August and that means that the paycheck has rolled in, the investments are transferring and I have to look through my finances anyway. It is the perfect time to review my journey and just keep myself accountable.

What happened this month?

I managed to get my passport covered by my insurance and received it just in time before I had to leave for Brussels. I am super excited about this internship, but I can tell already now that it is going to be a tough few weeks ahead. On the bright side, I have set aside enough funds for it and have a good, reasonable budget. I had a large payout this month so I have put extra into my savings and debt repayment. I’ll start focusing on upping my investments even more from now on, as I hit a milestone with my savings.

I have tried to get my academic stuff sorted out, which proved to be more difficult than what I initially thought, but it is going in the right direction. I have to start thinking about my dissertation and what I’ll do after my degree, so I hope I will have sufficient time to come up with these things.

Savings

My general/apartment savings are currently $4,750.
My September trip got cancelled, so I technically also have a travel fund now, but I’ll keep it out of the equation – I figure I’ll need those funds later this year anyway so at least they are just sitting there now. My goal for my apartment savings is $6,350, to get it to pre-uni level, but I am very happy with the current sum, so I’ll the extra payments down and instead amp up investing and debt repayment.

Investments

My current investments are $3,950 out of my $33,000 goal.
My net worth is $-45,721.
Due to the summer holiday, I had extra hours waiting for me this month, which meant I paid off more debt and put more into savings. However, my investments were kept at the same level and I would like to ‘supercharge’ it a bit more, so I will work more towards that from now on.

Debt repayment

My current tuition fee debt is $52,664.
I owe myself $158.

Books I’ve read and texts I’ve written

I read “Women Don’t Owe You Pretty” by Florence Given, which was a super interesting read. I have only written opinion pieces for my work this month (which I also appreciate the opportunity to do!), but I am working on launching a more EU-focused blog. And an author blog, to keep my other pieces aside, but I am not prioritising that right now.

Goals for next month

My goal is to “survive” September, which means sleep, eat, work, study, repeat. I won’t be trying out new wild recipes, I cannot sell anything and I should not buy shit I have to drag with me back from Brussels. I will make an effort to eat healthy food, take good care of my skin and make sure I stay active throughout my crazy schedule.

How did your August go? Do you have any goals?

We are at the beginning of August and that means that the paycheck has rolled in, the investments are transferring and I have to look through my finances anyway. It is the perfect time to review my journey and just keep myself accountable.

What happened this month?

What a month. I came back to London, and while I am happy to be back and seeing friends and loved ones, then I also got my passport stolen in a robbery. Not only is that a huge hassle, but it is also very expensive to get a new passport (£121 for my country).

Besides that, then I’ve had a busy month with a lot of work and family commitments. I actually felt terribly stressed out at the end of July, which I why I decided to put my freelance status as “out of office”. I need to scale down those activities, especially once I start my internship in Brussels – but I decided to do it now so I can both stay on top of work, review material for university, and have more time to have fun and get other things done before September comes. I have turned in the last few freelance assignments and it will be nice with a commitment less to worry about.

Savings

My general/apartment savings are currently $4,251.
I am also starting to save up for a trip in September with my partner. It will only be a weekend getaway, so it will not be too expensive, but I like to be prepared, so I have already put aside $150 and would like to have around $500 for it. Otherwise I am just working towards my savings goal for the apartment savings.

Investments

My current investments are $3,824 out of my $33,000 goal.
My net worth is $-47,152.
I did a massive recalculation of my tuition fee, mainly because my home government had offered extra loans, which are far cheaper than the UK tuition fee loan I have. That meant my networth went even more down. Since I haven’t subtracted this loan from the more expensive loan, they are currently on top of each other, so I know it will readjust in the future, when I have a final number on how much money that should be repaid. The numbers are just quite painful right now, but I think I need exactly that. The more I can pay off early, the better. Sigh. I may do updated numbers for my loan at the end of the year, just to end the year on a more positive note.

Debt repayment

My current tuition fee debt is $52,664.
I owe myself $629.

Books I’ve read and texts I’ve written

I did not get a lot of writing done this month because I was too stressed out, but I have read some books. I am starting on Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky (or however you English-speaking people spell it), which is a big whale to get going with, but I am quite optimistic.

Goals for next month

For August, I will mainly be sorting out academic stuff, work at my part time job, and focus on my health. I do have a couple of planned purchases, but nothing too frivolous. I don’t have a huge urge to spend anymore, which is wonderful, so I will just be mindful and appreciate whatever extra funds that come my way. I will also start up my eBay selling again, so I have a smaller closet before my internship starts. I am quite excited!

How did your July go? Do you have any goals?

We are at the beginning of July and that means that the paycheck has rolled in, the investments are transferring and I have to look through my finances anyway. It is the perfect time to review my journey and just keep myself accountable.

What happened this month?

I’ve been vacationing in my home country for a little over two weeks now, but I am still working on the side – with plenty to do, which has been super nice. Overall, things are progressing, albeit quite slowly. Since I am staying home, my only real expenses are related to entertainment and eating out with friends – so as long as I keep it at a reasonable level, I reckon it will be a low-spend month.

The extra loan scheme has been extended once again by my home country so I am taking out the maximum amount to pay off the more expensive tuition fee loan. However, my net worth has gone in the right direction this month, which is super great and hopefully it will continue.

Savings

My general/apartment savings are currently $3,913.
I am saving up for my internship in Brussels in September. My goal is $1,500 and I have finally reached my savings goal. It was a crazy increase, thanks to extra work on the side and keeping costs down. Now I will focus on paying down debt and save up for some travelling in autumn – I’ll still need a goal for that, but I will probably just pad the same account with some extra $$.

Investments

My current investments are $3,432 out of my $33,000 goal.
My net worth is $-40,179.

Debt repayment

My current tuition fee debt is $45,700.
I owe myself $752.

Books I’ve read and texts I’ve written

I have written two blog posts here, and then I actually got an opinion piece posted in a Danish national newspaper, which isn’t really related to anything on this space, but I am very happy about getting my texts published.
I’ve read a Danish book written by an investor that shares the same mindset about investing as me. While I stick to my index funds, I still find it interesting to learn more about investing in general.

Goals for next month

For July, I am just enjoying my holiday and trying to be budget-friendly. It would be awesome to pay off extra debt and save up for a weekend getaway in autumn, but I am honestly not stressing it too much. Especially now that I have reached my savings goal for my internship in Brussels.

How did your June go? Do you have any goals? Enjoy your holidays!

We are at the end of May and that means that the paycheck has rolled in, the investments are transferring and I have to look through my finances anyway. It is the perfect time to review my journey and just keep myself accountable.

What happened this month?

I’ve been very busy, which has resulted in a nice paycheck and some additional income by selling clothes on eBay. It is nice to clear out my closet and I have realised that I have never regretted selling any of my clothes. I also did cave into some internet shopping, more than what I should have, but overall things have been OK. I am getting better, which is great! I think I will do a lot better here in June since I will be going back home and cannot be bothered to drag new clothes with me once I return.

The extra loan scheme has been extended by my home country so I am taking out the maximum amount to pay off the more expensive tuition fee loan and has shuffled some things around for the money I owe myself (lol). This has made my net worth go further into the negative zone, but since I still calculating with a full tuition fee loan, there will be a big shift once I am done studying and then I have (hopefully) saved a good amount of interest on my loans. It still feels a bit discouraging here and now, but I am trying to just focus on seeing my savings and investments go up.

Savings

My general/apartment savings are currently $3,596.
I am saving up for my internship in Brussels in September (hopefully it doesn’t get ruined by Corona). My goal is $1,500 and I have saved up $872.

Investments

My current investments are $3,080 out of my $33,000 goal.
My net worth is $-41,260.

Debt repayment

My current tuition fee debt is $45,356.
I owe myself $1,045.

Books I’ve read and texts I’ve written

I have been making a post or two on the blog, and I have some more planned. It helps me get my “writing mojo” back again.
I’ve read the Kremlin school of negotiation and some selected works by Cicero. The former was a really interesting read when it comes to business negotiations, and quite relevant for the field I want to work in, while Cicero was… alright. I’ll allow myself to buy a new book about lobbying if it can get here in time. I am also starting on The Great CEO Within and Think and Grow Rich since I found free pdfs of those books.

Goals for next month

I have to pause eBay selling quite soon since I will be visiting my home country, so I am trying to get the last bits sold as soon as possible. I expect to save a lot on food and try to bike around as much as possible so my transport budget doesn’t go through the roof.
I will continue to track how much extra money I can put towards savings and investments this month (above my minimum transfers), and hopefully, I can beat the previous month. My main focus for this month is first to ramp up my Brussels savings account, and then to pay off some extra debt.

How did your May go? Do you have any goals?

We are at the end of April and that means that the paycheck has rolled in, the investments are transferring and I have to look through my finances anyway, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to start documenting my journey a bit more and just keep myself accountable.

What happened this month?

I calculated my net worth for the first time, with debts and all. Yikes. Big minus. I am definitely at the bottom of all sorts of “average wealth” for my age group in my home country and it will most likely only get worse until I am done with my studies and can focus on paying it down aggressively. So I am trying not to stress out about having these tuition fee loans and remind myself that I do have savings and investments that will help me in the long term.

Since we are on lockdown I must admit that online shopping has been more tempting than ever before – especially combined with the extra loan from my home country I applied for to pay off the more expensive tuition fee loan in the country I study in. Luckily, I’ve also had a lot of freelance work which could cover the more fun and useless spending and I sold old clothes on eBay as well as did some tutoring. It justifies it a little bit but I do hope to save more this month and sort out my closet even more.

Savings

My general/apartment savings are currently $3,351.
I am saving up for my intership in Brussels in September (hopefully it doesn’t get ruined by Corona). My goal is $1,500 and I have saved up $872.

Investments

My current investments are $2,788 out of my $33,000 goal.
My net worth is $-37,688.

Debt repayment

My current tuition fee debt is $44,141.
I owe myself $887.

Books I’ve read and texts I’ve written

Besides giving this blog an overhaul, I unsuccessfully submitted two pitches. That happens. The most important thing is that I gave it a try.
I’ve finally read Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin after numerous recommendations (I don’t do reviews unless requested).

Goals for next month

I plan to sell more clothes through eBay and hopefully ramp up my freelance work once I have submitted my last assignments for university. I really hope that I can start thinking about plans for summer – I want to visit my family (and take all the safety measures to make that happen) and spend time with my boyfriend, depending on how his holiday is going to play out. I am going to cut down on takeout and be even better at meal prepping, although this has already been a very good month in that department.
I am also tracking how much extra money I can put towards savings and investments this month (above my minimum transfers), so I am excited about how the numbers will look once the month is over.

How did your April go? Do you have any goals?