If You're Broke, Fix It!

Last spring I was getting ready to graduate from college and move across the country to start graduate school. It was a huge step, and I was going to need some funds to make the move possible. However, I realized that although I was working, my bank account balance kept getting smaller and smaller. I wasn't saving at all, and I was apparently living beyond my means, even though I tried to be careful with my money. It turned out that mentally keeping a budget was not working for me. By the time I moved to Chicago, I had seriously run out of money and I was dangerously close to being completely broke. As in zero dollars. As in, Hey mom, can I move back home? Big trouble.

Fast forward to today. I have money in my spending account. I have money in my checking account. And I have money in my long-term savings account. That's like, triple the amount of accounts I had before.

So what happened? I didn't just grow money in my tiny solitary confinement sized studio apartment. I actively took steps to create, adjust and maintain a household budget that prioritized long-term saving and still gave me wiggle-room for spending.

Over the next few days I would like to share with you how I did this; I want to share with you how I went from less than $400 to my name in August to having extra money in my savings account, all on an income of less than $20,000. I won't get specific because I don't want anyone to show up and steal my wallet, but I will include realistic figures to show how it really is possible to create a bounty with very little. Stay tuned!