Hack My Debt: Paying Off $10,000 of Card Debt in a Year
I've always been the kind of person who believed in taking hold of my happiness -- a conviction that led me to leave a comfortable career for more artistic pursuits. Three years ago I quit my $87,000-a-year job at an educational nonprofit in San Francisco to pursue the theater life.
I'd dreamed of writing and acting in plays since I was in high school, and with 30 fast approaching, I felt like the time was right to make my move.
So I applied to a Master of Fine Arts program on the East Coast, and once I got in, I made it official by announcing it on social media.
If only Facebook "likes" equaled dollars -- because, unfortunately, I didn't have too many of those. Despite my high salary I'd never made saving a priority, so within two months of starting school, I bulldozed through what little I had stashed away.
View all Courses On top of food and rent, there were school-related expenses I hadn't factored in, like networking events, audition travel and developing an online portfolio.
And it didn't help that I still spent as if I had a salary. Old habits, such as dining out when I was stressed, telling myself I needed those shoes, and splurging on a daily Oprah Chai tea latte from Starbucks -- how does one channel her inner greatness without it? -- were hard to shake.
As a result, I racked up $10,000 of credit card debt -- and that was on top of my $30,000 in student loans.
