Fresh out of UG trying to get my finances in order for the first time. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by it all (setting a budget, investing, etc.) Seeking advice, details below.

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Read: I will teach you to be rich by Ramit Sethi
Watch/listen: Dave Ramsey

likehelpful

I feel like everyone on FB really has their finances in order and I’m just wandering around in the dark. I’m worried about messing up now when I’m young and getting screwed over financially when I’m older. Any suggestions on next steps or improvements I can make now are very much appreciated!

This is an overview of my finances:

- Military Bank credit card (it’s my first one, I got it two months ago so I don’t have the credit yet for anything better).
- 6% going into my 401K (firm matches that 6%)
- ~12k in loans w/ 2% interest; my parents loaned me money to finish paying for UG and have given me until December to figure out a repayment plan (yes, I recognize how privileged I am w/ this)
- Take home salary after 401K contribution, insurance, and transportation costs is ~4K/month
- Rent is 1.7K (1 BR HCOL City; I know this is a huge expense, but it was my one non-negotiable after undergrad)
- Trying to make a budget now using Mint.

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1. Give yourself breathing room to enjoy the money you work for.
2. The apartment is manageable but out of $4K try to save 70% of that and put it into your savings and live off the remaining. So that may mean cheap food for a few weeks and staying in a few weekend lol
3. Use the credit card to build that score (pay the card off every month)
4. Pay off the loans in chunks, try to knock them out in order of interest rate (looks like they are all 2%??).
5. Forecast your expenses in excel for 18 months and how much you expect to make (super easy). This should give you a goal to work towards once you subtract the expenses from your take home pay.

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Listen to the choose fi podcast. It’s amazing for beginners as they share very actionable advice.

Also not everyone here has their finances in order. Don’t worry - just being aware and taking action puts you ahead of most.

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What does UG mean?

Undergrad.

helpful

A great practice for me is reviewing my expenses weekly or biweekly in mint. It’s a great way to see where you’re getting off track and how to course correct. For example, I noticed I was spending WAY too much on Lyft ($400 in two weeks) so I started walking and taking public transportation more. If I didn’t course correct, I would’ve been pissed at the end of the month when my savings didn’t jump as expected.

In short, short frequent personal reviews will save you a lot of frustration with yourself and your money in the long run.

MINT is awesome but I would love to see better search functionality

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