Aja I'm so happy for you!!! You are so close, you really are gonna make it!! I remember your debt reveal video. And honestly I see the dog situation as a blessing - remember how you said not having money for your dog's vet bills was one of your final straws? And now look at you - able to drop a grand to help dogs that weren't even yours at the drop of a hat. Crazy how things can just turn allllll the way around like that!
That's a really great attitude to have and I'm glad you pointed it out to Aja. We never know what will happen when good AND bad things happen to us. In her case, a bad situation actually led to a good outcome in the long run. :)
That’s so awesome!!!! You’ve inspired me to pay off my loans as well. Started at ~$108,000 and now I’m down to my $78000 student loans. Thank you for these videos!
Money wise I would just like to hear you continue on your journey. I feel like most financial advise focuses on getting out of debt. But then what? How do we continue to be responsible without thinking about it all. the. time? I recently did the "7 day money challenge" from the New York Times. (for about a month ;) ). It helped me come up with a couple small goals or tasks. More along on the "adulting" line: make a will, review my insurance, be generous where my convictions are. Thank you for being genuine.
The NYT Money Challenge is at www.nytimes.com/programs/money-challenge. Day one is Optimize Your Thinking www.nytimes.com/programs/money-challenge/day-1 What do you value? What brings you joy? Can I stop worrying? I found Carl Richards " “The One-Page Financial Plan” as free audio book on my library's Libby.com collection.
Getting out of debt, and then what? Huh? That's when the fun begins. Wealth accumulation, baby! Set a savings rate target, and hit it every time. Say, 30%, maybe more. And I say "savings" rate, but really that's investing. Watch your money grow. Make money moves. I never had debt, so I don't know what that feels like. But wealth accumulation is fantastic.
I have been to the same vet (NFAH), when my boxer had cancer. Dr. Ronaldo was very honest about the services he felt would work and did not try to make a profit off of me and provide services that wouldn't be beneficial for an older dog. The clinic is very busy because he is so affordable; however, he does spend extra time when it is necessary. I understand a spay or neuter is pretty clear cut but if it was a more critical situation, he would take his time. At least that was my experience.
I totally believe that. He was so friendly. I'm happy I found an affordable option and it's amazing to hear how honest he was about providing the right care for your pup.
As long as you're still comfortable, I'd love to watch you expand on your financial journey! Like exactly what you said, when you start investing or when you buy a car in cash vlog or talk about the process. I'm so excited for you!!!
You are already being blessed from sharing your debt-free journey with those who can relate; but now you'll be double blessed from rescuing that good boy you found! My heart is so full right now. 💖💖💖💖💖
You have such a glow to you now that you're so close to being debt free! This huge weight will finally be off your shoulders soon!!! who is else is excited for Aja to finally be debt free?!?!
I'd like to just keep hearing what the post debt journey looks like, updates on new goals, oddball things you run into because life happens, etc. I find those parts of your videos really helpful. Congrats!
YESSSS!!!! I’m so crazy excited, happy for you! I’ve been following your journey (that you’ve been so generous and brave to share) and sharing it with my friends. Seeing you fight through the gritty, crappy, exhausting journey that is debt has helped at least 3 of my friends continue to push through. My family is on baby step 7... and it was hellacious to get there but WORTH IT. I can’t wait to see your Debt Free Scream. You did the damn thing.
@@PenniesNotPerfection I actually follow you both because I like your budget advice. This wasn't nice. Why is racism okay when it's against white people? Anyway, congrats on your journey coming close to an end.
@@catinhat95 I'm white, and I didn't feel like that was a slam against white people. I took it as an acknowledgement of the privilege that wealthy people are able to exert. Money can buy a lot of power! Statistically speaking, black families have a much lower net worth than white families and there is a a decent size gap in pay for women in almost all professions vs men. There are multiple reasons to explain those statistics, but the numbers are real. Obviously statistical averages don't apply to each individual (I can point out wealthy minority women - like Oprah) but on average white males as a group are making more and have a larger net worth than minority females. So I felt like Aja's statement was referencing that. Reference for some of what I said regarding stats: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States
Lima India That was not racism and if you think it was then you need to get over yourself. “Old rich white men” pay people off all the time and that’s a fact.
First off, congratulations! Second, I wanted to share some tips about utilities costs. I live in a 2 bedroom apartment in Toronto and we typically pay about $55 per month for utilities. We unplug anything that can be unplugged when we’re not using it like lamps, fans, and phone chargers, and we’re extremely mindful of turning off lights when we leave a room. You guys are super eco-conscious so I’m sure you already do those things. Another thing that can help is knowing when the peak usage hours are in your city. We don’t have laundry in our current unit, but when I lived in places that did, knowing the peak hours and planning our laundry times around that helped us save some money too. I hope you find that helpful!
I’m happy for you Aja! You should be so proud of yourself. Not only have you bettered your own life but also been an inspiration to so many of us. I can’t wait to see what your future videos look like. Personally, I don’t think budget videos are necessary anymore. I’ve learned a lot already from your videos and am almost out of debt myself. Lifestyle, fashion, nutrition, green/clean beauty etc. would be nice Congrats!! ❤️👍🏼
OMG AJA I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!! I'm still about 25k out, but also expecting (hopefully) a nice year end bonus and raise that'll help knock it down way faster. I'm projecting February or March at this point. I cannot wait to get to where you're feeling right now, SO CLOSE!!!! For future debt videos, I'd love to hear how you change your every day lifestyle to accommodate the additional income you now have available to you. I'm anticipating having more money in the bank than I know what to do with haha definitely want to pamper myself a bit more, move into a nicer apartment, do the things I've been putting off for years! The last minute from 19:09 onwards....I can't wait to have that exact same reaction in the next few months!!
I live solo in a 2 bedroom/1 bath in Culver City and my monthly electricity bill is no more than $30. No A/C, no clothes dryer. Hang dry your clothes inside or on your patio! Saves soooo much $$$
You're one of the reasons I was inspired to start budgeting and more aggressively pay down my debt! I was about $100,000 in debt after graduating from pharmacy school (4 years ago) and am so excited to say I will be debt free by the end of this year! Feels surreal! Thanks for your openness and honestly sharing your debt free journey with us~~ :)
im so happy for you aja!!! you were the one to inspire me to get a handle on my debt (paid off my college loan debt in march!!!) and im so glad to see you reach this monumental end. for a future video id love to see you talk more in depth about budgets for your pets!! what kind of insurance to get what certain things cost and stuff.
One of the reasons i love your channel is even though you make so much more money than me, you still understand the concept of budgeting. your very down to earth. P.s im not against credit cards. im responsible enough to understand how to use them. im interested in any money related videos you would like to do.
Goddamn what an accomplishment!!! Good job! You went hard and into actual battle with that debt number. I would love to see you talk about your journey of becoming more knowledgeable on finances as a way of staying debtfree and what lessons you learn along the way as well as what choices you make for yourself. I think we maybe now see more of the debtfree journey, but we don’t see the after as much. It’s like a weightloss journey. Loosing the weight is hard as hell but staying on course after you’ve reached your goal is usually the hardest part. I don’t think you’ll have issues there, but it could be beneficial for others to see what steps you take to ensure no life situations or whatever, can knock you off course.
Wooow way to go!! I'm also very happy to see you this happy even though you couldn't pay the last bit last month. No more breakdown Aja and here comes happy debt free Aja! Thank you for being an example and inspiring us with your experience
Everything about this video was just such good vibes. Almost completing your debt journey and saving that doggo!!! Such an inspirational video. I have about 15k to go to be debt free. Cannot wait!!!
Congrats Aja! For future finance videos, I’d like to see your new financial goals and how you’re planning to save up towards it. So happy for you! You have inspired many of us. ♥️
Super happy for you Aja, you’re an inspiration. You’ve inspired me to aggressively pay off my student loans and even though I’ll be on this road for while (and it’s stressful and annoying af), you’ve given me so much hope. You’re incredible 💕
Im so happy for you and a little sad when there are no more monthly videos. I look foward to seeing these every month. Thank you for being so vulnerable and open to the community. I have student debt and these videos inspired me and helped me plan. Thank you Aja!!
My sister is a vet tech & the facility's accreditation and staffing can make a big difference in price. Some clinics, the techs do everything which costs a lot less (my sister makes like $15/hr vs a vet makes a lot more). Also having certain certifications/accredidations means maintaining standards that increase operations costs
I’ve been watching your videos since the beginning!!! I can’t wait to see your last, debt free, video!!! We’re on the same journey as you. Started at $200k and are now at $60k!!! It’s HARD. We’re gonna get a cake with “$200k” when we’re done! In the future, I’d love to see how you’re gonna handle all of your income. What are you gonna splurge on for yourself? Where will you invest your money? SOOOOO EXCITING!!!!!! 💴
Aja, so happy for you! I found you through the beginning of your debt free journey and it's truly such an inspiration to see how far you've come. It's a testatment to where hard work and determintion can bring you. Can't wait for your 'debt free scream'.
CONGRATULATIONS AJA!!! SO EXCITED FOR YOU!! To answer your question about electric/gas bills, ours is about $100-150 for two people in a 2 bed apartment in San Diego. We have central A/C, but we usually have it turned off completely. We only turn it on for a few hours whenever it gets above 76 degrees. I recently moved to CA and was surprised by how much more our monthly bill was. To my understanding, CA has a baseline allowance for each household and you get charged at a higher rate for every kWh you use over that allowance (which is easily done if you use A/C regularly). Our electricity company also adds a 'summer' fee that makes the rates more expensive to discourage higher electricity usage during the warmer months. Not sure if that is the same for rest of CA. Electric companies in CA usually have at least two types of plans. One is the standard baseline allowance plan (the more you go over, the more you pay). The other is using rates dependent on time of day, ranging from the lowest rates for low usage time periods to highest rates for high usage time periods. This is a good plan for people who can be more flexible about when they use electricity and/or have non-conventional work hours because the early evenings are considered high usage time periods (when everyone is coming home from work). Hope this helps!
You have no idea how proud I am of you and what an inspiration you are... haven’t even watched the full video but I just wanted to let you know I love the whole entirety of you 🥺
congrats on your debt journey!. I am a vet nurse, some clinics charge higher prices as a large client base has pet insurance so the client is really paying it the insurance company is, a neutering for a small dog can cost anywhere from 150-300 in my area. :)
2 bedroom apartment in Chicago with my partner - we don't pay water, electricity is between $20-40 (we unplug outlets when we're not using them and unplug everything when we're not home. Saves so much!), but we pay for gas which is between $20-$30 during summer and in the $60s during winter
Congrats!!!!! I’ve been following your journey ever since I found your first video showing us ur debt and to see your accomplishments throughout this entire time is truly inspirational to me!
YES!!! We are SO happy for you and cheering you on! I'm also inches away from paying off the last bit of my own debt so I'd love to see a video about how you're transitioning from debt to savings/investments and how you're choosing to save/invest. For instance, any "extra" money you had before went directly to your debt. How are you setting yourself up for a financially safe future? The first step I'm thinking is my emergency fund but wanted to see your approach. Thanks Aja and we are SO PUMPED FOR YOU!
Omg Aja girl, I don't even know you but I am so proud of you and how far you've come in your debt free journey! I remember watching your very first video about this and literally crying with you because I could see how much it was weighing you and your life down. You're definitely an inspiration to a lot of people and I can't wait to hear your debt-free scream on Dave Ramsey's show!!
Quick notes: -Gas and Electric are separate providers where I live. My apartments pay the gas, so these numbers are electric only. -My billing cycle starts mid-month. (But why?? Lol.) -Every month I have a $20.30 "infrastructure charge" added to my usage. -I have my utilities set up so the time of day changes the rate I pay per kWh. (So high traffic times like around dinner cost more while the middle of the night is cheaper. Non-summer months are cheaper all-around.) For my 2-bed (including the infrastructure charge): -Mid-Aug to Mid-Sep was $86.84 -Mid-Sep to Mid-Oct was $52.77 -Mid-Oct to now would be approx. $30.32 (but the cycle doesn't end til mid-Nov) I have SMUD, but when I lived in the East Bay the prices were pretty similar; granted I can't recall if there was anything like an infrastructure charge with PG&E. I'm so happy for you, btw! This video FEELS like the weight is being lifted from your shoulders and I'm stoked to see that final video where you tell us you're debt-free. !!!
A small private practice typically costs more because they either do more specialty surgeries and can spend more 1 on 1 time with more complicated cases and they also have less staff. Certain clinics especially one who works with rescues typically won't do complicated surgeries outside of a spay or neuter. They also may not see more complicated cases, so in turn especially since you said it was in and out they can greatly lower the prices and they probably have a decent sized staff. Also larger clinics can order supplies in bulk which greatly lower the prices 😊 I've worked in both situations!
Aja!!!! You go girl! You're so inspiring.YES YOU DID THAT! I just recently graduated in May and now I'm starting my own journey to paying off my student debt. ❤❤😊
Dear Aja, I rarely comment. I juat wanted to say thank you for inspiring me to clear my one of my debts. This year I cleared my student loan. Thank you so much! 💛 Keep up the good work! Keep inspiring people!
Congrats Aja I'm so proud of you!!! I'm eliminating debt little by little and find so much relief in your videos! I currently rent a 3 bedroom, my electricity bill is around 130-140 and water is about $25.00 monthly. But I live in Mississippi where the cost of living is so cheap.
These videos are very inspiring. Thanks Aja for contributing to this space! I’m about to embark on a second full-time job (pray for me) and I’m looking forward to truly beginning my debt-free journey.
I'm so happy for you Aja. I will be debt-free the beginning of next month also I am so excited I have been watching you through your journey you've done great. I really enjoy watching your videos.
I am so happy for you girl. #inspiration We are also breaking our debt down as well. I have 9months left to feel this way as well. Can't wait. Been following your debt free journey and have been inspired to do the same. Thank you so much for sharing your journey I love knowing that I wasn't alone. CONGRATS!!! #fan
I've been watching your youtube videos for years, and I just went back to the vlog where you revealed how much student loan debt you had and seeing where you are now is very inspiring. It is awesome to have footage of when you started to today. I am going to be starting my debt free journey the beginning of next year and I can't wait to be able to also say I am debt free too. Thank you for being an awesome coach and resource for all those people fighting student loan debt.
Congrats on reaching your debt free goal! Such an inspiring story. If you could do videos on how you plan to go forward debt free and the start of your investment plan (if you are going that route) to show everyone that we can all learn how.
So proud of you. I am slowly paying my dent down too. I should be debt free by this time next year. Electric is about 100 a month for my apartment. I live in NYC. It can go up to 150 in the summer and winter months when we have to blast the ac/heat.
Omg! So excited for you! Been following along your financial journey since the very beginning and you've inspired me so much to tackled my financial life.
So proud of you! Honestly I've been watching you grow for months now and it's amazing what you have achieved! We will always be our own biggest critic, that's what I have to remember when I'm beating myself up that I haven't reached 0 debt yet. Aroha nui
In regards to the vet thing, you’re likely paying for a big difference because of what’s included. Larger facilities have accreditations and require pre-anesthetic blood work, IV catheter placement, continuous anesthetic monitoring, stricter anesthesia protocols, post-op monitoring, better drugs, etc. Many low cost clinics just do the bare minimum. Of course not everywhere is like this but that’s been my experience. I’ve worked with techs that worked at a low cost clinic for years and came to us not knowing how to place a catheter anymore and weren’t comfortable monitoring anesthesia because they hadn’t done it for so long. Both absolutely have their place! I work at a rescue now and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the low cost clinics.
Omg I’m sooooo excited and happy for you! It’s amazing to see your debt free journey and I know we all appreciate how much you share with us. You inspire me so much! I can’t wait to be where you are ❤️❤️
Hey Aja! You’re totally killing it and I’m so happy for you. I just paid off my student loans this July and I’m so grateful to have had your videos to encourage me when very few people in my life were concerned with their own debt. I just wanted to give you a heads up because I know you’ve been planning to do your debt free scream with Dave Ramsey. I’ve heard people in the past say that his team won’t accept you to do the scream there if they hear that you have/use a credit card, just because he’s 110% anti-credit cards I guess. Maybe you’ve already heard that, but in case you hadn’t I thought maybe it could save some heartache if you had time to plan for that. I’d love to see a video of you finally celebrating on Dave’s channel! :)
im so happy for u!!! im at a similar stage with u on a different journey that has been long and mentally and emotionally gruelling and i am so proud of us for conquering. the end is near!!!
YAY! I have watched every single one of your financial videos and have watched your journey the entire way - this is SO exciting that you are almost done with your debt, congratulations! You inspired me to pay off my home renovation debt ($60k+) and I just made my last payment on Thursday. Keep up the amazing work you are doing: sharing your story with others while saving dogs along the way, like it ain't no thing - you are simply amazing!! Elizabeth
Yesss!! So happy and so proud of you! Been watching you since the start of your journey and it’s great to see you coming out of this a stronger and more financially sound woman! You’ve really inspired me as well to take on my own debt-free journey! Can’t wait to have a moment like this!
SO HAPPY FOR YOU TO BE DEBT FREE!!! I can tell that you’re such a hard worker AND just wanna day that you’re such a beautiful person inside out and I appreciate all that you do. ♥️ - as far as spay/neuter, a lot of times you’ll see a huge difference because with a lot of animal organizations, they receive a lot of donations from people which then helps fund the clinic/vaccinations/etc incredibly. That’s probably one of the biggest reasons as to why there’s a huge difference in pricing between organizations vs private clinics! And I know this information from working at spay/neuter clinic (organization). :)
So extremely proud of you. The end is so close and can't wait to see what you have planned for the future 🎉🎉 also, thanks for continuing your updates on this journey!! More people need to talk about finances and as November is financial literacy month, I would love to see more videos about it 😻
I'm so happy that Asics finally paid you and that you are so close to the end of your journey! It doesn't seem like I've been watching you for nearly two years but here we are! Go get 'em girlfriend!!😎🥳
OMG! I'm so excited for you. I am so happy for you! Almost there, woohoo! You should do a livestream and I will be having some wine to celebrate with you. We appreciate you too and your true insights!
I love seeing how you budget - because your budgets seem more realistic to me (more like my situation). I would love to see more videos on your financial goals beyond just getting out of debt.
I take my dogs to get their vaccines at a mobile vet and it is literally 1/3 of the cost! BUT if they are sick/ injured, I take them to a vet office because they need more personalized care. That’s how I save major $$ yet still get my doggos the best care 🖤
Almost in tears I am very happy for you! It is truly a free moment you are so close! I am debt-free and it is amazing and I can't wait to see you there!
We're SE Michigan and we're on the budget plan here. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, 1001 sq. feet, $107 a month. That's gas and electric combined. And we blast the A/C all Summer because the neighbors are SO close and they all smoke so we cannot open our windows. BUT we're driving one new car and one older one and both of us have perfect driving records and live in a low-crime area and pay almost $300 a month for auto insurance. I believe we're among the highest rates in the country. You are so inspiring! My husband and I consolidated our debt (except for our car) and paid off all our credit cards. Now we're paying $200 a month on the loan, which is a lot less than we were paying for all the cards.
Haven't even started the video but I am so happy and excited for you! You've come so far since that first budget video! Thank you for sharing your journey! You're almost there! Yayyyy!!!!
A tip for the AC: if you're not already putting the AC on auto, that'll help turn the AC on/off once it reaches the desired temperature you set. That way the pups stay nice and cool while you're out and about. Congrats on your journey!!
2BR, 1BA townhouse - we pay on average $40-50/month for electric. We sleep with an air purifier but I’m on top of shutting off all the lights around the house. I also make sure to unplug the coffee pot and toaster when not in use - it seems petty but it does make a slight difference. For our water bill we pay approximately $175 quarterly - we use the dishwasher every other day, let the “yellow, mellow,” and take one shower a day at home and once at the gym, I also do about 3 loads of laundry a week. Heating oil is filled about every 3-4 months and that rate changes but it’s an average of about $65/ month
Aja! Look into off peak electricity hours in California. In Texas, our hours are between 1-7pm for electricity. This means, we can use electricity before 1pm and after 7pm without being charged. This has definitely helped lower our electricity bills.
For your money videos, I want you to continue sharing what your doing with your money. It encourages me to keep an eye on my money and save for my future and retirement.
I really liked the tip you gave on calling another car insurance company and asking them to walk through your policy. So many people don't shop around. Maybe you can do a video on the types of things you can shop around for.
Man, Congrats! I remember seeing your very first budget video and I didn't believe you will do it. You would never cut back in the beginning but I'm glad to see you pulled it off. A whole new life awaits!!!!
