Hi there! My name is Madison, and I currently live in the beautiful state of Oregon with my husband and our four-legged child, Woodford. We’ve been here since 2021, and while we don’t see ourselves staying out West forever, we’re making the absolute most of our time here. We love driving to the coast to watch Woodford play in the ocean, taking visiting friends and family to the Trail of Ten Falls, and—heck—how could I forget the amazing food scene? As fun as it all is, we do miss our old Kentucky home and hope to be back in the Midwest someday—but not before we live out our dreams a bit more.
I started this blog—more like a diary—as a way to vent my thoughts and feelings about my journey to paying off student loan debt. But let me back up a bit. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Interior Design with $0 in student loans. After graduating, I took no time off and jumped straight into a master’s degree in Architecture that summer. Unlike undergrad, I racked up a whopping $138,711 in student loan debt, which is why I’m now taking on the fantabulous task of paying off… $144,000 in student loan debt!! Yay me.
This diary-style blog is updated regularly with my current loan payoff strategies and any financial tips or insights I find helpful. Sometimes, it’s just me talking about how hard it is to stay motivated—something I hope others can relate to. Every diary entry is a quick five-minute read or less because, let’s be real, no one wants to spend more time thinking about debt than they have to. Stick around and check out my first blog post, A Starting Point, to learn more about my debt payoff strategies!
Manifesting Your Financial Dreams
Manifesting debt freedom isn’t about wishful thinking—it’s about believing in your ability to make it happen while putting in the work. In this post, I break down how mindset and strategy go hand in hand on the path to financial freedom.
Capitalized Interest, What?!
Struggling with student loan repayment? I learned the hard way about interest capitalization—$5,500 hard. In this post, I break down what happened, what I’m doing differently, and how you can avoid the same mistake. Let’s tackle debt together!
The Debt Payoff Calculator
Discover how we built our debt payoff plan to become debt-free by August 2029—nearly six years early! Using the Debt Payoff Calculator, we explored different payment strategies, set realistic goals, and created a flexible plan to stay motivated and on track.
