“Mind On My Money, Money On My Mind.”

Can you believe that it’s 2022? It feels like it’s been a year since I’ve written a blog… Ok, I promise that’s my first and last corny new year joke.

For January, Herd Strategies’ theme is centered around money and making the most of our money. I am a recent college graduate, and I thought life would be rainbows, champagne every night, and money would never be an issue; boy, was I wrong. Why did no one tell me that once you graduate, you have to pay bills all by yourself!?

I graduated in May of 2021. In the first half of 2021, I enjoyed living a bit carefree because I was in college. My scholarships took care of all of my bills, and the money I made working at the IUPUI Fitness Center and Herd Strategies was just extra income that I saved and spent leisurely. After graduation, I planned to take this big trip to Colorado, and I made sure to save all of my money. It was a nice relaxing trip, but once I came back, I was SHOCKED to find out what the real world had in store for me.

After returning home, I had to realize that starting my full-time job meant I would have to pay all my bills with the money that I made from working. Why did no one tell me that I would have to budget my money and scale back my trips to Target? ALSO, why are there so many taxes taken out of my checks? Honestly, I was lied to about this whole adulting thing, and I think it’s time I return it and get my money back.

In the last half of 2021, I started to learn how to manage my money better while still doing the things I enjoy. It took some time, but my goal for 2022 is to build my savings back to where it was and not have to worry about money as much as I once did. That’s why when picking the title for my blog, all I could hear was Snoop Dogg’s lyrics, “With my mind on my money and my money on my mind.” It’s true! If you want to get ahead and enjoy life, you need to always think about your money and make smart decisions based on your financial situation.