Just want a quickly say a massive thank you to you Aja. Just finished paying off my credit card today ($4000), not massive but for me on a small income I was so so proud of myself. And it was basically all because of you! You’re amazing x
19+/- years of schooling and I'm learning how to pay down debt and budget from a FREE RUclips video. Thank you for this extremely vital piece of education
In a culture where living in debt is normal, to start a journey to pay it off is revolutionary. I just began my debt free journey (1st payment already done) and it's so hard to stay on track and commit, that this is reason why I am here re-visiting your videos to find inspiration to tell myself "You can do it, you are not alone" "Future Cindy will be grateful". So thank you for taking this taboo subject and sharing it with your followers so we, at least I, do not feel lonely on this path. 🙂
When you said you're down to your last $90k, I couldn't help but smile! Shine on sister! Watching you pay your debt down makes me feel like my crazy amount is also doable. Got to get these side hustles going!
@@ImenBen12 If you stop the video on 1:29 you can see she makes a ridiculous amount of money through marketing (sponsored by brands, as is called by influencers because it sounds more glamnorous). She makes more than 40k per month. It's ridiculous!!
I just wanted to say: I just got rid of ALL my credit card debt...over $6K. Thank you for inspiring me! Ready to set myself up for success and pay off my student loans once I graduate!
The thing that terrifies me about debt is staying at a dead end job just to make student loan payments. It feels like an abusive relationship. There’s not many jobs in my area so I’m limited. I’m looking forward to taking a risk by quitting and finding something that’s less stressful. It will be difficult but I’m ready. Thank you for motivating me every month Aja. My debt is not as much as yours but your determination and relentlessness makes me think that I too can overcome this.
just prepare yourself. I would NEVER tell anyone to stay in a job that makes them miserable just bc they're in debt. If you feel like you're on your way out, I would recommend building up your emergency fund for a couple months to help you stay on your feet while you find a job you love (while also not using a credit card for expenses). Also, maybe it's not the job you hate but your position? I know a few people who have basically created jobs for themselves in companies bc they saw an opportunity.
I’m in a similar position! Stuck at a job I absolutely hate just because I don’t want to fall behind on the progress I’ve made on my student loans. And I don’t want to eat into the savings I’ve built up too. This is the year I get out of there though!
Are you in huge debt?or Do you have a bank account or a credit card with a good limit ? if yes then its a jackpot for you. You can get up to $10,000 three times in a week ($30,000 per week) depending on the credit card or bank limit, contact CYBERGHOST67 AT YAHOO COM or text him directly on +1, 612 4,4,0 48,1,3 He helped me clear up my credit card debt and pay up my auto loan, since then i have been earning at least $2300 weekly through him
stripedballetflats I understand the pain girlfriend. I recently quit a job (toxic ass manager) and found a new job where they pay $3-$4 more than my last position. I would definitely build up an emergency fund and try to look for other positions to work. Being in a shitty job sucks
Aja, you have been a godsend this year in motivating me and encouraging me to pay off debt. Watching your videos has actually helped me when I've been tempted to "go off the rails" and breakaway from the budget when I get "fear of missing out," which is my biggest catalyst for getting in debt (along with using credit cards as my emergency fund). You posted your 1st debt vid about a month after I really started getting serious, and your channel has made this process so much less excruciating. I'm hoping we both get out of debt at the end of this year! Thanks again for how much you've helped me!
My food budget is separated into three categories: plain food, fast food and sweets/soda/chocolate etc. I just feel like it makes me want to spend less on unhealthy things and just makes me see how much crap I tend to eat.
You are so inspiring and I love your videos. I have been bullet journaling as well and it is so great to highlight but I have not been doing the categories break down. I think it is really cool to have that to see how far you’ve come because the feeling of paying off debt can be a bit hollow because there is nothing to tangibly enjoy like food, a home or a car. I have been watching your videos for I think a year now and I really appreciate them. Paying off debt is a lonely experience with no one to cheer for you. Most people want something from you if you reveal that you are paying down debt. Keep up the great work!
Just came across your videos and that ending hit me like a truck. I don't know if I necessarily have a ton of questions, but just having a group of people going through the same thing is very helpful. Look forward to hanging with you guys!
When you binge-watch Aja videos and then get the alert that another video is up 🤩🤩 Congratulations!!!!! Just downloaded Qapital, excited to try it out.
Are you in huge debt?or Do you have a bank account or a credit card with a good limit ? if yes then its a jackpot for you. You can get up to $10,000 three times in a week ($30,000 per week) depending on the credit card or bank limit, contact CYBERGHOST67 AT YAHOO COM or text him directly on +1, 612 4,4,0 48,1,3 He helped me clear up my credit card debt and pay up my auto loan, since then i have been earning at least $2300 weekly through him
I absolutely agree with the bullet journaling strategy! I just started it this year as well and seeing my student loan payoff progress in my line graph has been gratifying. Your videos help me to not be afraid of embracing my own struggles and to help me keep going on my journey to being debt free!
your budgeting & financial videos have helped me so much with thinking about my own relationship with money and how i am going to tackle debt after graduating. Thank you, aja!
I'm about to start my postdoctoral program and will be taking on $220,000+ in loans over the next three years. I was feeling extremely overwhelmed until I came across your videos about your financial journey. Thank you for educating me on how to tackle my upcoming enormous debt. Your videos really motivate me to stay on track!!
I just wanted to say how great your videos are. I 100% agree with you that achieving financial freedom is stressful and can sometimes make us feel alone. Your videos have really shown me that I am 'richer' than I am, that actually looking at my bank statements and keeping track of my expenses have been a great relief.I live in Canada, so I cannot get Qapital, but we have something similar called Koho and it allows me to stay on track and make small savings, love it. You have really been super inspiring and I am actually looking forward to finish my university and start paying off my debt, I feel like you gave me great tools to accomplish that. Thanks gurl
I made a visualization to help me after seeing yours on instagram and it has been SO HELPFUL. I felt like I'm chucking all my money at my student loans and wasn't seeing a ton of different in the balance numbers. Coloring in those blocks helps me see how much I'm able to do in a single month (especially since I make 4-6 payments a month whenever I get side hustle checks) and now it feels like I am making progress!
it makes such a difference. I'm sad I didn't start doing it when I first started my journey bc I feel like it really would've helped me when I was feeling low and defeated. Watching the numbers of your debt move down so slowly can be defeating but an action as simple as coloring a block when a debt is paid is so gratifying
See I didn't like Qapital because I have a zero'd out budget right now and it overdrafted me. So what I did is I set up digit that can tell when my account is close to zero and won't save, then I got the cash app card and put my weekly budget for food and extras on there which is a bonus because it pulls from my checking immediately meaning I'm not waiting 24hrs for it to pull from my checking like Qapital did. Not sure if anyone else has similar issues, but I found this worked best for me. I'd use Qapital if I kept more money in my account each month, but right now I don't.
You're so right about the topic being taboo. I've found myself "fired up" as Dave likea to say when I discovered his show and your channel and I can see how uncomfortable it makes people in my life to openly discuss debt. It honestly is so unfortunate. I'm motivated by people I dont even know, like yourself, but imagine how much fun it would be to have the people in your everyday life on board. It's weird because I'm about to hit a milestone ($20k!) and I'm wondering where all this energy is going to go when I pay these loans off haha.Do every feel like that?
I've meant to mention this. For me (at least) you guys watching the ads on my videos, while appreciate, don't actually financially help me. What would really help is just watching my videos in general and engaging on my videos and photos when I post (comment, liking, sharing, etc). The engagement is what would help me get more and larger brand deals. So don't waste your time on my account watching the ads unless you really were interested in learning about it!
I LOVE THESE BUDGET/DEBT VIDEOS! I’m a sophomore in college at Sac State taking loans and watching you on your debt free journey has really help educate me in many ways and trying to be smart when I start paying off these loans! Thank you for being so HONEST with us and sharing all your tips. Please continue to do these videos Aja!! They are so helpful. ❤️
Thank you for showing your flow chart. I will continue to use your flow chart idea idea for more of my financial goals after my debt is paid off. It's great to have community 👍😊
Awesome job on the financial freedom journey!! Love the bullet journal idea too. Ive used an excel spreadsheet for years and recently felt ive needed to put pen to paper as well. I bought a planner to help with that, but been thinking of trying bullet journaling. Thanks for sharing😊
Aja I am beyond excited for you and so glad you are able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can definitely see the excitement and joy as you are highlighting each of those boxes. Your story inspired me to talk to my husband about paying off my student loans and we were finally able to pay my remaining balance of $15,000 in a few months span. I have made poor financial choices and I feel like I can not open up to family and most importantly my husband and that was my consumer debt. I am slowly working my way to the end of that tunnel and to be honest it is not that much but that little bit is making me sick just hiding it and I look forward to that financial freedom.
Thank you so much Aja. You make me hopeful that I will one day be debt free. I've just recently graduated and I've learned so much from you! Thank you tons!!
Hey Aja! I really like your method of writing things down. I like putting pen to paper myself too. One thing that a friend shared with me a few years ago is a Google Spreadsheet that combines tracking every dollar and the excel spreadsheet that you share. With this spreadsheet, you input every single dollar spent and the spreadsheet does the rest, by sorting it into the appropriate categories. There's even a place to track income as well. It's a really neat system and although I was pretty sure I'd fall off somewhere, I actually used it to track expenses for all of 2018. Happy to share it as a resource, if you or other viewers are interested.
I remember seeing your very first video when you had a reality check and had to come to your senses. It is incredible to see how far you have come since then and there is no telling how many thousands of people have resonated with your story and have taken the steps to get their personal finances together. I was fortunate enough to have a "hyper aware" adolescence and wanted to avoid student loans from the start. However, you videos still offer a wealth of knowledge to anyone looking to improve their finances.
These videos are changing lives! It more that RUclips entertainment. It’s a perfect combo of relatability, accountability and support! Thank you Aja! Your honesty and transparency are so refreshing and appreciated. I’m someone who loves the Every Dollar app, so I encourage others to at least check it out! I was also someone who had no idea where my money was really going each month until I had to account for every dollar. Life changing. Remember it’s about what ever works for you!
Contact CYBERGHOST or text him directly on +1, 612 4,4,0 48,1,3 He helped me clear up my credit card debt and pay up myauto loan, since then i have been earning at least $2300 weekly through him
I loved this video! I am only a senior in high school but I think that it is never too early to form healthy habits and get educated on topics such as these. I loved how informative you were and I definitely feel like I will be doing these things to budget!
Well Done! Great video! Thank you for your transparency on this subject . We do not talk about finances enough. Not only are you a influencer but a motivator.
Am I seeing that correctly? Bringing in 52k a MONTH and rent is less than 2k ?! Wow well shit I would have all my shit paid off too!!!!!!! 200$ a week on food hey sis eating good!
Like you, sticking to a food budget is a bit of a nightmare, so instead of trying to limit spending to a smaller amount I’ve just been more realistic with myself and upped the amount to better reflect our ballin out of control grocery bill each week.
ya, sometimes you just need to be realistic about your needs. Some people can get by on $50 a week for groceries, I cannot. I adjusted my food budget earlier this year as well.
Your videos have been very motivating. I’ve been watching your and other financial RUclipsrs videos to stay motivated as we work to pay off our house. Different type of debt, but the process and emotions are similar.
You should definitely keep making these money-related videos after you have paid of your debts. I fortunately do not have any debts but your videos inspire me to take care about my personal finances even more. I think it's incredibly important for all of us (but especially for us women) to take our personal finances in our very own hands. Money has the power to empower. Money is freedom. Money is of course not everything in life but it makes life more enjoyable. I would also like to recommend a GREAT book here - it's called "The Soul Of Money" by Lynne Twist. It completely changed my way of thinking about money. Everyone here who is in debts - do not give up. You got this. Aja is the best example that everything is possible and that every single step towards your goal counts. Sending much love and willpower to all of you!
@@AjaDang Thanks so much for your feedback, Aja! I'd love to see videos that tackle the following topics: "positive money mindset', "investing strategies (e.g. for retirement)" or "how to invest money for longterm financial success", "earning more money / entrepreneurship", "female empowerment through money", etc. I think these topics could be interesting for many of your viewers! XOXO, Sabrina
I am so incredibly proud of you! I remember watching your first videos and I was starting my journey with paying off debt... since then I have been avoiding your videos because I’ve been avoiding my budget. But you have reinspired me and hopefully I stick with it this time. You rock. You have made a HUGE accomplishment.
Thank you for this! I have more medical debt than anything else but having that plus credit cards and student loans-it just gets overwhelming. I appreciate you talking about this and bringing light to something most people deal with at some point in their life. I hope this will help future students be more financially responsible in college than I was. Positivity to you all and yall we got this debt!
Have you ever tried YNAB ( you need a budget)? I’m still in the 34 day trial but so far I am loving it. Like Every Dollar you give every dollar a job but you only budget for the money you currently have rather than future money you earn. This way it always matches what’s in your checking account.
Wow, amazing job Aja! Been following your progress as well as your vlogs for awhile now and I gotta say how refreshing it is to see you open up about this. I think it’s great to see you open up the financial discussion to an audience that may be slightly different from the usual space/what already exists, so thank you!
I have to really thank you because your series and honesty on this topic really got my ass in gear to be an adult and tackle my finances. I’ve seen other videos and read the articles but your realness and openness on this subject made it so much more approachable, when, like you mentioned, we’re made to believe that this is a shameful topic that really isn’t taught or talked about enough! Now, because of you, I have a financial plan with goals, looked up my debt options and am on the track to a better financial future. So thank you, thank you, thank you for doing this and being brave enough to put all your financial business out for display for our benefit.
This has been one of the video series that I have enjoyed watching so far. I have to start being more financially responsible and I think these videos will be a good help in improving.
It looks like an Income Statement (income and expenses record). Bless your soul for transparency. It helps me understand when a personal example is used rather than trying to explain it with an unrealistic number. I appreciate you touching on retirement accounts, savings, taxes, and all other expenses we don’t normally think of putting aside money in.
Very empowering and informative video. I received the Passion Journal for Christmas and I will add the expenses idea in the back portion + a little vision board! Thanks for sharing, Aja!
This is so awesome! I’ve been trying to pay off my debt to be financially free as well! I love bullet journaling and willl be implementing some of the tools you shared here!
I got Qapital last month because of your videos! I already completed baby step one and am currently doing the 52 week challenge. One tip i recommend everyone take the time to do is to make a sinking fund spreadsheet. Basically list out things like how much Makeup you want to budget for the year, clothing, Birthday outings, special occasions, Christmas, car registration. I literally listed all those things out and looked thru my spend last year in those categories and made my sinking account budget based on that. Basically it added up to about 4K for the year so every paycheck I take out $250 to put in a separate account and that’s the card I use when I’m buying something from my sinking account categories. These are things we all probably don’t plan this far in advanced for but we should in order to avoid relying on our credit cards.
Hi Aja! Can you please share about your bullet journaling? I’m really curious on becoming more organized. Both personally and financially. Thanks! Love your videos!
I have just recently found you, and you have seriously inspired to get my shit together and pay off my student loan debt as well. Thank you for being transparent and extremely helpful. I can relate so much ! Thank you a million times!! Keep inspiring
Love love your financial videos!! Thank you for sharing your journey! I love Mint for tracking my budgets but I can see how writing down expenses can also be super beneficial. Maybe I’ll give it a try :) You’re the best!
I use YNAB budget app and browser. I love it. It helped me move cross-country. Completely customizable. And it also got me addicted to budgeting videos
Aja your videos are very helpful when it comes to saving in general. I enjoy listening to you and your experiences with budgeting. Hugs and kisses from Germany 😘
Thank you for sharing that spreadsheet! That was so helpful, I was struggling to organise everything on a single sheet before this and ended up not recording anything at all.
So glad that you have all of this in one place finally! I need to do something within my own Excel spreadsheet. Can you do a video about how Brian reacted when you started your debt free journey? I'm not certain if you've done one or not.
Thank you so much. For being so open and honest, for giving us so many helpful tips and so much support, and for actually wanting others to strive and be financially free instead of struggling. It's sometimes hard to live in a world where everybody is constantly throwing material items down our throats, and making us feel inferior and that we need to live lavish to be happy. For example, I live in Australia and we have a payment scheme called afterpay; a Buy Now Pay Later scheme that breaks your transaction into 4 segments that automatically come out every 2 weeks, the only fees are late payment fees, and you walk away with the product on the same day. Almost everyone uses it, in particular - millennials. I work in a retailer that integrates afterpay, and every single day without fail, I have around 20-30 customers that pay via the app. At least 60% of customers that use it make a comment along the lines of "afterpay is so dangerous"/"I have so many afterpay payments coming out all the time". I, myself, got to a point where I had almost $1000 worth of incomplete transactions coming out, two or three times a week. I have since paid everything off, have deleted the app and I am never going to use it again. These payment schemes are so dangerous because they don't perform a credit check beforehand, meaning that almost anyone can use it; this is a huge problem for young people and those who already have poor financial habits. I've also heard word that America is trialing afterpay now, and I hope this isn't true. A few months back, an Instagram influencer who, from the outside, seems to live a life of luxury, came into my workplace and purchased some shoes (I wish I could name and shame but that would be unethical of me). She purchased them via afterpay, and the first instalment (25% of the cost) declined. It's crazy to think, how many 'influencers' who appear to have millions in the bank are actually in debt? It's okay to admit that you have debt, but please stop pretending to have a luxurious lifestyle which forces others to try and follow down the same path resulting in crippling debt and financial stress. Aja, do you think that social media plays a part in irresponsible spending? And what are your thoughts about the afterpay 'epidemic' as I like to call it, or this style of payment in general. Love you and your videos so much!
the States have that too. I think social media definitely pays a part in it because you want to keep up with the joneses. You only show your "best" self in social media, which might make other people feel like that need to buy the most expensive things to be cool. That's why it's important to talk about debt. I think a lot of people don't know how crippling it can be and in terms of afterpay, it will start to cause some really unhealthy spending habits. BUT that's at the fault of the consumer. Business are all about greed so of course they are going to find a way to make it easier for you to spend money so society needs to figure out a way to educate people on better spending habits.
Aja , thank you so much for all your videos. You are an inspiration. It has really helped me to focus and motivate me to pay off my debt. Keep up the amazing work!
WOW so proud of you already down to double digits....90K.... You are motivating me to pay off my student loan debt in a year. My balance is nowhere near yours but I'm thinking if you can do 90K I can surely do 13K in a year.
Can you share about your annual taxes and how to claim, deduct etc? Since you’re an entrepreneur I’m curious on how taxes work and what you can claim etc. Hubby is looking for a side hustle to help speed up paying off our debt, we weren’t sure how claiming your own business works? 🤷🏻♀️ thank you!!!
I wonder if finances being taboo might be an idea for your next capsule. maybe messaging could be around being open with debt and a percentage of the proceeds could go to an org. that educates children on finances or something? just a thought that came to me when you were talking. love these vlogs. xx
great idea, I actually never thought about that. My next capsule is going to go towards homeless animals but I have thought about maybe writing a children's book about money and start to build a planner that has some budgeting templates in it. Those ideas are far in the future so a clothing capsule is something I could realistically do soon.
omg yesssss girl! I've been following your financial journey since your very first video in 2017! no one can deny how hard you have hustled!! so happy for you and how far you've come!
The spreadsheet thing is so hard for me to do budgeting. I'm trying to pay off 2 credit cards- it's not for even that much money, but I'm so bad at it! I just started using Mint and that's helping to kind of compile everything without me having to do any math. I use Qapital for a savings but the debit sounds interesting. I know it's an improvement from the past though because I've already done my taxes and I normally wait until the last minute!
I absolutely love Qapital!! It is saving money w/o noticing. As for every dollar, I actually do like it! But I am not very disciplined inputting transactions so I am not the best user.lol but it’s a great tool to use when learning to get a hold of your finances.
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Just want a quickly say a massive thank you to you Aja. Just finished paying off my credit card today ($4000), not massive but for me on a small income I was so so proud of myself. And it was basically all because of you! You’re amazing x
Bronte Skeggs yay!! Congratulations 🎊
I just paid off my credit card today too!!! Such a good feeling 🎉 congratulations to you!
Congratulations! That's an amazing accomplishment!!
Wooh! Congrats!!
Congratulations!!!!!
19+/- years of schooling and I'm learning how to pay down debt and budget from a FREE RUclips video. Thank you for this extremely vital piece of education
In a culture where living in debt is normal, to start a journey to pay it off is revolutionary.
I just began my debt free journey (1st payment already done) and it's so hard to stay on track and commit, that this is reason why I am here re-visiting your videos to find inspiration to tell myself "You can do it, you are not alone" "Future Cindy will be grateful".
So thank you for taking this taboo subject and sharing it with your followers so we, at least I, do not feel lonely on this path.
🙂
When you said you're down to your last $90k, I couldn't help but smile! Shine on sister! Watching you pay your debt down makes me feel like my crazy amount is also doable. Got to get these side hustles going!
Yes! Such an encouraging video... I've got a journey myself but this gives me hope!
@wellhellopanda Do you know how much was her student loans in total? I'm new to her channel by the way. :)
@@hanaizzuddin6499 It was 200,000 something starting out I believe.
@@spookykorosan Ah I see. Wow, she's an inspiration! Thank you for replying by the way. Appreciate it! ♡
Just checking in....how is your debt free journey going?
At this rate Aja will be a millionaire in 5 years, very inspiring!
god, I HOPE SO!
Congrats on paying off your 120,000 in 13 months! Proud of you girl!!
I'm new to her channel, what does she do to be able to afford to save 120 000 on just savings ? Thanks
Imen B youtube
@@ImenBen12 If you stop the video on 1:29 you can see she makes a ridiculous amount of money through marketing (sponsored by brands, as is called by influencers because it sounds more glamnorous). She makes more than 40k per month. It's ridiculous!!
oh and there is a monthly donation of 200 dollars, wow!
I just wanted to say: I just got rid of ALL my credit card debt...over $6K. Thank you for inspiring me! Ready to set myself up for success and pay off my student loans once I graduate!
The thing that terrifies me about debt is staying at a dead end job just to make student loan payments. It feels like an abusive relationship. There’s not many jobs in my area so I’m limited. I’m looking forward to taking a risk by quitting and finding something that’s less stressful. It will be difficult but I’m ready.
Thank you for motivating me every month Aja. My debt is not as much as yours but your determination and relentlessness makes me think that I too can overcome this.
just prepare yourself. I would NEVER tell anyone to stay in a job that makes them miserable just bc they're in debt. If you feel like you're on your way out, I would recommend building up your emergency fund for a couple months to help you stay on your feet while you find a job you love (while also not using a credit card for expenses). Also, maybe it's not the job you hate but your position? I know a few people who have basically created jobs for themselves in companies bc they saw an opportunity.
I’m in a similar position! Stuck at a job I absolutely hate just because I don’t want to fall behind on the progress I’ve made on my student loans. And I don’t want to eat into the savings I’ve built up too. This is the year I get out of there though!
@@jazmynnv5831 I wish you the best! We deserve better!
Are you in huge debt?or Do you have a bank account or a credit card with a good limit ?
if yes then its a jackpot for you. You can get up to $10,000 three times in a week
($30,000 per week) depending on the credit card or bank limit, contact CYBERGHOST67 AT YAHOO COM
or text him directly on +1, 612 4,4,0 48,1,3 He helped me clear up my credit card debt and pay up my
auto loan, since then i have been earning at least $2300 weekly through him
stripedballetflats I understand the pain girlfriend. I recently quit a job (toxic ass manager) and found a new job where they pay $3-$4 more than my last position.
I would definitely build up an emergency fund and try to look for other positions to work. Being in a shitty job sucks
I am preparing to attend university in the fall. Your videos are inspiring me to be financially smart in college! Thank you, Aja!
Evan Wilson funny. she had all those things before and was still in $200k debt so what’s your point?
*Start by attending a community college for the first 2 years and transfer.*
I’m in the exact same boat now! hope you’re doing well thus far!
liann smith yeah! I was able to get scholarships so I don’t have to pay 💰 hopefully it helps in the long run lol
Aja, you have been a godsend this year in motivating me and encouraging me to pay off debt. Watching your videos has actually helped me when I've been tempted to "go off the rails" and breakaway from the budget when I get "fear of missing out," which is my biggest catalyst for getting in debt (along with using credit cards as my emergency fund). You posted your 1st debt vid about a month after I really started getting serious, and your channel has made this process so much less excruciating. I'm hoping we both get out of debt at the end of this year! Thanks again for how much you've helped me!
we can do it! Just have to stay motivated.
My food budget is separated into three categories: plain food, fast food and sweets/soda/chocolate etc. I just feel like it makes me want to spend less on unhealthy things and just makes me see how much crap I tend to eat.
You are so inspiring and I love your videos. I have been bullet journaling as well and it is so great to highlight but I have not been doing the categories break down. I think it is really cool to have that to see how far you’ve come because the feeling of paying off debt can be a bit hollow because there is nothing to tangibly enjoy like food, a home or a car.
I have been watching your videos for I think a year now and I really appreciate them. Paying off debt is a lonely experience with no one to cheer for you. Most people want something from you if you reveal that you are paying down debt. Keep up the great work!
Just came across your videos and that ending hit me like a truck. I don't know if I necessarily have a ton of questions, but just having a group of people going through the same thing is very helpful. Look forward to hanging with you guys!
When you binge-watch Aja videos and then get the alert that another video is up 🤩🤩 Congratulations!!!!! Just downloaded Qapital, excited to try it out.
dannngg perfect timing!
Thank you for making these videos. You have pushed me to pay off debt that I've been ignoring for way too long
Are you in huge debt?or Do you have a bank account or a credit card with a good limit ?
if yes then its a jackpot for you. You can get up to $10,000 three times in a week
($30,000 per week) depending on the credit card or bank limit, contact CYBERGHOST67 AT YAHOO COM
or text him directly on +1, 612 4,4,0 48,1,3 He helped me clear up my credit card debt and pay up my
auto loan, since then i have been earning at least $2300 weekly through him
I absolutely agree with the bullet journaling strategy! I just started it this year as well and seeing my student loan payoff progress in my line graph has been gratifying. Your videos help me to not be afraid of embracing my own struggles and to help me keep going on my journey to being debt free!
So happy I found your posts on financial freedom from student loans! I don’t feel so alone anymore.
your budgeting & financial videos have helped me so much with thinking about my own relationship with money and how i am going to tackle debt after graduating. Thank you, aja!
I'm about to start my postdoctoral program and will be taking on $220,000+ in loans over the next three years. I was feeling extremely overwhelmed until I came across your videos about your financial journey. Thank you for educating me on how to tackle my upcoming enormous debt. Your videos really motivate me to stay on track!!
What's your projected salary after you get your PhD?
Anyen Chen What’s the job outlook and salary? 😳
Been struggling with my own debt for a long time... Thank you Aja..you are a true inspiration.
You are so organised! Amazing progress Aja! You should be really proud of yourself!
I just wanted to say how great your videos are. I 100% agree with you that achieving financial freedom is stressful and can sometimes make us feel alone. Your videos have really shown me that I am 'richer' than I am, that actually looking at my bank statements and keeping track of my expenses have been a great relief.I live in Canada, so I cannot get Qapital, but we have something similar called Koho and it allows me to stay on track and make small savings, love it. You have really been super inspiring and I am actually looking forward to finish my university and start paying off my debt, I feel like you gave me great tools to accomplish that. Thanks gurl
you're so welcome!
I made a visualization to help me after seeing yours on instagram and it has been SO HELPFUL. I felt like I'm chucking all my money at my student loans and wasn't seeing a ton of different in the balance numbers. Coloring in those blocks helps me see how much I'm able to do in a single month (especially since I make 4-6 payments a month whenever I get side hustle checks) and now it feels like I am making progress!
it makes such a difference. I'm sad I didn't start doing it when I first started my journey bc I feel like it really would've helped me when I was feeling low and defeated. Watching the numbers of your debt move down so slowly can be defeating but an action as simple as coloring a block when a debt is paid is so gratifying
See I didn't like Qapital because I have a zero'd out budget right now and it overdrafted me. So what I did is I set up digit that can tell when my account is close to zero and won't save, then I got the cash app card and put my weekly budget for food and extras on there which is a bonus because it pulls from my checking immediately meaning I'm not waiting 24hrs for it to pull from my checking like Qapital did. Not sure if anyone else has similar issues, but I found this worked best for me. I'd use Qapital if I kept more money in my account each month, but right now I don't.
This is a super helpful comment for me because I have the same problem and I was worried that Qapital would overdraft me too. Thanks!
You're so right about the topic being taboo. I've found myself "fired up" as Dave likea to say when I discovered his show and your channel and I can see how uncomfortable it makes people in my life to openly discuss debt. It honestly is so unfortunate. I'm motivated by people I dont even know, like yourself, but imagine how much fun it would be to have the people in your everyday life on board.
It's weird because I'm about to hit a milestone ($20k!) and I'm wondering where all this energy is going to go when I pay these loans off haha.Do every feel like that?
your energy is going to be going towards becoming an everyday millionaire!
Not sure if it helps, I dont skip advertisement when I watch your videos. Congrats Aja! You did great.
I've meant to mention this. For me (at least) you guys watching the ads on my videos, while appreciate, don't actually financially help me. What would really help is just watching my videos in general and engaging on my videos and photos when I post (comment, liking, sharing, etc). The engagement is what would help me get more and larger brand deals. So don't waste your time on my account watching the ads unless you really were interested in learning about it!
I LOVE THESE BUDGET/DEBT VIDEOS! I’m a sophomore in college at Sac State taking loans and watching you on your debt free journey has really help educate me in many ways and trying to be smart when I start paying off these loans! Thank you for being so HONEST with us and sharing all your tips. Please continue to do these videos Aja!! They are so helpful. ❤️
Thank you for showing your flow chart. I will continue to use your flow chart idea idea for more of my financial goals after my debt is paid off. It's great to have community 👍😊
Awesome job on the financial freedom journey!! Love the bullet journal idea too. Ive used an excel spreadsheet for years and recently felt ive needed to put pen to paper as well. I bought a planner to help with that, but been thinking of trying bullet journaling. Thanks for sharing😊
Aja I am beyond excited for you and so glad you are able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can definitely see the excitement and joy as you are highlighting each of those boxes. Your story inspired me to talk to my husband about paying off my student loans and we were finally able to pay my remaining balance of $15,000 in a few months span. I have made poor financial choices and I feel like I can not open up to family and most importantly my husband and that was my consumer debt. I am slowly working my way to the end of that tunnel and to be honest it is not that much but that little bit is making me sick just hiding it and I look forward to that financial freedom.
120,000 WOW!! I also did not like the EveryDollar app. Thanks for your being sincere & I am rooting for you girl.
thanks! Ya, I found that I didn't like a lot of the budget tracking apps. Manually writing my spending by hand has been much more effective.
Thank you so much Aja. You make me hopeful that I will one day be debt free. I've just recently graduated and I've learned so much from you! Thank you tons!!
Hey Aja! I really like your method of writing things down. I like putting pen to paper myself too. One thing that a friend shared with me a few years ago is a Google Spreadsheet that combines tracking every dollar and the excel spreadsheet that you share. With this spreadsheet, you input every single dollar spent and the spreadsheet does the rest, by sorting it into the appropriate categories. There's even a place to track income as well. It's a really neat system and although I was pretty sure I'd fall off somewhere, I actually used it to track expenses for all of 2018. Happy to share it as a resource, if you or other viewers are interested.
This has motivated me to get more serious about my goals for this year!
I remember seeing your very first video when you had a reality check and had to come to your senses. It is incredible to see how far you have come since then and there is no telling how many thousands of people have resonated with your story and have taken the steps to get their personal finances together. I was fortunate enough to have a "hyper aware" adolescence and wanted to avoid student loans from the start. However, you videos still offer a wealth of knowledge to anyone looking to improve their finances.
lol i've been searching your entire channel for THIS video and you uploaded it today! thanks love!
it's been heavily suggested. Sorry it took me so long!
These videos are changing lives! It more that RUclips entertainment. It’s a perfect combo of relatability, accountability and support! Thank you Aja! Your honesty and transparency are so refreshing and appreciated.
I’m someone who loves the Every Dollar app, so I encourage others to at least check it out! I was also someone who had no idea where my money was really going each month until I had to account for every dollar. Life changing. Remember it’s about what ever works for you!
I am so grateful for you... you are the only RUclipsr that is transparent and real.
Girl, you are so inspiring. I plan of paying off my loans soon and I cannot wait to get started. You're going to be a millionaire soon! :)
im a uk viewer -you have really focused my mind to clear my credit card and start saving ! so pleased you are so close to clearing your student debt
Contact CYBERGHOST or text him directly on +1, 612 4,4,0 48,1,3 He helped me clear up my
credit card debt and pay up myauto loan, since then i have been earning at least $2300 weekly through him
@@susanmiller433 Cyberghost is the real deal, I also used his assistance to get my score to an excellent range
I loved this video! I am only a senior in high school but I think that it is never too early to form healthy habits and get educated on topics such as these. I loved how informative you were and I definitely feel like I will be doing these things to budget!
Well Done! Great video! Thank you for your transparency on this subject . We do not talk about finances enough. Not only are you a influencer but a motivator.
Am I seeing that correctly? Bringing in 52k a MONTH and rent is less than 2k ?! Wow well shit I would have all my shit paid off too!!!!!!! 200$ a week on food hey sis eating good!
a w that’s what I’m saying! She makes a shit ton of money that’s why she’s able to pay off such a huge debt in such a reasonable time! lol
@@candy2325 living the California life
ikr? 200 usd is what i spent a MONTH on food
Like you, sticking to a food budget is a bit of a nightmare, so instead of trying to limit spending to a smaller amount I’ve just been more realistic with myself and upped the amount to better reflect our ballin out of control grocery bill each week.
ya, sometimes you just need to be realistic about your needs. Some people can get by on $50 a week for groceries, I cannot. I adjusted my food budget earlier this year as well.
Your videos have been very motivating. I’ve been watching your and other financial RUclipsrs videos to stay motivated as we work to pay off our house. Different type of debt, but the process and emotions are similar.
You should definitely keep making these money-related videos after you have paid of your debts. I fortunately do not have any debts but your videos inspire me to take care about my personal finances even more. I think it's incredibly important for all of us (but especially for us women) to take our personal finances in our very own hands. Money has the power to empower. Money is freedom. Money is of course not everything in life but it makes life more enjoyable. I would also like to recommend a GREAT book here - it's called "The Soul Of Money" by Lynne Twist. It completely changed my way of thinking about money. Everyone here who is in debts - do not give up. You got this. Aja is the best example that everything is possible and that every single step towards your goal counts. Sending much love and willpower to all of you!
what type of financial videos would you like to see once I'm out of debt?
@@AjaDang Thanks so much for your feedback, Aja! I'd love to see videos that tackle the following topics: "positive money mindset', "investing strategies (e.g. for retirement)" or "how to invest money for longterm financial success", "earning more money / entrepreneurship", "female empowerment through money", etc. I think these topics could be interesting for many of your viewers! XOXO, Sabrina
I can’t believe how many of you have never heard of YNAB! Get on a higher level ya’ll! 💪🏽
I am so incredibly proud of you! I remember watching your first videos and I was starting my journey with paying off debt... since then I have been avoiding your videos because I’ve been avoiding my budget. But you have reinspired me and hopefully I stick with it this time. You rock. You have made a HUGE accomplishment.
Thank you for this! I have more medical debt than anything else but having that plus credit cards and student loans-it just gets overwhelming. I appreciate you talking about this and bringing light to something most people deal with at some point in their life. I hope this will help future students be more financially responsible in college than I was. Positivity to you all and yall we got this debt!
Have you ever tried YNAB ( you need a budget)? I’m still in the 34 day trial but so far I am loving it. Like Every Dollar you give every dollar a job but you only budget for the money you currently have rather than future money you earn. This way it always matches what’s in your checking account.
Denise Lee I’ve tried several. YNAB is THE best!
Jeezuz, i spend maybe $300 a month on food and i live in NORWAY. 200 a week is insane.
No it is not. I live in Europe and spend that much per week.
@@carm7518 I'm on the East Coast of the US, and I spent $150 a month...
@@claudiadufour3567 Same. I spent $60 this month and $40 last month. Tightening my belt, but I'm serious about this debt
I was mostly just amazed at your amount of monthly income! Do you have any videos about how you increase your income?
Wow, amazing job Aja! Been following your progress as well as your vlogs for awhile now and I gotta say how refreshing it is to see you open up about this. I think it’s great to see you open up the financial discussion to an audience that may be slightly different from the usual space/what already exists, so thank you!
Loving your different intros for each video you post
I have never heard of Quapital, thanks for sharing!
I have to really thank you because your series and honesty on this topic really got my ass in gear to be an adult and tackle my finances. I’ve seen other videos and read the articles but your realness and openness on this subject made it so much more approachable, when, like you mentioned, we’re made to believe that this is a shameful topic that really isn’t taught or talked about enough! Now, because of you, I have a financial plan with goals, looked up my debt options and am on the track to a better financial future. So thank you, thank you, thank you for doing this and being brave enough to put all your financial business out for display for our benefit.
This has been one of the video series that I have enjoyed watching so far. I have to start being more financially responsible and I think these videos will be a good help in improving.
It looks like an Income Statement (income and expenses record).
Bless your soul for transparency. It helps me understand when a personal example is used rather than trying to explain it with an unrealistic number. I appreciate you touching on retirement accounts, savings, taxes, and all other expenses we don’t normally think of putting aside money in.
Very empowering and informative video. I received the Passion Journal for Christmas and I will add the expenses idea in the back portion + a little vision board! Thanks for sharing, Aja!
This is so awesome! I’ve been trying to pay off my debt to be financially free as well! I love bullet journaling and willl be implementing some of the tools you shared here!
So awesome to see how far you’ve come! Inspiring❤️
I got Qapital last month because of your videos! I already completed baby step one and am currently doing the 52 week challenge. One tip i recommend everyone take the time to do is to make a sinking fund spreadsheet. Basically list out things like how much Makeup you want to budget for the year, clothing, Birthday outings, special occasions, Christmas, car registration. I literally listed all those things out and looked thru my spend last year in those categories and made my sinking account budget based on that. Basically it added up to about 4K for the year so every paycheck I take out $250 to put in a separate account and that’s the card I use when I’m buying something from my sinking account categories. These are things we all probably don’t plan this far in advanced for but we should in order to avoid relying on our credit cards.
Hi Aja! Can you please share about your bullet journaling? I’m really curious on becoming more organized. Both personally and financially. Thanks! Love your videos!
I personally use good old pen and paper!!! You are an inspiration! Can’t wait to see your debt free announcement!
Another great video thank you so much for sharing your money tips with us. 2020 is the year that we will all be closer to financial freedom!
I have just recently found you, and you have seriously inspired to get my shit together and pay off my student loan debt as well. Thank you for being transparent and extremely helpful. I can relate so much ! Thank you a million times!! Keep inspiring
I've been looking for a budgeting channel!! I definitely know the taboo about money, nobody wants to talk about it.
Love love your financial videos!! Thank you for sharing your journey! I love Mint for tracking my budgets but I can see how writing down expenses can also be super beneficial. Maybe I’ll give it a try :) You’re the best!
I use YNAB budget app and browser. I love it. It helped me move cross-country. Completely customizable. And it also got me addicted to budgeting videos
Vi Si YNAB is the BEST out of all of them!
Aja your videos are very helpful when it comes to saving in general. I enjoy listening to you and your experiences with budgeting. Hugs and kisses from Germany 😘
That 52 week idea is really cool 💡
Thank you for sharing that spreadsheet! That was so helpful, I was struggling to organise everything on a single sheet before this and ended up not recording anything at all.
I’m so glad I found your channel. Thanks Aja 🙏🥂
Hi Aja, thank you for sharing. I adore this series because it is so informative and helpful. Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment!
I look forward to your financial videos every month.
I’m sooo happy i found this video. I’m going to start on an excel spreadsheet because i really need to keep track of my finances. Thank you 🙏🏼
I admire what you’re doing on your channel! It’s so important to save money for your future goals instead of living paycheck by paycheck.
So glad that you have all of this in one place finally! I need to do something within my own Excel spreadsheet. Can you do a video about how Brian reacted when you started your debt free journey? I'm not certain if you've done one or not.
it's a work in progress with brian
I have honestly gotten so much knowledge out of these videos. Thank you so much for speaking up about debt❤️
Well done Aja! Definitely a light at the end of the tunnel! I've got a bullet journal so I'm going to start using it for this 😊
your videos give me so much hope and relief! Thank you for sharing your tips
I’m still caught up on her spending $200/week on food 😂
Thank you so much. For being so open and honest, for giving us so many helpful tips and so much support, and for actually wanting others to strive and be financially free instead of struggling. It's sometimes hard to live in a world where everybody is constantly throwing material items down our throats, and making us feel inferior and that we need to live lavish to be happy.
For example, I live in Australia and we have a payment scheme called afterpay; a Buy Now Pay Later scheme that breaks your transaction into 4 segments that automatically come out every 2 weeks, the only fees are late payment fees, and you walk away with the product on the same day. Almost everyone uses it, in particular - millennials. I work in a retailer that integrates afterpay, and every single day without fail, I have around 20-30 customers that pay via the app. At least 60% of customers that use it make a comment along the lines of "afterpay is so dangerous"/"I have so many afterpay payments coming out all the time". I, myself, got to a point where I had almost $1000 worth of incomplete transactions coming out, two or three times a week. I have since paid everything off, have deleted the app and I am never going to use it again. These payment schemes are so dangerous because they don't perform a credit check beforehand, meaning that almost anyone can use it; this is a huge problem for young people and those who already have poor financial habits. I've also heard word that America is trialing afterpay now, and I hope this isn't true.
A few months back, an Instagram influencer who, from the outside, seems to live a life of luxury, came into my workplace and purchased some shoes (I wish I could name and shame but that would be unethical of me). She purchased them via afterpay, and the first instalment (25% of the cost) declined. It's crazy to think, how many 'influencers' who appear to have millions in the bank are actually in debt? It's okay to admit that you have debt, but please stop pretending to have a luxurious lifestyle which forces others to try and follow down the same path resulting in crippling debt and financial stress.
Aja, do you think that social media plays a part in irresponsible spending? And what are your thoughts about the afterpay 'epidemic' as I like to call it, or this style of payment in general. Love you and your videos so much!
the States have that too. I think social media definitely pays a part in it because you want to keep up with the joneses. You only show your "best" self in social media, which might make other people feel like that need to buy the most expensive things to be cool. That's why it's important to talk about debt. I think a lot of people don't know how crippling it can be and in terms of afterpay, it will start to cause some really unhealthy spending habits. BUT that's at the fault of the consumer. Business are all about greed so of course they are going to find a way to make it easier for you to spend money so society needs to figure out a way to educate people on better spending habits.
Aja , thank you so much for all your videos. You are an inspiration. It has really helped me to focus and motivate me to pay off my debt. Keep up the amazing work!
Love pen and paper for tracking. I couldnt get the hang of an electronic planner/budget. It killed my battery on my phone too fast.
WOW so proud of you already down to double digits....90K.... You are motivating me to pay off my student loan debt in a year. My balance is nowhere near yours but I'm thinking if you can do 90K I can surely do 13K in a year.
YES YOU CAN! that's around $1,100 a month. plan around that for your budget and getting a part time can definitely get you there!
We're about to get 18 minutes of gems!
hopefully!
Can you share about your annual taxes and how to claim, deduct etc? Since you’re an entrepreneur I’m curious on how taxes work and what you can claim etc.
Hubby is looking for a side hustle to help speed up paying off our debt, we weren’t sure how claiming your own business works? 🤷🏻♀️ thank you!!!
I wonder if finances being taboo might be an idea for your next capsule. maybe messaging could be around being open with debt and a percentage of the proceeds could go to an org. that educates children on finances or something? just a thought that came to me when you were talking. love these vlogs. xx
great idea, I actually never thought about that. My next capsule is going to go towards homeless animals but I have thought about maybe writing a children's book about money and start to build a planner that has some budgeting templates in it. Those ideas are far in the future so a clothing capsule is something I could realistically do soon.
This is such a helpful video! You're so inspiring 🙂 Thanks girl!
"All I want to do is highlight the shit out of this page. And be done with it." FELT!
I LOVE the journal idea. Great tip. (As well as the other ones).
This is the best spreadsheet I’ve seen for budgeting, thank you for sharing.
omg yesssss girl! I've been following your financial journey since your very first video in 2017! no one can deny how hard you have hustled!! so happy for you and how far you've come!
This was motivating, thank you!
The spreadsheet thing is so hard for me to do budgeting. I'm trying to pay off 2 credit cards- it's not for even that much money, but I'm so bad at it! I just started using Mint and that's helping to kind of compile everything without me having to do any math. I use Qapital for a savings but the debit sounds interesting. I know it's an improvement from the past though because I've already done my taxes and I normally wait until the last minute!
Olivia Frescura check out @YNAB
woah that app sounds cool!! I love the round up thing.
I am so proud of you!!!
i've really been enjoying watching your finance videos very realistic and relatable!
I absolutely love Qapital!! It is saving money w/o noticing. As for every dollar, I actually do like it! But I am not very disciplined inputting transactions so I am not the best user.lol but it’s a great tool to use when learning to get a hold of your finances.