I (24F) was in good standing financially as of June last year. I had a near 800 credit score, money put away for an emergency fund and a pretty good job (30/hr). I took time off since then to finish up school without the distraction of working, and then immediately transitioned to studying for the MCAT exam that i’ll be taking next month. I’m getting ready to go back to work and hopefully get on track but man…am I discouraged. I have $5296 in credit card debt and took out a $6K loan. My emergency fund is pretty much depleted as well. My credit score dropped to 720 due to high utilization. Getting this kicked in the mud so fast has forced me to really look into financial education, investing, and my poor spending habits in the past. I wasn’t working but I was still spending and living the same life not really adjusting to not having a paycheck. Luckily I live with family so my bills just include car, phone, insurance, student loans, and personal loan payments. The problem is I kept going out and shopping like I had money to spend. I’ve since started a diverse investment portfolio, high yield savings account, and a biweekly budgeting plan. I’d appreciate any advice, good book recommendations, or youtubers to watch to continue building a growth mindset.
original posted by arrypottah to r/personalfinance on Thu, 29 Feb 2024 04:45:11 GMT.