TRANSPARENT MILLENNIAL LIFESTYLE FEATURING SIMPLISTIC STEPH
Millennial… What does this word bring to mind for you? Do you have an image in mind of what the Millennial lifestyle is like? I wanted to create a series of interviews with bloggers sharing their lifestyle choices and financial decisions as Millennials. Just to clear things up before we get started I know there is some debate on what a Millennial is exactly. The age group that is considered a Millennial for this post is represented by anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 22 to 37 in the year 2018) this is the group I am considering as Millennials.
Steph was born in 1992 she is 26 she states "I haaaate Avocados!"
What do you do for a living?
I have recently pivoted into a budget analyst career for the government.
Do you have a degree and are you currently using your degree?
I have a degree in marketing and management. My role does not utilize my degree at all. But, after serving in sales roles, I have learned that marketing is not for me. I'm not good at sales! It was a tough pill to swallow, to admit I made a mistake in my college choices, but that field wasn't making me happy. One of my favorite quotes is, "Don't cling to a mistake just because you took a lot of time making it" & that has fueled my career change and future to make a change!
How long have you worked in your field and what is your current salary range?
I have worked for the government for three years, and I have been at my current job I am at for about two months. IT IS SCARY. My old salary was $34k a year and now I make $44k a year. I'm proud of my salary jump!
Do you save for retirement and how?
"Retirement"!? What is that? As a 26-year-old, it feels like I'll never get there. But I invest in a Roth IRA, a 401k, and a 457b. I just upped my 401k contribution to $700 a month with the new raise! Let's see how long I keep that up haha.
Do you have debt? What kind of debt? What are your goals to pay off this debt?
I have a car loan with a zero percent interest rate and a mortgage with a 4.5%. WHOOPS. Guys, shop around for an interest rate. Don't be like me and just go with the first loan you get. We are not rushing to pay off my car, but we put an extra $100/mo towards our mortgage.
Do you have or have you cancelled your home phone/cable/satellite TV?
We never had a home phone, and we cut cable like three years ago. We never miss it.
What percentage of your monthly income do you save?
We aim for 40%
What monthly subscriptions/memberships do use if any and why? Such as a gymmembership, Blue apron, Graze, Amazon prime, Dollar shave club, etc?
Too many to count. But I'll do my best. Netflix, Spotify, home alarm system, Planet Fitness, Amazon Prime, and Bright Cellars (don't judge me!).
How much do spend on groceries monthly? How often do you eat out?
We spend about 400/mo on grocery shopping. We buy breakfasts, lunch, dinner and tons of coffee/espresso. We have an espresso machine (best investment ever), but it still costs a bit for the espresso. I know, first world problems here. We go out to eat twice a week. I grab lunch at work once, and then we go out on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. This weekend, we had Indian. No regrets.
Do you have any passive income sources?
BAHAHAH. No. How do people find these income streams? Where they at?
Do you own or lease a vehicle?
The bank owns my car for now, but I'm working on buying it back. :)
Do you rent or own your own home/condo/apartment?
We purchased a condo roughly two years ago. A condo made sense for us since we were broke, hated yard work, and we had been renting the place that we bought. We love the location and the neighborhood.
BIO:
Steph blogs at Simplisticsteph.com & cohosts The Simple Minded Millennial Podcast. She lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and two dogs & cat. You can usually find her talking about money and career. She loves lattes, naps, books, and watching her pets sleep.
