Smart Money Moves: Six Choices I Made to Get Ahead Financially

Throughout my 20s and 30s, I made choices that had a lasting impact. There were financial goals that I wanted to accomplish and I made a vision of how to get there. Recently I created a reel on Instagram about this topic and thought it was worth expanding on each thing. Below are some of the choices I made in the past 10 years to get ahead financially. 

Moved Myself Up the Pay Scale

For 12 years I worked as a Kindergarten-5th Grade elementary music teacher. As a teacher, your income is based on your years of experience and your education (college credits, clock hours, PD, etc). Some of the best financial advice came from a former coworker. She suggested I get as many clock hours as I could each year. This would move me up the pay scale and boost my income. She also suggested becoming a National Board Certified Teacher. After earning this title, a Washington State teacher also receives a stipend every year that they’re certified. 

I had no control over my years of service, but I did have control of clock hours. Between completing a TON of clock hours and becoming a National Board Certified Teacher, I made significantly more than other teachers with the same tenure as me. It took time, discipline, and a little money (National Boards ain’t free), but was worth it in the end. 

Be looking for ways at your current job to boost your income. Get in some PD hours, volunteer for overtime, or ask for that raise. You’ll thank yourself in a few years. 

Settled Down with Someone with the Same Values

Back in college, a friend was dating someone that she really liked. Although she had strong feelings for him, she knew he wasn’t the one. 

“He just doesn’t have a handle on his money. I can’t see myself being married to someone that I can’t trust,” she said. 

They broke up before the semester was over. 

Her comment really stuck with me and it was something I kept in mind while I was dating in my 20s. This doesn’t mean that people can’t change, but finding someone with the same values and goals makes marriage that much sweeter. I feel lucky I found someone that was active, goal driven, and wanting to eventually have financial freedom. 

Single and stable trumps being married and stressed. Define your goals when you're single and don’t be afraid to kick someone to the curb that doesn’t align with them. 

Paid Cash for Our Wedding

After getting engaged, my future husband and I made a pact. We committed to paying cash for our wedding. No credit cards, no personal loans from the bank, and no loans from family members. Just cold hard cash. 

At the time, we were still paying off student loans and a car payment. We didn’t want to add anymore debt to our plate. With some budgeting, we were able to create a plan and stay the course. We made some tough decisions to cut things, but this made our wedding feel like a blessing rather than a burden. 

When getting married, decide what is important to you and your spouse. This is your day. Do what you want. 

By the way, the only thing people will remember from your wedding is if the food was good and if the vibe was fun. Don’t believe me? Think of all the weddings you’ve been to in the past few years. 

Paid Off All Consumer Debt

In the fall of 2016, we walked into our local credit union and paid off my Subaru Outback. It was the very last of my debt to be paid off. It was seriously the best feeling and I practically skipped out of there. 

After paying off credit cards, student loans, loans from family members, and car loans, we had finally made it. 

No more consumer debt. 

No more student loan statements in the mail. 

No more feeling awkward around family members that we owed money to. 

It was a huge relief! We were debt free!

Signed for a Mortgage that was 20% of Our Household Income

In January 2017, we purchased our first home. We chose to buy something that was well within our means. Specifically, we only looked at houses that would have a mortgage of about 20% of our household income. 

We intentionally did this for a few reasons: 

• If either of us lost our jobs, we could still afford our home. Things would be tight, but we could make it work. 

• We could cash flow updates to our house… and, wow, did our new abode need it! We replaced the front door, repainted the exterior, rebuilt the back deck, redid the front porch, and gave both the back and front yards a makeover in the first few years. 

• We could have a choice of what to do with the extra money. Remember, at this point we had paid off all consumer debt. We only had our mortgage and bills. We could save up and pay cash for a nice camping trip, DIY house projects, or other extra things (new furniture, a fancy grill, or tools). 

Banks and credit unions will try to offer you a home loan of up to 40% of your household income. Decide what you’re comfortable with and stick to it. 

Put Bonuses Toward Extra Mortgage Payments

Periodically throughout the year, we’d both received extra money. My husband would get bonuses and I’d get stipends. We would put this money towards extra payments on our home. Although this was hard, watching the principal drop faster was pretty sweet.

We also kept chipping away at the principal by making extra payments. Trust me, there were a lot of things both of us wanted to buy. We had made a goal to become completely debt free and held ourselves accountable to stick with it. 

Fast forward to November 2023.

We had just paid off our house and we didn’t owe any money to anyone. Being debt free feels like a mixture of accomplishment and freedom with a little bit of calm and I’ll-do-whatever-I-want-with-my-money. This is a feeling I hope everyone can have one day!

Did this blog post spark any ideas? What choices are you making right now to get ahead?