Money-saving Monday: A life update

Why, hello there. It's been awhile since I've done one of these, hasn't it. I suppose that's because there hasn't been much to report. I don't spend much at camp, and in about 1 month I have made it to about the halfway point for my goal! By the end of the summer {(with a little luck)} my private loan will be toast, and I'll have a decent amount of money as a back-up!

This was possible for a few reasons:

1. As stated earlier, I don't spend much here. I don't have rent, utilities, etc. to pay for, and I generally eat the camp food.

2. I wasn't chosen for the volunteer opportunity abroad I applied for and because of that I have decided to postpone graduation travel until I have a bit more saved. Although I'm disappointed about that, it does have its perks. I'll have time to finish my thesis without feeling rushed, and I have some time to really job search, make some extra cash doing side jobs, and get my bearings about me. I am fortunate that I have my parents as a resource and that they're letting me chill with them for a little while as I do these things.  The opportunity I applied for was simply too good to pass up if I was chosen {(4 months in Switzerland with room and board paid for, as well as some help with travel expenses)}, but since I was not, I can't really justify using the money I want to pay the loan off with to travel.

I also have made a bit of progress on my $100 holiday. There was a great "going out of business" sale at the mall this weekend and I got some great things for $1 each! So, that's 4 more dollars out of my $100, but also 4 stocking stuffers out of the way!

Now that I've met these goals, my next one is {(drumroll please)} to pay off 1/5 of my student loan balance in a year. It's a pretty sizable sum of money, but I think with some creativity and some luck I can definitely do it!

How are you doing with your goals? Head on over to The Saved Quarter for Penny's Saved Quarter Challenge to read about the goals of others!