No More Harvard Debt. No More Medical School Debt.

 image via NoMoreHarvardDebt.com


I recently visited Joe Mihalic's famous website: NoMoreHarvardDebt.com and loved the message in his most recent post. It was a lecture he gave to highschool students. I think all too often this message is lost in traditional schooling. We sit in  math, science, history class memorizing facts and taking tests- but little is given in the way of REAL life. How do I save money, how much is OK to spend, how do I find the right career for me, WHAT should I consider when picking a career. It's hard to imagine what our adult lives will be like or what we will end up valuing. Joe Milaic bought a fancy place and car at the young age of 26. In the scheme of life- 26 is a baby! Just starting your career, with no real commitments or obligations. His  message is true- people will EASILY lend you money- no problem. Student loans are easy to get and hard to pay off. Credit card companies LOVE to give you that card and increase your spending limits as if you had won some award, but the truth is there is nothing in high end fashion that lasts long enough to warrant going into debt. That Chanel bag will not make you healthier, more fit, more GOD GIVEN naturally beautiful. It may give you the admiration of other fashion shallow women... but that is it. 

Now don't get me wrong.... but money is meant to be enjoyed wisely, but the problem comes when you are spending money to buy transient goods to impress people you don't even really like! I love beauty and health products but strive to find products that will stand the test of time, are worth the money, and do what they say they will do. I don't expect a cream to get rid of wrinkles, I don't need  every lipstick brand in a shade I love, I don't need 10 products that do the same thing, I don't need to buy into every trend of the week/month/ year. I don't do my nails regularly because I think it is a waste of time, effort etc. I would not go to a salon to get this done either. I value thinks like learning how to cut my own hair, DYI skincare, hollistic/ alternative medicine that helps me feel at peace  from the inside out.

Being Med School debt free and now being able to focus on what makes me happy in life, and what is right for my family is the best sense of freedom that no amount of money can buy. 
   
      ......     And they don't teach you that in school!

Red Orange Lipstick for Indian, Tan, Olive, Brown Skin!

I am usually one to shy away from bold lip colors. I tend to stick with safe neutrals, but also love corals and flattering pinks. I absolutely HATE red lipstick, but thought I would try out the red orange trend.

First I tried out a Sephora brand color: Rouge Cream Lipstick in the shade It Girl 06 described as a muted coral tangerine. It came off more red than orange on my lips and for $12, I wanted to see if MAC had anything better to offer.

Next I tried out a shade by KatVonD: Painted Love Lipstick in the shade A-Go-Go. Described as a reddish coral, it definitely comes off as in your face Orange. Too bold for my taste.

These were the options presented to me at my local Sephora, and I was starting to think the color I had imagined did not exist.

Now off to MAC cosmetics. I tried So Chaud: which I Absolutely LOVE and would recommend for those with a skin color similar to mine. I think Lady Danger would work great also but I didn't get a chance to try it.

The reason whyyy I didn't end up buying So Chaud, is that although I loved the color and consistency, I knew a shade this color would not end up getting that much love from me. I didn't think the money was worth it.

So off to Ulta I went. I had heard great things about NYX Matte Lipsticks and Soft Matte Lip Creams. I ended up finding a great shade- NYX Morocco Soft Matte Lip Cream. It is fun, cheap, bright, and just the color I was looking for- as seen pictured above. A negative would be that your lips have to be in perfect condition before application, and a lip liner must be used as well. Check out my instagram for more pictures of me wearing this shade!

GiGi Brazilian Hard Wax Kit Review

I recently purchased the GiGi Brazilian Hard Wax kit, and not for the bikini area. I have been suffering from dark underarms and wanted to switch to waxing to prevent any further damage from shaving.
I bought my kit off of Amazon.com for a great price. The kit came with an instructional DVD on how to Brazilian wax, Wax sticks,  jar of hard wax, and a warmer with lid. It also came with a gel to place on the area before waxing, as well as a lotion for post waxing.

So far I have been loving it. I have been using it for the past 3 months. The waxing technique has taken some time to master but I am slowly starting to get it down. I also am becoming better at not wasting any precious hard wax. The pre epilation oil works great and I can honestly say that waxing your underarms with this kit DOES NOT HURT ONE BIT. I have never waxed this area before, so I don't have much to compare it to. I haven't needed to use the post wax cooling gel, but I am sure it would come in handy for the more sensitive bikini area.
The only negative about waxing that I have found is that you have to let the hairs grow to a decent length in order to wax again. It can be very tempting to do a quick shave when you have a special event, but I know this will be counter productive with the lightening process.
Other things I am trying to help lighten my underarms include exfoliation, baking soda scrubs, and lemon juice. Being prego doesn't help with the hyper-pigmentation... but we will see my progress in the months to come!

Jennifer Stano Pregnancy Style for a Fraction of the cost! Maxi dress. Kohl's Dereck Heart.

Seen here is Jennifer Stano wearing a  maxi dress in a beautiful print. Maxi's with an empire waste are great for 3rd trimester pregnancy and the best part is that they can be worn even after baby is born.

Kohl's right now has a great cheap option... almost too good to be true. 

You can get this amazing Derek Heart Maxi Dress in 5 different colors for $16.00!! Along with a 20% off coupon.... your total is about $13.00. The material is soft, with bra cups, and adjustable straps. I picked up 2 to wear for the third trimester.

Here is a link to the Kohl's website:

http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1636881/derek-heart-maxi-dress-juniors.jsp#


Happy Shopping!

Hot product! Anastasia DIPBROW pomade

I spent much of my Saturday looking for this in demand product. Ulta- sold out, Sephora- sold out. I was in the end able to find it online at net-a-porter in the desired shade of Dark Brown. This product has rave reviews all over the internet. I love what it can offer- a simple product that can make a drastic difference. Until now I have been using SmashBox Browtech in the shade Brunette. From years of plucking and over plucking my eyebrows, I have areas of sparse hair. Using browtech allows me to create different eyebrow effects-- enhancing the arch, elongating the ends, making them darker etc. Eyebrows can really make a difference in how your eyes look. I have high hopes for this new product once I finally get it in the mail and I can't wait to review it for you all!

Nelnet: Student Loan Paid Off!

It's official. Medical School paid off! Paying off my loan quicker saved be $100,000 + in the long run in terms of accrued interest. The key is to be aggressive- paying the minimum each much will get you no where. Live below your means!!!

How I paid off Medical School Loans in Two Years. Pay off $200,000 student loans in 2 years. Part 1.

Wellllll, I'm not quite there yet. This has been a blog post that I have been waiting very patiently to put up. The picture above explains how I felt when graduating from medical school in 2012. The money from being an attending seemed so far away, and the reality of student loans came full force.

The man in charge of student loans at our school had no way to relate to us soon to be medical school graduates. He said, " I did not have to deal with this when I graduated from school." He showed use a calculation where our 200K in debt would ballon to closer to 400K or more if we used the total 10 years for repayment. We were all graduating from a private medical school in an expensive city. Our loans averaged close to $200,000 and may more- including myself, who do not come from privileged families - had even more debt than that. Probably around $240. We had to do atleast 3-7 years of residency, getting paid way below what someone of our education level should be paid, before we can even think about tackling these loans. It was SCARY.

2 years later, I am around 3/4 done paying off medical school. I am fortunate because my husband is a physician in practice. But the main reason we are able to do this is sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice! We are living well below our means. We don't have cable. I don't have a smart phone. We don't drive luxury cars. We live in cheap housing. We don't take excessive or expensive trips. I buy and sell things on Ebay. I never buy clothing at retail.

This I believe is the key to getting out of debt and getting out quick.

My husband and I realized that financial freedom is more important than ANY material good. I don't need an expensive car to show off my worth as a person. An average car will do just fine.

The plan is to pay off medical school in the next 2-3 months. I wanted to write this post to inspire others to make similar changes to be debt free quicker.

Good luck to everyone! Whether college, law school, or medical school debt.