This is Optimal Finance Daily, Episode 1611, My Crash Course in Personal Finance,

by Jordan, with makingsenseofsense.com, and I'm your host and personal finance enthusiast,

Diana Mariam. This is the show where I serenade you with the sweet sounds of

personal finance knowledge from some of the best blogs on the planet, with the author's permission,

of course. But for now, let's get right to today's post as we optimize your life.

My Crash Course in Personal Finance, by Jordan, with makingsenseofsense.com.

I didn't really become obsessed with personal finance until after I'd graduated from university,

specifically when my student loans came due. But post-secondary education didn't come without

its own financial lessons. I went into university knowing about as much about money management as I

did about advanced statistics. But I came out knowing more than I'd like to about both.

There just wasn't enough money. My Crash Course in Personal Finance happened in my first year.

As a student going to school without any parental financial assistance, I was relying on student

loans to get me through. I stayed in residence and I had a meal plan that was prepaid.

So my first year financial management was limited to figuring out how I was going to be able to buy

a beer or go to a movie on the weekend. A baby budget. I was just recovering from the trauma

of my first exam period when I realized I was running out of money. I'd never budget it before,

so I was just spending as I needed to, which as a first year student was a recipe for disaster.

So I took a crack at budgeting. My very first budget was hilarious. Basically, I knew I had

ex dollars of student loan money that wasn't taken by my tuition, books, or residence fees,

and four months left of school. So I divided that number by four and tried not to run out of money

before I ran out of month. I'm really lucky that I had a residence meal plan to rely on.

I hear it's hard to survive by eating air. As I made my way through university,

...