My Commitment

My dearest family and friends,

It has been six years since I graduated and received my bachelor's degree. A lot has happened since. Different jobs, different homes, different countries even, and different people around me. What hasn't changed, is that I have a student loan that is weighing me down.

Two years ago, after returning from Prague, I started repaying this government loan. In those two years I barely paid the interest over the loan, leaving the 21K amount mostly intact. But now I have decided that this has to change, and fast.

I am committing myself to repaying the full loan within the next three years.

This is € 7.000 per year, a significant amount. To be able to do this, I have to put myself on a tight budget for the upcoming years. Something that is not easy to do, especially for a "social butterfly" like me. This budget will mean no new clothes, pens or journals, no eating out, no concerts, no (food) festivals, no traveling, and not buying presents until July 2020. Yes, I'll be the party pooper for a long time!

In the meantime I will spend my spare time reading, walking and biking in nature, meditating, visiting free museums, doing yoga, hiking, doing free online courses, working out, volunteering, visiting free festivals, watching movies, and preparing myself for the 10K of the Rotterdam Marathon in 2018 (perhaps more on that in a later post ;) ). Please feel free to invite yourself to one or more of the above! And me to any meal or free activity within biking distance :P

Looking at it from the bright side; these three years will be interesting! Lots of new knowledge to gather and many health benefits to gain. I hope you will all support me mentally and enjoy this adventure with me, as I will try to give you regular updates on the progress. Many thanks in advance for all your patience :)

Love,

Berthe