Joe Mihalic 10/16/25 Joe Mihalic 10/16/25

I Quit Apple after 13 Years. Here’s Why.

After 13 years at Apple, I decided to quit—not because I didn’t love the people or the work, but because my daughter barely knew who I was.

1/29/14 1/29/14

Teaching a Debt Perspective to 12-Year-Olds

Here’s a broader question: How do you define happiness? Studies have shown that lottery winners will experience elation when they win the lottery, but they'll eventually return to their original state.

3/27/13 3/27/13

Happy 1st Anniversary

When I paid off my debt and found myself with an extra $1,057 in my pocket every month, I wasn’t completely confident that I’d be able to fight consumerism due to my new-found purchasing power.

8/27/12 8/27/12

Destroy Student Debt: A Combat Guide to Freedom

After receiving hundreds of emails asking for tips and advice for dealing with student debt, I finally took the time to put pen to paper and offer a concise battle plan to defeat student loans.

7/5/12 7/5/12

Three Months Out

Check it out! What do you think of my new ride?? Ahhhhhh, I'm so excited right now!!! This is the DREAM!

5/24/12 5/24/12

Pre-Signing Considerations

Let me answer that question that has sparked the evolution of this blog. What would I tell the 22-year-old me who signed up for $101k of student loans?

4/10/12 4/10/12

No More Harvard Debt: A Short Film

I put together a short and simple film about the challenge. It's only four minutes long and I made it in Movie Maker--the free movie-making software.

3/29/12 3/29/12

Mission Accomplished!

Today, on Day 214, I submitted a final payment to the Federal Student Aid website to pay down the last of my debt.

3/29/12 3/29/12

Final Progress Report: Month 7

Today's the day where I pay down the remainder of my student loan debt! Three months early...hard to believe it.

3/14/12 3/14/12

The Beginning of the End

I'm still in shock, and I won't breath completely easy until the money's in the bank, but it looks like this adventure is drawing to a successful and early close.

3/11/12 3/11/12

Reunion

We talked a lot about the student loans, and like me, he graduated with $100k, but he's gotten it down to only $90k so far. He was completely shocked that I was able to make so much headway on it in such little time.

2/29/12 2/29/12

Next Loan Payment Due: 6/28/2015

I can wait over three years until I make my next student loan payment. I won't, of course, but it's pretty cool to see that I could if I wanted to.

2/27/12 2/27/12

The Only Two Things Guaranteed in Life Are Death...

I'm getting $1,872 back from the Fed! And the Federal E-file was free! And of course, Texas has no state income tax! So many wins, I don't even know where to start.

2/25/12 2/25/12

Progress Report: Month 6

I just paid the Fed $5,645 from my February income. Slowly, but surely, I'm chipping away at the remainder of my student debt. I'm down to $23,211.

2/19/12 2/19/12

Affirmation

What a stupid thing to do. At a time when I needed a positive attitude the most, I instead became a very negative, very cynical guy. "Woe is me" became my new mantra.

2/10/12 2/10/12

Roommate Situation Sorted

I feel good about this not only financially, but on another level, too: it indicates that Patrick is happy enough here to recommend it to his friend. So while things didn't work out with Sarah, it's not indicative that there's something wrong with the house or the way I run things around here.

2/3/12 2/3/12

I WON THE FREAKING LOTTERY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Dad always stuffs everybody's Christmas stockings full of scratch-offs, but this time, since I wasn't in town during the holidays, I had to wait (extremely anxiously since I could feel a big win was headed my way) for my parents to actually send them to me.

1/29/12 1/29/12

Keeping Up Appearances

By now, the old me would have scheduled an appointment at the Honda dealership for a brand new top installation, costing about $1,500 to $1,700. The current me? I got out some duct tape and put it over the crack.

1/28/12 1/28/12

Progress Report: Month 5

I just paid the Fed $5,083 from my January income. Dollar-wise I'm at 68%, time-wise I'm at 50%.

1/22/12 1/22/12

Capitalizing on Craigslist

On January 2nd, I created 24 individual listings on Craigslist--everything from fishing poles and ski goggles to cycling and motorcycling accessories. 29 text conversations, nine house calls, six phone conversations, five flakes, four email threads, and two scams later, I've sold 13 items and made $345.

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