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Happy First Birthday, Broke Millennial

   Posted On: January 24, 2014  |    Posted In: Random  |     Posted by: Broke Millennial®

A year ago today, around 9:00 pm, I hit publish on my first post and Broke Millennial was born. To use a cliche I absolutely detest but is incredibly accurate: time has flown by.

1st bday 2
I felt about as terrified as I look in this picture from my actual 1st birthday.

A year ago I had no clue what SEO meant, I couldn’t tell you a thing about coding and I didn’t even have a Twitter account! For those of you who follow me on Twitter, that’s probably the most shocking fact you’ve ever learned about me.

I originally planned to stay anonymous because my general reaction to privacy issues and the internet can be quite Ron Swanson-esque.

Eventually, my first name leaked out and due to a variety of circumstances my full name later became semi-attached to my blog. Lucky for you, it hasn’t stopped me from sharing embarrassing childhood stories and photos.

Looking back on my first post, the mission of this blog was to be a resource to my fellow millennials and to cultivate financial literacy in my generation. In small ways, I feel I’ve succeeded, even if it’s just with my friends and some co-workers. I’ve certainly drastically improved my own knowledge and feel excited each day to learn something new.

Highlights From The Year

  • Moving from a .wordpress blog to a grownup site here on BrokeMillennial.com
  • Giving a talk to AOL/Huffington Post interns about practical budgeting
  • Becoming a contributor to AOL’s DailyFinance

  • Winning a Plutus Award (Best Personal Finance Blog for Young Adults)
  • Someone emailing to ask if she could set me up on a blind date with her son (I politely declined)
  • Chatting with Chelsea Krost about engagement rings, Real Housewives drama and financial literacy
  • The first time I had over 1,000 views in one day
  • Appearing on HuffPost Live with my Dad
  • The great experiment that was the first version of economag
  • Having my advice on financial resolutions turned into a full Forbes article

  • Putting my broadcast journalism degree to good use on Alicia Menendez Tonight
  • Joining this incredibly supportive community and getting exposure to a variety of schools of thought on all things personal finance.

Over the last year I’ve written 107 posts specifically for Broke Millennial.

Favorite Posts

(No surprise that the posts where I got snarky turned out to be my favorites)

Post I Was Scared To Publish

(Even though I’d never claimed to be in debt, I worried about serious backlash when I announced I’d never been in the red. Thankfully, people were supportive)

Most Viewed Post

(I love that I get search terms questioning if it’s legal for parents to charge their kids rent)

This blog truly is an homage to my parents. I credit them for every ounce of my motivation to understand all things related to money and become self-sufficient. They gave me a privileged upbringing, but taught me to never feel entitled to their bank account. Through their tutelage money became a source of empowerment instead of fear. That is probably the best gift they’ve given me since life itself (and that Lion King belt on my sixth birthday. That was pretty clutch).

Thank YOU so much to you for reading/subscribing/following/commenting/emailing/making this site more than the ramblings of a woman who hopes to see serious change when it comes to financial literacy.

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69 responses to “Happy First Birthday, Broke Millennial

  1. Congrats Erin! Your growth here, and especially in other places, has honestly been really impressive. You’ve really done a great job both sharing interesting content and making a name for yourself. I have to admit that the seeming ease with which you do it all makes me jealous from time to time. (I know it’s not actually easy, but it definitely comes off that way). I’m looking forward to all the cool stuff you’ll do from here on out!

    1. Thanks so much, Matt. I promise, there is a lot of angst and occasional tears involved in the whole process. I’m glad it comes off easy though!

  2. congrats on reaching the one-year mark! It looks like you have done a lot in your one year of blogging. Excited to see what year 2 brings : )

    1. I remember thinking that when I started blogging and guys I really respected posted about only being a year in. So much can happen in a year. I can’t wait to see what happens with The New York Budget!

    1. Thanks J. Money! It’s awesome having you as a blogger to look up too and see what can be happening 5+ years down the road.

    1. Sometimes I still feel like such a blogging rookie, but good to know I’m fooling some folks. 😛 Thanks for being a regular reader, Grayson. I’ve enjoyed your blog since my early months at this.

    1. You certainly set a great example to aspire to Michelle. I’ve loved following your journey to self-employment.

    1. Thank you, Andrew. I love the perspective you bring to the NYC bloggers. Looking forward to seeing how your first year shakes out!

    1. Ron Swanson is my spirit animal. A co-worker once told me she thought if Ron Swanson were a real person he would be my soul mate. I took it as the highest of praise.

  3. Happy Birthday, Broke Millennial!!! Wow – what a great year it’s been for you and and Broke Millennial. Very, very well-deserved success and I am so proud to see your list of accomplishments. I laughed that you weren’t on twitter yet. I remember starting to get these tweets from a Broke Millennial. 🙂 Glad we connected and I can’t wait to see how far you go in year 2!

    1. Thanks, Shannon! Twitter is certainly quite addicting, but I still have only sent about 100 tweets under my personal handle and I refuse to get on Instagram. I can only handle so much at a time.

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