Niko Georgiou

Great, another spreadsheet to procrastinate my thesis for $300.

I stopped chasing each invoice and made one rule: All income lands in an inbox account, then I move a fixed paycheck to my bills account twice a month. Per deposit I auto-move 30% to taxes and 10% to emergency until I had three months, then 5%. Once I had one month of paychecks sitting in the inbox, the anxiety dropped. No spreadsheets, just two transfers and a couple autos.

With only $900, one flat tire or a light month at work can knock you off balance. I'd build the emergency fund first to at least one month of expenses, or a quick $2k buffer, while paying the car minimum. Once that cushion is sharp, throw the extra at the 6.5% and finish it fast.

Too many cards try to dazzle with categories and fine print. Pick one: no annual fee, flat cash back, autopay on day one. If redemption is stuck at 25 dollars, hard pass. Also kill paper statements to dodge silly fees.

One more tip: pick a feeder that stores the schedule locally so it still runs on battery if Wi-Fi drops; some app-centric models miss meals when offline. For food thieves add a little sight barrier between the two bowls and use a non-slip mat or weighted bowls to cut mid-meal lane changes, and look for a chute that closes after dispensing so paws can't fish extras. If you switch kibble, round, dry pieces flow more consistently than flat or oily ones, so recheck your portion calibration.