“I decided to look a little bit more into what it would take to become a city planner myself,” he says. “Once I found out that I had that that interest, then I had a reason to go back to school that I knew would lead me to a career that I wanted.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now 26, Zickefoose is a graduate student pursuing his master’s degree in urban and regional planning at Eastern Washington University in Cheyney, Washington, near Spokane. And he’s earning enough to fully support himself financially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because he’s part of a graduate assistantship program, his tuition is paid for by the university. On top of that, he receives a $1,159.20 monthly stipend from the university as well as $875.97 per month in additional scholarships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those earnings, combined with his part-time work as a planning assistant in Spokane’s Planning and Economic Development Department, brings his annual pay to about $32,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While he wants to earn more in the future, Zickefoose is happy for now being able to pay his way on his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“For where I’m at in my life, the money that I’m making is enough for me to pay all the bills that I need to pay and do a lot of the things that I want to do,” he says. “I’m pretty content with where I’m at financially right now.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How he spends his money<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\nHere’s how Zickefoose budgeted his money in June 2022.![](\"\")
![\"infographic\"](\"https:\/\/image-cnbcfm-com.cdn.ampproject.org\/ii\/AW\/s\/image.cnbcfm.com\/api\/v1\/image\/107086392-1657304271658-MM-_Piechart-_Graham_Zickefoose-_V3.png?v=1657304320\")
CNBC Make It<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Food:<\/strong> $550 on groceries, dining out, coffee and drinks<\/li>
- Rent:<\/strong> $400 for his share of a four-bedroom home<\/li>
- Discretionary:<\/strong> $300 on entertainment, household items, clothes and haircuts<\/li>
- Savings and investments:<\/strong> $240 split evenly between his savings account and Roth IRA<\/li>
- Transportation:<\/strong> $220 on gas and parking costs<\/li>
- Tithe:<\/strong> $120 to his local church<\/li>
- Insurance:<\/strong> $59 for car and renters insurance<\/li>
- Utilities:<\/strong> $49 for his share of the internet, heat and power bills<\/li>
- Phone:<\/strong> $40<\/li>
- Subscriptions:<\/strong> $34 for Spotify, Amazon Prime, a VPN phone app and cloud storage<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Because he doesn’t make a lot of money, Zickefoose is always careful to know how much he has in his accounts at any given time. Currently, he has a little under $10,000 in savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The most important lesson for me is only spend what you have,” he says. “Always be cognizant of exactly how much money you have [because] then you’ll make a lot smarter financial decisions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zickefoose keeps “meticulous track” of his spending using a spreadsheet that tracks every time he makes a purchase or adds money to his savings. His two largest expenses are his rent \u2014 $400 covers his share of a four-bedroom apartment \u2014 and food. He spends around $550 a month on groceries and dining out.Always be cognizant of exactly how much money you have [because] then you’ll make a lot smarter financial decisions.Graham Zickefoose<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only thing Zickefoose is willing to splurge on is “social experiences” with his friends or girlfriend. “Whether that be seeing a movie or going to a concert, that’s probably going to be something that I will at least consider spending money on,” he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s one area of his budget that Zickefoose doesn’t need to worry about: car payments. He drives his dad’s old 2004 Honda Pilot, which is fully paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“That’s been a huge blessing,” he says. “But it’s getting up there in miles. I’m just trying to take good care of it so that I’ll have that car as long as I possibly can.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also has $2,700 in student loan debt, but since payments and interest rates are currently frozen, he’s set the debt aside for the time being. “I’m basically just waiting until I graduate and get into a career job, then I’ll probably just quickly pay it off over the course of a few months,” he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zickefoose plans to graduate in the spring of 2023, and hopes to embark on a career as an urban planner, where he expects to earn between $50,000 and $60,000 a year. Eventually, he hopes to become a planning director, which will allow him to take a leadership role in improving living conditions in cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While he’d like to find time to travel, Zickefoose is happy with where his journey has taken him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I would love to get some chances to see the world,” he says. “But for now, I’m OK just sticking around here, saving money and working toward the career that I want.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CNBC Make It<\/p>\n\n\n\nBecause he doesn’t make a lot of money, Zickefoose is always careful to know how much he has in his accounts at any given time. Currently, he has a little under $10,000 in savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The most important lesson for me is only spend what you have,” he says. “Always be cognizant of exactly how much money you have [because] then you’ll make a lot smarter financial decisions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zickefoose keeps “meticulous track” of his spending using a spreadsheet that tracks every time he makes a purchase or adds money to his savings. His two largest expenses are his rent \u2014 $400 covers his share of a four-bedroom apartment \u2014 and food. He spends around $550 a month on groceries and dining out.Always be cognizant of exactly how much money you have [because] then you’ll make a lot smarter financial decisions.Graham Zickefoose<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only thing Zickefoose is willing to splurge on is “social experiences” with his friends or girlfriend. “Whether that be seeing a movie or going to a concert, that’s probably going to be something that I will at least consider spending money on,” he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s one area of his budget that Zickefoose doesn’t need to worry about: car payments. He drives his dad’s old 2004 Honda Pilot, which is fully paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“That’s been a huge blessing,” he says. “But it’s getting up there in miles. I’m just trying to take good care of it so that I’ll have that car as long as I possibly can.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also has $2,700 in student loan debt, but since payments and interest rates are currently frozen, he’s set the debt aside for the time being. “I’m basically just waiting until I graduate and get into a career job, then I’ll probably just quickly pay it off over the course of a few months,” he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zickefoose plans to graduate in the spring of 2023, and hopes to embark on a career as an urban planner, where he expects to earn between $50,000 and $60,000 a year. Eventually, he hopes to become a planning director, which will allow him to take a leadership role in improving living conditions in cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While he’d like to find time to travel, Zickefoose is happy with where his journey has taken him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I would love to get some chances to see the world,” he says. “But for now, I’m OK just sticking around here, saving money and working toward the career that I want.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n