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I've always loved the thrill of traveling and the chance to explore a new place and meet new people. But when I was a broke graduate with student loan debt, traveling was hard to do.

Not only did I not have the money, every personal-finance tip seemed to be saying the same thing: put every extra penny toward paying off debt. However, it doesn't have to be that way. 

An article featured in USA Today shows why letting daily expenses get in the way of retirement savings is a big (and common) problem. The issue: the later you start saving, the harder it will be to comfortably retire —or to retire at all.

The piece, which cites research conducted by Comet, shows that over 40% of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers have not started saving retirement. 

Everything changes once you become a parent. Your sleep is cut in half, you eat standing up, you’re not sure which day of the week it is, and oh yeah, your finances take a major hit.

In fact, a 2015 study done by the United States Department of Agriculture found that the cost of raising a newborn through the first year of life for middle-income parents is $12,680. Yikes! No wonder you’re googling “ways to save money once baby arrives.”

When I was a college student on a limited income, I learned quickly how to live on a tight budget. It involved finding free activities on the weekends, lots of ramen, and a strict policy on not buying new clothes more than a few times a year.

Little did I know that would be great practice for the post-graduate hustle, when student loans would take up a significant chunk of my monthly budget.

You have the perfect crib, the safest car seat, the hippest stroller, and enough outfits to last for a year. But what about life insurance? Did you take out a policy for the newest addition to your family?

If you spend any time online or looking at parenting magazines, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the ads for child life insurance.

Maybe not everyone is cut out for a salaried office job. Maybe your dreams involve traveling and working abroad, launching your own start-up, or being self-employed. If you have student loan debt, you might think those dreams are impossible.

But your student loans shouldn’t doom you to a lifetime chained to a job you dislike. Here’s a look at the steps you can take to make your independent life goals achievable.