A Week In Austin, TX On A $50,000 Salary

Summary: Meet a 28-year-old mental health therapist living in Austin, Texas. She makes $50,000 a year from her own private practice, sharing a $150,000 total income with her husband. Growing up as an African immigrant, her family expected her to become a doctor or an engineer. Instead, she chose to become a counselor after facing her own struggles with depression in college. Now, she spends her days helping clients work through heavy issues like betrayal and trauma.

It is a tough job that takes a lot of brain power and emotional energy. To avoid burning out, she goes to her own therapy and sets strict business rules—like charging clients for late cancellations so she can pay off her $84,000 in student loans. When she isn't working, she deals with the high costs of living in Austin, gets surprisingly nervous at the post office, and treats herself to $85 pizza. She is working hard to grow her business and hopes the dropping housing prices mean she can buy a home soon.

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