I knew nothing about money when I graduated college, but a surprise $3,000 tax bill taught me 2 financial lessons I still live by

• As an intern in New York City in 2007, I was earning $13 an hour and living the dream. Until I got an unexpected $3,000 tax bill.
• Taxes weren't being taken out of my paychecks, and I didn't know I should be setting aside money to pay the bill at the end of the year.
• Luckily, my mentor helped me get on my feet and taught me two key lessons: First, that I actually love dealing with money (and I'm good at it). And second, most financial goals can be reached by saying them out loud and making a plan.
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In 2007 I was living what I considered to be the dream. I had scored a paid internship at a women's magazine in Manhattan, and had found an apartment in the city with two roommates I adored. One of my best friends from college was working in the same building, and another one was right across the street. Life was peachy.

What could possibly go wrong?

I'm not sure what paid interns make at magazines these days (if that position even still exists), but back in 2007 I thought, naively, that $13/hour was plenty to live on, in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

I was lucky enough not to have student loans to worry about, and I wouldn't need a car. Although I had little to no real financial education up to this point - I certainly never took any courses in high school or college - I figured I could handle whatever else might come my way.

My financial wake-up call

My first mistake was not considering taxes. When I received my paycheck - which didn't have the taxes taken out - I spent every last penny on rent ($1,310, if I remember correctly), utilities, food, transportation and, let's be honest, partying. I had wanted to live in the city since graduating from college two years prior, and I wasn't going to let being broke stop me from enjoying it.

My second mistake was not worrying about good health insurance. It wasn't offered as part of my internship, so I decided to forgo a solid plan in favor of something that would have had serious financial consequences had anything happened to me medically. It's not uncommon for young and healthy kids to think they're invincible, and I was one of the many.

My first clue that I needed to get a better grip on my finances came in the form of a $3,000 tax bill the first year after I started interning, which might as well as have been $30,000 to me.

With some serious budgeting in the month or two leading up to paying the bill - plus a loan from Grandma - I was able to pay my taxes, but I never wanted to be that unprepared again.

How I learned to love talking about money

Lucky for me, an editor I was working with at the time - who remains my mentor and good friend to this day - noticed my growing frustration at work (I have no poker face) and took me under her wing. She convinced me to start a savings account and get better health insurance, no matter what financial finagling it took.

We talked about my goals for my career and how I would reach them, and she helped me set up an action plan for paying down the credit card debt I had been accruing.

While all of those lessons were crucial, my financial guru taught me two other important things:

1. Once I got a handle on it, I actually really enjoyed discussing finances

I loved making budgets and creating ways to reach goals, too. So much so, in fact, that I decided to make it my main focus, journalistically speaking.

2. Most of your financial goals can be reached when you say them out loud and create a plan

Money is still such a taboo topic these days, it can be hard to imagine why you'd want to talk about it. But imagine finding that one person who has the perfect suggestion that might jumpstart your financial dreams. You'll never find them if you stay silent.

My editor at that women's magazine so many years ago did just that for me, and I'm still grateful to her every single day. Talking things over tends to make most topics seem less scary, and finances are no different.

If you can find a way to become more comfortable talking about money, you might be surprised what revelations come.

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