There’s this movement of intentional living happening, and one of the awesome things that has carried over from this is a push for financial freedom. It has proved to be true that when you’re hyper-focused on one area of your life, it eventually carries over into all of the other areas too. This shows up in not only your budget, but always your marriage, parenting, + self-care.

In this episode, I sit down with Deedra Broodram from Slay This Debt to chat about our financial journeys, how it’s affected our motherhood, and how we know that we’re on the paths to becoming everyday millionaires.

Getting your kids on board with any lifestyle change can be challenging. Especially from the mother’s perspective…the mom guilt is so real! And because as the mother, you’re usually the one to lead or go first with a change in the family, we have to set the tone in a strong + positive way.

In this episode I’m going to share with you how keeping the lines communication open with your kids, how to speak words of abundance over them during this journey, how to make all of these changes fun, and most importantly…how to do this as a team!

The hardest part of getting started in budgeting is deciding how much to spend and how much to either save or pay towards debt. It’s the age-old question in the budgeting world…and you’ve probably wondered the same thing!

I think we all can relate to the struggle behind wanting to spend because hey, we’re only human, but yet wanting to save because we know that those big goals aren’t going to fund themselves. So, how do we balance this? How do we move forward with our financial goals without completely depriving ourselves of all fun?

In this episode I’m sharing my very best tips for finding balance, learning to shop guilt-free, prioritizing savings, and continuing to enjoy your life along the way.

Being able to travel more is one of the biggest motivators when it comes to getting your finances in order. You can ask almost anyone what’s on their bucket list and they’ll most likely mention international travel, adventures with loved ones, or relaxing on the beach. New experiences are one of the sweetest parts of life, but it does require at least a little bit of money!

In this episode I’m joined by Shelly Hawkins from The Eclectic Voyager to share all of her best advice + tips for traveling on a budget. Plus, she’ll also share some stories from her adventures, her favorite travel resources, + how she’s able to merge travel, photography, + personal finance into her blogs.

Paying cash for large purchases like cars, trucks, boat, + campers used to seem like something only “rich” people did…not average young families like ours. But, I’ve learned throughout the past few years that’s it’s actually completely possible! In fact, we recently made our 4th large purchase last Fall when we cash-flowed a 5th wheel camper, and added it to our family of other cash-flowed items: a boat, a Suburban, + a diesel truck.

The freedom + empowerment that we’ve felt through being able to make these purchases without a loan have been significant milestones in our family’s journey. In this episode, I’m sharing exactly HOW we’ve been able to do this + all of the reasons behind WHY we’ve done it!

The way you handle your money as a couple is important to the strength of your marriage, as well as your entire family’s future. However, sharing money is one of the hardest things a couple faces, and it continues to be cited as the one of the top reasons behind divorces. It’s hard..but it’s not impossible!

I’m sharing my best advice for getting a reluctant spouse on board with budgeting. I’ll walk you through what helped my husband + I get on the same page with our money, and I’ll also share some words of encouragement for the budgeting nerd spouse AND the free-spirited spouse.

Statistics say that by the 6th week of the year 80% of people have already given up on their New Year’s Goals/Resolutions. That number broke my heart because I’ve been there! I know how hard it is to keep moving forward. This week I’m sharing articles + simple actions steps that will help you beat this 6-week slump and NOT quit on your dreams!

We all have fears…you’re not alone in that, but what if I told you that I believe that the goals that scare you the most are often times the things that you should be pursuing the most. …sounds a little crazy, but stick with me on this one!
This week I’m sharing how I’m taking my fears + turning them into trust-statements, why I’m pushing myself through the things that scare me, + why you should too!

As so many people are settling for the financial norms of a 9-5 job, a few vacation days a year, and retiring at 65, Ellie + her husband have been working hard to create their own “normal”. Ellie + Ron are debt-free, including their home, are now saving to cash-flow world-travel + a rental property, and they plan to one day be financial independent + retire early. But getting to this new level of their financial journey wasn’t easy! Ellie is sharing all about her journey, why she doesn’t love her job, and her secrets for reaching her money goals at such a young age.

No one likes when an unexpected expense pops up and ruins their otherwise well-organized budget! So what do you do? Grab a credit card or dip into your emergency fund? NOPE…that’s what a Sinking Fund is for! Think of it as a big “Miscellaneous Fund” for things like Annual Bills, Holidays, and Home + Vehicle Repairs. I’m sharing what exactly a Sinking Fund is and how to set one up so these expenses won’t sneak up on you anymore.

Often times when we share our stories we share the cleaned up, pretty, packaged version of it. In the attempt to simply make the message easier to share we sometimes lose the messy ugly details. Those details are what makes us stronger. Those tears + struggles are what make us grow. Those details are what ultimately helps us to bounce back after we hit rock bottom.

I’m sharing why this messy middle is so important to embrace + the lessons my family has learned throughout our 5-year journey.

Here we are at the beginning of a new year, but before we move on to the next year we always have to recap our lessons learned from the previous year, right?

So, I wanted to share all of the lessons I learned throughout 2018 during my year of “balance”. I’m sharing why I chose the word balance, what it meant to me, + all of the areas of my life I was working towards balancing.

Plus, I’m sharing how I transitioned from “Balance” in 2018 to “Trust” in 2019…and all of the reviewing + prep work in between.

I wanted to share some of my favorite things that helped me through the past year! I've included all of the books that read, personal development resources I've used, a few handy apps, + a few random items that I fell in love with this year!

I hope that these resources are helpful to you on your own journey as well! 

There are so many different ways that homesteading can save you + your family money…whether it be with planting a few small herbs in a pot or replacing one time use products like paper towels. Erin Tannehill from The Tannehill Homestead is sharing her favorite hacks that will not only help you be more intentional + environmentally friendly, but also save you a ton of money!

Getting started with any new goal is usually the hardest part, but it doesn’t have to be if you keep it simple! I’m sharing with you 5 starting steps for your financial goals in the New Year…whether it be organizing your Bills, cutting back your Spending, paying off your Debt, increasing your Savings, or starting your Sinking Fund…it’s always best to keep it as simple as possible.

Reducing your food bill can sometimes sound overwhelming or even impossible, then add on a good-sized family and kids will food allergies…and most people just give up altogether. However, taking control of how much you spend on your meals is a crucial step to getting intentional with your money! Like it or not, we all have to eat…and multiple times a day…but you don’t have to go broke keeping your family fed.

Shelly from Dinner for a Dollar is sharing how she cut her family of 6’s food budget by $12,000 per year! Her system is realistic and down to earth and she has a passion for helping families reduce their food bill so they can accomplish their real financial goals – not just spend all their extra money at the grocery store. Shelly is here to bust the myth that you have to spend a fortune to eat whole foods and to share why cutting back your food budget is actually the fastest and easiest thing you can do to save money.

Spending money on food is just a part of life, we’ve got to eat…but we don’t have to blow our budget or be stressed out in the process. I wanted to bring my friend, Christine from The Mostly Simple Life, on the podcast to share all of her simple tips for meal planning, being intentional with your food budget, + making the most out of your grocery purchases.

Survival mode is such a dark and lonely place. You feel alone. You feel like you’re the only one who feels the way that you do. You feel like you’re the only one struggling. Well, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone.

I often get asked how I stay positive + “sunny” all the time. Well, the truth is that I don’t! I’m a normal person with normal struggles, but I do have some words of advice + encouragement to share with you for the times that you feel depressed, defeated, and discouraged.