Skye McLain - Simple Life, Sound Finances, & Savvy Business

Our First Whole 30 Shopping Trip: Stocking Up

2018-02-20T13:37:00.001-06:00

Welcome back to my newest obsession: all things Whole 30. As I mentioned in my Clean Slate post, I'm a jump all in, ask questions later kind of gal, so when I've committed to something I tend to go a leeeetle bit crazy at the beginning. I've been immersed in the Whole 30 world and I'm absolutely fascinated by how creative you can get with ingredients and foods that are actually good for you and taste delicious.

Anyhow - I want to share the entire journey with you from both a healthy lifestyle perspective AND a budgeting perspective. I set a goal to do this entire Whole 30 for under $500 so I'm going to check in each week with a list of our meal plans, what we bought, and what we spent. So here goes nothin'!

Our First Whole 30 Shopping Trip: Stocking Up

Thrive Market

If you're planning on doing a Whole 30 anytime soon, let me introduce you to your new BFF: Thrive Market. It is an online market place that specializes in healthy, wholesome foods at literally a fraction of the cost. There is an annual membership fee of $59.95 BUT you get the first 30 days for free AND you get 20% off your first three orders! Last time I checked, Whole 30 is 30 days, and three orders from Thrive Market will definitely get you stocked on some essentials at a fraction of what you pay for it at your local grocery store or Whole Foods. It is definitely WORTH IT!

You can check out Thrive Market with this link and get 25% off your first order (and then 20% off two orders after that!)

Here is what we grabbed on our first order!

Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo - perfect to add both healthy fats AND flavor to oven baked fries, hamburger patties, breakfast hash, and basically errrthang.
French Vanilla Nutpods - because yes, I HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING CREAMY IN MY COFFEE. Sue me.
Vanilla Coconut Collagen Fuel - I'm getting this to add a scoop to my coffee every day instead of sugar for a boost of collagen and flavor.
Red Boat Fish Sauce - Our plan is to eat a lot of Asian foods during this so my friend Callie told me this is a must have to add great flavor to our Asian dishes.
Thrive Market Organic Coconut Aminos - I'm told this is the Whole30 version of soy sauce - so again for our Asian dishes.
4th & Heart Pink Himalayan Sea Salt + Garlic Grass Fed Ghee - I'm stocking up on this to cook with, put over a baked sweet or white potato, and I'm going to grab the Vanilla version to put in my coffee.

PS: I have Organic Coconut Milk and Organic Apple Cider Vinegar in my cart for my next order!

Aldi:

Thank you GOD for Aldi because their inexpensive produce is going to be essential to staying within our budget!!! Here is what I grabbed there this week as well as the prices!

Red Grapes - $.99/pound - total of $2.14
Limes - 7 @ $.19 each - total of 1.33
Avocados - 6 @ $.49 each - total of 2.94
Cilantro - 2 @ $.38 each - total of $.78
Bananas - $.44/pound - total of $1.42
Tri-Color Peppers - 2 @ $2.99 - total of $5.98
Cucumbers - 5 @ $.39 - total of $1.95
Guacamole - $2.99
Ground Cumin - $1.19
Toasted Sesame Oil - $5.99
Paprika - $1.19
Sweet Potatoes (3 pounds) - $2.79
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar - $1.99
Onion Powder - $1.19
Organic Coconut Oil - $4.49
Organic Chipotle Lime Salsa - $2.29
Organic Double Fire Roasted Salsa - $2.29
Organic Mixed Greens - $2.49
Organic Baby Spinach - $2.49
Large Eggs - 2 Dozen @ $.98 - total of $1.96
Unsweetened Almond Milk - $1.99/half gallon
Belle Vie Sparkling Lime Water - $2.47/12-pack

Trader Joe's:

Trader Joe's has a lot of Whole 30 compliant options for very inexpensive -(the coconut milk was the cheapest I could find it!). The raw almonds were also the best price and I used those to make almond butter.

Raw Almonds - $5.99/lb
Blanched Almond Flour - $7.49
Riced Cauliflower - $2.49
Riced Brocolli - $2.29
Nutritional Yeast - $2.99
Organic Full Fat Coconut Milk - $1.69
Garlic & Herb Chicken Sausage - 2 @ $3.99 - total of $7.98
Bell Pepper - 2 @ $.79 - total of $1.58

Sprouts:

I had never been to a Sprouts before and shopped so I just wandered around and threw stuff in my cart that sounded good! Not a great method for grocery shopping... but I did get some good deals!

Strawberries - $5.00 for 3 pounds (weekly special)
Clementines - $2.98 for 2 pounds
Honeycrisp Apples - $.98/pound - total of $2.31
Peeled Garlic - $2.99 for about 30 cloves
Romaine Lettuce - $.99 for one head
Jumbo Black Olives - $1.69
Organic Chicken Stock - $3.89
Tomato Paste - $1.88
GTS Kombucha - $6.38

H-E-B:

Medjool Dates - I bought these from the bulk section of the grocery store - 2 dates for $.56
Applegate Organic Chicken & Apple Sausage - 2 @ $6.99 - total of $13.98
Larabars - 10 for $7.44 (they are $.93/each and were on sale buy 4, get one free)
Pederson Whole30 Bacon - 4 @ $5.99 - total of $23.96
Applegate All Natural Hot Dogs - 2 @ $4.99 - total of $9.88

Kroger:

Tessemae's Avocado Ranch Dressing: $4.99
More Applegate All Natural Hot Dogs - because they were only $2.99 a package! I bought 3!

Items in bold are things that were not intended for that week's meal plan!

Okay HI! If you've made it this far you deserve a hug and maybe a glass of wine! I decided to cook three main meals each week and just double or triple the recipe so we could eat it all week. Here is what our first "week" (Thursday through Monday) Looked like:

Breakfast:

Egg Casserole with spinach, chicken & apple sausage, and red peppers, topped with salsa, a slice of bacon, and served with a side of fruit.

Lunch:

Taco lettuce wraps with salsa and guacamole, spanish cauliflower rice (tried this with broccoli rice and I do not recommend it)

Dinner:

Cilantro lime chicken/fish (chicken for me, tilapia for Chris) with roasted potatoes, salad, and a half an avocado.

All told, I spent about $254 to stock up on some must haves and cover our first week of recipes. (Full disclosure - I started this post about week before I finished it, back when I was feeling way more optimistic about my budget!). Now that we are two shopping trips in, I do not thing we will be able to do it for less than $500 but I'm still up for the challenge of doing it as inexpensively as possible!

I am pretty well stocked up on meats (we have several packages of compliant sausage and bacon in our freezer) so I think we will live off those for a couple of weeks before buying anything else! My husband also has a freezer full of venison that I'm willing to cook for him (but not eat, no thanks!) so that will help us out as well!

I'll be back to share more updates and costs as we go along!

Why We are Doing Whole 30

2018-02-12T15:25:00.000-06:00

In case you missed the news of the decade - Chris and I decided over the weekend we were going to do Whole30! Here is how that conversation went:

Me - Would you like to do Whole30 with me in March?
Chris - Why don't we do it for Lent?
Me - Oh that is a good idea!

.....

Me three hours later - UM LENT IS IN LIKE 5 DAYS.

So I quickly jumped on IG and pleaded for help and man they DELIVERED. You say the words Whole30 and people come running out of the woodwork with encouragement and advice and recipes and must haves. It was awesome and definitely made me feel like we could do this!

Always looking for an excuse to share an adorable family photo, right? Photo by Allison LaSalle Photography in The Woodlands

What is Whole30?

Maybe I just spend too much time online, but I thought everyone knew what Whole30 was. I was wrong - so I thought I would give you a quick and dirty rundown of the Whole30 program here just to give you the high points. It is essentially a complete elimination diet where you remove dairy, grains, gluten, soy, sugar, legumes, and alcohol for thirty days and give your body an opportunity to reset itself and start healing from all the junk we (as in we, me and Chris, not society, but also society) eat.

You mainly stick to protein, vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats for thirty days. When you say it like that, it sounds super easy right?

But did you know that corn is not a vegetable - it is a legume? Did you know that SUGAR IS FREAKING IN EVERYTHING???? And did you know that there is a difference in soy lecithin and sunflower lecithin? No. No you did not. You have to become an avid label reader and understand what all the different things in the ingredient list actually are.

Whole30 is also notoriously expensive. I've already heard from several people that our grocery budget is going to triple. I'll talk more about this in a bit.

Our Three Big Whys

We need a CHANGE!

Our first main one is that we really need a change in our diet to facilitate some habit changes. We have been eating somewhat healthy, but mostly processed foods for the last two years for the sake of getting out of debt. I fully believe this is a noble cause and I would probably not go back and change anything, but there does come a time in one's adult life where they have to actually decide to take care of themselves.

That time has come for us - we are both feeling sluggish, overweight, worn out alll the time, and suffer from a continual bout of brain fog. Our bodies are working as hard as they can to take care of their 35 year old selves while we continue to treat them like their 25 year old selves, and that is just not a sustainable way of living.

We need to break some bad habits (like a cookie every night), incorporate some good ones (like eating a vegetable at every meal), and give our bodies a chance to get back on track after a crazy few years.

Food Sensitivies

We are both pretty sure that Chris has a gluten or dairy sensitivity but neither of us have put forth the effort to really eliminate them from his diet to see. I have no idea if I have any sensitives because I've never felt any different than I do now (other than the tiredness and brain fog, but that has just intensified over the years so I've attributed it to aging) so I would love to know if I feel any different when I don't eat any junk. I'm interested to see how this makes us both feel and what kind of things we need to eliminate from our pantry and fridge!

The Budgeting Challenge

I'll be honest - I'm not convinced that this costs as much as everyone says it does; however, I am certainly not going into this blindly. I'm aware that we are going to have to stock up on some essentials that we currently do not have and that is going to be an up front investment. But as far as the weekly groceries - I think I can still do it and stay within a predetermined budget. Easily.

So to those out there that said this was going to toss an atom bomb on my budget, my answer to that is watch me. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I'm still up for the challenge.

I'll be documenting exactly how much we spend, how much each meal costs, and how we do it for the whole 30 days over on Instagram (mostly on Instastories) and I'll be checking in periodically with what has worked best for us in case YOU want to do it too!

OH - also, we are going to document our starting weight and take before measurements and photos. This is categorically the opposite of what the Whole30 program says to do in the book, but along with how we FEEL and how our brains are working, I want to be able to document the physical changes as well. We will just do it once on Wednesday morning and then once when we are finished.

So, my question for you is whether or not you've done Whole30, how you liked it, what your favorite meal was, and your must have compliant item. Share in the comments below!

Friday Faves

2018-02-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

End your week on a high note with some Friday Faves!

Happy Friday friends! In the spirit of FRIYAY I wanted to just share some highlights from my week and see how your week was too! Sometimes when a week is super long, it is good to just remember the good things, file away the bad things, and move forward, right? So here are some of my favorite things from this week!

Post contains affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure for more info.

Friday Faves

1. This lip balm. I received the first pot of it as a freebie at Create & Cultivate in Atlanta and I love it soooo much. That pot lasted me over a year, with daily use, so it is definitely worth the price! I restocked last week and also grabbed the tube to keep in my purse so I can wear it on the go. PSST: The lip scrub is bomb too and I can't wait to try the mask!

Book / Jeans (Similar) / Boots / Top

2. BOOK CLUB! I have never been a part of a book club before, and I was a little leery of dedicating another of my weeknights away from the fam, but hanging out with new friends, having a glass of wine, and having real discussion about real life stuff has been so so good for my spirit. We are reading this and following along with the author's FB Live videos each week. She is hilarious and we all want to be her BFF.

3. My InstantPot. Guys seriously, I have no idea how I lived without this genius kitchen invention for the last 34 or so years. (Okay - 20 - I'm guessing I wasn't really cooking most nights before I was 14). This is the one I have (I got it as a Christmas gift - easily the best Christmas gift OF ALL TIME) and I don't even put it away anymore. I've made chili, venison fajitas, shredded chicken, macaroni and cheese, swedish meatballs, all kinds of roasted veggies... You name it, I've googled how to cook it in the InstantPot. GET YOU ONE!

4. My Woobie - Okay this is definitely a family thing - but we all have a blanket that we refer to as our woobie and it is our own personal snuggle station. With the temps in the 40s this week, partnered with rain, let's just say I've done a lot of work from underneath my woobie. I cannot get over how soft this blanket is and boom, less than $20. Win.

Wrap / Tee

5. These Leggings - If you're not aware of the amazingness of these live-in leggings, please allow me to introduce you. I've all but given up on regular jeans and have started exclusively shopping for tops that will pair well with these because I do not ever want to take them off. High-waisted, thick fabric, slimming - what is not to love?

6. My New Lip Color - I've been a user & fan of LipSense for a little over a year now. I love a bold lip color but I love to rub my lips together and let's just say - any time I used to wear red lipstick it ended up everywhere but my lips. (I'm talking end of my nose, tip of my chin... so annoying). Anywho, while I know LipSense does not work for everyone it works really well for me and I love it! I am loving this new color - it is called Honey Rose - it is the perfect every day color that goes well with anything! Leanne is my resident LipLady if you want to try it out!

7. This SuperBowl commercial - hands down my favorite by a LONG shot.

What are some of your faves this week? Moments, products, books, tv-shows, movies, jokes - anything! Share them with me in the comments below!

2018 Reading List

2018-02-06T14:42:00.000-06:00

As a little girl, I fondly remember being excited about going to bed so that I could dive back in to my library book and soak in a couple more chapters before I fell asleep. Many nights, my mom would open my door and tell me it was time to close the book and turn off the light so I could go to sleep! As a mom now, I know she must have felt really proud to have a child who loved to read so much that she had to force her to stop so she could sleep at night!

As an adult now, "finding time to read" seems impossible! Between being a wife and mother, running a home, and working full time, reading has fallen very low on my priority list. Although that makes me sound like super-woman, the truth is that reading has really fallen below binging a few episodes on Netflix before bed, scrolling endlessly through Pinterest on my phone when I actually get in bed (many times, falling asleep with it in my hand - soooo bad I know), and "just working for a few minutes" in the car.

This year I'm reclaiming my love for turning pages and making reading a priority again. My goal this year is to read 24 books, which easily breaks down to two each month. I'm a fast reader and comprehend things quickly, so it should be doable... Basically I just have to put my phone and computer away more often! Here's my 2018 reading list!

All links below are affiliate links. You can read more here.

2018 Reading List

Creating a Wardrobe on a Budget

2018-01-31T14:41:00.000-06:00

Post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure.

Something new that is happening around here is that I have a new client. If you didn't know, I am a virtual assistant by trade and have been doing that for a little over six years. It still blows my mind that I get to call this my regular job and not my side hustle. Anyways, I don't take on new clients very often because I feel like I have finally found a good sweet spot of work I love to do, people I love to work with, and the amount of time I want to spend working each day/week. But when this opportunity presented itself, I jumped alllll over it (and I suspect you would have too!)

I've been working with Erin from Living in Yellow for the past few months to showcase some of her favorite fashion finds on a curvier body and well, if I'm honest, it is pretty much a dream gig. Someone I love and look up to pays me to buy clothes and take selfies in them. I mean - who would NOT love to do that?! However, just as with all of my other clients, I have to be sure that it will fit into my lifestyle seamlessly, and a HUGE part of my lifestyle is the fact that we have slashed our spending and cut our lifestyle way back over the last two years in order to pay off debt.

Even though we are debt free, it is still important to me to have financial goals and keep my life simple, so that I can always find new ways to help YOU do the same thing for yourself. So, in an effort to do just that, it has been imperative to me to find clothes that are cute, comfortable, versatile, and most important, affordable. Over the past few months I have bought, tried on, kept, returned, and culled hundreds of items from my closet. This process has helped me narrow down what I know will always look good on me and make me feel comfortable and these are the most important thing about anyone's wardrobe. Brand and price point be damned, I will drop $29 on a pair of jeans in a hot second if I know that they make my butt look good. I'll also drop $100 on a pair too, but not as often ;)

Creating a Wardrobe on a Budget

I originally had the title of this post as "How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget" but I changed it because I don't like the idea of a capsule wardrobe (mostly because I've never been good at putting one together but that's neither here nor there). I changed it to "Creating a Wardrobe on a Budget" for a few reasons:

1. I believe, fully, that when you're making sacrifices to meet financial goals, you still need to have the ability to reward yourself as you go, and clothes can definitely be one of those rewards!

2. Having a wardrobe that makes you feel confident and poised can do wonders for the rest of your life! It may sound vain, but seriously think about how much better you feel when you get dressed in an outfit you know you're rocking versus when you stay in your pajamas until its time to... get in pajamas for bed.

3. Building a wardrobe that works for you, with key pieces that you know look good, feel good, and don't break your bank, is not as far off as I used to think it would be, and it can make other parts of your day so much easier to conquer. The less I have to think about what I'm going to wear, the more time I have to think about what I'm going to blog about.

4. Just because something belongs in a capsule wardrobe, does not mean it belongs in YOUR capsule wardrobe. I am just not going to wear trousers so why should I spend the money on them?

Let's talk about how you can start building a wardrobe that works for YOU and your budget, shall we?

The Basics

Jeans, tees, and comfy shoes are my go-to every day look. After trying out many different looks and ensembles, I have found that I am most comfortable in skinny jeans with a flowy, longer tee, and comfortable booties or shoes. Having a basic uniform to fall back on makes choosing an outfit every day that much easier! Plus it makes my closet look streamlined and for some reason that really helps me feel less overwhelmed when I open up my closet. Instead of dreading picking something, I get excited when I see my nice, clean, simple, organized closet!

Jeans

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After trying on literally hundreds of pairs of jeans over the years, I have finally found three or four brands and fits that I know will always fit, regardless of the wash (because sometimes this does make a huge difference!) I rarely stray from these brands or fits because I don't have to think about whether or not they will work. They are also not all that expensive in the long run, considering that my jeans have lasted me years with daily wear and regular washing. The price per wear is basically pennies at this point, if not less!

Side note: Erin wrote an awesome blog post on how to find the right jeans for you, so I won't try to re-write the bible on that, but you should go read it.

Shop more of my favorite skinnies here:

Tees

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I love me a great v-neck tee. They are flattering on basically everyone and are extremely easy to dress up or down, depending on what my day calls for. I can throw on a simple necklace and some bright earrings or top it with a blazer and a chunky necklace and easily go from day to night in a v-neck and I love that. Versatile = you can get a lot of use out of it for your money!

Shop more v-neck tees here:

Shoes

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Can we just pause for a minute and say thanks for our feet because man, are they the unsung heroes of our world or what? I think we easily take for granted how hard they work for us! So let's hear it for comfortable shoes that you can wear anywhere, any time, and never worry about pain or blisters. That my sisters is the real key to happiness! These are my go-to shoes that I will grab over any other pair in my closet at any given time.

Shop more of my favorite everyday shoes here:

Accessories

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Having a few great accessories that you can always reach for to take your outfit to the next level is essential. And the great thing about accessories is that they can be pretty inexpensive so, BONUS! Again, in the name of simplification, I keep my accessories in just a few categories: thin scarves, a simple necklace, or lightweight, colorful earrings. I usually pick one or two accessories to wear on any given day because any more than that and I feel fussy and overdone, when I'm really trying to look casual and put together.

Shop some other great accessories here:

Other Things to Note

Please do not for a second think that I consider myself a fashion blogger - the thought is honestly laughable. I am someone though that really has a much better day and feels SOOO much more confident if I take the time to get dressed and look my best, even if it is just for instastories. Because let's be honest, nobody would ever see me if I didn't jump on there every day.

All that being said, I have had to learn and teach myself that fashion is not just reserved for those with high incomes (or lots of credit cards) and it is not complicated or fussy or expensive. It just took me 35 or so years to learn what I actually like (versus what people tell me I am supposed to like) and how to shop for myself.

As with all of my other financial decisions, clothes shopping is an intentional thing that I do - it is intentionally in the budget, I make choices based on things I already know about myself, and I intentionally do not stray far from my go-to pieces. Because of this, I'm able to invest in things I know I will wear over and over again, that go well with other things I already own, and that I feel like a million dollars in.

Here are the four keys to remember: cute, comfortable, versatile, and affordable. Do not buy anything that does not fall in all four of these categories!

If you found this post helpful, I would love you forever if you shared the image below with your Pinterest followers!

A Clean Slate

2018-01-29T13:18:00.000-06:00

Post contains affiliate links for books I love and recommend. For more click here.

A little over a year ago, we met a couple, Matt and Demetria, who had just picked up their family of five and moved across the country, away from their family and to a place where they knew nobody, with an 8 day old baby and heaps of faith. They walked into our small group at church and quite honestly we sort of latched on to them and now they've been forced into being our friends.

One night, we were going through our study, and Demetria talked about how when they moved to Texas, she had decided not to go back to work as a Physicians Assistant and to take the time to spend it at home with her three (adorable) kids. She said she felt like God had given her a clean slate, and she felt the responsibility of making sure she was very choosy in what she started adding back into their lives.

This is another friend from our small group, Marion, and then me, and Demetria on the right

I don't know all the details of their previous life, but I imagine that with both parents working full time in the medical field (Matt is also a PA), having three kids, and managing all of those schedules couldn't have been anything less than hectic. I got more than a little jealous of her clean slate, and how intentional she had been. What must it be like to get to have a completely fresh start, where nobody knows you, there are no preconceived notions or requirements, or expectations to do this or be that? Nice, that's what.

I mulled over this for several weeks, letting a little bit of jealousy guide my thoughts, wishing I could have a clean slate too. Just a little over a year before that (so in September of 2015), Chris and I moved to The Woodlands and we were given that fresh start ourselves but I definitely did not make intentional decisions about who and what would be picked and placed back into our lives.

I tend to be an all or nothing type person, and prefer to jump right into all the social scenes, under the guise that I'll try on everything, see what I like and what fits right, and then put back what doesn't. Only, I never actually put anything back on the shelf. I'm really bad about this.

So within about 6 months of living here, I had:

1. Started ushering at the church.
2. Started teaching Jett's Sunday School class
3. Become a part of a local blogging group
4. Attended a blogging conference to meet new people
5. Attended FPU and decide that I was really passionate about that
6. Joined a small group on Thursday nights
7. Joined a mid-week daytime bible study
8. Volunteered with the blogging conference to help put on events

I know there are more but it pains me to add to the list, because I already feel like this is too much. I've been feeling like this for a while, but I have a really hard time turning away from something I have committed to, especially when I feel like I have made friends because of it.

This weekend though, God finally banged hard enough on my head to get through to me and make me realize that something is going to HAVE to give if I plan to survive the next few years. Between teaching Sunday School and ushering at church, and running back and forth to get Jett to and from the Sunday School class, and trying to eat something in between all this, I was a little out of breath when it came time to pass the basket in the Sanctuary. One of the gentlemen who also teaches Sunday School was in the next row, and as he handed the basket to me, he simply said "You work too hard.". That just sort of stopped me in my tracks.

For someone else, who does not even know me, or have an inkling of all the other things I do, who only sees me every other Sunday for an hour, to look at me, and immediately recognize that I'm doing too much, is sobering.

That night I finished reading The Simplified Life, by Emily Ley (amazing, must read), and the last chapters are all about simplified self, faith, and motherhood, and over and over again she expands upon how she had to give up something, something huge!, in order to make the more important parts of her life better.

Then I read January 27 and January 28 in Savor, by Shauna Nequist, and the theme for both of those days was more love, less hustle.

Okay God - I'm listening now.

So here I am now, rambling on to who knows, about this concept of giving up something (in my case, it will be somethings) in order to really focus on what is important to me. I have a really hard time with this, because I am a people pleaser by nature and cannot stand to disappoint anyone, ever. So maybe it is for accountability, maybe just to get all this out of my head and into some kind of organized thought process.

Here is the thing: I do not have to move across the country to get a clean slate. I do not have to start a new job or recreate my identity. I can just simply stop and listen to God when he is screaming at me through a megaphone but I'm just too busy to hear it.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!" Ding ding ding! I can be made a new creation every day - in fact I already am, but I just have to be ready to see it. I get a clean slate today, tomorrow, for eternity, and today I need to start being intentional about what I fill it with.

How to Curl Short Hair

2018-01-18T15:40:00.000-06:00

This post contains affiliate links but I never share links for things I don't absolutely love. Check out my disclaimer for more information

When you have short hair, curling it can be super tricky and hard to get the hang of. I mean - it took me 35 years to learn how to do mine properly (and I have a cosmetology license!) In any case, I've figured out the trick that helps me get a nice wave in my short hair and I'm here to share it with you today!

How to Curl Short Hair

If you're reading this on a mobile device, you may need to click here to see the YouTube video

I love my curling iron. The main reason is because it has a clamp and, like I mentioned in the video, that helps me control my hair while it is curling and keeps it from burning my fingers! I also love the loop in the end that you can do two things with: (1) use it to hang and store your curling iron in your cabinet and (2) use it to rotate the curling iron easily with one finger!

I have been using the same kind of hairspray for basically forever - I'm sure there is better stuff out there but this has always worked well for me so I stick with what I already know!

Some other tips for curling short hair!

1. If you want a looser wave, you can also grab more hair in each section. I would not recommend using a bigger curling iron for a looser wave with hair that is shoulder length or shorter. Instead just grab a little more hair in each section.
2. If you have super thick hair, consider shaving the portion underneath in the back - I have the back of mine shaved up to the top of my ears and it makes my hair so much easier and faster to fix!
3. For a less defined, messier looking curl, straighten the ends of your hair before curling it and leave the ends out of the curling iron.
4. Follow the growth of your hair. If you're blessed with a double crown or a whorl (if you have one of these, you know what I'm talking about), curl the sections of your hair towards each other rather than away to help cover that split in your hair.

Let me know what questions you have after watching this!

Shop the products I used in this video here:

AHHH! It has been so much fun to see you guys using this tutorial! Here are a few gals who have shared their "after" with me once they watched this video - gorgeous!

If you found this tutorial helpful, I would love if you shared it! Use the image below to pin it to your favorite hair tutorial board!

Budgeting 101: How to Make Your First Budget

2018-01-08T13:21:00.002-06:00

One question I repeatedly get is "How on earth do you start budgeting?". I have to admit that budgeting came naturally to me because I am nerdy and I have always been keeping track of our bills each month. But when you're starting from scratch and have no idea what you're doing, it can be extremely overwhelming! So today I'm going to go over how to make your first budget and share some practices I've put in place along the way to make it easy!

How to Make Your First Budget

Step One: Commit to Doing a Budget Every Month

This seems obvious, but it is very important. You can't just decide you're going to do the budget this month and then use that same budget every month for the rest of your life. Every month is going to look completely different and will come with it's own set of bills, expenses, and income variations that all need to be accounted for. You have to decide you're going to make this a new routine, a habit that you never break, in order for it to do the most good in your life!

If you're single, congratulations. You only have to convince yourself to do this whole budgeting thing. If you're married - congratulations! You have someone to help you stay accountable to your budget! If you need help starting the conversation about money with your spouse, be sure to check out this post for some tips!

Step Two: Set Up Your Budget at the Beginning of the Month

A budget is all about telling your money what to do each month instead of looking back at the end of the month and wondering where it all went. The only way it will work is if you set it up before your month begins and have your budget meeting at the beginning of the month. We'll get more into detail about how to set your budget up in a second, but the key here is really getting in the mindset of financially planning a month ahead, instead of a month behind!

Step Three: Look at Previous Month's Expenses

The best way to get an idea of how much money you're spending in certain categories is to look to your past spending habits. There are some expenses that are the same every month, like your rent, and some that vary greatly, like groceries and your electric bill. Pull your bank account records for the previous three months and start making a list of the average price you paid for all of your expenses.

Step Four: Decide How You'll Set Up Your Budget

Now that you have an idea of your regular monthly expenses, it is time to actually set up your first budget! Yay!

There are a BUNCH of different ways to budget. You can use an app, like Every Dollar or YNAB, spreadsheets, which can get complicated, or just a notebook and pencil. I like to keep things as simple as possible, so I stick with a notebook and a pencil. You can get a good look at what our budget looks like in this post all about having a budget meeting. I simply make a list of all of our expenses for that month and write out the estimated amount in one column and then what it actually cost in the next column. After a while, I didn't have to do the estimated/actual because we just got in a rythm but to begin with I wanted to be sure I had some wiggle room in case I underestimated on anything!

The benefits, for me, of having a paper and pencil budget is that it is super easy to change up and forces me to write out our entire list of expenses every month, so that I feel more of the expenses. It helped me to physically see and write out what our debt payments were costing us in order to get them out of our lives faster!

If you're more likely to enjoy an app, and need the accountability of sharing your day-to-day financial decisions with a spouse or accountability partner, you might try YNAB or Every Dollar. I don't care what you use - but I do care that you pick something and stick with it!

Step Five: Get Out Your Social Calendar

Pull out your calendar for the month and see what you have going on. If you have a dinner planned with friends one weekend, you'll need to plan for that and put it in your budget. If you have a road trip to visit family coming up, you'll need to estimate your costs for that trip (gas, snacks, entertainment, lodging, etc) and put that all in your budget. Knowing what is coming up in the month before it actually happens is key to having a successful budget!

Now, all that being said, you will forget something - or likely - a few things. You can avoid this trap by giving yourself a specific item in the budget to help cover these expenses. Set aside $100 or so to sidestep things you missed (a coffee date you forgot to write down, school pictures, etc.). This also means that as these events and expenses come up, you will have to decide if you still want to pay for them or if you want to politely decline and save that miscellaneous fund for something else.

Step Six: Be Ready to Make Adjustments

Your first month of budgeting will likely be a disaster - but don't let that deter you. It is perfectly normal to spend the first month really getting your bearings and figuring out what your spending habits actually look like! So be prepared to do some erasing or deleting of numbers and recalculating things as you go. The first month is all about learning more about yourself so that you can put that new knowledge towards your second month's budget.

Like I mentioned above, you're going to forget things, way over-budget for some things, and way under-budget for others.

Step Seven: Keep Going

This is probably the hardest step of all, but now that you've survived your first budgeted month, you have to do it all over again the next month. (Refer back to step one!) However, the next month will be a little easier since you have some experience under your belt. Pull out last month's budget, look at your calendar, and do it all over again! By months three and four, you'll be an old pro at setting it up and anticipating expenses.

Budgeting is very much like riding a bicycle - it is kind of difficult at first, but not impossible, and gets better and easier the more and more you do it. However, getting through those first few months will change your life and give you a control over your money you've never had before. Ever. I want to really encourage you to give it a try for three months and see how it goes. Let me know what questions you may have below!

Do you have friends who might benefit from this as well? Feel free to share this on Pinterest by pinning the image below!

How to Meal Prep on a Really Tight Budget

2017-09-11T16:01:00.000-05:00

If you think that meal prepping is only for fancy, clean eating, fitness junkies, I'm here to change your mind! Here is how I meal prep on a really tight budget - complete with a price breakdown for each meal! It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be and it felt SO good to have all those meals ready to go for the week!

How to Meal Prep on a Really Tight Budget

I've been dreaming of doing a meal prep week for a while now. Something about those tiny black boxes with pre-portioned food and having to do no cooking throughout the week just really made me get all giddy inside. My problem is I felt like I couldn't do it within our regular grocery budget. It seemed like it would be too expensive and time consuming, so I just kept on with our regular meal planning every week.

Then Hurricane Harvey hit.

We were lucky to have no damage to our home. We barely even lost electricity throughout the whole storm. I'm not sure why we were spared, but we felt so lucky that we wanted to do everything we could to help others. One (very small) way I thought I could contribute would be to not go to the grocery store, since there were other people out there who had nothing and we had plenty to cook from our freezer and pantry. I know you're wondering what Hurricane Harvey has to do with meal prepping. Well - once we ate our way through almost all of our food, and had close to nothing left, I finally felt I was in a place where I could really challenge myself to buy (almost) everything I needed to meal prep and get a real sense for how much it would cost for us to do it each week.

The huge surprise to me was that it was actually pretty cheap and even though it is a lot of work on the front end, it was totally worth it to have it all done for the week!

Each of the following meals is made with mostly whole ingredients (I do cut corners here and there to save time and maybe a dollar or two) and I made five servings of each meal. So there is a total price for the meal as a whole, and then a price per serving. There is also a recipe listed or linked below it as well as a price breakdown of every ingredient.

A couple of quick details before we get started

For the most part I purchased all of the main ingredients and just had spices and herbs on hand to complete everything! Here is a list of what I had.

1. Garlic Powder
2. Ground Ginger
3. Honey
4. Cornstarch
5. Water
6. Salt & Pepper
7. Italian Seasoning
8. Salsa
9. Greek Yogurt

I also had to purchase a few things that we normally keep stocked that I used up the last of to make these. These prices are not counted in the price of the meals below because I used such a minuscule amount that it would have amounted to less than a penny per serving. These things where:

1. Kikkoman Soy Sauce (H-E-B) ($3.98)
2. Organic Ground Cumin (Aldi) ($1.99)

Where I Shop

I do a majority of my shopping at Aldi to take advantage of their amazing prices on produce and snacks. Anything I need that I can't find at Aldi, I get at H-E-B, which is a regional Texas grocery store, and I swear it is sent from Heaven. They have a huge selection and really great prices on staple items! I have a love affair with Aldi + H-E-B and they have both contributed significantly to my reduction in grocery costs! I've listed where each product came from below.

Let's get the breakdown started, shall we?

Taco Salad Bowls with Spanish Rice & Black Beans

1 LB 85/15 Ground Beef (Aldi) - $3.19
Low Sodium Taco Seasoning (Aldi) - $.22
1 Can Black Beans (Aldi) - $.59
Mahatma Spanish Rice Mix (H-E-B) - $.64
Cilantro* (H-E-B) - $.12
1 Bag of Shredded Lettuce (H-E-B) - $1.74
1 Bag of Seasoned Tortilla Strips - $1.89
5 Roma Tomatoes (Aldi) - $.79
1/4 of a 4 Cup Bag of Shredded Mexican Style Cheese (Aldi) - $.47

Cost: $9.65 for the entire meal / $1.93 per serving

{Notes: This one seems to be the most filling of everything I've made (all those beans & rice!) and I love Mexican food. Can't wait to make this one again! I just cooked the meat and rice separately. Then I drained and rinsed the black beans and added those to the rice with a handful of chopped cilantro. I layered the beef and then bean/rice mixture in the large side and added salsa, cheese, and greek yogurt. I portioned out the shredded lettuce and tortilla strips in zipper baggies and that was it!}

Teriyaki Shrimp with Brown Rice & Veggies

1 LB 50/70 Peeled/Deveined Frozen Shrimp (H-E-B) - $6.98
Broccoli* (Aldi) - $.49
1 Bag Sugar Snap Peas (H-E-B) - $2.97
White Button Mushrooms* (Aldi) - $.69
Zucchini* (Aldi) - $.46
Brown Rice* (H-E-B) - $.73
Cilantro* (H-E-B) - $.12
Sweet Mini Bell Peppers* (Aldi) - $1.44
Diced Pineapple* (Aldi) - $.25
Baby Carrots* (Aldi) - $.44

Cost: $14.57 for the entire meal / $2.91 per serving

{Notes: Here is the recipe I used for the teriyaki sauce: Teriyaki Shrimp Zoodles from Life Made Sweeter. I pre-roasted all the veggies the day before and then just warmed them up again in the sauce once the shrimp was cooked. I already had everything I needed to make the sauce!}

White Sweet Potato Noodles with Meatballs & Zucchini

Spiralized White Sweet Potato Noodles (H-E-B) - $4.98
1/2 Bag Frozen, Precooked Homestyle Meatballs (Aldi) - $2.20
White Button Mushrooms* (Aldi) - $.70
Zucchini* (Aldi) - $.46
Jarred Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce (H-E-B) - $1.89

Cost: $10.23 for the entire meal / $2.05 per serving

{Notes: I had some leftover garlic bread from dinner on Saturday that I stuck in a couple of these. I also had all the seasonings on hand for this one. I'm excited to try the "noodles"! I just browned the meatballs in a skillet, added the precooked veggies, and then put the sauce and sweet potato noodles in. I cooked until the noodles were soft - it took less than ten minutes to finish cooking!}

Honey Lime Chicken with Brown Rice

1 LB Chicken Tenders (H-E-B) - $5.04
Cilantro* (H-E-B) - $.14
1 Lime (Aldi) - $.19
Asparagus (Aldi) - $2.39
Sweet Mini Bell Peppers* (Aldi) - $1.45
Broccoli* (Aldi) - $.50
Baby Carrots* (Aldi) - $.45
Zucchini* - (Aldi) - $.47
Brown Rice* - (H-E-B) - $.74

Cost: $11.37 for the entire meal / $2.27 per serving

{Notes: Full disclosure - I already had the chicken in the freezer and did not purchase it for this meal plan but added the price in anyways just to see! Here is the recipe I used for this meal: Honey Lime Chicken Sheet Pan from Life Made Sweeter. This is absolutely DELICIOUS. We will be eating this more often and it is honestly pretty easy to make! I added in the rice to give it a little more oomph and fiber. Again - I pre-roasted all of my veggies the day before I did all of my big cooking and then just added it to the recipes as needed. It make it so much faster to have it all precooked and chopped!}

Additional Info to Note

Anything with a star beside it was something that I purchased and split between the recipes, so the price you see is what it cost for just that recipe. If you add them up, it would total what I paid for the entire product. Or, if you're lazy, I listed them out below:

Broccoli (Aldi) - $.99 for two crowns of broccoli
White Button Mushrooms (Aldi) - $1.39 for 1 LB of mushrooms
Zucchini (Aldi) - $1.29 for three large zucchini
Brown Rice (H-E-B) - $1.47 for a small box of generic instant brown rice, of which I used half to make all the rice for these meals (about 8 cups cooked)
Cilantro (H-E-B) - $.38 for a bunch, which I split three ways
Pineapple (Aldi) - $.99 for an entire pineapple, 1/4 of which I used for a meal, the rest for snacking this week.
Baby Carrots (Aldi) - $.89 for 1 LB of baby carrots

This made 20 meals - 10 each for my husband and myself. That means that all of our lunches and dinners for the week are ready to go! These containers are dishwasher, freezer, and microwave safe and the lids lock tightly on there for leak-proof transportation. I feel like a dang meal prep unicorn over here. I know people do it all the time, but for it to be my first time, I have to admit that I'm pretty darn proud of myself!

Ready for the grand total??

I still can't quite believe how little this cost. For all of the ingredients, the total for all 20 servings (four meals, five servings each) was..... drumroll please....

$47.29

Even if you add in the things I did buy and only used a tiny amount of, it is still only $53.26! Insane.

WHAT?? This is well within our weekly grocery budget (which is $90). Even with the price of the containers I purchased (these from Amazon, they're awesome!! *affiliate link), it is less than $72.

So, tell me all about how you're going to be meal prepping soon! If you have any question, please feel free to leave them in the comments below or shoot me an email - skye(at)skyemclain(dot)com!

Five Day Money Makeover Challenge

2017-05-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you need a kick start to your finances, the Five Day Money Makeover Challenge is a great tool to help you do that. I wanted to share a little more about it today and give you the change to download it, for FREE! Read on Budget Besties!

Five Day Money Makeover Challenge

Sometimes when you need to make a big, huge change in your life, the hardest thing to do is to just start. No matter what that thing is, it can seem totally insurmountable if you look at it as a whole piece. It can be super easy to just say, nah - nevermind - we will figure it out later. And then you just never get around to later and you look up in five years and that small hill has now turned in to a mountain.

If you start to look at a huge task in pieces, and eat that elephant one bite at a time, rather than the whole thing at once, it starts to feel so much more manageable. But, think about eating an elephant. I mean, where would one even think to start? Yikes - that is a lot to take on, even one bite at a time.

The science behind a kick start program is really interesting to me. Most of the time, we will walk away from any major lifestyle changes (losing weight, starting a workout regime, getting out of debt, taking on a big project at work) because we simply don't feel equipped to even start working on it.

But - if we are able to do five-seven very simple things that give us the tools, just enough information, and a sizeable result, we are more likely to feel like we can take on the big, insurmountable task.

And that is why I created the Five Day Money Makeover Challenge.

A lot of people just really have absolutely no grasp of their finances at all. That was us, not very long ago. And it is a hell of a scary place to be. Not knowing if you'll have enough money to pay your rent or buy groceries, collectors calling on the daily, credit cards getting declined... It can be a frightening place to exist in and one that feels like there is no light at the end of this long tunnel.

So I thought about some of the first things I did when we decided to take control of our finances and put them together in one place for you - oh yes, you there! - to give you the tools you need to take back control of your financial. And that sense of control is paramount in a financial journey.

Once you have control over your money, even before you really do anything to change the trajectory of it, it gives you such a sense of peace and releases that weight you didn't even know was on your back!

Here's what is included in the challenge:

Day One: Spending Freeze!
Don't worry - it is only for a few short days to give your checkbook time to cool off and all your current outstanding transactions to clear so you can start from an accurate place!

Day Two: Financial Feels
Spending money should come with an emotional transaction as well as a financial transaction. Let's talk about your financial feels.

Day Three: Income Evaluation
Are you bringing home every dollar that you're earning? If not, does it get sent to things that correlate with your goals?

Day Four: Where Is Your Money Going?
Do you even know? (Pssst: until I underwent this little challenge, I had NO CLUE! There were months that we spent more than our rent on eating out. Yikes.) You need to know where your money is going so you can take control of it and make sure it is working hard for you!

Day Five: Financial Goals
It is impossible to give your money a useful job if you do not have a goal you are working towards! I'll help you walk through naming those goals so you can put your money to work!

Do you need this challenge?

The best news of all is that this challenge is 100% free - all you have to do is download it and get started! Here's the deal though - I can't do the work for you soooooo you do have to commit to the five days. But the end result is worth WAYYY more than the time it will take to do each task.

They are literally 15 minutes or less.

So what are you waiting for? Download your free challenge TODAY and get started!

Budget Update - March/April 2017

2017-05-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest in our debt free journey! If you're interested in more about our debt free journey, you can read all of our budget updates here! If you're looking for a quick way to start making changes in your finances, download my free Five Day Money Makeover challenge and apply these five principles to your finances to start getting back on track today!

March/April Budget Update

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING

Hey friends! It's been a while since I've posted a budget update. To be honest, I've been a little bit discouraged in the debt snowball department. So today's update is as much for ME to get reinspired as it is for YOU to get inspired (maybe again, maybe for the first time!).

We were doing AWESOME and trucking right along when we got hit with a couple of unexpected blows:

1. I took a bit of a pay cut in my regular monthly salary.
2. We got a large, very unexpected tax bill to pay.

I had to let a client go a few months ago, and replaced them with another client for the same amount of money. Then that client had to let me go. So, all of a sudden, I was down about $800/month income. In the big picture we can definitely survive without that income. But, we definitely can't make the same amount of progress we were making before!

Then tax time showed up and after a year of sending in an additional $500/month from my husband's paychecks, which we thought would cover both of our self-employment tax requirements, we were really geared up for receiving a huge refund that we could put towards our credit card bill.

Instead, we got a tax bill of about $3,000. It was a huge blow to our momentum and my heart just fell when I got the news. It has taken me a month to sort of recover from that and start moving forward again mentally and emotionally. I'll be honest with you - there have been a few times over the last couple of months that I've just wanted to throw in the towel and quit, but then I look at the chart on our fridge and remember how far we have come and how hard we have worked.

Then I get that stirring in my gut that reminds me that I'm not going to let my circumstances control my reactions to things like this. (This is why making that mindset shift in Baby Step Zero is SOOOO IMPORTANT!!!) Rather than just going back to my old ways, I've been able to tread water for a couple of months, get the IRS paid off, and then get back on track with our actual debts.

Here is a reminder of what we are working with:

OUR ORIGINAL DEBTS

~~Best Buy Credit Card: $441.23~~
~~Student Loan #1: $859.03~~
~~Spark Business Card: $1,409.59~~
~~Barclay Credit Card: $2,377.31~~
~~Student Loan #2: $2,939.64~~
~~Student Loan #3: $4,464.77~~
~~Student Loan #4: $4501.44~~
Capital One Credit Card: $4,911.49
~~Student Loan #5: $5,427.62~~
Student Loan #6: $9,772.15
~~Car Loan: $6,800~~

Total: $43,912.99

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

We have only been making minimum payments on our debts these last two months, which is fine, but we definitely have to get back in gear. I'm so ready to finish! We made a payment of $1000 in April towards our tax bill so the amount below reflects what we owe (not counting the penalties and interest - I don't know what that is just yet).

OUR CURRENT REMAINING DEBTS

IRS Bill: $1,920.00
Capital One Credit Card: $4,266.27
Student Loan #6: $6,993.09

Total Remaining: $13,179.36

THINGS I'VE LEARNED

The most important lesson I've learned in the last two months is to pay your quarterly income taxes if you are self employed and earn more than $640/quarter. My husband is a minister, and I run my own business, so he and I both are subject to our regular income tax PLUS our self employment tax. Yeesh. The government sure does love small business owners and clergy, let me tell ya. I've now got my quarterly estimates set up so next year we should be good and not have a huge tax bill!

I have become approved to be a Shipt grocery shopper in the North Houston area but I haven't had a chance to start shopping yet. One of my goals for May is to make $800 in extra income to add to our debt snowball. I've also looked in to more VA work as well! But I have learned that just because my income changed, does NOT give me license to just sit back, whine, and give up on our hard work!

I've also started helping other people get their finances together as well! I am so nerdy, and absolutely love talking money with people now, so it seemed natural for me to start offering that as a way to serve people who need help! I haven't charged anyone for it (yet!) but I'm really interested in becoming a certified Financial Coach so I can really continue to share this peace with everyone I can.

I'll be back in June with an update on May and what we accomplished. I really need to make some huge progress this month to get my momentum going again!! How are you doing on your financial goals?

Don't forget - you can always get started with my Five Day Money Makeover Challenge!

Are you stuck in a rut with your finances? Do you constantly feel overwhelmed by money problems? Do you feel like you can never get a handle on your money? Let me encourage you to take my five day challenge to jump-start your financial goals! You'll learn:

1. How to really feel your money
2. How a cash flow plan can set you free
3. How to set long term and short term goals

Plus learn how to evaluate your income and make it work harder & smarter for you!

Yes! Send me my Five Day Money Makeover Challenge for Free!!

Talking With Your Spouse About Money

2017-05-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the hardest person to strike up a conversation about money with is the person you share your life with! Money is an extremely touchy subject that can quickly turn from an open conversation to a finger-pointing blame game. I've got Rachel here today sharing some tips to talk finances with you spouse!

How to Talk About Money With Your Spouse

According to a survey conducted by SunTrust, more than a third of married couples say that their finances are the leading cause of stress in their relationship. That being said, being able to discuss financial issues with your spouse is crucial to the longevity of your marriage. However, many of us simply don't know how to have this conversation. Here are some tips for starting an effective financial discussion with your significant other, and solving any money problems between each other:

Open and Honest Communication is Key

If you can't be honest with your spouse, then your marriage is doomed. Be truthful, and fully disclose your financial situation first as a catalyst for a healthy conversation. While it might seem daunting if your financial situation isn’t exactly all that great, hiding it would only make things worse. Trust is essential to any relationship, and it is hard to trust someone who's already lied to you.

Pay Attention to Your Spouse's Financial Behavior

Is your spouse a compulsive shopper, or a conservative spender? Are they liberal, or intolerant, with credit card debt? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you find some common ground with your spouse, before talking about finances. It will also help you address problems before they become impossible situations. For example, you might find out that your significant other has a ton of credit card debt, and hasn't been making monthly payments on the balance. If you start making those payments now, you'll stop the account from going into delinquency.

Discuss Each Other's Financial Goals

Talk about financial goals and values; this helps with implementing a successful, long-term financial plan. Focus on specific topics, and try asking thefollowing questions:

● Saving money - Do we want to focus on saving money for the future? Or, would we prefer to spend money now on things like vacations, restaurants, or fun excursions?

● Investments - How do we feel about investments like IRAs, 401Ks, or savings bonds?

● Children - How many children do we want to have, if any? If we do have children, should we save money for their education?

● Residence - Do we want to own a home, or just rent? Where do we want to live?

● Transportation - How many cars do we need? Do we want to buy a new car, or are we satisfied with buying a used one?

If you use the term "we" instead of "I", then you create a team atmosphere with your spouse. Write down each other's goals. It will help both of you create a plan that satisfies one another's wants and desires.

Create a Financial Plan

When you've collaborated with your spouse, and agreed upon some financial goals, then create a financial plan. The plan should include some hard facts, such as:

● Joint income

● Daily expenses

● Spending budget

● Emergency fund

● Current debt

● Credit rating

A qualified financial planner can also help you design a practical strategy. The important thing is that you consider your spouse's input, and make sure they're happy with the resulting plan.

Schedule Monthly Financial Meetings

Select one time each month to have a discussion with your spouse about finances. Keep track of your progress, and notice if either of you needs to make some changes. This doesn't have to be a formal discussion. If things become emotionally charged, then take a step back and try again the next day or some time that week.

Regardless of how things are progressing, stay positive and be patient. Negativity creates resentment. You want your spouse to feel as if they can talk openly with you about money issues. Remember, you're planning to spend the rest of your life together. Strive to achieve financial goals as a team, and you'll have a more fulfilling relationship.

Rachel is a media relations specialist for CreditSoup. In her spare time, she has taken a great interest in saving money where she can and sharing her experiences and advice with others.

Photography provided by Rachel Stubbe Photography at Thrive Conference.

Complete Guide to Making the Switch to Cash

2017-04-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Making the switch to cash is my number one tip for people who feel like their budget is out of control. Here's my complete guide on how to make the switch and why you should do it in your next monthly budget!

Complete Guide to Making the Switch to Cash

One of the most beneficial and money-saving steps we have taken to change our financial future is switching to cash for portions of our budget. Before we made the switch, we NEVER used cash. And I mean like, never. I always swiped my debit card (or worse, my credit card) and went on about my day. It was was easier, for sure, but we had absolutely no control over how much we were spending because we never felt an ounce of it!

Why Switch to Cash?

Switching to cash has made us really stop and think about every purchase we make using those dolla dolla billz. Do we really need it? Could I be using this money somewhere else? Could I save it and use it towards our debt? Handing over a $20 and knowing that it is gone forever is painful.

When you pay for something with a card, you swipe the card, put the card back in your wallet and then take your goods and go. You never feel the actual pain of handing over cash, not getting anything back from the financial transaction, and then taking your goods. Paying with cash activates the pain centers in your brain that remind you that you've given up one thing for another. Using plastic, of any kind, never kicks that in to gear so you never feel it!

It also limits your spending and helps you keep control over categories that are easy to overspend in, like groceries, eating out, clothing, gas, and more.

What category would you love to have more control of your spending in?

If you designate an amount of cash for the month for a specific portion of your budget, once the cash is gone, you can't buy anything else in that category. That will, in turn, make you stop and evaluate every purchase you make and ensure that it is for something you really need or really want because you could be out of cash when something you really do want pops up.

It can also indirectly teach you delayed gratification. Using cash to save up for big purchases, like furniture or a car, can help you learn to wait for the things that you really want because you've decided to learn how to pay cash for them, instead of financing them.

How do you decide on the categories and amounts?

Choosing categories for your cash should look something like this:

1. Where do I tend to overspend most often?
2. Is this somewhere that I will be paying in person?
3. Can I carry a reasonable amount of cash and be covered for this category?

For example, a common place that people overspend is eating out. It is really easy to get carried away when the menus are all so enticing and the idea of no dishes completely takes over. I know - I've been there. Given that you have to actually visit an establishment to eat out, it makes it a great category to consider. Can you carry a reasonable amount of cash to a restaurant without feeling vulnerable? I don't know about you but usually I'm not eating somewhere that costs more than $100 so, I would say yes.

Next step to conquer is deciding how much. This can be very tricky when you've never used cash before because you don't want to go overboard, but you also don't want to cut yourself short for the month either. Here are some tips to help you decide!

Go back over your last thirty days of transactions on your bank statement and see how much you have spent in that category. Add that up and use that as your first guideline.

Set a goal for how much you'd like to spend in that category. You may find that you spent more than your rent on eating out last month (and oh yeah, that definitely happened to us), and maybe you want to trim that down a bit. It is possible you've spent less than you thought for any given category, but chances are you will be surprised at how much you spent. Consider setting a lower goal than you've spent in the last thirty days and challenge yourself.

Get rid of a category altogether! Maybe you didn't even realize you were spending $100/month on coffee at your favorite drive through (ahem, rhymes with JarLucks), but you'd rather put that $100 towards groceries and make your own lattes at home.

Add it all up and allocate it.

You've got your categories decided upon and your amounts set. It's now time to head to the bank. My drive through tellers know me as "the girl with the post it note" now because I always let them know how I want the bills broken down. Here is what a typical month of cash looks like for us:

Gas: $200, broken down in $20s
Groceries: $90/week (so the total varies), broken down in four $20s and one $10
Entertainment: $150 ($50 for me, $100 for Chris), broken down in six $20s and three $10s

Don't forget we are in baby step 2, and our budget is pretty bare bones. We don't eat out much or do much in the way of entertaining!

I go to the bank once a month and get all our cash out at the beginning. You may find that because of payment schedules or when your monthly bills are due, you may need to break it out in to two times a month, or even weekly. I just hate going to the bank, so I made our budget work! ;)

Get somewhere to keep it.

One of the excuses for not using cash that I hear most frequently is that people don't feel safe carrying that much cash around with them. I'm not going to disagree with this statement, but it is a pretty lame excuse if you ask me. I get all of our cash at the beginning of the month, divide it up in to the envelopes, and keep it in a locked cabinet in my desk. I only carry with me what I plan to use which keeps me from worrying about losing it all AND spending it all!

So if I'm going out for lunch, I grab some of my entertainment money to pay for it. If I'm headed to the grocery store, I only take that week's budgeted amount with me.

We use the basic envelope system from Dave Ramsey, which came with our FPU kit, but there are some nicer ones out there too if you want something a little more fancy. If you're super cheap, just use regular envelopes and write on the outside what each one is for.

If you're still skeptical of carrying cash with you, go to your pharmacy and get a prepaid card to load the cash on to. This just adds an extra step in but if it makes you feel more secure, then I say go for it. Remember though, plastic, no matter what kind, can enable overspending, so just beware!

Here comes the hardest part.

The hardest part of making the switch is sticking to the allocated amounts and not dipping from Peter to pay Paul (or using your debit card when you're out of cash). Not even going to lie - I really struggle with this. Some months I'll use my card at church to get Jett a donut when I am out of cash. Or grab lunch out when I'm starving and wasn't planning on getting it to begin with. This is really a lack of planning on my part and something I an constantly working to get better at, but I wanted to share it with you so you would know what to expect!

For the record, my husband hasn't used his debit card in like, a year. Which I am really proud of! He is awesome at it. I suck. :)

That is the benefit of using cash though - it teaches you discipline, planning, and delayed gratification. If these are concepts that you struggle with, you are NOT ALONE! We have been doing cash for over a year and I still struggle with it. We can drive that struggle bus together. But almost nothing else will give you the satisfaction of overcoming them than switching to a cash system for some of your expenses!

Okay people now let's get information

If you're ready to make this monumental change in your budget, and friend I think you are, then I've got a sweet little checklist for you to download here so you'll have all these steps written out for you and you won't have to come back here a zillion times to remember what to do. Why, you're welcome.

Download your free checklist here

Don't forget - if you're new to this whole budgeting thang, I've got a Free Webinar today at 2PM all about how and why you need to set up a cash flow plan. Even if you can't make it, go ahead and RSVP so you'll get access to the webinar replay after its over, along with the freebies that come with it!

Definition of Debt

2017-04-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am a regular listener of Dave Ramsey's podcast. It has helped keep us super motivated while we continue to pay off our debts (which reminds me, I should probably do a budget update soon!), and I've learned a ton about personal finance by listening to him! I really appreciate that he is consistent and will hit you with the hard truths when you really need to hear them. I especially love the debt free screams.

We were on a car trip to my inlaw's house a few weeks ago and during one of the debt free screams, the husband of the couple said something that literally struck me to my core. It was so true, and so hard to admit that it aligned with me 100%. Here is what he said:

Debt is a measure of my lack of planning and my lack of contentment with God's provisions for me.

The widely accepted definition of debt is just something that you owe to someone, or that someone owes to you, and it is typically money. It is certainly true but the part people forget when they think about what debt actually is are the emotions and risks involved in it. They forget the selfish aspect of it, because the reason they utilized debt is likely because they could not afford what they wanted, but they decided that they wanted it anyways.

They hadn't planned on purchasing it, so they hadn't saved up for it. They weren't happy with something in their life, so they risk their financial stability to purchase something they can't afford to try to make themselves happy again.

The thing is - happiness doesn't come from stuff or things or debt. No matter how many times we are told over and over by the world around us that as long as we have the next thing, we will be happier and happier, it just is not true. In fact - the more "stuff" you have, the bigger the pile of things you have to cover the real unhappiness you may be feeling. You can only hide behind your "stuff" for so long before it just falls apart.

This just really rocked my whole world when he said it. I used to be the picture of the definition, but thankfully I've been able to change and find contentment in less (and for right now, much much less) and happiness in the trade off of making sacrifices to reach our bigger ultimate goals.

One key to avoiding going in to debt is learning how to plan when you want to make any kind of purchase. And you cannot make any kinds of plans if you do not know how to budget. Budgeting can be overwhelming and scary at first! But with practice, and learning how to set up a budget successfully from the get go, can make the process so much easier.

If you're tired of your money feeling out of control (or worse, in control of you) then a budget is the answer to that constant state of fear and lack of control. Join my free webinar this Friday and learn the Basics of Budgeting. It's going to have everything you need to know about why you should budget and how to set up a household budget that will help you plan your purchases ahead of time!

Sign up for the FREE WEBINAR below! If you can't make the live viewing, you'll still get a replay link just for RSVPing!

Mark Your Calendar! Free Budgeting Webinar

2017-04-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

One of the keys to getting your finances together is learning to live on a budget. It is not an easy thing to transition to, especially if you've never done it before, so I thought it would be a great thing to teach about! I hosted my first workshop last week at Bramble and Bee in Tomball and taught the (sold out crowd) WHY you need a budget and HOW to set up your first one!

It was a really fun night! But, since I could only open it up to about 15 people, it was super limited. I know that there are people out there who need help setting up a budget so naturally, I want to find a way to reach literally anyone and everyone! A free webinar is the easiest way to do that!

So friends, mark your calendar!

Next Friday, April 21, I'll be hosting my first LIVE (eeeeek) and FREE webinar on the exact same topic - Basic Budgeting: The Why & How of Having a Cash Flow Plan. It will start at 2PM SHARP and will only last about an hour. It will be packed with goodness on not only WHY you need a budget, and trust me you DO!, but how to go about setting one up for your home!

Spots will be limited so if you're interested, RSVP yours today using the form below!

Our Biggest Financial Mistakes

2017-04-07T06:30:00.000-05:00

Everyone makes mistakes. A lot of people don't draw attention to them because they feel insecure about them or like they've done something obviously stupid. I think they just show how far you've come in your journey!

I talk a lot (like, a lot) about how much debt we've paid off, how much success we have had in the last 16 months, and how excited I am about our financial future. I would be remiss to let you think we have always been financial maestros because that couldn't be further from the truth.

We've made some gigantic financial mistakes in our past but the main point is that they are all in the past! At some point in this journey you have to quit dwelling on the mistakes that you have made and start focusing on fixing them and moving forward.

You can waste your entire life looking backwards or you can turn around and face the future!

Here are most of the big mistakes we made in the past. I'm sure that there are some I have forgotten about - and probably for a good reason!

• I had a credit card and used it as an emergency fund

Before I even graduated from high school, I got my first credit card. I remember feeling so fancy when I used it for the first time - it felt very grown up and sophisticated. Ugh! It started with a $500 limit and for about a year I did keep it paid off every month. Then I started school and moved out of my parent's house and well - long story short, now the limit is $5,500 and we still owe about $4200 on it. It is next in the debt snowball and I will feel such a great weight off my chest when it is gone!

• We took out monumental student loans.

Chris and I both graduated from our higher education (I have an associates and a bachelors, he has a bachelors and a masters) with a combined total of about $60,000 in student loan debt - despite both working full time jobs while we were going to school.

• We financed our vehicles instead of paying cash.

We spent years "investing" our money in our used cars by financing them. We thought since we could afford the monthly payments, we could afford the cars. Financing your car, used or brand new, is the equivalent of throwing money out the window while you're driving it down the road.

• We bought a house when we were broke.

While we had car payments and student loans out the wazoo, we decided it would be a great time to buy our first home. We made so many mistakes here: We bought the most expensive house in our neighborhood, got a FHA loan and financed 103% of the value of the home, and took money out of Chris (very small to begin with) IRA to pay the closing costs.

• We never had a plan!

We never used a budget. I knew how much our bills were and how much we made but we never made a plan for it before the month began.

Our finances have always felt overwhelming and disastrous until we both finally put our feet down and said ENOUGH! Enough living without a plan, enough worrying about paying the bills, E N O U G H!!!

I'm just sharing all of this with you guys because no matter where you are sitting right now - you can make the decision to start something different today. We've made mistakes and we are fixing them. If you've made mistakes, you can fix them too!

What do you think is your biggest financial mistake? Are you ready to face it and fix it?

The Good Debt/Bad Debt Debate

2017-03-31T06:30:00.000-05:00

I know I'm opening up a gigantic can of worms here so I'll preface this post by saying that I am in the interest of studying personal finance which is, by definition, personal, so each person has their own opinion on it. Opinions are always welcome here, as well as experiences, expertise, and emotions. Negativity and nastiness are banned. So, feel free to give us your opinion on the great debate in the comments but keep it nice and positive.

The following statement was copy and pasted from Debt.org, "America's Debt Help Organization". Let's dissect it.

By definition, debt is simply the process of one party borrowing money from another party. And for most of us, debt is a necessary part of life.

We borrow money so that we can buy goods or services that we could otherwise not afford right now. We borrow with the promise and expectation of repaying the borrowed funds sometime in the future – a time when expect to have money to do so.

That reality makes it wise for all borrowers to weigh their overall balance of good debt vs. bad debt.

Well they do get one thing 100% accurate: Debt is simply the process of one party borrowing money from another party. I think it all goes downhill from there.

"Debt is a necessary part of life."

I think the word they are trying to think of is normal, not necessary. Debt is normal because "everyone does it" and so that has made it an accepted practice in our society. People who are truly financially responsible, meaning that they live on a budget and have a plan and goals for their money know that going in to debt is never necessary.

"We borrow money so that we can buy goods or services that we could otherwise not afford right now."

We definitely live in an instant gratification society. If we can't afford what we want right this second, we just whip out that credit card and swipe it, vowing to pay it off as soon as we get home. Or, we sign the papers and buy the car because we can afford the monthly payments. Because we cannot afford it right now, and we have become wired to feel that we deserve it anyways, we make excuses to justify buying things we cannot afford.

"We borrow with the promise and expectation of repaying the borrowed funds sometime in the future – a time when expect to have money to do so."

This statement forgets one very important thing: RISK. We promise to pay it back when we have the money but that is a really dangerous promise to make. It is why there is billions in overdraft fees paid to banks every year and millions of dollars being collected for bad debts. You cannot make a promise that you'll pay something back when you can't guarantee your financial future. And the more you make that promise, the thinner and thinner it becomes.

"That reality makes it wise for all borrowers to weigh their overall balance of good debt vs. bad debt."

I think this should say "weigh their overall balance of debt vs. no debt" because in no case is borrowing money a good idea. This also implies that having a certain amount of "good debt" cancels out the "bad debt" when really, together they dangerously tip the scales.

What is considered a good debt?

Taking out a mortgage: Mortgages are rationalized by the fact that generally speaking, home values increase over time and that the interest you pay on your mortgage is tax deductible.

Paying for a house in cash is incredibly difficult but owing money on the most expensive asset you have in your portfolio only increases your risk. Getting it paid off as soon as possible, regardless of the tax savings, secures the value of the home as a true asset and increases your net worth.

Financing a vehicle: If I can afford the monthly payments, I can afford the car.

Financing a car is the equivalent of throwing a $100 bill out the window once a week. Cars go down in value faster than you can get it paid off so by the time you are done making payments, it is likely worth less than what you paid in interest over the years.

Borrowing to save time and money: Borrowing money on things like home improvements and weatherizing your home will help you bring more in when you sell the home or save money on your utilities bills.

The hope is that it will save you time and money but the reality is when you tack on interest and the fact that your income is not being used to invest in your emergency fund, children's college funds, or retirement, then it is really not a savings at all.

Investing in School: Borrowing thousands of dollars in student loans to cover school expenses will guarantee a better paying job. Money borrowed for higher education will pay for itself over and over again.

Until you graduate, start your adult life with a $30,000 anchor tied to your neck, and desperately take the first job that comes along just to make the minimum payments on your student loans. Desperation is a nasty friend to bring with you to a job interview.

Borrowing for Business: Signing a loan in order to build wealth and grow is a great way to invest in yourself and your business.

Except when even with the seed capital, the marketplace is not receptive to your business and you have to shut the doors. Or when you do start making money, instead of then reinvesting it in to your business, you have to send it all to the bank. It is working backwards, not forwards!

What is considered bad debt?

Just about the only thing that society considers a bad debt is a high interest credit card. However, they still rely on them for day to day purchases and as an emergency fun because they have a 1% cashback bonus or give you points to buy airline tickets with.

Speaking from experience, I have a credit card (it is next in our debt snowball and has been cut up for over a year) and after using it and carrying a balance on it for nearly ten years, finally built up enough points to purchase a $300 plane ticket. Hear me when I say, I would have much rather had my life back over the last ten years than pay for a plane ticket with credit card points. The cost is no longer worth it to me.

Let's Chat About It

So there are my opinions on this whole good debt/bad debt debate. I'd love to hear yours! Let's start a healthy discussion in the comments below and fill me in on some experiences you have had with debt in your life. How has it been good or bad for you?

Baby Step Zero

2017-03-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you've been around here for very long, you're likely well aware that we are using Dave Ramsey's baby steps to get ourselves out of debt. They are seven simple to understand (but hard to do sometimes) steps that outline an entire financial plan to ensure you get out of debt and retire with dignity (and then some).

There is one step though that I don't think gets enough coverage. I refer to it as Baby Step Zero and, honestly, I think it is the most important step in the entire process. Let's talk about it.

Before you can ever start the baby steps, you have to face the person in the mirror, hook arms with your spouse, and draw a line in the sand. If you're going to make a change this big, and trust me it is a huge change when you've been living normally for years, then the most important part of it is to never look back.

You can never, ever borrow money again. You have to cut up your credit cards. You have to learn to hate debt with such a passion that it never becomes an option for you again.

You can never again rely on a credit card to get you out of an emergency situation. You can never fall back on taking out a line of credit at the bank to do something you want to do but can't afford.

You will make a budget before the month, every month, for the rest of your life. You'll never live without a plan again.

You have to learn to live in the in-between - where you aren't where you want to be but you can't go back to where you were.

You have to flex those patience muscles like you have never done before because you'll have to learn to save up for the things you want to buy instead of just going out and buying it whenever you want.

You have to grit your teeth and learn how to say no. And you have to learn that no is a complete sentence.

Your attitude towards debt has to change entirely. You have to get pissed off at it and have one of those "I've HAD IT" moments.

You must conquer this baby step before you start on this journey. You could not only not see any results, but they could be disastrous.

In the midst of putting the final touches on my personal financial coaching program this week, there were so many times I felt the absence of my business credit card, which has been a stop-gap for me over the last few years. So many times I would float expenses on there until I made it up with income, but it never worked. Either the income didn't happen or I lost interest in the project or something else just came up. Those floated expenses added up to over $5,500 in credit card debt. I will never, ever go back there.

I will find a different way - sell something, work more virtual assistant hours, find a different service provider for now - in order to do this and cash flow it.

Debt is simply no longer an option for me.

No debt of any kind. It is hard as hell - I'm not going to lie. But the work to get out of debt has been harder and has left way more of a scar on me than a little extra hard work will.

You absolutely must square up to Baby Step Zero, stomp it in the face, and never look back.

Are you ready to face your financial fears and kick debt out of your life forever? Not sure where to start? My FREE Five Day Money Makeover Challenge is the perfect place to get a look at your finances! You'll learn:

1. How to really feel your money
2. How a cash flow plan can set you free
3. How to set long term and short term goals

Plus learn how to evaluate your income and make it work harder & smarter for you!

Yes! Send me my Five Day Money Makeover Challenge for Free!!

Budget Update: February 2017

2017-03-10T06:30:00.000-06:00

Here is a reminder of what we are working with:

OUR ORIGINAL DEBTS

Best Buy Credit Card: $441.23
Student Loan #1: $859.03
Spark Business Card: $1,409.59
Barclay Credit Card: $2,377.31
Student Loan #2: $2,939.64
Student Loan #3: $4,464.77
Student Loan #4: $4501.44
Capital One Credit Card: $4,911.49
Student Loan #5: $5,427.62
Student Loan #6: $9,772.15
Car Loan: $6,800

Total: $43,912.99

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

As of March 10, we have paid off another student loan and on February 28, we paid off our CAR!!!!!

OUR CURRENT REMAINING DEBTS

Capital One Credit Card: $4,352.36
Student Loan #6: $7,303.53

Total Remaining: $11,655.89

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING

Back in January, I paid off the last of my own personal student loan. Most of what we had were Chris' since he had private school for undergrad AND graduate school and he took out loans for most of it. Yikes. Not recommended. But I clearly remember the feeling when I logged in to my student loan server (Navient - BYE FELICIA) and realized that it was the last time I would ever have to do it ever. It felt like I lost 20 pounds and I sat in my computer chair crying, realizing that I was doing something I thought was absolutely beyond impossible. I've always joked saying that my children would have to roll me in the wheelchair to the post office at the nursing home to make my final payment. And now, it is GONE. Forever. FORRRREVVVVVERRRRRRRR. Again I say - Bye Felicia!

And then in February, I started adding up everything and doing some calculations and realized that we could pay off our car. I've never written a check that large y'all. How many people do you know that have a paid for car? Our car isn't new or fancy but it is reliable, and I'm really picky about keeping it clean so it is in really good shape inside and out. And now I can drive it for years without a payment.

Just breathe that in - how much flexibility would you have in your budget if you didn't have a car payment? The average car payment is about $500/car. For most families - that is about $1000/month going out in a car payment. Think of all the amazing things you could do if you didn't have a car payment. CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE?

Those are two HUGE wins for us since the last update. To be down to our last two debts and be so close to the finish, is just incredible.

I write all this, and share our story, because I honestly thought we would never be able to do this. I am totally one of those "oh we can never do that, but congratulations on your success!" kind of people. I'm not writing this to brag or show off or make anyone feel guilty. I feel it is important for me to share it so that you say to yourself "Okay - if this family can get out of debt, we definitely can too".

Are you stuck in a rut with your finances? Do you constantly feel overwhelmed by money problems? Do you feel like you can never get a handle on your money? Let me encourage you to take my five day challenge to jump-start your financial goals! You'll learn:

1. How to really feel your money
2. How a cash flow plan can set you free
3. How to set long term and short term goals

Plus learn how to evaluate your income and make it work harder & smarter for you!

Yes! Send me my Five Day Money Makeover Challenge for Free!!

How to Create a Money Saving Plan

2017-01-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

Even though we are three weeks in to the year, it is not too late to plan and save money this year! Whether you are saving to fund a emergency fund or for a fun family vacation or for a large purchase, saving up and paying cash does require a plan. Here is how you can create a money saving plan this year!

How to Create a Money Saving Plan

Step One: Decide What You're Saving For

Is it time to upgrade your car? Do you want to take a huge vacation with your family that doesn't follow you home? Maybe you need a new couch or your kiddos just need some new clothes for school. Whatever your reason is for saving money, name it, and write it down so that it becomes something real, tangible, and visible for you to see every day!

Step Two: Calculate How Much

This can be tricky so my number one suggestion here is don't make a guess. Spend some time doing some research on how much money you need to be saving up. If you are going on a vacation, check out hotel rates online, look and see what attractions you want to visit cost, decide if you'll rent a car or uber, etc. Buying a new car? Start researching what kind of car and year model you want to purchase and how much it is being sold for private sale or wholesale on Kelly Blue Book. If you're making somewhat arbitrary purchases, like clothing for example, set a budget and share it with your kids so they know how much they have to spend. If they are old enough, let them be part of the process and shop online to have an idea of how much clothing costs, what they can get for their money, and compare prices between brands.

Step Three: Give Yourself a Timeline

Next you need to decide when you need it by. Do you need to buy a new car in the next year? Then you have 12 months to save up whatever dollar amount you've decided you can afford to spend. Just divide that number by 12 and you know how much you need to save each month! Are you going shopping for new clothes at the end of summer? Then you have the summer months to put aside the money you designated for shopping. Giving yourself an amount and a timeline suddenly breaks it down in to manageable steps, rather than one large dollar amount staring you in the face!

Step Four: Start Saving + Tracking

Once you know how much you need, how long you have to save it, and what your short term monthly or weekly goals are, you can take a look at your budget and see where you can cut back or trim up to either save more money (who doesn't want a little extra to spend on a vacation!) or save it up quicker! Then you can use a savings tracker to start watching the goals get met. Whether you're saving weekly or monthly, or even daily!, having a visual aid to help you meet each short term goal is so helpful and encouraging!

For a basic savings tracker, I've created two free downloads for you - one that tracks annually by month, or a 12-week tracker, that you can easily turn in to a 16- or 24-week tracker too! Just use a ruler and a pen to add in extra lines to break up the boxes.

The annual tracker includes the months, but the weekly tracker is blank, so you can make it as many weeks as you'd like and label them however you want!

Download the Yearly Savings Tracker here and the Weekly Savings Tracker here!

What are your savings goals this year? I would love to hear what you're working toward and if these freebies help you get there!

Did you love this post? Be sure to pin + share it!

2017 Financial Goals

2017-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

Money used to be a scary thing to discuss - that always seems to be the case when you don't have any, right? This year though, I'm excited to look forward to some financial goals! Here is what we are planning for in the year of 2017!

Was it just me or did this year seemed to be an especially hectic holiday season? Maybe it is because Jett is getting older and more involved with our holiday traditions or maybe it was because sales had picked up for my clients, but it resulted in making a realization that I've never been able to put my finger on before. I have always struggled coming off the holidays and as each year gets busier and busier through the holidays, this year was the worst. I spent the first couple of weeks in January in a bit of a haze, floating with no purpose, just out of sorts. But the realization I had, after coming out of the post-holiday coma, was that my brain really needed that time to zone out and recover after the craziness.

One of the things that I had time to think about during my first-of-the-year stupor was our financial goals for this year. We are a few short months (budget update coming at the end of January!) away from paying off all of our consumer debts and we are back on track with our debt snowball after the holidays! So, in natural type-A fashion, I really wanted to take a look at some of our goals for this year!

Finish Baby Step Two Strong

The end of 2016 was a bit lackluster in the debt snowball department with things like life, the holidays, and general lack of spark getting in the way. But now that I can almost see the end, I am so so determined to get 'er done and finish this mess up! We are down to our last three debts:

Car Loan: $3,900
Credit Card: $4,437.03
Student Loan: $ 7,780.64

At our current rate of about $2,000 a month we should have this paid off in the next eight months but our goal is to do as much as we can to finish it all by June. That way we have the rest of the year to save up our fully-funded emergency fund... which brings me to goal number two:

Fully Fund Our Emergency Fund

For my entire life my emergency fund has consisted of two things: my credit card and my father. Any time we have had any kind of emergency, be they a real emergency or not, my fallback was always to whip out my credit card and pray it had enough credit to successfully process or tuck my tail between my legs and ask my dad for money.

Don't get me wrong: I have been so very blessed to have my father be so generous and helpful to me financially throughout my life. He has quite literally bailed me out of many situations and for his generosity I am truly thankful. But I think that by always having that security net there, it stunted a bit of my financial maturity, so I'm ready to get rid of it and be a fully functioning adult money-wise. That is why I am chomping at the bit to get my emergency fund stockpiled with cash because that is when I will finally feel successful as an adult and I will no longer have to rely on my father or a credit card in an emergency.

For our family expenses, we think we will need around $25,000 in our emergency fund, and that will take us roughly eight months to save up. Again, I'm planning to do some other things to hopefully boost our income, tighten up our budget, and make that happen before the end of the year.

Start Researching & Interviewing Financial Advisers

After we get our emergency fund in place it will be time to find a financial adviser that we trust and who will educate us on our investments, rather than just taking our money and doing stuff with it. I want to be extremely involved in this process, as our money needs to be working really hard for us if we want to accomplish some of our long term goals!

It is important to find an adviser that will show you what to do, rather than tell you what to do, because in the end, it should be your decision since it is your money. If you don't know what your money is supposed to be doing, how will you know if it is performing well or needs to be moved? If you don't know where your money is invested, how will you know what it is supposed to be doing? I am always up for learning new anything so I am excited to start this process!

What kind of investments do we need? We plan on both opening a Roth IRA and start education savings for Jett. We can only put $11,000/year in Roth IRA accounts so we plan to invest above and beyond that into mutual funds. Once we get to the amount that reaches 15% of our income, we will start throwing money into savings/investments to buy a house with. That comes later down the road though, because ideally we would like to be able to buy a house with cash.

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Those are our three big financial goals this year and knowing that we can, and will, achieve them makes me feel SO GOOD. All of our hard work is paying off, and being able to see these big steps in our journey coming up so soon is so encouraging to my spirit. If you compared us financially two years ago to where we are today - it is like night and day. If you had ever told me I would feel hopeful about our finances or realistically planning to pay for a home in cash, I would have honestly laughed at you. But now - it is really happening, and a realistic goal. The ultimate goal. Because after that - we will be set for life and Jett will be set for life.

What are your financial goals for this year?

How to Stay Motivated While Paying Off Debt

2016-11-08T19:59:00.000-06:00

A year in to our debt free journey and I'm happy to say that we are still plugging along, making progress, and making payments towards everything each month. Yay! But, it is really easy to look at a mountain of debt and wonder how on earth you can ever stick with it for what seems like forever! I'm here to share a few ways that we have stayed motivated on this debt free journey that will hopefully help you either get started OR keep going if you've already jumped in!

How to Stay Motivated While Paying Off Debt

Be With Your People

The hardest part of being on a really tight budget and not being able to spend any money is being surrounded literally every day by people who either don't have to be or choose not to be. We have found that really being intentional about finding friends who understand our money habits has been incredibly helpful and motivating! We don't go out to eat, so right now we aren't hanging out much with people who like to eat out! We aren't doing any vacations, so people who travel aren't in our current crowd. It is hard to not be doing all the things our friends are doing (which is totally natural of course) so instead of going against what our goals are to fit in with that crowd, we have just changed crowds! The other bonus is that we have made some really amazing and inspiring friends who have helped us stay the course and kept us motivated!

We were lucky enough to have a huge group of people to keep us on track by taking Financial Peace University at our Church! Which leads me to my second point.

Attend or Teach Financial Peace University!

Thankfully, our church already has a thriving FPU program so it was easy for us to just step in. Our coordinator Terri is awesome and has been coordinating FPU at our church for years. We knew Dave's principals but we really wanted to be in the class so we could make some new friends who would get our crazy money decisions. After our class was over we couldn't wait to lead a small group. Our small group leaders were awesome (Hey Kris and Larry!) so we wanted to be that for another couple who was in the same place we were! We immediately signed up to lead a small group and it was such a huge blessing for us to guide others on their journey and it kept us more accountable to our goals too!

I just have to brag on a few of the people in our class. One couple walked away from buying a house while they were in the class because they learned that the weren't financially ready to do it. And when I say walked away, they literally cancelled on closing day. That is tough! Another couple sold their beloved family truck and paid cash for a smaller car so the husband could take on an extra job of driving for Uber to bring in extra cash! We were so inspired by some of the sacrifices that our small group made. It was so exciting!

Track Your Progress!

We keep our Debt Snowball Tracker on our fridge where we can see it every day and see how much debt we have paid off so far. It is such an awesome daily reminder of how far we have come and how our sacrifices have really paid off for us!

Want to start tracking your debt snowball? Just download your free tracker here and tack it up where you will see it every day. It may be on your fridge or your bathroom mirror or maybe in your office! When that running total column starts adding up it will be such a huge motivator for you to keep going!

Celebrate the Little Wins!

It is always good to pat yourself on the back a bit when you are going through a long process of anything whether it is organizing a house or sludging through a work project or paying off debt. Celebrate mini victories along the way to stay motivated! Every time you pay off a debt, like a whole credit card or student loan, reward yourself with a (reasonable) dinner out, a movie date, a girl's night, or something you've really been depriving yourself of!

These little things have really been big things in our debt snowball journey and seriously helped us stay motivated! What are some ways that you stay the course during a long haul journey in life? Share in the comments below!

Are you wanting to turn your finances around? All it takes is one decision to start doing things differently! Take my free five day challenge to jump start your financial makeover!

How to Cash Flow Christmas This Year

2016-11-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Let's plan for Christmas together with my free Christmas Cash Flow Planner and Gift Planner! Download it now and then we will walk through each form together and get a plan for Christmas this year so it doesn't leave your finances in the dust!

HEY! It's November! That means Christmas is in LESS THAN 55 DAYS! YAY!

Unless of course, you're planning for shopping for all of your Christmas gifts on a credit card this year. In which case, I can almost guarantee you have that tiny little knot in your stomach because you know that every year your heart is going to skip a beat when you get that credit card statement in January.

Did you know that consumers spend almost 40% more than they plan to spend, or remember spending, when they shop with a credit card rather than with cash or a debit card? That means that if you had a Christmas budget to begin with, it is 100 time easier to go over that budget by 40% when you pay with a credit card rather than cash or a debit card. So if your budget for Christmas is $1,000, you're more likely to spend $1,400 instead. Does that make your head, or wallet, hurt a little? It does mine! I don't have an extra $400!!

Avoid that extra punch in the gut with my free Christmas Cash Flow Planner.

So this year, I'm going to give you some tips, guidance, and a little challenge to approach Christmas differently. Here is how to cash flow your Christmas, even if you're just getting started in November!

Before you get started, download your free Christmas Cash Flow Planner here! I'm going to reference each document throughout the post so go ahead and download and print it so we can walk through it together!

1. Make a plan.

As with anything in your life, the best way to successfully cash flow your Christmas shopping this year is to start with an actual, written plan. Decide on how much you can afford to spend, make a list of everyone you need to purchase a gift for, assign a budget for each person, and know exactly what you plan to spend. Easy right?

Well - if you've never done it before? No, probably not. How do you decide on what you can afford to spend? It starts by having a cash flow plan for the month of November. If you've never done it before, I really challenge you to do it for November so that you know what you can really afford. Warning: this may be a really big wake up call for you and your budget!

There are a bunch of different ways to do a cash flow plan but assuming this may be your first time, we are going to take a really simple approach. Take your November Cash Flow form and at the top of the page, add up all of the income you plan to receive for the month of November and put it in the box labeled "Income". See? Nothing scary so far!

Now, go down the page and fill in each box with the corresponding amount of money that goes towards that category this month. Start with the needs: giving or a tithe, food, transportation (car payment, insurance, and gas), rent or mortgage, and utilities. Then fill in any debt payments you have going out - credit card balances, student loans, medical bills, etc. After that, complete the boxes for eating out, clothing, and any other miscellaneous discretionary budget line items.

Don't forget to plan for your Thanksgiving meal, the Thanksgiving parties at school, any extra traveling you'll be doing for Thanksgiving, or other holiday related expenses for November.

Add up all of these, and put them in the box labeled expenses, and then subtract your expenses from your income, and this is how much money you have to spend for Christmas in November.

Quick gut check: Are you pleasantly surprised by this number or are you a little ashamed of it and think you should have more? Look at all of your debt payments going out and think about what it would feel like to add those totals to this number? Doesn't getting rid of that debt free up your budget so that you can give more?

Whatever that number is - here is your challenge. Find a way to make it work for Christmas this year. Whether it is $250 or $2,500, make it your budget for Christmas gifts and use that to plan for your spending this year. It might be hard but if you don't have as much money as you thought you would, it will be a serious wake up call.

2. Change your spending method.

This year, vow to put that credit card away and to use either cash or a debit card for all of your purchases for Christmas this year. Even better, cut that card up! Oh yeah - I went there.

But wait! I do most of my Christmas shopping online! I don't want to risk having my identity stolen! That still doesn't mean you have to use a credit card for shopping. Your debit card is protected by the same principles that your credit card is as far as fraudulent spending - if it is used fraudulently, you're never responsible for the money spent whether it is a credit or debit card. BUT, if you are on a budget and can't afford to have that cash just disappear until they decide to give it back to you (which I totally understand because hey, that is where we are!), it is so easy to get a pre-paid debit card, load it with your budgeted amount, and shop online without worrying!

So, no excuses! NO CREDIT CARDS THIS YEAR!!

Every time you see that cash leaving your hand or watch your checking account get drained every time you make a purchase, it will help you feel your money and keep that budget in check!

3. Downsize your gifts

Raise your hand if you have to go through your house either before or after Christmas and get rid of stuff just to make room for more stuff you're going to buy. Is that you? That was us a few years ago and when we had Jett, his first Christmas was ridiculous. Chris and I didn't even get him anything because we knew his grandparents would do what grandparents lovingly and generously do and go a tiny bit overboard.

Then when we decided to change our financial future and get out of debt, we completely changed our outlook on Christmas. Not because we wanted to - we had to! We didn't want to spend a ton of money on Christmas because it went against our overall goal of getting out of debt. So we decided to go really small on gifts and big on time together and with family and honestly (I promise I'm not trying to cheese it up around here) it was one of the best Christmases we have ever had as our little family.

This year, instead of focusing on spending a lot of money on a person on your list, try and focus on the intentionality behind the gift. A lot of times we use Christmas as an excuse to buy something someone really wants, no matter how exorbitant it is price-wise. I'm not going to tell you to only buy needs for Christmas because frankly - that is boring! It is nice to treat your loved ones a bit with something unexpected that they want! I am going to tell you that you don't have to go over your budget to make that happen. The phrase "it's the thought that counts" has been around a long time for a good reason: because it is true.

Instead of buying the first gift that comes to mind (unless of course that gift is within your budget and is something they want) do some investigative discovery and find out something they've been really wanting and haven't had the time or inclination or money to get themselves. It could really be something very meaningful and simple that can light up their Christmas and make them think of you every time they reach for it! Maybe it is a really amazing cookbook from their favorite chef, a gift card for a much needed massage, or a good book they have been wanting to read. The point is, it can be meaningful and wonderful without blowing your budget. It just may take a little more work!

Grab the Gift Planner page (you may need to print off more than one, depending on how many gifts you need to get), and sit down with your spouse and start filling it out. There is a place for their name, the allotted budget for their gift, their interests and hobbies, and a checkbox for purchased, received, and wrapped, so that you can track their gift from start to finish in one place.

It always helps me to do things like this in pencil because I tend to make a lot of changes before I finish it out.

The bottom line is - Christmas can be fun and meaningful even when you do it on a budget. It may even be MORE fun and MORE meaningful because you're adding something to your Christmas that may never have been there before: intenionality!

Don't forget to download your Free Christmas Planning Packet here and start planning Christmas today! You may need to do it again in December if you need to extend your time or budget a bit, so the sooner you get started, the better.

Do you have a friend who could use this information? Be sure to email them this post OR share it on your Pinterest account!

Things I've Learned on our Debt Free Journey

2016-10-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday friends! Can we just talk for a moment about how TODAY IS HALLOWEEN and tomorrow is NOVEMBER and WHERE DID THIS YEAR GO? Because no. It cannot possibly almost be 2017. I'm still not ready for the summer to be over, much less Christmas to be here. Someone hold me.

In other news, the fact that this month is November means that we have been on our debt-free journey for nearly an entire year. As I have already observed, this year has flown by, and I can't believe that we have made the progress that we have!

Read our entire debt free journey with budget updates along the way!

Anyways, I wanted to share some things that I have learned about money and, more importantly, myself along the way. Changing your money habits is really a huge personality overhaul since you have to make major behavior changes in order to really make financial changes in your life.

How to fix things

I've never, ever in my life been a fix-it type person. Vacuum cleaner break? Toss it and buy a new one. Air conditioner went out on the car? Jack that baby up and drive a new one underneath! Lawnmower go out?

Wait, who are we kidding, I've never even pushed a lawnmower in my life. I hate yardwork. BUT my husband mows our yard and when our lawnmower went out, we tried really hard to have it fixed but it just wasn't having it. So we bought a beater lawn mower and it gets the job done but it sounds like it is constantly on the verge of giving up the ghost!

I digress.

But since we have been on a really tight budget I have learned that fixing things is soooooo much cheaper than buying something new on a credit card and then paying for it for oh, ten years or so. It has also been an opportunity to teach Jett how to take really good care of his toys because Mommy and Daddy are not going to be replacing them if they break. We have made several car repairs, like the ball bearing in the wheel, the air compressor, and then replacing the entire transmission, performed minor operations on some other lawn equipment, had some work done on my computer, and had a friend help us install a button in our truck that makes the horn honk. I mean, we live in Houston so that is obviously a necessity, right?

Making minor repairs is now in my wheelhouse and I'm no longer afraid to Google or You-Tube how to replace the window buttons in an Altima (because oh, yeah - we fixed that too!)

How to cook even when I don't feel like it

I do love to cook, and I've gotten much better at it over the last year since we have eaten approximately 98% of our meals at home, but there are still nights when a $5 Little Caesar's Hot 'N Ready Pizza just feels SO MUCH EASIER. I've gotten past that by keeping our weekly menu really simple for most of the nights and easy to switch around if I need to make something easy when I'm just not feeling it!

I have also started implementing a Sunday afternoon cooking session to get most of the big prep for all the meals done for the week so that I just have to do some minor assembly during the week! It is a lot of work on a Sunday but on Wednesday night, when Chris is working late and Jett is running around like a crazy person, it is nice to just microwave dinner and throw it on the table!

How to have a Starbucks meeting without ordering coffee

I bet you didn't even know this was possible. But YES - you can sit in Starbucks and not order anything! And sometimes, if you get really lucky, they mess up a drink and will "On the House" it and set it out for anyone to grab.

I hear all the people out there saying "but you're using their free Wi-Fi without purchasing something?" and to you I just say "Yes, yes I am." The mark-up on coffee is astronomical so by my simple calculations, I've more than paid for a couple of hour's worth of Wi-Fi with all of my previous Starbucks purchases.

I've also brought in a bowl of pineapple before too - I know. Heresy. But when you're out of entertainment money for the month, you do what you have to do sometimes!

These are really small, and kind of petty things, and trust me when I say I know that they aren't huge breakthroughs. But that is the last thing I've learned.

Every little behavior change COUNTS, even the tiniest ones!

In Weight Watchers, you celebrate little "non-scale victories" like making a healthy choice over a non-healthy one or noticing that your pants fit a tad bit looser. When you've put your debt on a major diet, you've got to celebrate those little "non-scale victories" too! Making any kind of lifestyle change depends on the decisions you make on a daily basis WAY more than the big decision you made to start it. You get a chance each day to make tons of decisions that will either benefit your financial health or put a damper on it so learning how and why to make the right decisions is 80% off the battle.

Let's hear it from the audience (that would be you) - what tiny decision can you make today to benefit your financial health in the future? Leave a comment below and share a "non-scale victory" with me!

Massive Budget Update!

2016-10-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest in our debt free journey! These last few months have been so crazy with school starting, business picking up for my clients, and lots of random traveling. It has been a challenge to keep up but we have continued to budget each month and make more progress!

Here is a reminder of what we are working with:

OUR ORIGINAL DEBTS

Best Buy Credit Card: $441.23
Student Loan #1: $859.03
Spark Business Card: $1,409.59
Barclay Credit Card: $2,377.31
Student Loan #2: $2,939.64
Student Loan #3: $4,464.77
Student Loan #4: $4501.44
Capital One Credit Card: $4,911.49
Student Loan #5: $5,427.62
Student Loan #6: $9,772.15
Car Loan: $6,800

Total: $43,912.99

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

As of October 26, we have paid off another student loan (insert happy dance here!!!) and made another snowball payment this month to reduce it down to four debts left. YOU GUYS WE ARE STILL TRUCKING AWAY!!

OUR CURRENT REMAINING DEBTS

Student Loan #5: $2,648.16
Capital One Credit Card: $4,452.46
Car Loan: $4,500.45
Student Loan #6: $8086.25

Total Remaining: $19,687.32
Total Paid Off: $19,216.23

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING

It is getting to the point where I can feel our momentum waning a bit, because our monthly snowball payments seem to be getting smaller and smaller. So it is time for another kick in the behind to get this train moving again!! I am SO READY TO BE DONE WITH THIS so we can move in with our lives! I think we need to have a Get out of Debt Pep Rally or something!!! At the rate we are currently going - it is going to take us another 10-12 months and I'm just really not okay with that. I wanted to have it finished in 18 months and we have really been a little lax with our budget and spending habits.

On top of that, I had an overnight stay in the hospital in September that the bills are starting to roll in for - it is looking like it will be between $2000 and $3000 dollars. That is a bit of a blow but it is good to know we can have that taken care of in a couple of months and have it off our plate so we can continue to move forward. And, as expensive as our insurance is, it is nice to have it for things like this because the original bill was close to $30,000.

If you do not have medical insurance, PLEASE FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. This would have really just crippled us for right now so I am so thankful we have it!

In addition to that, I've decided to move in a bit of a different direction with my career (more details will be coming soon on that) and therefore I've let one of my clients go which means I will see a dip in my income which is scary for me! I am just on fire to get this debt GONE and the lowered income certainly does not help with that!

But, we will finish, and we will finish strong. I have big plans for myself and my career and I'm excited to make some major changes around here! Thanks for sticking around with me through the rough years while I figure myself out - I feel like my major identity crisis is coming to an end and I'm finally nailing down what my next big adventure will be!