It’s time to start living on a budget that works for your family. Make smart financial choices to avoid getting into debt, cut down costs, save money, and stretch a paycheck without constantly taking loans. Quickly assess your financial situation, and create a family budget with our step-by-step guidelines.

Table of contents:

1. What Is a Family Budget?
2. What Does a Family Budget Include?
3. Why Should You Have a Family Budget?
4. What Is 50/30/20 a Percentage Rule?
5. Making a Family Budget: Step-by-Step Instructions
6. Simple and Free Budgeting Tools of 2022
7. How Can a Family Get Some Money for an Emergency?
8. Top 3 Ideas for Families to Save Money Every Day
9. 4 Crucial Things You Should Not Be Saving Money On
10. Basic Budgeting Tips Everyone Should Know
11. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What Is a Family Budget?

Before we discuss how to budget, let’s give a definition to the term. A budget is a spending plan based on income and expenses. In other words, it’s an estimate of how much money you’ll make and spend over a specific length of time.

A family budget is a plan for your household’s incoming and outgoing funds over a specific time period, such as a month or year. The best family budgets are flexible, giving you breathing room to save more whenever you can.

According to statistics, only 32% of U.S. households prepare a monthly budget, and only half of them have this process become a habit. Many keep the budget “in mind” – about 26%.

The average U.S. household spends over $70,000 on housing, groceries, transportation, health care and more. The map below shows the cost of living for a two-parent, two-child family in Franklin, MA:

What Does a Family Budget Include?

Income

Family or household income is the income shared by working people living in the same household. This also includes interest on deposits, odd jobs and freelancing, gifts for the holidays, pensions, social benefits and any other additional injections.

Expenses

An expense is the money spent by all family members. This part of the budget consists of several categories.

1. General expenses. Meals, apartment bills, communication services, public transport, car maintenance (if everyone uses it), family vacations, loans.
2. Unforeseen expenses. Breaking down plumbing or gadgets, getting medical attention, or other expenses that you can’t plan in advance.
3. Personal expenses (for each family member separately). This includes buying clothes and shoes, having fun with friends, planned visits to the doctor, paying for college, buying gifts, paying for children’s clubs, spending on pets.

Before the beginning of the month, write down the approximate limits in each of the categories so that you do not accidentally spend more than you received.

Savings

Savings represents an individual’s unspent earnings. Savings may include:

1. Emergency fund. Everyone needs it! These are funds that will save you in any financial difficulties: for example, they will help you purchase costly medicines – you know that getting sick can be really expensive in the U.S. Most experts believe you should have enough money in your emergency fund to cover at least 3 to 6 months’ worth of living expenses: for this, you can set aside 10% of income monthly.
2. Money for big purchases. For example, a vacation, a car or a new home.
3. Assets and valuable property. Investments, car, real estate – any value options. Such savings have bonuses – for example, investments can grow at the expense of interest and become sources of passive income.

Why Should You Have a Family Budget?

The need to make a family budget is not always obvious. Usually, people refuse to plan for two reasons. A person may have enough money for everything, and accounting for income and expenses seems like a waste of time. Or the person’s income is too low, and it is not possible to save, and therefore budgeting seems pointless.

In fact, financial planning does not depend on the income size. It is used for budgets of any size. Accounting for all expenses and earnings allows you to correctly organize the family budget. Here are the benefits of financial planning:

• Helps achieve large financial goals. If the income is not large enough to afford serious purchases at any time, the money has to be saved. For vacation, repair or car. To do this effectively, you need to budget;
• Helps create an emergency fund for unforeseen cases. Illness, job loss and other surprises always lead to additional expenses. Financial planning allows you to prepare for such cases by creating a “safety cushion”. This also includes the purchase of insurance.
• Helps to optimize expenses. Unplanned small purchases make up a large part of family spending. A lot of people look at the numbers in horror after the first month of budget analysis because they didn’t know how much money goes into all sorts of nonsense. Keeping records helps to find weaknesses and redistribute financial flows more competently.
• Helps reduce everyday stress. When you don’t know whether you will have enough finance from paycheck to paycheck, you are in constant anxiety. Unforeseen expenses force you to take loans or use credit cards. The statistics shows that the 2022 January demand for payday loans exceeded New Year’s eve!  Then you have to think about how to repay the debt. This debt cycle creates constant stress, which eliminates competent planning. The family budget takes into account all expenses, so you don’t have to worry that the money will run out unexpectedly.

What Is 50/30/20 a Percentage Rule?

This is an intuitive way to keep a personal or family budget. All income is divided into three main groups: 50% goes towards your necessities, 30% towards leisure and fun, and 20% towards savings.

This ratio is not a dogma. The very creator of the rule, US Senator Elizabeth Warren, noticed: at least come up with your own proportions, but at least start watching money, and life will become better.

The essence of the budget is to see income and expenses, and then learn how to manage them. Ideally, you should manage money so as not to get into debt, be prepared for the surprises of life and slowly secure your future. The 50/30/20 percentage rule can help with all of these goals.

Making a Family Budget in 10 Steps

1. Choose a budget planning model

1. General family budget. You pool your income, plan and pay your current expenses together. In this model, a significant drawback is the inability to arrange surprises for each other.
2. Mixed family budget. Each pays an equal amount of money or the equivalent in percentage. In this case, it will be a significant disadvantage if one of the spouses gives the entire salary and the spouse does not have any funds left for personal needs. In this case, it can be agreed that you pay amounts proportional to your incomes.
3. Separate family budget. You divide the total costs in half, spend the rest on yourself. There is a downside – when planning large purchases or trips, you need to agree on what contribution is required from each family member. Such a budget is easy to maintain when there are only two in the family, and incomes are about the same level.

2. Keep track of income, expenses and savings

You can write in a notepad or keep records in Excel, or you can use special apps (described below), the main thing is that your way of managing finances helps you, and does not create more confusion.

It’s convenient to manage your household budget in Excel. The categories usually include:

• Income: planned and unplanned.
• Mandatory payments: taxes, utilities, loans.
• Regular expenses: food, transportation, cosmetics.
• Education.
• Savings: emergency fund, pension, goal.
• Entertainment.

3. Plan your expenses

At the beginning of each month, plan your spending, calculate how much you are willing to spend on irregular expenses.

Agree on all irregular expenses when planning your home budget so that you do not take money from savings. It can be gifts for birthdays, corporate parties and joint trips to the cinema, theaters.

4. Build an emergency fund

First, create a financial safety cushion – it will help you in emergency situations – for example, if one of the family members suddenly falls ill or one of the spouses loses his/her job. Most financial experts recommend having three to six months’ worth of expenses available for emergencies.

5. Save at least 10% of income

Open a joint savings account (deposit) and set aside at least 10% of your income immediately after receiving your paycheck. So you save yourself from spending money for other purposes. You can start with a smaller amount. The most important thing is to make this action a habit.

Let’s say you make $1,500 per month, and your partner earns $1,000. Set aside 10% of your salary every month and you will save $3,000 at the end of the year.

6. Set up multiple savings accounts

This is necessary so that there are no illusions that you have saved an impressive amount and you use these funds all at the same time, for example, on vacation. It is better to open several deposits and save separately for education, save for a car or save for a mortgage.

The other important step is to start investing. Investing is passive income, you don’t have to do much to make your money work for you.

7. Reduce family expenses

After 2-3 months of accounting for expenses, you will start to get a picture of what you are spending your money on. Analyze your spending structure and think about what family money expenses can be reduced and what can be spent more on.

If you have long wanted to spend less on travel, go to bars or eat meat – the analysis will help you re-evaluate your expenses. You will find a few useful savings tips below on this page.

8. Create a joint account

You can open a joint account to jointly pay for utilities, buy groceries and household goods. This will help you always pay bills on time and your frige will not suddently become empty.

In addition, a joint account will free you from mutual settlements: you receive a paycheck, chip into the general budget, transfer 10% to a piggy bank account, and what is left is only yours.

9. Make a financial plan

If you make a financial plan for the next 3-6 months, then it will be easier for you to cope with upcoming expenses. Let’s say you need $2,000 for the New Year’s gifts.

If you save $400 a month, it will be easier for you to cope with the financial burden. Consider seasonality – when autumn approaches, expenses for schoolchildren increase, in winter – you need to buy warm clothes and shoes.

10. Involve your kids in budget planning

Budgeting for children is important for helping them learn financial literacy and develop good money habits. Teaching your kids the basics of budgeting can begin as early as age 10. Try it – it will benefit both you and your children. Research shows that if a child is taught financial basics in a playful way from childhood, in the future he or she will manage spending better. To convey these important thoughts, pay attention to the books “A Dog Named Money” by Bodo Schaefer and “If You Made a Million” by David M Schwartz, the cartoons “Dora the Explorer” and “Phineas and Ferb”.

Simple and Free Budgeting Tools of 2022

Many banks today offer customers various services that help manage their expenses. For example, using online banking allows you to track income and expenses by sending SMS messages. Thus, you will keep the history of payments, even the smallest ones. Some banks have a service that allows you to automatically transfer part of the funds to the so-called piggy bank. This is a separate account designed to accumulate savings.

In addition, there are many tamplates and apps that help you keep track of your funds. They will help set a spending limit for a day/week/month, plan large purchases, set aside certain amounts from paychecks and other sources of income, keep track of spending, etc.

The Federal Trade Commission has a website to educate consumers about finances, including how make a budget. To get started, consult its “Make a Budget” worksheet. Download the free household budget worksheet PDF and fill in the empty fields to find out whether you’re earning more than you spend or spending more than you earn.

Another popular option is using an Excel template from Office. Family budget templates include a household expense budget, holiday budget planner and event budget.

You can also sign in at google.com/sheets, then browse the household monthly budget template gallery.

Make it easier to manage a household budget with an easy budget tracker from Mint. Instead of manually writing down and accounting for each transaction on a regular basis, intuitive software creates running totals, tracks fixed expenses, highlights discretionary spending, makes suggestions, and shows how debits and credits influence each other for your bottom line. Go here to download the iOS mobile app. The app is also available to download on Google Play

Or try an app like Mvelopes. It is a personal finance app and website that bring an updated twist to the classic cash envelope budgeting method. Its envelope budget system can help you reduce your spending by up to 35%. The Mvelopes Mobile apps is avialable for iOS and Android phones and tablets.

There’s also You Need A Budget (YNAB), which will helps you take control of your money today with their 30-day free trial and their proven method for budgeting your money. The YNAB app is offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android).

The EPI’s Family Budget Calculator determines how much money a family needs to attain a modest but decent living level. The tool takes into account geographic differences in cost of living and factors in a broader range of expenses—including housing and food.

The Honeydue is one of the best family budget apps designed specifically for couples. It is available in the iOS App Store and Google Play.

You can also download the The Free Budget Planner spreadsheet where you can detail all your income and outgoings.

Modern banking tools, household budget calculators, monthly household budget templates and mobile apps also help a lot. They immediately display all your purchases: it is possible to track what money is spent on and optimize expenses. This is a very convenient and visual way to keep track of important transactions.

How Can a Family Get Some Money for an Emergency?

Of course, it is far from always possible to live according to a plan, and suddenly going beyond the budget (especially a small one) is as easy as shelling pears. To avoid stressful situations, you can use a credit card with an interest-free grace period for your benefit. It is optimal if the available limit on it does not exceed your family income by more than 1.5 times.

You can only pay with this card, and by the end of the month you will have a complete report in front of your eyes: what exactly you bought and how much you spent on it. At the same time, keep your income (salary, money for part-time jobs, bonuses, etc.) either on a separate card or in cash. When it’s time to cover your credit card, you won’t have a question about where to get the money: it’s already been set aside.

Of course, using a credit card requires serious self-control and a stable source of income. It is often easier to take a payday loan from a place like wmfcu.org. With it, you can cover the balance on a credit card and receive financial support when the family budget is close to zero. A payday loan provides an opportunity to borrow $100-$1,000 for up to 30 days. At the same time, you do not need to go anywhere to apply for a loan and receive money: the application is made online, and the money is transferred to your bank account shortly after approval

Top 3 Ideas for Families to Save Money Every Day

1. Make a grocery list for the week. On the weekend, make a joint purchase of the necessary grocery basket. Stick to the list when you go shopping. If it is not possible to go shopping together, divide the shopping responsibilities, roughly calculating how much you will have to spend.
2. Cook at home. It is cheaper than eating in cafes and restaurants, and even more useful. Make a stockpile of ready-to-cook food: cut the beef into stew, grate the carrots for sautéing into the soup, boil the broth pot and pour it into containers. All this is perfectly stored in the freezer, and at the right time you can simply defrost it and use it for its intended purpose. This will be a significant time and money saver.
3. Follow promotions and discounts. At the end of the season, large retail chains usually make big discounts, online stores arrange promotions. Planning your purchases in advance will also help here. Read this this wikiHow guide on how to get Amazon promotional codes.

Below is a video from Gabe Bult who shares his experience on how he saved $10,000 in one year!

4 Crucial Things You Should Not Be Saving Money On

The task of the family budget is to optimize income and expenses, and not to keep as much money intact as possible. Therefore, you should not deny yourself everything. Below is a list of mistakes to avoid when saving money:

1. Saving on health. The disease can progress over time, and treatment can only become more expensive.
2. Not paying bills. Missing one month is not scary, but then interest will start to incure, and if you stop paying your utility bills, water or electricity can be turned off.
3. Buying cheap clothes and shoes. If a thing is of poor quality, does not fit into your wardrobe, or you don’t like it at all, it will quickly go to a landfill or gather dust in a closet. It’s better to pay extra for the quality.
4. Depriving yourself of all entertainment. Saving on vacation can lead to accumulated fatigue. And in this state it is very difficult to save the resource. In addition, there is a risk to break loose at some point and spend all the savings on entertainment.

Basic Budgeting Tips Everyone Should Know

• The right attitude to planning. You need to be aware of why you need to plan a family budget. Perhaps you’ve decided to save up for new furniture or renovations. This will be an incentive for the rational distribution of funds.
• Fewer details. Do not complicate the records of income and expenses with unnecessary details. Items of income and expenses should be short and to the point. You should not spend too much time on this process so that budget planning does not become a burden to you.
• Reduce large expenses. It is better to reduce large expenses than to save on insignificant ones, or deny yourself the most necessary. You should analyze large items of expenditure and reduce them a little.
• Open a deposit. To make large savings for the future, you can open a deposit with replenishment and put all deductions that you want to make in advance into a bank account.
• Set realistic goals. When starting to plan a budget, you need to pursue some real goal in the near future, and not make far-reaching plans that will turn out to be impossible.
• Flexible approach. Over time, the family budget may change (you may find new sources of income, your wages will increase, a new family member will be born). Do not be afraid to review the amounts of income and expenses from time to time.

Watch a video to learn some more budgeting tips for beginners:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which expenses should you consider when creating a family budget?

When making a family budget, it’s important to include all your expenses—the essentials and the entertainment. Essentials include rent payments, groceries, phone and internet, transportation and car costs, utilities, childcare expenses, health and other insurance costs, and taxes. Don’t forget leisure and fun expenses, including eating out, shopping, and vacations.

What are the best budgeting books to read?

We recommend that you read at least one of these expert-recommended budgeting books: “The One Week Budget” by Tiffany Aliche (The Budgetnista), “Spend Well, Live Rich” by Michelle Singletary, “The One-Page Financial Plan” by Carl Richards, “How to Manage Your Money When You Don’t Have Any” by Erik Wecks, “You Need A Budget” by Jesse Mecham, “Broke Millennial” by Erin Lowry, “The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach.

Should you share your family budget with your kids?

One of the best ways to teach your children about the value of saving is to involve them in the family budget. This will help your kids develop healthy spending habits and learn the concept of money early. From a young age, talk openly with your children about money and make sure they become part of your spending choices.

What is the first step in creating a family budget?

First, you’ll need to determine your household income after-tax, so that you have an idea what’s coming in each month. Start a budgeting spreadsheet and create a list of household expenses. Then, compare your monthly net income to your total expenditures and choose a realistic budgeting plan that works for you and your family. Finally, identify where to make some savings and automate them.

The post How to Create a Family Budget: Useful Tips and Financial Planning Tools first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.

Top 10 brand shops

Zappos

Zappos is the largest online shoe retailer in the US, a favorite with international shoppers because they offer an excellent selection of all kinds of shoes, sneakers, moccasins, and boots for a variety of ages, including apparel, bags and home furnishings from leading brands and designers. Often there are discounts and sales.

Victoria’s Secret

Victoria’s Secret is known worldwide for its sensual lingerie, sleepwear and beauty products for women, as well as for its fashion shows that are broadcast around the world.

Zulily

Initially, Zulily focused exclusively on children’s clothing, and also offers clothing for women and men, as well as toys and household goods. But what really sets them apart from the rest is their daily sales and a wonderful mix of unique pieces from established and emerging brands.

Banana republic

Banana Republic is known for its classic looks for men, women and children. They offer pretty much everything from jeans and cozy sweaters to pants and cocktail dresses, and regularly have great sales with up to 50% off and free standard shipping to your personal shipping address.

6pm.com

For the truly essential shopping, surf 6pm.com. They carry a huge selection of clothes, bags, shoes and accessories for everyone in the family with fantastic prices and sales that change daily.

Disney store

If you or your kids love Disney princess, Star Wars TV series, Marvel comics, you must visit the Disney store. This is the most complete website for licensed Disney products that everyone wants, including clothing, costumes, toys, bedding, etc.

Forever 21

Forever 21 is the best store in the US all about the latest styles and fashion trends for teens and young adults and at really reasonable prices.

Bath body works

Looking for luxury personal care products, home fragrance, etc? Look no further than Bath Body Works! They offer shower gels, lotions, body fragrances, candles and accessories, etc – all in indulgent fragrances that have become incredibly popular around the world.

Macy’s

While Macy’s is almost synonymous with luxury (and a stunning shoe section), you might be surprised to find out that there are some really great deals on apparel, home furnishings, and e-gifts to be found there too, very popular with shoppers from different world parts.

OshKosh B’gosh

Founded in 1895 in Wisconsin, USA, OshKosh B’gosh offers stylish kids everything from casual playwear to special occasion dresses while keeping parenting prices affordable, offering great discounts and sales on a regular basis.

Walmart

Walmart is known for low prices on everyday items like beauty products, medical supplies and toiletries, but their site also has a wide selection of toys, video games, movies, home appliances, apparel at the lowest prices.

Carter’s

When you want the best for a child, go to the Carter’s. It is a leading brand of apparel, swimwear, shoes, toys and gifts for babies, toddlers and children. Along with high quality products, they often run sales and promotions, which makes their pricing rather complicated.

GAP

GAP is best known for its denim products, including jeans and jackets, but they also carry a full line of sportswear, sleepwear and casual wear for men, women and children.

Ralph Lauren

Looking for classic American clothing? Go to Ralph Lauren! They are popular all over the world for their trendy looks in every section, from sportswear and cocktail dresses to home furnishings and kidswear.

Amazon

Unsurprisingly, Amazon is at the top of the list. Whatever you are looking for, Amazon is bound to find stuff at attractive price, making the marketplace a great place to shop for personal care, cosmetics, electronics, toys, sports equipment, and many other stuff.

The post Top 15 Online Shops in the USA first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.

When she and her family moved out of New York City, she took a break from corporate life to focus on the move and her children, but has found that taking a multi-pronged, work-from-home approach to her career while being a stay-at-home mom works for her and her family.

Although we haven’t seen each other in several years, we continue to virtually support and cheer each other on with all that we are doing — and it’s a lot!! —  on our social media platforms. Read on and get inspired. 

Transition Tuesday: From VP at Goldman Sachs to Marketing Consultant and Blogger

What did your day-to-day look like in your previous career? It really varied and that’s what I liked about the job and what kept me there for so long: depending on what was happening some days I was sitting at my desk working on website copy and managing budgets and others I was managing a video shoot for our ad campaign in a not-so-glamorous place ????

What is your career / title now? I wear a few different hats, most important one of course is being a full-time mom to our three children, but I’m also a marketing consultant, a Rodan + Fields consultant and most recently a blogger for a website I started with my sisters, JEW-ishly.com, for modern Jewish inspiration.

What does your day-to-day look like now? After the kids are off to school, I do the boring stuff: wash dishes, clean up after what looks like a tornado swept through our house overnight and then I sit down and look at all I have to accomplish that day and prioritize. I always try to ensure that I can get at least one thing done for myself during the day, sounds silly, but that keeps me sane: I think we all need our own life separate from the kids, husband and the house and that can be as simple as going for a walk in the neighborhood, reading a book for half an hour or listening to music.

Why did you want to make the change? My husband and I had been living in NYC for nearly 20 years and had our three children there. When my oldest, Hannah, was 9, and after much contemplation, we decided to move to the suburbs, and I decided that it was the right time for me to hit pause on my career. It had been a great one, but I realized that with the kids getting older and the challenges they face being a little more complicated, I no longer wanted someone else dealing with the day-to-day but that this was my most important job. I was also worried how the transition was going to be for the kids, who had formed great friendships in the city, and wanted to be there for them during that time. It was the right time for me personally and professionally to stop working full-time as I had been.

What were the steps you took to make this change? The transition happened gradually, at first I wasn’t working at all, but after a year or so I began getting a little bored. My sister who was a recruiter at the time called me with an opportunity to consult and I thought why not, I can totally do this. It ended up being a somewhat lengthy, multi-dimensional assignment and this launched my marketing consultancy. It also made me realize that I didn’t need to choose one thing over another, working from home provided me the flexibility to work and be there for the kids, I no longer had to feel guilty about choosing one over the other.

I didn’t need to choose one thing over another, working from home provided me the flexibility to work and be there for the kids, I no longer had to feel guilty about choosing one over the other.

How much did it cost you to make this change? The moment you stop working, you become rusty in the eyes of others. If you consider going back to work at some point, you need to keep abreast of the latest trends and what’s happening in the marketplace. During the 18 months I wasn’t working I had definitely lost some of the expertise I had while working in terms of the latest marketing trends and digital tools, so I needed to spend some time getting back up to speed so that I can speak to all those things in a relevant way. So there is definitely a time-cost to making any sort of transition: you need to make sure you’re continually developing the skills you’re known for or want to be known for, whether through professional networks or online courses.

How did you afford the time and monetary cost? I’ve always worked, since the time I was a teenager, whether babysitting, working in retail, or in financial services. And my dad always taught us to save our money so I always have a little money saved for myself that I can do whatever I wish with, and I’m lucky to have a husband who supports me no matter what, as I do for him. My advice to you: have a little slush fund for yourself, you never know when or how you’ll want to use it.

I know I’m a better mom when my focus isn’t only on my children: it’s always about quality, not quantity for me. . .

What was the impact on, support of, pushback from family and friends? Describe your experiences. And if you had pushback, how did you overcome that? I’m lucky in that my family has always supported me, no matter what. But I know and expect that. I think the biggest support always comes from the places you least expect: when I launched my Rodan + Fields business, for example, so many friends I had not heard from in a while supported my business and it’s meant the world to me.

Any highlights and/or regrets to share? No regrets, only lessons. I think we tend to wait too long sometimes to do things that we know in our heart we should be doing. I know I’m a better mom when my focus isn’t only on my children: it’s always about quality, not quantity for me, and I probably should have found something to do professionally soon after we moved out of the city.

What is your affordable luxury indulgence when you have alone time? Going for a pedicure!

Get inspired and give Netta support! Follow her on @livingjewishly on Instagram and visit her blog Jew-ishly and her independent consultant page on Rodan & Fields  .

This post is not sponsored in any way. All opinions expressed are mine, unless otherwise specified. All images all courtesy of Netta Levy.

Read more Transition Tuesday stories:
Read the other Transtion Tuesday posts and get inspired by career transitions from Tracey, Laura, Lisa, Chassidy and me!

The post Transition Tuesday: Vice President at Goldman Sachs to Marketing Consultant and Blogger first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.

I like rolling up my sleeves for a super-casual look, and I love being able to roll them down especially in my air-conditioned office. Skinny white denim jeans should be a staple in everyone’s closet since they look great with heels, wedges and flats.

This clutch of mine is an oldie, but goodie. It’s got some blue suede and embroidery in bright colors which pop against the white denim and blue chambray. It’s also large enough to house my iPhone, wallet, Metrocard, and lipstick. All the necessities that an urban mom on-the-go needs.

I like being comfortable while being fashionable which is why I love shopping at Aerosoles, which conveniently is up the block from our NYC apartment. I saw these Aerosoles Plush Around  wedges which are chic yet SO comfortable. They have over a 3″ wedge, so I get some height without compromising on being comfortable.

Photography by Elaina Brillantes

SHOP THE LOOK:

I linked up with Monday Mingle and What I Wore Wednesday

The post How to Wear: White Denim and Chambray first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.

As soon as the weather got cooler, we took a drive out to Westchester county to the Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm for a morning of apple picking. The folks over at Chevrolet loaned us an apple red Chevy Traverse for our trip to the farm, as well as an apple pie cooking class in Brooklyn! We love the Traverse, since it was also the car we rode on our trip to Hershey Park last year.

It was the start of the leaves turning the beautiful bright orange, yellow and red colors. At the time the trees in New York City were still bright green, so it was a beautiful ride for us.

Normally, our version of apple picking is going to the farmer’s market and picking up a handful of organic and local apples. This time, we got to pick the apples ourselves!  It was the first time for our 1st grader, so she was super-excited that my 6′ 3″ husband could help her out.

After about an hour, we placed our bag full of apples in the trunk (1st grader was safe in her car seat) and headed over to The Brooklyn Kitchen to learn how to make the flakiest crust for an apple pie.

Chef Kat Randazzo at The Brooklyn Kitchen told us that we only need FIVE ingredients and TWO tips to make this flakey crust! Who knew?! (I surely didn’t!) Read on for the recipe….

Flakey Pie Crust Recipe for Two Mini-Crusts

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

3 tsp kosher salt

3 tsp white sugar

1 cup COLD unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1/2 cup ice water, strained

Mix the flour, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl.

Place the cubed, cold butter over the dry ingredients and with your fingers, quickly cut and “snap” the butter cubes into smaller pieces and incorporate into the flour mixture.

Splash 1/4 cup of the ice water (with no ice) over the mixture and use a fork to mix it together. Add more cold water tablespoon by tablespoon until your dough can hold together when you squeeze it. Be careful not to over mix!

Form two balls of dough, flatten just a bit and wrap in cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes so that the fat can firm up again and the dough can rest.

After 20 minutes, take out your cold dough and flour your working surface and sprinkle a little on the dough. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough and cut a circle large enough to fit the mini-pan.

Fill the pie crust with your choice of fruit mixture. The mixture should be about 1/4″ lower than the top of the pie pan (curb the urge to heap up the fruit. It doesn’t cook in a timely manner with the crust).

Using a pastry cutter, cut strips 3/4″ – 1″ wide and make a lattice pattern over the top of the fruit mixture.

Turn the sides over and use a fork to make a pretty pattern on the edges.

Brush the top of the pie with an egg wash (optional: sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top!) and pop it into the oven, and cook according to your pie recipe directions.

While we were learning how to make the crust, Chef Kat gave us two tips on how to get the flakiest crust ever, and I am sharing them with you:

TWO TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE THE FLAKIEST PIE CRUST FOR YOUR HOLIDAY PIES:

1. Keep the dough cold. Always use ice-cold water when mixing, and if the dough gets too warm, wrap it back up in cling wrap and put the dough back in the fridge for another 20 minutes.

2. Don’t over-knead the dough or the gluten will make the dough gummy and the crust won’t become flakey. That’s because the butter and the flour will be too incorporated and you won’t get those layers of flour and butter that make a flakey crust.

What are your holiday cooking tips? 

Need more info? Visit the Chevy Traverse, Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm, and The Brooklyn Kitchen websites.

The post How to Make the Flakiest Pie Crust Ever! first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.

Tracey, our friend and co-worker LL and me at the Liz Claiborne Inc Holiday Party at the 1441 Showroom. Circa 2003. Photo courtesy of Tracey Mammolito.

We became friends not just in the conference room but in the dark room and the workout room, too. We took a photography class together as a hobby (you’ll see how this provided the seed for her new career) and she was also my first spin class instructor, back when it was just called “spin class”.  Tracey is a hustler (in the friendliest of ways) which helps her in her new career, and always has something creative brewing up her sleeve. Get inspired by Tracey’s Transition Tuesday story:

Transition Tuesday: Apparel Designer to Photographer

What was your previous career / title? Apparel Designer & Merchandiser (escalating roles up to Sr Product Manager and Design Director).

What did your day-to-day look like in your previous career? As a designer and merchandiser, my days were spent either designing or managing an entire product line of apparel (including 250 items a year) and managing a staff. Plus meetings. Traveling. Presentations. Meetings. Putting out fires. Meetings. Making decisions. Meetings. Paperwork. Meetings.

What is your career / title now? Now, I’m a freelance photographer and fitness instructor.

What does your day-to-day look like now? My days are never the same. Some hours I’m shooting; some hours i’m scouting and brainstorming; some hours I’m editing images; some hours I’m self-marketing and some hours I’m networking and applying to gigs. Oh, and some hours I’m teaching fitness classes!!

Head on over to  Tracey’s photography website and follow her @tracey_mammolito on Instagram.

Read the other Transtion Tuesday posts and get inspired by career transitions from Laura, Lisa, Chassidy and me!

The post Transition Tuesday: Apparel Designer to Photographer first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.

Welcome to our fourth week of Transition Tuesday and I hope you’re inspired or at the very least intrigued at my friend’s transitions. This week, I am so happy to introduce you to Chassidy, whom I met while taking classes at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College. We met in Anatomy & Physiology I class in the spring of 2016 and then had the opportunity to be in class again in Anatomy & Physiology II in the fall of 2016. Because we are both “non-traditional” students and mothers, we quickly sought each other out for support. We had many late-night texts about how to study blood types or complaining about how many tests we had.

Here’s Chassidy’s Transition Tuesday story. Hope you’ll be inspired!

Transition Tuesday: Medical Billing Associate to Nursing Student

What is your current career / title? Medical Billing Associate

What does your current day-to-day look like? It was 9-5, first real job after college. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I knew it was a stepping stone until I figured out a career. Since I had no children at the time so all I had to do is go to work, make a bunch of phone calls and submit appeals to insurance companies, then go home.

What is your career / title now? Clinical Research Coordinator and (soon-to-be) Nursing Student

What does your day-to-day look like now? For the most part, I do a lot of scheduling with other coordinators for their research participants, and making sure all documentation for studies and nursing orders are in place and correct. I also attend school on the weekends to fulfill pre-requisites to apply to nursing school.

Why did you want to make the change? While I worked as a medical billing associate, I conceived my first (and only!) child. After his birth, I decided to be a stay-at-home mom. I love my son dearly and I loved being with him, but deep down I wasn’t happy because I wanted more to do. I knew I could fulfill my career goals and be a great mom at the same time. After two years, I decided to go back to work. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get a masters in research for biology so I took the job the that I’m currently at (Clinical Research Coordinator). I realized I no longer wanted to further my career in research and was suddenly intrigued by the nursing staff that I work with. I thought to myself I can be a nurse and enjoy it. Now I’m looking forward to applying to nursing school this year.

I realized I no longer wanted to be further my career in research and was suddenly intrigued by the nursing staff that I work with. I thought to myself I can be a nurse and enjoy it. Now I’m looking forward to applying to nursing school this year.

How much did it cost you to make this change? Not just the dollar cost but the time cost? So far I’m only taking pre-requisites at CUNY- Borough of Manhattan Community College so monetarily it’s not too costly. As far as time and effort, the price seems to skyrocket a bit! There are times that the phrase, “there’s not enough time in the day” sounds like an understatement. Between taking three classes this semester, work, and of course making sure my home is intact, I have to plan very precisely. So the answer is, it costs a lot mentally. However, when you have a goal that you really want to accomplish, you find a way to make ends meet and the expense truly becomes an investment.

Studying the heart in Anatomy & Physiology

How did you afford the time and monetary cost? Thankfully I have a lot of help with both costs. Working helps me pay for school, along with the fact that the price per credit at a community college is substantially lower compared to a private college. I also get a lot of help from family who, for example, are able to babysit if I have an exam coming up and I need to go to the library to study for a few hours. It truly takes a village to raise a child, and that is how I am able to go to school. If I didn’t have family, I’m not sure if I would be able to fulfill my goal to the best of my abilities.

. . . it costs a lot mentally. However, when you have a goal that you really want to accomplish, you find a way to make ends meet and the expense truly becomes an investment.

What was the impact on, support of, pushback from family and friends? Describe your experiences. And if you had pushback, how did you overcome that? I actually received a lot of support, which helps a great deal. However, if you don’t have the verbal support, use the negativity as a way to push forward.

Any highlights and/or regrets to share? A part of me regrets not going straight into nursing from undergrad. I actually don’t know why I even feel this way, because I only decided to go into this field because of the job that I am at now. In fact, I didn’t even want to be a nurse while I was in college.

Don’t be afraid to transition. A lot of it is fear. For me, it was fear of failing. I realized that there is nothing wrong with failing, the point is that I tried. It’s way better than doing nothing.

Anything else you’d like to add? Don’t be afraid to transition. A lot of it is fear. For me, it was fear of failing. I realized that there is nothing wrong with failing, the point is that I tried. It’s way better than doing nothing. Lastly, many mothers feel that they need to focus only on their children and nothing else. But with enough confidence you can do both. One day your children will grow up and do their own thing, and you don’t want to wait until then to start on yourself. Men are awesome, but as women we have it in us to be so powerful in achieving multiple things at once, that’s why we are great at multitasking!

What is your affordable luxury indulgence when you have alone time? When I have alone time, I love reading food blogs and just walking around the city!

Read the other Transition Tuesday Posts:

From Marketing to Occupational Therapy.

From Fashion Production Development to Health Coach

From Corporate Marketing Office to Home Office

Follow #ttmTransitionTuesday for other posts and interesting career transition articles like this one from the New York Times about transitioning later in life. Click here if you’re interested in CUNY-BMCC’s nursing program.

Are you looking to transition? I’d love to hear from you! Email me at pam at triplethreatmommy dot com.

The post Transition Tuesday: Medical Billing Associate to Nursing Student first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.

As you’ll see from Lisa’s transition, she stayed within the same industry, but she made it her own. Read on about her Transition Tuesday.

Transition Tuesday: From Corporate Marketing Manager to President of Her Own Marketing Consultancy and Blogger

What was your previous career / title? Senior Manager, Corporate & Internal Communications / Content Director, Liz Claiborne Inc.

What did your day-to-day look like in your previous career? It was a corporate “9-6pm” job in NYC. I was commuting from NJ both before having kids and for a short time once I had my son. Most of my time was spent in the city and there were pretty clear boundaries between work, play and home life.

What is your career / title now? Now, I run my own boutique consulting business. I’m President of Groupe a la Mode, LLC. It is an umbrella company for my PR/Marketing consulting practice as well as my blog, mom a la mode, of which I’m the Creator and Editorial Director.

What does your day-to-day look like now? It’s crazy! There are no boundaries, which is very hard. And something I’m struggling to fix as I type this. I work from my home office and now have 2 kids – one of which is a newborn. Thankfully I have help a few times a week and I try to stack my busy work during the times that I have childcare. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take the occasional conference call in the comfort of my laundry room or closet ???? Of course the beautiful part is that my children are just a room away when I step away from my desk and take a little lunch break. And working remotely also means being able to do the occasional social media post for a client while waiting on line at the bank. Or Target

Of course the beautiful part is that my children are just a room away when I step away from my desk and take a little lunch break.

Why did you want to make the change? The change was essentially made for me 5 years ago. Liz Claiborne Inc. was in process of dissolving and I was part of a corporate layoff. However, it was definitely for the best. If I didn’t have the “push” I’m not sure I would have gone off on my own. I enjoy the freedom and creativity that comes with being self-employed and running my own shop.

What were the steps you took to make this change? I first took two months off to just “chill” and really think about what I wanted to do next. I was inspired by Triple Threat Mommy, who started her blog after working in corporate at LCI along with me. She made time to talk to me about her experience; she gave me the push and the know-how and was also very generous with connecting me to networks, people and opportunities that helped my blog flourish. [Editors note: I did not pay her to say all these nice things. :)] From there, I actually took an internship — yes, an internship — as a social media coordinator, where I tried my hand at handling social media content for a small online gourmet food company. It was a great experience and allowed me to get my feet wet in managing someone else’s social and learn the ropes a bit.

From there, I actually took an internship — yes, an internship — as a social media coordinator. . . it allowed me to get my feet wet. . . and learn the ropes. . .

From there, I started to get more small business clients for social media and PR/marketing work. I continued to network and also grow my blog a bit. The networking and refining of my business services is what lead me to where I am today, which is handling PR and social media needs of large scale clients.

How much did it cost you to make this change? Not just the dollar cost but the time cost? You don’t have to give exact numbers but just a rough estimation. I definitely did not make a profit my first year of business. I spent quite a bit on conference fees, start-up costs for getting my website up and marketing collateral designed. I think it’s safe to say I spent about $2K or so – maybe more.

How did you afford the time and monetary cost? I used childcare that was free or otherwise covered by school, and I worked during those times. I also bartered services where I could.

What was the impact on, support of, pushback from family and friends? Describe your experiences. And if you had pushback, how did you overcome that? My husband was and is 100% supportive of what I did and what I do. He knew when we got married that I did not want to stay home and play with legos all day once we had children – that I wanted to work in one capacity or another. Once I had my first child, corporate didn’t seem like the right fit for me — even when my job was eliminated, I didn’t seek out another corporate position. It helps that he’s a CPA and I’ve made him the CFO of my business — he really helps to keep me organized financially and points out ways for me to be smarter with my business spending, managing my client base, etc.

I did not want to stay home and play with legos all day once we had children – that I wanted to work in one capacity or another.

As far as friends and family are concerned – some of them just don’t “get” what I do. But, it becomes more clear when they can be part of the job with me. For example: my in-laws thought I was just playing on my computer when they would be watching my son. Then, I was able to take them to Disney World as part of the Disney Social Media Moms Conference. Seeing me do my job live and in person allowed for them to understand what I do a bit better. I’ll still get the occasional friend that wants to drop by while I’m at home working, but I’ll have to say, “I’m sorry I have conference calls until 1pm. Can we meet up on Friday instead?”

Any highlights and/or regrets to share? Just that I’m really fortunate and grateful to have a job in an industry that affords me the chance to be flexible, creative and do great work while still being close to my home and family.

Check out Lisa on her blog, Mom a la Mode, and follow her @momalamode on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! All pictures courtesy of Lisa Pisano.

Read more Transition Tuesday Stories:

Read all about Laura who went from fashion product development to a health coach and how I am making my transition from marketing to occupational therapy.

The post Transition Tuesday: Corporate Office to Home Office first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.

As you may or may not know, for the past two years, I have been making a career transition from marketing to occupational therapy. It’s taking a bit of time because in order to even apply to graduate school for occupational therapy, I had to take and complete six science and psychology pre-requisite courses. Although long, it’s gone pretty quickly — I can’t believe it’s been almost two years since I started taking my first science course in 2015.

In terms of career transitioning, I am not alone. Within my set of friends and acquaintances, I have several who are transitioning or who have transitioned into different careers. And I want you to hear their stories. Perhaps you’re thinking of career transitioning, and you don’t know where to start; or you’re confused on which direction to go to; maybe you’ve been a stay-at-home mom for several years and not sure how to get back into the job market. Hopefully my and my friend’s stories can help inspire you on your own career transition.

There are even companies that have sprung up in the past few years that specialize in people pivoting, shifting, re-entering and career transitioning such asWerk,Career Shifters,Mom Corps andiRelaunch.

According to this CNBC article,

“The single career path or job-for-life certainly isn’t dead, but it’s becoming more and more likely that people will go through at least one career change in their lifetime.”  – Natasha Stanley of Career Shifters

So…here’s the first Transition Tuesday (#ttmTransitionTuesday) featuring ME and my transition! I hope it inspires you.

Transition Tuesday: From Director of Marketing to Grad Student of Occupational Therapy

Me in my chemistry lab class, with my lab partner. 

What was your previous career / title?

• Director of Global Marketing: For fifteen years, I worked in the fashion industry for Fortune 500 companies as a fashion buyer and merchandiser, then transitioned within the fashion industry into the marketing departments. My last position was the Director of Global Marketing and PR at Liz Claiborne Inc. (now Kate Spade and Company).
• President Triple Threat Media and Editor and Publisher of TripleThreatMommy.com: or the past 7 1/2 years, I was self-employed as a social media and marketing consultant to small businesses. I initially had three clients, but then stayed with one brand as I was chipping away at my science pre-requisites. I also blogged consistently, which was great because as a social media consultant, I understood the blogger world and how to market to them.

What did your day-to-day look like in your previous career? When I was the Director of Marketing, my day was filled with meetings and activating marketing programs for each fashion season. This could mean creating print advertising, in-store advertising, producing GWP’s (gift with purchases), launching a newly-designed e-commerce website, producing content for social media (in 2010 that was VERY new to the brands I worked on). My hours were long: 8:30am until very late in the evening. I remember being at my desk until 11 p.m. or 12 midnight. Being a mom was extremely hard and I could not find balance. I was lucky to have a very supportive husband who had a job that enabled him to come home to be with our daughters.

When I was a social media consultant, I continued to work on social media content, trade marketing and managing with third-party vendors for various marketing initiatives. I also continued to reach out to bloggers for editorial content for major marketing campaigns.  My work-week was pretty flexible since I set my own hours and was able to be a mom and work at the same time, which I am extremely grateful for.

What is your career / title now? I am in transition at this point. In the fall, I am going to become a full-time graduate student of Occupational Therapy which will take 2.5 years to complete. I have stopped my social media and marketing consulting business and this summer I plan on being a mom before the chaos of graduate school starts. Once I graduate, I plan on being employed full-time as an occupational therapist.

What does your day-to-day look like now? I’ll update this post once school starts, but from what I hear, my graduate school schedule will be Monday through Friday, 8am – 4pm, plus studying. I’m sure there will be many late nights filled with studying, reading and cramming.

It was great to be able to model studying for our girls. However, finding a place to eat dinner proved to be a problem. ????

Why did you want to make the change? Taken directly from my graduate school application essay:

“For twenty years, I was in fashion buying and marketing, and recently as a social media and marketing consultant for a small business. I “connect” people with brands, provide content on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for my client; and I work with bloggers to tell my client’s brand story. After several years, that “connection” isn’t meaningful to me anymore because my focus is on impressions, reach, likes and followers. My day-to- day career is literally up in the digital clouds and I want to get “back down to earth”.

Simply put, I wanted a job that entailed working with and for people instead of working for likes, clicks and impressions. And I know it sounds cliché, but I really want to make a real difference in real people’s lives.

What were the steps you took to make this change? I finally made the decision back in 2013 that I had to do something else. That I needed a change. But it wasn’t until the summer of 2015 when I had dinner with a friend — who also had made a career transition — that I needed to finally do something. So, I looked up the requirements for Occupational Therapy programs in New York City and made a Google Doc spreadsheet by each school and started chipping away at the pre-requisites that I needed. As a marketing major in undergrad, I had to take all sciences in order to apply to any of the OT programs. Eighteen months and six classes later I finished all of my science and psychology pre-requisites.

How much did it cost you to make this change? Not just the dollar cost but the time cost? I lowered the number of days I worked as a consultant because I needed to study for classes, and I decided to only work with one client, thus, my income decreased. I decided to go to a city community college to take my pre-requisites where I received in-state tuition costs. Although it was thousands of dollars to take six courses, I saved tens of thousands going to a city community college instead of private college.

Studying took up a lot of my “free time”. Not just during the day, but at night and on weekends as well. Most of my classes occurred during the weekends so that I was available for school drop-offs and pick-ups. I did lose a lot of family time during the weekends. I expect that will happen again once I go back to school full-time in the fall.

Then there’s the cost of going to graduate school full-time at a private university which is going to cost almost six-figures. I am taking out federal loans and applied for a scholarship. I know that I’ll be able to find a job post-graduation as an occupational therapist so I’ll be able to pay back my student loans.

What was the impact on, support of, pushback from family and friends? Describe your experiences. And if you had pushback, how did you overcome that? My husband continues to be extremely supportive and my biggest cheerleader. When we talked about me making this change he said, “You have 25 years to work, so find something you want to do.” Since my classes were on the weekends, he picked up the parenting duties then, especially when mid-terms and finals came around and I had to study. My teenage daughter has showed me new ways to study like using the Quizlet app to make digital flashcards, instead of making the old-fashioned analog kind.  I expect that when she’s a freshman in high school that she and I continue to support each other when we have a lot of homework.

My parents have also been great cheerleaders as well. I think it’s because they’ve always wanted me to go into the healthcare field so they are proud I am taking this step.

My evenings and weekends consisted of this view. With and without the sunflowers.

When you have alone time for yourself, what is your favorite affordable luxury? When I’m not studying, and the kids are in school or at camp, I like to read those gossipy magazines at the nail salon while getting a mani-pedi.

If you have any questions about the Occupational Therapy graduate school process, feel free to leave a question below and I’ll answer you back.  

The post Transition Tuesday: Marketing to Occupational Therapy first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.

Today, I introduce you to Laura Nelson. She and I worked together at Gap Inc. where we worked on the Banana Republic Brand – she as a production manager and I as a merchandising creative strategist. She is a perfect example of a person who successfully transitioned from one completely different career to another. (Full disclosure, I am part of her online fitness group.) Here’s her #ttmTransitionTuesday:

Transition Tuesday: From Production Manager to Online Health & Fitness Coach

What was your previous career / title? I’ve worn many hats! Recruiting Coordinator at Gap Inc.; Executive Assistant, Production Manager (both at Banana Republic ), Pastry Chef & crazy fact…I majored in Geology!

What did your day-to-day look like in your previous career? When I worked in production, my day was primarily burdened by meetings. I got to work by 8:30am and rarely left before 7pm. During deadlines, I was at work until 10pm. I am a creative person (hence, my stint as a pastry chef) and I had cornered myself into a well-paying but highly uncreative job. As a production assistant, I was responsible for working with the designers to achieve their creative vision within a restricted budget. Truthfully, it was an email/spreadsheet heavy desk job. Once I had my daughter, continuing with this type of schedule was impossible and my husband and I decided that I would stay home and raise our daughter. Fast forward 18 months later, and our son joined us! I was officially a stay-at-home mom.

What is your career / title now? On-line health & fitness coach

What does your day-to-day look like now? Whatever I want it to look like, that is the beauty of it. I have the freedom of working from home! After I fix the kiddos their breakfast and pack lunches, I shuttle them to school and the day is my playground. Part of my “job” (I put it into parentheses because when you do something you are passionate about, it never truly feels like a job, it simply feels like an extension of me) is taking care of myself – BONUS, right??? So, when I return from school drop off, I head straight up to my home gym in my finished attic. I have a TV to which I stream my workouts, a plethora of free weights, yoga mats, a medicine ball, resistance bands, a weight bench…all of the equipment I have built up over two+ years of being a coach. I bang my 30-45 minute program out, enjoy my daily Shakeology and then sit down at my desk (also in my attic) to get to work.

…when you do something you are passionate about, it never truly feels like a job, it simply feels like an extension of me…

From that point on I am checking in on my current clients progress and troubleshooting any areas that they need help with, creating new connections and starting conversations, running my online health & wellness accountability groups on Facebook, posting to social media (Facebook & Instagram) as that is essentially my “storefront” and, signing up coaches to join my team and helping them build businesses of their own. Being a coach is two fold – it’s about helping others lead healthy lives and it is also about helping others be entrepreneurs. I like to think that I empower women in fitness and business. In addition to my business activities, I also read daily personal development, listen to podcasts – anything to motivate ME which I can, then, in turn share to motivate my clients and my coaches. On the weekends, of course family time reigns but I also take some time to focus on menu planning, targeted grocery shopping (meaning sticking to buying the ingredients specific to my menu plan) and meal prep. My clients (and my family) benefit greatly from the value I provide through my original meal plans and guided meal prep.

Why did you want to make the change? I had no intention of returning to the professional world in NYC after having my two children. My husband’s job requires travel and I needed to be the one to have the flexible schedule. I love being a mom but there was a part of me, a muscle in my brain that needed to be flexed and challenged. I started out in a health & fitness group, similar to the ones that I coach now, as a client and after the first few days, I was hooked.

I love being a mom but there was a part of me, a muscle in my brain that needed to be flexed and challenged.

I was surrounded by other busy mamas like myself – we were all exhausted from mom’ing and the community provided a much needed outlet for ME TIME. I checked in daily with my workout, my eating, my Shakeology and I felt like I had accomplished something other than getting thrown up on and changing diapers during the day. I quickly signed up as a coach so that I could help other women feel the way I was feeling – empowered! It was a business that I could work at nap time and then be fully there for my children when they were awake. The interaction with like-minded women with similar health & wellness goals gave me a focus outside of being a mother and wife.

What were the steps you took to make this change? I attended an online “sneak peek” into “what is coaching?” I had pretty much already made up my mind before attending the online event to sign up as a coach because I had experienced personal results from the programs and products. I knew if I shared my results with other mamas, I could help them find success as well!!!

How much did it cost you to make this change? Not just the dollar cost but the time cost? Honestly, this business had a $160 start up cost and the amazing part of this is that the cost went right back into investing in me. This paid for one fitness program, 30 days of Shakeology, waived the initial coach cost and got me plugged into a successful coaching community with a plethora of training materials and entrepreneurial support groups. Monthly, I pay a $15.95 fee to maintain my online coaching site.

How did you afford the time and monetary cost? The time that I invest in my business and in other women is time well spent. I am changing lives on a daily basis while staying steadfastly focused on my own health & wellness. I cannot thing of a better scenario! A job that keeps me healthy? Sign me up!

What was the impact on, support of, pushback from family and friends? Describe your experiences. And if you had pushback, how did you overcome that? My husband is VERY supportive and I think he could sense that I needed an outlet as a stay at home mom and wife. After signing up as a coach, I put the responsibility on me to help three clients in my first month. That got me on my way to covering my monthly business costs and making an income from the get go!

Any highlights and/or regrets to share? I am a Type A personality so when I set out to do something, especially something that is so entwined with my personal identity, I go all in and my perfectionist tendencies are sometimes revealed. However, this business, with its focus on personal development has helped me to deal with my perfectionism and understand my triggers. So not only am I physically stronger than I was over two years ago when I became a coach, I am mentally stronger and much more self aware. The silver lining to the story.

Click over here to get in contact with Laura and over here to follow her on Facebook and Instagram. And if you have any comments or questions, leave a comment below. 

The post Transition Tuesday: Fashion Product Development to Health Coach first appeared on Triple Threat Mommy.