Hi Reader! People tell you to “spend less than you make; you just need to stick to a budget”. Sounds simple, right? So why is it so hard? There are four things that people try that prove extra challenging. Exploring each can help us build a system that will finally last. Tracking expenses looks backward, showing you what you spent your money on last month. This gives you information, but information alone doesn't change behavior. Knowing you overspent doesn't automatically tell you how to...
19 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader! A little something different this week. I want to talk about a finance book I just finished, and why I think you might want to pick it up. The book is Never Worry About Money Again by Jesse Mecham, founder of YNAB, and it was just released. Full disclosure: I've used YNAB for years and already believe in its philosophy, so I came in predisposed to like it. But I made a point to read it from the point of view of someone new to financial change, and I think this is a good book to...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! It happened the other morning. I started my day the way I always do: get dressed, a little yoga, check the budget, make breakfast. But as I opened my daily phone game, my heart sank. My 280+ day streak was gone. A lonely zero stared back at me, forlorn and a little accusatory. I had forgotten to finish my game the day before. Just like that, my simple little habit was undone. Time to start over. Now, a game streak is hardly the end of the world. But it got me thinking about the...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! Summer is one of my favorite times of year. It’s a great time to get outside and have adventures. But summer can also be one of the sneakiest seasons for your budget. Camps, cookouts, road trips, and activities have a way of adding up fast, often before you realize you've overspent. The good news? Having fun this summer doesn't have to mean blowing your budget. A little planning goes a long way. Our state might be small, but it's packed with incredible free and low-cost adventures...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! We know that tracking spending and budgeting is the key to getting ahead, but budgeting everything you spend can feel like an endless task - expenses never seem to end! It's hard to stay motivated when every data point feels like a loss. What if you could reverse it? What if you tracked how much you didn't spend? Seeing the money you chose to keep, the amount you could have spent but didn't, or the number of times you skipped a purchase you usually make, creates a positive trend...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader! Last week, I talked about the advantages of naming your savings to help achieve your dreams. While building savings buckets for dream trips and big goals are fun, you can use that same power of naming your savings for the everyday, predictable-yet-unpredictable expenses that life keeps throwing at us. Long-term, irregular expenses can quietly derail even the best budgets. So we save for them. But how much do we save? When should we take money from savings, and for what? Subdividing...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! Happy June! Today, I want to share a little about my life (and my budget) to show you the power of putting names to our goals. By the time this reaches you, I will be off adventuring in Italy. 😄 My husband and I have been dreaming of this trip since our wedding. It was supposed to be our honeymoon, but world events and a pandemic had other plans. Even though we had a lovely honeymoon, the Italy trip still called to us. We (mostly my wonderful husband) had put together an awesome...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader! Have you ever had a surprise party? Walking into a room filled with streamers, balloons, and all your friends there just for you — that’s a good surprise. But what about the other kind of surprise? Car repairs. Medical bills. A dead furnace on New Year’s Eve. (That one actually happened to me, and I can tell you, it’s definitely not as fun as birthday cake.) Life happens, and sometimes that means an unexpected hit to your wallet. Here’s how to handle those moments without panic or...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader! Do you put most of your purchases on your credit card and pay them off at the end of the month? While that’s a great money habit, you may be carrying more risk than you realize. Here's a question: Do you charge purchases today knowing you'll pay them off with your next paycheck? It feels harmless enough, right? That's called credit card float. And while it can feel as breezy as a lazy river ride, it may be hiding some murky waters beneath the surface. When you pay for something...
4 months ago • 1 min read