Frugal Debt Free Life

What’s in this episode: In this episode:  Why money-management matters.  The first step to take when getting in control of your finances. The best budgeting techniques.

In this episode of “The Frugal Debt Free Life podcast,” we delve into the harmful effects of comparing ourselves to others in terms of personal finances. In this episode: * Science and psychology studies show that social comparison can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and even depression, impacting our financial well-being. * Social media platforms amplify the comparison trap, often presenting curated highlight reels that don't reflect reality. * Tips for breaking free from the comparison trap include defining personal financial goals, practicing gratitude, limiting social media consumption, surrounding oneself with positive influences, and celebrating progress. * Recognizing the negative impact of comparison allows us to make informed financial decisions based on our unique circumstances and aspirations.

Episode 92: Time, as we all know, is our most precious resource, and it's vital that we allocate it wisely. Whether you're a student juggling classes, assignments, and extracurricular activities, a professional navigating a demanding career, a busy parent trying to balance work and family life, or simply someone longing to pursue personal passions, this episode is tailor-made just for you. What’s in this episode: * How small chunks of time will help you * Choosing which tasks to work on first * Buiding good time management habits * Finding motivation

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Shay, author and budget expert and creator behind the Instagram account Front Porch Finances. Shay shared invaluable insights on overcoming budget burnout and offered practical thrifting tips for those looking to save money while still enjoying life. Join us as we dive into Shay's wisdom and learn how to revitalize our financial journey.

Episode 90: How a California Mom Keeps Her Grocery Budget LOW Today I am excited to be chatting with Rachel Coons, a grocery-saving expert. She shares her best tips for saving money on groceries as well as how she keeps her family fed for just $5 per person per day.

How to Win With Money This Year Are you stuck in the same pattern of trying to be more responsible with your money but also feeling overwhelmed with all of the things you “should” be doing? Today I am going to share with you a few ways to win with money this year. Here’s the secret, pick one and start with that. Discussed in this episode: Why budgeting by paycheck might work better for you. Why a spending audit can benefit you this year. Some of my goals for the year. A little rant on healthcare. How much emergency fund is actually enough?

When we talked getting out of debt it can feel a bit overwhelming, right? Like it takes a lot of HUGE changes to get out of debt.  1. Don't let your emotions dictate how you spend your money. Ask yourself, "Am I still going to feel this way a week from now? Am I still going to feel this way when I wake up tomorrow morning?" 2. Don't buy things just because they're on sale.   Ask yourself: Do I really need this? Where am I going to put it? Do I have the money to spend? Have I budgeted for it? Am I going to have to take the money from somewhere else?    3. Don't spend money that you don't have yet.  Start learning to say no to yourself and start learning to say yes to your future.  It's delayed gratification. Everybody struggles with delayed gratification in one area of their life or another. Oftentimes, that is in money. We want what we want and we want it right now.   What about you? What are some small changes you've had to make to become debt free?

Today we’re going to be chatting on not one but TWO topics. One pertains to life and one pertains to money. What do you do when your budget hits a wall in the middle of the month? How do you get to be a better decision-maker? In this episode, I share some practical insight on dealing with sudden budget changes and challenges. I also discuss the four things I consider when making a decision. CTA: Check out Upside the app that gives you cash back on gas! https://upside.app.link/LYDIA75737

Are you hoping to feel a little more prepared and planned this year? Today I am going to tell you how I plan my year in just one hour.

Are you ready for the holiday rush? I feel a little more prepared this year. Here are a few things I am going to do be more prepared.

In this episode, I talk about how much emergency fund you might want to have, what an emergency fund is for and how to build one quickly. CTA: Grab your Free budgeting spreadsheet Link to free budgeting spreadsheet.https://www.frugaldebtfreelife.com/main/free-budget-by-paycheck-spread-sheet Come say hi on Instagram.   Want to subscribe and listen on the go? You can do that on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and Spotify!

In this episode, I share so many money-saving tips from my Instagram community. These tips are so easy and require very little actual effort on a person’s part. And some of these money-saving tips may be things you’ve never thought of before.

Today I am chatting with Kelly Ann Smith from Freedom in a Budget. Kelly is sharing how she went from being so in debt her car was repossessed to being debt free.

Today I am sharing a few things we do weekly that have a HUGE impact on our budgets.

Today we are discussing how to handle budget burnout.

Do you need a budget reset? We’ve all had months where our budgets just didn’t come together like we wanted. Or we’re left at the end of the month saying “where did all of my money go?

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Today w’’re going to break down how perfectionism can ruin our future money goals. And there’s a vocab lesson for investment beginners!

Sigh. Our budget has changed in 2022. We could not survive this year if we were using a 2021 budget. I feel very fortunate to be able to provide my family's basic needs and then some, but I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the pinch of inflation in my day to day decisions.

Are you new to budgeting and wondering why the heck your budget doesn't stick? Or maybe you're a pro, but it's just not working. I have some tips for you.

This isn’t a fun topic or one anyone enjoys. But today we’re going to be talking about how to negotiate down medical debt.

Can you not seem to make a traditional monthly budget work? Or are you trying to budget on a fluctuating income? Or maybe you’re struggling with contentment? Or feeling like you’re not making enough money to help cover your expenses? Today’s episode is a big one and it is going to help you. I am chatting with my friend Carly from Debt Free Mom.

Today I am chatting with Kara from Money and Mental Peace. Kara graduated college in 2019, debt-free. She is sharing tips to help both students and parents.

Do you feel budget burnout? I am sharing 4 tips to help.

Is there going to be a recession this year or next year? I don’t know. But I can offer you a few tips to prepare yourself.

The pause on federal student loan repayments have been extended again. This episode breakdown all you need to know.

Britt went from low income to paying off 6-figures worth of debt while living in New York. She's sharing how she paid off her debt and how to stay motivated.

Let’s talk about making wise financial decisions the midst of chaos. This could be during a job loss, global unrest, or a pandemic.  My number one piece of advice is - if you can avoid making huge decisions during a transition. If you lost your job, gone through a loss, or a breakup, got a new job, had a baby, got married, moved to a large city or a small town. These are huge changes. Don’t make big decisions during this time. There is an adjustment period and now is not the time to decide to buy a home, or a car or new furniture or redo your kitchen. Wait until you feel more stable mentally and physically. Don’t make decisions based on fear. Fear and irrationality go together. They’re like those creepy twins from the shining. They just want to play with you. There is no good outcome to a fear-based decision.

How can unpacking your schedule and finances impact your day to day? I am discussing that today with Alyssa from Unbusy.

I asked my Instagram community what was the worst things they bought in 2021. Now I'm sharing.

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it will extend the moratorium on student loans until May 1, 2022. This extends the student loan freeze another 90 days. It was previously set to expire on Jan. 31.

Debt collectors can now contact consumers via social media direct message. This may not seem like a big deal- but it is.

Today we're discussing holiday spending, stats, surveys and how to not bust your budget.

Today I'm discussing 10 questions to ask before making a purchase.

With the year winding down let’s talk about a few things, we can do to set ourselves up for a good financial year in January.

How I went from dogmatic about money to holding things loosely and living without shame.

Mom knows best. sometimes. Today I am sharing the best money advice my mom gave me.

If you're struggling with spending way too much money online shopping, I have some tips for you and some statistics that are eye opening.

What are some things that frugal people do daily that help them save money WHILE building wealth? Today I am sharing some things that I hope will be helpful to you.

In this episode of the podcast, I am chatting with Jennifer Anderson from Kids Eat In Color. Jennifer is a mom, wife, and registered dietitian who has provided hope and help to MILLIONS of moms just looking to feed their families. We are discussing how to feed picky eaters and how to feed your family on a small (very small) budget.

I am not a natural budgeter. It took a gentle nudge from a super understanding partner. So how did we get here?

Today I am talking about 7 things I wish I had done differently in my 20's.

I am sharing three common myths people believe when trying to get out of debt.

Today I am sharing some steps I took to reduce my impulse spending.

Over the past few months I’ve really worked on letting go of thoughts and feelings that had a negative impact on my life. I realized that one of those thoughts was about money. Today I am breaking down some money shaming advice I don’t follow anymore.

Should you stop paying your student loans? Today I am breaking down the CARE Act and what it has to say about students loans over the next six months.

Today I am talking about what budgets are. What they’re not and how to have some budget positivity in your life.

Let's talk about money and guilt. I'm talking to those of you who are struggling with guilt and frustration when it comes to your finances because -- been there, done that.. I've talked about this before. Frugal living is not a competition. But I feel like I need to say it again (for those of you in the back who might not have heard me and are struggling with a competitive sense of guilt).

Today I am discussing how I plan out my entire year and the benefits of taking time to plan your year.

The ringing of a new year comes with it a new blank page brimming with possibility. You know I love a good new year, but I don’t think you should save your goals and start them because of a specific day on the calendar. But if you do choose to set goals this new year here are a few tips to help you actually achieve them! I want to set goals that are S.I.M.P.L.E. Let’s break down what I mean.

Today I have a guest, my husband. We're going to talk about how he got me on board with budgeting.

There are some things that frugal people just do differently. Here are some habits.

Student loans are a scary thing- or they can be. And more and more people are relying on them. Today I am sharing some scary stats and also how to not be a scary statistic.

This is a conversation that we need to be having more of because pretending like we're perfect little money angels doesn't help anyone. Today I wanted to share a few things I regret and mistakes I made and how I am learning to get past them.

So what do you do when your emergency fund is gone? My answer might not be what you're expecting. But trust me when I say that a lot of time and thought has gone into it. So what do you do?

I like to refer to my emergency fund as my financial secret weapon. But if you’re starting from scratch the idea of building an emergency fund might be a little overwhelming. So today I am going to give you a few tips to help you build that emergency fund faster. This is my plea to you -- to stop whatever it is you are doing and go right now and start working on an emergency fund.

It’s so easy to compare yourself to where others are in their debt free journey, or just life in general. Today I wanted to share with you how and why I just stopped caring and how that gave me so much more mental clarity and emotional freedom. This process is hard enough without feeling like we need to constant measure our success against an invisible benchmark of someone else’s life.

Life is full of sudden changes, slow changes, and ups and downs. Anytime we get off-balance, sometimes that's when our spending gets out of control, or maybe our thought process isn't the most rational. So today I wanted to tell you of a few times when you might want to avoid making big purchases.

The word budget doesn't exactly make your heart sing with joy. That's okay. You still need to do it and here are a few tips to get you started.

Today I'm talking about my biggest regret when it comes to marriage and money. For those of you who don't know, my husband Jason and I have been married for twelve years. And we did not combine our finances for the first five years of our marriage. I think that that led to a lot of the money problems that we ended up having — because we did not have accountability. He had his checking account. I had my checking account. We thought we had a pretty good system. He would pay the mortgage out of his account and I would pay all the bills out of mine. We thought this was fine; this was just a great way to keep things afloat and to keep things going. You have your money and I have my money and we're good. Some people can handle life that way. But we couldn't. There was a lack of accountability. There was a lack of structure. We weren't communicating. And, really, I feel like our marriage was missing something as a result.

It feels so overwhelming when you’re working so hard and not getting ahead. And it can become so easy to look at what another family is doing and what is working for them and feel like a total failure. But you’re not. Today I want to offer you a little encouragement, but I also want to give you a few ideas of things you can do when you just feel like it’s not working.

Today I am sharing the day I got so mad at my debt I was just done.

One day I woke up and decided to stop living paycheck to paycheck. I remember the day clearly. We had more month than money, our checking account was in the red and we had about $136 in our savings account. That's a bad day. It is days like that you feel you won't overcome, that you will always be in debt, that you will always feel the noose of credit cards and bad decisions and self-doubt. But you won't. I am speaking directly to you, sister. YOU WON'T. You can break the cycle, you can get off the crazy train, you can own your life, get out of debt and stop living pay check to pay check. Okay, so how does one break the crazy cycle? These are the things that worked for our family while we were working to become debt free.