My Money Story

When I was 28 my husband died unexpectedly. Three weeks after his funeral I found out I was pregnant with our baby.

I was blessed with amazing family and friends to help me grieve through the tremendous loss, but it was a sad and scary time.

Despite my support network, I was scared for my future. For my baby’s future. And I was really worried about money.

Then the hospital bills came rolling in. Do you know it costs a lot of money to die? I didn’t. Until I had to.

It also costs a lot to have a baby. And to raise a baby. That I knew. And I was scared out of my mind. Sad. And scared. And completely out of control.

So when the dust settled emotionally I turned to a tool to help me regain some semblance of control. A budget.

I realize how insane I sound. A hint of crazy is not unusual from me. I’m intelligent, insightful, intuitive, but also a touch insane. A spreadsheet saved me from existential crisis? No, it didn’t save me. But it helped me see a future. It helped me make a plan. And the plan gave me some peace in a time I really needed it.

Planning my spending helped me feel in control when my life felt like a spiral of chaos and my future looked terrifying and uncertain. It gave me peace of mind. And a plan.

That was eleven years ago. I still use a budget for conscious spending today. In those eleven years, I’ve had a baby, saved for a year off work, remarried and gained a bonus child, had a third baby, paid off over $100,000 in student loans, medical, and credit card debt, saved an emergency fund with six months’ living expenses, and invested in my family’s future. I’ve made loads of mistakes along the way and learned valuable lessons. I’ve done loads of work and therapy to understand why I manage money the way I do and how to do it in a way that’s effective for me.

I’ve also helped friends, colleagues, and family (even my kids) learn to manage money in a healthy way for them and make progress toward their own goals. And I’d love to help you do the same. Money management is so much more than just a budget. It’s beyond budgets.