We're going to be taking a break from putting out new episodes for a little bit as we slow down on a few things and enjoy the rest of our family's summer break. You might see a replay of some of my favorite episodes here and there, but we're hitting pause with new episodes until the fall. 

If you have ideas for what you would like to hear from this show in our next season, send me an email at carly@debtfreemom.co with the subject line "podcast" and let me know what you think.

Enjoy your summer, and we'll be back in the fall with more episodes of the Debt Free Mom podcast!

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In today's episode, Kyle and I share some of the highlights of our annual summer family vacation! We recently returned from a 10 day trip driving from Central Illinois to the beaches of Outer Banks, North Carolina. Our conversation today takes an inside look at our semi-spontaneous detour to Washington D.C. on our way home. We share some tips on planning summer trips with kids, visiting our nation's capital, and leaving room in our budget for fun! For more details on our travel planning, check out the companion blog post at debtfreemom.co.

Managing your money shouldn’t be a lonely experience! The Care Creates Community from Debt Free Mom is a safe, private membership community created specifically for women who manage their home’s finances. Together, we find realistic ways to make the most of our home finances & stick with our plans! Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by joining today at www.carecreatescommunity.com.

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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Today's episode is all about something I have never done before, moving across the world for six months and doing it all debt free! Aneisha is a freelance bookkeeper who has always described herself as a saver. She started using the Debt Free Mom Pay Period Budget Template about two years ago and used this tool to help her and her husband spend half of 2023 in Southeast Asia. We chat about how she planned their trip, how they created and stuck to a budget while traveling, and what else is possible when you have a clear & accurate picture of your finances.

Get started with pay period budgeting today for just $9! The Debt Free Mom Mini Course + Template will help you take your first steps toward managing your home finances with confidence. Get it today at debtfreemom.co/template

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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If you've followed Debt Free Mom on Instagram, I've been sharing a lot about my recent side hustles: cleaning houses and detailing cars. There's been a lot of great conversation around that from people interested in everything from "why did you start doing that?" and "how do you get started?" and "what do I need to do in order to start my own side hustle?"In today's episode, Kyle interviews me to get all the details about taking a side hustle from an idea to actually making money from it. I hope it encourages you to get out there and make a little extra money from something you're already great at.

Get started with pay period budgeting today for just $9! The Debt Free Mom Mini Course + Template will help you take your first steps toward managing your home finances with confidence. Get it today at debtfreemom.co/template

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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For our first episode of June, we're kicking off the summer with a replay of one of our favorite episodes of last year. This episode is all about enjoying simple summers with kids, whether you're spending time at home or time on the road. In my efforts to make lasting memories without seeing all of my money disappear by the fourth of July, I have found that simple is best. I'm excited to share what works for our family with you!

Managing your money shouldn’t be a lonely experience! The Care Creates Community from Debt Free Mom is a safe, private membership community created specifically for women who manage their home’s finances. Together, we find realistic ways to make the most of our home finances & stick with our plans! Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by joining today at www.carecreatescommunity.com.

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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If you've ever wondered how long it would take to see results if you switched from budgeting by month to budgeting by pay period, today's episode is for you. Kristina is a mom of four, a pastor's wife, a nurse, and a runner. And today she's here to share her story of switching to budgeting by pay period in January, and the amount of transformation she's seen, not only in her finances, but also in her mindset about her money in just three short months.

Kristina shares her struggles with traditional monthly budgeting, the financial and mental stress she experienced, and how pay period budgeting has revolutionized her family's finances and mindset in just three months. From overcoming challenges with inconsistent income to establishing emergency funds and tackling high-interest debt, Kristina's story shows the power of accurate, realistic budgeting. We talk about the frequent fresh starts provided by pay period budgeting and how it relieves the stress of managing our home finances.

You can get started with pay period budgeting today just like Kristina for just $9! The Debt Free Mom Mini Course + Template will help you take your first steps toward managing your home finances with confidence. Get it today at debtfreemom.co/template

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

01:54 Discovering Pay Period Budgeting: A Game Changer

03:17 The Practicalities of Pay Period Budgeting

06:24 Overcoming Debt and Financial Stress with New Strategies

11:22 The Impact of Pay Period Budgeting on Family Finances

15:16 Embracing Technology and Mindset Shifts for Financial Freedom

16:48 Collaborative Budgeting: A Couple's Journey to Financial Harmony

24:57 Budgeting Success: From Credit Card Debt to Planning for the Future

25:30 Setting Financial Goals: Trips, Hospital Bills, and Beyond

26:29 The Impact of Budgeting on Debt and Savings

27:38 Reevaluating Spending: The Shift from Frivolous to Focused

28:23 The Power of a Planned Budget: Reducing Uncertainty

29:42 Embracing Budget Buffers: A Strategy for Flexible Spending

33:57 Celebrating Small Wins: The Importance of Rewarding Progress

41:34 Fortune Cookie Finance: The Top 3 Most Common Financial Goals

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Are you in a season of waiting when it comes to your money? Where you know some big change is coming in the near future, but it's not there yet. What do you do in the meantime? What do you do while you're waiting? Should you try to grow the gap between your income and expenses? Or should you just be okay with a different timeline than you maybe thought initially? Alexandrea is a single mom and a teacher's aide getting her teaching degree. In today's episode, we talk about when to be okay with saving and when to be okay with spending.

Get started with pay period budgeting today for just $9! The Debt Free Mom Mini Course + Template will help you take your first steps toward managing your home finances with confidence. Get it today at debtfreemom.co/template

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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Today I'm excited to share my conversation with you from my new friends Stacie & Meghan from Didn't I Just Feed You.

Didn’t I Just Feed You is a weekly podcast hosted by long-time food professionals, Stacie Billis and Meghan Splawn, all about feeding our families — even for parents who hate to cook. (Because, man, kids need to eat a lot, and all the time too!) Every week, Stacie and Meghan get real about feeding kids, tweens, and teens. From how to turn nachos into dinner to making tofu delicious, the magic of meatballs to cracking the meal planning code, Stacie and Meghan share their hard-earned kitchen wisdom on everything from cooking techniques to managing the mental load of being the family cook — all while keeping it real, funny, and non-judgemental. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter that they’ve written cookbooks and worked on top TV cooking shows: they’re just two moms trying to get dinner on the table too.

Didn’t I Just Feed You is available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or anywhere you get your favorite podcasts. You can learn more on didntijustfeedyou.com/debtfreemom or find them on Instagram as @didntijustfeedyou.

Managing your money shouldn’t be a lonely experience! The Care Creates Community from Debt Free Mom is a safe, private membership community created specifically for women who manage their home’s finances. Together, we find realistic ways to make the most of our home finances & stick with our plans! Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by joining today at www.carecreatescommunity.com.

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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As many of you know, I was diagnosed with ADHD in my early thirties. It was a major learning process for me and still is. On today's episode, Shawn comes on to share his experience having ADHD and learning to manage his finances. Shawn's been married for 23 years, has two kids ages 21 and 15, and he works as a computer programmer. Today we talk about his struggles and successes with learning to budget towards the way that his brain is uniquely wired.

Managing your money shouldn’t be a lonely experience! The Care Creates Community from Debt Free Mom is a safe, private membership community created specifically for women who manage their home’s finances. Together, we find realistic ways to make the most of our home finances & stick with our plans! Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by joining today at www.carecreatescommunity.com

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com

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What do you do when you're ready to budget and send money to goals but your spouse isn't? Today's episode is with Rachel Parker who is a wife, a mom of two, and a teacher's assistant. Rachel and her husband realized that they needed to clean up their finances in a big way. Now they're working through building a realistic budget and learning to stick to it. So what can we do when one person is more motivated than the other?

Rachel and I chat about:

• Committing to stay on the same team even when your priorities are different
• Finding ways to celebrate your progress as you work toward long term goals
• Deciding on incentives that will get both people excited about sticking to your plan

Managing your money shouldn’t be a lonely experience! The Care Creates Community from Debt Free Mom is a safe, private membership community created specifically for women who manage their home’s finances. Together, we find realistic ways to make the most of our home finances & stick with our plans! Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by joining today at www.carecreatescommunity.com.

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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Do you find yourself building budgets that look great on paper, but then once your pay period starts, you struggle to stay consistent? In this episode of the Debt Free Mom podcast, our guest Ali, a social worker, wife, and mom, delves into her personal challenges with creating budgets that work on paper but fail in practice. She discusses the additional struggles of managing finances with ADHD, offering a unique perspective on staying financially consistent while navigating the complexities of budgeting and money management.

Get started with pay period budgeting today for just $9! The Debt Free Mom Mini Course + Template will help you take your first steps toward managing your home finances with confidence. Get it today at debtfreemom.co/template

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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In today's episode of the Debt Free Mom podcast, we're talking about medical expenses. How do we get ahead with the other goals we have for our money when we constantly feel like we are paying for medical expenses that happened a long time ago? Sarah Gonzalez, a mom of two, comes on to talk about how she is going about paying off past medical expenses and reworking her budget so that she doesn't have to keep going into debt for medical bills. We talk about how to adjust your budget to make room for increased expenses, how you should prioritize paying off medical debt with your other money goals, and some practical ways to reduce the impact of debt payments on your day-to-day life.

Then, Kyle joins the show for another segment of Financial Fortune Cookie to talk about what the future might hold for your money. He asks "How could you still be worried about money if you had a $2.3million net worth?"

When it seems like there should be more left in your bank account, and your money seems too complicated to keep track of, the Debt Free Mom Custom Budget service takes the guesswork out of your next budget. Send us your real numbers, and you’ll receive two versions of your pay period budget: the original so you can see how your money is currently flowing and a suggested budget with changes we recommend to prioritize your money goals. Sign up for your Custom Budget today at debtfreemom.co/custom 

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story like Sarah of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com. 

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It is so easy to focus on what makes our own finances the exception to the rule.

• Why other people can budget, but we can't.
• Why other people can put money in savings, but we can't.
• Why other people can eat food from home, but we can't.

But what if we started challenging ourselves to find the positive side of our financial picture, whatever that may be? Because it is there.

Today's guest has taken the challenges of variable income and learned how to plan wisely for her family, even as they face an unpaid maternity leave.

Plus, Kyle joins Carly for a brand new segment we're trying out called Financial Fortune Cookie. If you love it or (if hate it), let us know what you think!

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

Let us build your budget for you! Send in your numbers - spending, income, frustrations, and goals - and we'll send you back a crystal clear picture of your finances with practical advice you can use to improve you money situation and reach your goals. Sign up for your Custom Budget today at debtfreemom.co/custom

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Since tax season is here, I wanted to answer a very common question I get this time of year: how do I use my tax refund?

Everybody has a different response to receiving a tax refund.

• Some people purely see it as fun money as extra money. They can do whatever they want with it.
• Other people have been scraping by the past couple of months and feel a sense of relief when they receive a tax refund want to use it to catch up and add a little bit of breathing room back into their finances.
• Other people sometimes feel paralyzed by receiving a large chunk of cash all at once, because they're trying to figure out what to do with it, and it tends to disappear rather quickly.

So on today's episode, I share a few questions to think through as you receive that tax refund so you can make sure it's going to be used to not only feel good in the moment, but also to change the trajectory of your finances longterm.

If you want a personalized look at your finances to help you decide the best way to use your tax refund, sign up for a Custom Budget. Send in your income, expenses, and what your tax refund will be, and you’ll get back two versions of your budget: the original budget so you can see how your money is currently flowing, and a suggested budget with changes we recommend to prioritize your money goals. Sign up for your Custom Budget today at debtfreemom.co/custom

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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What does a professional chef want us home cooks to know about cooking food at home? Today's guest is Sandy Leibowitz of Plantains & Challah. She's a trained chef with experience in restaurants as a personal chef, and now as an educator teaching people like me how to be more efficient and effective in their kitchens. As a note, we had a few technical issues with audio during this episode, so you'll notice the sound quality is a bit different than our episodes normally are. Sandy's advice is so good that I did not want to skip this episode just for the sake of the audio, so I hope you enjoy.

If you want to dive into more of what Sandy has to offer, she's offering a few exclusive discounts for Debt Free Mom Podcast listeners. Check out her courses below, and use the discount codes to save!

Cook Without Recipes 

(self paced cooking skills course) 

Code: DFMPOD50 for $50 off until 4/3/24 

Link: https://tinyurl.com/CookWithoutrecipes

Chop It Like It's Hot 

(knife skills foundation class)

I'll be having a free onion dice class in April before opening enrollment for this class. 

Code: DFMPOD19 for $19 off until 4/8/24

Waitlist link: https://tinyurl.com/knifeskillswaitlist

Instagram: instagram.com/plantainsandchallah

Free cooking essentials guide + weekly emails on cooking: https://tinyurl.com/cookingessentialsguide

Managing your money shouldn’t be a lonely experience! The Care Creates Community from Debt Free Mom is a safe, private membership community created specifically for women who manage their home’s finances. Together, we find realistic ways to make the most of our home finances & stick with our plans! Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by joining today at www.carecreatescommunity.com.

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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Our Feed the Family mini series continues with a replay of my conversation with Amy Cross - an expert in food storage and preservation. She shares practical approaches to reducing food waste and spending even while accommodating food allergies, sensitivities, picky eaters, and everything in between. Listen to what Amy has to share today about making the most of our grocery budget.

You can find Amy Cross on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thecrosslegacy), and on her website (https://www.thecrosslegacy.com).

Get started with pay your period budgeting today for just $9! The Debt Free Mom Mini Course + Template will help you take your first steps toward managing your home finances with confidence. Get it today at https://debtfreemom.co/template

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at https://dfmpodcast.com.

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I talk about grocery spending and feeding my family well on a relatively low budget all the time, but I live in the rural Midwest, the heart of farm country where grocery prices are relatively low. What about when you live somewhere with a high cost of living like San Diego, California? Today's guest, Allie Powell, also known on Instagram as Grocery Getting Girl, is here to share about grocery shopping and meal planning for her family in such a high cost of living area. She talks about how to decide where to grocery shop, how to by in bulk the right way, and how to find time to cook at home when your schedule is packed.

Kyle also returns for another segment of Not Worth Your Money where we discuss a recent controversy over Wendy's food prices.

Connect with Alli Powell to get more of her great food spending advice:

• Instagram: @grocerygettinggirl
• Website: https://grocerygettinggirl.com/

Alli also wrote a book called "How to Save on Groceries." If you're listening to this in March of 2024, later this month in the Care Creates Community I'm going to do a live call talking to the members about grocery spending and meal planning. We will be giving away three copies of Alli's book. She's generously given us a few copies to get it out into a lot of hands, but this giveaway will only be available to members of the Care Creates Community. Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by becoming a member today for just $9/month at www.carecreatescommunity.com.

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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Welcome to the first episode of our mini series, Feed the Family.

This episode kicks off a very special month with Debt Free Mom. On the podcast, in the community, and on Instagram, we are taking the entire month of March to talk about feeding the family. In today's episode, I set the stage for the month. What are the ground rules? What are the things we will be focusing on when it comes to feeding the family and what will we not? Why does it matter to talk about eating most of our meals at home?

Managing your money shouldn’t be a lonely experience! The Care Creates Community from Debt Free Mom is a safe, private membership community created specifically for women who manage their home’s finances. Together, we find realistic ways to make the most of our home finances & stick with our plans! Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by joining today at www.carecreatescommunity.com.

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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In the previous episode, I talked to Jessi Fearon about sinking funds: how she uses them, why she uses them, and how they are helpful in her budget. I thought it would be helpful to record my own episode talking about why I choose not to use sinking funds.

Like I said in the conversation with Jessi, I don't think sinking funds a bad thing. I think that a lot of people could benefit from them, especially if you're trying to go from having no budget or organization behind your money to wanting to be on top of handling unexpected expenses. In today's episode, I'm going to talk about why I use saving sprints instead of sinking funds. My hope is that you'll be able to find a method that works for you, not that you'll be convinced that one is objectively better than the other.

Managing your money shouldn’t be a lonely experience! The Care Creates Community from Debt Free Mom is a safe, private membership community created specifically for women who manage their home’s finances. Together, we find realistic ways to make the most of our home finances & stick with our plans! Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by joining today at www.carecreatescommunity.com.

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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When it comes to finding a budget method that works well for you, I always say, if it works well for you, then it works! It doesn't have to work for other people. One thing that doesn't really work well for me is sinking funds, but people ask about them all the time. So I asked Jessi Fearon, who is a mom of three, a finance expert, a CPA, and an author who uses sinking funds to come on today and share her experience with them and her recommendations.

Here's a few places you can connect with Jessi

• Instagram: @jessifearon
• Website: https://jessifearon.com
• Get her book, "Getting Good With Money" on Amazon.

Managing your money shouldn’t be a lonely experience! The Care Creates Community from Debt Free Mom is a safe, private membership community created specifically for women who manage their home’s finances. Together, we find realistic ways to make the most of our home finances & stick with our plans! Get the support you need to reach your financial goals by joining today at www.carecreatescommunity.com.

Do you have a money question that you’d like to talk about with Carly? Do you have a story of navigating a tricky financial situation? We’d love to have you on the Debt Free Mom Podcast! Fill out the guest application at dfmpodcast.com.

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