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 peopl...
Apr 01, 2024•29 min
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 ...
Mar 25, 2024•47 min
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.t...
Mar 18, 2024•57 min
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 de...
Mar 11, 2024•49 min
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...
Mar 04, 2024•35 min
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 ...
Feb 26, 2024•29 min
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 Jess...
Feb 19, 2024•38 min
For some people, the fact that their income is variable means goals like paying off debt or saving a full emergency fund will simply always be out of reach. For Samantha and her husband, who are both personal trainers, they decided that their variable income would not stand in the way of their dream of buying a home. Today, Samantha shares her story of paying off $50,000 in consumer debt while managing 3 different sources of variable income. Get started with pay your period budgeting today for j...
Feb 12, 2024•44 min
In the last episode, I shared my story about switching from set salary based income to a highly variable income, and what that was like both personally and in my budget. Now, I'm opening the conversation to other people in similar boats. Jessica joins me today to talk about how she's managed her variable income budget, and to ask for some advice in handling the pieces that make her feel overwhelmed. As a stay at home mom, she's been budgeting with her husband's variable income as an auto mechani...
Feb 05, 2024•49 min
On this episode of the Debt Free Mom podcast, I am answering one of your most frequent questions: How the heck am I supposed to budget if my income is variable? I understand how frustrating this can be and why it seems like it would prevent you from being able to budget. About a year and a half ago, our family went from a set salary paycheck to fully self employed with a highly variable income. The way we manage our business budget connects our personal paycheck to our revenue. As our revenue go...
Jan 29, 2024•44 min
You do not have to follow me long to know that my love of libraries runs deep. I grew up going to the library and I'm raising my kids to love the library. Today I have a special guest with me, the director of my local library! Alissa Williams is here to share with us some of the lesser known resources and services available from libraries, because it has so much more to offer than just books. Get started with pay your period budgeting today for just $9! The Debt Free Mom Mini Course + Template w...
Jan 22, 2024•50 min
I want you to notice the first couple of things that come to your mind when I hear the words "frugal living." For some reason, these words tend to carry so much baggage. There are so many negative thoughts around the idea of living frugally. Today on the podcast we have Jen Smith, who is personal finance expert and the co host of Frugal Friends podcast. Since paying off $78,000 worth of debt, Jen has been on a mission to help people spend in alignment with their values. She joins the Debt Free M...
Jan 15, 2024•57 min
Join us for the FREE Know Your Numbers Challenge starting Sunday, January 7th. It's 5 days of email prompts to help you gather your real numbers and reflect on your approach to your finances this upcoming year. Disclaimer: This episode was entirely recorded, edited, and uploaded by Carly while Kyle was sick in bed. This is not the norm. If anything seems off to our tried and true listeners, that would be why. Happy New Year, DFM Family! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy...
Jan 01, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 41
As we close out 2023 on the Debt Free Mom podcast, we are rebroadcasting one of my favorite conversations from this season with Paige Pritchard from Overcoming Overspending. When we aired her episode originally, we had an issue with pushing it out to some of our providers. And so we want to make sure that everybody gets a chance to listen to it because it's so important. Plus, before we replay the episode we have a brand new segment of Not Worth Your Money: Christmas Edition! Get started with pa...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min
As parents, we can feel an immense amount of pressure to create memories & joy for our children at all times of year, but especially around the holidays. As we're in the thick of the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we can feel that pressure mounting. Even when we're accomplishing everything on our to-do list, and no matter what we do, we can feel like it's not enough - like there's always one more thing that comes up that we're supposed with our kids. In this episode, Kyle...
Dec 11, 2023•27 min
What kind of pots and pans does a chef use at home? What medicine does a doctor choose for their own cold? How does an accountant manage their personal budget? In today's episode, I sat down with Nicole, who is a certified public accountant, wife, mom, and the money manager of her household. She's here to tell her story of using YNAB for a few years, but consistently finding it lacking the options and information she was looking for in a budget. Here's a link to the Planet Money episode about Co...
Dec 04, 2023•56 min
Want to know one of the most common budget categories I see with a note that says, "I would love to add this someday!" when I'm building custom budgets? It's giving. Most people want to give to causes and organizations they love, but many struggle to fit it into their budget or think that the amount they can give won't matter. Today, I'm chatting with Nathan Hill from NextAfter about the impact you can make through giving regardless of the dollar amount. You can find out more about what Nathan's...
Nov 27, 2023•53 min
YNAB is one of the major players in the world of budgeting apps. For some people, it's features like requiring a plan for each dollar, spreading savings plans evenly over time into sinking funds, or syncing with your bank accounts and credit cards are very helpful. For others, like today's guest, Sarah, it can seem like a great idea, but fall short in execution. Today we'll talk about her shift from YNAB to pay period budgeting. You can start pay period budgeting today with the best selling $9 M...
Nov 20, 2023•46 min
When two adults with two very different interests, priorities, and stressors come together to manage one budget, it can become contentious and not budgeting at all feels better. Today, my husband, Kyle, and I are going to share about how we each contribute to managing our family's finances in very different ways. Kyle has experience managing a business budget in his previous role as a nonprofit executive. We chat about the three kinds of financial reports every organization and household should ...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr
There was big news in the personal finance world this week as Mint budgeting software announced that they are closing as of January 2024 and rolling into their Credit Karma software. The data will not carry over and users have to download their information before the end of this year. I sat down with Alissa Henry and recorded this podcast episode to talk about her experience moving from Mint to the Debt Free Mom pay period budget template. Alissa Henry is a mom, wife, and news anchor who started...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr
If you've been following me for the past four months, you know that we recently chose to sell our home and become renters. This was a confusing choice to many people, and I was told multiple times that we are now throwing our money away. Well, my family isn't the only one who is budgeting well, achieving our financial goals over time, and choosing to rent instead of own. Haley Brown-Woods from Price of Avocado Toast shares her story about also choosing to go from owning to renting. Check out the...
Oct 30, 2023•49 min
How are we supposed to make an accurate, realistic budget when medical providers can bill you months or years after actually visiting them? In today's episode, Ashley will tell us about budgeting for her family and learning to incorporate these bills and payments into her budget. Ashley is a registered dietician and mom of two. She has used the Debt Free Mom pay period budget template for awhile and customized it to help keep track of medical bills. If you have a money question for Carly, or if ...
Oct 23, 2023•36 min
10% of adults in the us have outstanding medical debts greater than $250 according to the most recent US Census Bureau. Unfortunately, medical bills are both common and confusing. Today on the Debt Free Mom Podcast, Lindsey joins us to talk about the hard reality of learning how to navigate medical bills and advocate well for her family. Lindsey is a married mom of two boys who works in talent acquisition for a major tech company, and in the last few years could have added "navigate the US medic...
Oct 16, 2023•34 min
Today on the podcast, I have Paige Pritchard who owns Overcoming Overspending. Paige is a spending coach who helps women stop impulse shopping and overspending. In 2020 Paige became a certified life coach through The Life Coach School and since then has coached thousands of women to become better spenders and reach their full financial potential through her social channels, her podcast called The Money Love Podcast, and group coaching program, Overcoming Overspending. Paige’s work has been featu...
Oct 09, 2023•58 min
If you are feeling stuck with a shrinking gap between your income and expenses and wondering if there is any light at the end of the tunnel, look no further than today's episode. Emily Austin is a mom of two living in the high cost Northeast. Her husband is a social worker and she is a part-time waitress. Their willingness to be flexible with their income and their expenses has changed their outlook on finances just within the last year. And she's here today to share that story. Let Debt Free Mo...
Oct 02, 2023•45 min
For all the negativity, social media may get, I'm so thankful for how it brings people together. I have followed Tidy Dad for a year now and always look forward to the beautifully predictable rhythms he brings to his stories. Tyler, his wife, Emily, and three daughters live in New York City. As you can imagine, big city living with a family of five comes with its challenges. Tyler uses his account Tidy Dad to share the habits, systems, and routines he has developed on a journey to tidy up his li...
Sep 22, 2023•47 min
What would you do if you bought a home with a mortgage that was almost triple your previous mortgage? And then you ended up needing to reduce your income to care for a sick family member? Today on the podcast, Jenelle Walsh comes to share her story of getting creative with her money and committed to paying off debt that came out of circumstances she couldn't have seen in advance. Jenelle is a licensed therapist, mom of two, and the money manager for her family. If you'd like to share your story ...
Sep 18, 2023•40 min
What would you do if three major home repairs fell in your lap all at once? Can you think of a possible plan of action easily, or would this kind of life event paralyze you financially? Today, Jackie comes on the podcast to share about this happening to her family. Jackie is a mom of three who works in medical sales. She's always budgeted in some form and has used the Debt Free Mom template for a little over a year. Listen to her story of navigating these major expenses that all happened in the ...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr
Welcome to season two of the Debt Free Mom podcast! Kicking off our next season, we have Mya on the podcast today. She is younger than our average listener base and she's here to share about being a Gen Z budgeter and trying to find financial advice that works for a younger generation. She's going to share her story about graduating from college, looking for jobs, and establishing herself independently with her finances and career. I am thrilled to have her on today. On season two, we're going t...
Sep 04, 2023•56 min
Last week, we wrapped up our June theme learning to enjoy eating most of our meals at home. To close out this month, today's episode is with our first ever expert guest! Amy Cross is 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 on Insta...
Jul 03, 2023•52 min
