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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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