637 episodes
Budget Review: Why Throwing Every Extra Dollar at Debt Can Backfire w/ Emily | 627
2026/10/05 | 32 mins.Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
In this episode, we sit down with Emily to walk through her real-life October budget — debt, kids, unexpected expenses, savings buckets, and all.
Emily is carrying significant monthly debt payments while also paying for her son’s school, planning ahead for her daughter’s activities, preparing for Christmas, covering home expenses, and trying very intentionally not to rely on credit anymore.
And that last part? HUGE.
We talk through why getting a paycheck ahead matters, how to decide what belongs in bills vs. spending, and why sometimes the smartest financial move is not throwing every available dollar at debt.
Because if we use all our cash to pay down a credit card and then have to swipe that card again when the oil tank needs filling, the tires need replacing, or tuition hits… we haven’t actually solved the problem.
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.
Click here to view our privacy policy.When 30 Bats Invade Your Attic: How One Budget Helped a Couple Face a $3,700 Emergency Without Debt w/ Barbara | 626
2026/10/02 | 25 mins.Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
Budget Besties, this episode is such a good reminder that budgeting isn’t about having everything perfectly figured out—it’s about finally having a system that helps you handle real life.
We’re chatting with Barb about what changed when she started using our Simplified Budget System after years of letting her husband handle most of their finances. Like so many couples, they were used to playing catch-up, taking out loans when something big happened, and wondering where the money would come from next.
Then came the bats. 🦇 Yep… 30 bats in the attic.
What could have turned into another loan or credit card balance became proof that their new money system was actually working. Because Barb had savings buckets in place, she and her husband were able to pull together the cash they needed for the unexpected expense—and now they have a plan to rebuild those savings.
We also talk about what budgeting has changed beyond the numbers. Barb is more involved in their finances, she can go to lunch with friends without guilt, and she even bought herself a new purse without wondering whether that money should have gone somewhere else.
And after years of putting birthdays and holidays on a credit card, Barb is heading into a season with four November birthdays, three December birthdays, AND Christmas—with money already being set aside for all of it. 🙌
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.
Click here to view our privacy policy.- Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
Budget besties, what happens when your income changes every month?
Maybe your spouse works in sales. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur. Maybe commissions and bonuses mean one month feels amazing…and the next month has you wondering how you’re supposed to make a consistent budget when your paycheck is anything but consistent.
In this episode, we’re breaking down exactly how to create consistency even when your income fluctuates.
The goal is to build your regular monthly budget around a realistic bare-bones income number—the amount you can reasonably count on even during a lower-income month. From there, we want your bills, minimum debt payments, groceries, gas, and everyday spending covered first.
And when those bigger commission checks or bonuses hit? That extra money gets a job, too.
We’re talking about using higher-income months to fund savings buckets, prepare for future expenses, make progress on debt, and—when your income swings dramatically—build an income holding account that can help smooth out those lower months.
We’re also answering another question we hear all the time: “How am I supposed to budget for groceries and gas when those numbers are different every month?”
This is where your 90-day audit comes in. Looking back at approximately three normal months of spending can help you figure out what your real-life averages actually are. Then you can create a consistent spending rhythm instead of letting your lifestyle expand and contract every time your income changes.
We also get into savings buckets and why you probably won’t get every single one right the first time. Christmas, back-to-school expenses, homecoming, travel, annual bills, kids’ activities…sometimes you don’t know what something costs until you live through it.
That’s okay.
Your first year of budgeting gives you information that makes next year easier. Even having half of an expense saved ahead of time means that’s half you don’t have to suddenly find in your monthly budget.
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.
Click here to view our privacy policy. - Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
October is here, budget besties! 🍂 And along with cooler weather, sweaters, Halloween, and the beginning of the festive season comes something else: your October budget.
Watch along: https://budgetbesties.com/octoberbudget
In this episode, we’re walking through exactly how to build your budget for October—from closing out September to deciding what to do with every dollar you have left.
First things first: close out September. Make sure every transaction is accounted for, update anything that changed, and figure out exactly how much money is rolling into October. Remember, your numbers should reflect what’s actually happening in your bank account.
Then it’s time to build October!
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.
Click here to view our privacy policy. - Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
Budget besties, October is coming! Have you made your budget yet? No shame if you haven’t—that’s exactly why we’re here. 😂
In this episode, we’re walking through our monthly budgeting routine so you can head into October knowing exactly where your money is going. We’re starting by closing out September, updating those account balances, and then building October’s budget using our five simple categories: income, debts, bills, spending, and savings.
And remember: a budget isn’t about restricting your life. It’s about organizing your money so you can actually use it for the life you want.
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.
Click here to view our privacy policy.
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Do you make good money but have nothing to show for it? Tired of using your bank account & credit card balances as your budget? Want to get debt-free but don’t want to sacrifice everything to do it? Ready to save money and build generational wealth?
You’re in the right place!
We’re telling you exactly how to budget, pay off debt, save money & stop living paycheck to paycheck.
We’re Shana & Vanessa: BFFs, business partners & Dave Ramsey Solutions Master Financial Coaches (and unofficial marriage counselors). We’re glad you’re here.
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