My Favorite Christian Podcasts

Podcasts are life. I LOVE them!

I think I got hooked back in community college when I had a 40 minute drive to school and back (or, tbh it was Harry Potter audio books most of the time), and these days I hang out with them daily—on walks, while I’m cleaning or cooking, while I’m doing business tasks, when I need some inspiration, when I want to learn something new.

There are SO many options, and I am obsessed with all of them. Business tips, Christian lifestyle, female topics, motivational, funny, dramatic—literally anything that you like, there is a podcast for you.

Continually learning and growing is one of the keys to moving our lives in a positive direction, so it’s not just about entertainment for me, it’s also a priority to keep my mind fresh and focused on things that will help me make better decisions, lead a healthier life, and driven to be my best (and ultimately the best for God!). And, to be completely honest, it’s so stinking easy and feels like I’m not doing any work at all to gain valuable knowledge and insight.

Here we go, my FAVES of last year:

Focus on the Family

This podcast is AMAZING. I adore Jim Daily and John Fuller, and you can find hope and Biblical inspiration on marriage, raising kids, depression, loss, how to live well as a Christian. There’s so many topics and none of them fail to inspire me, even if they aren’t topics that directly relate to me. The marriage and family-specific broadcast is awesome too!

My favorite episode: This podcast is pulled from their radio station, so there are 100s of episodes. Honestly all of them are so good. I’d recommend finding a topic that speaks to you or your situation, and then also expand your knowledge base and listen to a topic that isn’t something you know about, but one that could help you better understand or relate to others. One I loved and found very interesting was Understanding Sexual Trends In the Dating Culture

She Podcast

I mean, who doesn’t love Jordan Dooley. That’s not even a question. She’s awesome. This podcast is fairly new, but there is some incredible Christian content in here—business tips, buying a home, anxiety and fear, acne, dreams, relationships. I mean, literally every girl needs to listen to this podcast.

My favorite episode: Navigating the Awkward Post Grad Years and the Tension of Transition. No explanation needed for why this one is so good.

The Porch

This podcast is a series of sermons from Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, and it’s specifically catered to young adults. The pastor talks about everything from dating, to doubting our faith, to what happens if you get pregnant, to if you can be a gay Christian. There are definitely some hard topics in here, but I think that’s the value of it and I have learned SO much already

My favorite episode: To be honest I just started this podcast, but one that really spoke to me so far was called Finding Freedom From Anxiety. I deal a lot with stressing out and having minor anxiety, and this episode gave me so much peace and motivation to overcome with God’s love and promises.

Rise Podcast

Rachel Hollis is so comical and fun to listen to, and she’s also a business boss and incredible motivator. It’s not specifically Christian content, but Rachel is a believer, and that motivates and molds how she runs her life and business. If you want to become a kick ass person, awesome mom, killer business owner, or just receive some incredible motivation—listen to this podcast. And, because I’m just being honest here, you know how some podcasts have hit and miss episodes? This one doesn’t. They’re all so good simply because Rachel is a great speaker, fun to listen to, and has so many great things to say.

My favorite episode: I haven’t listened to all of them, and seriously every one is good, but I will give you one that really moved and inspired me- This Daily Practice Changed My Life and My Business

The Hope Podcast

Lina Abujamra spoke at the college I attended several years ago and I was hooked. She is such an inspiration and has the biggest heart for God. This podcast deals with some tough issues, but it is so inspiring and truth giving. If you need to hear from God and be encouraged with stories of his love and transformation—I highly recommend you take a listen.

My favorite episode: With Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. Loss, purpose, daily life, singleness—just listen to it.

The Ed Mylett Show

Ed Mylett is an incredible leader in shaping your life into what you want it to be and living your absolute best. Honestly, his tenacity intimidates me sometimes, but it gives me a kick in the butt to give my all and really use the skills God has given me. If you want someone with a Godly perspective on improving your body, mind, business or family, Ed is the guy.

My favorite episode: Eric Thomas - The Hip-Hop Preacher. So inspiring and energetic. This episode will inspire you in so many ways.

Okay, I’ve given you enough for a lifetime of Jesus and inspiration, so I think that’s a good place to stop for the day. Drop me your favorite podcasts! I love finding new ones!

P.S. I have a few other favorites that aren’t necessarily Christian, and I will forewarn that I don’t agree with all of the opinions/beliefs in some of them, but they are full of so much knowledge and valuable content, and are just fun to listen to!

The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast: This podcast is honestly just fun. It’s a lot of girly stuff—skincare, business tips, hair, makeup, health, food, fitness, and some deeper ones on mental health and other interesting topics. I love it and listen almost every week.

The Grind and Be Grateful Podcast: Marie Wold is such an inspiring and sweet person. She is in her early 20s and runs an awesome influencer business focused around healthy, balanced, and confident living. I found her on Instagram and have never looked back. She talks with people about mental health surrounding food and fitness, business topics, women’s health, and loads more. And she’s a fanatic about practicing gratitude. It’s awesome.

The Goal Digger Podcast: Jenna Kutcher is the master behind this podcast and she is one of the sweetest and most grounded women alive. She is a business boss, but is also just freaking real about body image and life, and she brings to much value to the table. She is an Instagram, Pinterest, and email marketing boss, and she has the best tips and tricks out there for anyone wanting to run a killer business or just have some great tips for life.

Okay, that’s all for now. Until next time! Happy listening!

My #1 Marriage Advice After the First 6 Months

We’ve been married for 6 months this week.

6 MONTHS!

I know, I know, that’s nothing compared to 10 and 20 years, but what blows my mind is just how truly fast it’s gone already. I remember just talking with my husband last spring about how I couldn’t wait for the long distance to end. It felt like ages until our wedding day, and now here we are.

So I thought it might be interesting to do a little reflection on our time so far and what hasn’t worked for us and what has. For time’s sake we’re going to dive right in.

What’s Worked

1. Talking about money extensively, learning to budget, and learning how to have a conversation about it openly.

   I am naturally a saver and my husband is not, so talks about strapping down on our budget so that we could pay off our school loans quickly was HARD. We were introduced to Dave Ramsey’s practices a while back, so it was always a goal of mine to make sure we could handle our money since we were coming into the game young and without much job experience under our belts. Let me tell you, we don’t make very much yet, but our finances are under control, we have zero arguments about it (okay, every now and then, but barely. Monthly allowances help A LOT with this), and we have been able to set up an emergency fund and pay several thousand dollars on our loans already.

2. Getting really real with one another.

   I won’t go into it much in this post, but let’s just say that I had been struggling with an issue that I kept secret from my husband for several months. I tell him everything, so this was not normal, but I was so embarrassed and ashamed I just couldn’t bring myself to tell him. One day he found out on his own, and what it led to was a us holding each other on the floor with tears running down our faces as I told him about my struggles and he sat there devastated because he hadn’t known the pain I’d been going through. And he was so hurt that I didn’t feel that I could confide in him. I was so worried that I would embarrass him or make him ashamed of me, when in the end he was in pain because he couldn’t be there for me or feel that I fully trusted him. He also ended up sharing with me something that had been holding him down. Guys, telling each other everything is SO important for intimacy and closeness. When you truly love one another, NOTHING you say can make your husband ashamed of you, so please confide in the Lord and in him, as your God-given partner.

3. Figuring out a plan for family time

   I wish I was one of those amazing daughter’s-in-law who does great with his family, adores spending time with them, and never bawks at an impromptu entire afternoon at their house, but I’M NOT. I try to be loving, but as a type- A introvert, I need to know, in advance, when we will see family, how long we will be there, and what to expect. We agreed to split family holidays every other, but we live a lot closer to his family than to mine, so we end up meeting with them almost every week. This is perfectly fine, but it helps my sanity to plan it out. For instance, we plan to have dinner with them, for sure, every other Sunday night. Or, we get lunch after church every Sunday and then head our separate ways. That works for me. I’m not a spontaneous planner.

4. Talking about health goals

   I am pretty health conscious and my husband is not, and while this doesn’t seem like a big deal, it can really be hard for us to understand where the other one is coming from and to not get frustrated. He wants pizza. I want grilled chicken and broccoli. Or I want to get a work out in and he wants to relax all day. Again, it’s about planning ahead for us. I learned quickly that I needed to share that I want to eat healthy and workout during the weekdays, and that he could do otherwise but I wasn’t going to cook that way or eat with him. I get that it may sound harsh, but we each have goals, and we have to be true to ourselves as well.

5. Being really cheesy

   This one doesn’t sound as concrete as the others, and it’s not. But mannnn is it amazing. You know that experience when your totally googly-eyed for your man and other people with you are like “gross, gag me.” Or maybe you don’t do that overboard stuff in public, cause, believe me, I don’t. So uncomfortable. But let me tell you, my hubby and I are SO cheesy and lovey dovey and cute with one another at home, and it inspires the most special, giddy feeling to be treated that way. I cannot tell you how loved I feel, and how much more loving it makes me want to be towards him.

   IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE IN YOUR MARRIAGE, DO NOT STOP GOING OVER THE TOP FOR YOUR MAN.

   I promise you it is worth it and will be so great for both of you. It might be silly or childish or totally over the top for anyone outside your marriage, but INSIDE YOUR MARRIAGE IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP THE FIRE BURNING HOT. So, I mean, if this will help, then duh, just do it. It’s fun, I promise.

What We Need To Work On

1. Devotional/Prayer Time

   I hate to admit that, but hey, that’s the point of this, right? We started having a Sunday night “meeting” where we would pray, have a devotional, and share needs, thoughts, goods/bads, etc. in preparation for the coming week. Well…we haven’t done that in probably 2 months. Yikes..so, moving forward, it is my goal to make sure we are focusing on the precious time. I have set an alarm on my phone that will go off every Sunday night at 7:00pm, and my hope is that we will get into a routine of doing this every week and learn to look forward to it and cherish it.

2. Goal setting

   To be completely honest I don’t know what all of the goals we should have are, but I want to be more thoughtful about this and work on setting goals that inspire and push us to have a deeper, better relationship, reach our financial goals, know God better, keep life exciting and driven, and so forth. I want us to live each phase of our lives intentionally and be excited about what we are working towards, so this is in the works! We have set some goals, but I want it to become a monthly practice so that we continue going in a positive direction and don’t become distant or complacent with each other or our lives.

3. …Sex

   I’m embarrassed to say this one, but I am also so incredibly driven to have the best marriage possible, so I know that this needs to be a focus. I am incredibly attracted to my husband, but I have a pretty low sex drive. Not very inspiring for a new marriage, and also something that brings me guilt when I feel that I am not satisfying my husband as often as he would like. I am completely open to recommendations on this, but I also think part of it is me learning how to enjoy sex and get excited for it even if I am not initially “in the mood.” In Girl, Wash Your Face, Rachel Hollis talks about how she had to learn how to enjoy sex and make herself think that it would be the best thing that could possibly happen to her in that moment. Not whatever show she was watching, not an incredible dinner, not the kids, not anything but sex with her husband. That seems kind of crazy, but it’s honestly the mindset I want to have. I often think oh, we don’t really need to do this right now. I’m tired, I just want to watch TV. Ugh, I could kick myself. Sex is important for our marriage, and I don’t believe you have to have sex, but it is one heck of a way to keep intimacy and stop your relationship from drifting to a point where you don’t do anything special together anymore. So, long story short, I believe it will take a mindset shift and also practice. Practice to make it awesome and something I get used to enjoying. Maybe a weird way to look at it, I don’t know, but it’s something that I want to be better.

4. Expectations

   I had lots of expectations going into marriage. I thought we would each help clean up the house and eat all of our dinners together and have deep, meaningful conversations all the time, and being on our phones would never be an issue. Well, I’m here to state that I was laughingly wrong, and it’s not because we have a bad marriage. We actually have a really great one, but I was stopping us from creating our own marriage by expecting things that I had seen in my parent’s relationship, in movies, or just made up in my own head. There were other times where I expected my husband to react in certain ways to my emotions, or to love me in certain ways, but HE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I EXPECTED, and thus he wasn’t able to meet my expectations. It wasn’t his fault at all. It was mine.

   The solution is as easy and as hard as simply telling my husband how I need him to handle certain situations, and vice versa. Obviously we aren’t trying to manipulate one another, but if, say, when I am discouraged and need to talk everything out to him and need him to fully listen and converse back, even if he can’t fully sympathize or understand, then I need to tell him those things. Only then can he be more prepared for the situation if I’ve told him that I need that kind of support. Or if I want him to take the garbage out every week and I’ll take care of all the cleaning, we need to discuss that situation up front so that both of us know the expectation. If somebody doesn’t do their part, then grace must come into play, but the point is that expectations are harmful and they hurt. No bueno, and it’s something that I need to consciously be thinking about and have an open mind and a willingness to talk about my needs with my husband.

5. Wishing we were further along than we are

   Marriage is just like our lives in general. We look at others and wish we had what they had. We wish we had our college paid for like that one couple, or we wish we landed amazing jobs like our friends did. We wish we lived in a nicer apartment or a town we liked better. This happens to me more than my husband, but I get discouraged that life isn’t exactly how I want it and I just can’t wait for us to move on to the next phase. Well, as I’ve learned just from reflecting on this post, time flies. We are already six months in, and I don’t want to look back a year or five from now and remember how bummed I was during our early months because we didn’t have “it all.” It brings me down and then brings my husband down, and it doesn’t help the situation at all. We have so many beautiful moments in our current situation, and I know that God has important lessons in every phase of our lives and doesn’t want us to miss them. Practicing gratitude is big these days, and I believe starting to do that will greatly help this challenge. There are so many things to be grateful for every single day, and my goal is to begin writing out 3 things in detail every single day to help shift my mindset. Hey, I never said I was perfect, so I’m sharing things that I need to work on, and maybe it will inspire someone else as well. That’s my only hope.

There are loads of other lessons we’ve learned throughout this season, but those are some of the bigger ones I’ve realized. Overall I believe my challenge as a wife is to remember to submit fully to God and to my husband, and remembering to have that as my first intention above all else is the first step to making the other choices, actions, and emotions fall into place.

If you took away nothing else from all of this, just remember to go crazy for your man and love him like you mean it. Have fun and don’t take anything as too gushy or childish. I believe love like that is the ultimate glorification of God and the marriage that He’s give to us.

How To Make It When You Lack Confidence

I really hate to admit this, but sometimes I am incredibly unconfident, and what’s even worse is that sometimes it stops me from doing things I really want to do.

IT SUCKS. If I’m just being honest.

I remember in high school I wanted to be on the dance team, but I didn’t because I was scared as heck to try out and fail. I also remember several occasions where I didn’t feel confident about the way I looked, and because of that I stayed home from friend outings and events. And now fast forward to today. I am graduated from college, but I have yet to be in a job that I adore and feel like I am truly using the skills God gave me. I have a job, but I have cried many nights because I didn’t know what I was doing, felt no purpose, or was scared of handling certain situations. I have dreams of owning my own online copywriting and design business, and in my heart I believe I could do so well and would kill to use my gifts that way, but in my head I have so much fear and doubt. I just can’t jump the gun and do it, ya know?

As young wives or young women, we have so much freaking uncertainty:

Will I ever find a good guy?

When will I get to have a relationship/life like [insert girl’s name who seems to have it all]

How will I pay off all of my school loans?

What if I can’t find a job or I’m stuck doing things I hate all my life?

How do I support my husband with [x,y,z) going on?

The list could go on, right?

I’m guessing if you’re reading this you might be able to relate, so here’s the first thing I want to say. You are not alone. I am with you, and I know we are not the only Christians who fight this.

So what gives? Are we really Christians if we have so much doubt and fear?

I was trying to mull this over in my head, and it’s tough because lacking confidence in yourself really seems like lacking confidence in God, but I want to argue otherwise.

David, from the BIble, was called “a man after God’s own heart,” but we see in the Psalms how he was scared, confused, and begging for God’s help. He lacked confidence and had some really tough moments, but he never doubted God’s presence or love, or else he wouldn’t have prayed so fervently and asked so much of God. I think that is what we need to focus on when we are seriously lacking some confidence. We don’t need to beat ourselves up even more, but tell God what’s going on and ask Him to give us what we need.

To be honest, my go-to is often guilt or shame. Why don’t I trust God to get me through this situation? Why do I let my stupid fears stop me from doing what I’m supposed to? Am I letting God down?

But that doesn’t help anything. It only makes me feel worse and want to wallow in depression because I’m not tackling my goals, I’m not satisfying God (which is not a thing, mind you), I’m sometimes bringing my husband down, and I’m overall just failing.

Please please don’t let yourself believe those lies. That’s what they are. We can absolutely never make God dissatisfied or ashamed, and He will love us through absolutely any thought, action, or lack of action.

His grace is limitless, and when we rest in that and get rid of the guilt, we can make steps towards acting in confidence.

I am not a good example of self-confidence and courage, but I can tell you I’ve done some courageous things, so I want to share how to make that happen and live the life you want even when you’re the queen of self-doubt (or socially anxious, have negative body image, or a host of other mental hang-ups)

1. Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you + make a plan

This is imperative if you have self-doubt. I am incredibly lucky and have a husband who is my biggest cheerleader. If he sees I am anxious or can tell I am struggling, he will sit down with me and figure out EXACTLY what I’m feeling, and then we will go through those thoughts and disqualify them with examples of why they are lies, talk about how I can handle the situation with specific steps, and finally he encourages the heck of out me. He tells me that he is proud of me, reminds me of my skills or positive qualities, and reminds me that God is standing right next to me or carrying me through every situation.

Please do not seek out people who break you down, make you question yourself, or are constantly self-doubting and negative and try to make you feel that way too. That will make the situation 10x worse and you will never learn to overcome the fear. Find at least one person who you trust and can bear your heart to and that loves the heck out of you. I truly believe God give us angels to uplift us, and I swear we each need at least one. You just might even begin to think like them and become more courageous!

2. Make a list of times God has emboldened you/rescued you/turned a situation for good

This one is incredibly helpful and a big testament for God’s power. When has God answered a prayer for you? Given you a better outcome than you expected? Made a positive outcome from a terrible situation? Saved you or someone you love from despair?

Do we think He can’t do that again? I promise you, He absolutely can, and He will. Trust that and use that to motivate you to take action and be emboldened.

3. Make a choice and take action

This one isn’t as fun, but sometimes when I don’t know what God is asking of me, feel really unsure or confused, or am terrified to do something I need/really want to do, I simply have to make a choice that it is going to happen, plan steps (sometimes really small simple ones to get the ball rolling) to get there, and do it. I have to get out of my head and dive in before I’m ready or before I think to much. If you have a dream—do you really want your lack of confidence to stop you from reaching it? What if….? What if you just went for it, and succeeded?

4. Read the Bible/devotionals consistently

Without a doubt, remembering God’s truth when we are struggling is the most important thing to moving us forward and helping us overcome insecurity and fear. Reading the Bible consistently reminds us of who God is, how much love He has for us, and the great promises He has for our lives. The Bible is daunting sometimes, but just jump into it. Find a passage and make it a habit to continue reading through the book you’re in. Just let God speak to your heart and listen as He shows you Bible characters who also dealt with challenging situations and trusted God enough to let Him transform their situation. Find devotionals that you love to keep you inspired as well. And don’t just let other people tell you what to read. The reason there are a million devotionals out there is because each one speaks to different people, so go spend a little time in a book store or online until you find a few that speak to YOUR heart and YOUR situation. That will help you to connect better and enjoy getting to know God each day.

5. Make promises to yourself and keep them

Ed Mylett talks about this being the most important way to actually become a more confident person. Decide on some small promises you’d like to make to yourself—for example, waking up at 6 a.m. each day to spend time with God, only eating the amount that you prepped for yourself at lunch today, going to workout after work 3 days this week—and then keep those promises. Do each thing you set out to do, and over time you will build trust in yourself and begin to realize your potential. When you practice small and become consistent, then you can make bigger promises and goals, and you can be confident that because you accomplished all of your goals up until that point, you know that you can accomplish this bigger goal. You have a relationship with yourself just like any other person in your life. Are you building trust and confidence with yourself or breaking it? This is something I just recently learned and am really working on!

6. Instill confidence in someone else

When you are feeling down in the dumps, oftentimes doing something for another person will bring you joy and uplift your mood. It works similarly with confidence. If your husband is doing something new and he’s a little nervous, build him up and tell him that you believe in him. Remind him of his amazing qualities and why he is going to crush this thing. Talk out his fears and reassure him that God is walking alongside him and will give him strength at the exact time he needs it. Guess what? Those exact same encouragements apply to you and me, and once I’m done giving my husband a pep talk, usually I feel more confident and motivated myself as well. And also, when you encourage someone else about being confident and tackling one of their goals or challenges, you gain a sense of mutual accountability towards being courageous.

I don’t have the magical key to living a confident life, but I will tell you that I believe life isn’t about having it all figured out and being the strongest or most talented. It is about trusting God and allowing Him to work through your struggles and insecurities and saying, God, I can’t do this by myself, but I know that with you I can.

Tips For Budgeting As A Young Married Couple

I know...money isn’t fun :( But if there’s one thing I have found out in just a few months of marriage, it’s that we needed to figure it out in order to thrive. Honestly, nothing else will go right or keep you joyful until you figure out your money —whether you’re young, old, having been working steady for years or just getting started, you NEED to know what your money is doing, and even more importantly, I think God asks us to.

I’m certainly no expert, but I do love a good numbers game and sniffing out the best coupons and hacks, so below I compiled a few of my favorite tips on how we budget our money and are doing pretty well (while only making a little bit!).

First off, let’s get our WHY out front and center here, and then we’ll have a little fun with some tips!

For my husband and I, that “why” is our faith. God asks us to be responsible with the things that He gives to us because ultimately everything we have is His and is meant for His purposes, so being irresponsible with it will only lead to disaster. An example of this is shown in the story of The Prodigal Son when the younger son takes his inheritance, blows every bit of it, and has to come crawling back to his father.

One of my ultimate favorite verses on this subject is from Luke 16:10:

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

I LOVE this.

Mostly because it gives me ultimate hope and, in my opinion, relates directly to many of our situations as young people and young married couples. We don’t have any money! I’m not complaining or anything, but my husband and I legitimately have thousands of dollars in student loans, and jobs that annually don’t make as much as we owe.

I just want to be real because I think it helps you see the situation better.

But what makes me friggin giddy, is that God doesn’t jeopardize us for that! In fact, He tells us that if we can manage the little we have now and be responsible to pay what we owe (one of the Psalms talks about the evil not repaying what they owe), then He will entrust us with more to serve Him with.

So you better bet your butt I’m going to do all that I can to be trustworthy with my “very little” so that someday God can give me much more for His kingdom. Isn’t that exciting!

And also a challenge, since we have to prove our trustworthiness to Him.

So if your very first issue is not understanding why you should save or worry about paying off your bills or doing whatever it is that you need to with your money, I suggest you take a good look at your reasoning behind your beliefs and desires. Trust me, I know it’s hard! When my husband and I first started looking into our finances, it was hard to realize we didn’t just get to keep all of our hard earned money. Paying off loans is not fun! Or credit cards, or even just saving and not spending more than you make…but at the end of the day the money was never ours to begin with, and we have to take care of it just as if we were taking care of a friend’s money (or, better yet, as if we were taking care of our Heavenly Father’s money!)

If you want a little perspective on it all, take a look here first.

So here’s the lowdown on some things my husband and I do to take great care of our money:

1. Create a budget for your bills and non-negotiables

   Literally the last word you wanted to read, but you simply cannot deal with anything else or even say you know what you’re doing with your money unless you budget it out and, as Dave Ramsey would say, tell it where to go, and if you need more convincing, just think on this:

   “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”—Luke 14:28–30

   It’s actually pretty simple, though. Figure out (as best as you can) what you will make each month, then write down every bill you know you have to pay each month as well as some set aside for saving and tithing, and take the remaining amount and split it up where you want it to go (remember, you are telling your money where to go!). Some of the remainder might include fun money for going out, buying clothing, entertainment, etc.

   Go here for more explanation from the boss on budgeting. There’s a reason he’s a millionaire.

   *Head to the end to get your budget spreadsheet!

2. Create a $1,000 emergency fund—with some of your wedding/gift money!

   This one can be a little tricky, but like mentioned above, we immediately took $1,000 from money we already had and some of our wedding money and simply put it in a savings account, away from our joint checking. Over and done. Don’t touch it. It may not cover an entire emergency, but it’s a place to start, and you don’t have to worry about creating it if you just get it over with right away. If you are past the wedding and don’t have the funds to start your account, consider asking for monetary gifts for birthdays/holidays and put those directly towards your fund.

3. Simplify with allowances

   This one has been really helpful for us! My husband and I tried to budget out the extra money, but it was honestly kind of tough for us to specifically budget out restaurants, entertainment, and even just haircuts or new razors we would need. We decided to take the leftover money (after paying our bills, loans, and saving), and we split that up between us. Then every time each of us bought something, went out somewhere, or whatever else it might be, we wrote it down to track our spending. Once it runs out? You’re done. Simple as that. If you follow your budget and allowance you NEVER HAVE AN EXCUSE TO OVERSPEND.

4. Get off your high horse and eat/shop store brand generic—it adds up

   I probably don’t even need to mention this one, but for some reason the man in my house thinks he needs real Oreos, Doritos, Chex Mix…and they’re like $3 or $4 each! Yes, that doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up, and switching to generic will give you SO much more money to work with in your grocery budget! Then you can stock up on other things and make your food last longer! Same goes for makeup, clothing, and a lot of other things. Later in life when you have more money, feel free to buy the “good” stuff, but for right now, I promise you Great Value brand is actually pretty decent. As I read on a blog somewhere the other day, “Money looks better in the bank than on your feet,” or in your belly, just saying.

5. Shop at Aldi and Walmart before Target, or [Insert other pricier store]

   No explanation necessary. Target is not meant to be a poor man’s grocery store, department store, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Target (or whatever store you love to get lost in), but you will be tempted to buy things you shouldn’t (You’ve all read the Target memes!), and they just don’t have the $1/$2 items like the bargain stores do. Also, I’ve heard that millionaires shop at The Dollar Tree these days.

6. Become a DIY-er and thrift store connoisseur

   I’m not gonna lie, I LOVE watching makeup tutorials, YouTube videos on the ultimate pampering night, the latest decor and home items, but then when I push the links to each item I am blown away. Like one tiny product or piece might cost $65! Uh, no way. I will spoil myself with a coconut oil hair mask, brown eye shadow “bronzer”, and antique, thrift store bar cart. I will save over $100 and get way more use out of the products in my own house, and it’s fun to try and figure it out and see what you can find!

7. On that same note—if you own a similar product, don’t buy more

   When I’m debt free I will own all of the magical face washes and foundations in the world, but for now? I have one and as far as I know it gets the job done. Trust me, it’s hard walking past past the thousands of different kinds of products, but if I have something that already does what I need it to (cleaning products, shoes, blankets, decor, nail polish….) then I don’t need another one.

8. Set aside or budget money for trips/vacations, and pay ahead whenever you can

   If you know you want to go somewhere specific in advance, start setting aside money for it, or, on the flip side, maybe set aside $500-$1000 (or whatever your budget allows) for each yearly vaca and then let that decide your destination. Also, if you can pay for travel, shows, outings, etc. ahead of time, do that. Do everything in your power to make sure your trip doesn’t have an excuse to burden you. You can enjoy it more if you know it’s paid for ahead of time!

9. Make seeking out restaurant bargains and weekly specials a fun challenge

   Red Robin buy one get one free entrees this weekend? Okay, date night. Coupon about to expire at Subway at the end of the week? That works for our drive home Friday night. Make it a game to base your weekly meal or two out(yes, limiting your going out to once or twice a week is another super smart tip) on which places are having a special, where you can use a coupon at, or where you know you can get a good meal for a decent price.

10. Around the holidays—look for BOGO gift cards and meals

    This Christmas I bought a $50 Subway gift card and got a $10 one for free. I saw the same deal at Panera, Applebees and several other places too. Or at Potbelly you could get a free sandwich for buying a $25 gift card. If you really want to be nice and get gift cards for other people, make sure you buy one that at least gets you a bargain too. Or, if you’re trying to be even more creative and you know you can use these restaurants as one of your weekly dinners out anyway, then why not buy yourself a gift card and literally get free money or food? I like to be as smart as possible about eating out since I am still attacking debt and trying to be a savvy spender, so finding the best deals and scores has become something I love trying to figure out. Don’t get down about being money smart! Make it fun!

    I know this is only applicable for a few more days in 2018, but you can still get an idea of which places have the best deals for future reference here!

11. Learn to return

    Friends, returning items is not fun, but let me tell you, my husband and I got like $250 back after our wedding just from returning items we knew we wouldn’t use. Just like that! Free money! I know it may seem rude to return someone’s gift, or just annoying to go through the hassle, but really get thoughtful about what you are going to use and what is just going to take up space and be of no use at all when it could better serve someone else. Or, if you bought a shirt and it doesn’t quite fit. DO NOT LET IT EVEN TOUCH A HANGER IN YOUR CLOSET. Take that sucker back to the store ASAP before you forget, get past the return period, or just decide you don’t feel like doing it. It’s your money!

12. Use credit cards for GAS ONLY

    Yes, I know you’re going to create a budget, but to even further protect yourself, please only use your credit card to buy gas. It’s a payment you know you can handle and will pay off every single time. I love Dave Ramsey and follow almost all of his tips, but I don’t see a problem in using a credit card to help you build good credit and also to get cash back (heyyy Discover, you da best), but ONLY if you are 100% committed to only spend within your budget. That’s why, for us, only buying gas with it works. There’s no temptation to overspend, and we pay it off every single month.

Okay, that’s all for now. We will share some more tips in upcoming posts! Is there anything specific you’d like to learn about?? Let me know!

Before you move on, just remember in this time of planning and perseverance, God promises to be with us and take care of us. Don’t let money even take your eye off that amazing truth. You can have 73 cents of 2 million, and the same God still loves and cherishes you.

And because I think you’re so stinking worth it and crazy cool, I created a spreadsheet for you to plan out your budget! If you have any questions just leave a comment!