So, you’re wanting to start budgeting and you don’t know where to start. Undoubtedly, the number one question I receive is, “Miko, where do I start?!” I know that when you first come to my Instagram page it can look overwhelming. That overwhelm might make budgeting seem impossible or that you don’t have enough time to budget. So many people feel they need all of the answers, or need to be perfect, or need to make X amount of money in order to start budgeting, or need to dedicate two hours per night to budgeting in order to be successful. Here’s the truth - it doesn’t take any of that. You just have to start. Where do I recommend starting? If you click the link located in my bio here on Instagram, it will take you to a ton of different resources. You can find my YouTube Channel, my shop, my blog, and you will also find a button that says “Start Here.” Here, you will find where to sign up for the free Budget Blueprint Course, as well as which articles I recommend checking out first. The link in my bio is a one-stop location for SO many resources. It’s important to remember that your financial journey isn’t just about your finances. It’s also a self-discovery journey that will truly change your life. That said, it doesn’t change overnight. Don’t feel like you can’t start now because you don’t know all of the answers or don’t know how to do every single part of the Budget by Paycheck Method. There are action steps that you can implement into your life NOW that will help you gain more clarity and confidence around your finances. Just like with anything in life, learning something new takes time. It takes hard work, dedication, and discipline. You have to put in the work to see the results that you want to see. Swipe through the post above to read about the small action steps you can take NOW and over the course of the next few months that will help you. If you’re just starting, welcome! 👋 #thebudgetmom #budgetbypaycheckmethod #budgeting101 #budgettips #budget #budgetqueen #budgetmom #budgetingforbeginners #budget101

The new TBM Building Blocks of Budgeting Course is HERE!! The Building Blocks of Budgeting is a course to help you set up the strongest financial FOUNDATION possible by improving your mindset and relationship with money, creating a realistic budget, paying off debt, and learning healthy habits so you can discover lasting change. By taking The Building Blocks of Budgeting course, I am positive you will have more confidence, stability, clarity, peace, and organization with your finances. This course will take you from being overwhelmed, unorganized, and stressed with your money to confidently managing your dollars with clarity and direction so you can save, pay off debt, and invest. I am hoping this post answers some of your questions! Head to the link in my bio to learn more about the course! #thebudgetmom #budgetbypaycheckworkbook #budgetbypaycheck #budgetgoals #budgeting101 #budgeting101 #budgetlife #budgetqueen #budgeting #personalfinanceinfluencer #personalfinanceforwomen #budgetingisfun #budgetplanner

I know there has been a lot of talk about a looming recession, which is scary to think about, especially with all the conflicting news headlines. Some economists don't see a global recession happening any time soon. Other top experts say there is a 50-50 chance of a recession. Some say a mild recession will come in 2024. The truth is no one knows, which can produce much uncertainty. A recession is technically defined as TWO consecutive quarters of declining gross domestic product or GDP, and we won't really know for sure until the numbers are in for July. No matter what happens, remember, any changes you have to make to your finances right now, whether that's having to pause a financial goal or decreasing spending somewhere in your budget, it's temporary.  If you are investing, keep at it! Now is a good time due to low market prices, which means you have the opportunity to buy more and see greater growth when the market goes back up. If you need to cut back your contributions because of rising expenses, at least try to contribute enough to max out your employer's matching contributions. How to prepare: Revisit your budget and spending Pay off high-interest debt Reprioritize your financial goals Stay the course with investing Stay calm and don't make financial decisions that are controlled by your emotions Boost your emergency savings if you can. Economic downturn or not, all of these action steps will help you succeed with your finances. What steps are you taking to prepare? #personalfinanceforwomen #recessionproof #recession #budgetgoals #thebudgetmom #budgeting101 #budgettips #budgetlife #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #moneymoves #moneygoals

The $5 Challenge is a savings challenge that I started doing in December of 2019. Essentially, I just save every $5 bill that I come across in my cash envelopes. Implementing savings challenges into my life is something that I did early on in my journey, even when I had debt. I was challenging myself to save money I didn’t even know I had. Finding those extra dollars in my budget allowed me to prove to myself that I CAN save. Even if you don’t have much wiggle room in your budget doesn’t mean you can’t save. Start off by saving your change. Then maybe challenge yourself to save $1 every day. Focus on the intentional actions of saving because that’s when habits form and you start seeing success when it comes to savings. Do you do the $5/$1 challenge? #thebudgetmom #budgettip #debtfreegoals #debtfreejourney #paycheckbudget #paychecktopaycheck #financialempowerment #financialfreedom #financialmotivation #budgetgoals #savingschallenge

Recently, I took some time to go through the paperwork in my office to scan all of the essential documents into my external hard drive. Look what I came across. I started using cash envelopes in 2015-2016, and I started keeping all of them, so I can go back and quickly analyze my spending for specific categories. You are looking at years' worth of cash envelopes—a new set for every month of the year. When I saw this pile of cash envelopes sitting on the floor, I thought about how consistency has affected my financial transformation. There are hundreds of lines of cash spending transactions that tell the tale of dedication every day to bring financial awareness to my life. This is another example that the progress you are making on your financial transformation isn't always glowing and noticeable day-to-day. Still, it's there - silently bringing you closer to your dreams and goals. I love these types of moments in my life! I ended up recycling these cash envelopes, but I think I'm going to start scanning them in every year to my external hard drive when I scan in my budgeting papers. How are you tracking the financial progress you are making? Do you use a tracker? Do you save your cash envelopes as I do? Do you journal? Let me know in the comments 👇 #thebudgetmom #budgetqueen #cashenvelopesystem #cashenvelopes #cashenvelopestuffing #cashenvelopemethod #spendingmoneywisely #budgetgoals #budgettips #budgetbypaycheckmethod #cashenvelopewallet #budgetlife #personalfinanceforwomen

Shifting your mindset is all about awareness and self-examination. Scarcity mindset - feeling like you are always without, that there isn't enough of something. You constantly believe you need more of something to have a fulfilled life. Abundance mindset - believing there is always more of something. You are able to see and believe in endless opportunities. I don't believe I would be where I am today without my shift in mindset. The perfect example is when I first started my business. I used to tell myself, "Why even start? So many other people are already doing it." I had a scarcity mindset. Today, I tell myself, "Yes, there are a lot of other people who do what I do, but there's only one me. I make what I do unique. I'm capable of growing and being successful." Take your negative and limiting beliefs and flip them on their head. Do you struggle with a scarcity mindset? #thebudgetmom #financeexpert #personalfinanceinfluencer #moneygoals #moneyroutine #financialplan #moneymindset #moneymotivation #moneytalk #financialfreedom #financialgoals #debtfreecommunity #scarcitymindset

This helped me so much when it came to planning out my food budget! One day I took some time to analyze my food spending. As I was looking back a past month's spending I realized I was going to Costco about 3-4 times a year for bulk grocery hauls. I was spending on average of $300-$400 per trip. In the beginning, I would use my credit card to help with the cost of these large grocery hauls. Then it turned into stealing cash from other envelopes outside of my food budget. Now, it's being prepared in advance with cash. I like to stock up on meat and a few other bulk items. I am able to get home and freeze my meat in portion sizes. This is what works for me. When I create my weekly meal plans, I create recipes around the meat I have in my freezer. When I first started shopping at Costco, I thought buying everything in bulk helped me save money. But with being a small family, it just led to food waste. Today, I only have select items that I buy in bulk. Meat Cooking and baking staples Toilet paper Pasta Protein and supplements If you do a quick price-per-unit calculation, you can identify which bulk options provide the best deal. BUT you also need to consider expiration dates and space issues for storing bulk items. You also spend more upfront on oversized or multiple packages to reap the overall bulk savings, and that’s why I plan and prepare in advance. I currently save $100 from every paycheck and I only spend the money I have saved. What are some bulk items you shop for? #thebudgetmom #budgetmom #grocerybudget #costcohaul #foodbudget #savemoney #groceryhaul #budgettips #personalfinanceforwomen

We are now the proud parents of four sweet Silkie Bantams and four beautiful Frizzles, and we are SO in love! After moving to our property three years ago, I knew I wanted to be a chicken owner. So, for this to be finally happening is a dream come true. I never take owning animals lightly. I strive to provide the best and healthiest home environment and gain all the knowledge I can. I started heavily researching raising chickens more than two years ago, and we started the long process of designing and building our coop. Contrary to what you might hear or think, owning chickens (or any animal) is expensive. Like gardening, it's not "FREE food from my garden." Just like it's not "FREE eggs from my chickens." It takes money to produce fresh fruits and veggies from your garden, and it takes money to produce eggs from owning chickens. So here is our chicken cost breakdown: 🐣 Coop: $10,500 (Chris paid for a majority of this for my wedding gift) 🐣Land prep: $1,500 🐣Sand for coop & run: $400 🐣Monthly cost: $20-25 (depending on what we grow in our chicken garden TOTAL STARTUP COST = $12,400 The monthly cost isn't too expensive, and of course, you can own chickens without spending as much as I did for startup costs, but I had a dream and vision of what I wanted for my own reasons, so the price was worth it to me. Remember, what you value might differ from what others value, and that's okay! So, what's next? Naming them all.  The one I am holding, we are naming Orangesicle and the last picture of the black and white chicken, we are calling Cruella from Cruella de Vil in The Hundred and One Dalmatians  Do you have questions about owning chickens? Leave them in the comments, and I will do my best to answer based on my research and experience. #thebudgetmom #chickenowner #budgetgoals #budgetqueen #budgetlife #savingstips #costbreakdown #budgetmom #homesteadlife #newchickenmom #budget #moneygoals #personalfinanceinfluencer #personalfinanceforwomen #moneytips

If you were to go through every item you own and throw out every item that didn't bring you value, how many things would you get rid of? Me = I'm scared to know the answer 😭 #thebudgetmom #minimalismlife #savemoney #financialfreedom #frugalnotcheap #spendless #minimalism

Have you ever had to take a step back and ask yourself why you’re spending money? And not just a reason why or why you’re purchasing this specific product, but the emotion you felt when you finalized your transaction. The feelings and emotions you feel behind spending are referred to as Spending Triggers, which are subconsciously making you spend money. But why? Have you ever been out with your friends enjoying a delightful shopping outing to purchase a new outfit? I don't know about you, but I’ve been in this situation before and felt a total case of FOMO (fear of missing out.) So, I bought an outfit for myself, just like the others. And the moment I arrived home, I instantly regretted it. My spending trigger was due to someone else’s actions making me feel a certain way. Some of you may buy an outfit every time you have a bad day, while others may purchase shoes or go out to an expensive restaurant. And even now, we have instant shopping at the touch of our fingertips. Being stressed out, getting revenge, feeling bored, experiencing heartbreak, even celebrating an accomplishment - these are all types of spending triggers. Those emotions are making you spend money. One spending trigger that I have is boredom. I often find myself struggling with boredom. I find myself scrolling through Amazon when I’m bored, and I’ve even caught myself purchasing some of those items out of pure boredom, not need. After every purchase I made where I've given in to my spending triggers, one of the emotions I've felt every time is guilt. Guilt around the fact I just spent money on something that doesn't even bring value into my life "just because." The way I recommend you combat your spending triggers is to take a step back and ask yourself why. Are you spending because it's something you absolutely need? Or are you spending because of an underlying emotion? Identify and come to terms with your spending triggers because this is the only way you can stop the spending habits that result from your triggers. What is one of your spending triggers? How do you combat your "spending trigger" spending?

I have been saving my spare change since my son was two. It started as a way for me to save for his future even when my budget was tight. It was a way to take action even when I felt I had no money. I usually turn in my change at the end of the year, but I didn't get around to it at the end of 2022. I use @mystcu, and they allow me to take in loose change (unrolled & under $200) without a fee. So, what will be starting our new baby's 529? Yep! That's right, the change I have in my hands! Each state offers its own version of 529 plan, and some states offer several options. You are also NOT LIMITED by geography, meaning if you live in Washington, you can enroll in a 529 plan in Alaska. A 529 college savings plan is a tax-advantaged state-sponsored investment account that enables you to save money for a beneficiary for qualified educational expenses. I currently invest in a CollegeAmerica 529 (which is a Virginia 529 plan) through my financial advisor, but of course, you can open a 529 on your own. Just make sure to research how much you need to start and the fees. For my 529, there is no minimum to start. Saving your change may not seem like a lot, but remember, you can still move towards your goals no matter how small the step. #thebudgetmom #budgettip #debtfreegoals #paycheckbudget #paychecktopaycheck #financialempowerment #financialfreedom #financialmotivation #budgetgoals #savingschallenge #investingtips #budgettips #budgetgoals #investingforbeginners #thebudgetmom #budgetgoals #futuregoals #debtfreejourney #budgettips #savingforcollege #collegesavings #529

We are officially less than 6 months away from Christmas! WHAT!? That being said, it's not too late to start saving for the holiday season! I know for me, the holiday season was the one time every single year I found myself going further and further into credit card debt. Enter - Christmas sinking fund Even when I still had debt, I always had a Christmas sinking fund. Why? Because Christmas happens every single year, and every single year I know I will be spending money during that time. This is why I implemented a Christmas sinking fund. I started saving a little bit every single paycheck to go towards Christmas, that way by the time Christmas came along, I had money set aside for gifts, food, traveling, etc. I was prepared. Implement a savings challenge in your budget or start a holiday sinking fund. If you decide on starting a sinking fund, you will need to calculate how much you need to save per month/paycheck to reach your goal. The formula is: ❗️Total goal amount / number of months until you'd like your goal to be met = how much you need to save every month❗️ From there, you can break it down into how much you save per paycheck. It's okay that it's June and you haven't started. Start NOW. Your future self will thank you. Are you going to be doing (or are you currently doing) a money savings challenge to save for the holidays this year? Note: You can find all of the trackers pictured above in my Free Resource Library, linked in my bio. #thebudgetmom #savingchallenge #savingschallenge #5dollarchallenge #savingstips #savingsgoals #budgetgoals #financialgoals #moneygoals #savingtips #savingmoneyisfun #savingmoneytips #savingmoney #personalfinanceinfluencer #personalfinanceforwomen #budgetmom #budgetbypaycheck