Category: Finances

Finances and money affects all aspects of family life, but it doesn’t need to control your family life. The blessing of working and earning is also a responsibility. Learning and disciplining ourselves and family to live within our means can sometimes be a struggle, yet rewarding.

Finances, For the Love of Family

Know Your Flocks, Care for your Herds or maybe…Just care for your car, washing machine,…..

It couldn’t have come at a better time. I was feeling stuck – wanted to move on, yet it was a risky proposition – especially for a low-risk taker and a conservative-minded financial coach. Should I take a risk? Throw all good sense to the wind and do what I wanted? I was living in my unknown world – not paying attention to my ‘flocks’. And from where I stood, not knowing let me believe I could and should do anything I wanted to be ‘unstuck’. Then I read this verse, and was gently reminded, that I need to take […]

Family, Finances, For the Love of Family

Do This. Checklists for First-Time Home Buyers

Recently one of my clients asked if I had a check-list for buying a home.  My answer was ‘no’, but what a great idea! Purchasing a home is exciting, especially your first one; yet it is also a bit overwhelming. Like anything else, though, you need to think through the ‘cost’ of owning your own home. As a financial coach, my first priority is to assure that the budget is working and good financial planning is in place. Having lived through home-buying mistakes, I desire to help others be wise in making a new home purchase so that the new home […]

Finances, For the Love of Family

What is an Emergency? Four ways to define the REAL thing.

A big side benefit of my husband working in home remodel and construction business, is being the benefactors of items others throw away – sinks, dishwashers, etc. Mind you, these things are not thrown away because they don’t work, or are old, but because they don’t fit the new décor. We (Gary and I) are okay with old décor; family members – not so much. One of our sons asked, “can’t we ever buy something new?” The answer? “Apparently not”, but I digress… This is our current dishwasher – new to us about ten years ago, and it is time […]

Finances, For the Love of Family

6 EASY Steps to Creating a Sinking Fund

We all have expected, yet non-immediate expenses that seem to creep up and rob our emergency fund, and financial peace. When following the seven baby steps to financial stability, funding a sinking fund is recommended while simultaneously working on steps four through seven. Creating this fund will add another layer of financial security to cover known yet usually unplanned expenses.   Sinking Fund money set aside to cover expected, yet not immediate needs; can also be used for unforeseen needs (like a garage door repair!) A sinking fund will cover expenses like appliance repair and replacement, car replacement, major house […]

Finances, For the Love of Family

Five Ways To Get Your Wardrobe Ready for Fall 2016

Happy Autumn. Cooler days and crisp nights, leaves changing colors, and endless personalized marketing  fuel  a desire for  a new fall wardrobe. New sweaters, tights, jackets and dresses in new fall colors have us dreaming. Changing seasons draw us in. We visit websites, we forgo the sale racks for the new impressive designs. Wearing new clothes offers a change, brings energy and gives a feeling of newness. For me personally, I feel beautiful and confident when sporting the newest and cutest! But…..appreciation, new energy and confidence can fade away with no plan in place, and unfortunately, even more so if […]

Finances, For the Love of Family, Raw Footage

Two Pair of Sandals for a Pair of Muck Boots (or when your financial coach gives in)

In my full-time job, I work for dairy farmers, and have the privilege of  visiting their farms quite often. Spring rain and snow in Colorado often necessitates the need for good shoe coverings or muck boots (muck, because you are in a lot of muck!). During one of my farm visits I encountered someone sporting cute muck boots. Immediately I knew these were a must-have item – for the benefit of my work, of course! After a short discussion on where and how much, it was decided. I must own a pair of CUTE muck boots. So off to the […]