I was joined by Cait Flanders, author of The Year of Less, for my latest Millennial Money Meetup in Vancouver and she shared about her 2-year shopping ban.

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At the event, Cait dropped some major truth bombs that I want to recap right here. It’s funny, even though I know Cait really well and we talk all the time, when she was sharing her story, some of what she said really made me think twice about how I think about spending, saving and earning.

You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Spending Money

For instance, a big part of her personal finance journey is getting out of debt. In her early 20s she spent more than she earned and racked up a bunch of consumer debt. So, she hustled to get that debt number to zero and has maintained her debt-free status ever since. This is no easy feat, but what she discovered was that after becoming debt-free, her spending started to ramp up again.

This wasn’t because she was a shopaholic, it’s because she just wasn’t being mindful with her spending. Let’s be honest, that’s probably most of us. We are so used to spending first, thinking second, that most of what we buy isn’t anything that’s of any real value in our lives.

She also found that she wasn’t saving that much. What’s the point of being debt-free if you can’t finally allocate those debt-repayment dollars towards your savings goals?

That’s where the shopping ban idea came in. She wanted to take control of her spending without feeling guilty about it. That’s an interesting thing that she made sure we all understand. A shopping ban isn’t to make you feel bad about spending. It’s to prioritize your spending. She still had to spend money, despite what “shopping ban” may sound like. She still had bills to pay and sometimes needed to buy a new bed or pair of pants. And that’s fine. But she just wanted to make sure everything she spent money on mattered.

Mindful spending is definitely something I think we can all try to be better at (though as I mentioned in the recording, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to do a 2-year shopping ban).

Be Open to the Idea of Earning More

I loved that she brought this up, because Cait and I actually talked about this one-on-one during my Vancouver visit. We’re both self-employed, though Cait’s been at it for a few years already, and making money is definitely at the forefront of your mind when you’re solely responsible for making the bacon.

I do sometimes miss getting a guaranteed paycheque every two weeks, but I also love finally being my own boss. Still, I’m always thinking about earning. I’ve got a spreadsheet I update constantly, I use Freshbooks to help me with my accounting (which I literally couldn’t live without), and I’m always hustling to make that money honey.

Money is always on my mind, and sometimes it really gets me down. Sometimes I get excited about the idea of earning more than I ever have before because finally there’s no salary cap. But most times I just hope I can make as much as the job I left. It’s a constant psychological battle of wanting to earn more so I can live a better life, and wanting to earn just enough so I can afford my current life.

Cait shared some of what she’s experienced working for herself, and how for years she would think she could only make a certain amount. She never had aspirations of earning 6 figures per year, and she was fine with that. But then she started talking to a few friends, and realized that she was limiting herself by not being open to the idea of earning more.

I think this is something we’ve all thought at one point or another (especially us women). The idea that we can only earn a certain amount, or trying to rationalize why we don’t need to earn more.

I would love to earn more. I’d love to bring in 6 figures per year. But I’m also afraid that if I put that pressure on myself, I’ll be too focused on making money and not focused enough on my main calling which is helping and empowering others.

But when Cait brought up it was more about being open to earning more, I just really like how she put it. I don’t need to earn a lot to be happy, but earning more than I am now could offer me more choice, more opportunity and ultimately more freedom.

For full show notes visit: https://jessicamoorhouse.com/116

Ever daydreamed of being able to RV around the country and working solely from your laptop? That dream is Michelle from Making Sense of Cents' reality, and she shares how she went from being 4-figures in debt to earning 6-figures every month

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I’m so excited to be kicking off Season 5 of the Mo’ Money Podcast with this stellar interview with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner from Making Sense of Cents. It’s not every day you get to talk to someone you’ve been following for years who went from ordinary personal finance blogger to online entrepreneur raking in over $100,000 per month (yes, I’m not lying, just check out her income reports for proof!). 

Now, I want to preface that even though Michelle is able to earn six figures per month, if you’re not, that’s ok! This episode isn’t to say that you should be earning as much as Michelle and if you’re not you’re failing at life. This episode should serve as motivation and inspiration to earn more than you do right now.

Michelle didn’t start out making this much, she hustled to get where she is today. And she still hustles today to keep it going so she can continue RVing around the country, working from her laptop and supporting her family.

So after this episode, I dare you to look at your current financial situation, start taking your debt seriously if you have some, and see if there is any way you can earn a little extra to help you move toward you financial goals that much quicker.

Here are some tips from Michelle below to help you get started.

Tips for Getting Out of Debt

1. Take all of your student loan balances and add them up so you know the exact total. This will give you a concrete number to keep in your mind to work towards paying off.
2. Find ways to cut back on your spending so you can put any extra money towards debt-repayment.
3. Find ways to earn extra money so you can pile that onto your debt to accelerate repayment.
4. Set a deadline and be specific. Don’t just say you want to pay off your debt in a few years. Pick a specific date two years from now that will be your debt-free date.

Tips for Starting an Online Business

1. Diversification is key to start out so you don't rely on one income source.
2. Find out what works for you, and if you want to be a freelancer who works for clients or an entrepreneur who sells products or has a service for customers.
3. In terms of blogging income, creating a product (like a course) can be a great source of income, and same with taking part in affiliate programs.

For more info, visit the podcast show notes: https://jessicamoorhouse.com/115

I rarely do this, but I just had to put out this special episode to share some really important announcements I don't want you to miss!

First off, the next season of the podcast (Season 5 if you’re counting) will officially kick off on Wednesday, Sept. 27 with a fresh new episode! This season has a great line-up of guests and a lot of the interviews focus on making money and earning more to help your finances, so you definitely want to tune in!

Another thing that’ll be happening on Sept. 27 is my book club! I started a book club in the summer and I want you to join in for the next one. It'll be going down in my Facebook group (Money Life Balance Community) on Sept. 27 at 7pm ET and we're reading Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam. He'll also join us live for the book club, so you won't want to miss that! To learn more, visit https://jessicamoorhouse.com/bookclub

Something that’s happening even before all that is a very special event I’ll be doing in my hometown! For all of my Vancouver friends, I'm going to be hosting my Millennial Money Meetup in Vancouver on Monday, Sept. 18, so visit http://millennialmoneymeetup.com to get your tickets before they're sold out!

Last but not least, if you missed out on your chance to register for the Rich & Fit Bootcamp this past June, fear not because the doors are opening once again. Sign up for updates at http://richandfitbootcamp.com to be the first to know when you can enroll!