What are you thankful for today? Drop a gif or comment of something you're grateful for today. Gratitude helps us focus on what we have, and less on what we wish we had!

Here's a question worth sitting with this week. What did money mean in the home you grew up in? Follow-up Questions: Was it a source of stress or security? Something that was talked about openly or kept completely private? Something there was always enough of or never quite enough of? Our earliest memories around money run deeper than we realize, and if we haven't dug in to where it all started, they might be negatively impacting our daily money decisions. In today's Money Moment at 10:00 AM Central, I'm going to share a story that might help you start to think about where you learned what money means to you!

Most of the beliefs we carry about money didn't come from our own experiences. They came from what we watched and heard growing up. Maybe we had a parent who regularly stressed about bills, lived in a household where money was never discussed, or regularly heard the message wanting more was somehow selfish. Those early impressions shaped the way we think and feel about money today more than most of us realize. The good news is awareness of where those beliefs came from is the first step to deciding whether you still want to carry them. Do you remember anything specific from childhood that shaped your feelings about finances?

Join the win-a-day challenge and share your financial wins five days in a row. Share in the community with #winaday so we can cheer you on!

It recently dawned on me that determining the best way to use this community might not be very clear! I'm hoping this post will help direct you on the best way to take advantage of everything here. I know it's a little long, but I think taking a few minutes to read it will pay off and help you make the most of MMS. Of course, I'm always here if you have questions, aren't sure where to start, or need anything at all! Money Made Simple is a community built to support women developing financial literacy skills. We're here to keep you thinking about money and focused on supporting you as you work to hit your financial goals, whatever they may be. MMS offers tips, information, lessons, resources, and asks questions to keep you thinking. Content can be found in two places. First, in the community feed. You'll find a weekly newsletter shared most Mondays full of ideas, information, questions, and tips focused on different elements of your finances. There are typically daily follow-up posts focused on the same topic as the newsletter. Second, you'll find content in the classroom. Because the feed can be long and overwhelming to search, all important posts and videos are in the classroom under the appropriate category. You also want to be sure to check the calendar. All calls, challenges, workshops, etc. can be found there. I'm working to get events calendared a month in advance so you can add things you're interested in to your own schedules. First Steps 1️⃣ When you join, I highly recommend hitting the classroom tab and working through the Start Here section. We have made some changes around here in the last few months, and this section will get some updates in July, but it's still a good spot to get basic details and an introduction to the community. 2️⃣ Next, determine what you need to work on when it comes to your money. If you know it's time to familiarize yourself with your finances, set up a budget, etc., move to Phase One. In Phase One, you'll find four categories of learning walking you through everything you need to do to understand where you are now and steps to get you where you want to be. You can work through this phase at your own pace, one step at a time.