Ever looked at your bank account and wondered where the money went? You got paid, but somehow it’s already gone. Or your business had a good month, but there’s not much left over. You feel like you’re spending too much, but you’re honestly not sure where. Most of us are working with a guess (that's how I used to do it!). We think we might spend too much on groceries or takeout, but until we look at the actual numbers, we don’t really know. I’m hosting a workshop called Tracking Your Spending on October 29th at 8:00 AM Central. You’ll learn simple ways to track your spending, how to spot the spends worth paying a little extra attention to, and how to turn that information into a budget that fits your real life. This isn’t about cutting everything you enjoy. It’s about getting curious so you can make choices you actually feel good about. Let me know if I can save you a spot and I'll see you on Thursday!

Self-care isn't just bubble baths and a good book. Sometimes, it's finally dealing with the money stuff you've been avoiding. Checking your bank account. Looking at your credit card balance. Figuring out where your paycheck went. Making a plan for the bills piling up...These things might not sound relaxing, but putting them off can create a whole lot of stress. That's why I'm teaching Managing Money = Self-Care, a practical workshop to help you rethink your relationship with money and make managing your finances feel less overwhelming. ✨ We'll explore how small steps can ease the mental load and find a realistic starting point that works for YOU. You'll leave with a clearer sense of what needs your attention and one manageable next step toward feeling more in control. 💚 Ready to give your financial well-being some attention? 📅 Tuesday, October 20th at 1:00 PM Central Time ➡️ Let me know if you'd like to join and I'll send you the link to register!

But first… last weekend’s winner! 🏆 @Lisa Drennon put the pedal to the metal when the light turned green and raced away with the win! Lisa was all over that thread asking smart questions, offering specific suggestions, and sticking around to help people work through their revisions. She didn’t just hand out colored lights, she helped people actually improve what they were working on. And how perfect is this timing? Lisa is leading her free 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 live workshop this Monday at 1 PM Central / 2 PM Eastern! If you’re making money but still wondering where the heck it keeps going, she is breaking down why earning more doesn’t always mean getting ahead... and how to start keeping more of what you make so you can build actual wealth. 🎥 Be sure to check it out here. 𝗡𝗼𝘄, 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀… 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀. 🏁 Drop something you’re working on below... your one-liner, graphic, CTA, About Page, offer, sales copy, or anything else that could use a few fresh eyeballs. Then cruise through the comments and give feedback to a few other people: 🔴 RED LIGHT — It’s vague, confusing, missing the hook, or simply isn’t landing yet. 🟡 YELLOW LIGHT — The bones are good, but something is getting in the way. 🟢 GREEN LIGHT — Clear, compelling, and ready to roll! 🔴 𝗡𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲! 🔴 Once you receive two green lights, edit your original comment to say: "✅ UPDATED after receiving two green lights" then you may add your direct link. Editing the original comment keeps your finished version at the top instead of buried underneath all the feedback. And, as always, give feedback before asking everyone to give it to you! We’re still not dropping our stuff and speeding away around here. That’ll earn you a flashing red light real quick. 😏🚨 All right! Whatcha got goin’ on? 🚦🏁

Holiday spending can sneak up on us. Gifts, food, travel, celebrations, and all those little extras add up quickly, but planning ahead makes a big difference! Inside Money Made Simple, we're spending time this month getting clear on our finances and preparing for the holiday season. We'll walk through setting a realistic holiday spending plan, prioritize what matters most, track gift spending, and set up simple tools and resources to stay on track. You don't have to give up the things you love or have your finances perfectly figured out to get started. You just need a place to begin! Thinking about getting more intentional with your money? Now is a great time to join Money Made Simple. 💚

Most grandparents buy the coloring book... @Tina Alexander, on the other hand, made one. Then she made four more! Not bad for someone who says she's not an illustrator and has never taken a single art class. She just really wanted to give her grandkids something 𝘀𝗵𝗲 made, not something she grabbed off a shelf. And when she was done, it looked like a real book... Because it was! That's when she had her aha moment. The leap from "a gift for my grandkids" to "a book for sale on Amazon" was a whole lot shorter than she thought. Between August 20 and September 16, she published five books in total. Four are for kids ages 4 to 8, with robots, animal careers, community helpers, and girls who build things. One is for grown-ups. All are under her own name. 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵? $𝟬. Now, you all know I'm all for getting things done for as little as possible, but this next part is what really 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Did you know that when you price your books on Amazon, there's a big difference between $8.99 and $9.99? It's way more than a dollar's worth. Most of us would pick $8.99 because it feels safer and friendlier... except Amazon pays a 60% royalty at $9.99 and up, and only 50% below that. On one of Tina's books, that works out to: $8.99 → $2.20 in her pocket $9.99 → $3.69 in her pocket One dollar on the price tag puts about $1.50 more in her pocket on every single sale. Playing it safe would have cost her roughly 40% of what she earns per book. Tina did the math before she hit publish, because that's how she rolls. She figures out how it works before she jumps in. She wrote the whole story on her blog, including what it costs, what you keep, and everything Amazon asks of you that nobody really warns you about. You can click straight through to check out all five books from there. 👉 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮'𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 And with Christmas right around the corner, why not gift a coloring book made by a real grandma to the little ones in your life? 🎄