Inside the Alliance Coaching Program: What Really Happens (and How It Can Help You) | 79

Ever wondered what actually goes on inside the Alliance Coaching Program?

In today’s episode, I’m pulling back the curtain and giving you a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be a member. You’ll hear a real coaching conversation from one of our monthly Office Hours where we dig into an important (and super relatable) money question:

👉 What should I do with extra income — pay off debt, save for home improvements, or something else?

Here’s what you’ll take away from this episode:

• How to prioritize extra money when you’re building your financial foundation

• Why the $1,000 emergency fund is your first non-negotiable step

• How to use the debt snowball method to create momentum and knock out debt faster

• The trade-offs between debt payoff vs. home improvements (and how to decide what’s right for you)

• Why community + coaching makes decision-making about money so much less overwhelming

Inside the Alliance, we don’t just “talk about” budgeting — we celebrate wins, ask hard questions, and get the practical support we need to keep moving forward.

💡 If you’re tired of trying to figure it all out alone, the Alliance Coaching Program is here to help you create a plan that actually works for your family — and stick with it.

👉 Join us inside the Alliance Coaching Program today: https://www.jewlzthebudgetnerd.com/membership

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Do you ever wonder what is actually happening inside the
Alliance coaching program? So if you've been a part of the
show for a little while, you've heard me talk about it.
Today we're going to take a little sneak peek behind the
scenes and share with you what actually happens inside the
Alliance coaching program. And one of our first members of

(00:20):
the Alliance asked a question inone of our recent office hours
about what to do with some extraincome.
And she's a new homeowner. And just talking about the
reality of day-to-day life and spending our money and trying to
make wise decisions for ourselves, for our family and
for our finances and our future.So that's what the Alliance is

(00:41):
about. And so I hope that today's
behind the scenes look is helpful for you, encouraging for
you, and also helps bring some clarity for you and your money.
Welcome to the Debt Ripple podcast where we discuss the
insurance and outs of personal finance for families so you can
eliminate the burden of debt, create financial margins, and

(01:03):
learn a new way to interact withyour money.
I'm your host, Jules, the BudgetNerd, and I have been in your
shoes. My husband and I have paid off
over $107,000 in consumer debt until we finally threw in the
towel and decided it wasn't for us.
Throughout our journey, we learned another way to do life
without debt, and that's my hopefor you.
You can learn more about our story and see full show notes on

(01:25):
my website, julesthebudgetnerd.com.
That's JEWLZ, the budget nerd.com.
Now let's dive into today's episode.
I know for myself when, you know, it talks about like a
membership or subscription or something.
I'm like, First off, I want to know what am I signing up for
and how do I get out of it if I don't like it?

(01:45):
Oh, I'm just going to share withyou a practical, real world
example of what it's like to be a member of the Alliance
coaching program and see what kind of support that we get and
what kind of moments we have, one to celebrate with each
other, the conversations that take place.
And so I'm going to play a shortclip from this last month's

(02:06):
office hours. And it's just that live Q&A time
that we get together once a month.
And it is just ask me all of thequestions.
One question that came up from one of our longtime members and
she asked about some additional income that's going to be coming
in on a regular basis and what to do with that.
And we also talked a little bit about home ownership and just
making choices that will continue to align with what

(02:31):
matters most to our family, but also providing those things, the
roof Riverhead and making home ownership a blessing and an
enjoyable experience. Hopefully it will help you and
bring some clarity. OK, so let's go back to the
question, because this is the one that you had posted earlier
today. I believe it was about that

(02:51):
extra, that extra income becauseyou're, you now are going to
have additional income on a regular basis.
And what do you what do you do with that?
So, so Allison, I know you have your $1000 emergency fund
already, already taken care of. So if you, if you don't already
have that and this is a situation you're in and I would
put that extra money towards that $1000 and then get and then

(03:14):
that debt snowball. So the debt snowball, if you're
not familiar with it, is smallest as you're going to list
your debts out by balance from smallest to largest.
And then you're going to pay theminimums on all of them except
for that first one. And then you're going to put any
extra income. And that's why this budget comes
into play because you'll be ableto see all of your bills are
taken care of. And then at the very end are

(03:35):
your debts. And then any extra income that
you have is going to go towards that.
So I would say the basic answer,Allison, for your question is to
put it towards that debt snowball, because once those
things are taken care of, you don't have to think about them
again, right? And it's over and done with.
And then you get to you get to add that debt free to your name.

(03:56):
And you're like, this is such a good feeling.
It's a such a huge victory. I would say the only caveat to
this would be because one of thethings you put on here was a
home improvement or a mortgage payment.
Now I would say the home improvement part would be
something that I would say maybethis is, this is a conversation
and something for you and your husband to talk about.

(04:16):
And the only reason I would say why you could put it towards the
home improvement fund would be if you know, for instance, very
soon you're going to need to be replacing something like a roof
or you have something that you know is coming to the end of its
life in your home, then maybe putting that towards that would
be, would be beneficial. So yeah, it's not like it like

(04:41):
everything here is fine, but like my bathroom is very dated.
My sinks aren't, they don't, they're not thriving and I have
problems with them. So I it's like those things
they're cosmetic, but they're also like borderline about to be
functional, like not functional.So that's why I'm like, but then
am I justifying it? Because if it works, it works.
If it don't, it don't. I don't know.

(05:02):
And that's where I get kind of wishy washy with myself is I
would love to take $400.00 a month in my situation to paint
the other rooms, to replace the sinks, to demo that wall in the
living room that I hate, you know?
You know, I got a quote from a friend that said that he would

(05:24):
do my whole kitchen remodel for 10 grand because he's just
starting out. And I was like, I don't want to
lose that deal. Yeah, right.
Those are some things that I think about that I'm like you
know $400.00 a month saving for my remodel.
I may or do I make it a line item and just say we have this
discretionary income, I can create that and hold on to it.

(05:45):
I don't necessarily have to get rid of that.
And you could do, you know, I mean, it's 400, so you could do
a little bit towards that home improvement fund and then put
the rest towards your debt. And that's what you, that's what
you could do. It really, I would say when it
comes to like the cosmetic stuff, like you dealt with it
this long, I totally get it though, because I'm like, Oh my

(06:06):
gosh, I just cannot stand looking at something for so
long. But then like, OK, but if you're
so close to that, that debt free, that debt free date and
having that car just that and having your car paid off, then
maybe you can look at it for a couple more months.
Do you know what I mean? Yeah.
And I have to ask myself, would I rather have my car paid off or
would I rather spend a couple $100 in paint?

(06:30):
That's the work that I have to do.
And I think my answer would probably be I'd rather be debt
free. I'd rather have my car paid off.
Because that's. $380.00 a month that I could easily use the next
month that that it's paid off tobuy the paint that I need for
the. House and then you'd have both
accomplished they're just waiting just one month right.

(06:50):
The other thing I would say is if like, you know, for instance,
like the faucets like you're talking about, like, OK, maybe
they're kind of like they're going to be at the end of their
life soon, but you don't necessarily know when.
So for example, worst case scenario here, you put that for
$100 towards your debt and didn't put it towards the home
improvement stuff. That would be something that if

(07:12):
it started leaking, if the faucet started leaking and you
need to replace it, then that would be something to dip into
that $1000 emergency fund for and then just replace that.
That's so funny, after I saved that $1000, it is like pulling
teeth for me to even think to spend it.
And I think Adam said that. Was it Adam or you on one of

(07:34):
your earlier podcasts, you had said that you or somebody else
that you were talking about, it was also hard for them.
They would find ways not to spend it.
Like I'm over here like I'm going to sell my riding lawn
mower because I don't need it. I will.
I will put in the effort to makemoney, marketplace, sell things,
OfferUp services that I have like my camera, take photos,

(07:57):
senior photos, whatever. I will do that before I touch my
emergency fund. Yeah, good for you.
And you know what, there's a lotless emergencies happen when you
have that because that is your, that's your quote UN quote
credit card where you normally in the past would have gone for
that. And just I want to give a huge
kudos to Allison for knowing that this additional income is

(08:18):
going to be coming, but creatinga plan for it before it comes.
That's a huge win for her and her family.
But it's the kind of support to that we provide every single
month inside the Alliance coaching program is stuff comes
up. We don't know what kind of
questions we're going to have about our money at any at any
moment. And so that's why having access
to myself and our community to learn and grow together and kind

(08:42):
of have that, that feedback loop, because sometimes we can
be in our own vacuum when it comes to like, I think this is
the right choice. But you can get some feedback
from from other people that havebeen there, like myself, and be
able to walk into your decision making for decision making
process with confidence and knowthat the decision that you make

(09:04):
for your family and for your finances is one that is the
right choice for you. And so that's the kind of
support that we have every single month.
But I hope that this episode washelpful for you today and an
encouragement and a reminder to when you're starting out your
debt free journey is start with that $1000 emergency fund.

(09:24):
That's a do not pass go, do not collect $200 unless it's going
into that emergency fund. You are going to start out with
that $1000 and making sure that that's set up because that is
your new credit card. The Alliance coaching program is
way more than just content, eventhough all of the classes that I
teach are archived in there so that you can go back and watch

(09:48):
them over and over again if you want.
There's challenges, there's accountability, and there's also
community of other families thatare doing this journey alongside
you. And of course, our live coaching
opportunities that will help youcreate the kind of life that you
want for you and your family. Create a plan that you'll
actually stick with. So if you're tired of just

(10:11):
trying to power through it all on your own, we're here for you
and we're we're ready to help you make some progress and
eliminate the money stress the guesswork.
So come join us inside the Alliance coaching program and
you'll get access to monthly office hours just like you heard
a little bit ago. And also our budget Co working
sessions, workshops and a community of other families on

(10:33):
the same journey. Thank you so much for listening
and we'll see you inside the Alliance coaching program.
Thank you for listening to the Debt Rebel podcast.
Now, if you want to take your next step, check out my website,
julesthebudgetnerd.com. That's JEWLZ, the budget
nerd.com. I've created a bunch of
resources just for you. So hop on over, check it out,

(10:55):
and we can connect more there. If you love today's episode, I
would be honored if you would hit that subscribe button and
leave me a review. And remember, every step towards
financial independence is a rebellion against debt.
So stay strong, keep pushing forward and fight the good fight
until next time. Debt rebels stay resilient.
Yeah.