The Debt Free Mom Podcast

Laura Jennings began virtual assisting as a small supplemental income and quickly worked her way up to a clientelle that replaced her 9-5 job, allowing her to work from home, control her schedule, and earn more for her family.

She now offers coaching services to help women discover the skills they already have that are sought after as a virtual assistant and land that first client!

Whether you want a couple hundred dollars a month ex...

After a whirlwind move out of homeownership and back into renting in the summer of 2023, followed by several months of house hunting with failed offers and almost no inventory, we are currently under contract on a home in Illinois.

It will mean lots of change for our family and we dive into how this house is different (but also better!) than the wishlist we had for our family.

Subscribe to follow along with our process here as well a...

Today's guest is Shang Saavedra. She comes on the show to discuss her new book Wealth is a Mindset. Shang is an author, coach, and the Founder and CEO of Save My Cents.

Shang's Website: www.savemycents.com

Follow Shang on Instagram

Purchase the book Wealth is a Mindset

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Interested in the magical Little Green Machine mentioned in the episode? Check it out here!

Stay in touch with Debt Free Mom by...

Today's episode kicks off our Feed the Family month! I talk about food spending and realistic meals for families all year long, but I like to take one month per year to narrow in on the mom math and realistic planning of feeding the family well!

40 Aprons Butternut Squash Chili

Pinch of Yum Kale Peanut Crunch Salad

Join the Care Creates Community as we hold each other accountable to feeding our family well this month! We'll be...

Kelly Stumpe aka the Car Mom takes a cheerleader approach to helping moms and families choose their next car confidently. Her enthusiasm for the car industry combined with her expertise as a car salesperson, mom of 4, and child passenger safety technician all come together to make her the voice I listen to for all things cars!

You can find The Car Mom on instagram for daily stories, car tours, and the latest industry info

Her website...

A few weeks ago I shared what I'm looking for in a house. I wanted to include Kyle on that episode but he was completely out of commission sick with the flu! So this week he comes on the podcast to share his thoughts: what we are both looking for but also where we have different priorities.

 If you feel like you're not making the best use of your paycheck, try the Debt Free Mom Budget Template. It's a one time cost of $9...

When I started the Debt Free Mom instagram account, I had already been debt free for 3 years. But that doesn't mean we didn't have years of struggling to make ends meet, realizing money mistakes we made, or paying off debt while also having 3 sons in 39 months.

Today's episode spans from December 2011 when we got married to April 2019 when we bought our first house. Sometimes we met our goals faster than we imagined, oth...

We are planning to go back to being homeowners when our current lease is up this summer. This is my stream of consciousness about what I'm looking for in our next home. Whether this is actually what we end up buying will remain unseen, but it will be fun to be able to look back on this episode and see where I was right and where I was wrong!

If you're looking for a budget template that arranges all your income and expe...

On today's episode of the Debt Free Mom Podcast, Nicole Stanley is on the show to share her experience dealing with a kitchen contractor and what she wishes she had done differently.

You're putting your home and your money in someone else's hands when hiring someone to complete a project - big or small. On today's episode, we'll discuss the questions to ask, the notes to keep, and the way to advocate for yourself...

Susan Soucy is a mom of 2, farmer (how cool is that?!), and adjunct professor. In the last several years, she's taken her finances from fear-based and stressful to confident and growing.

She began budgeting by pay period and few years ago and her weekly budget now gives her peace of mind that she can cover large expenses like daycare for her 2 kids. It also helps her plan out her fluctuating income and see the true impact of ch...

Claire Wood is a military wife, mom, writer, and teacher. Today she joins me to discuss an idea she's been pondering and applying to her life: compounding. Those small, consistent tasks and habits that lead to the large changes we're really seeking. Whether it's parenting, cooking at home, or investing: we need to allow time for the effect of compounding to truly show results.

Want to start those small, consistent habits...

In our first episode of 2025, we welcome back a DFM Podcast favorite, Tyler Moore, famously known as Tidy Dad. Tyler shares insights about his new book, 'Tidy Up Your Life,' which explores the deep connection between mental clarity and a tidy, organized living space. Tyler also shares his personal journey of balancing life in New York City with his family, the concept of 'just enough,' and practical strategies for d...

We usually know what goals we want to accomplish in the future, but we also need to look back on what we have already done! Today I fly through a decade of our personal finance progress in less than 30 minutes. "We overestimate what we can accomplish in one year and underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade." -Bill Gates

For a more detailed story of our money including details and numbers, check out Episodes 19...

Join us in this episode of the Debt Free Mom Podcast as Stacie returns to share her journey of switching from monthly to bi-weekly budgeting. We dive into the challenges and benefits of aligning budget schedules with different pay periods, managing increased incomes, and strategies for forecasting expenses accurately. She also talks with me about practical tips for utilizing savings accounts, handling car insurance payments, and se...

Are there rules to budgeting? And if there are, do you have to follow them? In this first episode back after my summer break, I have a wonderful conversation with Jessica who shares her personal journey managing finances for her rural Michigan family of five. Jessica dives into the pros and cons she has found in using budgeting tools like EveryDollar and YNAB and why budgeting by pay period has led to more rational spending behavio...

We're going to be taking a break from putting out new episodes for a little bit as we slow down on a few things and enjoy the rest of our family's summer break. You might see a replay of some of my favorite episodes here and there, but we're hitting pause with new episodes until the fall. 

If you have ideas for what you would like to hear from this show in our next season, send me an email at carly@debtfreemom.co with th...

In today's episode, Kyle and I share some of the highlights of our annual summer family vacation! We recently returned from a 10 day trip driving from Central Illinois to the beaches of Outer Banks, North Carolina. Our conversation today takes an inside look at our semi-spontaneous detour to Washington D.C. on our way home. We share some tips on planning summer trips with kids, visiting our nation's capital, and leavi...