Simplify and Enjoy Podcast

Who doesn’t love a good DIY home project? But how do you take what you see online or on television and translate that into your home, especially when you are not naturally handy?

Today, we’ll look at what you need to know to get started and build up your DIY skills!

How to Get Started with Your DIY Home Projects

Last week we were talking about being a frugal foodie, home brewing, and having a garden at your place.

These are some of my favorite topics.

I enjoy talking about how to save money and put it towards goals that matter to you but I also love learning new things.

As I mentioned last week, I wasn’t a natural gardener.

My first attempts are pretty bad keeping plants alive. I ended up going with cacti and fake plants inside the house for a few years.

By starting off small with a little front patio garden. I began to get some practice and to learn some skills. And I would not call myself a garden expert.

Now I’m really proud that we have a space out back where we can grow the vegetables that we enjoy and love.

I feel the same way about DIY.

Neither one of us are naturally handy people, but when we became homeowners, we out of necessity had to learn some skills. Not only so that we can save some money, but turn our house into our home.

If you’re thinking of taking on some home projects, but you don’t know where to start, then this is your episode.

Whitney Hansen, who’s the creator and host of The Money Nerds podcast is here today.

Besides her financial skills, she also has some serious DIY talents. She loves to jump into projects whether it’s painting her house, building a fireplace, or flipping furniture.

In this episode, we’ll get into:

• why and how she got started with her home projects
• how to save money when you’re doing DIY, and
• where she finds resources to learn new skills.

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Hope you enjoy!

Resources to Make Your Home Projects Easier and Less Stressful

If you’re planning on doing a home DIY project and you want to keep it stylish and affordable, here are some resources to check out!

• Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint
• Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money
• Designer Kitchen on an IKEA Budget?
• Renovate, Remodel...Relax!
• Save Money, Gain Skills with DIY Home Repairs
• Weekend Home Organization Projects
• DIY vs. professional renovation: What to tackle yourself and what to leave to the pros
• Home DIY 101: Tools Every Couple Needs

Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal Credit Union!

Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you’re living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today!

We’ve been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts!

Key Takeaways with DIY Home Projects

Here are a few key takeaways from today’s episode!

• Start where you can. With Whitney, flooring was one of her first projects. You may be more along the lines of us, where our project was painting. It may not sound like much but you can always build up. Fixing up furniture you find at yard sales or thrift stores. repairs around the house, including your gadgets are ways to practice and develop skills.
• Run the numbers and outline the project. Whit...

How can you help your kids to be thoughtful and master money? We’ll go over key things they need to know about how to save, spend, and give!

Teaching Your Kids About Money Teaching Your Kids About Money

In a way, I feel like 2020 has kind of given everyone a sense of how time works with parents. On one hand, you look up at the calendar and are amazed at how quickly things have flown by.

I mean it’s already August!

And yet on a weekly level, there’s this rhythm that somehow makes you think things are barely moving along.

Next week our kids are back in school and we will have a 4th grader and a kindergartener.

With this extra time together at home, we’ve had more conversations with one another. And if you’re around kids, you know that are a big part of those conversations are questions.

Some topics we expected, our kids are 9 and 5 and they are now more aware of what’s going on, but others threw us off or at least me.

And one of those was money.

As you probably guessed, as a personal finance writer I do talk to my girls about money. And as a family, we have our little system for allowances, chores, and savings.

But with the pandemic and the fallout hitting so many families so hard, our girls have asked – are we okay? They’ve wondered about others too.

So we’ve expanded our conversations and included them in the family finances more.

Whether there’s a pandemic ort not, I think if you ask any parent we want our kids ot not only be savvy with money, but more thoughtful and generous.

But there can be a gap between what we like to teach our kids and actually getting started.

Which is why we’re tackling this in two parts. Today we’re going to focus on getting the ball rolling with money talks.

I’m excited because I’ve invited another mom in the trenches to chat – Kristia Ludwick.

She’s not only a mom of two girls but also a half-marathon runner and the creator behind Family Balance Sheet.

In this episode we’re discussing:

• How to open up the conversations with your kids about money
• Adjusting for each of your kid’s specific needs
• Why your example matters

Ready? Let’s get started!

Resources to Help Your Kid Become Savvy with Their Money

Here are some of my favorite tools, apps, and resources to get your family working as a team with money!

• Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint
• Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money
• How We Paid off Six Figures of Debt
• Famzoo: Fantastic tool that allows you to create a family ‘bank’ system that can make managing allowances easier while guiding your kid from preschooler to teen to become financially savvy.
• Cash Crunch Jr.
• Goalsetter
• 5 Things I Want To Teach My Kids About Money Fit On A 4 By 6 Index Card
• 21 Back To School Tips For Raising Money Savvy Kids At Each Educational Stage

Thank You to Our Partner Coastal

Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union!

Support the Podcast!

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it.

• Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share.
• Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher.
• Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

Music Credit

Music in this episode is by artists from Audiio.

We’re planning on renovating our kitchen, but we don’t want to break our budget. Is it possible to have a designer kitchen on an IKEA budget? We’ll find out today!

Kitchen Reno on a Budget

One of our big goals for 2020 is finally updating our kitchen. When we moved into our house four years ago, we knew there were going to be some projects.

While the house definitely had some great bones and had a timeless quality to them, there were rooms that felt a bit...well dated.

You got the stylish parquet floor in the dining room butting up against the dingy tile in the kitchen.

While a kitchen update is in itself a challenge, there are some factors that came into play to require some more creativity with both the budget and design.

For one, our original plan was to work on the kitchen this winter and then come summer we were going to buy a replacement commuter car for my husband.

There’s a lot to juggle and besides having a kitchen we love, we also want to keep it affordable.

Today Barret Teague, Consumer Lending Analytics Manager at Coastal Credit Union, is going to help us crunch the numbers.

In this episode we’ll look at:

• How to figure your kitchen budget + ways to finance your remodel
• Finding a wonderful contractor
• Ways you can save and make your dollars go further

Let’s get started!

Resources to Make Your Home Renovation Project More Affordable

If you’re planning on doing a home renovation project and you want to keep it stylish and affordable, here are some resources to check out!

• Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint
• Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money
• Renovate, Remodel...Relax!
• 8 Ways to Save on Home Renovations

Thank You to Our Partner Coastal

Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union!

If you’re living in the Raleigh Durham area and you’re at the stage where you’re planning and saving up for your home project, you really want to check out Coastal.

Besides having competitive rates with savings, they also have loan options for home improvements, including a home equity line of credit (HELOC)!

Support the Podcast!

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it.

• Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share.
• Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher.
• Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

Music Credit

Like the music in this episode? Music is by Lee Rosevere and Audiio.

Today we’re digging into how to live well and enjoy this summer without breaking your budget!

Enjoying Summer as a Family, Staying on Budget

Saving money can be a smart and practical move when it comes to your finances. Sometimes though, you can get caught up with savings that it becomes your goal.

In the personal finance space and in particular with the financial independence community, there’s a segment that is intensely focused on how cheap they’re living.

They spend only $25,000 year or save half or more of their income.

First off, I think it’s commendable to look at ways to save. You want your hard-earned money o go further. But I think it misses the point of it all.

Instead of focusing on living cheaply, I think it’s more enjoyable and sustainable to live well.

As parents, we want to enjoy the time we have now with our kids. We can’t get that time back with them.

While working towards financial freedom does take getting our numbers into a good spot, it’s really to serve the bigger goals, savor the more precious resource time.

So today we’re digging into ways we can find that balance that is right for us and whatever season of life we’re in.

This is why I’m happy to have author, speaker, and podcaster Michelle Jackson on the podcast today.

In this episode we’ll get into:

• Defining your priorities and creating a budget that includes those while tackling paying off debt
• Finding ways to live well (foodie, health, and more) while keeping it affordable
• How to remove stress and automate your money

Let’s get started!

Resources to Help You To Reset Your Finances and More

If you’re ready to get your budget up and running this summer, here are some handy tools and resources you should check out!

• Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint, Honeyfi, Zeta
• 50/20/30 Spreadsheet Template
• Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money
• The One-Page Financial Plan: A Simple Way to Be Smart About Your Money
• How to Talk to Your Spouse About Money

Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal!

Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union. If you’re living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today!

They not only have fantastic customer service but they also have competitive rates on their checking and savings accounts!

Support the Podcast!

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast!

• Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share.
• Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Spotify, or Apple.
• Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

Besides investing in index funds, many families in the FI space are also investing in real estate. We’ll look at the different avenues involved (flipping, rental properties, REITs) so you can see if investing real estate is right for you!

Is Real Estate Investing Right for Us?

Have you ever watched one of those shows on HGTV and DIY where they renovate and then sell the homes – Desert Flippers, Good Bones, and my mom’s favorite – Texas Flip and Move.

The transformation of those places can be incredible, but part the draw too – at least for me – is waiting until the end to see how much they sold it for and seeing the profit they take home.

I don’t know about you, we do think about the potential of real estate.

If you’re a family working towards financial freedom, one of the things to consider is diversifying your income.

For some families investing in real estate has been the way to go, but is that the right choice for you?

That’s something we’re actually considering now. I don’t know about you, but before I put any money in, I want to have a clear idea of how things work so we can see if it’s the best use of our money and fits into the big picture for us.

This is why I’m so happy Louis Guillama is back on the show. He’s the Vice President of Real Estate Operations at Coastal Credit Union and he’s had decades of experience as a real estate investor.

In this episode we’ll get into:

• The various ways you can start investing in real estate
• How to financial prepare so if you decide to go in, you have a solid foundation
• Resources and ways to dig in deeper and learn more

Let’s get started!

Resources on Real Estate

If you’re looking to buy, here are some resources to help you find an affordable place you love!

• Best Budget and Money Apps: Personal Capital, Tiller, Mint
• Grow Your Stash Faster: High Yield Savings with CiT Bank
• Automatic Saving: Qapital
• Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money
• BiggerPockets
• How to Invest in Real Estate: Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal!

Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! If you’re living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better, come check out Coastal today.

If you need an agent, Daymark Realty has a fantastic team ready to help find the perfect house for you in the Triangle area!

Support the Podcast!

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast!

• Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share.
• Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple!
• Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in 4 weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!

Music Credit

Like the music in this episode? Music by Lee Rosevere and Audiio.