Financial Coaching for Women: How To Budget, Manage Money, Pay Off Debt, Save Money, Paycheck Plans

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Budget besties, if you’ve ever listened to us and thought, “Okay…but how am I supposed to do ALL of this?” — this episode is for you.
Coach Michelle is back fresh from office hours, where she helps members work through their real-life budgeting questions, and we’re talking about something so many of us need to hear: you do not have to do everything at once.
Maybe you’re requoting insurance, switching phone plans, trying to set up savings buckets, paying off debt, or staring at paperwork you’ve been meaning to finish for two weeks. Progress is still progress.
One phone call counts. One quote counts. One box checked counts.
We also dig into what it looks like when you’re dealing with heavy consumer debt while trying to create a budget that actually works for your life. Coach Michelle shares how she helps budget besties organize income, debt minimums, bills, spending, and savings so everything finally feels a little less chaotic.
And yes — you can work toward paying off debt while still preparing for real life.
Sometimes that means prioritizing Christmas or upcoming birthdays before a vacation next year. Sometimes it means starting with just one or two savings buckets instead of trying to fund everything at once. The goal is to stop letting predictable expenses turn into new debt.
We also talk about side hustles and why bringing in extra income can feel completely different when you know exactly what that money is working toward.
Instead of thinking, “I guess I have to work more forever,” it becomes:
“I’m earning this extra money to pay off this specific credit card. When it’s done, I’m done.”
That finish line matters.
Coach Michelle also gives us a peek inside office hours and the community that happens there. Money can feel incredibly personal, and a lot of us aren’t casually telling our neighbors about a 29% credit card or the debt keeping us up at night.
But when we hear someone else say, “Yep, I’m dealing with that too,” the shame starts to lose some of its power.
Inside the community, budget besties are sharing wins, asking questions, swapping ideas, encouraging each other, and figuring this stuff out together.
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.

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Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
In this episode, we sit down with Emily to walk through her real-life October budget — debt, kids, unexpected expenses, savings buckets, and all.
Emily is carrying significant monthly debt payments while also paying for her son’s school, planning ahead for her daughter’s activities, preparing for Christmas, covering home expenses, and trying very intentionally not to rely on credit anymore.
And that last part? HUGE.
We talk through why getting a paycheck ahead matters, how to decide what belongs in bills vs. spending, and why sometimes the smartest financial move is not throwing every available dollar at debt.
Because if we use all our cash to pay down a credit card and then have to swipe that card again when the oil tank needs filling, the tires need replacing, or tuition hits… we haven’t actually solved the problem.
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.

Click here to view our privacy policy.

Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
Budget Besties, this episode is such a good reminder that budgeting isn’t about having everything perfectly figured out—it’s about finally having a system that helps you handle real life.
We’re chatting with Barb about what changed when she started using our Simplified Budget System after years of letting her husband handle most of their finances. Like so many couples, they were used to playing catch-up, taking out loans when something big happened, and wondering where the money would come from next.
Then came the bats. 🦇 Yep… 30 bats in the attic.
What could have turned into another loan or credit card balance became proof that their new money system was actually working. Because Barb had savings buckets in place, she and her husband were able to pull together the cash they needed for the unexpected expense—and now they have a plan to rebuild those savings.
We also talk about what budgeting has changed beyond the numbers. Barb is more involved in their finances, she can go to lunch with friends without guilt, and she even bought herself a new purse without wondering whether that money should have gone somewhere else.
And after years of putting birthdays and holidays on a credit card, Barb is heading into a season with four November birthdays, three December birthdays, AND Christmas—with money already being set aside for all of it. 🙌
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.

Click here to view our privacy policy.

Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
Budget besties, what happens when your income changes every month?
Maybe your spouse works in sales. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur. Maybe commissions and bonuses mean one month feels amazing…and the next month has you wondering how you’re supposed to make a consistent budget when your paycheck is anything but consistent.
In this episode, we’re breaking down exactly how to create consistency even when your income fluctuates.
The goal is to build your regular monthly budget around a realistic bare-bones income number—the amount you can reasonably count on even during a lower-income month. From there, we want your bills, minimum debt payments, groceries, gas, and everyday spending covered first.
And when those bigger commission checks or bonuses hit? That extra money gets a job, too.
We’re talking about using higher-income months to fund savings buckets, prepare for future expenses, make progress on debt, and—when your income swings dramatically—build an income holding account that can help smooth out those lower months.
We’re also answering another question we hear all the time: “How am I supposed to budget for groceries and gas when those numbers are different every month?”
This is where your 90-day audit comes in. Looking back at approximately three normal months of spending can help you figure out what your real-life averages actually are. Then you can create a consistent spending rhythm instead of letting your lifestyle expand and contract every time your income changes.
We also get into savings buckets and why you probably won’t get every single one right the first time. Christmas, back-to-school expenses, homecoming, travel, annual bills, kids’ activities…sometimes you don’t know what something costs until you live through it.
That’s okay.
Your first year of budgeting gives you information that makes next year easier. Even having half of an expense saved ahead of time means that’s half you don’t have to suddenly find in your monthly budget.
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.

Click here to view our privacy policy.

Curious? Take The Free Money Stress Quiz!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
October is here, budget besties! 🍂 And along with cooler weather, sweaters, Halloween, and the beginning of the festive season comes something else: your October budget.
Watch along: https://budgetbesties.com/octoberbudget
In this episode, we’re walking through exactly how to build your budget for October—from closing out September to deciding what to do with every dollar you have left.
First things first: close out September. Make sure every transaction is accounted for, update anything that changed, and figure out exactly how much money is rolling into October. Remember, your numbers should reflect what’s actually happening in your bank account.
Then it’s time to build October!
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.

Click here to view our privacy policy.