Inspired Budget

Let’s be real. Paying off debt is tough. But trying to do it while raising little kids? That’s a whole new level of hard.

In this episode, I’m sharing what it was really like to pay off over six figures of debt while being a mom to two little ones. I talk about the guilt, the pressure, and the emotional weight I didn’t expect. This isn’t a step-by-step guide. It’s a heart-to-heart about the five things I wish I had known before starting our debt-free journey as a mom.

If you're a parent trying to get out of debt while carrying the weight of wanting the best for your kids, this episode will remind you that you’re not alone. You are doing the best you can, and it matters.

Want to learn the exact steps my husband and I took to pay off $111,000 of debt without giving up everything we love?

Grab a seat in my free budget class here: https://inspiredbudget.com/freeclass 

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!

In this episode, I sit down with financial therapist Dr. Erika Rasure to talk about something most personal finance advice skips over: the emotional side of money. Erika shares why so many of us carry shame, guilt, or fear when it comes to spending and debt, and how we can begin to break those patterns for good.

We discuss:

• What financial wellness really looks like beyond just budgeting
• How emotional triggers show up in spending and saving
• My own story of financial defensiveness (yep, I’m sharing!)
• What to do if you and your partner don’t see eye to eye on money
• How to move forward if you feel stuck in debt or shame

This conversation is heartfelt, eye-opening, and full of the grace we all need when we’re working on our money habits. You are not alone and you are not behind.

Connect with Dr. Erika on LinkedIn

Learn more about Beyond Finance

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!

In this episode, I’m walking you through the six steps I would take if I woke up today with over $100,000 of debt. This is the exact approach I’d follow based on my own experience of paying off $111,108.29 on two teacher salaries while raising a family.

I’m breaking down what I’d do differently, what worked for us, and how to stay motivated along the way…because paying off debt is just as emotional as it is practical.

Whether you’re just getting started or starting over, this episode will help you take real, doable steps toward becoming debt free (without the shame or overwhelm).

📥 Grab the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker: https://inspiredbudget.com/goodbyedebt 

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!

My guest today paid off over $215,000 in student loans and credit card debt in just 48 months! 

Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez is a daughter of two immigrants, a lawyer turned entrepreneur, and the founder of Zero-Based Budget Coaching, LLC. After graduating law school in 2015, Cindy found herself in six figures worth of debt. Instead of giving into the temptation to "live the life of luxury" she deserved from all her hard work, she took control of her money by immersing herself in the world of personal finance and paid it all off in just 48 months.

No matter your profession, income level or how much debt you have, this episode is for you! 

Enjoying the podcast? Make sure to subscribe & leave a review!

Links

Follow Cindy on Instagram
The Blueprint to Financial Freedom

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!

Let’s rewind to the beginning of our debt-free journey—back when I thought paying off six figures of debt would be simple, linear, and honestly… a little more glamorous.

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

In today’s episode, I’m getting real about the three biggest things I wish someone had told me before we even got started. These aren’t the kind of tips you find in a finance textbook. These are the behind-the-scenes lessons that shaped me emotionally, mentally, and practically and completely changed how I see money (and myself).

No matter if you're just getting started, feeling stuck halfway through, or trying to get back on track after taking a break, this episode is your reminder that you don’t need a perfect budget or a big paycheck to make real progress.

Links & Resources:
 👉 Grab the FREE Debt-Free Roadmap. It's a step-by-step plan to help you get started
📖 Money Made Easy. My book walks you through budgeting and building financial confidence.
📱 Follow me on Instagram: @inspiredbudget

Enjoyed this episode?
Take 20 seconds to leave a quick review. It helps the show reach more people who need encouragement and clarity on their financial journey. 💛

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!

What do you do when you wake up and realize you owe $169,000 in debt? If you're Leigha, you grab a spreadsheet, get honest with yourself, and start sharing your journey online. 

In this inspiring episode, Leigha (@millennial30something) opens up about the moment she said enough is enough and decided to not only start her debt free journey, but share it online as well.

We talk about:

• How she balances paying off debt with still enjoying life
• The exact numbers behind her $169K debt total (including 13 credit cards!)
• Why even a $3 refund check can make a difference on your debt-free journey

Whether you’re just starting out or in the messy middle of your own debt-free journey, Leigha’s story is the encouragement you didn’t know you needed.

🔗 Follow Leigha on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube

📊 Download her free debt & budgeting tracker [linked in her bios]

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!

When my husband and I decided we were DONE with debt, we had no clue where to start. We were drowning in over $111,000 worth of debt and making two teacher salaries. We didn’t have extra money lying around, but we were determined to change our lives. So what did we do first?

In this episode, I’m walking you through the very first five steps we took to pay off six figures of debt. These are simple, doable things that helped us build momentum and stay on track (even during the hard days).

If you're overwhelmed by your debt or have started and stopped a million times, this episode is for you.

✨ Grab my Goodbye Debt Tracker for free! This Google Sheet helps you:

• List and organize all your debts
• Compare the snowball vs. avalanche method
• Plug in extra payments and see how much faster you can be debt free

→ Download it here: inspiredbudget.com/goodbyedebt

📅 Ready to get serious about budgeting and paying off debt without sacrificing everything you love? Grab my book Money Made Easy right here.

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you left a review. It helps the podcast reach even more people who are ready to change their money story.

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!

In this episode, I talk with Katie Kimball about teaching kids kitchen skills that save both time and money. Katie shares practical advice for parents looking to build cooking independence in children while keeping grocery budgets in check.

In this episode you will learn:

• How to teach age-appropriate kitchen skills to kids 10+ (like knife skills and stovetop cooking) that build independence while saving you time
• Practical strategies for managing summer snacking that won't break your budget
• How to implement a family cooking rotation where each child takes responsibility for an entire meal

This episode is for you if you're tired of doing everything in the kitchen yourself and want to teach your kids valuable skills that will save you time and money while preparing them for adulthood.

Go to kidscookrealfood.com/inspiredskills to access free life skills training videos and learn about her virtual Life Skills Summer Camp featuring 100 different skills taught by experts.

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!

Just because I teach budgeting doesn’t mean I’ve always made perfect money choices. In this episode, I’m getting personal and sharing six purchases I regret. Not to shame myself or anyone else, but to show that we’re all learning as we go.

Some of these were impulse buys. Some were made with the best intentions. But all of them taught me something about values, priorities, and how sneaky spending pressure can be.

Here’s what I cover:

• The mindset that led to a few expensive mistakes
• What I wish I had done differently
• How these lessons changed the way I spend today

This isn’t a list of things no one should ever buy. It’s a reminder that regret is part of the money journey, and that learning from past decisions helps us spend with more confidence and peace moving forward.

💬 If you’ve ever looked at a purchase and thought, “What was I thinking?” you're not alone. You’re in good company.

📘 Want more stories, strategies, and support for making a budget that feels right for your life? Grab my book Money Made Easy on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Kelly Anne Smith to talk about what it really looks like to go from barely getting by to building a life with financial peace. Kelly opens up about her early money mistakes, including the time her car was repossessed—even though she technically had the money in her account.

We talk about:

• Why not knowing where your money is going can cost you big time
• How she paid off $23K in student loans and cash-flowed a $30K wedding
• What it looked like to budget with a partner who had totally different money habits
• How she stayed motivated when budgeting got hard—and what finally clicked

If you’ve ever felt stuck, behind, or like you’re the only one trying to figure this money thing out—this episode is for you. Kelly’s story is full of real-life lessons, hard-won wins, and the kind of hope we all need to keep going.

Resources Mentioned:

• Follow Kelly on Instagram
• Get the Ultimate Side Hustle Guide

You Might Like:

• Get the FREE Goodbye Debt Tracker!
• Grab my FREE Budgeting Cheat Sheet.
• Get the Budget My Paycheck Spreadsheet.
• Follow Allison on Instagram! @inspiredbudget
• Check out Inspired Budget's blog.
• Take my FREE class on How to Budget to Build Wealth!