This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on breaking up with credit cards and starting your debt payoff journey. The first 30 days after you decide to stop using credit cards are the hardest - your brain is breaking a habit and life doesn't stop just because you made a decision. In this episode, I'm giving you the actual tactics to make it through that first month without swiping your card. Not theory. Not 'just stop' advice. Real strategies that work when life gets expensive and temptation hits.

You'll learn:

• Why the first 30 days are the hardest (and what's actually happening in your brain)
• How to create physical and digital distance between you and your cards
• The small buffer you need in checking to avoid panic-swiping
• How to plan for your specific temptation moments before they happen

This is Part 1 of 4. Listen to the whole series starting here.

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen

If you set multiple money goals in January, you're probably either off track or overwhelmed by now. Here's the truth: you don't need ten money goals for 2026. You need ONE. In this episode, I'm breaking down the one money goal that actually matters - and it's not what you think. This goal is simpler, more sustainable, and more powerful than any specific number you could aim for.

You'll learn:

• Why having too many money goals keeps you stuck
• The one goal that actually creates lasting change (and why it works better than specific number goals)
• How to build momentum that compounds throughout the year

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen

We're almost through Q1 of 2026. What if this is the year everything changes with your money? Not in a dramatic overnight transformation way, but in a real, sustainable, "I finally figured this out" way. In this episode, I'm talking about what breakthrough years actually look like, the three things that make them different from every other year, and why this could be YOUR year - if you decide it is.

You'll learn:

• What "breakthrough years" actually look like (spoiler: not perfection)
• The three things that make THIS year different from every other year
• How to envision your own breakthrough year and take the first step toward it

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen

You have multiple debts and you have NO idea where to start. Every time you think about it, you feel overwhelmed and end up doing nothing. Sound familiar? In this episode, I'm cutting through all the noise and giving you the only three things you need to start paying off debt this week. No perfect plan required. No endless research. Just three simple steps that break the paralysis and create momentum.

You'll learn:

• Why having too many debt payoff options actually keeps you stuck
• The only three things you need to do THIS WEEK to start paying off debt
• Why the "wrong" strategy you actually do beats the perfect strategy you never start

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen

You've read the books. You've listened to the podcasts. You KNOW what you're supposed to do with your money. But you're not doing it. If you've been stuck in "learning mode" for months (or years), this episode is for you. I'm breaking down the real reasons you're not implementing - it's not about needing more information - and giving you the tactical steps to actually move from knowing to doing. Because at some point, you have to stop learning and start taking action.

You'll learn:

• The 3 real reasons you're stuck 
• The one thing to do this week to break the paralysis
• How to have the money conversation with your partner if you're not on the same page

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen

New Year's resolutions fail 80% of the time - and it's not your fault. The whole structure of resolutions is broken. In this episode, I'm breaking down the three reasons resolutions don't work (they're annual in a monthly world, they're fixed when life is changing, and they're all-or-nothing). Then I'm giving you what to do instead: Monthly Money Focus. This approach is flexible, adjustable, and actually works with your real life.

You'll learn:

• The three structural problems with New Year's resolutions (and why they're set up to fail)
• What Monthly Money Focus is and how it works
• Why monthly goals create more progress than annual resolutions

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen

New year, same you - and that's actually perfect. If you're already feeling the pressure of New Year's resolutions (or you didn't make any because you know they don't stick), this episode is for you. I'm breaking down why trying to transform into a completely different person doesn't work - and what does. Sustainable money progress comes from working WITH who you are, not against yourself. Let's talk about how to make 2026 your year without the pressure to become someone you're not.

You'll learn:

• Why most New Year's money resolutions fail by mid-January (and what actually works instead)
• How small, consistent steps lead to bigger results than massive transformation goals
• The one question to ask yourself to pick your next money move for January

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen

You paid off your credit card last month. This month it's back up to $2,000. Sound familiar? Paying off credit cards isn't the same thing as breaking up with them - and until you change your relationship with credit, you'll keep ending up right back where you started. In this episode, I'm breaking down why credit cards feel so helpful (until they become a trap), and the exact strategy to actually stop using them: a 4-week reset that includes a spending overhaul and decluttering your home to find extra money. If you're tired of the cycle, this episode will show you how to break it.

You'll learn:

• Why credit cards are designed to feel helpful (and why that's the problem)
• When credit cards go from convenient to trap
• Why you can't pay off debt while actively adding to it
• The 4-week credit card breakup plan (stop using, overhaul spending, declutter and sell)
• How to find money you didn't know you had
• What happens when you actually break up with credit cards (instead of just paying them off)

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen

Your budget keeps failing - and it's not because you're bad with money. It's because you're trying to force your real life into a generic template that doesn't account for what's actually happening. With the holidays coming up (Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, parties, travel), November and December need a PLAN, not a budget. In this episode, I'm walking you through how to create a spending plan based on your actual calendar, your household's real needs, and what matters to YOU - so you can stop feeling like a failure when life doesn't fit the template.

You'll learn:

• Why generic budgets set you up to fail (especially during the holidays)
• The difference between a budget and a spending plan
• How to plan for your actual life by looking at your calendar
• What to consider for November/December specifically (because these months are NOT normal)
• How to make intentional choices about what matters vs. what doesn't
• Why flexibility is key to a plan that actually works

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen

You say health is a priority, but you feel guilty spending on a gym membership. You say your marriage matters, but there's no room in the budget for date night. Your money is telling a story about your priorities - and it might not match what you're saying out loud. In this episode, I'm breaking down the two ways we contradict ourselves with money: feeling guilty about spending on what matters, and spending on things that don't actually align with our values. If you're tired of the disconnect between what you say matters and where your money actually goes, this episode will help you get aligned.

You'll learn:

• Why guilt around "good" spending keeps you stuck
• How to see what your money ACTUALLY says you prioritize (not what you think it says)
• The difference between restriction and intentional spending
• One simple exercise to identify where you're contradicting yourself
• How to make aligned money choices that support your real priorities
• Why debt payoff fails when your spending contradicts your values

Get 9 Ways to Break Up With Your Credit Cards

www.katyalmstrom.com/9-ways

Book a free consultation call with Katy: calendly.com/almstromcoaching/moneywisechat

The best way to connect with Katy online is in the Debt Payoff for Women Community!

www.facebook.com/groups/debtpayoffforwomen