Chris Peach, of MoneyPeach, joins Think Enriched today.

We discuss:

• Chris, first is a firefighter & paramedic, then started looking at his finances & found they were out of money.
• When they started doing the opposite of what everyone else was doing it started to work!
• In 2011, they had $52K in debt: credit card debt, auto debt & student loans.
• "I thought that's how life was: you worked; money came in; you spent it all."
• They paid off all $52K in 7 months!
• "When you stop your life, and you re-start it, and you do things so outside of normal, you can do these kinds of things!"
• "That light that you hear about at the end of the tunnel? It is way brighter than you believe it is!"
• Student loan debt: refinance to be smart & get a lower interest rate.
• Why Chris recommends SoFi; they work for the people, not just the bank and interest rates.
• Debit cards are not the Red-Headed Step Child of the finance world!
• The thing about car payments? They SUCK. Hear Chris's thoughts on car payments.
• How old of a car should you buy? Chris believes 4 years is about right.
• Opportunity cost in deciding on their next car.
• A lot of us are immature with money: "There is financial illiteracy in this country with money." We just haven't been taught the proper principles in handling finances.
• "No one ever talks about what happens when you finance your entire life into payments. I tell you what happens, you run out of money at the grocery store."
• This whole "getting out of debt thing is starting to become cool."
• Chris will send you the budget. You don't take a road trip without a fuel gage.
• "Everything we do in life, money interacts in it."
• Being on a budget is not like being walked on a leash- you create the boundaries that work for you.
• The one thing Chris would tell you: "Start on a budget."
• How every police officer & firefighter in the state of Arizona can take the Financial Peace University course for free.
• His wife is on TV several times a week and she shops wisely: You won't believe how much she pays for clothes now!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• MoneyPeach.com
• Sofi.com
• The Millionaire Next Door, by Thomas J. Stanley
• Dave Ramsey
• The 100 Club of Arizona
• Think Enriched Virtual Tip Jar

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

You can win 1 of 3 copies to be given away of StrengthsFinder 2.0">Gallup Strengths Finder 2.0.

1. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
2. That's it! You are now entered to win 1 of 3 copies being given away (just in time for the holidays.)

Don't forget to join me & Steve Stewart on BLAB next week:

BLAB Session: November 18, 7pm, Pacific

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Rate & Review the show.

Have you ever walked into a store to buy one thing, like a towel, and left with entirely new bathroom decor? There's a name for it.

It's called the Diderot Effect.

In this episode we talk about:

• Our last episode, my husband joined us. We discussed our family's financial situation, progress, the highs & lows.
• Here are the numbers: January 2013, we had $57,000 of debt. We have paid off $41,000 total. We paid off $25,000 in 2014 and $16,000 in 2015. We have just the final $16,000 left on my student loans.
• The Think Enriched Review: Share the one thing you have learned about money this year! Send me an email to: [email protected] to share your Enriched Review!
• The Diderot Effect: consumerism wasn't invited this year. We can get caught up with one new thing which triggers us to buy another new thing and another.
• Diderot's Essay, written in 1769, "Regrets for my Old Dressing Gown, or A warning to those who have more taste than fortune."
• "Poverty has its freedoms; opulence has its obstacles."
• Have you ever found yourself suffering from the Diderot Effect? Like:
  • You identify with stuff, as in, "That is so you."
  • Brands are becoming part of your lifestyle and image.
  • You buy things in sets for the look, rather than the actual need.
• Remember, it's just stuff. It's not part of your identity. It's just stuff!
• Look at how the stores are set up. They are created to help us buy much, much more than we need.
• Set your limits for you: make your budget, stay within your limits, and enjoy your purchases.
• You can support the show! Drop a Five Spot in our Think Enriched Virtual Tip Jar.
• Support the show this week.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• "The Diderot Effect: Why We Want Thing We Don't Need- And What to Do About It" by James Clear
• "Regrets for my old Dressing Gown, or A warning to those who hae more taste than fortune," by Denis Diderot, 1769
• Think Enriched Virtual Tip Jar

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

You can win 1 of 3 copies to be given away of StrengthsFinder 2.0">Gallup Strengths Finder 2.0.

1. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
2. That's it! You are now entered to win 1 of 3 copies being given away (just in time for the holidays.)

Don't forget to join me & Steve Stewart on BLAB next week:

BLAB Session: November 18, 7pm, Pacific

Subscribe in iTunes. Or Stitcher Radio.

Rate & Review the show.

Have a question? Send me an email: [email protected]

Sure, we all wonder about how money works in other homes. Today, we open the curtain and share our struggle with money: the headaches & heartbreaks (that we can now laugh about); working through the fights; making a budget work; and finally, being able to see the finish line so close.

It is nearly an understatement to say that our marriage has completely changed from figuring out the finances.

Raul & I examine:

• What we remember of the early days of our marriage trying to figure out our budget.
• The resentment I had at that time.
• The turning point that was the biggest fight of our marriage: "the car fight" that changed our lives
• How I went to the first session of Financial Peace University by myself...and why Raul insisted I go.
• The discussion after that first session & insight to our desire to change our family tree.
• Instill hope: The reason I created this blog & podcast.
• Learning & getting on the same page, working together as a team; our marriage is better for it.
• The brutality of working through that first budget.
• Why Saturday mornings working through the budget is the best time of the week for us to make it work.
• And why Saturday morning budget time has become a habit.
• The Christmas budget: why we had to categorize where the money was going.
• Why we had to decide to allow our daughter to give this holiday.
• How we have found a balance where Raul focuses on the details, and I keep us looking toward the big vision for our family.
• What our friends & family have noticed about our situation.
• How having a budget has allowed us to be much more open about money. Who knew?
• The best example is to do it.
• When did Raul know we were on the right path? That very first night of FPU.
• The moment I knew we were on the right path? When we could do a budget in just a quick time.
• The story of "The Little Engine that Could" comparison to our finances.
• How the element of surprise has been removed from our budget.
• The jar analogy: the big rocks, the pebbles, the sand and the water.
• Raul is more analytical. I am more abstract and a feeler. We discuss how our communication styles have changed to be able to connect and reach out so that we are speaking the same language.
• What advice Raul has for you, the one who knows there is an important conversation that needs to happen to fix your finances.
• How having the budget eliminates the "awkward stressful conversations" in the store deciding on a purchase.
• What Raul's opinion on this podcast & what he has learned from this experience.
• How Raul has helped me figure out how to work from home, including: setting up business hours; finding balance in family and creating; and how we are making podcasting a part of our life- but not everything in our life.
• Raul asks me a question that I've never considered before.
• The element of finances in our marriage has enriched our entire relationships.
• Raul agrees to return with a status update on what we continue to learn about our finances.

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

You can win 1 of 3 copies to be given away of StrengthsFinder 2.0">Gallup Strengths Finder 2.0.

1. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
2. That's it! You are now entered to win 1 of 3 copies being given away (just in time for the holidays.)

Don't forget to join me & Steve Stewart on BLAB next week:

BLAB Session: November 4, 7pm, Pacific

Subscribe in iTunes. Or Stitcher Radio.

Rate & Review the show.

Have a question. Send me an email: [email protected].

Jim Collison, of The Average Guy Network, shares his insight on money mangement, working your strengths and how you can win no matter where you are in your financial situation!

We discuss:

• How Jim & his wife, Sarah, learned about money while they were young & he was still in the military.
• How car payments forced them to pay for life on the card, which quickly added up to serious debt.
• Feeling guilty about debt? It seems like the easiest answer is to spend more money.
• Larry Burkett's book, Complete Financial Guide For Young Couples (Christian Financial Concept)">The Complete Financial Guide for Young Couples, changed his entire financial perspective.
• "How we spend our money is outward indicator of an inward spiritual condition." Larry Burkett
• The budget can get blown out of proportion, but you fix it and move forward.
• In 18 months they were completely debt free.
• How he found confidence & hope to fix his finances that directed his family to live on an established budget for 15+ years.
• How Jim stopped doing the budget 8 years ago, and put it on autopilot with his transactions & savings.
• "I think budgeting and planning, super duper important."
• Set up your spending categories, understand the percentages of where to spend your money.
• Do an inventory to track your spending. Don't feel guilty about it. Don't try to change anything & group them into expenses.
• "You should always be saving."
• Your well-being goes up when you give things away, according to a Gallup study.
• "Budget your hours like you budget your money."
• "Most people overestimate what they can do in a month and underestimate what they can do in a year. So give yourself a year to try it."
• Measure, engage, & move forward on the budget.
• StrengthsFinder 2.0">Gallup Strengths Finder 2.0
• "Having a plan is better than no plan."
• Money equals options.
• We discuss my strengths to look at how Strength Finders is helping me.
• Themes x Investments = Strengths
• Try to discover your Super Power.
• We all understand that: 1+1= Way More than 2
• Jim shares his highest & lowest strengths and how he works with that.
• Take the Strength Finders as a team, as a family, in relationships to build your best strengths.
• When using your strengths: Name it. Claim it. And Aim it.
• What the difference is between a bank & a credit union for the regular consumer.
• What is he proudest of while working with Gallup? How High school students have an opportunity to do an internship at Gallup Credit Union.
• Girls are dropping out of tech programs in junior high. What can we do to keep them involved in the STEM program through the junior high/high school years?
• "Don't panic and plan."
• You have 2 of the most expensive months coming up: Do damage control.
• Keep the categories broad and very simple.
• How expensive is Thanksgiving? How expensive is Christmas? Keep track of teh receipts and keep track.

Resources mentioned:

• Jim Collison
• The Average Guy Blog & Network
• Complete Financial Guide For Young Couples (Christian Financial Concept)">Larry Burkett, The Complete Financial Guide for Young Couples
• StrengthsFinder 2.0">Gallup Strengths Finder 2.0
• Gallup Strengths Center

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

You can win 1 of 3 copies to be given away of StrengthsFinder 2.0">Gallup Strengths Finder 2.0.

1. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
2. That's it! You are now entered to win 1 of 3 copies being given away (just in time for the holidays.)

Don't forget to join me & Steve Stewart on BLAB next week:

BLAB Session: November 4, 7pm, Pacific

Subscribe in iTunes. Or Stitcher Radio.

Rate & Review the show.

Have a question. Send me an email: [email protected].

While in your journey to fix the finances, you've got to examine what are the desires of your wants. We all want...something.

But can that want be just too, too much?

This is a question is only you can answer. Consider:

• Greed is about wanting more. It is selfish & excessive.
• Desire is wanting more of something.
• Finding out the motivation and the purpose of this desire is what will keep you focused on your path.

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

You can win a $50 Amazon gift card!

1. Take the survey.
2. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
3. Email me [email protected]. In the subject line, simply put DONE + your iTunes Username.
4. That's it! You are now entered to win $50 gift card to Amazon (just in time for the holidays.)

Don't forget to join me & Steve Stewart on BLAB this week:

BLAB Session: October 21st, 7pm

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Rate & Review the show.

Have a question. Send me an email: [email protected].

Cesar Abeid joins Think Enriched today to share his insight on how you can use project management skills to maximize your family finances.

Cesar also shares how you can get his new audio book, Project Management for You, for free!

We discuss:

• How one decides to become a project manager.
• Project management for families? Think of a family wedding.
• Consider your stakeholders: Who has a dog in the fight?
• A project has a definite beginning, a definite end, and creates a unique result.
• By creating a project, you can see the outcome, the risks, the budgets, and the big picture to make it work.
• You decide the project. Then you apply the principles of project management.
  • Step 1: Composing. Define the project. Make it as detailed as you can to see the finished project. Answer the question: What do we want to do?
  • Step 2: Decomposing. Take the requirements of the project. Break it down to manageable chunks. Don't create actions, create things. Make lists of nouns, not verbs. Use a mind map, or a sticky note. Make it visual.
• To motivate your partner/spouse, you'll have champions and those against the project.
• "90% of the work of project management is communication."
• Help others realize that you are on the same team. Present the problem in the language that they will understand. Don't talk budget. Talk results: the vacation. Or the car you can buy.
• His book, Project Management for You, for the person trying to take on a major task: write a book, start a business. Someone creating a new product, setting up a new website, creating a more in-depth project.
• Even as professional project manager, Cesar admits that he still struggles with organization and how this process has helped him personally & professionally.
• "This something we can learn. We can also not be limited by the fear of starting something new. But our limitations should the ideas we have, and how many ideas we can have and handle, and not the fear of uncertainty. There is a system you can use to methodically, systematically turn those ideas into reality."
• When you break down the project into smaller chunks and you can create the budgets. You can predict the time investment of a project, and the financial investment of the project.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Project Management for You
• Jared Easley, Starve the Doubts
• Cesar's Frozen tribute on YouTube

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

You can win a $50 Amazon gift card!

1. Take the survey.
2. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
3. Email me [email protected]. In the subject line, simply put DONE + your iTunes Username.
4. That's it! You are now entered to win $50 gift card to Amazon (just in time for the holidays.)

Don't forget to join me & Steve Stewart on BLAB this week:

BLAB Session: October 21st, 7pm

Subscribe in iTunes. Or Stitcher Radio.

Rate & Review the show.

Have a question. Send me an email: [email protected].

Today we are talking about the power you have as a shopper. I want to share with you a comparison of prices from just one shopping trip & how small decisions add up to an average of 89% savings!

October 11-17, 2015 is National Bulk Foods Week 2015

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

1. Save money

• This study, by Portland State University, shows that consumers can save 89% purchasing bulk foods.
• Just this week I purchased my spices in the bulk food section rather than the main aisle, and you won't believe how much I saved!

2. Help the environment

• By buying bulk foods, you are cutting down on packaging waste.
• As a consumer, buying just the amount you need saves on food waste.

3. Have fresher ingredients.

• With bulk foods you are able to smell, see & inspect ingredients to ensure freshness.
• Buying only what you need allows you to have the freshest, most flavorable recipes.

You can win a $50 Amazon gift card!

1. Take the survey.
2. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
3. Email me [email protected]. In the subject line, simply put DONE + your iTunes Username.
4. That's it! You are now entered to win $50 gift card to Amazon (just in time for the holidays.)

Resources mentioned on today's episode:

• BLAB Session: October 21st, 7pm
• Steve Stewart

Subscribe in iTunes. Or Stitcher Radio.

Rate & Review the show.

Have a question. Send me an email: [email protected].

Have you joined the Think Enriched Crew?

We are nearly to episode 50! There are some exciting things happening & we'd like you to be part of the conversation. Send me an email, a tweet, a message with your specific questions for that episode!

What is a money mindset?

• Mindset as defined by dictionary.com.
• "Change is always an inside job."

How do you create or improve your money mindset?

• Do this quick exercise to find out what your money mindset is.
• Share your answer to this exercise using #moneymindset
• Three steps to adjust your Money Mindset
  1. Step back & decide. (24 hour timeline.) Establish what you want from life. Set your plan. Determine your money mindset.
  2. Evaluate & discuss. (Next 24 hours.) Look at your mindset paper again. Decide what needs to change in your life to make that possible. Discuss this mindset & plan with your sweetheart or accountability buddy to evaluate, make adjustments, and put these steps in order.
  3. Write it. See it. Live it. Put the phrase, "Money Mindset," in a noticeable place to remind you of your money mindset. Continue to ask yourself "How does this fit in with my Money Mindset?" Be sure to share your insight & perspective with us using #MoneyMindset.

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

You can win a $50 Amazon gift card!

1. Take the survey.
2. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
3. Email me [email protected]. In the subject line, simply put DONE + your iTunes Username.
4. That's it! You are now entered to win $50 gift card to Amazon (just in time for the holidays.)

Resources mentioned on today's episode:

• BLAB Session: October 21st, 7pm
• Steve Stewart

Subscribe in iTunes. Or Stitcher Radio.

Rate & Review the show.

Have a question. Send me an email: [email protected].

Minimalism. Is it for You?

• Minimalism: a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity
• You don't have to be a minimalist to make the most of your financial situation.
• You do have to
  • Be a smart consumer.
  • Be a disciplined saver.
  • Be a wise decision maker.

• Let's TALK!
• Join us on Blab- October 21st, 7pm
• Topic: How to NOT Overspend this Holiday Season

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

You can win a $50 Amazon gift card!

1. Take the survey.
2. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
3. Email me [email protected]. In the subject line, simply put DONE + your iTunes Username.
4. That's it! You are now entered to win $50 gift card to Amazon (just in time for the holidays.)

Resources mentioned on today's episode:

• BLAB Session: October 21st, 7pm
• Steve Stewart

Subscribe in iTunes. Or Stitcher Radio.

Rate & Review the show.

Have a question. Send me an email: [email protected].

Heather Shue, of Simply Save Minnesota. shares her story of how she has learned the live teh good life at a cheaper price.

Don't forget to Rate & Review the show. You can win $50 to Amazon!

We discuss:

• How she got started. Just a year ago she was in an entirely different situation.
• How she spent too much in Afghanistan while serving for her country, and what that taught her.
• The moment she realized that if the government were to shut down, what that would do to her.
• How young kids, freshly new in the military, gives full-time salary to 19 year-olds and they don't know what to do with it.
• If kids are not learning money management at home, where are they learning it?
• "Don't fall prey to 'Rental Car Lust.'" That new car feeling when you rent a car is seductive. Don't fall for it.
• Heather re-focused her goals for 2015. Wait until you hear what she did with those!
• She has put her retirement payment above holiday spending to complete the goal.
• The holiday season is not a SURPRISE. They happen every year!
• How she is finding the balance of paying off aggressively her car payments and not dipping into the savings to survive.
• She shares to inspire others that you can break the cycle of living paycheck-to-paycheck!
• Heather has started practicing minimalism, but she says, "Minimalism is HARD."
• "Life can be short. I focus on the things I love and enjoy."
• "It just feels good to just eliminate stuff."
• Experiences matter more to Heather than cleaning, one reason minimalism has been part of her transition.
• Eliminating the clothes has been a process for her. It's one piece at a time that will be leaving.
• How she has evolved as a person working through these goals.

You've heard of the Think Enriched Crew, but are you in yet?

You can win a $50 Amazon gift card!

1. Take the survey.
2. Give the show a RATING & REVIEW.
3. Email me [email protected]. In the subject line, simply put DONE + your iTunes Username.
4. That's it! You are now entered to win $50 gift card to Amazon (just in time for the holidays.)

Resources mentioned on today's episode:

• Simply Save MN
• Heather Shue on Twitter
• Simply Save MN on Facebook
• 5 Dollar Dinner YouTube Channel

Subscribe in iTunes. Or Stitcher Radio.

Rate & Review the show.

Have a question. Send me an email: [email protected].