If you're reading this, I'm earning money in some way. I was compensated with money and/or product. Thanks for helping to feed my family. I also may have a financial interest in companies named. Please see our disclosure for more information. Also, any advice provided is for informational purposes only. I'm not an accountant, lawyer, doctor, fitness expert, or nutrition specialist. So, talk to a professional before acting on anything you read, watch, or listen to below. Get your own advice and do your own research. Email me at [email protected] with questions.
We all have trouble maintaining the family finances. Don't we? You never know when something unexpected will happen or what surprise bill will show up in the mail.
That's why I stress the importance of budgeting, saving, and having that emergency fund. And also doing whatever you can do to pay off debt and relieve yourself of that financial burden.
In that vain, I asked Zoe from TheMummyLife.com to give us some insight about how she handles her family finances. She was kind enough to answer some of my questions and I look forward to inviting her back as a guest blogger.
So, now, coming to us all the way from Australia, here's Zoe. I trust you will find her advice helpful and hope it provides some insight for your own situation.
My name is Zoe, I’m 26 and a first-time mum to a beautiful little girl. I live in Australia. My interests consist of helping others, savvy shopping & learning new things every day.
In my family, there is 2 adults and 1 child. Family finances are tight.
Ensuring all the bills are paid is number one priority, this is going well for us with the help of payment plans, we don’t need to cough up a sum of money within a couple of weeks.
Meal planning has helped us immensely as well. Writing down all recipes and ingredients for each meal and only buying what we need. This avoids over spending on things you think you might need but don’t actually need.
We need to improve our saving plan. Our savings plan at the moment is pretty much non-existent. We need to sit down and work out when and how much we can put aside.
As a first-time mum, everything is extremely overwhelming. My only advice would be if you need help, whether it be financially, emotionally or physically, ask for it. I tried to do everything without any help and it just doesn’t work. You burn yourself out way too quickly. It is a very stressful time with many new things to learn. So, if you can, get some help.
Not that I am aware of.
The Mummy Life is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I was sitting in front of my computer and I thought ‘nope, I’m just going to do it’ and I created my site – TheMummyLife.com. I want it to be a place where you can sit back and just go “ahhh”. Also, I want my readers to feel my humour and relate to where I’m coming from. I want it to be a place of learning and support. Being a new mother is so tough and overwhelming and I’m hoping that I can offer that sigh of relief and help and support my readers.
The ultimate goal for me would be to make it a full-time job. I love helping and supporting people and if I could do that every day, all day, it truly would bring a smile to my face.
The best things in life are free. Love, care, smiles and giggles are all free. The activity that I get most joy out of without spending a cent would be taking my daughter to the park. She absolutely loves the swing. Giggling the whole time. This brings joy to my heart and puts a smile on my face and it is completely free.
If you need help, ask for it. No matter what kind of help you need. It is so tough trying to do everything with no help or support.
Readers can find me at TheMummyLife.com. My email address is [email protected]. I do try to reply as soon as I can. I can be contacted at any time -- even if it’s just for a chat or for some reassurance.
Thanks again, Zoe for doing the Q&A with me. I really do appreciate it.
My takeaways from this interview with Zoe center on two things: (1) the best things in life are free and (2) if you need help, ask for it. How many times in life do we get caught up in wanting more and forgetting about the blessings we already have? More often than not, those blessings and gifts are the people we love and the moments we share with them. Don't ever forget that.
Secondly, I can't tell you how many times I've allowed myself to struggle by not asking for help. When I first started my career after college, I would sit there stuck trying to figure things out for hours because I was too self-conscious to ask for help. Today, I'm much more confident in who I am and I just "ask the question" as one of my former managers would say.
What about you? What are you taking for granted in your life? Where are you not asking for help? If it's regarding your family finances, well, you're in the right place. Tell us in the comments below and share this article around.
Before you go, check out our other articles in financial health, physical health, and healthy living. Plus, sign up to receive our weekly newsletter -- The Morning Run -- sent on Saturday mornings at 8 am Eastern. You'll get our Budget Booster and Running Restart checklists FREE for signing up.
Seeking Help With Bail Bonds
Why Investing Your Money Is Worth Your Time
5 Tips for a Detox Diet
What to know before purchasing a CFD in Australia
The Best Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
10 Tips To File Personal Injury Lawsuits
IT Tasks You Can Automate Using Cloud Computing
Review: What is 70Trades?
Session expired
Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
I think I definitely take my health for granted. I am able to workout and have begun to eat a lot healthier. I am hoping it pays off in the long run. But I know that some people eat great all their lives and don’t have quite the same health. So I am trying to celebrate my blessings on a daily basis 🙂
Mustard Seed Money recently posted…How I Was Able To Achieve Greater Success At Work
That’s what it’s about, Rob. Celebrate what you have. Everyone takes things for granted. Unfortunately, as is often the case, we don’t realize it until it’s too late. Lord, have mercy!