How You Spend Your Days

In this episode, I'm joined by Tawnya Schultz, The Money Life Coach, to discuss our mindsets around money and why zero-based budgeting is the best thing you can be doing right now, especially during the current pandemic.Recommendations from TawnyaYou are a Badass at Making Money by Jen SinceroMoney, A Love Story by Kate NorthrupFollow Tawnya OnlineGet her free budgeting spreadsheet at The Money Life CoachFollow @tawnyaschultz on InstagramThe Money Life Coach on YoutubeThe Money Life Coach on Facebook

My Numbers in Episode 2Credit Cards: $27,293.00IRS Back Taxes: $16,000.00In Between Episode 2 and Episode 45:+$10,037 added to IRS Back TaxesNew IRS Back Tax Total: $26,037Adjusted my payment plan with the IRS in light of covid-19 and accelerate my pay down of consumer debtMy Numbers in Episode 45:Credit card balance remaining: $27,443IRS Back Taxes remaining: $12,147Next up for me will be to set milestone goal dates for my first credit card.Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Want to share your own #debtfreejourney?Get in touch!Instagram: @howyouspendFacebook: How You Spend Your DaysEmail me at howyouspend@gmail.com

This week I talk to Christian Zimmerman, CEO and co-founder of Qoins. We get to talk about the motivations behind Qoins, how it helps its users to pay off debt, and the importance of personal finance during the coronavirus pandemic.Here are some of the links and apps that we mentioned during the show:Qoins - Pay off debt faster and save money without even thinking about itFollow along with Qoins' Tuesday Tips on the Qoins InstagramPlaid is a great tool for software developers building apps on top of financial institutionsCatch - My go-to for automatically saving withholding taxesThanks, Christian! 

IncomeUnemploymentPandemic Unemployment Assistance ProgramSpendingTaking stock in where your money is goingTackling DebtNegotiate your debtsSavingEmergency FundHow to Build an Emergency Fund during an Emergency from Paula Pant, Afford AnythingLife Happens Fund from Tanja Hester, Our Next LifeInvestingTips from Tanja Hester, @our_nextlifeDon't try to time the marketInvest consistently over time, no matter what the markets are doingAvoid making panicked decisions with regards to the marketThink Long-TermIndividual StimulusEconomic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP)

This is a little bit of a different episode since we've been on hiatus but I'm excited about the launch of Year 2! You can think of this as a Season 2 of HY$YD and I'll be documenting my continued journey of getting out of debt and investigating the habits that influence our decisions to save, get out of debt and live a healthy life - physically, emotionally and financially.This episode is a little fast-paced as a lot happened since October. Buckle up and enjoy! Future episodes will have more structure and slower pacing ;) Montage of October 2019 - April 2020October 30, 2019 One year anniversary episodeNovember and December 2019 Holidays & heads down on workJanuary 2020 I accepted a new job (we'll talk about this more next episode!)February 2020 I started my new job at Panty DropChanelle and I went to the Dominican Republic (we'll also talk more about this later)March 2020 March 8th we had a retreat for Reno Collective and we talked about our plans for renovations, our anniversary party, etc.We started seeing the signs of the virus in other parts of the world over the next few daysArticles starting coming out about flattening the curveReno Collective decided to stop meetups and other large gatherings on March 124 days later we announced we were closing our doors"Non-essential" businesses have closed, restaurants are now only doing takeout or delivery, some have shut down completelyMarch 25th, The $2 trillion Stimulus was passed for pandemic unemployment, paycheck protection program (PPP) and funding for economic injury disaster loans (EIDL)A couple of us at Reno Collective started researching DIY mask and PPE prototypesApril 2020 We are holding more online events than ever beforeI'm working at my job and enjoying being able to focus on a single product and mission right now, especially given all that is happeningApril 14, 2020 Date of this recordingTomorrow would normally be the 2019 tax deadline, but that has been moved to July 15After 4 weeks of shelter in place, "How You Spend Your Days" is more relevant than everThere is SO MUCH to unpack in upcoming episodesThings I'm Enjoying Staying in with Emily & KumailMorning Brew email newsletterMorning Brew's Business Casual Podcast This Week in StartupsAlton Brown has a Quarantine series on YoutubeThe Daily Podcast from NYTNew York Times Coronavirus Briefing

Reposting this as this episode appears to have disappeared from our feed!Ep41: Holy cow! We’ve hit one year of How You Spend Your Days!In this episode, I look back on some of the conversations we’ve had since October 2018.Overview of how Atomic Habits has changed how I approach moneyOne year update on my numbers and progress toward getting out of debtOn track for being debt-free in December 2020.Radical Personal FinanceAvilla Theory: Finances & GroceriesFollow HY$YD or send us questions/feedbackTwitter: @howyouspendInstagram: @howyouspendWeb: howyouspendyourdays.com

Ep40: We’re mixing it up a little bit this week with a meditation on money and life from philosopher and thinker, Alan Watts.Next week we’ll be back to our regular episodes for episode 41, which marks exactly ONE YEAR of this show. I’ll be providing an update and talking about what has happened in the last year.Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedbackSend me an email: howyouspend@gmail.comTwitter: @howyouspendInstagram: @howyouspendWeb: howyouspendyourdays.com

Ep39: This week we talk to Monica Thompson about hitting one of her financial milestones and learn more about how she has taught herself what she knows about financial literacy today. We touch on buying cars, mortgages, credit cards and feeling financially secure. Congrats on paying off the adventure wagon, Monica!Our Guest This WeekMonica ThompsonFollow HY$YD or send us questions/feedbackTwitter: @howyouspendInstagram: @howyouspendWeb: howyouspendyourdays.com 

Ep38: In this episode, we talk about subscriptions. Today we have access to more subscriptions than ever. We have subscriptions for movies and television (Netflix, Hulu), toothbrushes (Quip), meal prep (HelloFresh), underwear (MeUndies), and even pet food (The Farmer’s Dog).Now there is no judgment on this next part but how many subscriptions do you have? How many of those do you really use? Are they materially contributing to your life in some way or is it like a gym membership that you keep “hoping to get to someday?”In this episode, I break down my own subscriptions. I actually don’t have very many thanks to my expense inventory from episode 4.My Personal Subscriptions – $100/monthPhone Bill – $22/monthPlanet Fitness – $10/monthSpotify – $9.99/monthPlayStation Network – $89/year – $7.5/monthBridgewire – Makerspace $50/monthMy Freelance Subscriptions – $220/monthGoogle Apps – $5/monthMicrosoft – !? $9.90 and I don’t know for what or how to cancel itDomains – Ranges from $10-$30/monthAWS hosting – $1-2/monthDigital Ocean Hosting – $22/monthAdobe Creative Cloud – $52/monthNgrok $5/monthBonsai – $19/monthQuickbooks / Bookkeeping – $70/monthPingdom – $15/monthFollow HY$YD or send us questions/feedbackSend me an email: howyouspend@gmail.comTwitter: @howyouspendInstagram: @howyouspendWeb: howyouspendyourdays.com

37: This week I’m talking about money in relationships and put my girlfriend, Chanelle Bessette, in the hot-seat. We walk through a list of questions to see how each of us manage money individually and how we approach discussing money in our relationship.Our Guest This WeekChanelle Bessette, Personal Finance WriterInstagram: @crbessette‬ Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedbackSend me an email: howyouspend@gmail.comTwitter: @howyouspendInstagram: @howyouspendWeb: howyouspendyourdays.com

36: This week we talk about identifying financial fatigue and how to combat it and avoid it altogether. Identifying Financial Fatigue Some of the feelings that come along with financial fatigue include: The feeling that managing your finances is tedious The end doesn’t seem to be in sight Your efforts seem hopeless These feelings can cause a cycle of anxiety that can be difficult to break out of: Your mind feels always on You constantly worry about finances You feel overwhelmed to the point of avoiding action Your inaction and doubt creates anxiety Your anxiety cause loss of sleep, lowering of morale, confidence, or self-worth Combatting Financial Fatigue Know where you stand Put it down on paper and get it out of your head (Bullet Journal) Find a support system or accountability buddy Automate as much as you can so you can get it out of your head Try budgeting (envelope system) Limit the number of systems you have so you don’t have to track them all Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Send me an email: howyouspend@gmail.com Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com

Ep35: This week I sat down and reevaluated my finances and refactored my “Numbers” spreadsheet. This is a little bit of update episode since it has been a minute since the last one. This is also a good reminder for you to sit down and take a look at how you are doing financially and course-correct as necessary! The newly revamped HY$YD website will be available shortly with new resources for your money goals. Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Send me an email: howyouspend@gmail.com Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com

Ep34: This week we get very tactical and jump into how to make the numbers work around freelancing or being an independent worker. Come up with a number Align your expectations Timebox your work Reduce and automate the meta work Track Your Time Automate Invoicing, Proposals, and Contracts Automate Withholding Taxes & Retirement “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” – Parkinson’s Law Tools to automate your freelancing or side hustle Harvest – time tracking, invoicing Bonsai – time tracking, invoices, proposals and contracts (what I like to use) Timeular – time tracking (what I like to use) Freshbooks – invoicing Use Catch.co to automate tax savings and retirement  (referral link) Set up a retirement account with your preferred institution Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Send me an email: howyouspend@gmail.com Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com

Ep 33: This week we dive into seven things you should do to make sure you stay financially fit. Check your Credit score Nerd Wallet Credit Karma Mint Set a savings goal and create a named virtual savings account for that goal Take inventory of your recurring expenses Evaluate how you can make more money If you have a salary, ask for a raise If you’re a freelancer, can you charge more or change your pricing structure? Fall in love with cooking Calculate your net worth (assets minus liabilities) Personal Capital Invest in developing healthy habits Creating healthy habits in any area of your life will have cascading effects on other parts of your life Must read: Atomic Habits by James Clear “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” – Atomic Habits by James Clear “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” – Archilochus Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Send me an email: howyouspend@gmail.com Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com

Ep 32: This week is a fun update! HY$YD is hosting a screening of the documentary Playing with Fire. You can listen to my interview with Scott Reickens in Episode 10 if you’d like to hear more about Scott’s background and why he set out to make this documentary. Get tickets for the Reno screening: https://www.tugg.com/events/playing-with-fire-tdrl Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Financial-Independence-Retire-Early/dp/1608685802 Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Send me an email: howyouspend@gmail.com Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com

#31: In this episode, we’re joined by Linsday Barrett who conquered $37,000 in student loan debt in 3 years after graduating from college and investing in herself with a web developer bootcamp. I’m honored to have played a small part in her journey as I was the teacher for that bootcamp so it was a lot of fun to bring this full circle and hear how far she has come in her own financial journey since learning web development. We are constantly hearing that everyone should learn to code. While I don’t agree that *everyone* should learn how to code, it was very much a powerful option and lever for Lindsay to increase her income and pay off her student loan debt. Lindsay’s story shows how it is possible to go from being an outsider to the tech community to make your way up the tech career ladder with impressive results. Congrats, Lindsay!  Some of the tactics that she talks about in this episode include: Prioritizing your debt payments over discretionary spending Increasing your income by learning a new skill Find a community to help hold you accountable and motivated Come up with a way to track your progress (hat tip to Atomic Habits) Make sure you know where your money is going when paying off your debts Our Guest This Week Lindsay Barrett Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com

This week, I chat with Lara Cattlin, friend and freelance copywriter, about the ins and outs of freelance finance. Freelancers have a gauntlet of tasks that they have to do in addition to doing the work that they specialize in. We talk about cash flow management, the pros/cons of freelancing and how to set boundaries for your time. Finding clients Scoping out projects Getting the projects Doing the project Getting paid for the project From that, we have to pay taxes, any other expenses for running our businesses Rinse & repeat Our Guest This Week Lara Cattlin, Freelance Copywriter Website: http://laracattlin.com and http://freelancelifehacks.com/ Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com  

This week, I sit down and calculate my official debt free date and discuss why it’s important to have a clear and defined date. This date allows you to make informed decisions on where you spend your time and money and increases the likelihood of you hitting your goal. Essentialism by Greg McKeown (Essentialism episode coming soon) Calculate your debt pay off date: Undebt.it – Debt Calculator * *This is my Undebt.it affiliate link which does help me out if you end up signing up for a paid account. Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com  

This week, I called my credit card companies to confirm my interest rates and attempt to negotiate down my interest rates with each card. My results were mixed as you will hear in this episode but getting your credit card companies on the phone is a good idea, even if it’s just to confirm the status and health of your accounts. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi Credit Karma The 7 best Balance Transfer and 0% APR Credit Cards from Nerdwallet Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com  

This week I’m joined by Todd Clary of Clarity Financial Coaching to discuss the stigmas around talking about money and why he decided to become a financial coach to help others accomplish their financial goals. Some of the articles and resources we discuss in this episode: Dave Ramsay Financial Coach Mastery Training Shop Twice, Spend Once Our Guest This Week Todd Clary, Clarity Financial Coaching Clarity Financial Coaching Facebook Follow HY$YD or send us questions/feedback Twitter: @howyouspend Instagram: @howyouspend Web: howyouspendyourdays.com