For a very long time, I was a budget resister. I wanted nothing to do with having a budget.

As a minimalist, I don't buy that much stuff and I consider myself to be pretty responsible

with my money. So I didn't think it was that necessary for me. But I will say of all the

things that my family and I have done to move towards a simple more intentional life over

the past several years, creating a consistent, reliable budget has been one of my favorite

changes. And I definitely never thought that I would say that.

Hi, this is Dene. I'm the founder of Simple Families. Simple Families is an online community

for parents who are seeking a simpler, more intentional life. In this show, we focus on minimalism

with kids, positive parenting, family wellness, and decreasing the mental load. My perspectives

are based in my first-hand experience raising kids, but also rooted in my PhD in child development.

So you're going to hear conversations that are based in research, but more importantly,

real life. Thanks for joining us.

Hi there. It's Gutiwi back. I took a two week break from the show. My kids were on Spring Break.

We drove north to Lake Placid, New York, and spent some time skiing, hanging out outdoors,

just getting a few breaths of fresh air in a new zip code. And we came back to a beautiful

spring. So today we're talking about money and budgeting and things that might sound kind

of boring or kind of scary. I know I have felt those things before, but I have to say that

further I get into minimalism and intentional living. The more I find that financial literacy

and money management is an integral part. And on your journey towards living a lighter life,

getting good with your money is a big part of that. Now this is not my area of expertise by any means.

So today I'm bringing on Tiffany Elite J. Tiffany, otherwise known as the Budget Nista,

is a New York Times bestselling author and financial educator. And one thing I love about Tiffany

...