Beyond The Dollar

Elyssa Kirham, writer at Brave Saver, speaks about the conflict she felt as a member of the Mormon church when it came to becoming financially secure. She talks about how growing up, she was taught being a mom is her only goal in life, why wanting to work is frowned upon, the conflict she felt at wanting her own version of financial freedom, and why it’s ok for moms to want something for themselves. 

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What You Hear in This Episode:

• Why Elyssa had a fatalist approach when it came to her working life
• The conflict she experienced growing up seeing her mother work at a young age
• Why it’s unusual that she decided to graduate early from college
• How Elyssa found a community of similar women
• How Elyssa’s views on money has changed since leaving the Mormon church

Resources:

• The Ultimate Guide to Money Mindset Mastery
• Brave Saver
• Why Should Moms Have to Justify Their Choices?
• Aspiring Mormon Women
• Mormon women are caught between economic pressures and the word of God
• The Political Progression of Modern Mormon Women
• Values Based Spending Guide

In this week’s episode, we’re talking about *cue dramatic music* emotional spending. Whether you’ve had a bad day at work, or you’re just feeling down for whatever reason, some of us, myself included, turn to retail therapy. Now a few dollars here and there isn’t going to hopefully break the bank, but it can cause a bunch of mental anguish and of course your financial situation down the line. So let’s talk about the good and bad parts of emotional spending are, some practical ways to deal with it and forgive yourself for past mistakes.

There is a lot of information packed into this episode, but don’t worry about scrambling to take notes down, I’ve created the tips I’m about to share in a pretty downloadable guide. To download it, head to beyondthedollar.co/spending

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What You Hear in This Episode:

• What does emotional spending even mean, and why it’s not always negative
• Using short term solutions to get you to stop spending
• What is important long term to curb emotional spending
• Why novelty and pattern interrupts are crucial to help assess your spending habits
• How Sarah spent $500 in one month on junk food

Resources:

• Emotional Spending Guide
• The Ultimate Guide to Money Mindset Mastery
• Values Based Spending Guide

Melissa Becker seems like one of those rare folks who wants to adopt multiple children at once, especially foster children in the U.S.who have siblings and don’t want to be separated. After her traumatic first adoption experience  (we’re talking about having to fight for her rights to maintain a stable home for a special needs child), she turned to private adoption.

That isn’t easy either. There’s the waiting. and the disappointments at not being picked. Once she was in “competition” with four other families to adopt a girl with a heart defect and well, let’s just say that didn’t end well.

That’s why I’m so thankful Melissa came on the show to talk about her experience adopting four children, two from the foster care system and two through private agencies. She chats about how much she spent (we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers fees alone), her mental health during that time and what she’s most thankful for throughout the whole process

SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Android Apps

What You Hear in This Episode:

• Why Melissa decided to adopt
• Why Melissa had to go to court after adopting her first child, and what it cost her
• What went through Melissa’s mind when she had to deal with mountains of paperwork
• Her thoughts on private adoption agencies and why she went that route even though she would rather adopt through the foster care system
• Why she started looking into grants and the frustrating process when asking for money
• What it felt like to meet her children for the first time
• What Melissa would say to some who is interested in adoption

Resources:

• Email Melissa about adoption at resolvemedlegal@msn.com (mention you heard her on this podcast!)
• Gift of Adoption
• Adopting From Foster Care: Clarifying The Misconceptions To Build A Loving Home
• Understanding trauma
• How to Adopt: State Adoption Info
• The Ultimate Guide to Money Mindset Mastery
• Values Based Spending Guide

In this week’s episode, it’s just me and you, talking about how to help you navigate your feelings when it comes to money. I’m here to talk to you about the overwhelming emotions you may currently be experiencing. Believe it or not, it might actually be grief — trust me it’s a lot more complicated than you may think. So, I’m sitting right here with you , chatting about how grief can manifest in different ways in your financial life when you’re adjusting to a new way of living. So you’ll learn what it means to process your emotions, why it’s ok to do what you need to do to take care of yourself, stop thinking you’re failing, and why community is more important than ever.

SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Android Apps

What You Hear in This Episode:

• Why those negative feelings around money may be a form of grief
• How grief can manifest into negative financial behaviors
• Why it’s important and crucial to feel those feelings around money, without judgement
• How you can work through your feelings of grief around your finances
• How you can cultivate a sense of community to help you become more resilient

Resources:

• That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief
• The Ultimate Guide to Money Mindset Mastery
• Values Based Spending Guide

SUBSCRIBE:Apple Podcasts |Stitcher |Spotify |Android Apps

This is another mid-season bonus episode which continues on the theme of resiliency. Host Sarah Li-Cain looks back at some past episodes from the amazing guests we’ve had on the show so far. That includes Aneesa, who goes by the name Expat Panda, with her story about the time she couldn’t transfer money back to her home country. And Pete McPherson, who moved to a different town and ended up losing a regular source of income or three years. And Beau, who declared bankruptcy because of his gambling debt.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• What happens When you’re stressed and you go into fight or flight mode
• An example of when Sarah went stress shopping
• Why it’s important to acknowledge your feelings
• What Aneesa went through when she moved overseas and didn’t have her ID or debit card
• Why its ok to use a credit card if you plan on how you’ll pay for it
• How Beau bounced back from bankruptcy when he got into $40,000 worth of gambling debt
• The time Pete moved to a new town and took a pay cut for new job then suddenly got laid off
• How John is surviving below the poverty level and grieving his wife of 43 years
• Why it’s important to tend to your mental health during this time

Resources:

• Resiliency & Finances Ft. Friends of Beyond The Dollar Part 1
• A 69 Year Old’s Financial Regrets With John Morrow
• Overcoming Gambling Addiction with Beau Humphreys
• Life as a South African Teacher Abroad with Aneesa
• Expat Panda
• The Personal Finance Show
• Do You Even Blog
• My recommendation of personal finance books
• 7 Tips to Live on a Low Income (Without Feeling Deprived)
• The Ultimate Guide to Money Mindset Mastery
• Values Based Spending Guide