Nobody really prepared me for the emotional side of money.
I knew how to earn it, but I didn’t know how to keep it, grow it, or feel at peace with it.
Growing up middle class, money always felt like it was just enough—enough to get by, enough to celebrate sometimes, enough to pretend we were okay. But when I became an adult—especially a wife, a mom, a student, and someone chasing her dreams—I realized enough wasn’t really enough when you’re juggling bills, groceries, gas, kid stuff, emergencies, and maybe, just maybe, something for yourself.
Saving felt like a luxury. Budgeting felt like punishment. And any mistake felt like failure.
But here’s what I’m learning—and unlearning:
- I’m learning that saving doesn’t have to start big. Sometimes it’s $5 here, $10 there.
- I’m unlearning the guilt around saying “we can’t afford that right now.”
- I’m learning that budgeting is not about restriction—it’s about intention.
- I’m unlearning that I have to have it all together to make progress.
This isn’t financial advice. This is life advice.
Real-life, middle-class, trying-to-make-it, still-learning kind of advice. I want this space to be a soft landing for anyone who feels like money has been a constant storm in their life.
We’re going to talk about wins and mistakes. About shifting mindsets. About making room for grace and growth.
Because “Making Cents” is about more than dollars.
It’s about making sense of how we move, spend, save, and survive with money—especially when it’s hard.
Let’s figure it out together. Let’s start where we are.