What are your thoughts on budgeting? Is it necessary? Is it helpful? Harmful? Does it make us focus on the wrong things? Is it irresponsible not to budget? We asked folks we admired to share their thoughts with us.

Anna D and Adam | Travel Vloggers

We absolutely have a budget! In the beginning of our relationship, we rarely discussed money because we both had very different goals. Adam is the saver and Anna is the spender. However with no communication comes trouble. In 2020, we found ourselves 36k in the hole (car loan, credit card and other non-home loans). We knew we had to get out of that because we were ABSOLUTELY being asphyxiated by all the monthly payments. After several, long and tough conversations we began getting on the same page. Read more>>

Katie Jones | Real Estate Agent & Money Coach

I do have a budget! I have spent the last several years adjusting and perfecting the way that I budget. I prefer to use a combination of Google Sheets and Mint.com for my personal budgeting. When it comes to my personal finances and how I make spending decisions, I like to carefully consider each purchase and make sure that it aligns with my personal values and most importantly my faith. Together with my husband, we like to first and foremost prioritize generosity, our family, saving for our future, eco-friendly options, and traveling. Read more>>

KRISTA COVELL-PIERSON | Occupational Therapist and Owner

We do have a budget however as a business owner experience has taught me that the budget needs to be fluid. Things happen. Equipment needs purchasing, staff needs hiring, and income fluctuates. I never consider the money within the business to be my own. I manage it as it belongs to someone else because in many ways it does. I make lifestyle choices based on what I can afford and focusing on what’s important to me like my family, travel, safety and making memories. Read more>>

Patrick O’Mahony | Stop-motion Animator & Director

When I first started down the road of becoming an animator I was growing up in a small town in Ireland. At the time the concept of animation, let alone stop-motion animation was an unheard of career to follow and during my time at school I had to continue to reassure people I could make it work. My parents were and are still completely supportive. When the option arose to move away from home to Cork city to begin studying, they were behind me all the way. Read more>>

Kate Chapman | Architecture Studio Director & Interior Designer

“Leave it better than you found it.” Originally attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson and adopted by both the Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts, this phrase was a common one in my house growing up–although I wouldn’t know it’s origin until I was in AP English studying the Transcendentalists. When I was young, this typically applied to cleaning my room and picking up litter. And while I intellectually understood the phrase to be universal across one’s life, it wasn’t until recently that I recognized this phrase as my moral North Star. Read more>>

Bridget Ryan | Dancer, Choreographer, & Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Instructor

My favorite quote or affirmation is “Choose courage over comfort”, which is something author and researcher Brené Brown writes about. For me, it means choosing risk, vulnerability, and letting myself be seen, especially in instances when it may be easier to do otherwise. Growth and true connection happen outside of comfort zones. In my art, choosing courage over comfort looks like following my authentic and intuitive processes and disregarding what I assume audiences preferences are. It is constantly reminding myself that I don’t make dance to please others; I make it to share some of my gut and to deepen my relationship with my body and to further explore this existence. Read more>>

Melissa (Mel) Smithey | Barber

I absolutely follow a little system to keep my financials in order for my business and personal expenses. Just about any cost for my business is a “Yes”. Especially, when benefiting the future of my craft. As long as it is going to help me grow. I believe spending money on yourself is just as important as for the business. If you’re taken care of the business is taken care of. Read more>>