Financial Coaching for Women: How To Budget, Manage Money, Pay Off Debt, Save Money, Paycheck Plans

Curious? Watch Our Money Makeover Bootcamp!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
Check Out Alicia's Podcast!
Today’s episode is a female-focused conversation on something most of us have felt but never connected to our money habits: your hormones and your spending.
We’re talking with Alicia (Leisha) Drews, nurse and host of the Happily Hormonal podcast, about how different phases of your cycle can affect your mood, decision-making, impulse spending, and even how “motivated” you feel to stick to the budget.
You’ll learn:
Why your period week can actually be a great time to plan your budget
Why ovulation week can make you feel more social, optimistic, and a little more “add to cart” 😅
Why the luteal phase can bring comfort spending and lower stress tolerance
How awareness helps you stop making money decisions feel like a personal flaw

If you loved this conversation, go check out Alicia’s show Happily Hormonal and search: cycle tracking or cycle syncing for more episodes on learning your patterns.
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.
Click here to view our privacy policy.

Curious? Watch Our Money Makeover Bootcamp!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
Hey budget besties — today we’re pulling back the curtain on real-life lessons from our private coaching sessions. Because if our clients are dealing with it… chances are you are too. We’re talking layoffs and job loss prep, why “0% interest” debt can still be a budget emergency, how to build a storm-mode mock budget, and the surprisingly confusing question: is pet food a savings bucket or a spending bucket? (Answer: it depends… but we’ll make it make sense.)
We also get into a big one for parents: stop robbing your own spending money to cover everyone else’s categories, and let’s teach kids how to manage a set amount instead of learning “just go over and Mom will fix it.” Plus, we’re giving you permission to simplify your budget: categories > tracking every little transaction.
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.
Click here to view our privacy policy.

Curious? Watch Our Money Makeover Bootcamp!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
Budget besties, February is basically a blink—so we’re not letting March sneak up on us without a plan. In this episode, Shana and Vanessa walk us through their simple, repeatable monthly budget process: close out the current month first, then build the next month’s budget in a specific order so your money feels calmer, more automated, and way less “where did it go?!”
We follow a real-life client example (two teacher incomes, lots of moving parts, still totally doable) to show how every income source counts, why we only list minimum debt payments at first, how to wrangle subscriptions without shame, and how to create spending categories that stay consistent month to month.
And yes—sometimes savings buckets pause when life is life-ing (hello trips + birthdays). The win is that the plan still works, and you can still make progress—without defaulting to credit cards.
Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.
Click here to view our privacy policy.

Curious? Watch Our Money Makeover Bootcamp!
Ready? Buy Our Simplified Budget System Now!
Amanda joined us to talk through a super relatable moment: they’ve built a solid budgeting system… and now the question is what to do with a big, scary student loan balance once the car is paid off. Add in military life + possible paycheck disruptions, and you’ve got a perfect “real life” money crossroads.
The best part? Amanda’s already doing the work—multiple spending accounts, savings buckets, paycheck-ahead living—and it literally protected their family during a potential shutdown pay delay. Budget bestie win of the year. 🥳
What we covered
A huge win: Being a paycheck ahead so a shutdown/pay delay doesn’t force a panic loan.
The real question: Car #2 will be paid off in July—should they roll that payment straight into student loans Dave Ramsey-style?
Why it feels impossible: Doctorate-level debt + preschool-hours income + three little kids + a spouse who’s gone a lot.
The mindset shift: Doctorate-level debt can be tackled more aggressively when you’re closer to doctorate-level income.
Storm Mode permission: When life is unstable (shutdown uncertainty, limited work hours, heavy family load), it’s okay to pause aggression and pay minimums temporarily.
Quality of life matters: Not as an excuse—as a sustainability strategy. Date nights, small “fun money,” and feeling less tight can keep you consistent for the long haul.
Tactical tip to reduce overwhelm: Even if the loans are “one balance,” they’re often broken into multiple smaller loans inside the account. Tracking them separately can make the mountain feel climbable.
Meet-in-the-middle plan: After the car payoff, consider splitting the freed-up payment:
top off key savings buckets (annual bills, gifts, essentials)
increase spending accounts to reduce day-to-day stress

Let’s Take Our Relationship To The Next Level:
1️⃣ Facebook Group ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/facebook
2️⃣ Be on the Podcast ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/livecall
3️⃣ Private 1-on-1 Coaching. ➡︎ budgetbesties.com/coaching
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
This description may contain affiliate links, meaning we may get a commission at no cost to you if you click & purchase.

Click here to view our privacy policy.

🎧 Want the free Podcast Bootcamp + VIP upgrade? Click here.
Today is a short, fun, behind-the-scenes episode where we’re taking you back to the VERY unglamorous beginning of Financial Coaching for Women. 😂🎙️
If you’ve ever wondered how you even found us, why this show feels so “meant to be,” or what it looked like before we had any clue what we were doing… this one’s for you.
In this episode, we cover:
The moment Shana accidentally started a podcast (yes, on purpose… but also not) 😳
Vanessa’s reaction: “How do you accidentally start a podcast?!”
Our first “studio”: a garage + yoga mats + blankets + towels
The umbrella era… because we thought it would stop sound waves 🫠
Why people tell us, “I feel like God led me to your podcast” and why we fully agree
The pivot point when we realized: “Oh… this podcast could actually be a thing”
How we went from 3,000 plays to 1.5 million plays and 500+ episodes later

Want the behind-the-scenes and the blueprint?
If this episode has you thinking, “Okay… maybe I could start a podcast (or finally get serious about mine),” we’re inviting you to join Steph Gass’ free Profitable Podcast Bootcamp (Feb 23–27).
✅ Grab your spot here: stefaniegass.com/budgetbesties
Use code: BUDGETBESTIES for a free VIP upgrade.
We’ll see you over there. And if you’re just here for the origin story, we love you the most. 😉