Blogging Away Debt Blogging Away Debt follows real people on their journey to debt freedom — with tips on the debt snowball, budgeting, cutting expenses, and staying motivated.

by Hope

I completed my first read thru of Your Money or Your Life and am so excited for our book club discussion in a few weeks. With that being said, I have decided to start my work on the varying steps. Therefore tomorrow, I will start tracking EVERY penny in and EVERY penny out. I decided that the first of the month was the ideal time to do that…and it’s key to moving forward with the steps.

The Book

I read a chapter a night, and after the first chapter have not had any more reservations about the process. The concepts around Enough, Purpose and Values that are stress throughout the book really speak to me. I’m trying now to reveal too much. But needless to say, the theories presented in this book really speak to the heart of the matter for me. My relationship with money.

Book Club

My thoughts for our discussions is that we tackle a chapter a week. Is that too slow? I will post a synopsis and my opinion every Monday (beginning March 5th) and then we can use that for discussion for the week. I’ve never done an online book club, if you have suggestions I’d love to hear them.

With that being said, I am going to begin my tracking so that by the end of March I’m ready to do a full month’s analysis. I’m sure it’s going to be pretty funky since I essentially have no steady income, but I’ve got to start somewhere, right?

While this downtime is a bit stressful, I’m fully utilizing it to get my head on straight and focus on some things I really need to master. For those of you who have read this particular book, do you have any other books you would recommend? I am excited to move through this journey of changing my money mindset and relationship.

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.