Have you ever wondered: How do I do it? How do I not continue to be broke all the time?

How do I save money, cook dinner every night for my family, work to pay down debt, care for my kids, husband, and dog, and maintain a house, all while working full time?

I’m exhausted and we always end up in the drive-thru lane for dinner and watch that money just fly out the window. How can that change?

I just want to take the kids on vacation to Disney world but we can’t even afford to go camping.

How am I supposed to save for college for these kids when I can’t even save up to buy new tires? And what about retirement for me?

I work too hard to be this broke.

I feel you. Wholeheartedly. I know exactly what you are going through. In our family, I am the breadwinner and sometimes only source of income. I work full time in a job I love and have no plans to leave to become a stay at home mom (that’s a stellar job, just not one I’m seeking).

No, I am not supermom. FAR from it (though if I could get some super powers via a cooking accident I will not complain). But I am a very frugal and intentional person. I think through problems and try to plan ahead (I am a bit of an over thinker honestly). Of course, how I do all those things is sometimes “not well” but at least I am usually making progress.

One of our family’s biggest problems is money. It’s probably that way for you too. How do we make the (either big or little) amount of money that we have work to pay our bills, take care of our immediate needs, cover some wants, and plan for the future? No matter how much money you have, where you live, what you do for work, how much debt you have, you probably struggle with this problem. Even if you have a hefty income you may find yourself broke and struggling.

I know what its like to lie awake at night wondering how that bill is gonna get paid. I know what its like to have your card declined at the grocery store and you have to start putting stuff back. I know the fear of not knowing how you can afford to get to work this week because all your money is gone. To break down crying in the parking lot at work because the mechanic called and you need to pony up a few hundred dollars you don’t have to fix your car.

And then there’s the comparing. Watching your coworkers and friends buy new cars, eat out for lunch and dinner, get new clothes, take vacations, and have houses twice the size as yours and oh so nicely decorated yet here you are barely able to make ends meet. And you know you make the same or more money as them but you are always broke thanks to all this debt.

Personal finance is just that, personal. What works for one person or family may not work exactly for another, but we can learn from each other’s experiences and use what we learn to help ourselves. Learning to manage our money is not something we all learn in school or at home growing up, but it’s something we all have to do eventually. Sometimes we fail, sometimes we fail horribly (*raising my hand*). Sometimes we make great decisions and major wins.

I have not figured this all out. NOT AT ALL. I am still in debt, very in debt actually. I still am living on a tight budget despite a good job with a good income.

But, I am making progress.

I can see the numbers go down on my debt tracker. I can not panic when I get the third flat tire in 5 months and have to once again pony up to replace an expensive tire that got yet another nail in it. I can see the money finally sitting in my savings account waiting to buy that tire. I can plan ahead and pay an arm and a leg in cash for summer camp for my kid. I can feed my family a meal I cooked almost every night and keep our grocery budget under control at about $400 a month for our family of four.

I am learning from my mistakes and trying to grow to avoid making as many new ones. I am here to encourage you to do the same. Join me as we take on personal finance and frugal living for working moms. Follow along as I work to get out of debt, simplify my life, save, budget, and live my best frugal life.

You can do this too. You work too hard to be this broke.