The Jesse Mecham Show

Jesse interviews Katie about her journey after college to Hawaii, where she went through a tough breakup and financially tenuous times. She persevered through those hard times, discovered YNAB (actually re-discovered, having first encountered YNAB in college) and began to get her budget back on track in a notoriously expensive state. The hard work paid off; Katie met her husband and was able to have a dream wedding in Hawaii, and the couple now enjoy a rich life... paid in cash!   Katie is quick to point out that she hasn't always made the financially optimal choice, but she is intentional about everything she does. She and her husband decided to hold off paying down their student loans in order to finance their wedding, for example. Katie has set aside money to buy her husband a new computer, and they leave room in their budget for their favorite hobbies and pursuits -- for Katie, her side business coaching women in personal finance and helping them avoid traps like MLM schemes; for her husband, collecting and competing in  the Magic the Gathering card game.   While this approach may result in paying down debt slower, and not maximizing savings, it's a sustainable approach for them. As Katie reminds us, personal finance is personal!   Are you ready to take the challenge? https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/

Jesse offers three ways to stop spending money and kickstart your savings: Designate a "no spend" day. Pick a day of the week where you will deliberately spend NO money, and dutifully stick to that. Be realistic! If you usually have a date night on Friday, then pick another day. Maybe's it's a Tuesday, maybe it's a Sunday, but it should work with your schedule. Treat your savings as a purchase. In other words, change your mindset about what spending is. Instead of buying a good or service, treat your saving as "buying investments" or "buying back your debt." Some people turn buying small numbers of shares in an index fund into a game, where their investment brings them pleasure just like buying a coffee or a croissant at the local coffee shop. Identify your triggers. Pay attention when you have an impulse to buy something. Does it happen in certain places? Certain websites or forums? Perhaps on your way home from work? Find your spending "triggers," and work on ways to avoid them. Take a different route home, block or limit your access to certain websites... things you can do to help you avoid the impulse in the first place.   Are you ready for a financial reset? https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/

Jesse talks with YNAB'er Liz about her recent conversion to the YNAB software, which she discovered through the social media network Tik Tok. In just six months with YNAB, Liz has already reversed her financial situation, paid off debt, and created financial  security for her family.   Are you ready to take the challenge? https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/

Discussion on how some individuals fall back into debt after initially paying it off due to failure to follow Rule Two (Embracing Your True Expenses). The podcast also talks about a financial reset challenge to prevent debt accumulation, emphasizing the need for proactive money management and accounting for future financial obligations to avoid reliance on credit cards.

YNAB is bringing back the Debt Stories... but this time we're calling it "Money Stories." In this series, Jesse interviews YNAB users about their incredible stories using YNAB to pay off debt, plan for life, build their savings, and more.   In this episode, Jesse interviews 34-year old nurse Trish. Though very hard working and driven to succeed, Trish found herself in $50,000 of debt despite working multiple jobs. Her unusual work arrangement meant that she went long periods of time between paychecks -- sometimes receiving multiple paychecks at once, months apart -- during which time she began relying on credit cards to ensure she had enough money to cover emergencies and unexpected expenses.   The credit card balance continued to climb, however, and, when combined with her car note and student loans, the monthly payments began eating up a large portion of her cashflow. Fed up, Trish decided to make some changes.   Focusing her energy and work ethic on her money, Trish decided to make drastic moves to pay down her debt for good. She began by selling nearly everything she could in her flat on Facebook, netting nearly $3,000. In addition to her two or three regular jobs (besides nursing, she teaches at a university and works as a technician for a pottery studio), she took small jobs whenever she could: transcribing, dog walking, etc. It was an intense experience, and she knew she could not sustain it long term, but harnessing her energy in these bursts jumpstarted her savings.   Are you ready to take the challenge? https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/  

Jesse issues a New Years' challenge for YNAB'ers. For the next 34 days, abide by just three rules:  Write down every single thing you spend money on. You can do this in YNAB, or on a sheet of paper, but it must include every penny spent! Purchase ONLY essentials. Essential means you must have it to live. Do not eat out, or order take-in from restaurants. No restaurant spending, full stop. It's only 34 days, you can do it! YNAB's data and experience has shown that people often find hundreds, even a thousand, extra dollars in their budget by doing these three things. In particular, eating out has proven to be the number one most common drain on the budget. Remember, this is only for a short time! It's a small amount of hardship to endure, that can provide a major boost your savings and financial health to start the New Year.   Start the reset today: https://www.youneedabudget.com/34dayreset/

Jesse reflects on budgeting for the Christmas season. While YNAB is all for getting your savings in order so that you can cash flow your Christmas spending without going into debt, the holiday season is about much more than presents. Recalling his childhood, Jesse can't actually remember much about the gifts he received. What he does remember is the time he spent with family, and the memories he made with them.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse interviews his friend and realtor Terry Bickmore about Terry's introduction to YNAB and how it helped transform his business and personal life. Terry offers some advice for first-time homebuyers, based on YNAB's Four Rules.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse reflects on learning to relax about spending money, especially on the "black box" line items -- unspecified purchases from Amazon that don't fit neatly into any other category, or purchases that he simply doesn't want to look up and re-categorize. Part of learning to relax about these expenditures is realizing that as long as you are achieving your primary goals -- funding an emergency fund, saving for retirement, saving for a house perhaps -- then it doesn't really matter what happens to the rest of your money. It's another way of looking at the big picture.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

The end of the year is nigh, and 2020 has been one of the most stressful in recent memory. Jesse offers some advice for those dealing with fear and anxiety during these times.   During times of fear and uncertainty, Jesse draws on Stephen R. Covey's seminal book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The first habit is to be proactive and take responsibility for your reactions to events. To that end, Covey asks readers to consider their circle of influence -- What do you control? Where do you not have control? Drawing a very clear picture of your circle of influence, and defining what you don't control, can help with realizing what things you ought to be fear and what things are outside your influence, and thus should be outside your concern (or at least unworthy of spending mental bandwidth on). When people start budgeting, they often can't control what they make, but they can control some of things they spend on. So focusing on spending, giving their money a job, and following the four steps brings their attention to concrete, actionable things within their circle of influence.   Secondly, Jesse recommends learning more about the things you are fearful of. What information could you gather about a topic that would help you better understand it? If you are fearful about money, how about understanding how much you have in your checking account right now? Then take another step. What does that money need to do between now and the next time you get paid? Gathering data points and information about the things causing you fear and anxiety can help make them seem more manageable.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com