Hey, Budget Besties! 🎉 Today, we’re diving into the deep end of money baggage. Yes, the beliefs, habits, and emotions about money that we’ve carried with us, often since childhood. These sneaky little patterns shape how we spend, save, and manage our finances as adults—and they’re often hiding in plain sight.

In this episode, we’re sharing personal stories (hello, serendipitous YMCA moments and life-changing trips to Portugal), breaking down common types of money baggage (scarcity spending, fear of spending, and cultural/family pressures), and giving you actionable steps to start unpacking it. Because guess what? It’s 2025, and we’re not letting the past dictate our financial future. 💪

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What is Money Baggage?
  It’s the emotional and behavioral patterns tied to your financial life—formed from past experiences. Recognizing these patterns is step one in rewriting your money story.

• Our Personal Stories:
  Shana shares how her childhood “just don’t ask” money mentality shaped her marriage, and Vanessa reflects on how her parents’ financial struggles inspired her debt-free journey.

• Common Types of Money Baggage:

  • Scarcity Spending: Spending as soon as you get money because you’re used to having none.
  • Fear of Spending: Holding onto money because you grew up hearing, “We can’t afford it.”
  • Cultural/Family Pressures: Feeling the need to mimic (or rebel against) family money habits.

• Steps to Unpack Your Money Baggage:

  1. Recognize It: Write it down, say it out loud, or journal about the money patterns holding you back.
  2. Talk It Out: Have open, honest conversations—whether with a partner, a friend, or even yourself.
  3. Decide What’s Next: Create a vision for how you want to handle money and take actionable steps toward it.

• Listener Takeaways:
  “You get to decide how your story continues from this point on. Let’s make 2025 the year we ditch the baggage and create financial peace.”

Homework:
📝 Download our free Money Baggage Worksheet to dig deeper into your own financial patterns. It’s a tool to help you identify limiting beliefs and map out a path forward. Link in the episode description!

Quotes to Remember:

• "Our money habits aren’t random—they’re a cycle. And you can choose to break it."
• "Money isn’t his, hers, or theirs. It’s ours. It’s about teamwork."
• "We want your budget to be steady—not a rollercoaster of feast or famine."