It’s five thirty and your five-year-old walks into the kitchen saying he’s hungry. “Good, it’s dinner time!” you say, cheerfully, hoping to prevent an explosion. The three-year-old starts to whine and you slip him another fruit snack as you guide the two to their seats, bracing yourself. They mope. You encourage. They grumble. You barter. They pout. You bribe. They scowl. You threaten. They cry. You go make chicken nuggets.
There are few things that stress a parent out more than mealtime with picky eaters. What if you could just stop it? End the battle; call a truce – is that even possible?
Luckily there is a tried and true method to prevent problems and encourage healthy attitudes, AND it will calm the dinner battles right now! In the 1980s, a dietitian named Ellyn Satter wrote a number of books about feeding healthy families. Since then her principles have been tested over and over again and they are still the gold standard that dietitians use in preventing and dealing with eating difficulties. Here’s what you need to know to get started:
1. Trust that your children want to grow up
Your biggest goal for your children’s eating is that they become healthy adults with healthy relationships with food. Guess what? That’s their goal, too! Deep down, underneath those toddler impulses or preteen attitudes, they want to grow up and be mature adults, including in how they eat! Trust your child to grow up. Trust him, even when he’s acting like, well, a three-year-old. Even when he’s acting like a three-year-old when he’s ten. He still wants to grow up.
2. Honor “The Feeding Relationship”
Satter suggested that children feel secure and able to grow up when there is a division of responsibility in the feeding relationship. The parents have their responsibility and the children have theirs. If nobody crosses the line, things tend to work out!
Basically, the parents are responsible for the what, when, and where of eating, and the child is responsible for how much (if any) he eats from what is provided. I’ll explain.
What – Parents decide what is served. Choose mostly healthy foods. If you don’t want them eating it, don’t serve it. Or even better, don’t buy it! Make sure you provide three or four options for each meal, one of which is something that you know the child will eat, even if it is just fruit or bread.
When – Have meals and snacks at regular times throughout the day. For young kids, that means a snack every two to three hours. Besides regulating the child’s blood sugar and keeping her from getting hangry, this also allows you to more easily say, “It’s a bummer you didn’t eat anything at the last meal. We’ll have a snack in a couple hours.”
Where – Have meals at the table whenever possible. Provide a pleasant atmosphere – keep it light and cheerful as much as you can. Even though you can’t enforce how much they eat, you most definitely CAN enforce manners! Some children eat their fill (or at least say they are done) very quickly and want to run off and play. It is okay to set a timer (even five or ten minutes) to remain at the table and join the family in dinner conversation, even if she chooses not to eat any more.
How much – The child decides how much, if any, to eat. Sometimes they will eat like a bird and the next day will house three sandwiches. Children meet their nutritional needs over the matter of a week or two, not in a day. It is perfectly normal and fine if they don’t eat meat for a few days but eat a bunch a few days later. Overall if this division of responsibility is followed, they will tend to get what they need. However, if you are concerned about a very picky eater while they are working through this, talk to your doctor or dietitian.
Allowing your child to determine how much she eats also means no cajoling, bargaining, or persuading. Your child can smell an agenda a mile away, so if they sense that you are trying to get them to eat their brussel sprouts by talking loudly about how delicious they are, they may feel like you crossed their line and shut down.
3. What about sweets?
One of the first questions parents want to know is, “What about sweets?” Most dietitians give two options. Serve dessert only occasionally, but when you do, children may eat it ad lib (when it is on the table, it is part of the “meal” and therefore they get to decide how much to eat). The second option is to have a single serving of dessert pre-portioned, but to serve it with the meal, not after. Do not use dessert as a reward for eating more “healthy” food. Sometimes a child will even eat more dinner when they can go ahead and have their cookie first – then they won’t rush through and eat as little as possible to get on with dessert! The bottom line is that we don’t want sweets to become this forbidden thing. That is how we develop many unhealthy attitudes toward food.
So that’s it! Now you can go and have instantly pleasant meals with happily eating children, right?! Okay, okay, it is one of those parenting principles that is simple, but difficult to implement. It is so hard to sit there and bite your tongue while your child ignores the veggies yet again and goes straight for the roll. It is equally hard to bite your tongue when your stubborn child finally tries the cabbage at dinner, and when he says he likes it, instead of dancing around the kitchen, saying casually, “Oh yeah, it’s pretty good.” Just remember to take the long-term view. Your ultimate goal is not to get your child to eat his peas tonight. It is to have him grow up to be a healthy eater. Fixing nutrient issues is relatively easy compared to fixing an unhealthy mental pattern regarding food. Trust that they want to grow up. Give them the structure and freedom to do it, and be ready to be amazed!
Note: This article was written to address “normal pickiness.” Extreme pickiness may warrant help from an occupational therapist and/or dietitian. Sometimes there are underlying causes (sensory issues, anxiety, early feeding tubes, etc.) that make it more difficult for some children to overcome finicky eating. These principles still apply and are invaluable in overcoming it, but in these situations, special care must be taken and some tactics may need to be altered.
Write down a meal plan for next week’s dinners. Planning ahead will help you feel less stressed at dinner time, and can even help you save money while at the grocery store!
Danika Dunn graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University with a BS in dietetics and a one-year-old. Because she knows so well the practical stresses of feeding kids, she enjoys helping other families eat for better health – in mind and body. Right now she spends most of her time homeschooling her five children, folding laundry, listening to podcasts, and taking care of her bees.
When good things happen to us, we inevitably want to share it with others. This is a social process known as capitalization. This process includes the individual sharing their good news (capitalizers) and the person(s) to whom they retell their news (responders) (Peters, et al., 2018). No matter which role you play in this social process, the positive outcomes are equally beneficial.
If you’re like me, celebrating the successes of others comes easy. However, I typically lack the vulnerability necessary to share my own successes with others. Previous to researching the art of celebration, I would’ve seen sharing my good news with others as ‘tooting my own horn’ or bragging. In reality, by withholding my good news or cause for celebration, I am limiting the potential of creating a celebration and positivity cycle that is mutually beneficial for myself and all those around me.
The Celebration and Positivity Cycle
If you have something positive to share, you already experience a mood boost from your success. This great feeling only increases when you share your good news with others, allowing them to experience a similar mood boost. I like to call this, the celebration and positivity cycle. The more you share positive information, the happier you’ll be. Likewise, you’re giving someone the opportunity to relish in that same positivity.
So where does this happiness come from? Is it the actual good news, the retelling of the news or hearing the news that generates this happiness? The answer is ALL OF THE ABOVE! In fact, this positivity cycle is so contagious that you don’t even have to be friends with someone to experience the benefits of celebration. In a recent study, psychologists found that capitalizers and responders both experienced increased positivity in regardless of whether or not they had an existing relationship (Conoley, et al., 2015). This means the positive benefits derived from capitalization are not exclusive to just close relationships, but that friends and strangers alike have equal potential to engage in the celebration and positivity cycle. We all benefit from good news, no matter the source!
Threats to the Cycle
In order to continue receiving the benefits of celebration, we need to understand possible threats to the cycle. The biggest threat to our continued happiness is low‐self‐esteem and the adverse feelings that often accompany it (jealousy, insecurity, resentment..etc.). Self-esteem mediates our perception and can distort reality if we don’t have a favorable relationship with ourselves. Research indicates that individuals with low‐self‐esteem perceive less partner enthusiasm about their good news, while those with high‐self‐esteem perceive more partner enthusiasm (Reis, et al., 2012). How celebrated we feel is directly linked to our self‐esteem. The more comfortable we feel with ourselves, the more validated we feel by others in our celebration.
Practice being vulnerable and share your good news with someone! Consider how you feel others received it as this may reflect your own level of self‐esteem.
References
Conoley, C. W., Vasquez, E., Bello, B. D., Oromendia, M. F., & Jeske, D. R. (2015). Celebrating the accomplishments of others. The Counseling Psychologist, 43(5), 734-751. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000015584066
Marigold, D. C., Cavallo, J. V., & Hirniak, A. (2019). Subjective perception or objective reality? How recipients’ self-esteem influences perceived and actual provider responsiveness in support contexts. Self and Identity. https://doi-org.erl.lib.byu.edu/10.1080/15298868.2019.1652681
Peters, B. J., Reis, H. T., & Gable, S. L. (2018). Making the good even better: A review and theoretical model of interpersonal capitalization. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 12(7), e12407. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12407
Reis, Harry T., Smith, Shannon M. (2012). Perceived Responses to Capitalization Attempts are Influenced by Self-Esteem and Relationship Threat. Journal of the International Association for Relationship Research, 19(2), 367–385. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2011.01367.x
Shirley Anderson is a Utah native and the youngest of five children. She has been married to her sweetheart for three years, and together they have recently begun the journey of parenthood to a darling little girl and are currently living in Stuttgart, Germany. Shirley graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Family Life and Human Development.
I grew up a reader. I read, I was read to, I did summer reading programs at my local library, I stayed up until all hours of the night reading… rarely did I not have a book with me. I heard from my mom and teachers hundreds of thousands of times how important it was to read. I also heard from my mom that you had to give a book 50 pages before you could put it down and say that you didn’t like it or it wasn’t the book for me. She learned it from a class, and yes it does work because some books take 50 pages for the story to really get going.
What I did not know, however, was why reading was so important. I had speculated ideas about why and had always heard that it makes a person a better writer. BUT, as it turns, out there’s more to it than just gaining better writing or language skills! Reading helps improve our relationship skills as we are more empathetic and kinder when we read (Borba, 2017).
Research has shown that parents care more about their child’s success rather than their child’s ability to be nice (Borba, 2017). Because of this, there has been a drive for success rather than kindness often at the expense of other children. Reading helps to bridge the gap and create children and adults who are empathetic and understanding towards one another, which in turn, sets them up for relationship success (something that will impact them far longer than getting straight A’s). If you want to learn more about why empathy is important, read these articles here, and here.
What to Read?
There are a huge variety of books out there – everything from picture books to non-ficiton to science fiction. The best type of book to help with empathy and moral development is actually picture books (Borba, 2017)! Picture books tend to contain content that draws on emotions and real-life situations that kids may encounter (Borba, 2017). Reading these books helps children to understand problem-solving, dealing with their own emotions, and have empathy towards the characters in the story. If you’re not sure where to start with picture books, you can ask a librarian at your local library, or a quick search with a phrase like “best picture books of all time” will yield thousands of results.
Photo from pexels.com
The second type of book that is best for building empathy and moral development is literary fiction (Borba, 2017). Literary fiction is a little different than general fiction, in that its value lies in the more serious and emotional nature of real-life events rather than simple entertainment value (Petite, 2014). Literary works of fiction include books such as The Book Thief, The Great Gatsby, and The Kite Runner. Literary fiction tends to help people be more empathetic, more skillful at taking the perspective of others, and more understanding of those who are different than they are (Borba, 2017).
Creating a Reading-Friendly Environment
While what you are reading can impact what you take away from the experience, consistent reading is actually what allows us to be empathetic and more understanding of others (Borba, 2017). Reading every day is where you will find the most benefits, whether it’s for 30 minutes or 3 hours.
Getting your child excited about reading can start even before they are born! Research has shown that reading to your child in utero can actually help stimulate a baby’s senses, improve brain development, and help with language development later on (Partanen et al., 2013). And those benefits continue as you keep reading to your growing child after they leave the womb. If you want to get your child excited about reading, make it fun! Use character voices, make up little songs or rhymes, or incorporate role-play. If you are reading a picture book, help your child point to what you are reading about. You can also try incorporating reading into your child’s daily routine. Having some family story time before bed is a great way to make sure you are reading every day! If you can cultivate a love for reading at home, children will be more likely to enjoy reading once they start attending school.
Photo from pexels.com
Here are a few more easy steps that can be taken to create a reading-friendly environment in your home:
Have designated screen-free time, and areas of the house where technology isn’t allowed (Rassmussen, 2017). For every family, the time and area of the house will be different, but research typically suggests to avoid screens in bedrooms because it interferes with the human body’s ability to associate the bedroom with sleep, as well as falling and staying asleep (Rassmussen, 2017). Creating screen-free time and areas helps kids and adults find other ways to entertain themselves, and a great way to do this is reading!
Have books at home that kids and adults can easily see and access (Borba, 2017). Buying books is one way to keep those books on display in your home. Local thrift stores, book stores and online retailers such as Amazon are a great way to purchase books usually with some sort of discount. Additionally, purchasing books in the mass market paperback edition will save you money as well. However, I know that purchasing books can be expensive, which is why getting a library card is a great investment. Going to the library every couple of weeks (especially with kids) encourages them to choose books that are interesting to them and helps to maintain a fresh supply of books. Libraries also offer book suggestions for both children and adults, along with activities and events that get everyone involved in reading, such as summer reading programs.
Set aside time to read both individually, and as a family (Borba, 2017). Set aside at least 30 minutes each day to read together, on your own, or both. Reading together is great for kids who can’t yet read on their own. This can include reading picture books together, or even chapter books with simple plotlines that young kids can understand. Reading aloud also provides an opportunity to talk about what is going on in the story as well as encourage perspective-taking. As a side note, as kids get older they may prefer to read on their own or to their siblings or other children, but don’t stop reading together as a family – it is still beneficial for teens to read together with others.
Let’s Talk About It
One of the most important things you can do to help your child engage in reading is to talk about what you are reading, especially when you are reading together. When reading together, take the time to ask questions about characters in the books, or even role-play as characters. Researcher, Michele Borba (2017) suggests parents and teachers ask kids the following three types of questions as they read:
Ask “What If” questions. Ask questions such as: “What if you were (insert character name)?”, “If you were in that position what advice would you give?”
Ask “How Would You Feel” questions. Ask questions like, “How would you feel if someone took your toy?”
Switch the focus from me to you. Preface questions with, “Pretend you are a character (from the story).” Then ask, “How would you feel if you were that character?” This helps kids to switch in and out of different perspectives.
Asking these kinds of questions are just as essential a part of reading as discussing the story or plotline, since understanding the characters and their motivations is part of what makes reading so powerful. All three of these types of questions encourages empathy and perspective-taking, helping children be more empathetic and understanding towards others – qualities that will set them up for success in their future relationships.
This week spend some time reading every day. The length of time you read doesn’t matter. It can be two hours or ten minutes just as long as you’re reading. If you don’t have a book to read venture to your local library or book store and pick one up.
References
Borba, M. (2017). Unselfie: Why empathetic kids succeed in our all-about-me world. New York: Touchstone.
Partanen, E., Kujala, T., Naatanen, R., Liitola, A., Sambeth, A., & Huotilainen, M. (2013). Learning-induced neural plasticity of speech processing before birth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(37), 15145-15150. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1302159110
Rasmussen, E. E. (2017). Media maze: Unconventional wisdom for guiding children through media. Springville, UT: Plain Sight Publishing, an imprint of Cedar Fort.
Anasteece Smith is a Utah native who is now living it up as a Texas girl. She is the oldest of seven children and married her sweetheart in 2018 who happened to have her same last name. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Family Life. In her free time, Anasteece likes to read, paint, swim, hike, camp, hammock, and do graphic design. She is passionate about mental health, healthy sexuality, family resilience, feminism, religion, and research on shame, vulnerability, and perfectionism.
Written by Family Finance Researcher, Ashley B. LeBaron
If you were to ask the average person on the street, “What is the #1 thing you and your partner fight about?”, chances are good that they would say, “Money.” (They might also say, “Sex,” but we’ll save that for another day.) My job is to figure out why, what this means for you, and what you can do about it. Hi! I’m Ashley, and I’m a family finance researcher. I study how money and family relationships impact each other.
A couple years ago I was listening to a lecture on feminism (btw, I’m a feminist, and I’m pretty sure you are too—we’ll come back to that) and had a lightbulb moment: Is power part of the reason why money—particularly how couples handle their money—has such an effect on couple relationships?
With help from four incredible co-authors and friends (Erin K. Holmes, Jeremy B. Yorgason, E. Jeffrey Hill, and David B. Allsop), I conducted a study that explored whether four couple financial processes (individual income, whether couples had a joint bank account, the extent to which couples managed their money as a team, and how often couples fought about money) would predict relationship quality and relationship stability. I also explored whether relational power would explain why the couple’s financial processes predicted relationship outcomes. In other words, I tested whether financial processes affect the power each partner feels they have in their relationship and whether that power then goes on to affect relationship outcomes.
Before I tell you what I found, let’s first address the elephant in whatever room you’re currently sitting in.
Feminism.
Some of you are already proud, self-proclaimed feminists, and right now your internal voice is going, “Mmhm, preach.” For others of you, the very word might make you feel uncomfortable and defensive, like you’re about to be attacked by a mob of angry, bra-burning women who will blame you personally for every injustice that’s ever been committed. Go ahead and relax—I am not that mob. When I google “define feminism,” here’s what it spits out: “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.” Sure, there are different types of feminism. But most feminists are not trying to take over the world and make you feel less than in the process; they’re just trying to help people have an equal opportunity and voice, regardless of whether people have two X chromosomes or an X and a Y. They’re saying, “Hey, I believe women and men are equals. But sometimes, people aren’t treated that way. Let’s do something about it.” I am so grateful for the women before me who recognized their worth and were brave enough to stand up and demand basic rights so that today a woman like me can do things like vote, own land, and be a professor. To someone who listens to and seeks to truly understand others, feminism isn’t scary—it’s a call for equal partnership.
Photo from pexels.com
Power.
Let’s also address the word power. To some of you, this might be another one of those scary, ugly-sounding words. Just like the way I feel about feminism has changed, though, the way I feel about power has changed, too. When people use their own power to hurt or take away the power of others, it becomes an ugly thing. Power can be misused. But isn’t it wonderful to see those who once felt powerless become empowered? In relationships, power can be defined as the say or influence that each partner feels they have in their relationship. In other words, to what extent do they feel like an equal partner in their relationship? Research has shown that the highest quality relationships are those in which both partners feel empowered. (That makes perfect sense to most feminists, who want equal power for women and men.) In other words, a great marriage is two people with lots of power. As long as bothpartners have equal power, power isn’t bad—it facilitates equal partnership.
Okay, so hopefully you’re convinced that feminism and power can provide important insights into what an equal partnership looks like. Now, back to the research study: Can feminism help us answer the question Why does money impact couple relationships so much? Is part of the answer power?
Well, simply put (and believe me—with statistics, it’s never actually simple), we were right! Couple financial processes did predict relationship outcomes, and power was part of the reason why. Healthy couple financial processes (stick with me for a second, and I’ll give you some examples) maximize each partner’s relational power, and relational power seems to be what is actually affecting relationship outcomes.
So what?
So, why does money matter so much in couple relationships? Because how couples handle their money can either empower both partners, or it can diminish the power of one or both partners. (Thanks, feminism!) When both spouses are involved in financial processes, partners tend to be more empowered, and relationship quality and stability tend to be higher.
Photo from pexels.com
So, what do these findings mean for you? You get to decide! Power and equal partnership will mean different things in every relationship. However, here are three research-supported steps that you might consider taking to help you better manage finances as a couple:
Have joint bank accounts – Having access to money is empowering and facilitates transparency between partners. Pooling resources can also be symbolic–you are a team.
Co-manage your money as a team – Make money decisions together and be on the same page about income, expenditures, retirement plans, etc. This demonstrates your equality and partnership.
Easier said than done? So are many of the most important things in life. It’ll take effort. But your relationship will be stronger because of it! Let your financial processes be one of the ways you demonstrate your equal partnership and, therefore, the love and respect and trust you share.
This week, have a discussion about finances with your partner. Do you feel that you are an equal partner when it comes to money-management in your relationship? What changes do you feel you should make together?
References
Britt, S. L., Hill, E. J., LeBaron, A. B., Lawson, D. R., & Bean, R. A. (2017). Tightwads and spenders: Predicting financial conflict in couple relationships. Journal of Financial Planning, 30(5), 36–42.
Conroy, A. A., McGrath, N., van Rooyen, H., Hosegood, V., Johnson, M. O., Fritz, K., Marr, A., Ngubane, T., & Darbes, L. A. (2016). Power and the association with relationship quality in South African couples: Implications for HIV/AIDS interventions. Social Science & Medicine, 153, 1–11. https://doi-org.erl.lib.byu.edu/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.01.035
Gottman, J. M. (2011). The science of trust: Emotional attunement for couples. New York: Guilford.
Greenberg, L. S., & Goldman, R. N. (2008). Emotion-focused couples therapy: The dynamics of emotion, love, and power. American Psychological Association. https://doi-org.erl.lib.byu.edu/10.1037/11750-000
Knudson-Martin, C. (2013). Why power matters: Creating a foundation of mutual support in couple relationships. Family Process, 52(1), 5– 18.
LeBaron, A. B., Holmes, E. K., Yorgason, J. B., Hill, E. J., & Allsop, D. B. (2018). Feminism and couple finance: Power as a mediator between financial processes and relationship outcomes. Sex Roles, 81(3-4), 140-156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-018-0986-5
Pahl, J. (1995). His money, her money: Recent research on financial organisation in marriage. Journal of Economic Psychology, 16(3), 361-376. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-4870(95)00015-g
Yodanis, C., & Lauer, S. (2007). Managing money in marriage: Multilevel and cross-national effects of the breadwinner role. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69(5), 1307-1325. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00449.x
Ashley LeBaron is a doctoral student in Family Studies and Human Development at the University of Arizona. Her research focus is family finance, including couple finance and financial socialization. Ashley was valedictorian for the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences at Brigham Young University in 2016 and Graduate Student of the Year for the Utah Council on Family Relations in 2018.
Money can stress me out—and it has likely stressed you out to some extent, too.
I really didn’t learn to be financially responsible until over the last few years. I’m very fortunate to have been raised in an upper-middle-class family, where providing for our education was important to my parents (read: no student debt, thank goodness), and where my parents would kindly bail me out if I were in any financial troubles (read: when I racked up a bit of credit card debt as a young adult). But that also meant that I just didn’t gain experience managing my own finances. The one college class I took on the subject, Family Finance, didn’t even seem to apply to me—a poor, single college student. I didn’t need information on how or where to invest my money (WHAT MONEY??!). I needed to know that I had the potential to earn, save, and spend my money wisely, and how to do all of that from the ground up.
A couple of years ago I took a Personal Finance class in my community and suddenly it clicked. While I still don’t have everything figured out, the most important thing I’ve put into practice is where I put my money when I earn it, and in what order I put it there. Whether you are poor or rich, single or in a committed money-sharing relationship, this is my favorite finance principle right now.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
When I receive a paycheck, I distribute my money in the following order (this order is also suggested by various financial professionals):
1. Charitable giving. For me, that means donating tithes and offerings to my church. This percentage comes out first, before I do anything else. If you don’t give to a charitable organization, you can just skip on over to number 2.
2. A one-month emergency fund. Before I even pay down a credit card, I put a percentage of my income into my savings account to work toward my one-month emergency fund. I want to have this emergency fund before I really start paying off debt. The reason: If I have an unexpected cost arise (medical bills, car problems, etc.), and don’t have an emergency fund, it will just add more debt to my name, compounding the problem further. The emergency fund helps break that cycle of debt. Consider starting with an emergency fund of at least $1000 before you begin paying off debt.
3. Paying off debt. While I’m building my emergency fund, I will just pay the minimum on credit cards or any other debt payments I’m making. When my emergency fund is solid, I can start paying off my debt with that portion of income instead. There are different strategies to paying off debt, especially if you have multiple debts to pay off. You can read more about the Debt Snowball and Debt Avalanche methods here.
4. Current needs. This includes paying rent, for groceries, and any other day-to-day needs. This is where it’s so handy to have a budget—to make sure you keep your ongoing expenses low and can build that emergency fund, pay off debt, and still have some money left over to treat yo’ self (occasionally at least)! When you’re building your budget, be sure to look at things like fixed expenses (set costs that you’ll have every month, like rent) and variable expenses (expenses that may not be the same every month, like eating out or entertainment expenses). Your budget will continually change as your financial needs change, so don’t feel like the budget you create right now is set in stone, but it will act as a starting point for greater financial awareness and guidance.
5. When my one-month emergency fund is built up and my debt is all paid off, THEN I can begin building my savings account further. This opens the door for opportunities like investments, down payments on larger purchases, or other opportunities.
Following these steps won’t get you out of debt overnight, but hopefully, it will increase your confidence in your ability to manage your finances, help break any debt cycles you may be in, and make money a bit less stressful than it was before.
Where is your financial focus right now?—Are you stressed about debt? Do you have enough money set aside in case of an emergency? Are you working toward saving for a larger purchase or to invest?
Decide what your current financial focus is, then use these steps to make help you make a plan.
Allie Barnes graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies, earned a certificate in Substance Use Disorder Counseling from Utah Valley University, and studied writing throughout her undergraduate career. In every professional role she’s filled since then, her focus remains the same: People.
