During my college years, I had a plan — the kind that involved meeting the right guy and marrying young. But when Mr. Right didn’t show up on schedule, I packed a duffel bag and took off instead.

I spent months at a time living out of a suitcase, guiding biking and hiking trips in places like Bali, Iceland, and Costa Rica. I wasn’t making much, but I learned how to make it work — intentionally and sometimes very creatively.

Somewhere along the way, I discovered something that changed everything: I valued experiences far more than things.

Fast forward to marriage, kids, and (mostly) stay-at-home mom life…we were living on an average of about $60,000 a year. Even with a modest income, we created some really big wins in just a few short years:

• Traveled regularly, both in the U.S. and abroad

• Bought my husband’s dream truck

• Purchased my dream guitar

• Built a strong emergency fund

• Gave generously to church and charity

• Paid off over $20K in graduate school loans

• Saved $500/month for a house down payment

• Maxed out our annual Roth IRA and 401k matches

• Grew our net worth to over a quarter million

• Stayed debt-free (no credit card balances!)

Those years taught me something powerful: you don’t have to wait for a bigger paycheck to start living. You just need a plan that reflects your values, your goals, and the things that matter most to you.

Now, I help families who refuse to choose between creating memories and financial stability. Together, we build systems that fund bucket-list dreams without the credit card debt — because the best part of vacation should be the memories, not the payment plan.