Money Matters - Melissa Blanford

Joining us today is a budget-obsessed gal, who’s also a mother and wife born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. Melissa Blandford is a money and personal finance budget coach as well as juggling a daytime job at an insurance company. Her talent in budgeting and handling finances all came from first-hand knowledge, which you’ll hear as we listen on into this episode. Following it up with a Master Financial Coach training with renown personal finance coach Dave Ramsey and his group, Melissa was now well-equipped to help people with their money.

Cassandra and Melissa quickly dive into having Melissa introduce herself through a few quick fire questions. As they progress, you’ll hear Melissa’s backstory on how she started taking budgeting seriously. By listening to Dave Ramsey and learning his methods, the next 2 years she and her husband paid off their combined debt. At the time her life was crazy and stressful, she didn’t have any plan for getting rid of debt.  It was important to her, but there was no “how” associated with the challenge.  In time, she and her husband were able to tackle it together. Getting out of debt was life-changing and the opportunities offered to her since have yielded substantial benefits.  

 Melissa tells her journey & scarifies on what she had to do and what sacrifices she made to be able to do everything she has done.  Her eventual goal is to relocate to the desert of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It all starts with getting a realistic view of where you are. Once you come to know yourself and become comfortable with the “how” in going about the plan, that is the best way to start.

Go ahead and click play to hear Melissa’s interesting journey to becoming debt free. She just might drop some of her top secrets on how she did it.

Key points:

Her backstory on why she started budgetingHow she and her husband paid all of their debtsTips, tricks, and thoughts why they should pay off debt and howHow important it’s to be debt free during COVIDThe relationship between you, your money, and your budgetThe importance of having a budgetHer piece of advice for those who’s in the “I need money help” situation

Tweetables:

“The number one thing you need is to have a budget. You absolutely need to have a budget. There’s almost no way to be successful without one.” [0:12:15] -Melissa Blandford

“Figure out where you are and then start with all the must haves and just work your way down the list.” [0:12:39] -Melissa Blandford

“The woman who can learn a concept and then run with it. I don’t want to have to be your coach forever, in perpetuity.” [0:16:26] -Melissa Blandford

“There are so many things that you can go without, if you have a better reason to go without than you do to get the stuff.” [0:23:24] -Melissa Blandford

”That ‘why’ is massive in any sort of financial work or  even business planning and business work. If you don’t have a why and if you don’t have that purpose then it’s just really following someone else’s prescriptive program...” [0:23:33] -Cassandra Shuck

“That resiliency is the long term sustainable aspect of really anything.” [0:25:27] -Cassandra Shuck 

“It’s an ongoing relationship that you have with your money and your budget forever.” [0:25:54] -Melissa Blandford

Helpful Links:
Melissa Blanford Coaching

Melissa Blanford on Facebook

Melissa Blanford on Instagram

Cassandra Shuck