I am so excited! I was blessed enough to get a full scholarship to FinCon this year. Not familiar with what FinCon is? You can read about it here: https://finconexpo.com. I have been wanting to go for years but either didn't have the money or couldn't take off. This year, I have no barriers and I am going! I was also able to secure funding for my lodging so all I have to do is pay for gas and parking. Wow!

I plan on meeting as many people as I can while I'm there. I hope to meet some of my favorite bloggers and podcasters so I can tell them in person how much of an inspiration they have been to me. I can't wait to finally meet the people from the different blogging and podcasting communities I'm a member of. We have been supportive of one another without even meeting in person. It’s amazing!

I also hope to get closer to perfecting my craft. FinCon will have breakout sessions on everything blogging, podcasting, vlogging, etc. and I want to take it all in. Is there a way to clone yourself yet?!

Hopefully, I can snag some deals from the vendors (I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t try). I will be going live while I’m there in my Facebook group. If you aren’t a member you can sign up here
I am also hoping to record a few podcast episodes on the spot with some awesome people!
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I am so excited about the possibilities!

You can check out a list of the other scholarship winners here!

I have been getting questions lately on what people should do with their tax money, so I wanted to compile a list of some of my favorite tax money moves:

OK, so I felt like this was a timely post in light of the government shutdown and the possibility of families not receiving food assistance in the coming months.  If you aren't aware of all the changes, you can read about it here.  I want to keep this post focused on how families can save money whether they receive government assistance or not.  It is essential to squeeze every penny at the grocery store because eating is a necessity and is usually one of our most significant monthly expenses.  Let's begin...

I am always trying to find ways to pay off my debt faster!  One of my favorite ways is to participate in the gig economy, particularly ride sharing (driving for Uber & Lyft).  Now, I try to drive every other weekend when I don't have my kids.  Last year, I made about $2,500 just from this gig and I didn't even drive that much!  Here are some things I do to maximize my time and earnings: