Jen Smith co-hosts the Frugal Friends Podcast and author of Amazon best-selling book, "The No-Spend Challenge Guide" and latest book "Pay Off Your Debt for Good."

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In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Learn more about the ideas behind frugality and debt management including the Financial Independence or FI movement.

• The philosophy behind Modern Frugality

• The growth of the Modern Frugality platform and movement

• It’s not about being cheap!

• Learn about the Four Pillars of Modern Frugality:
  -Value based spending
  -Minimalism focused
  -Environmentally friendly
  -Simpler and cleaner

• Learn about Jen’s KonMari journey and what she and her husband learned along the way

• Why Jen is a big fan of KonMari folding

• The importance of focusing on the Big Four of expenditures: housing, transportation, bills and food. Focusing on these big expenditures and making changes will make a bigger difference in getting rid of debt than cutting back on small things that you love, things that Spark Joy!

• Be sure to check out Ep 6 | Declutter Your Path to Wealth with Tess Wicks and Ep 58 | KonMari + Financial Freedom with House of FI for more ideas finance and debt management

Jennifer’s favorite tidying tip for people wanting to live a life of modern frugality:
“Clear your surfaces. If you can clear your coffee table, your TV stands… your cloud of clutter will begin to lift.”

What is sparking the most joy for Jen:
“I’m a new mom and watching my husband become a dad has really warmed my heart.”

Parting words of wisdom:
“Find the brand of financial freedom that works for you.”

You can find Jen at modernfrugality.com

She’s on Facebook and Instagram at @ModernFrugality

Her podcast can be found here: The Frugal Friends Podcast
and you can grab a copy of her book on Amazon: The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

For Spark Joy Podcast listeners, go to modernfrugality.com/debtfreeworkbook and get the free workbook that walks you through each activity in her new book, "Pay Off Your Debt for Good".

Gems:

“Having control over your spending and having the confidence that you are spending money on only the things that you WANT to be spending your money on.”

“Learning a little bit about everything and finding what works for you. The radical middle!”

“If you try it for just a little while, you will be surprised at the things you learn about yourself. And I think that in itself if work the practice.”

“I follow "values-based spending" which is essentially spending without guilt on things that spark joy and eliminating or lowering spending on everything else.”

“So many things came to light while we were paying down our debt, I wanted to write a book about it.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Jennifer Smith.

In this episode, Spark Joy explores how you can clarify your vision of the kind of life you want to lead and why it’s important step, but often overlooked, in the KonMari journey.

We discuss the why and how of identifying the vision of your ideal life and how it can help you complete the KonMari process to greater success. Your life vision will help you clarify why you want to tidy and how your life will look once the tidying is completed.

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Tips for how to begin identifying your vision, making it specific, focused and intentional

• Learning how to break down identifying your ideal life into manageable parts:

  • What is your ideal day?
  • Your ideal moment that would spark joy? Picture yourself doing something delightful.
  • Begin with gratitude and appreciation - what is currently working for you in your space and in your life?
  • Imagine how you would be living your life today if money, time and obligations were not a constraint?
  • Take a holistic look at how you’re doing in each area of your life: Career, Relationships, Hobbies, Spirituality, Health, Finances, Community.
  • Check out the The KonMari Wheel of Impact
  • List the first five life goals (long- or short- term) that immediately come to mind as they relate to those categories.
  • Close your eyes and imagine you’ve reached the end of your tidying journey. Describe in detail how you envision your home to look and how you feel

• We share our own visions and visions of some of our clients from all stages of life: single people, families, couples, downsizers and empty nesters

• How to create your own Vision statement!

  • Get it out of your head and onto another media: diary, Pinterest board, website, blog, Facebook post, anything.
  • Establish a new tradition of creating a vision board and display it proudly in your home

Example of Vision Boards and Statements:
A Goal Setting Strategy That Sticks

Gems:
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life”

“I just want things to be different instead of thinking about what that different looks like.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy