Why did you choose to focus on family, finance and freedom? How does The Savvy Couple stand out from other personal finance blogs?
Our blog stands out from the rest of the personal finance blogs for a few reasons. First, we are highschool sweethearts. We know what it takes to have a successful, loving, and long-lasting marriage. We are also just normal people going after our dreams and making it happen. Last month, we finished paying off our student loans. We made $25,000 in only 5 months, using primarily our blogging income.
We choose family, finance, and freedom because we believe that they all go hand-in-hand. In fact, our entire blog is focused on helping families find their freedom. Whether that means improving their marriage, organizing their life, or taking control of their finances. We are big believers that there is nothing more valuable in this life than time. The more time we have, the more time we get to spend on the things we love and get the most enjoyment from.
How did you make the switch from full-time business drone to full-time blogger (with freedom)?
Before quitting my job, we made sure we had a huge nest egg saved up. I knew that there was a potential of earning no income for months on end, so having that nest egg was a must. Within two months of quitting my job, I started freelancing and teaching english online to replace my income. It was a huge relief knowing that making money online was not as hard as it seemed. From there, I slowly built out this blog to the point where I no longer needed the freelance work or the extra income from teaching online. I continued to learn and grow our business each and every day. We are now making over $10,000/month from our blog. It’s simply a dream come true.
Brittany, what advice do you have for someone whose fiancé/spouse wants to make a huge financial decision (like becoming a personal finance blogger)?
Well, for Kelan, there was no stopping him. Once he gets something in his head and makes a decision on it, he goes all in. I was fully supportive and knew that he would find success. He just has that drive inside of him that is undeniable. Originally he was going to start a Home Inspection business. He went back to school, got licensed, and was ready to start down that path. But then making money online was introduced to us and the rest is history.
I think the biggest thing is making sure you communicate with your spouse. You both need to be on the same page and understand the risk of starting a business. Set expectations and continue to support each other throughout the journey. On top of that, make sure your finances are organized beforehand. Not having to worry about money (as much) made everything much easier than it would have been if we were struggling paycheck to paycheck.
How did you design your famous budget templates? What’s the most important thing to consider when creating a budget?
The Budgeting Binder was created after we paid off our student loan debt. We realized a majority of our audience needed help budgeting and organizing their money. So we put together a complete solution to taking control of all of your finances in one place. Our budgeting binder has pages for learning how to budget, track your debt, start a side hustle, start an emergency fund, and even plan for the extra expenses during the holidays. We put a lot of time and effort to make it the best budgeting binder on the internet. I think the reviews speak for themselves.
The most important thing when starting a budget is finding a solution that you will actually stick to. Start small and learn as you go. There are so many ways to budget your money that it really does not matter which way you choose. The most important thing is to get started and find a way that works best for your individual needs.
We have an amazing guide How to Budget: The Simple Money Guide Anyone Can Follow that walks our readers through every step of the process in creating a successful budget. We hope you guys will like it!
How has your life changed since starting The Savvy Couple? Do you live your life differently because of it?
Our lives iare completely different. I struggled to find my happiness before this blog, especially when every job I had out of college felt like it was suffocating me. Now I get to work from home, set my own hours, and most importantly get to be a stay-at-home dad. I am so blessed to be living my dream life at 28 years old.
Since Brittany is a teacher, we get the entire summer to spend together camping, traveling, and growing our business together. We are incredibly lucky!
Where do you see the blog going in the upcoming years?
This is a great question and a good reminder to continue to check in with our long-term goals. Within the next couple of years, we want to grow our blog to be making a million dollars a year in revenue. It’s a huge goal but I think it’s totally obtainable. We see ourselves becoming a household name as a reliable resource for families and individuals. We would also love to get in front of a crowd and share our story.
Our biggest goal and “north star” (if you will) is to make enough money to be able to travel and help build schools. We both have a huge passion for giving back whenever we can. God has blessed our lives more than we could have ever imagined, so taking that blessing and giving it to others only makes sense.
What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned about financial management since starting The Savvy Couple?
The sad fact is that 80% of Americans struggle with money management and live paycheck to paycheck. The primary reason for this happening is a lack of education in basic finances. We know there are families out there struggling, living an extremely stressful lives because, somewhere down the road, they mismanaged their finances. We were there and know how it feels. If we can do our part to help families find their freedom and live a better life, I would be happy with leaving that legacy.
Got a quote about financial planning? I’d love to hear it!
I have two for you.
“You have to believe it to achieve it.” If you want something in life, you need to break down those doubts and truly believe in it to make it happen. Have confidence in yourself. Know that you are important. Know that you are special. Know that you are capable of anything. Stop making excuses and go get it!
“Being rich is having money. Being wealthy is having time.” A lot of people think that money creates happiness. That can’t be further from the truth. We can always make more money but time is fleeting. Your goal should be to create more time for yourself, to pursue the things you enjoy, things bring you the most happiness. I have always found it super useful to think about money as time. The next time you want to buy something, instead of seeing the price tag, replace it with how many hours you will have to give away at work to afford it. Your needs and wants will become very clear.