Stacked Intent: Your Guide to Authentic, Intentional Living
Are you ready to build a life that actually feels like you? Stacked Intent is a weekly research-backed podcast for those who want healthier relationships, smarter money habits, and a stronger sense of self. Host Becca Stackhouse-Morson, M.S., CFLE — Certified Family Life Educator and founder of Stacked Intent — brings you honest, practical conversations on setting boundaries, building confidence, financial wellness, and intentional living. Nutrition episodes feature Ashleigh Geurin, M.S., CNWE, Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Agent with the University of Georgia, delivering research-backed guidance on nourishing your body and your life. Each episode gives you real tools to make impactful decisions and show up as your most authentic self — because when you choose to authentically be you, you are always enough.
Stacked Intent: Your Guide to Authentic, Intentional Living
34: How to Start a Budget From Scratch When You Have No Idea Where to Begin
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If the word 'budget' fills you with dread, this episode is for you. We start from absolute zero — no assumptions, no jargon — and walk through exactly how to build a budget that actually works for your life. Because getting control of your money starts with knowing where it's going.
Resources for Season 4 Financial Podcast:
https://www.stackedintent.com/seasonfourfinancialpodcastresources
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Welcome to Stacked Intent, where we discuss and drop tips on how you are going to intentionally stack your life. I’m Becca Stackhouse-Morson – owner of Stacked Intent. Today, we’ll be talking about How to Get Started with Budgeting when You Do not know Where to Start with our guest, Lindsey Ciarrocca, with The Exuberant Elephant. Let’s get started!
o Brief Summary of objectives (3):
● OBJECTIVE 1 - Figure out why you want to start (or restart) this journey.
● OBJECTIVE 2 - Know your numbers.
● OBJECTIVE 3 - Make adjustments and roll with the punches.
Topic 1: Set Goals and a financial why
- The first place I start with all my clients is asking why. Why are you here on this journey? Figuring out your deeper why is what will help keep you motivated when things get tough.
- Write out your financial why and put it on a post-it notes where you see it every day.
- Set some achievable short-term goals.
- Start with a brain dump of everything you want to accomplish in five years, 10 years, or 15 years.
- Pair down to the 3-6 month of motivation. Helps to keep you motivated.
- Choosing to spend the money every single
- Sure, you want to take control of your money, but what kind of pieces.
- What you decided today doesn’t have to be set in stone?
Topic 2: Numbers are key, but they don’t have to be scary!
- Numbers are facts of information.
- Knowing your numbers is critical to your success. What’s coming in must be less than what’s going out. Basic numbers of one minus one equals the balances.
- It's looking at the variable expenses versus fixed expenses. It is the variable expenses that cause a challenge. Looking at what categories is the biggest challenge. Sometimes it looks at weighing in the other things outside of why do it… of something like the coffee shop is it to see a friend or to give you a different paces.
- Start small - if you’ve never tracked your numbers before, pick one area to get started with. Maybe just start by adding up your income for a regular month to see how much you must work with. Use the number that gets deposited into your bank account, after all taxes and deductions are taken out.
- Next look at where you spend your money in a normal week. Again, just start by writing everything down, don’t try to make changes at this point. But remember to be honest with yourself, even if the numbers are unpleasant! (I have a full guide that goes into detail on the four numbers you need to know in order to be successful with budgeting)
Topic 3: Making an adjustment is ok and to be expected!
- No month is going to be the same… you have fixed expenses like a mortgage that will be the same, but you have lots that is going to change.
- If the numbers you’re seeing to start make you uncomfortable, just know that this is only where you are starting from! You can now make adjustments to change things.
- It’s ok to make changes when you get new information. If you have money set aside for new clothes but you find out your car needs new tires, it’s ok to move money around based on new priorities.
On that note, find a system that works for you. Lindsey's favorite tool is a budgeting software called You Need A Budget or YNAB for short. It takes a moment to get them set up and reads the data from your account. It’s what I use with all of my clients and it really allows you to see what every one of your dollars is earmarked for.
Give every single cent a job!
Call to action: Ask for help if you need it and go and write down your why of financial planning.
Resources: https://www.stackedintent.com/seasonfourfinancialpodcastresources
