Stacked Intent
Just wanted to share a little about the Stacked Intent podcast is hosted by Becca Stackhouse-Morson (me), and she’s all about helping you live your best life, no apologies needed. Along with our nutrition episodes co-hosted by Ashleigh Geurin, who has a fantastic background and passion for nutrition education, and our relationship episodes co-hosted by Sarah Bradley, who has a passion to serve the rural community to help improve their relationships.
What can you expect from the Stacked Intent podcast? The podcast raises the bar to another level. We dive deep into topics like healthy relationships, finance, nutrition, and we even explore special topics, all backed by solid research-based information. You're in for a real treat when you tune in.
If you're ready to embark on a journey of intentional living, building unapologetic confidence in yourself, and stacking your life with purpose, give Stacked Intent a listen. It's all about helping you become the best version of yourself.
Stacked Intent is a Family Life Education business, resonating with individuals who aspire to rediscover or discover their most authentic version of themselves. We provide resources to inspire individuals to rediscover or discover their most impactful decisions regarding their relationship with money, time, and energy, contributing to goal setting and decision-making through a comprehensive understanding of self. The opportunity to help just one person in understanding that their whole world is impacted when they have a healthy self-relationship is core and with a background in Family Studies, I aim to provide individuals with a space to embrace their authenticity.
There was a pivotal question asked by my mom that sparked a realization about the need for guidance in fostering healthy relationships. The question she asked, “Why are you easily able to talk about relationships and sex in the County programming you are presenting?” I simply answered her with, "If not me, then who is going to help these teenagers learn how a healthy relationship is possible?" Too often our society beautifies a relationship (i.e. romantic, family, friendship), but doesn’t teach the true meaning and healthy relationship boundaries. This lit my passion to share with individuals through each transition that is truly a possibility to live in understanding that healthy is a possibility when you understand your most authentic version of yourself. From a place of pain of losing friendships, becoming a one directional friendship, or simply those who were temporary along life’s road, it is important to know and practice the keys to create well balanced and healthy relationships. There are relationship break ups and choosing to be single with much self-reflection to the development of the authentic version of self. From all these places Stacked Intent, was created to provide resources through research-based podcasting, courses, workshops, seminars, blogs, and social media posts.
Stacked Intent
Are you ready for the holidays?
Today I hope you walk away from this finance podcast with ideas of how to not have a holiday hangover in January from your holidays spending. This helps you in your authenticity by being true to your budget in what is going to work for you the best.
Call to action today is the perfect time to compile your holiday gift list, noting everyone you need to shop for. Additionally, establish a realistic budget that you can adhere to this year, ensuring you avoid any post-holiday financial stress.
Thank you for tuning into Stacked Intent to be authentically YOU! Be sure to leave a review and follow us on instagram.
Are you ready for the holidays?
· Today I hope you walk away from this finance podcast with ideas of how to not have a holiday hangover in January from your holidays spending. This helps you in your authenticity by being true to your budget in what is going to work for you the best.
· The holidays that bring twinkling lights, festive decorations, and the smell of freshly baked cookies always bring a sense of joy and warmth, for most of us. Though there are some of us that this time of the years doesn’t bring the joy and warmth, but it still comes around.
· It’s the time of year for gathering with loved ones, sharing laughter, and creating memories that will last a lifetime. As each of us get ready for the holidays that can look different whether it’s cozying up by the fireplaces with a good book, gathering around the table for games with family and friends, going for a drive to look at lights, and so many other options. Let’s talk about how we financially get ready for the holidays, to possibly reduce the stress on holiday giving.
· Topic: Different ways to prepare yourself financially for the holidays!
o Did you know that the average American spends nearly or more than $1500 on the holidays?
o To begin getting ready for the holidays, create a list of everyone that you plan to buy for and if you can give them an allocate amount, you can do this from your overall budget or ideally what you would like to spend on each person you place on your list.
· This one can be contributed by how you do gifts within your family or friend group. There are some families who choose not to do gifts for each person, but instead do a white elephant gift. That might have a gift amount value or theme. These can be a fun way to celebrate with a big family or with a friend group to help with your budget, but still create fun around gift giving.
o Once you’ve made your list of people, items, and budget it is great to watch for sales on the items you are looking for throughout the timeframe leading up to the holidays. I love to shop all year around for the individuals on my list because it means that I typically can find good deals on items and create really fun baskets or gift bags for those in my life. On mine and my husband’s second Christmas together, I was able to find him the complete Harry Potter books at a secondhand books store in really good condition for a fraction of the price it would have cost me to buy them full price! This really helped because I was able to stick within the budget, we had given each other to spend for our gifts.
· Once you’ve gotten your list and budget, then you must have the follow through to stick to your budget. This means you’ve set a number that you can comfortably follow through for yourself and manage. Just because it is the holidays, doesn’t mean to overextend yourself.
· It is important to stick within your budget so that you aren’t going for impulse buys and increasing to compensate for each child.
· Can you reduce your gift list? This can go back to the idea of a gift exchange of drawing names or something along this line. This can help when you want to spend money but have limited funds. This can work in a group of siblings or in a group of friends. I’ve had this work in my workplace within my office where we drew names as we approached Christmas and then had a day that we exchanged our gifts and enjoyed a meal together. It gave a special time to celebrate, but not add the burden of purchasing for everyone in the office.
▪ Gift exchange plan
▪ Plans that are gift exchanges can be a simple as a dessert or cookie exchange for a gathering to a dirty Santa style gift exchange. The biggest key on these types of exchanges is to communicate with those involved what you are doing.
▪ My husband and I went to a family gathering last year that we did a sock exchange. It was a blast to see all the socks people brought along with the ones that got fought over. Though one of my most favorite exchanges from my middle school days was the one with the girl’s group that did an ornament exchange where everyone brought an ornament, and we did its dirty Santa style for you to select the one you got to go home with. This was so much fun because you got to see all kinds of ornaments.
o The key to starting early is to be able to find the best deals, also to find something that really speaks to you for each person. My favorite example for this is my daddy — I find to sometimes be challenging to find the perfect gift for him, but a few years ago I decided to give him the consumable gift of coffee which means each year he’ll need more coffee right? So, throughout the year as I discover cool coffee / tea shops, I buy him a bag of coffee that looks cool, smells good, has a funny title, or just represents the places I’ve been. This has honestly become his yearly gift for the past like five years and I get just as excited about him getting it as he has become about receiving it. Doing it throughout the year means I only spend a little bit each month rather than a lot all at once. What is a gift you could buy early for someone? I am also known for buying gifts as I see them on sale and holding them for people’s birthdays or Christmas with just as much excitement to give them the gifts then as when I bought them for them.
o Create a holiday budget along with spending categories which can help the earlier you are able to have this in plan for creating a successful holiday season. If you are in a partnership, it is important to have your partner on board with where you are going to be in your budget of from gifts, decorations, travel, and a grocery budget to keep yourself on track through the holiday season and not ended up with the holiday blues in January from overextending yourself.
· As the winter months approach with the holidays don’t let them be a crushing expense for you.
· In creating your holiday budget that helps you to not dip into January’s budgeting or creating a cash strapped situation as you begin the new year.
· This might be just as important as creating your holiday spending budget is to keep track of what you spent on each person. This will help you to make sure you are managing your wallet. Keep your purchases smart and make sure you are accurate in spending.
· Be aware to not max out your credit cards throughout the holiday season. This might mean you need to look at what debit that you are already carrying and trying to stay below 30% of what your overall debit ratio is. Be sure to set your hard limits on what you are willing to add to your credit cards. The biggest goal for you is to be firm in what you are spending.
o There is always the option to create a gift by making it a homemade gift. You have limitless options here as you get to find your creative a gift for a specific person. This can look like making ornaments (an ornament that I love to give to people is to use the wedding or baby invitations within the ornament—realistically, what are you going to do with-it after the event?), baking them cookies, or going out to dinner on you for the holidays. A lot of time when you opt for homemade it can be much more memorable for someone than just walking through the store picking an item up off the shelve.
· Remember that you never have to feel obligated to give a gift to others, even though they might have given a gift to you. You might be in a different situation than they are and that is perfectly okay for you to give the gift of your prescence or something you are able to offer. Always be honest with yourself about what you are giving from your spaces of availability.
· Call to action today is the perfect time to compile your holiday gift list, noting everyone you need to shop for. Additionally, establish a realistic budget that you can adhere to this year, ensuring you avoid any post-holiday financial stress.
