Week 44:

It has been such an exciting week with running a half marathon, the launch of my sixth book, and a business trip to NYC to meet with some brands we’ve been working closely with! (I also found out that I have a fractured spine and borderline Grade 3 spondylolisthesis — that’s a whole unexpected journey I’m going to be on for the next little while!)

Whether you’ve bought a copy of my new book, asked your library to carry it, or shared about the book with your friends, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your amazing support! I am truly so grateful. 

I’ve been reflecting this week on the journey I’ve taken with this book and I wanted to share a story with you about why I was scared to write this book and almost didn’t… 

For years, I lived under the belief that I’m not good at math. I struggled with math in school. I barely, barely passed my homeschool high school math classes. And I didn’t go to college. 

I was scared to write a book about budgeting and money because I felt like I wasn’t qualified and didn’t have enough experience. Plus, what if I went on a podcast or TV show and they started asking me complicated questions about retirement or investing and I didn’t have a clue how to answer? 

I was sharing how I was struggling with this limiting belief with a group of smart business women a few years ago. I was telling them how I wanted to write this book but I was scared. 

And one of them immediately, said, “Budgeting isn’t about math. It’s about prioritization. And you’ve been living on a budget for over two decades, and that absolutely qualifies you to write this book!” 

I’d been so focused on what I struggled with that I overlooked what I could offer! I love helping women prioritize and it’s something I’m really good at — and that’s at the very heart of budgeting! 

Maybe you’ve told yourself a limiting belief, too. “I’m not good with money.” Or, “I’m not disciplined.” Or, “I could never stick with a budget.” 

Are you letting those negative narratives hold you back and stifle you or keep you stuck? 

I wrote The 7 Habits of Financially Healthy Women because I believe in this message, I have lived this message, and I have seen the life change in our family and legacy as a result of this message. 

And also? While math may always be something I’m not particularly gifted in, I’m facing my fears and putting this book out to the world because I don’t want to let negative narratives hold me back anymore! 

And I’m so excited because I’m already hearing from so many women who are loving and benefitting from this message. 

Here’s what some of the early comments and reviews have said: 

“My favorite chapter was what would your 90 year old self say…such good wisdom to think about and I loved that the habits are sooooo doable! Almost like a tiny tweak!” 

“Even if you are a budgeting veteran like myself, there is so much to learn here. The best part is that it is so straightforward, I am putting this one on the reread list. As usual, [Crystal] offers friendly, practical advice without judgment.” 

“This book feels like a warm hug of encouragement and care.” 

“It was such an encouraging and practical read without feeling like I was being told what I should be doing. I also really enjoyed the personal stories throughout — they made everything feel relatable and easy to connect with.” 

If you haven’t ordered it yet, you can grab your copy here!

The other big thing I did this week was run a half marathon! I still can’t believe those words are true! (Read all the details in this post, if you missed it.)

At the half marathon, I blurted out five words I can’t stop thinking about… 

It was around mile 4 and I’d just been telling the new friends I was running with about my kids, when all of a sudden I saw Kathrynne (my 21-year-old) on the side of the road ahead! I had no idea she was going to be there and it meant so much to me that she would get up early and put in the effort to figure out where the race was just so she could cheer me on for a few minutes!

But she did more than that… She said, “I’m going to run with you for a bit” — even though she wasn’t dressed for running! — and she jumped in and ran about a half mile with us. 

When she stopped to head back to her car, these 5 words blurted out of my mouth…

“I just love my kids!”

I said it while beaming and feeling such deep gratitude. What a gift that I have kids who *want* to hang out with me and who are so supportive of me (my other two teens have really cheered me on in this running journey — and they stayed home to watch our younger three so Jesse could come to the race!)

Recently, two of my older kids were telling me how when they talk about our relationship to others, people are surprised that they want to hang out with their parents and really think their parents are cool.

The thing I was thinking about after those 5 words popped out of my mouth was this:

I think one of the biggest secrets to forging a close relationship with your kids is to absolutely adore them, praise them lavishly, call out the good you see in them, and just plain really enjoy them!

People tend to want to hang out with someone who genuinely really likes them!

I hear so many parents talk about their kids in such detrimental, negative ways.

And it breaks my heart.

Sure, parenting is hard and it has shown me my need for Jesus like nothing else. But, I want to dwell on the good and the beautiful and the gifts I see in my kids and spend my time calling those out instead of constantly harping on the areas where they need to change or the things I’m frustrated with, or critiquing everything they do. Especially as they get older.

If I could only give moms one piece of advice when it comes to parenting, it would be this: Tell them how proud you are of them. Get crazy excited about what they are excited about. Learn about their world. Let them teach about things you don’t know about.

Talk highly of them to others — in front of them and behind their back.

And also? Just genuinely enjoy them! Make it very clear from your words and actions and attitude that there’s no place you’d rather be than hanging out with them.

Our words and attitudes towards and about our kids have such weight and they often live up to what we speak about them — either negative or positive.

Also, this is true 🙃

Anyone else feel like you JUST bought groceries… and somehow there’s already nothing to eat?! 😂
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​Feeding teenagers can make you rethink what you thought was a reasonable grocery budget!
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​And while I can’t make their appetites smaller, here are a few ways to help those grocery dollars go further that I share in The 7 Habits of Financially Healthy Women:

• ​ Start with what you have. Before making your grocery list, check the fridge, freezer, and pantry. What needs to be used? What meals could you make without buying much?
• Plan around the sales. Instead of choosing recipes and then buying every ingredient, see what’s on sale and build your meals around those ingredients.
• ​Keep meals simple. You don’t need a brand-new recipe every night. Repeat the meals your family enjoys, especially when they use inexpensive staples.
• ​Stock up with purpose. When something your family regularly eats hits a great price, buy extra if there’s room in your budget. But remember: it’s not a good deal for you if you don’t have the money for it!

This Week on The Crystal Paine Show: A BIG Day!!!

We are doing something a little bit different for this episode of The Crystal Paine Show because Jesse is actually interviewing me! It is, after all, launch week for my sixth book, The 7 Habits of Financially Healthy Women, and we are spending this episode talking about the book itself, why I wrote it, and what I hope that it will do for women who want to feel more confident about their finances!

I’ll be perfectly honest in that this was probably the book I struggled with the most. Even though I have spent more than two decades practicing financial discipline in our marriage, I had to work through a lot of insecurity about whether I was qualified to write about money. I have also always believed that I wasn’t good at math and worried about being asked questions about things like investing and retirement portfolios, but a conversation with a group of women business owners helped me realize that financial health isn’t just about numbers but is also about mindset, discipline, and habits – and those are things I know a thing or two about!

Jesse and I talk about how this book differs from my first money book, why I wanted it to be practical and timeless, and how you can create a money plan that works for your personality and circumstances. There’s no single right way to manage your money – whether you love tracking every dollar in an app or would happily stick with cash envelopes. Regardless, the goal is to find what works for you and helps reduce stress rather than add to it.

I also get into why I believe that we need to start by looking at where we are right now instead of telling ourselves all the reasons that we can’t make changes. I share how childhood experiences and negative beliefs about money can follow us into adulthood, influence our spending, and keep us feeling stuck, and I explain why asking ourselves why we’re making a purchase can reveal what’s really going on beneath the surface, and don’t worry – we get to the fun stuff, too! I share why a financial plan can actually make life more enjoyable, along with the creative ways to save money without always paying full price.

My sincerest hope is that this book helps women let go of shame, build confidence, align their spending with their priorities, and become more intentional with their money – because when we stop believing we’re stuck and start taking small steps forward, we can create meaningful change for ourselves and the generations after us! Enjoy this interview… with me!
Listen to the episode here.

What I’m Reading…

What I’m Listening to…

What I’m Watching…

More Links You’ll Love from This Week:

• I Ran a Half Marathon Last Weekend — Read all the details about how I overcome my limiting beliefs and did something I *never* thought I’d do, and LOVED it! 
  
• The Day I Was Super Desperate — We were in a really tough place financially and I didn’t know what to do. Read about how God met me in that place and what I learned from that difficult season, including that: God is rarely early but always on time. And He can be trusted!
  
• When Your 4-year-old Discovers You Are an Author — This video will melt your heart! Micah brought me my new book and asked why my photo was on the back… because he did not know I was an author! You guys 😭😭 Now he keeps going around saying, “I cannot believe you writed all the words for your book!” ❤️