I took training to become a YNAB Certified Budgeting Coach because YNAB changed my life. I jumped at the chance to do a deep dive into YNAB and also to help others gain the financial peace of mind that YNAB gave me.
Before YNAB, I struggled with credit card debt and mindless spending. I just wanted to stick my head in the sand and hope for the best when it came to my finances. I would get so stressed out thinking about my financial future that I would just put it out of my mind.
I lived those struggles for years. But when I faced down my fears and started using YNAB in 2018 for my business, Peace of Mind Organizing, everything changed. I got out of debt — and stayed out of debt. I was able to automate all my payments, knowing that money would be there to pay my bills. I built a healthy reserve to get me through slow periods. YNAB helped my business survive the 2020 shutdown when we couldn’t work in people’s homes.
In 2021, I took over our family’s finances and started using YNAB for our personal money. We have not paid a penny in credit card interest since. With YNAB I can easily share information about our finances with my husband and I can now talk about money with him without stressing out. Thanks to YNAB, we spend mindfully. We pay for home repairs without going into debt. And we had the tools to handle the financial uncertainties that came along with my husband’s retirement at the end of 2022.
That’s my YNAB story. But there’s more to me than YNAB. I’m a Certified Professional Organizer and started Peace of Mind Organizing® in 2005. I’ve worked with hundreds of clients helping them create order in their homes. My organizing clients trust me with their most personal information and belongings. They know that I am kind and compassionate and that I keep all their information confidential. And that’s how it is with my budgeting clients as well. There’s never any judgment (about clutter or spending or anything else).
I live in St. Louis, Missouri, and work with budgeting clients over Zoom. My husband and I don’t have kids, but we do have a fabulous standard poodle named Bix.
Here are some fun facts about me:
- For five years, I co-hosted Getting to Good Enough, a podcast about letting go of perfectionism so you can do more of what you love. My co-host was Shannon Wilkinson, a fabulous life coach and fellow YNAB Certified Budgeting Coach. (She introduced me to YNAB years ago!) We decided to stop recording the podcast in August 2023, but the 254 episodes we recorded are still available to listen to.
- From 1995 to 2005 I made my living as a freelance pet writer, so I know more than the average person about cats and dogs.
- I’m an avid genealogist. (Check out my blog, Organize Your Family History…it has over a million page views!)
- I love to knit. (I joined my first Stitch ‘n Bitch group back in 2005.)
- I’ve sent 4,000 handwritten postcards to voters over the last five years.
- I grew up in Walla Walla, Washington, and crossed the country to attend Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.
- I wore the same merino wool dress every day for 100 days in a row ending in March 2021 and ever since I’ve worn merino wool every day. (It’s breathable, odor resistant, soft and comfy!)
- I use a Bullet Journal to keep track of my tasks (really, my life). Mine is more minimalist than artistic. I take it with me everywhere!
Being an organizer has taught me all about the link between being organized and being happy. I know that being organized about my money has made me happier (thank you, YNAB!). If you’ve been using YNAB and would like some support or if you’d like to give YNAB a try and would like some help getting it set up, please schedule a free Discovery Call!
Janine has been a wonderful YNAB coach! She has made learning fun and easy to understand. Thanks to Janine’s knowledge of YNAB and her patience, I’m no longer hiding from my financial reality—I’m facing it head on. Her guidance has been invaluable.
— Lori