Jen Smith > Quotes

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” -Zig Ziglar”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“Find someone with discipline. Look for characteristics of discipline in your friends. They wake up early, can maintain a workout routine or regimen, they’re a self-starter, etc. No one’s perfect but if you see a few of these signs you’ve probably found a disciplined person.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“In his book Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport outlines a philosophy for using technology as much as we need but not as much as we want. Digital minimalism isn’t about giving up your smartphone or deleting Facebook. It’s about focusing and optimizing your online time to serve you best.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“sometimes you minimize your accomplishments because you feel like you’re still playing catch-up. You’re not. You should acknowledge every win.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“Driving for a rideshare company is the perfect example of short-term income. You can sign up and start driving quickly and in some markets get paid the same day you drive. You can work as often as you want, whenever you want and make a decent wage doing it.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“Saying no to all or most spending reduces the number of decisions you make in a day. That, in turn, gives your brain more space to make better decisions about important things. It also builds healthier spending habits that will hopefully carry over when you’re done with the challenge.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“Having less stuff also cuts down on your desire to purchase more. It seems counterintuitive, but clutter actually tells your brain you always need “one more thing” to pull the room together. On the other hand, a minimalist lifestyle trains you to think, “what can I take away so I’m only left with things I absolutely love?”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“have single people tell me that the personal finance advice they hear can’t apply to them because of their singleness. That they still have to pay the full amount of things couples split like rent, utilities, Netflix, etc.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“Fake it ’til you make it. Everyone who’s ever done anything big has had to pretend they’re doing well when they’re not. There will be times you’ll have to drag yourself out of the house to deliver pizzas or begrudgingly eat the food in your fridge. But rest assured, if you can push through these moments and keep following through, you will find your motivation again.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“I get to host the Frugal Friends Podcast full-time, which is mostly hanging out with one of my closest friends and talking about money as often as possible.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“Figuring out why you want to pay off your debt is key to paying it off. Retirement was not enough of a reason for me. Having nice things and a nice house didn’t motivate me. But the thought of being able to stay home with my future kids got me going. And when I was discouraged during the middle period of our debt payoff, imagining long-term work flexibility kept me going.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“The first distinction is that millionaires think long-term while the middle class thinks short-term. Shifting this mindset is the starting point for achieving success.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“There’s a book I love titled The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class, by Keith Cameron Smith.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“The number one reason for eating out is a failure to plan.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“Federal student loans are unbankruptable (and yes, that’s a real word). The government will start garnishing your wages as soon as three months after you default. And they do it in increments that make it virtually impossible to get out from under. Unlike a mortgage, on which interest compounds monthly, student loan interest compounds daily.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“You might think you’re broke, but once you make a budget, you might find you’re just overspent. Think you don’t have enough time to work an extra job? Maybe you need better time-management skills or a job with flexible hours.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“But I knew the only way we were going to pay the debt off fast was to make more money.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“No-Spend Challenges helped me take control of my spending. These methods have been tested and refined over a few years. They’re not perfect, I’m not perfect — I’m not even an expert. But I did this stuff, and it worked. These tips took me from an anxious overspender to a bonafide conscious consumer.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“GO DO THE THINGS: Write down your ONE thing Find some encouragement buddies Go to bed an hour earlier (ie., don’t watch that next episode of Orange is the New Black.) Exercise for 30 minutes”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“Doing a No-Spend Challenge for longer than a month is hard, but it’s an extremely efficient way to change your life and bank account. And I love efficiency. Doing a challenge over multiple months means you’ll likely experience every temptation your life has to offer —often multiple times —and you’ll see your financial growth a lot faster.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams

“there’s no shame in seeking help through medication, CBD oil, or other recommendations from your doctor.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“And don’t let feelings of guilt persuade you into feeling sorry for yourself. You are exactly where you were”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“Instead of looking at a schedule as blocks of time to fill, behavioral scientist Sendhil Mullainathan suggests we look at our schedule like artwork on a wall. Start with the largest pieces, the tasks that require the majority of your mental or physical energy for the day, and then arrange smaller, easier tasks around them. Then fill the rest of the spaces with moderately taxing responsibilities.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“Paying off your debt changes the way you make, save, and spend money. It sets the foundation for a life where you can pay for vacations in cash, put the 20% down payment on your house, and max out your tax-advantaged retirement accounts. It also sets the foundation to care about what that last one means.”
― Jen Smith, Pay Off Your Debt for Good: 21 Days to Change Your Relationship With Money & Improve Your Spending Habits So You Can Get Out of Debt Fast

“block sites altogether. You can configure by time, domain, subdomain, or even content like games and videos. LeechBlock is a free Firefox add-on that does the same thing as StayFocusd. You specify which sites to block and when to block them. Icebox is another free Chrome extension that cuts impulse spending by replacing the “buy now” button at over 400 popular online stores with a “put it on ice” button. You can set a cool-off period, making the item unbuyable until the time is up. Then the “buy now” button appears.”
― Jen Smith, The No-Spend Challenge Guide: How to Stop Spending Money Impulsively, Pay off Debt Fast, & Make Your Finances Fit Your Dreams