My name is Bobbi Olson. I was raised poor and took on “I can’t afford it” as my motto. 
     
     I gave up before I ever got started.

     As an adult, ​I was late on payments, destroyed my credit, dove into debt and continually made bad financial decisions out of pure desperation.

     I believed the solution was working more hours and making more money. But over time, there were raises, tax refunds, bonuses – and nothing changed!
     
     It took me a long time, but I finally realized and accepted that poor was a choice I made, by not paying attention to my money – wondering where it went, instead of directing it toward what was important to me.

     The power was always mine. Once I began acting on that power, the path to debt-freedom, and more freedom in my choices was much shorter than the time I spent stressing about keeping the lights on, fixing the car and paying for emergencies.

     Through trial and error, God’s strength, the partnership of a loving husband and our refusal to give up, we became debt-free in 2019.

     There are still struggles, but now we have more freedom to handle them, and more choices about how we live our lives.

     During a 7-month job layoff, we stayed on top of the bills, paid for a cross-country trip to care for a loved one and a new car engine – all without going back into debt.

     I made a career change at 50, which means much less money to play, but much more fulfillment in life. 
     So, how did I do it?

It’s all about the budget!

I am a YNAB Certified Budgeting Coach, which means that I have been trained to coach people on using YNAB software and the YNAB budgeting method. I have met select requirements of You Need a Budget LLC in order to receive this certification, which means that I have the ability to competently coach YNAB to others. I am not an employee of YNAB, and all non-YNAB related opinions and recommendations are my own. My views do not reflect the views of YNAB and its employees or its affiliates.