How We're Owning Our Future Financially | Prudential at The Texas Conference For Women

This is part of a sponsored collaboration with Prudential and DiMe Media.
However, all opinions expressed are my own.

When I decided to blog full time my husband had a full-time job that paid him well, but then the oil industry tanked and he was out of a job. That's when he decided to go full time, and then that's when we started dipping into our savings. Bring us back to the present and we're making a full-time income from our blogs, but we've completely ignored the fact that we have credit card debt and haven't invested that well into our savings. Since I'm the more level-headed one I usually get stuck with managing our money, yet I've done this thing where I completely put the credit card debt to the back of my mind and focus on keeping the current bills paid. Every time I partner with Prudential those things are brought to the forefront of my mind and feel like a mountain on my shoulders. It wasn't until they invited me to the Texas Conference for Women that I really thought, why don't I make an appointment and sit down and talk to someone that actually has the knowledge to help us? Why am I so embarrassed to say the words out loud? 

Val Around Town, Eva Osborne (Prudential Financial Advisor), Crafty Thrifter/Juan of Words


I came to the conclusion that it was because in my family we've never really talked about it. My mom made it so that we never had to worry where money was going to come from which might have hurt us as adults. As I became a mother making sure Mila has everything she needs has been our priority, but now I have to think about how we're going to put her through college, and not leaving her with debt that we leave behind. I realize that Mila is young but if we don't put down some roots now and forget about it until we get there we'll end up in even more trouble. 


The theme at the conference was #OwnMyFuture, but I was constantly feeling unsure of our future. We have goals of owning a house before Mila is in school full time, and being able to put her in a private school but if I look at our finances right now, realistically that's not possible. I was talking to Eva, a Prudential Financial Advisor, and she told me that ignoring it isn't going to make it go away it's only going to keep piling up because the interest rates are so high. She also mentioned that credit card companies bank on us not paying them back because of those high-interest rates. Which kind of woke me up to the fact that we need to start tackling them as soon as possible. She then told me that it took a tremendous amount of discipline for her family to do the same. I took comfort in the fact that I wasn't alone, that there was someone out there that went through the same thing and managed to come out the other end and put her kids through college. I'm really excited to continue the conversation I had with her in a couple of weeks, and it makes me feel so much better knowing that we're not going to do this alone. That someone is going to help us and have our best interest in mind. 


I loved being able to connect with so many women at the Texas Conference for Women, and seeing how many are getting the knowledge to better arm themselves with the tools they need to take control of their finances. It was truly an inspiring and eye-opening day! 

What are some of your biggest financial worries? 
If you're going to start tackling your debt I would watch this video and if you're trying to decide whether to tackle your debt or start saving for retirement I would read this!