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Its widely accepted to talk about fitness, healthy food, and self care.
But conversations about financial wellnesswhich iscrucial to well-beingare in large part still very hush-hush.
Well+GoodsChecks+Balancedseriesaims to help end that stigma.
*Gina, 48, blogger, Burke, Virginia
Income:$60,000/year.
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I also coach other bloggers about how they can build their brand and generate income.
Between blogging and my coaching business, I make about $60,000 a year.
My husband is a lawyer and makes $172,000 a year.
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Insurance and the HOA fees are another $200 a month.
We have a savings account just for that, contributing $1,000 a month.
We contribute $600 a month to the new-car fund.
Our cell phone bill is $133 a month, which covers five phones.
We also have a lot of subscription servicesa lot.
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My husband signs up for all these free trials and forgets to cancel!
Kid-related expenses:$1,500/month.We budget $1,500 a month for any expenses related to our three kids.
For example, one of my kids takes viola lessons, which is $150 a month.
Our biggest extracurricular expense is my sons competitive swimming, at $700 per month.
This includes food for our dog, too.
I do most of my grocery shopping atAldibecause they offer good discounts.
I make homemade mac-and-cheese, tacos, pasta, chicken, and fish.
We eatvegetarianonce a week.
We also useHelloFresh($300 a month) to make mealtime a bit easier.
Ive tried five differentmeal subscription services, and this is my favorite one.
Its a way to try cuisine or ingredients I wouldnt normally try.
Fitness:$50/month.I get a lot of exercise walking our dog every day.
I like taking walks with my friends and neighbors, too.
Its a nice way to catch up while doing something active.
Now, I pay $50 for an online membership the studio has so I can do virtual classes.
I also findfree yoga videos on YouTube to do.
We have anelliptical, so Ill do that sometimes.
Beauty:$1,200/year.Im not really big into beauty.
During the pandemic, I didnt feel safe going to the salon, so I cut my own hair.
I even dyed it purple, just for fun.
My teens werenotinto it.
I was spending about $200 a month, but I havent done any of that during the pandemic.
I dont even wear makeup anymore.
I just put on my face moisturizer and thats really it.
Once I have the vaccine, Ill return to regular haircuts and the occasional pedicure.
Self care:$200/month.Before the pandemic, I used to get a massage every month.
I also used to see a therapist, but she stopped taking my insurance, so I stopped going.
Combined, those self-care practices cost $400 a month.
Now, I useBetterHelp, which offersvirtual and text therapy.
Its been hugely beneficial for meespecially since my mother died and Im still working through that grief.
Once I get the vaccine, I think Ill start getting massages and going to the movies again.
It will be nice to get back to the wellness habits that were important to me before the pandemic.
*Last name has been withheld.
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