City Girl Savings

11/03/2026

The holiday season can come with A LOT of extra spending.

Gifts, travel, dinners, parties, decorations, traditions...it adds up quickly. 🎄💸

But enjoying the holidays doesn’t have to mean throwing your budget out the window.

A little planning and intentional spending can help you make room for the things that matter most to you without feeling like you have to say yes to every holiday expense that comes your way.

I’m sharing 5 ways to stretch your dollar throughout the holiday season so you can enjoy the festivities AND feel good about how you’re spending your money.

Read now: https://citygirlsavings.com/5-ways-to-stretch-your-dollar-through-all-the-seasonal-festivities/

11/03/2026

It’s easy to hit one financial goal and immediately move on to the next.

You pay off a credit card, reach a savings milestone, increase your income, or finally get consistent with your budget...and suddenly, you’re already thinking about what you still need to do.

There’s nothing wrong with having bigger goals. But don’t move the goalpost so quickly that you forget to acknowledge the progress you’ve already made.

Take a second today and give yourself credit. 🙌🏽

What’s one financial accomplishment you’re proud of this year?

11/03/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how easy it is to move the goalpost on yourself.

There are things in my life today that a younger version of me would have been SO excited about.

The business I’ve built. The places I’ve traveled. The financial progress I’ve made. The freedom I have over my time. The people I get to share my life with. ❤️

And yet...I still want more.

I have bigger financial goals. Bigger goals for City Girl Savings. More places I want to see. More experiences I want to have. More wealth I want to build. More ways I want to grow.

For a long time, I think I subconsciously treated those two things like they were opposites.

If I wanted more, maybe I wasn’t grateful enough for what I had.

But I don’t believe that anymore.

I can look around at my life and genuinely think, Wow. I’m really grateful for this.

And I can also think, I wonder what else is possible for me.

Both can be true.

Especially when it comes to money.

You can be proud of the financial progress you’ve made AND know there are things you want to improve.

You can appreciate your income AND want to manage it better.

You can celebrate what you’ve accomplished AND have bigger goals for what comes next.

Gratitude doesn’t require complacency.

Sometimes, appreciating how far you’ve come is exactly what gives you the confidence to keep going. 🙌🏽

What’s one thing in your financial life you’re genuinely grateful for right now?

11/02/2026

There’s something really interesting about reaching a goal you once wanted so badly.

You reach a milestone you’ve been working toward for months, or even years. And for a little while, it feels amazing.

But eventually...it just becomes your life.

Before you know it, you’re focused on the next goal, the next trip, the next income level, or the next version of yourself you’re trying to become.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting more. I’m ambitious. I have big goals for my life, my finances, and my business.

But when you’re always focused on what’s next, it can be really easy to overlook how far you’ve already come.

There’s a difference between wanting to grow and spending your entire life waiting for the next thing before you allow yourself to feel satisfied with what you already have.

That’s where gratitude comes in.

Gratitude doesn’t have to mean settling. It doesn’t mean you stop working toward your financial goals, stop wanting beautiful experiences, or decide you have to be content with circumstances you genuinely want to change.

I think there’s space for both.

So, in this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with financial therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin of to talk about the role gratitude can play in building a life you actually enjoy, why ambitious women can struggle with the idea of “enough,” and how our desire for more can influence everything from our happiness to the way we spend and manage our money.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts! 🎙️
https://citygirlsavings.com/242-role-gratitude-plays-building-dream-life/

11/02/2026

Today’s Affirmation: “My income has room to surprise me. I am open to earning and receiving far beyond what I currently expect.” 💰🥂

11/01/2026

My November Intentions 🤎 The goal for the month is to be present, in work and life. Get good quality work done, but also enjoy the quality time with friends and family this month. What are your intentions for November?

10/30/2026

Being “good with money” isn’t a finish line you cross.

It’s something you keep practicing.

You learn how to make decisions with the information you have.

You get clearer about what matters to you.

You build habits and systems that make managing your money easier.

You make mistakes, learn from them, and adjust.

And over time, you start trusting yourself more.

That’s the part I think gets missed when we reduce being “good with money” to a credit score, savings balance, investment account, or perfectly followed budget.

Those things can tell us something about your financial situation.

But they don’t tell the whole story.

Being good with money is also about your ability to confidently manage what you have and make decisions that support the life you’re trying to build.

And the good news?

That’s a skill you can keep getting better at.

I’m breaking down what being “good with money” really means in this week’s Raya Reaves 💸 City Girl Savings Podcast episode.

Listen to Episode #241 wherever you get your podcasts! 🎙️
https://citygirlsavings.com/241-how-to-be-good-with-money/

10/30/2026

Can we talk about the fact that it’s almost November? 😅

Before the holiday rush swallows us whole, I want to challenge you to do something BEFORE you set your 2027 goals: review your 2026.

If I’m being honest, most of us skip this step. We jump straight to “new year, new me” without looking at what actually happened with our money this year. Trust me, the review is where the real progress comes from.

Grab 15 minutes and ask yourself:

💗 Where did my money actually go this year? (Not where I think it went.)
💗 Did I hit the savings or debt payoff goals I set in January?
💗 What kept derailing me, and is there a pattern?
💗 What do I want my finances to look like on December 31, 2027?

No judgment here. Whatever the answers are, they’re just information. And that information is exactly what lets you build a plan for next year that’s realistic instead of a wish list you abandon by February.

I say all that to say: if you do this exercise and think “I need help turning this into a real plan,” that’s what my 12-week one-on-one Financial Focus Coaching Program is for. We work together weekly on a personalized budget, a spending tracker, your debt and savings plan, and the habits that make it stick. Payment plans are available if that helps.

No pressure at all, but if you’re curious, the details are here: https://citygirlsavings.com/financial-focus-coaching-program/

And if you’d rather just do the year-end review on your own, I’d love to hear what you learn. Drop it in the comments! You got this!

Meet personal finance coach Raya Reaves. Learn about her 1-on-1 financial coaching program to budget, pay off debt and manage money!

10/30/2026

Yes, I genuinely enjoy budgeting my money. 😅

But it's not because I love sitting around looking at numbers.

I love what my budget allows me to do.

It helps me travel.

It helps me invest for my future.

It helps me build my savings.

It's helped me purchase rental properties.

And it helps me confidently spend money on things I want because I already know whether I can afford them.

That's the part of budgeting I wish more people experienced.

Your budget shouldn't constantly feel like it's telling you “no.”

It should give you clarity around when you can confidently say YES.

And if you currently dread budgeting, there are ways to make the process easier, and maybe even enjoyable.

In today's article, I'm sharing 5 things that have helped me enjoy budgeting and stay consistent with it month after month.

Read now! https://citygirlsavings.com/how-to-enjoy-budgeting-your-money/