HeartCents

09/30/2026

I used to say, “Shopping is therapeutic,” until I understood what I was asking shopping to soothe in stressful days.

When shopping feels therapeutic, what feeling are you hoping it will give you?

09/25/2026

Money is more than just numbers. It can shape how much time we have together and what each person carries when we are apart.

What do you wish people understood about families living through long work hours? Share your thoughts in the comments.

For more conversations about money and feelings, join Heart Letters for free. Link in bio.

09/21/2026

Children hear what we say about money. They also notice our faces, our voices, and what happens when life happens.

Being more aware of the lessons we teach intentionally and unintentionally can give us small places to begin: letting a child ask without shame or criticism, holding a limit with care, or pausing when money brings up strong feelings in us.

Which everyday money moment do you most want to handle differently?

09/18/2026

09/18/2026

Money is not only about how we spend, save, give or invest.

When someone begins earning more, affording more, or gaining new opportunities, it can stir up comparison, fear, guilt, insecurity, pride, or loneliness.

Those feelings can shape what happens next.
One person may judge, withdraw, or undermine. The other may hide good news, give beyond their limits, or make themselves smaller to protect the relationship.

This is part of emotional financial literacy too. It means noticing how feelings around money shape what we say, give, hide, avoid, and choose.

Children can absorb these lessons before anyone explains them.

In the Heart Letters, we explore the feelings beneath everyday money moments and how they influence our choices and relationships.

Join for free through the link in bio.

09/14/2026

Perhaps the richer gift is not simply giving our children what we never had. It is allowing them to receive it without also inheriting the fear, guilt or pressure that may unintentionally be wrapped with it.

What does giving your kids the opportunity you never had truly mean to you.

I wrote about this subject in the latest edition of my Heart Letters. Link in bio.

09/11/2026

I’ve learned that not every comparison question is about money.

Your child may simply notice a difference and ask a question to understand it. Sometimes your instinct may be to launch into a lecture about what you can or cannot afford. But not every question needs an affordability lesson.

Before you answer, notice what the comparison question brings up in you.
Do you feel pressure to explain what your family can or cannot afford?
Do you feel the need to seize the moment and teach gratitude?
Do you wish you could give them more?

You might say:
“Yes, Mia’s house is different from ours. Every family’s home is different. What do you like about hers?”

This leaves room for curiosity and helps you understand what your child is really noticing.

Pausing before you answer helps you both connect meaningfully and lays the groundwork for the money lessons.