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Saylene

@saylene___

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Helping families ditch debt & build financial freedom 💸
Faith-led✝️ | Military life🇺🇸
RV Life🚐 | Homeschooling Momma📚
Healthy Hair Ambassador ✨

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Here’s to 30 😍🥹

Comment down below what we have in common💕 taken in Harker Heights, Texas by @saylene___

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5 months ago

Military life can be HARD, especially when you’re stationed far away from family. And one thing I’m forever grateful for is that I married a man whose parents love us so well. 🥹

My daughter has been struggling with chronic ear infections and ruptured eardrums, and after almost FOUR YEARS, we finally got her the surgery she’s needed. A few weeks ago, I got on my stories feeling defeated and overwhelmed. I shared a little bit of what we’ve been going through, never expecting anything to come from it. A few hours later, my phone rang. It was my mother in law letting me know she was booking a flight to come be here for my daughter’s surgery. I never asked her to come. I didn’t even text her to tell her I needed help. She saw me struggling, and she just showed up. 😭 And that’s who she is. She’s always just a phone call away, but so often, I don’t even have to make the call. She just KNOWS when to show up.

It’s not something I’m used to. It’s not something I take for granted. And every time a moment like this happens, I’m reminded just how blessed I am to have her. Because the truth is, I don’t have this kind of relationship with my own parents. And having someone who chooses to love me and my babies this way means more to me than I could ever explain. She always reminds me that she will ALWAYS be my mom, too. And I think that’s one of the biggest ways I get through military life.

When you’re thousands of miles away from the people you grew up with, having someone who makes you feel like you still have a mom to run to is a gift I’ll never stop being grateful for.

Military spouses, if you have someone who shows up for your family like this, I hope you know how special that is. And if you’re the person who shows up for someone else, please know how much it means. taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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17 hours ago

🎄 If Christmas always puts you in January debt, your problem isn’t Christmas… it’s that Christmas wasn’t in your budget. And before you say, “Christmas is still so far away!” friend… Christmas is 11 weeks away. 😅 If you haven’t started setting money aside yet, you’re not doomed. But NOW is the time to make a plan instead of waiting until December and putting everything on a credit card.

I put together 3 different Christmas budget examples so you can see what setting aside money each week could look like depending on what you want to spend. And remember your Christmas budget isn’t just gifts. *Think about food, travel, decorations, kids’ activities, teacher gifts, wrapping paper, shipping… all those little expenses add up FAST!*

The goal isn’t to have a “perfect” Christmas budget. The goal is to decide what you can afford BEFORE you start spending. 🎁

So pick your number, divide it by the 11 weeks we have left, and start putting that money aside NOW.

❌No January credit card hangover. No “how did we spend THAT much?!” 😅 Just a plan.

Save this for your Christmas budgeting and send it to the person who always says, “I’ll figure Christmas out later.” taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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7 days ago

So many people would say to me, ‘I could NEVER have such a strict budget. I work for my money!’”

Girl… SAME. 😂

I worked hard for my money too.
Hard enough to qualify for credit cards.
Hard enough to borrow money I didn’t actually have.
Hard enough to convince myself I could afford the payments.
Hard enough to rack up $29,000 of debt. 🫠

So when I started budgeting, I wasn’t trying to stop enjoying my money. I was trying to stop my money from running my life. And that’s the part about budgeting that I wish more people understood:
A budget doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. It means you actually PLAN for the fun.

💰You can have a grocery budget AND go out to eat.
💰You can have a shopping budget AND buy something you want.
💰You can save money AND spend money.
💰You can pay off debt AND still enjoy your life.

The difference is that you’re telling your money where to go instead of wondering where the heck it went. 😂

I paid off nearly $29,000 in debt in 15 months using a budget that worked with our actual life not one that required us to stop living. Budgeting isn’t about being “strict.” It’s about being intentional. There’s nothing more satisfying than realizing you can enjoy your money without borrowing your future to do it. 👏🏼

If you’re a mom, military spouse, or family trying to get out of debt, save money, or finally feel in control of your finances, this is your sign: you don’t need more money before you start budgeting. You need a plan for the money you already have.

As we have quickly approached the last quarter of the year - the most expensive quarter of the year! I want to help families make the smartest decisions with their finances, stay away from swiping those cards !

If this is the sign you have been needing, DM me “4th Quarter” and I’ll get you on track 💕 taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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8 days ago

…. And probably on DND because I get to work my work when I can and want 😉 taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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13 days ago

There is NO way I could homeschool both of my kids at the same time. 😂 I would lose my mind.

Independent work time for the win! 🙌🏼
Kindergarten + 2nd grade + homeschooling = we have to divide and conquer around here. 😂

Also… not an ad, but we LOVE @hookedonphonics over here! 👏🏼📚 taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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14 days ago

At my son’s parent-teacher conference, my husband and I were shown his standardized test results, and they said he was performing below grade level. But then we looked at the tests his teacher was giving him… and he was passing ? He understood the material. He was doing well.

So I left that meeting confused.

How could one set of results say he wasn’t where he needed to be, while the work he was doing in class showed that he was? I felt like I was failing him.

Homeschooling was something I had wanted for a long time, but my husband and I had gone back and forth about it. That conversation became even more important after that meeting. When we finally started homeschooling, I gave him a placement test for the curriculum we chose. *He was right on track!*
Now he’s thriving as a homeschool kindergartener, picking things up so quickly and getting ready to start reading. 🥹

That experience is a huge part of why I love homeschooling. I get to actually see how my child learns, slow down when he needs it, and keep going when he’s ready. As a military family, homeschooling has also given us the flexibility to build an education around OUR family and our ever-changing life. And watching my son thrive? That’s something I’ll never take for granted. ❤️

Have you ever looked at a test score and thought, “That doesn’t sound like my child”? I’d love to learn about your own experiences with your children 💕 taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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15 days ago

I’m not just a military wife, homeschool mom, and full-time RV living momma… I’m also a woman who wanted to build something of her own. I’m SO glad I gave myself the chance to do it.

Between Army life, PCS moves, homeschooling, and raising my childrenI needed something that could fit into OUR life not something that required me to put my family on the back burner. That’s what sharing products I genuinely love online turned into for me. An opportunity to create income, build a business, grow a community, and help other women see what might be possible for them, too. I’ve been doing this for years, and if there’s one thing I want other moms to know, it’s that you don’t have to have your entire life figured out before you start exploring something new.

You can be a present mom AND have goals of your own. You can love your family AND want something for yourself. Both can be true. 🫶🏼

So if you’ve been curious about making money online, building a business from your phone, or finding an income opportunity that can work around motherhood and military life, my messages are open.

Comment INFO or send me a message. Let’s talk about it! taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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20 days ago

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22 days ago

This is our hard.

Military spouse life is HARD. There’s no sugarcoating that. The goodbyes, the time apart, the solo parenting, the missed milestones, the nights where you’re doing everything at home while your spouse is somewhere in the field… it can take a lot out of you. And I know everyone’s “hard” looks different. Everyone has their own battles, their own reasons, their own things they’re walking through.

But this is ours.

And I’ve realized that sometimes the difference isn’t in how hard the life is, but in how we choose to look at the life we’ve been given.

Because even in the hard, I am SO grateful.
I get to be a stay-at-home mom. I get to homeschool my kids. I get to be present for the little things and the big things. I get to build my business from home and raise our kids alongside my husband’s military career. And I know I wouldn’t have that life without the man who is currently out in the field doing his part for our family and serving our country.

But military spouses deserve to be reminded of something too:

You are part of the mission.
You are holding down the home.
You’re raising the babies.
You’re figuring out childcare.
You’re keeping the household moving.
You’re carrying the emotional weight when your spouse can’t be there.
And while our active duty spouse is serving, we are serving our family in a different way. It takes BOTH of us to make this work.

So to my fellow military spouses who are in a season where you’re struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel… I see you.

You don’t have to pretend it’s easy.
You don’t have to love every part of it.
But don’t forget to look for the good that exists right alongside the hard.
And to every service member who is away from home right now thank you for serving. And to the military families supporting them behind the scenes thank you, too.

This is our hard.

But it’s also our story.❤️🤍💙 taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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25 days ago

There’s a side of military life that doesn’t make it into the homecoming videos. It’s the everyday stuff.

Being the one who handles bedtime because Dad is working late.
Making decisions alone.
Taking the kids places by yourself.
Being both mom and dad for stretches of time.
Missing your husband while still being proud of why he has to be gone. And honestly? Some days you don’t feel strong. You’re just doing what needs to be done because that’s what military families learn to do.

But I also think there’s something really special about the love built through military marriage. You learn to appreciate the little things. A phone call. A dinner together. A normal Saturday morning. Having him home for bedtime. You learn that being a military spouse isn’t just about supporting your service member. It’s building a home, raising your babies, keeping life moving, and loving your husband through seasons where you have to do more without him.

And when he comes home? You realize just how much you missed your best friend. 🥹

Military life is complicated. It’s beautiful, exhausting, lonely, rewarding, and everything in between.

And if you’re a military spouse doing the same thing right now… I see you. taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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a month ago

The sweetest little reminder that Daddy is never too far away. 🤍

If you have a military family, a dad who travels for work, or a loved one who has to spend time away from home, you know how much the little things can mean to kids. This has quickly become one of those things for my babies. 🥹 And honestly… watching them carry Daddy around with them everywhere has been the sweetest thing.

A custom photo gift that turned into so much more than just a pillow.

Ps this just might be the BEST Christmas gift 🥹🤪 taken in Fort Hood, Texas by @saylene___

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a month ago