Today I want to talk about a few budgeting tactics that are really popular — like, Pinterest-and-TikTok-famous popular — that I actually don't recommend to my clients.

Values-aligned spending means directing your time, money, and attention toward what you actually care about — not toward what a budgeting app labels a "smart" purchase. In a community like Madison, Alabama, that might mean choosing the local shop on Main Street over an app, texting a friend instead of scrolling past them, or spending an hour walking downtown instead of running an errand. The return isn't a bigger bank balance. It's a life — and a hometown — that feels like yours.