What if a budget wasn't a burden or a downer? What if instead it was exactly what you needed to set yourself free to live, to experience, to give... with abundance? Merilee Speigner, author of The Easy Budget blog and personal finance influencer, joins us to break down how budgeting has set her family up to live the life of their dreams.

Merilee did not have a head start when it comes to financial independence. In fact, she and her husband started their family while in college and required government assistance to get by. Merilee knew she did not want to live that way for long, and started religiously budgeting, saving and tackling debt. In just 2.5 years, she and her husband paid off $71K in debt. They are now in wealth accumulation mode, at a very young age, watching their net worth increase exponentially.

The best part? Merilee has done this without sacrificing ALL the things. She still likes her Target runs, but she's wildly intentional, keeping a list of "wants". Rather than clicking buy now every time she thinks of something she'd like to have, she adds it to the list and waits to see if she's still pining for it down the road. The result? She's no longer purchasing  "must-haves" that end up collecting dust on a shelf a few months later.

Merilee's belief in flexibility and easily duplicatable tips make this budgeting conversation a breeze. It's no wonder @easy_budget has nearly 100K followers on Instagram. We loved this conversation, and you will too!