Money Talks with Brittany Flammer: Sinking Funds and Coast FIRE

Money Talks with Brittany Flammer

Next up in our Money Talks series is Brittany Flammer, a certified budget coach and YouTuber who teaches families how to make personal finance feel simpler and more doable. Here's our conversation with her.

Tell us a little about yourself and your story. How did you get into the personal finance space?

I'm a certified coach, YouTuber, and mom of five. My husband and I spent most of our marriage raising a family on a below average income, so learning how to manage money was essential. It was how we were able to do the things that mattered to us.

Over the years, budgeting helped us pay for my husband's doctorate without student loans, save $100k for our house, travel extensively with our kids, and build wealth while raising a family.

I started sharing what we were doing with others and realized how much I loved helping people make personal finance feel simpler and more doable. That eventually grew into my YouTube channel, courses, and financial coaching.

What does your own budgeting system look like day-to-day? Do you use any tools, spreadsheets, apps?

I test out a lot of budgeting apps for clients, but I'm a spreadsheet girl at heart and have been using my budgeting spreadsheet for years. My system is very simple: we plan where our money will go at the beginning of the month, track what happens throughout the month so I can make adjustments if needed, and review everything at the end of the month.

I love sinking funds for irregular expenses. I have them automatically transferred out of our checking account right after payday so I'm not tempted to spend the funds.

There's a lot of conflicting personal finance advice online. What's one piece of conventional wisdom you've pushed back on or changed your mind about?

There is not one "right" way to manage your money.

A lot of things I hear people say include: you have to use a zero-based budget, you should never use credit cards, you need to pay off all debt before investing, you have to cut out all unnecessary spending, and so on.

Those rules can work really well, but personal finance is personal. The best financial system is one you can actually stick with for the long term.

If someone comes to you completely overwhelmed, debt, no savings, not sure where to start, what's the first thing you tell them to do?

Figure out where you are right now.

Before you try to optimize investments, open a gazillion sinking funds, or create a detailed budget, get a clear picture of your finances right now.

Figure out your income, your debt, and what you currently have in savings. Look at what you're actually spending. I recommend taking an average of the past three months for a clear number.

You do not need to fix everything at once. When you see the numbers clearly, you can decide where to focus your attention and take it one step at a time.

What's next for you, in your business, your finances, or both?

Financially, my focus isn't on hitting one big milestone, but continuing to build wealth while enjoying the life we've worked hard to create. Travel and experiences with our kids are a huge priority for us, so I want our money to support us in doing those things. We should hit Coast FIRE in two to three years and don't have any plans to make drastic changes, but I love the flexibility with work/life balance that provides.

Where can people follow you, find your content, or work with you?

YouTube is where I share budgeting tutorials, reviews of apps, and real-life family finances. My weekly newsletter, Monday Money, is where I share quick, practical money tips each week. If you want more hands-on help, I offer budgeting resources, courses, templates, and more.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BrittanyFlammer

Newsletter: https://www.brittanyflammer.com/newsletter/

Website: https://www.brittanyflammer.com/

Bonus: something that would surprise your followers

I'm a bit of an adventure junkie when it comes to travel. We've lived in Thailand and Turkey, spent summers in Europe, and I genuinely love figuring out how to take five kids on big adventures without completely losing my mind.