Hannah Morrison

The Banking Hack That Changed Our Budget


Whoa, we are talking about money? … YEAH. We are. And I am so excited about it, because the system I have implemented over the last 6 weeks (3 paycheck rounds) has legit changed our entire banking system. We have actually hit our goals and gained more in our savings faster than ever before. Know why living in an open and honest community of friends is so important? You LEARN from each other! I am in a group text of like 13 girls from my church who are my closest gals. They encourage me when I need it, are my biggest cheerleaders, and are always the first people I go to for outside wisdom.

Somebody in our group asked for budgeting tips, and I loved reading everybody’s responses. While some had great systems others replied “FOLLOWING THESE ANSWERS!” We are all learning from one another and gaining wisdom, both in our walks alongside the Lord as well as how we parent, start companies, and *yes* budget/spend. I love my girls, and they are seriously so special to me. All this to say, two of our ladies both mentioned they have multiple accounts they transfer money to immediately upon getting paid. So, according to their budget, they allocate money to different bank accounts. It’s essentially the Dave Ramsey envelopes system… sans the envelopes. I had a hard time sticking to the envelope system with a kid in tow all the time. I can’t unbuckle my kid and go inside to pay cash for my gas all the time or bring in $60 for groceries but my bill is $62. This system is the best of both worlds and it’s truly rocked mine.

We have one bank account with 3 checking accounts and 3 savings accounts. This makes it really easy to transfer between the sub-accounts when they’re all under the same main bank account. We are members of a credit union that I have been part of for over 15 years, and I absolutely love them. Find a bank you can trust, ask questions, and that has great benefits for you. Our categories are as follows:

  1. Main Account/Bills: This is where all payments go first and where we have automatic withdrawals setup from.
  2. Main Savings: This is that emergency fund we should all have and the account we are chunking anything extra at the end of the month into! We also do an amount every month on the 15th directly into it, no questions asked. It is as though it never existed now.
  3. Groceries: I send half our grocery budget on the 1st and the other half on the 15th to make CERTAIN I keep us on track. It’s so hard not to overspend on food, but this has helped me so much seeing a specific number allocated ONLY for groceries for two weeks. GAME CHANGER.
  4. “Other” Savings (Currently our Babymoon): This is where we will put money aside for trips. Currently, we are putting money aside for a babymoon, which is looking like a staycation because of the coronavirus and overall sicknesses going around. If I weren’t pregnant I would not be NEAR as careful, but it’s just not worth risking it right now to travel with a babe in tow (at least as of now, this is the direction we are leaning).
  5. Date Nights/Fun Money (This is technically in one of the “savings” accounts”): I put our whole month’s “fun” money in on the 1st. This is for date nights, lunch outings, etc. It’s helped me A LOT to see how much more we usually would spend on this category if I didn’t intentionally put a number in there to keep us on track with our budget. YIIIIKES.
  6. Business Checking: This is my business account where I pay all employees from and have auto-payments from clients go to. It’s helped with our Quickbooks to track my income for The Cake!

On my app, I literally can just press “transfer money” in the top corner of my screen and move the money around immediately upon spending. So, we only have debit cards connected to our “Main Bills” account, but then immediately will transfer out of the proper category into our main account to replenish. I have ran into the issue ONCE where I did too many transfers in a certain timespan, and I could only transfer the rest of the month by going into my credit union. But, it wasn’t terrible and was still worth it!

I hope this helps you and inspires you to figure out how you want to budget better for your own family. This system has truly been a game changer and I legit get excited every payday to move money into the proper accounts. There truly is something significant about seeing, by category, the actual amount you have from your budget toward things. I took over our budget back in August and ran into the issue so many times that we had “x” amount of dollars in our account, but I didn’t realize that number was already allocated to so many other things. Now, that’s literally impossible to do. If I see for groceries on the 10th that we have $65 left for the next 5 days, then that is what I spend!

The Daily Schedule that Changed My Time Management

 

Today is for ALL of you. Whether you’re a college student, a working woman, a momma who works in an office, a stay home momma who works at home all day raising babies, or -like me- a momma who runs a company from her home. No matter what your situation, this is for you. Time management is hard to nail down. There are so many distractions to bump us off our goals for the day, and I know that all too well. With a toddler pulling at my leg as I edit content for clients or capture images for a campaign while Knox plays at my feet, or it’s my phone dinging notifying me of emails or Instagram comments… it’s hard. Life is hard to stay on track with and manage your time well, getting all the things done in a day that need to be done, if we aren’t meticulous in the way we manage every single minute we are given.

Anybody else with me? How am I supposed to get my work done, raise a healthy and happy child, drink enough water, eat the right food, cook meals for my family, make it to the gym 3 times a week, AND have some time to myself for my sanity?… Surely I need 50 hours a day to make this happen, right? Girl, I feel you. I have been you before. I have been there. I am in recovery for never putting my phone down, never closing my computer, and multi-tasking at all times. I used to think I was a rockstar for “balancing” so much… but really, I was just dying inside and missing the fullness of moments.

I want to share my schedule with you that’s really helped me. It requires discipline, but man does it work. And of course, there are days things just don’t pan out accordingly. But, for the most part, this is what I live by and  I try my very hardest to schedule meetings and shoots and all the things within these guidelines!

My Daily Schedule:

6 AM Wake Up (often it’s earlier, but this is the time I must be out of bed by)

6:10-6:40 Quiet time, prayer, cup of coffee

6:45-7:30 MIT Part 1: Most Important Tasks, this is my first part of the day to review my schedule for the day, reply to emails/send out reminders for my day, attack anything necessary for the day that came in over night. This is often my most creative time to write as well (devotionals/blogs/etc.)

7:30 Knox Wakes Up: Make breakfast, color, play

9:30 Gym: My goal while pregnant is the gym 3 times a week! I will share my alternate schedule below for the days that I don’t go and do a home workout.

10:30: My gym has a coffee shop and we pay a little extra a month on our membership to get up to 3 hours of childcare a day! It’s like having a nanny built into our gym. They are great and we trust them, so it’s been such a good fit for us. I work in the coffee shop and finish out my MIT Part 2. This is usually my time to edit content/captions/client work.

12: Home for lunch!

1: Knox naps, I get some time to clean/do laundry/rest/read/watch an episode of something I want/Work if needed

3: Knox wakes up, play, color, go for walk, prep dinner together, etc.

5: Start dinner! This is family/daddy time while I cook.

7: Milk and wind down time for Knox/read books/maybe watch 1 episode of something depending on tv time for the day

7:30: Bedtime for Knox

***On days I do a workout from home, Knox will often take a nap at 10 AM. As long as he gets about a 2 hour nap every day, he is happy and sleeps great at night! 

The thing that’s been most significant for me that I encourage you to do for yourself in order to accomplish work most efficiently is that you MUST set aside intentional MIT time. Trying to do your most important tasks of the day while multitasking makes your work less-than and it will take way longer than necessary. I find I can knock out my MIT in about 3 hours a day or less IF I set aside the intentional times to do so. I also have a nanny every single Wednesday (it was Tuesdays but just changed for scheduling needs with our nanny!), so I know it’s my day to have for photo shoots and any big projects I might have to work on. It’s rare I have meetings or shoots on any other days of the week, which helps with our childcare budget and keeping it at the number we know to set for every month.

What you don’t see in the Instagram posts: Knox at my feet and climbing all over everything… hehe. 

We all face challenges with our jobs and our working environments. I love that no matter what our days look like, we are all hardworking women looking for ways to maximize our time and what we are passionate about! That’s why this schedule truly is so great. Be intentional with every minute of your day- it will help you accomplish more. Set aside time and tasks for certain times of the day! You can do this. I believe in you, go-getter.

xoxo,

Han

Loving Boys

This week is one of my favorites of the whole entire year! Valentine’s Day and our wedding anniversary are two very special holidays to me, and I can’t wait to spend time with my boys to celebrate how much I love them. Knox and I will go on a lunch date together, pending this awful sinus infection and remnants of RSV go away, to a very romantic… Chick Fil A date, most likely. 😉 And the entire weekend will be mommy and daddy time, baby-free! After the weeks of sickness we have had around here, we said all we wanted for our anniversary was sleep in our own bed without a baby for a couple days. Growing up, y’all. It changes everything. LOL.

As a boy mommy and a wife, I feel more than ever a weight to raise up and encourage men to be leaders. My husband is only as empowered to lead our family as I encourage and allow him to be. At his core, he is a great human with or without me. That’s not a question. But the cool part about marriage is that I get to be part of calling out in him an even greater version of himself, a closer version to the man designed him to be. It’s why the wife is called “helper.” I can’t do that by squashing his  leadership in our home. We are equals, but he plays such an important role as the head of our household. The greatest lesson I have learned in six years is that I don’t have to be right. I really don’t. I want to be known in my marriage as an encourager, not a fighter. And as Knox grows into a little boy and Baby R’s arrival inches closer, I just want to be a mom who shows how much I love my boys by empowering them to be… themselves. To be boys. To lead. To jump. To play. To make messes. I have had to so intentionally lay down my need for a clean home, organization, and “routine” to allow my son to thrive most. Those things are all important to me, don’t get me wrong. But, they come second to my child’s need to explore. I want him to be curious and playful. My home can be “put together” all the time again one day. But that day is not now.

I never knew having so many men in my life could be so fun. 😉 But truly, it’s the best. I never thought I had space in my heart for so many, but here we are. God just keeps expanding my space for more love. I can’t wait for mommy son dates in a couple years where Knox picks where and “leads” the date. I can’t wait. I cannot wait to raise up young men who love women and value their worth. I am forever grateful that God chose me to be a boy mom, even in my ache to have a girl one day, too. I know he chose me for a time like this and for boys like these. I don’t take that lightly.

Today’s shoot was a sweet Mommy & Me mini session with Cottonwood Road Photography a couple weeks ago at the Lumen Room in Plano. It’s my easiest and best shoot with Knox to date. We shot in 25 minutes and he didn’t even have time to be “over it.” He loved the props and didn’t want to leave yet when it was time for the next person! If you want a shoot capturing your baby’s personality, this is the way to do it. A mini session was perfect! And, of course, with Hannah H. is the BEST of all. She is SO GOOD at getting your kid to smile and at capturing their personality. Knox is curious, fun, and independent. I love that these photos show that!

I am fully convinced a toddler in Ralph Lauren chinos is the most delicious thing in the world. Far surpassing cinnamon rolls and donuts. 😉 This is actually the exact same outfit Knoxy wore for our Christmas photos, but without a velvet jacket this time. I wanted it to seem simple and a little chill. He had suspenders on, which he insisted on, yet when we got to the shoot he took them off within minutes… lol.

My pants are from PinkBlush, and are featured both in the maternity and non-maternity section. They just picture them differently for the different sections, one with a bump and the other without. I linked my clips and make-up, too!

My Most Recent & LOVED Purchases

Hey girl, hey! I hope you are well and feeling fab today. You guys know I am all about sharing my favorite purchases as well as honest reviews about the not so great ones, and I wanted to give a round-up here for y’all of my most recent purchases I am L O V I N G. My goal in sharing my recent purchases is to help YOU spend your money wisely on items you might need. I don’t think you NEED all of these, but I hope it helps you make purchases you love and feel great about for pieces or items you DO need or are in the market for.

Shoes:

  1. Black Combat Boots: I wanted a new bootie I can wear, particularly on Sundays from stage when I lead worship, that didn’t have a heel… Because, pregnant. I was a little nervous these would look cheap, but I am actually really impressed with the look of them! They look like they could be Jeffrey Campbell or Sam Edelman. I can’t speak to long-lasting quality yet, but as far as a cute boot for under $6o, these are a great buy!
  2. Spotted Calf-Hair Sneaker: I needed a new fashionable sneaker to pair with jeans, dresses, or skirts. These are so dang cute, and they will transition perfectly into spring! I love the pop of coral on the side, and the spotted dalmatian look is so in right now.
  3. Blush Pink Loafers: I love these & the price is AAAAMAZING. There are a lot of colors on the site, but the blush is my favorite. Surprise, surprise. 😉 These look fantastic with a great pair of skinny jeans or a tailored dress.

Non-maternity Clothes:

  1. Oversized Tee Shirt Dress: This paired with the combat boots or spotted sneakers is going to be THE cutest for spring! I wanted some more pieces that can work for pregnancy but will work when I am post-maternity as well. Plus, this is $29 so you just can’t go wrong!

Maternity Clothes:

  1. Boyfriend Tee Shirt: I am all about some good basics, y’all. This is just a great gray tee with space for that belly to grow. And… $19, holla!
  2. Pocket Utility Pants: These cute joggers! I LOVE THEM. I will for sure be pairing these with the spotted sneakers and a tee. Throwing on a denim jacket is an easy way to make it a little less lounge, and you could definitely pair them with some heels if you wanted to really go for it!
  3. Square Neck Tee: This is so great for the classic jeans and a white tee look, and just great to have on hand for any time I just need something to pair with a jacket of any kind. I bought it to pair with the Utility Pants above for sure as well!
  4. Acid Wash Legging: I freaking love these. ALL THE HEART EYES. I can’t wait to wear these with the combat boots and an over-sized tee + only $26!
  5. Floral Blouse: I have had this blouse in my cart since I found out I was pregnant… not kidding hehe. It’s so perfect for spring + a baby bump, and I can’t wait to wear it!
  6. Moto Workout Legging: These are what I have on in these pics! I am so obsessed with this brand, and these can pass for a cute workout outfit and/or paired with a sweater and booties. I love a good athleisure outfit!

Skincare:

  1. Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer: I love this stuff. I like to use it at night with a serum. I tend to use my Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Oil with it for the best results.
  2. Virgin Marula Oil: I use this a few times a week and rotate it with wrinkle serums (currently without retinol). It makes my skin GLOW. I love it!!
  3. Renew & Rewind Eye Cream: I love Tula Products. I particularly love using Tula and Drunk Elephant during pregnancy, because they’re clean and the ingredients are ones you can actually read and pronounce. 99.9% of their products are pregnancy safe. If I recall correctly, I think Drunk Elephant has only ONE you cannot use *their Retinol product* and all Tula products are pregnancy safe!
  4. CEO Vitamin C Hydration + CEO Glow Oil: This is the best combo to kickstart your day with! Vitamin C is great for dark spots and refreshing your skin.
  5. Neutrogena Bright Boost Gel Cream + Serum: This combo is like an affordable version of Protini & Marula Oil! I was so freaking impressed with this Gel Cream after two uses, and am suggesting it to everybody now as an affordable moisturizer!

Makeup:

  1. Clinique Even Better: This is a great foundation! It’s great coverage, lightweight and it doesn’t cake at all.
  2. Watts Up Highlighter: I bought this, because Cara Loren said to… haha. I do really like it, though, and it’s the last touch I put on before I am done with my face!
  3. Too Faced Bronzer: This stuff is so great and it smells yummy, too. It goes on great with a big brush, and then I top it with a pink blush using a smaller brush.
  4. Gimme Brow Gel: Okay y’all, I never thought I would be a brow filler kinda gal… but here we are. I love this stuff and it is way easier to use than I expected.
  5. Loose Setting Powder: This translucent powder goes on after my foundation/concealer/bronzer.

What’s On My Registry

EEEP! It’s done, it’s done! I feel incredibly on top of things this time around, because my registry is completely done. Well, I think. Who knows, I may add to it. But I am excited to share with y’all new items I am registering for with Baby R. For the most part, these are items that I either didn’t know about with Knox or they legit didn’t exist even just two years ago. I have different big ticket items this time around, too, since I have my stroller and MamaRoo. I hope this helps all you mommies-to-be as you navigate all things baby!

Big Ticket Items:

  1. The Snoo: Y’all, every review I have read or person I know who has this says “Get it!” They say it’s worth every penny. Knox was such an incredible sleeper from practically day 1, and I have hopes Baby R will be also. But, with a toddler around… I honestly just don’t want to even risk it. I want everybody rested so I can be the best mom to Knox and Baby R. The Snoo is essentially like having an extra set of hands to help baby sleep. Sign me up!
  2. The Willow Pump: Pricey, but worth it for the hands-free ability this gives mommas. Whether you’re a mommy of 2+ OR a work from home mommy… This pump sounds like a dream. I pumped the whole first year, and exclusively the last 6 months before weaning off breast milk. I legit got PP arthritis from how much work my fingers had to do with my regular Evenflo and Ameda Pumps. Not to mention how stressful it was to try to care for my baby, run a business, and pump all at the same time. I’m really hoping this lives up to the hype and helps me a lot this time!
  3. Crib and Changing Table: We will need a new set, particularly since Knox still is in his. This time, I am going for more modern and sleek. Bring on the darker tones and mid-century accents! It’s a total contrast to Knox’s all white and airy room with a sweet shiplap wall. Baby R’s room will have jewel tones and feel completely different. A fun part about having babies is you can practice all of your different decor tastes on them. 😉 I love BabyLetto and their quality is great. We had a cheaper set for Knox, and you just can tell. Pieces delivered to us broken two times, and the paint is peeling off of his crib from where he stands in the morning waiting for us to come get him. Because we don’t need as many high ticket price items this baby, I am looking to get better furniture.

Puppy Nursery :

We are doing a puppy theme for Baby R! It’s been so fun finding different pieces for his cute little room. Bring me all doggies (maybe even another real one…) Kidding… I don’t need that + 2 babies hehe.

Pumps:

  1. Hakka Pump: So many people on a recent IG post said get this no matter what. I had never even heard of it! But, while you pump on one side, you place this on the other. Apparently it helps manually pump/suck while you pump the other side. Sign me up for faster pumpings!
  2. EvenFlo Portable: This was a life-saver my first time around. The con is that they die fast if you use them too often. We went through 3 with Knox because I ended up using it for every single pump session. It’s called an “occasional pump” for a reason, I guess. It’s great to take with you to work or anywhere you need something portable and on the go with automatic storage!
  3. Brezza Baby Formula Dispenser: Look, this isn’t a necessity… but it seems too good to be true. A formula Keurig?! Because we used formula from so early on to supplement Knox for calories, I am ready to do the same with this one. Having this ready to go every day to mix with my breast milk sounds… SO FREAKING NICE.

Clothing/Other

  1. We have a ton from Knox still, obviously, so we don’t need a ton of outfits (though I am all about cute new outfits!). But as far as things go for what we need, I have registered for tons of newborn onesies and sleep-n-plays. These are LIFE those first 6 months. We lived in onesies and sleep-n-plays because they really do make life easier, and they’re so cheap. You will ruin every single one by the time they are grown out of them, so stick to the cheap, easy onesies!
  2. Tula Carrier: I never had a carrier for Knox, but I always wanted one. We just never prioritized getting one, though I really did need it. Sundays at church/on stage for practice would have been a lot easier with one. I tried all the fancy wraps and hated them. It seems stupid to me to having a million foot long wrap thing when you can have something simple like Tula that you just snap on. Sign me up for easy, please.
  3. MAM Pacis: We tried a ton of different ones, and Knox loved these. Every baby is different, so we will see. We really only used these until Knox was about 6 months and he just naturally phased out of them. We never had to go through the whole paci transition, but only because Knox just stopped wanting them. These were life savers the first months, though.
  4. High Chair: I picked this one because of reviews and it’s pretty. We had a different one for Knox that was top rated and highly spoken of… It was one that attaches onto the table. I personally hated it. Like, I am mind blown people love it. It was cloth, which I thought was odd. And it was as awful as I secretly thought it might be, but registered for against my better judgement because of reviews. No matter how much you scrubbed or washed… it smelled. Avocado never came out all the way, and I gave up on it. Knox just sat in a normal chair at our table from less than a year old. It worked fine for us, but I want to start with a normal high chair with this baby.
  5. SleepSacks/Love to Dream: These two were the most successful for us with Knox, and we figured out a system we loved with them! There are obviously tons of swaddle options, but these are our favorite. This style of sleep sack is what we used from the hospital to home as a newborn. We switched to the Love to Dream Swaddle Up around 3 months, and it was amazing! He transitioned great to them! Then, once they start rolling, you switch them to the arms-out version of the  Love to Dream.

I have everything above linked, along with all the other items on our list, below! 

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