Tidy Up Your Budget with Budget Bee, LLC 🐝
Today on the blog I’m joined by Taylor Hutton, MBA, from Budget Bee LLC. Budget Bee LLC offers expert budgeting help for individuals and families who are ready to take control of their finances but is also so much more than that! I’m super excited to introduce Taylor and the work that she does because I truly believe that organizing pays you back, whether it be in the form of finding cash and gift cards, changing future spending habits, or just freeing up your time! I think that tidying up your financial life is something we can all benefit from.
Hi Taylor - I’d love for you to expand on how you started offering budgeting services here in the Kansas City area!
My start up story behind this business was born from a deeply personal and painful experience that doesn’t get mentioned much. On May 18, 2022, I lost my father – which was an incredibly difficult moment in my life, right after the loss of my mother. One of the hardest parts was realizing that his passing could have been prevented, or at least made more manageable, if he had planned better financially. He didn’t have the financial resources to cover a hospital visit, and it ultimately cost him his life.
That day, I made a vow to myself: no other child should ever have to bury their parent because of a lack of financial preparation, especially when it comes to emergencies like medical costs. As an adult, I’ve learned that financial planning isn’t just about saving for the future - it’s about protecting your loved ones and ensuring they have the means to handle life’s unexpected challenges.
Thank you for sharing such a vulnerable part of your story!
So in Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method, which is what I specialize in as a professional organizer, we talk about “sparking joy".” What’s the most joyful part of your work with clients?
The most joyful part of working with my clients via budget consulting is seeing them reach their financial goals when they thought they could never obtain them. Seeing the joy in their eyes. Hearing the excitement in their voice. Watching them become the person they worked so hard to become – these are what makes my work so special.
I love that! In the Method we get started by envisioning our ideal lifestyles. I’m sure that your clients have aspirations and goals like this - when they contact you, what kinds of things do they want to make room in their budgets for? How do you help them get there?
I have a lot of individuals and families come to me with different backgrounds, different income types, and different lifestyles all wanting to reach the same goal of being able to live their life without their money being a stressor. This can include covering all their necessities and savings, while also incorporating fun. I help my clients reach their goal of financial freedom by bringing to light their financial leaks, implementing and teaching them a strategic approach to reach that goal by a certain date, while also reminding them that it is okay to have fun while on a budget. We all need an accountability partner and I love being one for my clients.
Completely agree about accountability partners! As an organizer, I have my clients pull all items in a category together. For example, when we start with clothing, we make a huge clothing “mountain” to begin. Obviously this can be an intimidating process and I’m sure people are nervous about pulling together their financial “mountain” to show you. What details would you need from a client that you’re just getting started with, and how does the full view of this “mountain” help you work together?
When starting a new client for Monthly Budget Consulting – I require a specific amount of previous bank statements and up-to-date debt statements to compile an overview of their financial spending habits. From these documents – I am able to identify their financial leaks, and strategically compose a monthly budget where they can better allocate their money to reach their financial goals – while also still living their life.
I help people discard their physical items but this leads to mindset shifts for them - for example, a client let go of college notes that symbolized difficulty in academic settings to her. Now she’s pursuing a different, more rewarding career path for herself. When tidying up people’s finances, what kind of mindset shifts have you seen?
The biggest mindset shift I have seen with my clients is the “my money is no longer controlling me – but rather I’m controlling it” and that’s one of the most important mindset shifts I teach when starting their budgeting journey.
I love that lesson! What is one last thing that you wish potential clients knew?
The longer you wait to have the awkward conversation around your finances – the more you are costing your future self.
If folks are interested in learning more about your services, how can they get in touch?
They can visit my website at www.budgetbeellc.com to review my service offerings, and they can book a free 30-minute consultation for us to discuss reaching their financial goals via budget consulting.
A huge thank you to Taylor for such a fun collaboration!
Kim Shiu is a professional organizer and Kansas’s only Certified KonMari™ Consultant. Through her business, Tidy for Good, LLC, she helps busy people in the Kansas City area transition from overwhelmed to organized. Trained directly in the world-renowned methods of Marie Kondo, Kim provides the expert structure needed to create a home that truly "sparks joy." You can work with Kim by getting in touch here.