Can a teacher family really live on one income and use the other to aggressively pay down debt?

In this episode of the Teacher Money Show, I sit down with Emily Guy Birken to talk about how she and her husband intentionally chose to live on a single salary so they could use her teacher income to eliminate debt and build financial flexibility.

If you’re a teacher wondering how to pay off debt faster, simplify your finances, or create more margin in your life, this conversation will challenge and encourage you.

Emily shares how she and her husband made a strategic decision early in their marriage:

• Live on her husband’s income

• Use her teaching salary to aggressively pay down their HELOC

• Build equity and financial flexibility before their next move

This approach helped them gain control, reduce stress, and create long-term options.

We walk through a clear process teachers can follow:

• Track every expense

• Separate fixed vs. variable costs

• Determine whether one income can cover essential obligations

• Redirect the second income toward debt payoff or other financial goals

Even if you don’t fully transition to one income, this framework can accelerate your financial progress.

Emily offers a powerful mindset shift: viewing money as energy rather than just dollars.
We discuss how aligning your financial decisions with your values can reduce guilt, increase clarity, and help you use money intentionally instead of reactively.

What We Cover in This Episode

• Living on One Income to Pay Off Debt
• Practical Steps to Transition to One Income
• Money as “Energy,” Not Just Numbers
• Balancing Work, Family, and Finances
• Intentional budgeting creates flexibility
• Tracking spending is the first step to financial clarity
• A curious, growth-oriented mindset transforms both money and life

If you’re a teacher looking to pay off debt, simplify your finances, or create a richer wallet, classroom, and life, this episode is for you.

If you’d like help creating your own one-income plan or debt payoff strategy, visit teachermoneyshow.com/coaching to learn more about financial coaching.

🎙️ Subscribe for practical personal finance strategies designed specifically for teachers.
💬 Comment below: Could your household live on one income? What would need to change?

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In this episode of the Teacher Money Show, I sit down with Jessica from Budget Bytes to talk about frugal eating—and not the “rice and beans forever” version people fear. We dig into how teachers can lower their grocery bills, reduce food waste, and still eat meals that are filling, enjoyable, and realistic for busy school weeks.

Jessica breaks down what frugal eating really means at Budget Bytes: being intentional with your food dollars, keeping an abundance mindset, lowering cost per serving, and planning meals that actually get eaten. This conversation is packed with practical ideas teachers can use immediately.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What frugal eating actually is (and what it isn’t)

• The biggest grocery shopping mistakes that blow up food budgets

• Why shopping without a plan leads to food waste and more takeout

• Simple meal planning strategies that don’t require perfection

• How to plan just 3–4 meals a week and reuse ingredients

• Budget-friendly ways to get enough protein without expensive meat

• Using pantry staples and frozen foods to save money

• Why being forgiving and flexible matters more than being “perfect”

Jessica also shares specific advice for teachers who are exhausted, short on time, and trying to feed themselves (and their families) without overspending. We talk about involving kids in meal planning, avoiding “aspirational groceries,” and building systems that actually work during the school year.

If you’re a teacher trying to save money on groceries, cut food waste, or stop feeling stressed every time you walk into a grocery store, this episode will help you rethink food spending in a way that’s sustainable and realistic.

Explore the show notes:⁠https://www.teachermoneyshow.com/show113

Become a guest on the show:⁠https://www.teachermoneyshow.com/guest

⁠Leave a voicemail question:⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/teachermoneyshow⁠

Bring Shaun to your school to talk personal finance for teachers: ⁠https://www.shaunkmorgan.com⁠

🍽️ You don’t need extreme frugality—just intentional systems.

🔔 Subscribe to the Teacher Money Show for practical money strategies made specifically for teachers
💬 Comment below: What’s the hardest part of keeping your food budget under control?

#TeacherMoneyShow #FrugalEating #BudgetBytes #TeacherBudget #SaveMoneyOnGroceries #FoodBudget #FrugalLivingForTeachers #MealPlanning

What if traveling more could actually help teachers spend less?

In this episode of the Teacher Money Show, I sit down with Suzy from Suzy May Wander to explore slow travel—a powerful, budget-friendly way for teachers to travel longer, deeper, and more affordably.

Suzy is a nurse and public health educator who works in school-based health centers and has spent years leveraging the school calendar to travel internationally with her family. Together, Shaun and Suzy break down how teachers can use longer stays, creative housing options, and local living to dramatically reduce travel costs while increasing the quality of the experience.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What slow travel really means—and why it’s often cheaper than traditional vacations

• How teachers can use summer breaks and school schedules to travel for weeks or months at a time

• Affordable alternatives to hotels, including home exchanges, house sitting, and work-stay programs

• How slow travel reduces transportation and food costs by living like a local

• Why accepting that you “can’t see everything” leads to better (and cheaper) travel

• How world schooling and travel-based learning can enrich kids’ education without breaking the bank

Suzy also shares how slow travel makes space for deeper cultural immersion, language learning, community connection, and less burnout—especially for educators who need true rest during their breaks.

Whether you’re a teacher dreaming of international travel, a parent curious about world schooling, or someone looking to cut vacation costs without cutting joy, this episode will completely reframe how you think about travel.

🎒✈️ Travel slower. Spend less. Experience more.

🔔 Subscribe to the Teacher Money Show for practical money strategies made specifically for teachers
💬 Comment below: Would slow travel work with your school schedule?

#TeacherMoneyShow #SlowTravel #TeacherTravel #FrugalTravel #WorldSchooling #FinancialFreedomForTeachers #TravelOnABudget #EducatorLife