Project Money 18: Meet Heather

June 22, 2026

When I found out I had been selected for Project Money, I was excited... and honestly, a little overwhelmed.

Money has never been something I enjoy talking about. In fact, I'm one of those people who cringes when it's time to look at my finances. I've been known to avoid checking statements because I don't want to see what's there. If that sounds familiar to you, then you're probably exactly the kind of person who can relate to why this project feels both exciting and scary.

One of the first things Project Money has forced me to do is actually look at everything. Every account. Every balance. Every credit card. No more pretending I'll deal with it later.

I also had my first meeting with my financial coach, and I'll admit, I went into it with some assumptions. I think I expected it to feel a little judged. Like I would have to explain all the reasons I got myself into the position I'm in.

Instead, it felt like talking to someone who genuinely understood.

She was relatable, easy to talk to, and never once made me feel bad about my situation. We talked about my goals, my habits, and some of the things that have kept me stuck in the same cycle. I left that meeting feeling something I wasn't expecting: hopeful.

One thing we talked about was my relationship with credit cards. If I'm being honest, I've used credit cards as an extension of my income for years. Not because I wanted to, but because sometimes that's what felt necessary to make everything work. As a single mom, there have been plenty of times when I've felt like no matter how hard I worked or how much I earned, it still never quite felt like enough.

And I know I'm not the only one.

I know there are people reading this who have swiped a credit card for groceries, school clothes, car repairs, or unexpected expenses because there wasn't another option at the moment. I know there are people who have gotten a raise and thought, "Finally, I'll get ahead," only to find themselves wondering where the extra money went a few months later.

That's one of the reasons I wanted to be honest in these blog posts.

Money is something so many of us struggle with, but it's also something we rarely talk about. There's a lot of shame attached to debt, financial stress, and feeling like you're not where you "should" be. We tend to keep those things to ourselves.

The more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that staying quiet doesn't help anyone.

Maybe by sharing my experience, I can help lift the curtain a little. Maybe someone else will read this and realize they aren't the only one avoiding their bank app. Maybe another single parent will see themselves in my story. Maybe we can start taking some of the stigma out of conversations about money.

This project is going to require me to be vulnerable in an area of my life that I've always been pretty private about. That's uncomfortable. But I also think it's necessary.

Putting it all out there creates accountability. It forces me to be honest with myself. And hopefully, over the next several months, it will help me create real change, not just in my finances, but in the way I think about money altogether.

Right now, I'm still at the beginning of this journey. I don't have any big success stories yet. I don't have all the answers. What I do have is a willingness to be open, learn something new, and finally stop avoiding a part of my life that I've spent years trying not to think about.

I'm excited to see where this journey takes me, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with all of you along the way.