Kicking off National Financial Literacy Month 2018 right, we're joined by Paula Pant of the Afford Anything website and podcast. When Paula graduated from college she did what society expected: she got a regular schmegular job. But, like many of us, she soon realized that working a 9 to 5 -- even at a job she loved -- deprived her of something even more valuable: personal freedom. Paula set out to become financially independent and along the way she discovered you can afford anything (but not everything). This week she shares her secrets for how you too can prioritize your financial habits to ensure you can live the life you want with the time you have, the one thing you can't replace. Our discussion covers:

• How Paula saved $28,000 on an income of less than $30,000 by prioritizing financial freedom over living paycheck-to-paycheck
• The importance of tapping into the emotional side of your goals to maintain the fuel you'll need to succeed
• How to "grow the gap" between what you earn and what you spend by identifying your values and using investments to supplement your income
• Realizing that nothing is free and why assigning your personal values to your spending is equally important as knowing your fixed expenses
• Why your biggest gains in savings can come from covering or keeping your rent/mortgage fees as low as possible

In the spirit of Financial Literacy Month, this week's Action Items:

• Get clear on your values by aligning your spending with what's important to you
• Reduce fixed / unnecessary expenses for your greatest wins (two categories - housing and transportation - are 50% of the average American's expenses)
• Expand your network by joining like-minded people in related networking programs/conferences
• Grow the Gap between what you earn and spend with investments becoming your safety net