Start Here: How to Use Simple Money Playbook

Welcome — and thanks for being here. This is the two-minute orientation: what Simple Money Playbook is, what's inside right now, and how to get the most out of it. Read this and you'll know exactly where to start.

What this is

Simple Money Playbook turns the lessons about money, work, and character that usually take years — and expensive mistakes — to learn into short, practical weekly pieces anyone can use. No jargon. No 400-page book. Just one clear idea at a time.

I paid the price. Don't be like me.

I didn't learn any of this the easy way. I spent the better part of a decade lost to alcohol — piling up DUIs, sinking into debt, pushing away the people who loved me, and building nothing for my future. It all came to a head in a jail cell at thirty-one, staring down the loss of my career and the woman who's now my wife. One stubborn choice at a time — with my faith and a few people who refused to give up on me — I got sober, dug out of the debt, and rebuilt my life from the ground up. Today I'm years sober, married, and proud of the life I'm finally present for. I'm living proof you can turn it around — and proof of how much easier it is to get it right the first time. That's the whole reason this exists: to hand you the lessons I paid full price for, so you can pay a little now instead of a lot later.

Define what success means to you

Success isn't one thing, and it definitely isn't just a number in a bank account. For one person it's owning a home; for another it's the freedom to travel, more time with family, building something of their own, or simply sleeping at night without money stress hanging over them. Nobody else gets to define it for you — and figuring out your version is the first real step, worth actually sitting down and putting into words. What these 52 lessons give you isn't a single destination; it's the foundation — the money habits, the work ethic, the reputation, and the clear-eyed character — that lets you build whatever your version of success looks like. Get those fundamentals right, and you get to spend the rest of your life pointing them at the things that actually matter to you.

It works on two levels

• For you. Every idea here applies at any age — keep more than you spend, let time do the heavy lifting, build a reputation that opens doors, want less and win more. The lessons are written so a parent can teach a teen, but if there's no teen in your life, just aim the idea at yourself — or the younger you who could've used it. It all still applies.
• For the young people in your life. Kids, a niece or nephew, a younger sibling, a student, someone you mentor — each lesson also hands you a simple, ready-to-use way to pass it on.

What's inside right now: the Financial Lessons program

A full 52-week journey — one lesson a week for a year — that builds from the ground up:

• Quarter 1 — Foundations: Future You, "the gap," the first budget, the first account, paying yourself first.
• Quarter 2 — Earning & reputation: finding your skills, doing the work, showing up, building references and a reputation that opens doors.
• Quarter 3 — Growing money & avoiding traps: compounding, index funds, credit cards, debt traps, credit scores.
• Quarter 4 — Character & the plan: wanting less, lifestyle creep, the social "highlight reel," generosity, and a one-page five-year plan.

You'll find all of it under the Financial Lessons tab up top, with Week 1 pinned so you always know where to begin.

How each lesson works

Every lesson is built the same simple way:

• One clear idea in plain English
• A "try this" activity — do it solo, or with the young person in your life
• Questions worth sitting with — to spark a real conversation or some honest reflection

A few minutes a week. The small stuff, repeated, is how a money-smart life actually gets built.

How to use it

Go a week at a time (my recommendation — it's built that way), or dip into whatever fits what you're working on right now. It's evergreen and self-paced, so start anytime — there's no catching up and nothing to fall behind on.

Read these free — on us

You don't have to pay a cent to see what this is. Several complete pieces are open to everyone:

Free Financial Lessons:

• Week 1 — Future You Is a Real Person — the perfect place to start.
• Week 27 — Time Is Your Superpower — the one that makes the math of starting early impossible to unsee.
• Basics of Investing — the "boring wins" guide to index funds and the power of compounding.

Free Meal Prep recipes:

• Why Meal Prep and the Essentials — why we prep, and the handful of tools that make it simple.
• Chicken Alfredo — a full, macro-counted recipe to try this week.

My story:

• From the Bottom, Now I'm Here — how I went from a jail cell at thirty-one to the life I have today, and why I wrote the book.

Read any of these, and you'll know if this is for you.

What a subscription unlocks

If it clicks, a paid subscription unlocks the entire 52-lesson library — plus everything new as it lands — for just $1/month, or $10/year (two months free). I've kept it deliberately cheap: a real head start shouldn't be expensive. A dollar a month to give yourself — and the people you care about — the lessons I paid full price to learn.

The Meal Prep section is live

The Meal Prep section is up and running — real, macro-counted recipes my family actually makes, built to save you money and keep you out of the drive-thru. Every recipe comes with exact ingredients, an estimated cost per serving, "Shop Smart" buying tips, and simple steps. A couple are free to read; the rest come with your subscription.

New recipes drop as we cook them, so the section keeps growing. (Budgeting tips are on the way, too.)

An honest note: lessons that touch on saving or investing are starting points for thinking things through — not financial advice. For real money decisions, check with a qualified professional.

New here? Start with Week 1 — it's free. Welcome aboard.