What signature techniques does Hilary Erickson use to balance personal finance effectively?

Hi, I’m Hilary Erickson from The Pregnancy Nurse.

When I talk about balancing personal finances, a few themes come up over and over:

• Percentages instead of fixed amounts – I like using percentages of income for savings, giving, college, etc. It works whether a month is $4,000 or $40,000, especially with fluctuating business income.
• Partnership over solo-managing – I’m big on couples being on the same page. In my house we make big-picture decisions together, then I often handle more of the day‑to‑day tracking.
• Values-based spending – Before a budget, I look at what we actually value (experiences vs. fancy kitchen, for example). Then the budget reflects that, so “no” today is really a “yes” to something bigger later.
• Regular check-ins, not constant nitpicking – We do broader reviews (about monthly) to see if our percentages and priorities still make sense rather than obsessing over every single transaction together.

Is there a specific part of your finances you’re trying to balance right now (debt, saving, spending, or irregular income)?