Making budgeting beautiful.
Empowering women to live the life they love on a budget.
From married financial advisor to single mom with $77,000 of debt — Kumiko Love has been through it all. Now she uses her own journey of struggle to help others get control of their finances.
The Budget Mom was born on a foundation of rock bottom. After racking up student loan and credit card debt, Kumiko got in a motorcycle accident, shattering her wrist, which required two surgeries. Soon after she had her son, James, and within a year of his birth, she got divorced.
A single mom in debt, Kumiko struggled to find her place in life. One day, she bought a $1.09 ice cream cone for James with a credit card.
“I financed an ice cream cone for my son,” she said. “I had to rely on debt to have those memories with my son. Hitting that low point, and not even knowing if I had $1.09 in my checking account, made me feel angry. But it also made me want to really change — that was a pivotal point in my journey.”
"It's great that STCU really allows us to see and visualize our goals."
Kumiko was determined to get out of debt. She started to learn as much as she could about budgeting, but realized if she didn’t get help, she would fall back into old money habits.
“I knew if I stayed quiet and I tackled this mountain of debt on my own, I was never going to keep myself accountable. I needed an outlet to share all this stuff I was learning. I found myself really wanting to find a community, a tribe, people who understood me when I would say, ‘Hey, I'm struggling with my budget and it's making me feel this way.’ So I went searching for them and as I was searching for them, they were searching for me. And that's ultimately how The Budget Mom was born.”
“I couldn't run my business at just any bank. STCU really made it possible for me.”
The Budget Mom checklist
We can all agree that Kumiko Love, The Budget Mom is #goals. Here's what you can do to follow her beautiful budgeting method.
- Follow The Budget Mom for #inspiration.
- Join STCU online— it's free!
- Register for online banking and download the mobile app on iPhone or Android.
- Find your "why."
- Ask yourself: "What am I saving for?", then open aFirst5 Savings account to earn money on your money.
- Open a new savings account for each of your savings goals. Give them each a name and a splash of color. Think "emergency fund," "home projects," or "education."
- Set up as many free checking accounts as you'd like, for paying for bills, gas, groceries, etc.
- Track your progress and achieve your goals.
Running a business? Become a business member! Our talented team can walk you through the process.
The Budget Mom was born in 2016. Being a mom and running a business requires flexibility from her financial institution.
“STCU allows me to have both my business and personal accounts all in one place, said Kumiko, who has 20 personal and business accounts at the credit union. It wasn't just easy to join STCU, it was comfortable because of all the different locations. I know I never have to worry about unexpected fees. STCU helps me with my budgeting system and the fact that I can organize all of my different savings goals in separate savings accounts.”
“My favorite feature of the STCU mobile app is mobile deposit.”
“Checking my online banking is such a huge part of my daily routine. I use the STCU mobile app every single day to make online deposits, do transfers online, as well as check my bank account balances. If a small business is looking for somewhere to take their money, I would make sure you check out your local credit union.”
