About

Hi! My name is Kelly Anne Smith and welcome to my personal finance and lifestyle blog! At Freedom In A Budget, I help people of all ages to achieve financial freedom within their budget and become intentional with their money.
Just a couple years ago I was living paycheck to paycheck, getting collection calls multiple times a day and was even afraid to answer a knock at my door because I was so in debt that I felt that Sally Mae herself was going to show up, take all of my furniture, my car and even my cats! Yes, that is a little extreme but it shows you how deep in debt and collections I was!
Enough was enough and I decided to do something about it and take control of my money. I read every personal finance book I could find and found a ton of personal finance YouTube channels and decided to make my own YouTube channel to keep myself accountable.
Freedom In A Budget has over 2 million views on YouTube and has been featured in Forbes, CNBC, US News & World Report, CBS Evening News as well as The His & Her Money Show.
My husband Jayme and I live in South Florida with our two fur babies, Skylar and Piper.

YouTube and Podcast interviews:
His & Her Money: How Kelly Got Out Of Debt Even While Paying Cash For Her Wedding
Budget Girl: How To Look Professional On A Budget
Wendy Valencia: Which is Harder? Single or Married Budget?
Slay This Debt: Staying Motivated on Dave Ramsey’s Baby Step 2 and 3
The Budgeting Wife: Money & Marriage Q&A
Let’s Talk Money! with Joseph Hogue, CFA: How to Find Freedom In A Budget [How She Paid Off $23K Fast]
TruFinancials: Easy Grocery Tips for Saving Money
Baby Steps Brad: Tuesday Talks | Kelly From FREEDOM IN A BUDGET!
Lydia Senn: Getting your spouse to budget, facing debt fears and self-care
His & Her Money: How Kelly Paid Off Her Student Loans In 18 Months
Debt Free Millennials: Debt Free Motivation | Words of Encouragement from SIX Millennials
Marissa Lyda – The Budgeting Wife: UNEXPECTED FIRST TIME HOME BUYER EXPENSES
Mike Damazo: Freedom in a Budget – How You Money
The Money Mindset Podcast: #10 How Kelly Paid Off $30,000 in Student Loans in less than 2 Years!
Budget Girl: How Different Life is Without DEBT – Zero Debt Living
Marriage Kids And Money: How Living on 50% of Our Income Helped Us Reach Financial Freedom
A Sunny Side Up Life: SIDE HUSTLES AND EARNING EXTRA INCOME
Slay This Debt: Dave Ramsey Baby Steps ● Myths and Misconceptions ● Debt Free Journey
Zay – The Wealth Strategist: FIRST GENERATION WEALTH BUILDERS INTERVIEW SERIES EP 4 | Kelly – Freedom In A Budget
Money Under 30: “You Got This”: Female Entrepreneurs on How to Make it in Business
Winning To Wealth: HOW BUDGETING HELPED THIS COUPLE SAVE HALF THEIR INCOME
The Andrew Lopez Finance Podcast: Episode 12: Kelly from Freedom in a Budget & How to Budget for Beginners
Simple Money Tips: Hanging out with [Kelly Anne Smith] from Freedom in a Budget
East Orlando Chamber of Commerce: Money Saving Tips for Survival During Covid with Kelly Anne Smith (Freedom in a Budget)
Smiling at the Future with Christi Rose: Checkmate: Winning Against Your Finances with Kelly Ann Smith
The Money Nerds Podcast: GETTING OUT OF DEBT WHILE PAYING CASH FOR A WEDDING | KELLY SMITH, FREEDOM IN A BUDGET
I have been featured on the websites below:
WPTV News Channel 5: Families search for extra source of income after financial stress of pandemic
Forbes: How To Plan A Budgeting Date Night With Your Spouse
US News & World Report: 7 Personal Finance Rules It’s OK to Break During a Pandemic
CBS Evening News: Online spending to hit a new record
CNBC: 4 simple ways to keep your holiday spending in check
Medi-Share: How To Lose Weight On A Budget
Midlife Balanced Money: Budgeting: How I keep track of all those numbers
The Money Manual: These 3 Very Different People Experienced Financial Windfalls. Here’s What They Did With The Money
Debt Free Millennials: Debt Free Motivation – Advice from SIX Millennials
CNBC Grow + Acorns: How to best use a paper day planner to help you meet your money goals, according to experts
Emma App: Top 50 Personal Finance YouTubers in the US
Women Fitness: Love Yourself This Valentine’s Day
Vee Frugal Fox: 6 PROVEN Ways To Pay Off Debt On A Low Income
The College Investor: THE BEST PERSONAL FINANCE YOUTUBERS TO FOLLOW (RIGHT NOW!)
Money Under 30: The Past, Present, And Future Of Female Empowerment And Entrepreneurship
Debt. com: 21 Inspirational Stories from Instagram Influencers on a Debt-Free Journey
Bankrate: Sinking funds: What they are and how they might help you achieve your savings goals