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Most budgets fail, and it's not because you lack discipline. It's because traditional budgeting is built backwards. In this solo episode of the Extreme Personal Finance Show, Chris breaks down why budgets collapse the same way diets do, and introduces values-based budgeting as the fix.

Pulling from research on money scripts (Dr. Brad Klontz) and Ramit Sethi's conscious spending plan and money dials concept, Chris walks through a practical, do-it-at-home exercise: pick five core values, rank them, automate your fixed costs, and spend the rest guilt free on what actually matters to you. Along the way, he shares the data on why 83% of Americans say they overspend, why 84% of people with a monthly budget blow past it, and why a huge chunk of people can't even tell you what they spent last month.

If you've ever felt like a failure for "cheating" on your budget, this episode reframes the problem and gives you a values-first system that's actually built to last.

Bonus: this episode doubles as a preview of the in-person workshop happening at the Benjamins After Dark meetup in the Twin Cities on July 15th.

Contact Chris:

https://heavymetal.money

https://www.facebook.com/MoneyHeavyMetal

https://x.com/MoneyHeavyMetal

https://www.instagram.com/chrisluger

https://www.tiktok.com/@heavymetalmoney

email: chris at heavymetal.money

Resources and Links:

The Heavy Metal Money Mosh Pit

https://www.facebook.com/groups/heavymetalmoney

The Benjamins After Dark Meetup Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/stackingbenjaminstwincities

Values-Based Budgeting Event in the Twin Cities, MN
https://www.facebook.com/share/1HD5BRCbhk/

https://heavymetal.money/moneyscript

I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. Just a 6-Week Program That Works

by Ramit Sethi
https://a.co/d/0cTHyZ6B

https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com

SPEND ON WHAT YOU VALUE

https://heavymetal.money/spend-on-value/

DR. BRAD KLONTZ

https://www.bradklontz.com

https://www.youtube.com/@DrBradKlontz

Paula Pant at Afford Anything

https://affordanything.com

Contact Chris:
https://heavymetal.money

https://www.instagram.com/heavy_metal_money/

https://www.youtube.com/@heavymetalmoney

https://www.facebook.com/chrisluger

email: chris at heavymetal.money

Money Scripts: Why You Handle Money the Way You Do | 107

There's a subconscious reason why and how you make every money decision.

In this solo episode, Chris dives into money scripts, the subconscious beliefs about money that get programmed into us in early childhood and quietly steer our financial lives well into adulthood. Drawing on the research of financial psychologist Dr. Brad Klontz, Chris walks through the four core money script categories (avoidance, worship, status, and vigilance), explains where these scripts come from, and breaks down the difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset, including why scarcity isn't just a feeling but an actual measurable brain response.

Chris also gets personal, sharing a money memory from his own childhood, and explains how money scripts get passed down through generations until someone finally stops and asks "does this still serve me?" The episode wraps with reflection prompts you can use to start the conversation with your spouse, your kids, or just yourself, plus info on the free, completely anonymous Money Script Assessment available at heavymetal.money/moneyscript.

If you've ever wondered why you avoid your bank account, why you can't stop buying things you don't need, or why money feels like a fight even when the numbers are fine, this episode RAWWWKS!

Contact Chris:

https://heavymetal.money

https://www.facebook.com/MoneyHeavyMetal

https://x.com/MoneyHeavyMetal

https://www.instagram.com/chrisluger

https://www.tiktok.com/@heavymetalmoney

email: chris at heavymetal.money

Resources and Links:

DR. BRAD KLONTZ

Financial Psychologist - Author | Professor | Speaker | Psychologist | Financial Advisor

https://www.bradklontz.com

https://heavymetal.money/moneyscript/

Download the KMSI PDF Assessment
https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/01bUVmJoHyb_FVozzM9GlUiNg#kmsi-r-revised.pdf

Contact Chris:
https://heavymetal.money

https://www.instagram.com/heavy_metal_money/

https://www.youtube.com/@heavymetalmoney

https://www.facebook.com/chrisluger

email: chris at heavymetal.money

8 Money Rules with Nik Johnson | Chris on Everyday Money Heroes | 106

Chris Luger didn't grow up wealthy. He didn't have a finance degree. He started over from scratch after a divorce in 2015, barely knowing what a budget was. Nine years later, he walked away from his W2 at 50 with a $2.5 million portfolio.

In this episode, Chris joins Nik Johnson on Everyday Money Heroes to tell that whole story from the messy beginning, the real estate wins (and the properties he eventually had to cut loose), the power of the FIRE community, and the 8 Money Rules he lives by.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• How a divorce in 2015 became the catalyst for Chris's entire financial transformation
• Why he gave himself a 10-year timeline to reach FIRE and hit it in nine
• The mix of residential real estate and index fund investing that built his portfolio
• Why he's now transitioning out of residential rentals and into commercial real estate
• His 8 Money Rules — practical principles covering everything from learning the fundamentals to protecting your wealth to building an emergency fund
• Why "money is just an amplifier" and how financial freedom lets you give back in ways you never could before

Contact Chris:

https://heavymetal.money

https://www.facebook.com/MoneyHeavyMetal

https://x.com/MoneyHeavyMetal

https://www.instagram.com/chrisluger

https://www.tiktok.com/@heavymetalmoney

email: chris at heavymetal.money

Connect with Nik:

https://everydaymoneyheroes.com

https://www.youtube.com/@Everyday-Money-Heroes

Resources and Links:

MOSH PIT RULES FOR MONEY: WHAT HEAVY METAL TEACHES US ABOUT FINANCIAL SURVIVAL

https://heavymetal.money/moshpitrules/

Contact Chris:
https://heavymetal.money

https://www.instagram.com/heavy_metal_money/

https://www.youtube.com/@heavymetalmoney

https://www.facebook.com/chrisluger

email: chris at heavymetal.money