Welcome to the Money Made Simple Blog

Hello and welcome to the Money Made Simple Blog! My name is Alpha Schulte, and here I’ll share with you information, stories and wisdom about life and money that I have both experienced and learned. I live in Brisbane, Australia, with my husband and daughter.

What I really hope you get out of this blog is a place you can go to for information on simple money tips and a helpful guide for life. My approach to life is to try and simplify as much as possible. It’s taken me years of complicating things to realise this though, which is what has triggered me to start on this journey.

Money itself is a tool, and it shouldn’t be that complex. There is so much information and knowledge out there about money, that it all becomes complicated and confusing. Then come the inevitable offers of “solutions” which can be “done for you”. Ultimately, figure out the type of life and lifestyle YOU want, and then make your money match your needs and wants.

Speaking of lifestyles, we all have our quirks, and I’m certainly no exception! I love, and I mean LOVE dark chocolate. I even have a favorite kind of cacao bean (Criollo, in case you’re interested). I’ve travelled to places all over the world just to either try their chocolate (like Lydgate Farm on the island of Kauai), or see where a movie about chocolate was filmed (the movie I mean is “Chocolat”, which was mainly filmed in rural France).

Another quirk is that I really dislike waste and am a big believer in simplicity. On the waste front, bit by bit I’ve turned my household into a no “use and throw out” zone. I was so excited recently to find out that there are reusable baking mats out there! I do a lot of baking, so this was very exciting for me! Now all I need are silicon muffin cups and I should be done!

One of the reasons I like simplicity is that it makes life easier. I’ve had the same car for nearly 20 years, and until recently my watch was about 18 years old (I was actually upset when I was told my watch couldn’t be repaired!). I don’t like having to make a decision about buying new things, and I prefer to fix something rather than buy a replacement.

That might sound silly, but to me I prefer focusing on other things, like finding places that make or sell great chocolate I also love helping people simplify their money, so they can focus on the things they actually love to do, and spend time with the people they really want to spend time with.

For me, life is very much about simplicity and balance – hence the balance rocks in the photo.

It’s time to remove the money clutter that fills our lives, start to work on fixing the things that need to be fixed, and then enjoy the life we have designed!