“I held a lot of grudges against myself because I felt like I didn’t have money– or I spent it on other things. But now that I have better money management, I can help out my family…I think that consistency and discipline helped me be closer and be able to help them.”
Osman Casco
Osman Casco works as a chef in Juneau and has always dreamed of owning a pizza food truck. He knew that developing a solid business plan was the first step in making this aspiration a reality. A Google search for local resources on business development led him to Spruce Root’s website, where he saw an offering for an upcoming financial wellness workshop. “I never felt like I had the skills to manage money,” Os explains, “I saw Spruce Root’s course and…I didn’t know exactly how things were going to go, but I knew if I took a step forward it would help me toward my goals.”
Now he has been attending financial wellness programming and participating in coaching for nearly a year. These experiences have allowed Os to build more confidence around implementing financial management practices in his life. “I think it’s the small things that change your mindset on even a larger scale. You just have to have those little habits,” he says. The “50-30-20” method– setting aside 50% of his paycheck for immediate expenses, 30% for discretionary spending, and 20% for saving– is one of these consistent practices that has stayed with him as he works to build savings.
These seemingly small habits have added up in big ways. For Os, who grew up in Miami before settling down in Juneau, supporting family from afar is important. Through the strategies he’s learned with Haley Armstrong, Spruce Root’s Financial Wellness Program Manager, he’s been able to shift his mindset around money to align with his family values. “I held a lot of grudges against myself because I felt like I didn’t have money– or I spent it on other things. But now that I have better money management, I can help out my family…I think that consistency and discipline helped me be closer and be able to help them,” he says.
Os’ business plan is still on the horizon, too. “I’m a big manifester,” he shares. “I have a drawing of the pizza food truck that I keep with me.” Alongside this future-oriented mindset are tangible strategies he’s learned about money management that have helped him feel more in control of his finances. “What I didn’t have [before I started with Spruce Root] was knowledge,” Os says. “Now I feel like I have discipline. I have a plan.”
Interested in taking steps to align your financial decisions with your values? Spruce Root offers financial wellness programming and personalized coaching for folks at any stage of their financial wellness journey. Find more details about upcoming workshops and sign up for 1:1 coaching here.