Women on FIRE – Jillian from Montana Money Adventures

I’m excited about today’s entry in my Women on FIRE series – Jillian from Montana Money Adventures is stopping by to tell her story. I met Jillian at FinCon, although of course I’d seen her around Twitter before that, and she’s an amazing woman. I can’t wait for you to read all about her journey to financial independence, mother of six, and queen of mini-retirements. So without further ado, here’s her story.

Tell us about yourself!

I’ve been married for 15 years, we started with $50,000 in debt, have had 6 kids, traveled through 27 countries, I’ve held 12 jobs, taken 5 mini-retirements, own 2 rentals and at 32 I became financially independent. I’m Jillian Johnsrud, and that is my life in numbers. Oh, I just turned 35!

I grew up in wheat and cattle country in Montana, but we have also lived in Idaho, 4 years in DC and 4 years in Germany. During our time in Germany, we traveled all over Europe. Now we are back in Montana, just outside of Glacier National Park. Our dog’s name is Cheesy Taco and he really wants to be internet famous. He keeps asking for an Instagram account, but I’m too lazy for that silliness.

How did you become interested in personal finance, and financial independence?

When I was in Jr. High, my stepfather had started drinking a lot every day. Occasional rude, hurtful or racist comments became the only way he communicated with us and I wanted out. I pleaded for my mom to leave and get us out of that situation. But there was no way she could provide for us with little to no support. So we stayed. For years. It was at that very moment that I learned that money gives you choices. I never wanted to be stuck in a horrible situation again.

I saved up $8,000 by the time I graduated high school. I bought my first (of many) personal finance books when I was 20. By the time I was 24, my husband and I had paid off $50,000 in debt and saved our first $100,000.

Tell us about your FIRE journey – and motivation. What does FIRE mean to you?

I originally wanted to be financially independent by the time we were 60. Then 55. Then 45. Then 40. Growing up poor, it was just hard to imagine and dream bigger. In total, we have taken 5 mini-retirements and hit FI when I was 32. Now I describe it as “work optional.” We just do stuff we love: things that are meaningful, fun, and fit nicely into our lifestyle. I really love entrepreneurship, creating things, building things, and solving hard problems. It’s amazing when I can do that occasionally, for a few hours a day, and really impact people’s lives. The fact that it brings in income is almost surreal.

What’s unique about pursuing financial independence as a woman and a mom?

Being a mom is the defining work of my life. I’ve dedicated more love, hours and tears to it than anything else I’ve ever taken on. We have adopted four children from foster care and have two biological kids. Knowing we wanted to adopt high needs kids was a driving motivation for achieving financial freedom. I knew both of us working stressful 9-5 jobs just wouldn’t work. Our kids would need more from us. They would need us to be flexible, available, and emotionally rested so we could meet their needs.

Being able to be more flexible at this stage (My kids are 2, 5, 6, 9, and 10) has been amazing! We travel  6-10 weeks a year. This year we will camp in 12 National Parks. We spend all summer playing at Flathead Lake, picking cherries, hiking and gardening. Then, when they are in school, I get some alone time to write, mentor, or create courses.

There are a lot of great reasons to become financially independent, but this kind of time and adventure with my kids is hard to replace.

I worked a lot of jobs I didn’t love and we made some hard choices on the path here, like paying cash for our house. I think between being a woman and growing up poor, I had a strong desire to fit in. It took a lot of reflection and grit for me to continue to push off other’s opinions of my life and intentionally design my own life based on my values and goals.

What advice would you have for other women, and moms,on this path?

Your kids need YOU. More than sports, more than dance class, more than fancy birthday parties, and more than cute bedrooms. They need us there, physically and mentally. Sometimes we are tempted to spend more money simply because it’s easier. It’s easier to buy a $100 gift than read with them for 15 minutes every night.

The seasons are short. We took mini-retirements all along the journey because childhood doesn’t wait for anyone. And if we don’t really show up for it, it passes us by.

Don’t assume your issues are their issues. Boy, this one has been tough for me to learn! I was so insecure growing up poor. I hated the used clothing, fearing not having lunch money and scrambling for school picture money. I thought I had worked through all that…until I had kids. Then I wanted to buy them out of all the things that caused me pain. Except my issues weren’t their issues. They are happy and healthy, surrounded by loving, supportive family. They don’t care about used clothes. We take epic trips each year so they don’t really care about a big birthday party. Our life is full and close and fulfilling. They don’t need a 100 toys to fill the void I had as a kid.

Keep it simple. Happy is better than fancy. Sometimes as moms we want everything to be so darn perfect. Here is how I pack lunch when we go out hiking for the day. I grab a loaf of bread and put in on the center console of our van, and stick a jar of peanut butter in the cup holder with a butter knife. We don’t need a theme park. Just a nice day, a hiking trail and PB sandwiches made while we drive.

Where can readers find you? 

The very best way to keep in touch is by subscribing to my weekly emails. I send you new posts, share more personal updates, and people can always reach me by hitting “reply.” As weird as it sounds, I love answering emails now! Everything I write, create or am working on goes through my newsletter. Sign up here.

CMO Here Again

Thanks again to Jillian for stopping by to share her story! I especially love her advice that kids really want your time, not more stuff. This is so true – my boys would much rather do something together as a family than have a gift card or another video game. Keeping your priorities clear helps make sure you’re not trading your time for money to replace the lack of time you’re giving your family. Instead you’re trading your time for money to grant you the flexibility and freedom to spend more time with those you love.

Be sure to leave her a comment below!

Be sure to follow my blog for more great posts via e-mail or WordPress, or connect with me on Facebook or Twitter and say hello! You can also check out what I’m buying or baking on Instagram,  what I’m pinning on Pinterest, or the latest books I’m reading (or want to read) over on Goodreads.