Applicant #2: Alexandra Chauran

Alexandra Chauran is a mom from Renton.

My video application:

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A bit about me:

I'm a full time mom, part time author and a fortune teller, always trying to find the next zany scheme to draw people together and make them realize the world is an amazing place.

My blog post:

My Kid Has Taught Me to Prosper

What Being a Mom Means to Me

My husband got out of a speeding ticket by telling the police officer that he'd just found out his wife was pregnant and was going to a friend's house to have a drink. Neither of us knew what kind of financial impact a baby would make on our lives, but we were pretty sure it was the negative kind. I've never been terribly irresponsible with money, so I was feeling pretty confident myself. I'm resourceful, so there was no way I was going to be losing my shirt at Baby's R' Us. When friends asked what the theme of our nursery was going to be, I told them the theme was: "Free stuff people give us."

Moms and Money

Now, I'm not downplaying the financial burdens any other parents face, but our daughter easily enriched our lives from the moment she was born. Instead of calling everyone who owed me anything and breaking their thumbs, like I'd expected, I found myself thinking more carefully about what it meant to be successful financially and how to spend in accordance to my values. Being wealthy doesn't mean you're sitting on top of a pile of money. It means that you have enough to enjoy what you love, plus a little more to share.

How Motherhood Changed My Life

Brace yourself for this one, but I've ended up actually being looser with my purse strings since having a child, and I think it's a good thing. When I might have otherwise ignored an offer to go on an overseas trip due to the expense, I thought, "hey, it's for the kid." Staying inside on a long weekend to save gas and the price of an admission no longer seemed like the prudent thing to do when a little being was learning about the world under my guidance.

The most surprising thing that my kid is still teaching me is that grey area between spendthrift and a penny-pincher. How are you investing in the futures of your children at present?

Alexandra