"I finally broke the cycle of overspending."

“For as long as I can remember, I struggled with overspending. In high school, I got my first job, but every paycheck I earned I spent on clothes. When I went to college, my dad tried to teach me budgeting, but no matter what, I always overspent on my credit card more than I had in my bank account.”

“This habit followed me into adulthood. Even with my first ~big girl~ job, I overspent my income every month because I was stressed and seeking momentary relief. And worst of all, most of my money was still going toward clothes, making me feel guilty and out of control. Overspending didn’t stop at this first job but has continued to be a struggle for me, even as my salary has increased. I started using a budgeting app only recently but found it still didn’t stop my impulse spending. I barely checked the app, and it only made me more anxious when I looked at my spending piling up over the month.”

“Then I started building illumin. At first, it was just an idea, but as I started using the first iteration of our product, I really started to see meaningful change in my spending habits. I recently had my first month with money left over in my bank account in a very long time! illumin hasn’t just tracked my spending—it has made me aware of my habits, my justifications, and the emotional cycles that led me to be addicted to shopping. Combined with diving deeper into my faith, I finally started learning what it means to be content. Jesus’s teachings helped me reframe my mindset, and illumin gave me the tools to act on that newfound peace.”

“Since using illumin, my spending has decreased by 13%. That’s a win in my book! And more importantly, I finally feel in control. I’m not just spending less—I’m spending with intention. My goal is to help others experience that same freedom. Because financial peace isn’t about restrictions; It’s about breaking free from what was never making you happy in the first place.”

— Anna Hoover, Founder of illumin