Realistic Timelines
Programs run six to twelve months because sustainable change takes time. No miracle transformations here.
Our Story
Money Skills That Actually Stick
We started jovariluento in 2022 because the financial education landscape felt broken. Too much jargon, not enough real talk about what people face every week when bills arrive.
Started Over Kitchen Tables
The idea came from watching friends struggle with budgets that looked perfect on paper but fell apart by Thursday. Traditional financial advice often assumes everyone has steady income and predictable expenses — which isn't how most people live.
We began running small workshops in Darwin cafes during 2022, testing different approaches. What worked? Real scenarios. Actual bank statements (anonymous, obviously). Conversations about the rent-or-repair dilemma when your car makes that sound.
By mid-2023, those cafe sessions grew into structured programs. People wanted practical tools, not theory. They needed budgeting methods that survived real life — unexpected vet bills, fluctuating shift work, helping family members in tight spots.
What Drives Our Approach
These principles shape everything we create — from course content to the way we answer questions during sessions.
Honesty First
No get-rich-quick promises. We focus on sustainable habits that might take months to show results — because that's how financial stability actually builds.
Context Matters
Cookie-cutter advice rarely works. We adapt strategies based on your situation — shift worker, student, freelancer, or supporting family across generations.
Community Learning
Group sessions work because hearing how others solved similar challenges often sparks better ideas than any textbook example could provide.
How Our Programs Work
We've refined this approach through hundreds of sessions. It's less about following steps and more about building awareness gradually.
Reality Check Phase
Track actual spending for two weeks without changing anything. Most people discover patterns they never noticed — subscriptions bleeding money, impulse purchases at specific times.
Priority Mapping
Identify what actually matters versus what you thought should matter. Sometimes entertainment spending brings genuine value while "healthy" habits drain resources without helping.
System Building
Create simple structures that work with your brain, not against it. Automate what you can, but leave flexibility for irregular expenses that always appear.
Buffer Development
Start small with emergency funds — even fifty dollars helps when you need it. We focus on realistic targets rather than the impossible "six months expenses" standard advice.
Habit Refinement
Review and adjust every few months. Life changes, so budgets should too. We provide check-in frameworks that take fifteen minutes, not hours of spreadsheet wrestling.
Meet The Team Lead
jovariluento started as a solo project but quickly needed someone who understood both financial literacy and actual teaching. That's where Brylee came in.
Brylee Wentworth
Lead Financial EducatorFormer community worker who spent years helping people navigate Centrelink forms and negotiate payment plans. She brings real-world crisis management experience to our programs — the kind you don't learn in finance courses.
What You Can Expect From Us
We don't promise financial freedom or passive income dreams. Instead, we commit to practical support as you build better money habits over time.
Our autumn 2025 program launches in March, with sessions running through October. We're keeping groups small — maximum fifteen participants — because meaningful discussion requires space for everyone's voice.
Judgment-Free Space
We've all made questionable financial decisions. Our sessions focus on moving forward, not dwelling on past mistakes.
Ongoing Resources
Access to templates, calculators, and our community forum continues after formal sessions end. Support doesn't disappear when the course does.
