transcript
Speaker 1:
[00:00] Listen to this to shape the future of Frugal Friends.
Speaker 2:
[00:07] Welcome to the Frugal Friends Podcast, where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity, and live a richer life. Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill.
Speaker 1:
[00:24] Welcome, Frugal Friends. I'm Jen.
Speaker 3:
[00:26] I'm Jill.
Speaker 1:
[00:27] And it is hard to believe that we have been saying that for eight years. This is our eight-year anniversary episode. I know we had our 600th episode a few weeks ago, but we wanted to do a special something for our eighth anniversary. And so we're going to be looking back at some things. We're going to be reminiscing. And we got streamers, which if you're an OG, you'll know where these are from, but we will tell you. And yeah, we're also going to invite you to be part of the next phase of Frugal Friends.
Speaker 3:
[01:06] Yeah, we want to give you all a chance to help define what the future is going to look like, because we don't plan on stopping, my friends. We are really loving what we're doing, and we're going to give you opportunities to help us understand what could we be doing better, what do you want to see more of, and if you're wondering, what is this luxurious, hot pink wall between Jen and I?
Speaker 1:
[01:33] Stay tuned for that.
Speaker 3:
[01:35] Yes. We'll tell you.
Speaker 4:
[01:37] Stick with us.
Speaker 3:
[01:38] We'll explain it, but just know that we out here celebrating, okay? Oh, with Bubbles. Look at that.
Speaker 4:
[01:46] Only if you're on YouTube. Don't, and subscribing when you see the Bubbles.
Speaker 1:
[01:51] It'll get us a horrible decision for me.
Speaker 3:
[01:56] Eight years.
Speaker 1:
[01:58] I got it. I got there. I am sticky now.
Speaker 3:
[02:03] All right. Well, that was fun. At various points throughout the episode.
Speaker 1:
[02:06] With two children, I would be a pro at Bubbles, but I'm still bad. I'm still, oh, it's, oh, there only one bubble came out of that one.
Speaker 3:
[02:17] All right. Well, while we blow bubbles, Jen, what are some of your favorite podcast memory?
Speaker 1:
[02:23] Well, first, a future memory that I have not had yet, but expect to have is us reaching 10,000 subscribers on YouTube. And we need you to do that. You listening or watching this episode are the real ones, and that means you need to be subscribed, because we're not getting any less unhinged, and we're not getting any less involved in your spending life. So if those are things, if those are lines and boundaries you want to blur with us, you got to subscribe.
Speaker 3:
[03:04] Get involved.
Speaker 1:
[03:06] We want to be involved, and we want you to be involved. So please, my birthday is May 9th, which is coming up, and so I would love to have 10,000 subscribers on the show by May 9th. And I won't know if we've done it because we're recording episodes early on.
Speaker 3:
[03:24] But if we do hit it, we're going to celebrate, we'll probably do a birthday celebration on Instagram.
Speaker 1:
[03:29] You let us know on this episode, what you'd like us to do to celebrate 10,000 subscribers.
Speaker 3:
[03:36] Oh, yeah, Jen.
Speaker 4:
[03:39] And I'm giving all the people.
Speaker 1:
[03:40] No parameters to that. I want you to give us your best, most unhinged ideas and no parameters. So, okay. Favorite podcast memories over the last eight years. Okay. So, my favorite, and I want us to try and find clips of this. You're the episode girl, so I'm going to put that on you. I will find the social media clips, but this particular is one I want you to find, and it is the Star Wars Christmas episode. Do you remember that?
Speaker 3:
[04:20] It's the audio, though, right?
Speaker 1:
[04:21] I know. It's just the audio, which is fine.
Speaker 3:
[04:23] You just want us to stop and listen to the audio of it?
Speaker 1:
[04:27] Yeah. It can be without our faces, obviously, since we don't have it up. But we do a Christmas kind of episode every year, and I was really... Like, I do like Star Wars, but one year I was set on, we have to recreate the Star Wars Christmas special as for our Christmas special. And so we did recreate the intro.
Speaker 3:
[04:59] Okay. So if we find it, here it is.
Speaker 5:
[05:02] Because of the following special program, Wonder Woman and the Incredible Hulk will not be presented this evening.
Speaker 1:
[05:25] That's it, we're not doing an episode.
Speaker 3:
[05:28] I know, you've been waiting for the listener special.
Speaker 1:
[05:31] I know it's an important episode.
Speaker 3:
[05:36] All right, we'll give it a try, but it's Christmas. I don't know what we can do differently to get people to listen.
Speaker 1:
[05:45] Our only hope now is to parody a trainwreck, but how are we going to find what compares to the trainwreck 2020 has been?
Speaker 3:
[05:53] Great idea. We'll have people listening to this episode.
Speaker 6:
[05:57] No problem.
Speaker 3:
[05:58] Stand by. Let's give them a show they can't help but play on Christmas morning. And if we didn't find it, that was just like a moment of silence.
Speaker 1:
[06:13] So I still think about it. So such a good... And I don't know why I love that so much. I do.
Speaker 3:
[06:21] I mean, for people who like Star Wars, it's great. I had no idea. I'm like, will people get this? Will people understand it? And some did. So I'm glad that we did it.
Speaker 1:
[06:30] Yeah. It's an iconic opening to any Christmas special. And I'm so glad we were able to recreate it. Well, that's OK. That's one of mine. What's one of yours?
Speaker 3:
[06:43] For me, it's a little bit more generalized for my favorite parts of Frugal Friends or my favorite memories. I think the Bill of the Week. But of course, I have the recollection of the origin of coming up with the Bill of the Week, of us hanging out, driving in the car, just imagining what would be the aspects of this podcast, what would make it unique and fun, and coming up with the Bill of the Week idea. And thinking at that stage of, we'll probably have tons of ideas, some will stick, some won't, but the Bill of the Week has stuck. And I think that makes it-
Speaker 1:
[07:24] It was before episode one. Like Bill of the Week, it was synonymous. It was like, Frugal Friends is the name, Bill of the Week is the segment from Hour One. That's what the show was built around, literally the name and the Bill of the Week.
Speaker 3:
[07:40] Which also leads to an adjacent Frugal Friends memory of Kai when he was a baby just learning to talk. We were driving to your in-laws, you pick farm, and Eric and I were sitting in the back next to Kai in his car seat trying to get him to say words. Of course, you were both trying to get him to say mom and dad, and that just wasn't happening. We were trying to get him to say Bill, and that also wasn't happening. So I'm like, wouldn't it be so great if Kai's first word was Bill?
Speaker 6:
[08:15] That would be amazing.
Speaker 1:
[08:16] Looking back on it, after eight years, I would have been so amazing.
Speaker 3:
[08:20] It would have been so amazing. And instead, I pivoted thinking, you know what? Maybe he could say Bob. Bob is Bill adjacent. And so I'm like, Kai, say Bob. Say Bob.
Speaker 6:
[08:32] And he did it, and we got it on a video.
Speaker 1:
[08:36] That, we're going to play that video.
Speaker 3:
[08:37] We're going to play that video right about now. Looking at you now. Bill of the Week. Bill. Duck Bill. Buffalo Bill.
Speaker 7:
[08:56] This is the Bill of the Week. Bill.
Speaker 3:
[09:02] What's your Bill?
Speaker 8:
[09:04] Can you say Bill?
Speaker 9:
[09:06] Bill. Bill.
Speaker 2:
[09:18] Bill. Is that the dog's name?
Speaker 7:
[09:22] Bill Clinton.
Speaker 1:
[09:28] That's not funny.
Speaker 7:
[09:30] Bill. Can you say Bob?
Speaker 2:
[09:33] Bob. Sorry, Travis. First word, eight and a half months old.
Speaker 10:
[09:46] I caught it on tape too. Yup, Bob.
Speaker 4:
[09:48] Bob.
Speaker 3:
[09:50] And so that, I thought, was just so amazing. You can tell that Travis is a little peeved. That's his first word.
Speaker 4:
[10:01] I'm sure he's over it by now.
Speaker 1:
[10:03] Yeah. He says, plenty of words now. And he has said, mommy and daddy, plenty of time.
Speaker 9:
[10:10] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[10:10] I'm still shocked. There's still a bubble in the air. What is happening?
Speaker 3:
[10:14] It's crazy.
Speaker 9:
[10:15] It's really good soap.
Speaker 1:
[10:18] But yeah, that was the fact that we got that on tape is unreal.
Speaker 3:
[10:24] Yeah. That for me feels like a Frugal Friends related memory.
Speaker 1:
[10:29] Well, another Frugal Friends and Kai related memory is that you are the first person I told that I was pregnant.
Speaker 3:
[10:37] Yes, right before we started recording episode.
Speaker 1:
[10:40] I literally found out I was pregnant right before I got on the computer. And this is when you were still living in Pennsylvania. I found out I was pregnant and then I got on the computer to record.
Speaker 3:
[10:50] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[10:50] And that was, we had only been doing it a couple of months because we started in April and I found out I was pregnant in October of the same year. Yeah. So that was wild.
Speaker 3:
[11:04] You know, that's an interesting thing that I haven't really maybe put totally to words is how interconnected Frugal Friends is just with our lives and our friendship. It is one of the main reasons that we moved to Florida. Frugal Friends has been life changing for me in so many ways. That isn't just the things that we're recording constant. Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[11:31] I mean, I never planned to be a podcaster. And for real, when people ask me what I do, like podcasters, like the last thing that I want to say, I will try and think of anything else to say besides podcast.
Speaker 3:
[11:49] I've just leaned in at this.
Speaker 1:
[11:51] I mean, but I'm like, sometimes I'll be like, oh yeah, Joe Rogan, another bubble. I'm so sorry. What is happening?
Speaker 3:
[12:00] I'm not seeing the bubbles.
Speaker 1:
[12:01] This is a chaotic episode. Sometimes I'm like, oh yeah, Joe Rogan and I are colleagues. I've never met him before.
Speaker 4:
[12:12] But yeah, like that, we both do the same thing.
Speaker 1:
[12:15] I will joke about it.
Speaker 3:
[12:16] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[12:17] But I'm like, I'm so much more than a podcaster. Like the podcast is an extension of who we are, and the relationship we've built, and the expertise we've cultivated. I could also say I'm an author, but I don't really make money from the book.
Speaker 3:
[12:32] Right. Yeah, not anymore.
Speaker 1:
[12:34] No. So that's one of the exciting things, like we're getting our CFP, and we'll be able to say, like, I'm a financial planner, and that feels better to me. And when I tell people in our industry that, they, their jaw drops, and they're like, what? They just do not understand that I would like not want to tell people, I'm a podcaster, and an author, and a speaker, and an influencer versus I'm a financial planner, which like on the other sounds like so boring.
Speaker 4:
[13:07] You've got your own stuff to work through on that one.
Speaker 1:
[13:10] You know, it's been eight years, and like, I still need therapy that I haven't gotten yet.
Speaker 3:
[13:16] And as a therapist, I refuse to give it to you.
Speaker 4:
[13:18] Yeah.
Speaker 3:
[13:19] I'll just tell you, you need the help.
Speaker 1:
[13:20] This is the horrible thing, is I have a lot of friends who are therapists. And I'm like, I know so many of them, I can't get help from any of them. None of them will help me. But it also makes me, I don't know if it should make me feel better that I am the type of person therapists want to be friends with.
Speaker 4:
[13:40] Yes.
Speaker 3:
[13:41] You are our project.
Speaker 1:
[13:43] Am I a project or am I healthy? Let me know in the comments. If you've been with us for a while, let me know. So this show has definitely changed our lives. But it has also changed yours. And we invited you to share with us how the show has impacted your life. And we're going to play those now.
Speaker 3:
[14:10] Oh, are we?
Speaker 1:
[14:11] This is a surprise for you. I didn't tell you. I was doing this.
Speaker 3:
[14:16] Well, there's a link in here that I don't remember seeing before.
Speaker 4:
[14:20] Okay, here we go.
Speaker 9:
[14:22] I want to thank Frugal Friends for everything because I discovered your podcast during COVID. And it was with your podcast that I was able to pay off my 13,000 student debt at no interest. I saved lots of money and I was also able to pay off our 2023 Honda Pilot when we bought our first house in 2022. And I'm still following all your recommendations. Thanks and have a great day.
Speaker 7:
[14:54] I love the way Frugal Friends helps me to save, either an emergency fund or other things like that. I really appreciate all you guys' tips and inputs on different topics that you guys share on the show. And I am a subscriber on YouTube. I also really appreciate how you guys talk about topics like emergency funds and other things like that. I thank you so much for your input, and I look forward to the new show next month in April, when you guys will have a show celebrating your 8th anniversary. All right, you guys take care now. Bye-bye.
Speaker 10:
[15:40] Hi, Jen and Jill. Love the podcast. Loved your book. You guys could recite the alphabet or nursery rhymes, and I would love listening to you because you're just so fun. You laugh. You are honest. It's just enjoyable. Keep doing what you're doing. Congrats on going for your CFPs. I hope that that's toast, easy toast for you. Thank you. Bye.
Speaker 1:
[16:08] Oh, that was so sweet.
Speaker 3:
[16:11] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[16:15] It's cool to like, hear your, like read your comments and stuff and read your reviews. And it's even cooler to like, hear your voices. It's why we like love the Bill of the Week. But yeah, to know that there are real people, like hear and listening is such a gift.
Speaker 3:
[16:39] Yeah. You all are always hearing our voices, but we don't get to hear your voices. And that just makes it so much more real to know. There's another person on the other side of this, who what we're putting out regularly is making an impact for. And we're getting to hear that more and more. Now, that's one of the reasons I'm grateful that we're on YouTube now, is seeing comments more regularly and knowing the differences that we're making in people's lives. When we were doing the podcast, there was, and we're still doing the podcast, obviously, but when it was audio only, there was still quite a disconnect for me between us just talking in our living room to people listening and making changes. But now I'm starting to feel that integration a lot more. Certainly, hearing it again is so beautiful, but now being able to read the reviews of the book and the reviews of the podcasts and the comments on YouTube and starting to hear more and more stories of, I now have an emergency fund. I just started saving for retirement. I was able to make a difficult financial decision that I previously didn't feel confident about, but now you all helped me to know the steps that I should take. And it's just really incredible to realize something that is fun for us is actually making a difference. So that was so sweet.
Speaker 1:
[18:05] Yeah. And the move to YouTube was intentional in that it's not just like, oh, YouTube is the next frontier for podcasts. It's that to be able to make a bigger impact in your life, you have to feel connected to us. You can't just hear information. You have to feel connected to us in some way. And so, the best way to connect to you isn't through audio only. It's through audio and video. And so, we had two choices. We came, this is, I mean, this is the story of how we came to YouTube. We had two choices. We could transition to like social media influencers and go hard into social media and then have the podcast. Or we could take the arguably more difficult route of transitioning to a video podcast. And the more we thought about influencer and fin influencer culture and just social media in general, we are not social media people. We don't document our lives. We don't find value in that. And it was just a lot harder and less enjoyable to do that type of short-form video that feels like just so pump and dump. And so we pivoted to YouTube because we're just passionate about long-form content. Like there is a place for short-form content somewhere. But we are really passionate about the effectiveness and the connection and the way it can change people's lives. Like much more impactful than short-form. And so that's how we got here. And it does make such a big difference when you're watching somebody, you can see their eyes telling you a story or giving you a tip or like doing something. And that I do feel like we've just heard so many more stories in the past year since we've been in video than we have ever before. And I think it's that connection. And I think we can cultivate that connection without creating these weird parasocial relationships that social media kind of like gets.
Speaker 3:
[20:29] Yeah. And we still are on social media, but yeah, where our focus is, is YouTube.
Speaker 1:
[20:35] We are literally there, so just people know that we're over here. That is why we are there, in all honesty. But yeah, it's not where our focus is, and it's not where we're trying to grow. Here, we're trying to grow to 10,000 subscribers.
Speaker 4:
[20:54] Yeah, we are. Yes, we are, girlfriend.
Speaker 1:
[20:55] 10,000 in the fam. We have like 24,000 followers. See, it's even different. It's followers on social media, and it's subscribers here. It's even the verbiage is different. Don't follow me. Like, subscribe to me, see what I have to say, and then do whatever you want. Follow your own path. Tax season is honestly one of the only times most of us stop and actually look at our full financial picture, and then wonder where it all went. I wanted something that kept me that aware all year, not just in April, which is why I use Monarch. Having my budget, accounts, net worth and savings goals all in one place means I'm actually making progress, not just looking back.
Speaker 3:
[21:41] Simplify your finances with Monarch, the all-in-one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one dashboard, on your phone or laptop. Their AI tools are built by certified financial planners and give you a weekly recap, spending insights and 24-7 access to a financial coach.
Speaker 1:
[22:00] Monarch genuinely changed how I think about our money and helps me stay proactive rather than reactive.
Speaker 3:
[22:06] Achieve your financial goals for good with Monarch, the all-in-one tool that makes money management simple. Use code frugal at monarch.com for half off your first year. That's 50 percent off at monarch.com code frugal.
Speaker 1:
[22:24] I've been doing a serious spring closet reset lately, like actually looking at what I own and asking, does this work? Is this quality? Do I actually reach for this item? And it has me thinking so differently about what I buy going forward.
Speaker 3:
[22:39] That's why we both love Quince. They make beautiful everyday pieces using fabrics like 100 percent European linen, organic cotton, super soft denim, creating styles that feel elevated without the high price tags. They work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middlemen. So you're paying for the quality, not the brand markup, which is just smart spending.
Speaker 1:
[23:02] I have been living in their 100 percent organic cotton tanks lately. The fabric feels substantial, but still so easy and comfy to wear. And when I saw the price, I genuinely had to double check. They also have leather bags made from 100 percent hand-woven Italian leather that look way more expensive than they are.
Speaker 3:
[23:21] Refresh your spring wardrobe with Quince. Go to quince.com/frugal for free shipping and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. Go to quince.com/frugal for free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com/frugal. That leads us to today and recognizing that the future of what we do isn't just up to us, but there are some things that we are working on. You've already mentioned that both of us are working towards becoming CFPs, Certified Financial Planners, which is the type of designation that we have always recommended from the jump to seek out when you are in need of financial advice, consultation because of their fiduciary responsibility to you, to work in your best interests, and because of just the breadth of knowledge that they have. So we're thinking, how great would it be if the people that you've come to know and trust could be that person with a fiduciary responsibility, that if you're like, I do need this, who am I going to go to? We could do that. We could do that for you. And at a reasonable price for regular people, not just the super wealthy. And that really excites me, something accessible for the common person, because that's who we all are. We are the common person.
Speaker 1:
[24:52] And I think it's becoming increasingly more important to get your financial education from people who have some degree certificate, some educational backing in what they are teaching. And we realized this a year ago, but it is becoming more and more obvious that there's new influencers who are just coming out using ChatGPT to create a year's worth of content, and they're just spewing it out. And ChatGPT is useful if you're putting in the knowledge base, and it's funneling through what you know the knowledge base is. But if that's not how you're using it, you can't trust it, and you cannot.
Speaker 3:
[25:38] I have used it to help explain different things as I've gone through this process, and in some ways it's been helpful, but it has been wrong.
Speaker 1:
[25:46] Yeah.
Speaker 3:
[25:48] More than a handful of times to what the actual content would say. And so that is kind of raising my awareness for, no, we can't just trust AI to be able to create individualized plans for us because it's not always right. And it doesn't claim to be. There's always that caveat. Jackie Beatsy, Claude, whoever you're using, we can be wrong, do your own research.
Speaker 1:
[26:11] Believe someone when they tell you who they are, okay? So you've got that. And then this is what's worse. And this is, I want you to hear me or if you've checked out, like just come back to me for a minute. This is what is worse. You've got big influencers. I'm talking one million plus followers on social media who now can get sponsorships and brand deals that they could not get as a small time influencer and are taking riskier and riskier brand deals. There is an influencer with over a million followers who just took a brand deal from the Gold Council, is telling their audience of predominantly people in their 20s and 30s, predominantly women in their 20s and 30s, to invest in gold, which is not a blanket bad investment. But I guarantee you go to your financial planner as a 30-year-old woman and ask, should I be investing in gold? And I do not think that is the first thing that they are going to tell you to invest it. If you go in as like a 70 or 80-year-old woman, you might get a different answer, right? It's just they can get so much money from people in the financial industry for risky things. We all know that a couple of years ago, Dave Ramsey was on blast for promoting Timeshare Exit Team. They got millions of dollars for Timeshare Exit Team that ended up being a scam and scammed people out of a lot of money. And they kept promoting it even after reports that it was scamming people. But it's hard to turn down millions and millions of dollars when you have it available to you. So we're going to see big influencers become more and more, I would say, unreliable.
Speaker 3:
[28:11] And also recognize that there really can't be any blanket recommendations for what you need individually. We talk blanket statements for the broad population about creating a spending plan, about curbing impulse spending and over consumption. But there are unique nitty gritty details that we all do need to be figuring out within our finances, where we need someone to be able to help us through one-on-one when those circumstances happen. So eventually we will do actually episodes on how to create your own financial plan. It will help us study for the exam to kind of give a sense of this is the, or when you should seek out a CFP, what will they do for you, what aspects could you do for yourself, that kind of thing.
Speaker 4:
[29:00] So we are excited about that.
Speaker 3:
[29:02] There are things that we have on our radar, but we also want to seek out your input on what you want more of. Some of the things that we've been thinking of is certainly wanting to do more YouTube. That is something we've been working on for at least the last year. But we want to see even more opportunity to grow, to give you even more of the type of content that you want. We won't be leaving the audio only platform. We're still here for you.
Speaker 1:
[29:31] In full transparency, audio is still where we make our living. If you listen on audio, I need you to keep listening on audio.
Speaker 3:
[29:40] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[29:40] Because that's how we are monetizing you, hear ads that we are reading. We switched networks. We were on iHeart and last year we switched to Backyard Ventures. That was so we could control our ads more. Instead of just getting a lot of ads for like McDonald's and Starbucks, which if you know how I feel about Starbucks, you know why I want more control of my ads. We now can do, we can read our own ads for companies and brands and services that we use and love. We've got Quince, Whatnot, Mint.
Speaker 3:
[30:21] Monarch, Chime.
Speaker 1:
[30:22] Policy Genius. We have vetted these and you're hearing our voice. Not just some random grab bag. There's still some grab bag ones in there because we can't book out 100 percent, because we just turned down so many. That's why we can't book 100 percent.
Speaker 3:
[30:40] We're supposed to say yes to like 80 percent of the offers, and I think we probably only say yes to like 60 percent.
Speaker 1:
[30:46] I would say that, yeah.
Speaker 3:
[30:47] So judicious in what we're going to read for. So you can at least know that if we're reading for them, we do think that they're a worthwhile brand.
Speaker 1:
[30:57] So we made that switch. I forget where I was going with that. But no, we do want you to keep listening on audio if you're already there because that is how we are making our money right now, until we are fully certified as financial planners, and then we can all come to YouTube. And because we would make like what, two or $300 a month on YouTube. That's like, you know.
Speaker 4:
[31:24] So yeah, it's helping.
Speaker 3:
[31:26] And if we grow, then that'll be awesome. We just, we want to stick around, but this does cost money for us to do.
Speaker 1:
[31:34] Much more expensive to run a video podcast than it is to do an audio podcast.
Speaker 3:
[31:38] It's not free. You know, we try and do as much as we possibly can for free, but it is not. It's still not free.
Speaker 1:
[31:45] Like I said, I think the video podcast is more effective in helping. And you can let us know in the comments, like, how you feel about that.
Speaker 3:
[31:52] But speaking of doing video, we had done video a ways back. We had done people's individual debt-free stories. And that's, okay, so here's, here's where we're revealing. This is from, this was our background, what's in between us, these hot pink streamers.
Speaker 1:
[32:10] We'll have to put, we'll put in a clip of, and I was very pregnant during this. Like, so we're like sitting down and, oh yeah, you were like, I was like sitting back.
Speaker 3:
[32:25] Yeah, here's a little clip from one of our debt-free stories.
Speaker 8:
[32:28] We just do like a, go me.
Speaker 9:
[32:31] Go Megan.
Speaker 1:
[32:33] Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:
[32:34] Thank you.
Speaker 1:
[32:40] Welcome to Debt-Free Stories. I'm Jen.
Speaker 3:
[32:43] I'm Jill.
Speaker 1:
[32:44] And we are the co-hosts of the Frugal Friends Podcast and YouTube channel.
Speaker 4:
[32:50] Debt-Free Stories.
Speaker 9:
[32:51] That's what we're doing.
Speaker 1:
[32:52] Yes.
Speaker 3:
[32:53] So we've come a long way.
Speaker 1:
[32:56] I know, right?
Speaker 4:
[32:57] Hopefully, from that video to this.
Speaker 3:
[33:00] This was not a great background, but I held on to it because, you know, I'm like, maybe I'm going to reuse this.
Speaker 1:
[33:06] We didn't even use it for the full series. We took it down midway through. We're like, this is too much.
Speaker 3:
[33:11] It was visually too much.
Speaker 1:
[33:12] We podcasted too close to the sun.
Speaker 3:
[33:15] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[33:16] YouTube's too close to the sun.
Speaker 3:
[33:18] But we're going to keep doing video. But here's what we want to know from you. What is it that you want to see more of? Whether it's something we've already done or maybe a new idea. So to kind of get the wheels turning, here's some of what we're thinking you might be interested in. But we don't want to waste our time. Like, no, Jen and Jill, that's not where it's at.
Speaker 1:
[33:39] Because we've recorded some that I thought you'd be interested in and it was a waste of time.
Speaker 3:
[33:45] So what is it? Do you want to hear about the frugal wins in our lives or listener lives, or some of the frugal fails? Do you want us to go through listener questions? Do you want to submit questions to us and have us do some of those Q&A type things? Do you want no-spend challenges or other types of money challenges? Do you want to see us doing them and giving you our feedback? Grocery and food episodes, de-influencing content. We have done a lot of that. We personally enjoy it.
Speaker 1:
[34:19] And you love it too. So do you want to see deep dives into a couple social media videos, or do you want us to gather 10 videos and we're just playing and reacting? So let us know what kind of social commentary, de-influencing content you like to see with the social media videos.
Speaker 3:
[34:42] And what about real budgets? We did just do a budget makeover episode. We are very curious to see how you all respond, react to that if that's something you would want more of. Also interviews. So if you've been around for a while, you've noticed we've really not done interviews in a while. And we used to have them every third episode. Then it was just sound bites from people who are expert on a topic. I personally did prefer that more. We've kind of gotten to a place where we feel like we don't need other financial experts on our show. We've been doing this for eight years. We want to bring in people who are talking about things we don't know about. And that did work for a time, but sometimes interviews are exhausting for us. But do you like them?
Speaker 1:
[35:31] Logistically, it's a little weird to get it into the episode. But if you miss them, we will do more. And we can reach out to YouTubers now because we're in a new space. So it broadens the availability of interviews too.
Speaker 3:
[35:48] We have had a commenter say on a few occasions that they really missed the Sunday reset.
Speaker 1:
[35:54] I see that.
Speaker 3:
[35:55] So if that's also you, I did tell her, get a petition signed. We would need to hear that from more than just that person. But if you agree, let us know if the Sunday reset and what you particularly liked about the Sunday reset.
Speaker 1:
[36:13] Okay. So here it is. Okay. For you specifically, I don't remember her name. Right. So the Sunday reset started as a way to get onto YouTube when we were still just doing the episodes audio. When we switched over the episodes to audio, it's really too much to be doing three episodes a week for video. It's too much for us. Two is a lot. So we're not going to do a third video every week. But I have scheduled in everybody's favorite friend letter, the budget toolkit. So it is always every month, the last Friday of the month, we send out in our friend letter, if you're not getting our friend lender, frugalfriendspodcast.com. It is a toolkit with what's on sale, what should we be budgeting for, what's produces in season so you can be cooking. All this stuff, one money move to make for the month to get you ahead. Everybody loves that email. That email is going to become a podcast episode on the last Friday of every month. So if that's the type of stuff that you liked in the Sunday Reset, it is coming. So tell me also what you want to see in that episode specifically, if there's something from the Sunday Reset you want incorporated. But that is coming, that is starting, I think, the last Friday in May.
Speaker 3:
[37:40] Okay. So those are all the things that we have done, and we're asking, do you want to see more of it? There's also this category of, what should we try next, that maybe we really haven't done. Real listener budgets, we did try it once.
Speaker 1:
[37:54] So that would be a- Yeah, but it hasn't come out yet. So we're not sure how it's going to land.
Speaker 3:
[37:58] Okay.
Speaker 1:
[37:59] But we did do that one.
Speaker 3:
[38:00] Real listener budgets, Frugal Friends react videos.
Speaker 1:
[38:04] So that's what I was talking about, like if we're just going to play like 10 videos and kind of react to them and give like short tips. We're never going to be critical of like an influencer or a person in a video, but we could do like a more video in a more react style.
Speaker 3:
[38:20] Yeah. Do you want 30 day experiment videos? So yeah, that's like the challenges, that kind of a thing where we've done something for 30 days and then we're talking about it. More or just trying out anti-overconsumption breakdown. So that might be slightly more cerebral where we are kind of digging into the reasonings behind things, the history, more research based, data driven.
Speaker 1:
[38:49] I tested the waters with that one with the Edward Bernays episode, like the man responsible for why you're broke. And I don't know if it fully landed and I don't know if I could have done something differently with the thumbnail and title to make that land differently or let me know in the comments if you're hearing this and you listen to that video, that episode if there's something we could have done differently there.
Speaker 3:
[39:14] Yeah. Do you want a Frugal Friends Book Club? Do you want us to talk about a book that we've loved?
Speaker 1:
[39:20] That would be something that we could maybe do quarterly, like a book review or something.
Speaker 3:
[39:24] Right. Where was a time that we used to do that?
Speaker 1:
[39:26] We did a book club. That's OG. If you're an OG, you remember the Frugal Friends Book Club. And so maybe we could bring that back for video.
Speaker 3:
[39:33] Yeah. Do you want us to do, we tried this, so you don't have to type thing? These are just some brainstorming ideas. If you've got an idea, please let us know. We have to be inspired.
Speaker 1:
[39:45] In the comments. And we also want to know, what is your biggest money struggle right now? So we kind of know by what episodes get the most views on audio or listens on audio and views on video. So we want to hear from you though, what your biggest struggle is. Right now, the ones that don't seem to be getting a lot of traction for us are side hustle things and debt payoff related stuff. So we want to know, like what's your biggest money struggle right now? Is it impulse spending? Whether that's in clothes, be specific. Impulse spending on Amazon, social media, clothes, at the grocery store, like I want you to be specific. Where's your impulse spending struggle? Is it in investing? Investing content doesn't do well for us, but if there's something specific that a lot of people, and if you see this comment on the video, and you just want to like second it by commenting underneath that comment, then that'll help us know that that's something that a lot of people, if it's a comment with like 30 replies that are just seconding, we'll obviously get that. Is it lifestyle, inflation, housing, motivation? Let us know what your biggest struggles are right now.
Speaker 3:
[41:04] We've asked for so many comments and we will read them all. Here's two final questions that we have for you that we would also love to hear. So even if you, if you want to answer all of our questions, feel free to keep letting us know.
Speaker 1:
[41:19] We'll list them all in the description. So yeah, you know.
Speaker 3:
[41:23] If you are new here, what got you subscribed? If you could narrow it down to one to two things, what pushed you over to the edge to finally be like, yeah, I'm going to hit that subscribe button. We'd love to know. If you've been around for a while, why do you stay? So glad you're still here.
Speaker 4:
[41:43] Why are you still here?
Speaker 3:
[41:46] We love it so much, but curious, what keeps you around? We have always said, we imagine that a Frugal Friends listener will stay with us for about two years. That's always been our goal. And not just goal, but also just what the research is going to say. But there are also people here who have been with us longer than that. And so we're so glad you're here. And we want to know what is it that keeps you, because that's probably going to be the secret sauce for us to be aware of.
Speaker 1:
[42:18] So if you've been here for less than two years, or less than a year, what got you subscribed? If you've been here for like a year or more, two years or more, then why do you stay? That's it. So let us know in the comments.
Speaker 3:
[42:32] Something that is not going away, and please don't make a suggestion for it to go away. We will not listen.
Speaker 1:
[42:39] Actually, there was a comment that said this was annoying, and we were like, bye.
Speaker 3:
[42:44] Yeah, I mean, please stick around if the other stuff is worth it to you. But just know we will never change this about ourselves. It is a part of who we are.
Speaker 1:
[42:54] Our DNA.
Speaker 2:
[43:07] That's right. It's time for the best minute of your entire week. Maybe a baby was born and his name is William. Maybe you paid off your mortgage. Maybe your car died, and you're happy to not have to pay that bill anymore. Duck bills, Buffalo bills, Bill Clinton. This is the Bill of the Week.
Speaker 8:
[43:27] Hi ladies, my Bill of the Week is a bill from a surgery center that was about $1,100, and just money was tight at the season, so we decided to call. We knew we could negotiate to possibly get a payment plan set up. So I called the office, talked to the billing person to get a payment plan set up. And she puts me in hold, then she comes back and offers me, well, you can do the payment plan, or if you pay all in full today, we can, you can do it for like $860. And so I was able to get a 25% discount off of this bill simply by calling and inquiring. So that was my bill of the week. And it's nice to save a little bit of cash on a medical bill. Didn't even know this was possible.
Speaker 3:
[44:16] Amazing.
Speaker 1:
[44:17] Yes. They always want you to pay in full and they will incentivize it most of the time.
Speaker 3:
[44:26] Make that call.
Speaker 1:
[44:29] She said it for me.
Speaker 3:
[44:31] I'm learning. Yeah, you don't know until you try. And especially with medical bills, there can be a lot of wiggle room that we might not be totally aware of. And if you are facing a lot of medical bills, I cannot stress enough the episode that we did about how to save on medical bills. It is the Holy Grail. It gives you a step by step, and it has saved so many people, so much money. And so I'm so glad that this worked for you, Valerie. Well done. Making the call, saving yourself 25 percent. That's huge. There was hundreds of dollars that you saved on that bill. If you are listening and you have a bill for us, because again, we're not stopping, so we need the content. Yeah. We'd love to hear from you anything bill related. frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill. We can't wait for it.
Speaker 1:
[45:29] We talk a lot about having a meal rotation, those six to ten dinners you can make without thinking. But getting there is the part nobody talks about. You're tired midweek, you don't know what to cook, and somehow you're also supposed to plan everything out, go shopping, and not let half of it go bad in the back of the fridge.
Speaker 3:
[45:44] HelloFresh takes all of that off your plate. No planning, no shopping, and because everything comes pre-portioned, you're not throwing away ingredients you barely used. Plus, with over 80 global recipes every month, you're actually discovering meals worth adding to that rotation.
Speaker 1:
[45:59] I'll be honest, the no-waste thing alone sold me. Pre-portioned means you use what you need and nothing more. If that sounds like your kind of solution, nothing hits like home cooking, and HelloFresh makes sure of it.
Speaker 3:
[46:11] Go to hellofresh.com/frugal10fm for 10 free meals, plus a free NutriBullet Ultra Plus 2-in-1 Compact Kitchen System worth $189.99 on your third box. New subscribers only, free meals applied as a discount on your first box. Third box must be ordered by May 31st, 2026. And now it's time for the lightning round.
Speaker 1:
[46:37] Which I initially tried to get cut from the show so many years ago. And I gave up, it's a fight. I gave up, I usually give up all my fights, and that's fine. Okay.
Speaker 3:
[46:47] You will say no, but eventually you'll say yes, because you're too worn down and you're too tired.
Speaker 1:
[46:50] I am too tired, yes. I have been too capable and too rich for too long. Just kidding. Okay. That was a joke from last episode. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Go for it. Okay. I have been saying this a lot lately, because it has been something that I've been meditating on. But I guess maybe it should be a question, where you see yourself in eight years, eight and 10, probably the same. I want to be embedded in my community. I want to be known around town, not by everyone, but when you have a national podcast, you're well known to a lot of people, but also to no one. Nobody here, I could walk into rooms and no one would know me. And I just want to be more embedded in the community, and have more relationships, more people to call with questions, more people to know if I attend events. Attend events.
Speaker 3:
[47:53] You want to be the person who attends stuff. You want to have a gala dress.
Speaker 1:
[47:57] I want to go out and do things. Like I said, you've done more things in the past week than I have done this whole year.
Speaker 3:
[48:05] I don't even know that that's true. Your weekends are pretty packed.
Speaker 1:
[48:08] Yeah, but they're not like in the community. They're doing stuff with our kids. So, I want to be imbedded in the community. And I think adding the financial planning component will allow me to do that. I can still see people across the country and like our Frugal Friends community virtually. But I will also now have something to offer people face to face. Like you can't really podcast with a person face to face. It's just-
Speaker 3:
[48:38] No, it doesn't work for us.
Speaker 1:
[48:39] We don't have people behind the camera watching us podcast. So, this is something that I can become more imbedded in the local community.
Speaker 3:
[48:51] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[48:52] Jill?
Speaker 3:
[48:55] Retired. Let's be real. I want to be retired.
Speaker 1:
[48:58] I've only got it for nine years.
Speaker 3:
[48:59] No, that's what I want. That's just always what I say. But in reality, I'm a little busy B. I don't want to just be sitting around in the true sense of retirement.
Speaker 1:
[49:11] But retirees don't just sit around, Jill. We're going to have a retiree in the comments saying, I don't sit around.
Speaker 3:
[49:18] Right. That's so true. Right.
Speaker 1:
[49:20] You'll have more time for beach cleanups.
Speaker 3:
[49:24] I'm not a person who looks that far into the future because currently where I'm at, my 10-year-ago self never could have, never could have. But I am obviously working towards something. So I suppose, I hope that I get the CFP. So I hope that by 10 years from now, I have attained that.
Speaker 1:
[49:47] Shout out to Brett Danko, who is going to save us.
Speaker 3:
[49:51] Yeah. He's going to help us pass.
Speaker 1:
[49:53] He is going to save us.
Speaker 3:
[49:59] I kind of, if it looks similar to how life looks now, it's not too bad, honestly.
Speaker 4:
[50:05] Dream big, you know.
Speaker 1:
[50:06] I want to take a Disney cruise.
Speaker 3:
[50:08] I really do like my life.
Speaker 1:
[50:09] That's my big dream.
Speaker 3:
[50:10] So I hope that, I hope in 10 years, I like my life, that I am helping people.
Speaker 1:
[50:16] Yeah.
Speaker 3:
[50:16] Like I think my true north is, I really find deep purpose and enjoyment in helping people. Whether that was in my previous social work career, now with this podcast.
Speaker 1:
[50:28] I think your social work background and your CFP background are going to just like make you a dynamo in financial planning.
Speaker 3:
[50:38] That would be so lovely.
Speaker 1:
[50:39] I think I'm going to have to fight you for clients. Everyone's going to want to see you. And I'm going to have to be like, hey, I'm fun, I think.
Speaker 3:
[50:48] I was watching somebody recently talk about getting the CFP, or what is it like to work in the business? And they said it's 80 percent people skills, 20 percent technical skills. I was like, that's great.
Speaker 1:
[51:02] That's what we want to hear.
Speaker 3:
[51:03] That's so great. So I'll be the 80 percent and you be the 20 percent. I'll bring them in, I'll schmooze them, and you can handle all the technical stuff.
Speaker 1:
[51:14] I'm sorry. I like to talk to people, and maybe part of the reason I'm not embedded in the local community is I maybe struggle with talking to people. I'm better at talking at microphones and cameras.
Speaker 3:
[51:25] You are actually really great at networking and knowing people. Like there is, no, I'm not. I am joking.
Speaker 1:
[51:33] But there is a smidge of truth to your joke.
Speaker 3:
[51:36] Mostly in that there will be plenty for you to do because there's going to be plenty that I don't want to do and vice versa. Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[51:42] Oh, yeah. There's so much that you do that I would just not do.
Speaker 3:
[51:48] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[51:48] It would just not get done and then the IRS would come round and it would be a mess.
Speaker 3:
[51:53] Do you know what I also love about what we are doing is that we are continuing to say whatever it is we do next, we're doing it together.
Speaker 1:
[52:02] Oh, that was never a question. I can't work alone and I can't work with anybody else.
Speaker 3:
[52:06] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[52:07] These are two non-negotiables for me moving forward. I must work with Jill forever on what we do. Like if you do something different, I'm coming.
Speaker 3:
[52:19] Right. If we both become circus artists, it's what we're both doing.
Speaker 1:
[52:24] I'm coming. I have to be able to work from home at the circus.
Speaker 3:
[52:28] But now, we are just merging. Now, we both live in St. Pete. Now, we both have a podcast. We both have an office. We both are pursuing the same education and certification.
Speaker 1:
[52:38] We're both moving into the same room.
Speaker 3:
[52:44] Oh, but that's, I mean, eight years in and to be like, the next business that we do is still going to be together, that's huge. It's honestly probably why you're sticking around. You probably answered the question. I think probably is because we're truly friends, and I think that comes through.
Speaker 1:
[53:03] Yeah. People are going to be like, yeah, I think you guys feel like real friends. I don't know if you are, but you feel like it. You're like good actors. I'm not actually a good actor at all. You can read my face very instantly. Whatever is in reality.
Speaker 3:
[53:19] Yeah. Well, thank you everyone for being here. Again, of course, this was a celebratory episode, so we know this one's not going to get a lot of views or listens, but those of you who have been here, it's because you really care about the podcast. And maybe it has helped you and you want to weigh in. So please do. Please weigh in. Give us your feedback in the YouTube comments. So yeah, it is going to require you audio-only listeners to pop over and answer these things in the YouTube. Doesn't mean that that's where you now have to consume Frugal Friends. It's just how we're going to hear what you have to say. And one of the ways that we hear what you have to say is through your kind reviews of our book, Buy What You Love Without Going Broke. This one comes from-
Speaker 1:
[54:04] Don't ask if we have another book coming out. Yeah. Yeah. The answer is no.
Speaker 3:
[54:08] No, we're working on our CFP. That's our next baby. This one comes from Frugal Friend number 12397.
Speaker 1:
[54:17] 12,397.
Speaker 3:
[54:19] We've got so many of you.
Speaker 1:
[54:20] We do.
Speaker 3:
[54:22] This says, helping me save. I have read several finance books in the last few years. Now that I am an independent adult learning how to enjoy life, while also saving and investing for my future. I think this book was a great resource and addition to my financial knowledge brain. As someone who has followed the Frugal Friends email chain for a while, I feel that the book took the things I have learned simply from the emails and dove even deeper into some great tips for me to enjoy life, and not deprive myself while also being responsible. I actually am moving apartment soon and feel that some things I learn in this book are going to help me discern better and plan better for how to make my move and decorate to my liking without breaking the bank. I am glad I read it. Thank you, authors.
Speaker 1:
[55:08] Well, thank you, Frugal Friend number 12,397. That is about how many listeners we get per episode. So that could be you. It could be the last download. And if you have enjoyed the show, read the book, benefited from Frugal Friends at all, the best ways that you can help us is help us spread this message of conscious consumption and intentional consumption further and wider. Let's normalize this. Let's let this be the way we operate on autopilot and not the other way that has not been working for us. And so the best way you can help us spread that message, subscribe to the channel, leave a review for the book on Amazon, and leave a comment on this video with what you would like to see, because I'm sure if you would like to see it, there are like 10 other people who would like to see it too. So we do give weight to people who share their feedback. Wow.
Speaker 3:
[56:17] See you next time. Bye.
Speaker 1:
[56:21] Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni.
Speaker 3:
[56:34] Jen.
Speaker 1:
[56:35] Jill.
Speaker 3:
[56:37] We have nearly outlasted the average marriage in the US.
Speaker 1:
[56:48] Well, I think one of our strengths is that we're also, we've also both been married, like, 10 plus years.
Speaker 3:
[56:54] Is that what leads to us being able to? The average length of a marriage, oh no, okay, the average length of a marriage that ends in a divorce is approximately eight to nine years. Okay. However, the median duration for all marriages, including those that end in death, is 20 to 22. All right. Got more to go.
Speaker 4:
[57:15] Okay.
Speaker 1:
[57:16] Wow. That's a, that's a lot of commitment. Even Travis and I didn't say till death do us part. We gave each other 50 years at our way.
Speaker 4:
[57:25] We were like, let's really, really in your vows.
Speaker 1:
[57:29] Yeah. I think we might have said to, I think we might have said the traditional vows. We did our own vows too. But we were just joking the whole night. Do you like, we're going to give this a good 50 years and see what happens.
Speaker 4:
[57:41] That's so funny.
Speaker 1:
[57:43] Yeah.
Speaker 4:
[57:43] Okay.
Speaker 3:
[57:43] So how old would you be 50 years from the age that you got married?
Speaker 1:
[57:48] 76.
Speaker 3:
[57:48] Okay. I mean, you'd still be in your prime at 76. No, you really could start over.
Speaker 1:
[57:54] Is what I'm thinking.
Speaker 3:
[57:57] That's how you're pre-planning it.
Speaker 1:
[57:59] Yeah. Yeah. So we'll see. Yeah. Well, we'll see what happens.
Speaker 3:
[58:05] I could see us being together for 20 years.
Speaker 1:
[58:09] I think especially if there is a time. So I don't know if I want to be online forever is the thing. I love this podcast and I love what we talk about. But when I think about whether I want to be doing it in 10 years, I'm not sure.
Speaker 3:
[58:26] We might not be relevant anymore.
Speaker 1:
[58:28] Yeah, I don't know. But I do want to be working with you.
Speaker 4:
[58:32] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[58:33] Because it's the only way I can nail you down.
Speaker 7:
[58:35] You're so busy.
Speaker 4:
[58:36] Stop it.
Speaker 3:
[58:37] That's not true. I am so available. You just have kids that you have to put to bed. I know.
Speaker 1:
[58:41] I'm unavailable is the thing. Yeah. So I realized that I'm almost out of that phase though.
Speaker 3:
[58:49] And then you're going to be imbedded in the community. I'm imbedded with everyone in the community.
Speaker 1:
[58:56] I think you're reading it wrong.
Speaker 3:
[58:57] I take it back. I take it back. It didn't land well.
Speaker 1:
[59:00] Yeah. When I'm 76, Jill, I'm waiting till I'm 76.
Speaker 3:
[59:04] Right. Yes.
Speaker 1:
[59:05] But before then, I'll just be hanging out with people in the community.
Speaker 3:
[59:12] That is weird to acknowledge. For how long we've had business together, we will probably be hanging out when we're 76. What will we be like?
Speaker 1:
[59:23] The same.
Speaker 3:
[59:25] We're not changing. We're locked in.
Speaker 1:
[59:27] Yeah.
Speaker 3:
[59:27] This is it now for the rest of life.
Speaker 1:
[59:29] This is what you get. This is what I have always been, and this is what I will always be like.
Speaker 3:
[59:36] How many years retired do you think we will be by the time we're 76?
Speaker 1:
[59:42] Probably 16.
Speaker 3:
[59:44] That was quick math.
Speaker 1:
[59:45] Or 14.
Speaker 3:
[59:48] Do you think you'll retire 60, 62? Nope, that's not how that math works. 64?
Speaker 1:
[59:57] I will go around the age Social Security becomes available to me, if it is available to me. But we'll see. Life is short. And it's long.
Speaker 3:
[60:12] And it's long. I think life is long, yeah. We have decades of career left.
Speaker 1:
[60:17] Yeah.
Speaker 3:
[60:18] And that feels daunting, but we're going to do it. How many more times will we change what we do? Because we were also talking about this. You have a master's degree and we're certified acupuncturists. Me too. I'm still a licensed clinical social worker, which required thousands of hours of experience, supervision, an exam, board certified, and I'm just like, yeah, I could have my own practice, but now I'm going to go do this other thing that requires thousands of hours of experience, education, exam.
Speaker 1:
[60:52] You'll use your LCSW way more in practice as a CSP.
Speaker 3:
[60:56] Yeah. It still will serve me. But it makes me wonder, will I try and reinvent myself again?
Speaker 1:
[61:01] Yeah. Throw them a plot twist.
Speaker 3:
[61:03] Yeah.
Speaker 1:
[61:04] We'll see.
Speaker 3:
[61:05] I don't know. Right now, I feel tired. Right now, I feel like if I get the CFP, somebody stop me. We're done setting for exams.
Speaker 1:
[61:11] I'll stop you.
Speaker 3:
[61:12] Okay.
Speaker 1:
[61:12] I'll stop you for sure. I'll put some sourdough starter in front of you, and you'll forget all about it.
Speaker 3:
[61:17] Oh, that is all I want to do. I just want to make pretzels and English muffins and focaccia.
Speaker 1:
[61:23] And I want to eat them.
Speaker 3:
[61:25] I'm hungry. Let's go eat.