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Do you like the idea of decluttering but find it difficult to get started? Sometimes we need to weave a little fun and creativity into this process to help us find motivation. On this episode we're exploring some unique ways to tidy up our living spaces.  Sponsors:  The Frugal Friends Workbook Flash Sale! FFWB a digital workbook with 6 week-long challenges that turn improving your finances into a game. You’ll get 60 pages of teaching and implementation guidance on topics ranging from decluttering and increasing your income to having healthy conversations about money. And while it can be completed on your own, it’s created to be gone through in pairs or small groups that’s why every purchase comes with two downloads. Head to Frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook to learn more and this week only you can get the workbook for 40% off. That is the lowest we’ve ever offered it for so if you’ve been thinking, now is your chance. No code needed that’s frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook Hand-Me-Downs - as the middle child in my family I survived off of my sisters (or any one else's for that matter) used clothing/toys/furnishings (...probably food) you name it! I used to hate, but like anything that sticks around long enough I began to grow a fondness and understanding for it. Hand-me-downs: it’s not what you want, it’s what you need Other episodes on minimalism and decluttering: 61- How to Achieve Digital Minimalism 69- Create a Fulfilling Minimalist Lifestyle 99- Contentment, Gratitude, & Flexible Minimalism in Frugality 109- How to Maintain a Minimalist Lifestyle Notable Notes: What the internet has to say: This article from The Mostly Simple Life gives us some great ideas on how to make decluttering fun What Jen + Jill have to say: 1. Take before and after pictures: it’s fun to see the transformation, and it’s very motivating! 2. Set a timer  3. Do it with a friend 4. Compete (with spouse, roommate, etc) 5. Do a declutter challenge (find one that resonates with you on pinterest) - a few common themes are decluttering a certain room, or getting rid of X amount of items 6. Listen to a great audiobook or podcast ;) 7. Sell things! (for fun money... or another financial goal) 8. Give yourself a reward More from the Internet: This article from Sloww gives us some more tips on simple ways to approach decluttering and incorporate this into our regular frugal routine More from Jen + Jill: Getting rid of something every month One time use 90/90 rule Reverse hanger trick BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Jess from Victoria Australia for sharing your internet bill and how you negotiated your bill to $15 less for the same amount of data! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill Lightning Round  One thing you need to get rid of. Jen- snorkeling gear, bowling ball Jill - lamps Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

We have lots of debt payoff stories highlighted on this podcast, and are particularly looking forward to sharing Lydia's story with you all! For those working off of low incomes, or single incomes we hope this interview is particularly inspiring and helps to break down barriers to achieving debt freedom! Sponsors:  Financial Freedom Fast Track. If you want to stop yo-yo dieting with your money and pay off more debt consistently in 2021 then today is your last day to join financial freedom fast track. I designed this course specifically for people on multi-year debt payoff journeys with strategies I don’t hear anyone else talking about, weekly coaching calls, and an off-Facebook accountability group. So if you are ready to commit to debt freedom this year head to modernfrugality.com/enroll to learn more and sign up TODAY!    leftovers. They’re calling out to us from the fridge, begging us to not crowd them with another food item that renders them even more obsolete, unseen, and forgotten in the back. They also want to remind us that they can be repurposed into a soup, salad, or casserole...we know, we know... casseroles are the worst, but for our sponsor today it’s better than nothing. Leftovers: using them up is the kind and frugal way. Notable Notes: We asked all about her families debt journey and how they paid off $36K of debt on just 1 income: What was your debt from and what was the moment that led you to say enough is enough? Student loan, credit card, medical debt Had been in car accident while pregnant and the lack of financial freedom was quite difficult! This is was the launching point towards working at becoming debt free What were the highest impact things you did to pay off your debt? Get current on your bills Moved to area with lower cost of living - and lived in more affordable house - ‘geo-hacking’  Extreme frugality - no going out to eat, not paying for entertainment What was the hardest thing/change/experience during those two years? Lots of transition and chaos Having a Baby Moving Cared for self by finding an outlet of helping others Looking back on it is there anything you would've done differently? Give self more time - lessen stress of ‘it needs to happen NOW’ Listen to the right messages - less shame filled voices BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Lydia for sharing your bill about your garbage and not paying your bill for 6months ;) If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill Lightning Round What financial freedom has afforded us Lydia - Free reign to respond to need and give to others Jen - Travis voluntarily cutting salary for 3 months Jill - hosting LOTS of people in my home Get more from Lydia: Find Lydia Senn on youtube and instagram frugaldebtfreelife.com Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

We know becoming debt free is a worthwhile goal, and once we've bought in to the idea it's a quick jump to the question: 'how do I pay off this debt as quickly as possible?!' On this episode we're talking about some strategies and approaches that can help make big dents in our payoff journey. Sponsors:  3 Secrets For Creating A Debt Payoff Plan You’ll Actually Stick To: Over at Modern Frugality my goal this year is to help people stick to their debt free journey and make it as short as possible. I want you to pay off your debt as fast as possible but I want you to do it in a way you don’t feel suffocated by frugality. So I am kicking off that initiative free live class this Sunday, January 10 at 8pm EST with 3 strategies you can implement this week to create a debt payoff plan that’s more than just a new years resolution, it’s a plan you can sustain. And I don’t hear many people talk about the importance of these points so I’m calling them secrets. It also sounds cooler. So If you want to learn the 3 Secrets For Creating A Debt Payoff Plan You’ll Actually Stick To head to modernfrugality.com/training to register and even if you can’t join us live, still register because I’ll be sending the replay the morning after. That’s modernfrugality.com/training and I will see you Sunday! Going Fast: If you’ve got the need for speed - this sponsor is for you! Going fast wants to remind us that while it is exhilarating to feel the wind in our hair, there are some things to consider before you jump on that merry go round and start yelling ‘FASTER!’ - are you buckled in? Are your belongings secure? Are you aware of the risk of injury. Going fast - when you’re prepared for it, it’s almost always better than going slow Notable Notes: What the Internet has to say: This article from Money Under 30 gives us tips on the mindset necessary and some tools for getting out of debt more quickly What Jen + Jill have to say: Confront it Earn enough to get out Tools- debt consolidation  Change the behaviors that got you thereMight mean some extreme things (especially related to school) Tools to help: Balance transfer (some pitfalls: need excellent credit, need to not get into MORE debt) Credit counseling and debt management National foundation for credit counseling Accredited debt relief More from the Internet: This article from Every Dollar provides us with some of the easiest ways to pay off debt quickly More from Jen + Jill: Write down all your debt Save $1,000 Never go back Make a budget Create a debt payoff plan Celebrate along the way BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Brittany for sharing your bill about how you paid your entire 6month insurance up front AND saved some money in the process! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill Lightning Round One thing no one told you about paying off debt Jen- my friendships would change Jill - that I could do this - it was a worthwhile goal Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

There's many ways to approach budgeting, and finding a way that works for us that is also simple is our aim! We're revisiting a previous favorite episode to explore some minimal budgeting approaches - listen in! Sponsors:  Frugal Friends Workbook. If you want to do better with your finances this year but you already know you’re not going to turn your life upside down to do it then check out The Frugal Friends Workbook. It’s a digital workbook with 6 week-long challenges that turn improving your finances into a game. In addition to the challenges you’ll get 60 pages of teaching and implementation guidance and while it can be completed on your own, it’s created to be gone through in pairs or small groups that’s why every purchase comes with two downloads. Head to Frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook to learn more and use the code TACOBELL (all one word) to get $10 off the regular price. No-spend challenges! I have a best-selling book on Amazon titled The No-Spend Challenge Guide and before frugal Friends that was the thing that I was known for. So to say I am a fan of what a no-spend challenge can do for your saving and spending is a massive understatement. I am obsessed. A no-spend challenge is a block of time that forces you to step back from the money routines and habits your brain has been falling back on and gives you the opportunity to make changes. You will hate it. It will be the worst but you will learn so much about yourself and your spending. And over at Modern Frugality I am hosting a free live 7-day no-spend challenge where you will get trainings, insights, and accountability for seven days straight. It starts TODAY Jan, 1 And you can join anytime over the 7-days and get access to everything in the group so come join us modernfrugality.com/challenge and I will see you there. Notable Notes: What the Internet has to say:This article from Savvy Savers Academy lays the foundation for 'why' having a budget is a good thing. Most of us are on board with budgets being helpful - but this is a helpful argument in case you need a reminder ;) What Jen and Jill have to say: We agree with the point that budgets are glorified 'plans' for our money. Follow through can be difficult, but we have found that when we're not planning we actually have anxiety about spending on anything, even things we need! Budgeting gives you a peace of mind on current spending and future living A good way to start is to track your spendingtry mint A budget gives control and freedom to spend More from the Internet:This article from Student Loan Hero outlines 5 different budgeting methods and how to incorporate them into your financial planning. More from Jen and Jill Jen uses a zero based or pay-yourself-first method so they can put the highest percentage possible to debt and savings Jen likes the idea of the envelope system and it works great for people like Allison of Inspired Budget who we had on the podcast (Episode 18), but it’s not for her Here are the different budgeting methods: Zero-based Pay-self first Envelope system 50/30/20 No budget BILL OF THE WEEK -  Thank you Jocelyn for your bill! We appreciate our long time listeners - and we enjoyed the movie reference! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill Ways to Stick to Your Budget - Tips from the Frugal Friends Community! Sage gets paid the first of the month and will pay all her bills and debt right away then spend whatever’s left. And the key to her success in that is leaving her credit cards at home! Amia plans out the whole month in advance but gets paid bi-weekly so she sets her bills to come out on each of her paydays. And she also keeps the last credit card she hasn’t cut up at home. Christine uses two checking accounts so all of her monthly bills come out of one and she uses the other for spending. This is good if you don’t have the option of paying everything on 1 or 2 particular days. Juvy uses the Mint app to track her budget because she gets notifications when she’s nearing her limit. Apps are a great way to bring your budget with you. I also like HoneyFi it’s a similar budgeting app for couples. Whitney uses EveryDollar and Ashley uses YNAB, all can be configured with the zero-based budget. Sue reminds us to prioritize sinking funds in our budgets so we’re not surprised by those often forgettable or unpredictable annual or biannual expenses. Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

It's the Frugal Friends Holiday Special! We are thrilled to release this episode Christmas day 2020 and there's no better way to celebrate than by sharing YOUR best frugal tips. Listen in as callers share their favorite ways to practice frugality.Sponsors: Not suing us: Because we don’t want to be sued. Notable Notes: A big thank you to all who called in and shared some great frugal tips! Here's the compilation of money saving ideas: -Kathy in Virginia: Shopping for groceries at Aldi, saved $100 per week!-Mackenzie: move to reusable instead disposable - swap here and there if not able to make changes 100%-Patty in Alberta Canada: Don’t go shopping! Not using shopping as entertainment can save loads of money! -Colleen: be prepared! Check your bag before leaving the house, make a list! Save yourself from last minute purchases!-Kathryn from Arkansas: watching others declutter on youtube has provided motivation to do this herself! AND they used a balance transfer credit card to pay off debt in 21 months-Natalie from Nova Scotia: found $40,000 in grandmothers name - heard the tip on our money hacks episode! Bill of the Week - Our Frugal Friends bill to purchase balloons to celebrate 1 million downloads of this podcast is our favorite bill this week! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill This bill is sponsored by Green Chef - a meal kit delivery service that is a USDA certified organic company with recipes for Paleo, Keto, and Plant-Powered diet all including a variety of organic ingredients. Go to GreenChef.com/frugal80 and use code frugal80 for $80 off and free shipping. Lightning Round TOP 10 EPISODEs OF 2020:-Personal Finance Basics-Money Hacks w/Lisa Rowen-How a No Spend Month Can Help Your Finances-How to make budgeting work for you w/Rachel Cruze-Why you need a budget w/Jesse Mecham-Reducing Food Waster w/Debt Kickin Mom -Frugal Self Care-How to Transition from Spender to Saver-Tips for Creating a Capsule Wardrobe -How to Cut Back on Emotional Spending w/Leslie Tain Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Perspective and our own internal narrative represents one of our biggest barriers to achieving financial goals. On this episode we are exploring some of the most common limiting beliefs and how to shift our mindset and thought patterns to see real progress along our frugal journey. Sponsors:  Frugal Friends Workbook.If you’re starting to think about how you’re going to do better with your finances in the new year but you already know you’re not going to make acomplete 180 degree life change then check out The Frugal Friends Workbook. It’s a digital workbook with 6 week-long challenges that turn improving your finances into a game. In addition to the challenges you’ll get 60 pages of teaching and implementation guidance and while it can be completed on your own, it’s created to be gone through in pairs or small groups that’s why every purchase comes with two downloads. Head to Frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook to learn more and use the code TACOBELL (all one word) to get $10 off the regular price. Childhood. Ah that nostalgic period where you may have had to make your bed but you didn’t have to pay bills. Your childhood wants you to know that you may be an adult but it’s still around. Creepin in the crevices of your brain, waiting until an Nsync song comes on the radio or you see 90’s fashion come back in style. Everything else was a dumpster fire this year why not fashion too? Like fashion, you may have thought you had good ideas at the time but learned later that you were wrong. So let your childhood remind you that thoughts are flexible and you can change them at anytime. Childhood, the things you thought when you were 7, 17, or even 27 may not be accurate today.    Notable Notes: What the Internet has to say: This article from Business Insider provides us with a list of common negative thoughts about money.  What Jen + Jill have to say: 1. “I don’t make enough to save’ 5. ‘I will never pay off my school loans’ 6 - i will never make as much as ‘so-and-ao’ 7. I will only make so much money in my field 10. Money is bad 11- not checking credit card/budget because I don’t want to know 12. i’ve made too many money mistakes to ever recover More from the Internet: This article from Psychology Today provides us with a few simple steps to identify and step out of limiting beliefs. More from Jen + Jill: List of common cognitive distortions at Psych Central 1. Identify and write out what your limiting belief or cognitive is 2. Acknowledge that the limiting belief is not truth 3. Try out a different belief by replacing the limiting belief with something more beneficial and helpful 4. Choose a different action associated with the new thought BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Allison for sharing your bill about non-routine expenses and how you save for it monthly If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill This bill is sponsored by FundRise - An investing platform that makes investing in high-quality, high-potential real estate as easy as investing in mutual funds. Their team of real estate professionals carefully vets and actively manages all of their real estate projects. And makes it easy to track your portfolio’s performance and watch as properties across the country are acquired, improved, and operated via asset updates. So if you want to add real estate to your portfolio visit fundrise.com/frugal to get your first NINETY days of advisory fees waived and start building your better portfolio with Fundrise today! Lightning Round Our limiting beliefs and how we overcame/ are working on them Jill- ‘i’m poor’ - recognizing what real poverty is and looking at reality and where I want to be  Jen-  scarcity mindset. My worth is tied to my income. Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

In case we all need a bit more motivation and encouragement to keep working towards our debt-free goals we're reminding ourselves of the top reasons to get out of debt and looking at some compelling statistics to help us realize this is possible! Sponsors:  Debt-Freedom Roadmap- It’s not too early to start thinking about your 2021 financial goals especially if one of those goals is debt freedom! Over at Modern Frugality I have created a Debt Freedom Roadmap to help you see where you’re at on the road to debt and financial freedom, make sure you’ve hit all your major landmarks, and what various detours might look like. If you want a little more clarity about the financial road ahead visit modernfrugality.com/debtfree to get your free roadmap. ME telling you all about my dear friend Jenna Ball - jenna has been a friend of mine since the 10th grade and like any good and refined thing she has only gotten better and cooler over the decades! she is a woman of class, character, competence, care, kindness, generosity, intelligence, and humor! You just need to know this because recently I used an example about boundaries from an experience in our friendship years ago. I never mentioned her name - but she knew it was about her. And this is certainly not the thing to know about her! She doesn’t shrink back from anything - including calling me out on using her as example on a recent episode about setting boundaries.  Notable Notes: What the Internet has to say: This article from Money Crashers lists out some compelling reasons to get out of debt ASAP! What Jen + Jill have to say: 1. More free income 3. Less risk - “you’re always just one financial blow away from disaster” 4. Better credit score 5. Better job prospects (or at least more rewarding!) - “You feel a lot more motivated to work harder when you get to keep the money you make, rather than spending it all on debt payments. And if you’ve been stuck in a job you hate because you needed the money to pay those credit card bills, paying off the debt frees you to look for a new job that’s more rewarding.” 6. Less stress 10. Fewer illnesses - ‘people with high levels of debt-related stress are more than three times as likely to suffer from ulcers and other digestive problems as people with lower debt stress.’ 14. Better relationship More from the Internet: This information from Debt.com provides us with some personal finance stats on the average American household; some of which may inspire us to get rid of our debt for good! More from Jen + Jill: These stats move us to believe that getting out of debt is more attainable than we may think "In 2016 the average household earned $74,664. Average expenditures were $57,311, leaving $17,353 in free cash flow” Median is $68,000." “A Gallup poll found only about 1/3 of Americans (32%) maintain a household budget.”  “Only 30% of Americans have a long-term financial plan that includes savings and investment goals You’re most likely to budget if you make at least $75,000 per year The average American spends less than 4.5 hours a year with scheduled time on their calendar for finances, according to Calendar.com.” A separate 2017 survey by Career Builder found more than three-fourths of U.S. workers they surveyed struggled to make ends meet. “Americans spend $1,048 on holiday decorations, food, gifts, and shipping costs.” low income is not always to blame for financial hardship. Only 1 in 5 people (20%) facing financial hardship fall below the poverty line and make less than $40,000 per year BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Samara from Rhode Island for sharing your bill about family members named Bill If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill This bill is sponsored by Busuu - a language learning app that teaches 12 of the world’s most popular languages including Spanish, French, and Italian. You can practice your new skills immediately with native speakers of the language you’re learning and you can help people learn English! Start learning with Busuu by visiting busuu.com and use code FRUGAL for 30% off Busuu Premium Lightning Round Turning points: why paying off debt was important to you and when you realized it was possible to pay it off. Jen-  My debt was a mental and emotional burden. It was a source of depression. So much so that I compartmentalized it and hid from it. So it didn’t become important to me until it was important to my fiance. Jill- don’t think there has been a time I ever felt comfortable ‘owing’ people something. BUT seeing the bill for the first time - reality struckKnew I would pay it off and just thought it would take me FOREVER!! It was overwhelming to me to graduate college and realize the amount of money I owed, the interest that would be collected, and the wage I was making (literally made me sick to my stomach!) Jen- I didn’t realize it was possible until we put everything on the table and really inspected the numbers. Jill- As my wage increased it became more and more apparent that I could pay off debt quicker than I realized Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

We imagine right now more than ever people are discouraged about their finances and trying to just get stable; not even thinking about becoming a millionaire! BUT we believe that when we shift our mindset to believe our financial situation can improve, things change! For this reason, we've invited Chris Hogan from Ramsey Solutions on the show to help us shift our mindset by debunking some common myths that may be holding you back from believing wealth is possible for you.  Sponsors:  Frugal Friends Workbook. If you’re starting to think about how you’re going to do better with your finances in the new year but you already know you’re not going to make a complete 180 degree life change then check out The Frugal Friends Workbook. It’s a digital workbook with 6 week-long challenges that turn improving your finances into a game. In addition to the challenges you’ll get 60 pages of teaching and implementation guidance and while it can be completed on your own, it’s created to be gone through in pairs or small groups that’s why every purchase comes with two downloads. Head to Frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook to learn more and use the code TACOBELL (all one word) to get $10 off the regular price. Money! Yes, it’s what makes the world and this podcast go ‘round! There are a few things money wants the Frugal Friends to clear up right now. First, money wants to be your friend, she wants to hang out with you so please stop sending her away like she’s a door-to-door salesman on Saturday morning. Second, money is looking for you. She knows you want more and she’s trying to bring friends but when you keep her trapped in a check account, or worse sending her away, her friends will follow her. So please, for money’s sake, keep her nearby and let her grow.  Notable Notes: We asked Chris Hogan all about the top 3 myths surrounding what it takes to be a millionaire: What is a millionaire and why should you want to be one?being an 'everyday millionaire’ doesn't have to be everyone's goal, but it is possible for your assets to equal more than 1 million! Myth 1: Wealthy people get lucky and make risky investments.Not doing bit coin - using 401K, 403B, Roth IRA Myth 2: Rich people have high-paying jobs or high-level positions. Dont need a 6-figure salary ⅓ of millionaires did NOT have Myth 3: Millionaires come from wealthy families.80% of millionaires did not inherit a dime BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Chris for sharing your favorite bill - Bill Cronan - football coach from college who pushed you to be better If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill This bill was sponsored by PolicyGenius: Shopping for insurance can seem like a daunting task, but Policygenius makes it easy and saves their home & auto customers an average of $1,127 a year. They do the hard work for you by finding the lowest quotes from over 30 top insurers. Head to Policygenius.com right now to get started and make sure you’re getting the best rates on your home and auto insurance. Lightning Round If I were a rich girl… What’s that thing you can’t justify buying but would definitely get if money were no object. Chris-Harley Davidson 2020 road king Jill- My husband wanted a used water feature originally from restoration hardware (could have avoided some marital tension if money were no object ;)) Jen- Aldi wine advent calendar Get more from Chris Hogan at chrishogan360.com Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

We believe frugality is a means to an end, not the end itself. We all have our 'whys' for being frugal and for us a big reason is the room it provides for generosity. Join us as we explore ways to maximize our financial giving. Sponsors:  Debt Free Christmas Planner- Every year you have the best intentions about controlling your holiday spending and every year you forget something. That’s why Jen made this FREE Christmas planner to help you  record every cost and stay on budget this holiday season. This planner will help you keep track of your spending on family traditions, recipes, dinners and parties, gifts and more to make sure you don’t miss anything. Then use the 2021 planning chart to make sure you’re on track to saving the right amount next year! If this sounds like something you need head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/holiday to get your free planner. It’s better to give than receive: we’re over the moon that an entire phrase has sponsored this episode! We despised hearing this as young kids when we just really wanted some presents; but as we enter into adulthood we recognize that giving has some amazing benefits too! No one is entirely altruistic - so give and get some of those warm fuzzy feels that come from helping another human. Notable Notes: What the internet has to say: This article from Life Water provides us with tips on ways to identify where and how to give, while determining how to maximize your financial contributions. What Jen + Jill have to say: Find an organization that aligns with your values and populations you desire to help Participate in a non-profits work; consider not just financial gifts, but also giving of your time Consider long term impact; learn about how the organization you desire to give to is creating long term change and solutions More from the Internet: This article from Charity Navigator provides tangible steps in finding places to give financial, and what to look for in non-profits More from Jen + Jill: 1. Be proactive in giving 2. Research your giving 3. Discuss results and impact 4. Consider the way you give (1x vs. monthly, etc) 5. Follow your investment BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Shawnee from South Carolina for binge listening to this podcast AND sharing your bill about how you canceled your direct TV bill to save $110/month!! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill FundRise: An investing platform that makes investing in high-quality, high-potential real estate as easy as investing in mutual funds. Their team of real estate professionals carefully vets and actively manages all of their real estate projects. And makes it easy to track your portfolio’s performance and watch as properties across the country are acquired, improved, and operated via asset updates. So if you want to add real estate to your portfolio visit fundrise.com/frugal to get your first NINETY days of advisory fees waived and start building your better portfolio with Fundrise today! Lightning Round Our 2021 charitable giving goals Jen- I just signed up to donate $50 a month to A Door of Hope. I want to give more to support foster families and kids experiencing trauma as a result of separation. Jill- we give 10% of income. Plan to continue doing this. And hope to be generous in our hosting of people Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Tis the season for purchasing new TV's, phones, tablets, and more but buying new and impulsively can cost a lot of money! On this episode we're talking about what to buy, when to buy new, and tips for saving on electronics. Sponsors:  Debt Free Christmas Planner- If you have the best intentions about controlling your holiday spending but every year it feels like you forget something Jen has made a FREE Christmas planner to help you record every cost and stay on budget this holiday season. This planner will help you keep track of your spending on family traditions, recipes, dinners and parties, gifts and more to make sure you don’t miss anything. Then use the 2021 planning chart to make sure you’re on track to saving the right amount next year! If this sounds like something you need head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/holiday to get your free planner. Craigslist Posts: Before Facebook marketplace and eBay, there was Craigslist. Remember the free section, missed connections, buying and selling in sketchy places just to make or save a quick buck. Craigslist posts want you to remember where you came from. And yeah you may be able to rate buyers and sellers and stalk their Facebook profiles before you meet them now but where’s the adventure in that? Craigslist posts they’re still around, if you’re ever desperate. Check out more info about Black Friday deals with our episode about whether Black Friday actually save you money Ep 30 Notable Notes: What the Internet has to say: This article from Take It Personel-ly lists out 7 ways to save money on electronics What Jen + Jill have to say: “The best deals come when you have the time to do your homework” 1. Consider the time of year; best time to purchase electronics is the end of year and January 2. Purchase older versions 3. Shop around! 4. Consider what you really need 5. Trade in or sell old electronicsLink to episode on selling electronics 6. Go middle of the roadCheck out www.wirecutter.com for middle of the road items 7. Ask for pricing discounts More from the Internet: This article from The Balance Everyday provides us with helpful tips on what we need to look for when purchasing used electronics More from Jen + Jill: Research the model Look for external damage When possible, buy certified  Perform a test Test with your accessoriesBonus: contact manufacturer to see if the serial number has been reported as stolen BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Johanna from Miami for sharing your bill about your $75 co-pay for ultrasound! What an incredible gift to 'meet' your unborn child! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill Lightning Round Extensions to download to save you time and money Honey- you can track price history for up to 6 months and add an item to your Droplist and get a notification when the price drops to a certain price. It also tries coupons from all over the internet. On top of that, when you use honey you get gold points that you can redeem for gift cards and if you sign up through frugalfriendspodcast.com/honey you’ll get 500 bonus gold points which equals $5 toward a gift card! Paribus- tracks delivery and price drops at over a dozen stores but I use it for Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. and if it finds a price drop at the store you purchased or is delivered outside the delivery window the item at Paribus will contact the seller to file a claim and get you a price match or whatever money it can get you. Many retailers are extending their price match policies for the holidays and we all know how inconsistent package delivery can be so this is a great one to have. paribus.co Rakuten- get cash back on you online purchases and if you’re not using it already you’ll get $10 bonus cash back after your first $25 purchase at a store that offers cash back when you sign up at frugalfriendspodcast.com/rakuten unroll.me- it rolls up all your promotion emails into one daily email that you can get in the morning, afternoon, or evening, your choice. I’ve used it for years, love it. It keeps my inbox cleaner so I can still be part of newsletters I want to be part of but I don’t have to look at them if I don’t want to and there will be a lot of promo emails going out through the end of the year. Don’t forget to visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/holiday to get your free Debt Free Christmas Planner so you can keep your holiday shopping on budget. Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

We've got one of our archived favs making another appearance! This conversation with Kristin about pairing down in our kitchens not only helps to free up brain space and reduce stress, but, you guessed it...it's frugal! Listen in for tips on how you can make your kitchen functional AND minimal! Sponsors:  Debt Free Christmas Planner- Every year you have the best intentions about controlling your holiday spending and every year you forget something. That’s why Jen made this FREE Christmas planner to help you  record every cost and stay on budget this holiday season. This planner will help you keep track of your spending on family traditions, recipes, dinners and parties, gifts and more to make sure you don’t miss anything. Then use the 2021 planning chart to make sure you’re on track to saving the right amount next year! If this sounds like something you need head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/holiday to get your free planner. The essentials - all the essential people and things have gathered together to sponsor this show; the nurses, the grocery store clerks, the toilet paper, the bottled waters and so many more have united to say; ’you’re welcome, AND we’re tired’. The essentials: let’s keep valuing and being grateful for them! Also check out these episodes related to kitchens and groceries! EP 70 - Grocery Store Sales Cycles EP 92 - Reducing Food Waste w/ Debt Kickin Mom This episode was also sponsored by Namecheap; the world’s 2nd largest domain registrar. Namecheap offers hundreds of domain extensions, from the traditional .com to country-specific, like .us, or profession-specific, like .design. We think it’s super important to own the domain name of your side business so Namecheap is offering Frugal Friends listeners 30% off any non-premium domain name for its first year of registration. Use code FRUGAL at checkout Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

The holiday season is upon us and one of the biggest pitfalls to blowing our budgets is impulse spending! On this episode we explore how stores, whether in person or online, prey upon our tendency make impulsive purchases and what we can do avoid these traps and not overspend!  Sponsors:  Debt Free Christmas Planner- Every year you have the best intentions about controlling your holiday spending and every year you forget something. That’s why Jen made this FREE Christmas planner to help you  record every cost and stay on budget this holiday season. This planner will help you keep track of your spending on family traditions, recipes, dinners and parties, gifts and more to make sure you don’t miss anything. Then use the 2021 planning chart to make sure you’re on track to saving the right amount next year! If this sounds like something you need head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/holiday to get your free planner. 2021 - Looking for a year that won’t that won’t bring you widespread panic and global chaos? Try 2021. The holidays signal the end of the year. They actually feel like a year unto themselves so that means 2021 is just around the corner. We hope that brings you joy. 2021, We can’t make any promises but it’s probably going to be better than 2020. Maybe. Notable Notes: What the Internet has to say: This article from Square Up gives us a behind the scenes look at how companies capitalize on impulse shoppers. What Jen + Jill have to say: “impulse buying - not a pre-meditated purchase” Gamify shopping- don’t play the game, eliminate the temptation Give them a deal- stop buying things because they’re on sale! Emphasize self-care- find free ways to care for yourself Go beyond seasons greeting- businesses want to get more money out of you because it’s cheaper than finding a new customer. More from the Internet: This article from Moneyning provides us with 10 tips to avoid impulse spending over the holidays. More from Jen + Jill: Understand why you buyA.k.a. ‘Protect your vulnerabilities’ (nostalgia, clearance, desire to be the best aunt ever!) Shop alone - especially if swayed by your kids! Shop online - can help with distraction of other things (but keep the previous article and warnings in mind!) Translate price to hours worked - OOHHH I LOVE THIS ONE! Such a tangible way to determine if it’s worth your hard earned cash Lower your daily spending limit - this will put more checks and balances in place Don’t go hungry Use a prepaid card- gift card Walk around the store Freeze credit cards for the monthIcebox - every ‘buy button’ puts it on ice Don’t give everyone a gift! BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Becky for sharing your bill about Bill Shakespeare!! Your local library program sounds amazing! Also we love libraries too :) If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill This bill was sponsored by PolicyGenius: Shopping for insurance can seem like a daunting task, but Policygenius makes it easy and saves their home & auto customers an average of $1,127 a year. They do the hard work for you by finding the lowest quotes from over 30 top insurers. Head to Policygenius.com right now to get started and make sure you’re getting the best rates on your home and auto insurance.  Lightning Round Holiday shopping plans Jill- I have started a list already and have some inexpensive and thoughtful ideas; 1 perk of moving away is I can’t carry much with me when I visit people at the holidays!) Jen- I may indulge in Black Friday, Kai will get gifts from his birthday, everyone else will get gift cards. Don’t forget to visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/holiday to get your free Debt Free Holiday Planner so you can keep your Thanksgiving and Christmas expenses on budget. Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Whether or not you have heard of the pink tax, we can nearly guarantee you've encountered it in some way! On this episode we take a broad look at what the pink tax is, the various products and services most susceptible, and how to avoid paying extra unnecessarily. Sponsors:  Frugal Friends Workbook. Whether you’re new to budgeting or trying to reach a big financial goal and need something to motivate you, you’ll enjoy The Frugal Friends Workbook. It’s a digital workbook with 6 week-long challenges that will help you save money, simplify your life, improve money conversations, and more. It’s over 60 pages and can be completed on your own but it’s created to be gone through in pairs or small groups that’s why every purchase comes with two downloads so you can share or split the cost. Head to Frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook to learn more and use the code TACOBELL all one word to get $10 off the regular price. Under Pressure: that feeling of impending deadlines, expectations, responsibilities looming just overhead. Our sponsor today wants to warn us that things under pressure, unless ventilated, WILL explode. Under pressure: i’m no scientist but be careful Notable Notes: What the Internet has to say: This article from Bankrate explains the pink tax and some common products and services that cost more for women What Jen + Jill have to say: The pink tax is "a system of discriminatory pricing on products and services that is based on gender" and costs the average woman $1,300 a year while impacting all aspects of daily life from shopping to dry cleaning What can be done? Awareness and smarter buying are key! Women pay 92% more than men for dry cleaning dress shirts, 54% more than men for a haircut, and 13% more for personal care products (just to name a few) Feminine hygiene products are subject to sales tax in 35 states Women’s credit scores, on average, are nine points lower than men’s, even though they typically carry less debt Re-examine your beauty routine and assess spending in these various categories More from the Internet: This article from The Simple Dollar gives us a few key ways to avoid the pink tax. More from Jen + Jill: 1. Research the brands you purchase 2. Consider unisex products 3. Support companies ‘taking a stand’ 4. Be a part of eliminating the pink tax 5. Support legislation to stop the pink tax 6. Take advantage of credit card rewards - find ones that reward you for the things you purchase often BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Rachel from Kansas for sharing your hospital bill from your birth and how you called to correct an error and saved $2000!! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill FundRise: An investing platform that makes investing in high-quality, high-potential real estate as easy as investing in mutual funds. Their team of real estate professionals carefully vets and actively manages all of their real estate projects. And makes it easy to track your portfolio’s performance and watch as properties across the country are acquired, improved, and operated via asset updates. So if you want to add real estate to your portfolio visit fundrise.com/frugal to get your first NINETY days of advisory fees waived and start building your better portfolio with Fundrise today! Lightning Round Personal Pink Tax Experiences Jen- I certainly see how I save more money having a son - so many additional products are geared towards little girls Jill- When working at a group home I was unable to take a teenage girl to the barber for a $10 haircut and instead had to take her to the salon for a $45 hair cut Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Budgeting. We're never gonna stop talking about it. AND on this episode we have THE Jesse Mecham, creator and founder of the famous budgeting app 'You Need a Budget'. For those still wondering whether or not they actually need a budget, and for all the rest who benefit from more reminders and tips; listen in! Sponsors:  Frugal Friends Workbook. Whether you’re new to budgeting or trying to reach a big financial goal and need something to motivate you, you’ll enjoy The Frugal Friends Workbook. It’s a digital workbook with 6 week-long challenges that will help you save money, simplify your life, improve money conversations, and more. It’s over 60 pages and can be completed on your own but it’s created to be gone through in pairs or small groups that’s why every purchase comes with two downloads so you can share or split the cost. Head to Frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook to learn more and use the code TACOBELL all one word to get $10 off the regular price. Budgeting with Spreadsheets: Trying to calculate stuff but don’t have a calculator or app? Spreadsheets are here for you. Record all the stuff, have multiple sheets in one doc, and go crazy with those sums! be a lady in the streets but a freak in the spreadsheets. Notable Notes: We asked Jesse all about the 4 rules for successful budgeting: Give every dollar a job Consider the idea of trade offs (i.e. If i do this - I can’t do that) Recognize finite nature of your money and prioritize Budget based on your current money on hand Embrace your true expenses Look ahead to less frequent expenses Create sinking funds Roll with the punches Recognize that the future is not static Don’t anticipate perfection Change the plan as needed Recognize its a process Engage in high frequency of interaction with your budget Age your money  Budget the money you already have Let your money ‘hang out a little’ Live ahead instead of behind BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Jesse for sharing your bill about your electricity bill of $16!! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill BetterHelp: This Bill of the Week is brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers online counseling and therapy services for individuals, couples, and teens. Just answer a few questions and they’ll  assess your needs to match you with a licensed professional therapist that fits your needs and preferences. AND as a Frugal Friends listener you get 10% off your first month when you sign up at betterhelp.com/Frugal. Lightning Round Our latest budgeting flub and how we recovered Jesse- took over costco run and didn't even know how much the total bill was! Jill- not accurately estimating reno costs and timeline for fixing up the new house Jen- forgot to adjust budget to reflect ebbs and flows of work Get more from Jesse and YNAB at: YouNeedabudget.com BONUS: Jesse's Book Recommendations:-The Wealthy Barber -Your Money or Your Life - Vicki Robin -The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz -AntiFragile - Nassim Taleb  -Deep Work - Cal Newport  2. Hardest Debt to pay off: -The last one OR paying off low interest rate student loan 3. Why pay for budgeting app when you can use a free one -YNAB is proactive AND doesn’t sell your data -others are reactive, AND not actually free 4. What’s something fun about you -I have a rooster named rinaldo Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

If you've ever thought about living in an RV or trying the tiny house lifestyle, or even considered it short-term; this episode is for you! We're covering a lot of the basics regarding what should be considered before full-time RV-ing, where to park, and what to look for when purchasing an RV! Sponsors:  Frugal Friends Workbook. Whether you’re new to budgeting or trying to reach a big financial goal and need something to motivate you, you’ll enjoy The Frugal Friends Workbook. It’s a digital workbook with 6 week-long challenges that will help you save money, simplify your life, improve money conversations, and more. It’s over 60 pages and can be completed on your own but it’s created to be gone through in pairs or small groups that’s why every purchase comes with two downloads so you can share or split the cost. Head to Frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook to learn more and use the code TACOBELL all one word to get $10 off the regular price. Loopholes: finding the lesser known, but far better solution. Like when the line for the restroom goes out the door and down the hall, but YOU remember that there was another bathroom on the 2nd floor. Or when your birthday falls on leap year so you’re a good 8 years younger than the rest of your friends. Loopholes; just makes sure they’re not illegal... Notable Notes What the Internet has to say: This article from Insider gives us a list of important things to consider about full-time RV-ing What Jen + Jill have to say: The bathrooms are tiny, it's true...but the water doesn't have to get cold 5-minutes into your shower! You can upgrade your water heater system! The cooktops and stoves are often tiny, but this is another thing you can upgrade if living in the RV full-time There is no privacy! You do hear everything inside, and depending on where you're parked, there may not be privacy once you walk out of your 'home'! More from the Internet: This article from A Small Life talks about the number one question that needs to be answered when living on wheels: where to park the RV?! More from Jen + Jill: If you have your own land with appropriate hook-ups or you plan to boon-dock; parking on your own property could be an option  RV parks + mobile home communities (sometimes only seasonal) Tiny house community online has some great tips (see link in article) Jill's favorite option: backyard living (+traveling) RVshare.com RVparking.com Roadtrippers.com overnightRVparking.com Walmart BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Jacqueline from St. Louis for sharing your bill about both hitting your sisters car AND setting up recurring payments by check through paypal rather than paying fee If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill PolicyGenius Jen- Shopping for insurance can seem like a daunting task, but Policygenius makes it easy and saves their home & auto customers an average of $1,127 a year. They find the lowest quotes from over 30 top insurers. So if you’re a homeowner, head to Policygenius.com right now to get started and make sure you’re getting the best rates on your home and auto insurance. Policygenius. When it comes to insurance, it’s nice to get it right. Lightning Round What to Consider about RV living  If thinking about full-time RV-ing, Jill recommends considering the following: Whether you will travel, or remain mostly stationary Size RV you need (how many people/animals will be in the RV?) Where you will park Whether you plan to full-tim RV to save money, or for the experience Our RV Nightmares: Jen- the RV renovation fail! Jill- Our pipes froze in the cold of the northern winters! Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

We've talked about side hustles and selling our gently used items to bring in more cash and now we're introducing the idea of a side business! If this feels next level, it is. BUT we hope this episode helps give some sunlight and water to those seedling ideas that may be sprouting in your mind about putting your skills and talents to work in a way that benefits your budget big time! Sponsors:  Frugal Friends Workbook. Whether you’re new to budgeting or trying to reach a big financial goal and need something to motivate you, you’ll enjoy The Frugal Friends Workbook. It’s a digital workbook with 6 week-long challenges that will help you save money, simplify your life, improve money conversations, and more. It’s over 60 pages and can be completed on your own but it’s created to be gone through in pairs or small groups that’s why every purchase comes with two downloads so you can share or split the cost. Head to Frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook to learn more and use the code TACOBELL all one word to get $10 off the regular price. Society Against People Taking Online Surveys. Or SAPTOS for short. Searching for a way to make money on the internet? Every article you read will without a doubt recommend online surveys! You’ll spend hours trying to take surveys you won’t qualify for and more hours taking surveys you’ll get paid pennies for. And you’ll learn nothing about yourself. At SAPTOS we urge you, If you see online surveys as a suggestion for how to make more money, close the tab immediately. A future episode will be about negotiating raises, job hopping, and making more in the workplace. Today is about what mindset shifts do we need to make and what strategies can we use to make more money. Notable Notes: What the Internet has to say: This article from Hack The Entrepreneur gives us the top tips for shifting our mindset to think like an entrepreneur What Jen + Jill have to say: Decisiveness  Accountability  Humility Confidence Resilience  More from the Internet: This article from Entrepreneur provides some unique ideas of ways to make the most of $100 from some of the top business leaders More from Jen + Jill: Buy or flip - find out what it’s worth and best place to sell Test before you invest - test out your idea (ex of spending $100 on FB adds to see what the interest is) Don’t forget service“The best way to drum up business with a zero marketing budget is to service the crap out of existing clients.” Sell or service Utilize your expertise It’s never about the money BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Emily for sharing your bill with us about $6 packs of light bulbs that will also save you money on your electric bill! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill This Bill of the Week is brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers online counseling and therapy services for individuals, couples, and teens. Just answer a few questions and they’ll  assess your needs to match you with a licensed professional therapist that fits your needs and preferences. AND as a Frugal Friends listener you get 10% off your first month when you sign up at betterhelp.com/Frugal. Lightning Round How we started our side business ventures Jill- selling road side plants! Jen- t-shirt business Jill- this podcast! Jen- self publishing Check out the side business starter kit: frugalfriendspodcast.com/sidebusiness Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

Have you ever bought something to make yourself feel better? Or splurged on something only to feel instant guilt afterward? We may not always realize it, but our spending habits are incredibly connected to our emotions; recognizing this can unlock some strategies for seeing the financial progress we desire! We're thrilled to share our conversation with Leslie about identifying our own emotional spending habits, how to curb them, and ways to engage in healthy spending patterns. Sponsors:  Budget Buster Bootcamp! B3 is Jen’s new course designed to help you stick to a budget in just one week. If you find yourself busting your budget every month then you’re definitely going to want to check it out. There are no money saving tips in here, just 5 strategies to think differently about budgeting so you can finally stick to it and do it long term. If you’ve tried budgeting and it just hasn’t worked for you then check out budgetbusterbootcamp.com to learn more and use the code FRIENDS to get 10% off! Reigning it in: whether you’re spending has gotten a little out of control OR maybe you’re being too loud at the store about how outrageous the prices are and your friend keeps shushing you - you gotta ‘reign it in’. Grab that situation by the reigns, and just pull it back a little. Notable Notes: Leslie H. Tayne, Esq. is a New York debt settlement attorney with nearly 20 years’ experience in the practice area of consumer and business financial debt-related services. She is highly accomplished in negotiation and settlements, and has gone up against large national banks, credit unions, collection agencies and multiple creditor legal representatives. We're excited to share some of our top questions and learnings from our time with Leslie! What is emotional spending?Spending on items for emotionally charged reasons rather than out of necessity or intentionality How do you identify emotions that trigger spending?Track your spending! Pay attention to what is prompting spending and how you feel before, during, and after What are some alternatives to emotional spending?Identify healthy coping strategies for some of the common emotions that could lead to unnecessary spending How can you recover if you have made an emotional purchase? Being kind to self Write down what happened Decide how you want to move forward - perspective of learning from this experience BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Leslie for sharing your bill about your recurring purchases and how you negotiated EVERY.SINGLE.ONE. If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill We also want to thank Philo for sponsoring our Bill of the Week! Philo is live and on-demand TV for just $20 a month. It’s a great way to get 60+ popular channels and can save you hundreds a month on TV—it’s the most affordable way to watch at a time when everyone could use  some entertainment in their life! Watch from your phone, laptop, tablet, or TV with Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Android TV; Philo is TV for everyone! Sign up today at philo.tv/frugal and you’ll get 25% off your first two months. Lightning Round: What type of emotional spender are you!? Find out the different types of emotional spending from this Bustle article. The Instant gratification spender Shop to escape (This is Jen and Leslie! target, aldi, etc.) Competitive spender Trying to create a “new” you Buy & Return Treat yo self’er (This one is Jill!) Stressed shopper Get more from Leslie at: Taynelaw.com IG: @Taynelawgroup  Twitter: lesliehtayneesq Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

We can often struggle to make big dents in our savings or debt payoff journey which leads to feelings of frustration and defeat. When the small spending changes aren't cutting it anymore, we might consider a no-spend challenge! We've explored doing this for a day, or a week, but on this episode we talk about challenging ourselves to not spend for an entire month! Join us as we explore how 'gamifying' finances can help us achieve the progress in our budgets we so desire!  Sponsors:  Budget Buster Bootcamp! B3 is Jen’s new course designed to help you stick to a budget in just one week. If you find yourself busting your budget every month then you’re definitely going to want to check it out. There are no money saving tips in here, just 5 strategies to think differently about budgeting so you can finally stick to it and do it long term. If you’ve tried budgeting and it just hasn’t worked for you then check out budgetbusterbootcamp.com to learn more and use the code FRIENDS to get 10% off! Spending all the money you saved. Sinking funds are essential to afford big purchases like a home, a vacation, or new windows like we’re getting right now after months and months of putting it off because seeing all that money leave your bank account is really sad. But the energy you waste with paper thin windows from the 50’s is also sad so like there’s no joy here. Spending all the money you saved. I hate to see you leave but I love to watch you lower my energy bill. Notable Notes:We're excited to share this episode from our archives. It was a much loved episode at the time, and we think it has some great reminders that are worth revisiting about how to do a no-spend month! We also want to thank Philo for sponsoring our Bill of the Week! Philo is live and on-demand TV for just $20 a month. It’s a great way to get 60+ popular channels and can save you hundreds a month on TV—it’s the most affordable way to watch at a time when everyone could use  some entertainment in their life! Watch from your phone, laptop, tablet, or TV with Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Android TV; Philo is TV for everyone! Sign up today at philo.tv/frugal and you’ll get 25% off your first two months.  Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

We've all been there; lending to friends and never seeing that money again, 'splitting the bill' when you only got a salad and a water, standing up in a wedding without realizing all the hidden costs. Whatever the situation, setting financial boundaries with friends and loved ones can be tough, but necessary! Today we talk identifying our financial boundary lines and how to draw them. Sponsors:  Budget Buster Bootcamp! B3 is my new mini course designed to help you stick to a budget in just one week. If you find yourself busting your budget every month then I made this course for you. There are no money saving tips in here, just 5 strategies to think differently about budgeting so you can finally stick to it and do it long term. If you’ve tried budgeting and it just hasn’t worked for you then check out budgetbusterbootcamp.com to learn more and use the code FRIENDS to get 10% off! Saying NO: Yup, you’ve heard this sponsor before, and they’re back to remind us that ‘no’ is an acceptable answer AND a complete sentence. Notable Notes: What the Internet has to say: This artcile from Holly Scherer dives into how to set healthy boundaries with your family  What Jen + Jill have to say: What’s mine/what’s not mine - look at the situation simplistically How to identify our boundaries: Brene Brown defines it best as she describes boundaries are essentially “what’s okay and what’s not ok” More from the Internet: This article from Workable Wealth describes how we can set money boundaries with friends  More from Jen + Jill: Identify the various types of 'financial frenemies' you're dealing with Have a strategy for supporting friends BILL OF THE WEEK - Thank you Ally for sharing your bill with us about duck bills!! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill This Bill of the Week is brought to you by BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers online counseling and therapy services for individuals, couples, and teens. Just answer a few questions and they’ll  assess your needs to match you with a licensed professional therapist that fits your needs and preferences. AND as a Frugal Friends listener you get 10% off your first month when you sign up at betterhelp.com/Frugal.  Lightning Round Our financial boundary stories  Jen- bridesmaid, bridal shower cost Jill - boating (speaking expectations), helping someone move Wrap-up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a copy of the Frugal Friends Workbook! Thanks for listening! See you next week!

As frugal folk, we're always interested in finding ways to save money and spend less - which is why we are thrilled to have Lisa Rowan on the show to talk about some lesser known 'hacks' to both save and earn money! Sponsors:  The Frugal Friends Workbook! Whether you’re new to budgeting or trying to reach a big financial goal and need something to motivate you, you’ll enjoy The Frugal Friends Workbook. It’s a digital workbook with 6 week-long challenges that will help you save money, simplify your life, improve money conversations, and more. It’s over 60 pages and can be completed on your own but it’s created to be gone through in pairs or small groups that’s why every purchase comes with two downloads so you can share or split the cost. Head to Frugalfriendspodcast.com/workbook to learn more and use the code TACOBELL all one word to get $10 off the regular price. Real Friends! Yeah they exist. You might’ve forgotten what it’s like to not have just virtual friends but real friends do exist. They’re the ones that help you move, bring you dinner when you have a baby, and go to the beach with you. Real life friends, get em. Notable Notes: We were thrilled to ask Lisa all. the. questions. here's our top favorites: You have 47 tips alone for curbing mindless spending, what are some of your favorites? Reconsider whether memberships are worth it Do a no spend challenge Hit the gym - it has so many benefits for your wellbeing AND keeps you from spending that time spending money! You have a chapter in your book called 'Get Debt Free' but there were a lot of great credit building hacks in there. What’s your favorite from this chapter? Consider a goodwill letter to creditors - it can make a serious difference Claim your missing money - go to your states directory and look up your name What are your favorite tips to earn more money Get a mentor! Look within your career to find an advocate to help you advance in your career Side hustles - survive anything for a season How about planning for the future?You can start a 529 plan for yourself! AND it's not restricted by the state you live in BILL OF THE WEEK - Thanks Lisa for sharing your bill about getting all your money back for a cancelled trip! If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill Lightning Round Areas where we’re currently cutting back on spending and how: Lisa - perishable food waste - finding ways to maximum fresh foods i.e. making one pot meals, salad ingredients I like and know I will eat Jill - cutting back on take out Jen - cutting back on fast food   Get more from Lisa: lisarowan.com AND check our her book Money Hacks  Wrap-Up: Thanks so much for listening! Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. AND share our most recent episode on social for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Thanks for listening! See you next week!