Forever35 – Mini-Ep 470: Teach Me Your Frugal Ways

Hosts: Dorie Shafrir & Elise Hu
Release Date: November 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this Mini-Episode, Dorie and Elise share practical “micro-hacks” for living frugally and with intention, swap stories and listener messages about shift work, aging parents, and the culture around caregiving, and indulge in lighthearted listener questions about their personal lives. As always, they navigate the conversation with humor, warmth, and an appreciation for the realities of self-care in midlife.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Frugal Living and Micro-Hacks

(02:41–06:43)

• Dorie’s Iced Tea Hack
  Dorie reveals a recently discovered “frugality fix”: ordering “light ice” with her iced tea at coffee shops.

  • “I feel kind of good about it, like that I’m getting one on the man just a little bit… I feel like I’m getting so much more drink because I’m not finishing my iced teas that I’m buying at shops.” – Dorie (03:14)
  • Elise praises the hack: “Well, and then it’s not as diluted.” (04:11)
  • Both hosts reflect on how small changes can add up to micro-joys:
    • “I guess it’s a micro joy or a micro hack. Micro-micro hack, really, more than anything else.” – Dorie (04:21)

• Family Traditions of Frugality & Reuse

  • Dorie describes her helper Ling Ling’s habit of washing and drying Ziploc bags, a tradition shared by many in her family and echoed by Elise.
  • Elise shares that her own parents reuse Ziploc bags, and Dorie’s dad repurposes berry packaging containers for gardening uses.
    • “For any gallon Ziploc bags, she definitely washes them and dries them like a good Asian.” – Dorie on Ling Ling (04:36)

• Environmental Benefits
  Elise notes, “This is frugal, but it’s also good for the environment to be reusing. If you’re going to use plastic, might as well reuse it.” (05:45)

• Berry Storage Debate
  Dorie’s algorithm has shown her how berries should not be left in store packaging; listeners are urged to call in with their berry preservation tips.

2. Listener Feedback Corner: Local Culture and Pop Culture

(07:30–15:25)

• Atlanta and Pullman Yards

  • A listener writes in with insider “Atlanta tea” about the Pullman Yards venue, where TED hosted an event—a space with a complex history tied to African American labor unions, yet recent gentrification and “whitewashing.”
    • “The owners are trash, too. Just a little Atlanta tea for you.” (08:18)
  • Dorie provides context about the muddy event and how TED dealt with it.

• Pop Culture Shout-outs, Especially Australian TV

  • Listener Amanda from Melbourne thanks Dorie for recommending the Australian legal comedy “Fisk.”
  • Elise gushes about “Bluey,” “Instant Hotel,” and “Zumbo’s Just Desserts,” recommending Australian reality TV as “delightful to watch.” (14:38)
  • Discussion expands to “Love Island Australia” and “Australian Traders,” with both hosts expressing excitement for international television escapism.

• Patreon and Community

  • Clarifies how to access their pop culture recommendations and newsletter via Patreon (11:41–12:05).

3. On Shift Work and Work-Life Boundaries

(19:47–22:43)

• Listener Voicemail: Newsroom Shifts
  • A former NYC daily news reporter contrasts the unpredictability of “beat” reporters (always on-call) with the life of shift reporters (“Are you up?” = Are you working?).
    • Memorable moment: “The fastest route to burnout is that unpredictability… at any moment there could be a triple homicide or a huge fire… You could be called to that and be up all night with no break in sight.” (20:25)
  • Dorie credits newsroom unions for establishing enforceable rest periods and reducing burnout through shared responsibility and camaraderie.

4. The Realities of Healthcare Work & Caregiving

(22:58–29:11)

• Healthcare Boundaries: Myth vs. Reality

  • A listener (whose husband is a nurse) challenges the idea that healthcare has strong boundaries, highlighting nurse overwork, under-staffing, and wage issues in the U.S.
    • “Nurses are really overworked… A lot of hospitals… are profit-driven and so they push more patients… but then they’re not hiring more nurses.” (24:06)
  • The caller urges listeners to stay informed about workers’ rights and to advocate for the underpaid workers who care for seniors.

• Caring for Aging Parents: Personality Changes & Systemic Challenges

  • A speech language pathologist (SLP) shares clinical insights about caring for adults with dementia, specifically that their personalities can change—sometimes dramatically.
    • “One thing that can happen… is that their personality can change dramatically… sometimes that means they get really, really angry and frustrated… it can be really, really difficult to take care of as a result.” (26:29–27:02)
  • The SLP warns that even with money, finding quality senior care or resources is hard because those jobs are undervalued, low-paid, and emotionally taxing.
    • “This country just does a really terrible job at valuing caring for other human beings at any age and any ability.” (28:26)

5. Grab Bag Listener Questions: Fun and Life Updates

(32:08–38:22)

• Elise: Her Surprising Modeling Past

  • Listeners ask about Elise’s (briefly mentioned) teen modeling career.
  • Elise tells the story of being scouted for a 7Up campaign, working in catalog modeling in Dallas, and being signed to an agency by accident (“I gotta ask my mom”).
    • “I drove him down after student council so that he could go to his open call… they did not sign him, but they asked me.” (33:15)

• The Art of the Facebook Marketplace Listing

  • An inquiry about Elise’s partner Rob’s famously witty Facebook Marketplace copywriting yields examples:
    • On an IKEA Billy Bookshelf:
      “I installed the bottom wood piece backwards, but that it was a bonus because it helps someone really stand out. And if anyone comments poorly on it, they don’t prize originality… thus should be dismissed as a friend. Either way, you win.”
    • On a drying rack:
      “I mean, come on, have you ever seen such a deluxe drying rack?” (36:37)
  • Elise: “It’s just a little bit more human than an AI would do.” (37:28)

• Fact Check Corner

  • Listener corrects an attribution: “I contain multitudes” is by Walt Whitman, not Maya Angelou.
    • “Maya Angelou does contain multitudes. But thank you for the correction… The poet Walt Whitman originally wrote that.” – Dorie (37:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I feel like I’m getting so much more drink because I’m not finishing my iced teas that I’m buying at shops… I can come home and just add a little bit more ice and it lasts longer.” – Dorie (03:14)
• “For any gallon Ziploc bags, she definitely washes them and dries them like a good Asian.” – Dorie (04:36)
• “This is frugal, but it’s also good for the environment.” – Elise (05:45)
• “The fastest route to burnout is that unpredictability…” – Listener, News reporter (20:25)
• “This country just does a really terrible job at valuing caring for other human beings at any age and any ability.” – SLP Caller (28:26)
• “I mean, come on, have you ever seen such a deluxe drying rack?” – Rob’s Facebook Marketplace ad (36:37)
• “Maya Angelou does contain multitudes. But thank you for the correction… The poet Walt Whitman originally wrote that.” – Dorie (37:43)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Frugal hacks & family stories: 02:41–06:43
• Berry storage hot takes: 06:43–07:30
• Listener feedback, local/cultural: 07:30–15:25
• Shift work & newsroom unions: 19:47–22:43
• Healthcare/caregiving realities: 22:58–29:11
• Fun personal Q&A/grab bag: 32:08–38:22

Tone and Language

The episode is light, humorous, and relatable, with conversational banter, self-deprecating confessions, and sincere listener engagement. Both hosts balance friendly teasing with deep empathy, especially regarding caregiving and work boundaries.

Conclusion

This episode weaves together practical everyday wisdom, culture chatter, and deeply relevant social commentary—always delivered with the “micro-joys” of friendship and a loyal community.