Mini-Ep 470: Teach Me Your Frugal Ways

Summary

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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

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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.

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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.

Transcript

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[Dorie Shafrir]

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[Elise Hu]

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[Elise Hu]

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[Dorie Shafrir]

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[Elise Hu]

Hello and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Dory Shafrier.

[Dorie Shafrir]

And I'm Elise Hu. And we're just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.

[Elise Hu]

And this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts and we answer your questions to the best of our ability. But please do remember, we are not experts, we are podcast hosts and we always encourage you to seek support first and foremost from a medical and or mental health professional as needed.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Do you feel like the comments and thoughts that we're getting are all on one theme today or is it a real grab bag?

[Elise Hu]

It's probably more of a grab bag than some of our last week previous episodes. But we have a couple of voicemails on the aging parents topic.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay.

[Elise Hu]

Nothing on towels.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Oh, okay. Maybe the towels thing has died down very quickly.

[Elise Hu]

Maybe it's died. Yeah. So there's. There's a mix of things.

[Dorie Shafrir]

All right. All right. Looking forward to it. I have made one small hack in my life that I just want to tell the mini EP community because this is a very practical show. And so I buy a lot of black iced tea, you know, when I go to coffee shops, since I'm not a coffee drinker unless. Except for socially, you know, it's like social smokers. Social coffee drinkers.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dorie Shafrir]

So I do a lot of iced tea and I'm making one small, like, austerity fix that just makes me feel somewhat smug that I'm doing it, which is I'm just asking for light ice. I know this is like a ridiculous thing anywhere else in the world because Americans are the only. Probably the only country that's as obsessed with ice. And the quantity of ice that we put in our drinks is often more than 50% of the drink. And so I'm just making one hack. And I feel kind of good about it like that I'm getting one on the man just a little bit by getting just a little bit more quantity of tea to ice. I've been doing it just, I don't know, past week or so, but I feel like I'm getting so much more drink because I'm not finishing my iced teas that I'm buying at shops. And then I can come home and just add a little bit more ice and it lasts longer.

[Elise Hu]

How about that?

[Dorie Shafrir]

Why wasn't I doing this for the last, you know, 30 years of my life?

[Elise Hu]

Well, and then it's not as diluted.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Right. That's that, too. You're cutting the flavor of the tea when there's too much ice.

[Elise Hu]

Yes. Wow.

[Dorie Shafrir]

I guess it's a micro joy or a micro hack. Micro, micro hack. Really? More than anything else. Yeah. So I'm feeling good about that. Just a. Just a tiny little thing.

[Elise Hu]

I like that. That's that. I mean, great.

[Dorie Shafrir]

I'm not getting as frugal. I told you about how frugal my helper Ling Ling is. Ling Ling, who is Indonesian. She is probably a generation older. Her kids are like, college or graduating from college. And she's not as frugal as, like, my grandmother, but she is frugal. She definitely. For any gallon, Ziploc bags, she definitely washes them and dries them like a good Asian.

[Elise Hu]

Basic frugal. Yeah.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Yep, yep.

[Elise Hu]

She.

[Dorie Shafrir]

So. So in our little drying rack area by the sink, there's often just an upside down Ziploc bag. So this is not like that level of frugality, but I am getting more drink.

[Elise Hu]

My parents reuse Ziplocs.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Yeah, I mean, a lot of parents do, but it's smart. It's smart. My dad's really good about finding creative ways to reuse packaging. So, like blueberry raspberry packaging.

[Elise Hu]

Oh.

[Dorie Shafrir]

You know, he often uses those for gardening because they already have the little cutouts in them. Yeah. You know, so that. Yeah, so he reuses those a lot. He comes up with different ways to reuse things.

[Elise Hu]

And my mom say, you know, 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.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

So, yeah. All right, I'm on board the other one.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Hack, while we're on hack, really quick. Yes. Is that I've been shown on my algorithm a lot about how we shouldn't be leaving our berries in the containers that we buy them in because it makes the berries go bad. It makes them, like, rot faster. And you're supposed to, like, bring them home and wash them right away and then put them in some other kind of container that, like, makes them last longer. So, listeners, whatever you do to preserve your berries, please call, write, and text, because I want to know more about this. I've always just, like, brought home my groceries and put them in the fridge and whatever packaging that they're in, but maybe I need to just take one extra step, just like I'm doing with this tea.

[Elise Hu]

For a while, I was putting my. I was putting my berries in those. There's like, these, you know, reusable berry containers that you can get that are supposed to keep the berries for longer. So for a while, I was using those, but I don't know, I kind of stopped steam on that, I guess.

[Dorie Shafrir]

I mean, it's already. I was gonna say it's already. I find it a lot to, like, go and buy my groceries, have to bring them in from the car, and then put them away. Like, all of that is stuff that I don't even really want to do, but then to put. To put away my groceries and then put them away again in a second kind of packaging or container. Container.

[Elise Hu]

Cant them. Yeah.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Do we need to decant our berries? Is the question.

[Elise Hu]

Great question. Great question. Elise. We did get a couple of messages That I want to read before we take a break.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay, Go for it.

[Elise Hu]

One is for you.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay.

[Elise Hu]

I'm listening to today's episode and lolling at Elise.

[Dorie Shafrir]

First of all, I get that a lot.

[Elise Hu]

Do not call it Hotlanta, please. I think it ended up being a cold snap while you were here just to spite you. Huh. You know what that reminded me of? When people from San Francisco get really mad when people call it Frisco.

[Dorie Shafrir]

I don't know that many people who call it Frisco, but, yeah, I could find that. I could see how that would be annoying.

[Elise Hu]

I think it's just like, people who don't live there call it Frisco, but no one who lives there calls it Frisco. Anyway, whatever. Also, Pullman Yard. This is now. I'm continuing the text. Yes, Pullman Yards gets a lot of grief in the neighborhood for bad community decisions, but it actually has a very cool history. The Pullman Company was a significant employer of African American men known as Pullman Porters, who were involved in the creation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. It was the first African American labor union affiliated with the American Federation of Labor. Pretty neat. The space itself is not well designed. Give you that. And they've definitely whitewashed some of the history. The owners are trash, too. Just a little Atlanta tea for you.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Ooh, I love this tea. It's so insidery. Yes. So the reason we were talking about Pullman Yards, if y' all missed last week's episode, is because that is where TED hosted its first TED Next conference in 2024. But we had to move it away from there because there was, like, a rainstorm right before and after the rain. There was so much mud. It's just there. It's like mud grounds. You know, it's just dirt, like, as if you're out on stables. And so after all the mud, apparently, in order to make that venue ready in time for ted, they poured gravel all over the mud. And so then when people were walking around and the wind blew, you just had gravel. You were kicking up gravel all over your feet and your, you know, calves and everything. And so it was a bit messy. It was a bit messy. This time we went with a real traditional, like, hotel convention center kind of situation. And it worked out great. I never even got to go outside to feel that cold snap that I was spite with. But, yes, there was a cold snap by the time. By the time we went home. So it was not hot after all. You are correct, texter.

[Elise Hu]

All right, one more message. Which is. Hi Dori and Elise. I was so excited to hear Dorie recommend Fisk on the recent monthly culture roundup episode. Not only do I also love that show, but I used to live on the street in the suburb of North Melbourne where it's filmed. Where the office Fisk works in is based. The number 57 tram that you see going past was my old tram to work and the city. The Blendology smoothie cafe is not real, but the Wanker vibes are spot on for the suburb. I feel like I can say this for from a place of true love for North Melbourne, having lived there for 12 plus years. However, the convenience store where Helen buys her $2 coffee must be filmed somewhere else as it's not on that street. That recurring storyline cracks me up. Also, very happy to hear recommendation for Australian made media on your podcast. Thank you. Take care both. Amanda. Oh, okay. First of all, if you want to hear more of our culture recommendations, those are on our [e-mail] Forever35 or we do a monthly culture recommendation pop culture entertainment recommendations episode. It's very fun. We also get your recommendations and it's a good time talk about all this. Yeah, that's in addition to our weekly casual chats, now our newsletter is on Patreon. You can get ad free episodes on Patreon. So there's a lot going on.

[Dorie Shafrir]

So the pop culture episodes, just to be clear, are if you are part of the $5 and up tier, correct? Yeah, because we have moved a lot of y' all over to Patreon just for our newsletter and that is free. But if you want the pop culture episodes and the casual chats and the Forever 35 questionnaires and just like a little bit more community, that's at five, five dollars a month. So join us.

[Elise Hu]

True. Okay, now Fisk, I love this. I also love the like. Like to me, the fact that they're in North Melbourne, like that is me. That was meaningless to me. But now she's kind of providing some more context of Wanker vibes, so that's helpful. Also listen, I how I've consumed several Australian shows that I like, including Bluey. Oh yeah. Um, but there's also there's a great Australian reality show called Instant Hotel that ran for two seasons.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay.

[Elise Hu]

That Matt and I really enjoyed.

[Dorie Shafrir]

What's the premise say more?

[Elise Hu]

Basically, it's like they took Airbnb hosts from around from all over Australia, and then they go and stay in each other's Airbnbs and like judge them.

[Dorie Shafrir]

We should totally. Why don't we have that in the States?

[Elise Hu]

I don't know.

[Dorie Shafrir]

And, you know, it only ran for.

[Elise Hu]

Two seasons, so I imagine it maybe it was, like, logistically complicated. But we still, like, quote some. Like, there were some real characters on that show, and I'm sure it was. It's very funny.

[Dorie Shafrir]

No doubt.

[Elise Hu]

And then there was also an Australian reality show called Zumbo's Just Desserts.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay, say more.

[Elise Hu]

That we really enjoyed. There is a. There. There's like a famous pastry chef in Australia named Adriano Zumbo.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay, Zumbo. Got it. Got it. All right.

[Elise Hu]

And he had a reality show called Zumbo's Just Desserts that ran for, I don't know, like, three seasons or something. And it was just, I don't know, there was something about it that was just, like, very entertaining.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Oh, so entertaining in, like a funny way. Or charming. Like it was actually sweet. Or was. Or were people getting roasted?

[Elise Hu]

No, people weren't getting roasted.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay.

[Elise Hu]

Okay. No, it was, it was, it was. It was fun. I mean, if you're into these, like, dessert challenge.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Totally. Well, I love.

[Elise Hu]

Is it cake shows. Yeah. I feel like this is. I mean, it's not like, groundbreaking television, but it was.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Doesn't need to be.

[Elise Hu]

It was kind of just, like, delightful to watch. Okay, so There you go. Amanda. 2. More Australian based television. No, actually 3. Well, Bluey counts and. Oh, sorry, one more thing.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Yes.

[Elise Hu]

I have been getting a lot of tiktoks served to me about the Australian version of Love Island.

[Dorie Shafrir]

I do love Australian dating shows. I'm glad you brought this up.

[Elise Hu]

It seems. It seems completely unhinged. So I was like, huh, maybe I should watch Australian Love Island. I've also heard that Australian Traders is very good.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Oh. I mean, is there. Is there any version of Traders that you won't love? I. I think you gotta go there.

[Elise Hu]

That's true. Well, yeah, I mean, we can get into this on a pop culture episode.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay. Okay.

[Elise Hu]

But I have thoughts on Traders. Okay. Before we take a break, just one more thing, which is that you can call or text us at 781-591-0390. Email us at forever35podcastmail.com Our website is forever35podcast.com Our Instagram is forever35podcast. And you can shop our favorite products at shopmy us./forever35. Also, I just want to mention, if there's like a category of products that you want us to sort of gather together on our shop my. And put them together on a shelf, let us know. Like if you're like, what are your favorite vitamin C serums? Like, we can just throw those up on a shop my shelf.

[Dorie Shafrir]

That's a good idea.

[Elise Hu]

Just putting that out there.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

For everyone. All right, we are going to take a break and after we get back we have an ode to shift work and more on caring for aging parents. So we will be right back. All right.

[Dorie Shafrir]

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[Elise Hu]

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[Customer]

Hey Dorian. Elise, I'm just calling Amy in reference to the whole idea of shift work. And when I was a daily news reporter in New York City, we had people who had beats and they would cover certain neighborhoods and then we had people who were just like kind of circulating reporters who would cover whatever breaking news was happening. And people who weren't assigned specific beats would have shift hours, which made a huge difference. So our boss would say like, are you up? Which meant like, are you on? Are you working right now? To the shift people where beat reporters were just always on. And I always had this feeling of like at any moment there could be a triple homicide or a huge fire. And even though I've worked all day, I could be called to that and be up all night covering that with no break in sight. Whereas if there was a fire and they called the shift worker, they'd be like, oh well, their shift is over so we can't call them. And always so jealous of that, that that person had a defined start and end point to their day. And no matter what happened, whatever the crisis was, like they weren't on. They could maybe accept that work and get overtime, but they were off and they could make plans and know that they could follow through on those plans. And I think like the fastest route to burnout is that unpredictability and that sense of like, at any moment. Like I remember one time I was watching Seinfeld eating takeout and I was like, nope, you're not going to get to finish that dinner. Off you go. And that was very stressful. So I left that job after about five years. Anyway, thanks for having this ongoing conversation. Bye.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Shout out to unions because I feel like once A lot of newsrooms unionized. Management was forced to even take the people who were in beats, for example, like foreign correspondence or if you had a specific, your beat was the Pentagon or something and double it up and have like two Pentagon reporters or on the national desk make sure that you didn't work, even if you were on some hurricane, let's say, and this was your story and you developed all these sources that once you hit your 12 or 15 hours max in a day, that somebody else on your desk had to take over and you had to sort of. So it led to A, defined shifts so you had, you could rest, but B, a certain kind of camaraderie because you would pass off. There would be like less ownership of you specifically on that story and more of a team atmosphere. This is newsrooms, of course, but I think that the unions really did a lot to make sure that breaks and rest and shifts were enforced, you know, mandated.

[Elise Hu]

Yes, yes. Okay, thank you. And now on a totally different topic, we have a voicemail about aging parents.

[Nurse Caller]

Hello, Dori and Elise. I am calling in about mini app469, return of the Mac. Love Mac. But I'm actually calling about the, the story that you read a portion of about. I guess an economist wrote in the New York Times about how health care is a good example of a field that sets boundaries with work because doctors and nurses and other providers are on call. And when you're not on call, then you're not on call and you're not expected to work all the time. I just, I had to call in. I myself do not work in health care, but my husband does. He's a nurse. He's been a nurse for almost seven years, six and a half years. He went back to school as a second slash third career. And I don't think healthcare is an industry with good boundaries. I mean, I guess the on call part, I think that's a good metaphor for a schedule with boundaries. But nurses in particular are really overworked. Here in the US Unions are calling for better staff to patient ratios because in a lot of places nurses just have too many patients to care for. A lot of hospitals and healthcare institutions unfortunately are profit driven and so they push more patients because they make more money from more people, but then they're not hiring more nurses. Yes, it's great to set boundaries with your work in terms of your schedule. The on call model makes sense. But I really encourage people to learn more about workers rights. I mean, look into working conditions for people providing some of that care in Senior living facilities. A lot of people work for pretty low wages doing hard work. That is my soapbox. I'm stepping off of it now and I hope you all have a good day.

[Elise Hu]

Thank you.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay, thanks for calling in. Yeah, good take. I mean we, we watched the pit. Nurses may be on shifts, but they are feeling very, very overworked and beleaguered in many places. So.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. All right, one more voicemail.

[Speech Language Pathologist Caller]

Hi, Dori and Elise, this is your speech language pathologist correspondent. I call in frequently on my car rides to and from work because I listen to you all the time and I was just listening to your episodes on our aging parents and there was. While you've done an excellent job covering everything, there was just one other thing that I wanted to point out that a lot of people probably don't know unless they've experienced, experienced it. I have worked extensively with adults who have had dementia or who are experiencing changes to how their brain functions or their mental status. And one thing that can happen and frequently happens is that their personality can change dramatically. And sometimes that means that they get really, really angry and frustrated and mad and can be really, really difficult to take care of as a result. And that can also just be something that makes multi generational households or caring for someone very difficult and it can really harm your mental, emotional and physical well being. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of resources. Even when you do have money, it's really hard to find good care.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Likely.

[Speech Language Pathologist Caller]

Because no one gets paid enough money to do jobs like this. It's a thankless job and it's a lot of work and it's really, truly a labor of love. When you care for these patients, they are a joy. But it takes a special person to do this as their job. And it's something that really should be valued more in our society and is not. The crisis that we're going to face is very similar to the child care crisis. Unfortunately, this country just does a really terrible job at valuing caring for other human beings at any age and any ability. So it's just food for thought. And I just wanted to kind of make people aware of that, that it can also kind of be a whole other level of chaos that you're just not prepared for. You know, I've had very sweet nuns who, you know, have never even thought a swear word, you know, cuss me out on a regular basis. Again, I love what you do and I'm so happy you bring light to these issues in a very like, accessible way. And you're so kind and thoughtful when kind of walking through all these really tricky situations that I can't say enough about the community you've grown and also how you continue to handle these topics. So again, thank you so much and I hope you have a good week. Bye.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Very sweet and thoughtful call and the sound quality also. Pretty good. Pretty good.

[Elise Hu]

Chef's kiss. All right, thank you listeners so much for all of those messages. We are going to take another short break and we will be right back with what I would describe as some questions for Elise.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Maybe it's the more grab baggy section of the show. Yeah, remember when you were like, well, we have some things on a theme and some things that are not. So some things that are not on theme. All right, after the break.

[Elise Hu]

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[Dorie Shafrir]

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[Elise Hu]

Okay, we are back. This first text says, I'm reading it verbatim. Elise was Levi model Tell. More.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Like jeans. Yes, yes, we mentioned this occasionally. It's not like a recurring theme, but we have mentioned occasionally. Mainly just to make fun of myself. But yes, when I was, like, a junior and senior in high school, I ended up working in Dallas as a commercial print model. So, like, a lot of signage, like posters in department stores and catalogs, they used to have those back then. JCPenney had this thing called the Big Book that was like a phone book. So I did a lot of work for them. And it was totally by accident because I'm actually rather shy and I don't like to be in front of crowds. Like, I. I get very nervous speaking to groups and things like that. And some friend of ours in 11th grade lived down the street from an advertising guy, like a guy at an agency, and he wanted to save money and get real kids instead of models to do a national 7Up campaign. And so he asked for a stack of photos of their. Of his, like, high school neighbors, friends, and she. Or he sent them in and he picked, like, he just cast based on actual kids. And we got cast at least the three of us and then another three kids. And then we were on, like, the back of seven up containers, you know, like when you got this 12 pack or whatever. And we each got paid the giant sum of a hundred dollars each. So that's how it started. And then my friend Wade. This is Wade for sure. We're still in very close. Wade was like, I'm gonna go to an open call and get cast. I really like doing this work. I'm gonna go be a model. Let's drive downtown after student council. So I drove him down after student council so that he could go to his open call. And they did not, you know, I. I don't need you. Get hired at an agency, whatever. They did not, like, decide to represent him, but they asked me to. Oh, yes, signed. Okay. They did not sign him, but they asked me. I was just waiting for him driving. They asked me to come in. And I'm like a tall person. So anyway, so they asked me to come in. They asked me a few questions, and they're like, would you like to be part of this agency? And I was like, I don't know. I gotta ask my mom. And so that's how it happened. And worked pretty steadily over the last. The last two years of school. And that's why I skipped golf or that's why I played golf. I guess the answer, the reason I played golf was so I could get out of school. So anyway, that's the story.

[Elise Hu]

Wow. Okay, you heard it here first. Next text was, I need Elise to read some of her partner's Facebook Marketplace advertising copy on the pod. Inquiring minds want to know, do you want to just give. Just give a quick background for people who might have missed the initial story.

[Dorie Shafrir]

We have decided to try and sell items on Facebook Marketplace, which is something I haven't done before, but apparently it's like, where it's the only reason anybody uses Facebook anymore. It's just to go on Facebook Marketplace and buy things or sell things. And so you can find lots of stuff on Facebook Marketplace. And we've had pretty good luck just like moving product, getting rid of furniture that we didn't want or other items. And usually furniture, I think furniture and plants are very popular. And Rob, as he has downsized, has been selling things, but he is a screenwriter, just a copywriter in advertising, too. And so he's had so much fun just like writing ad copy, like, to try and persuade people to buy products. Even though on Facebook Marketplace, even though it has no stakes, it does not matter at all. Most people are like couch gray, you know, can't use it anymore or never used or whatever. But he, like goes in and he writes copy for it as if he's. It's like an ad, and he likes it because he doesn't have a boss that's telling him to make edits or make notes on his copy. And people have enjoyed it so much that there have been some buyers who have been like, after I saw this ad and I liked the writing so much, I went and looked at all the rest of your products in your Facebook store or whatever it is, but one, and they disappear if you don't archive them. They disappear once the item is sold. But he said that there was one for the Billy Bookshelves. They're very popular because they're big, cheap bookshelves from Ikea. And he said there was one that said, 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, that indicates they don't prize originality and should and thus should be dismissed as a friend. So either way, you win or something like that. And then he has one that was like a drying rack, and all it says is this One. I actually have a photo of it. It says, it's just a drying rack. And it. And he. But he calls it ultimate folding clothes drying rack $9. And then the description just goes. I mean, come on, have you ever seen such a deluxe drying rack? And that's it. I mean, it's just very quick and easy, but it's just a little bit, you know, a little bit more human than an AI Would do.

[Elise Hu]

I love it.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Yeah, I love it. It's great humanity.

[Elise Hu]

And then we got a text that said, FYI, I contain multitudes. Was Walt Whitman not Maya Angelou.

[Dorie Shafrir]

We. I misattributed to my. Yes. This came up at one point because you said something like, we, this show, we contain multitudes. And I'm like, yes, in the great mind of Maya Angelou. And Maya Angelou does contain multitudes. But thank you for the correction that she does. The poet. The poet. Walt Whitman originally wrote that in a poem.

[Elise Hu]

Not to be confused with Henry David Thoreau.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Right. Don't even get me started on Thoreau.

[Elise Hu]

Somehow we. Well, because we brought up.

[Dorie Shafrir]

We're like, was it Walt Walden or Thoreau? Yes.

[Elise Hu]

So why.

[Dorie Shafrir]

I wasn't sure if it was Ralph Waldo Emerson or Thoreau.

[Elise Hu]

Right.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Yes. But because they were both transcendentalists.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dorie Shafrir]

Okay. Anyway, that's it for us today.

[Customer]

Anyway.

[Elise Hu]

Thanks, everyone. We will talk to you soon.

[Dorie Shafrir]

All right, talk next time.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

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[Customer]

Whoa.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

So is Saldana.

[T-Mobile Expert]

Hey, can you wrap these, please?

[Elise Hu]

Wow.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

IPhone 17s. You splurged.

[T-Mobile Expert]

At T Mobile, you can get get four iPhone 17s on them. The new center stage front camera is amazing for group selfies. It's the perfect gift for everyone.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

I'm the worst. I only got my mom a robe.

[T-Mobile Expert]

Well, it's better than socks.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

So I have to trade in my old phone, right?

[T-Mobile Expert]

No, AT T Mobile, there's no trade ins needed when you switch. Keep your old phone or give it as a gift.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

Incredible.

[T-Mobile Expert]

In fact, wrap up my old phone too, for my aunt Rosa.

[Elise Hu]

Forget that.

[T-Mobile Expert]

Aunt Liz will be jealous.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

Sounds like my family drama.

[T-Mobile Expert]

Oh, I got it. I'll give it to my abuela. I'll take reindeer paper with. Hey, where are you going?

[Elise Hu]

T Mobile.

[T-Mobile Salesperson]

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[Dorie Shafrir]

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[Elise Hu]

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[Dorie Shafrir]

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