Deinfluencing Memorial Day Sales

Summary

Frugal Friends Podcast Summary Episode: Deinfluencing Memorial Day Sales Release Date: May 20, 2025

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Introduction to the Episode In this enlightening episode of the Frugal Friends Podcast, hosts Jen Smith and Jill Sirianni delve into the pervasive influence of social media on consumer spending during Memorial Day. Aptly titled "Deinfluencing Memorial Day Sales," the episode aims to equip listeners with the knowledge and strategies needed to resist impulsive purchases promoted through online platforms.

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Exploring Memorial Day Spending Trends Jen and Jill begin by presenting compelling statistics that highlight the magnitude of Memorial Day’s economic impact:

• 57% of US consumers planned to celebrate Memorial Day weekend in 2024.
• 95% of those celebrants intended to make purchases, primarily on food and alcohol.
• 23% expected to spend more than the previous year, indicating a trend of increasing expenditures despite economic uncertainties.

Jen remarks, “It’s crazy in this economy,” reflecting on the paradox of rising spending amidst financial challenges ([05:03]).

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The Power of Social Media and Influencer Marketing The conversation shifts to the role of social media and influencers in driving Memorial Day sales. Jen and Jill discuss how influencers create a facade of necessity around purchases, subtly pressuring their audience to buy more through curated content.

Jill emphasizes, “We want to have a good time and we want to eat good food. And to that end, restaurants experience an increase in visits,” highlighting how influencers amplify these desires ([07:10]).

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Influencer-Driven Purchases: Outfits, Parties, and Decor The hosts dissect specific categories where influencer marketing exerts significant pressure:

1. Outfits:

   • Example: A video promoting a red two-piece set with numerous styling suggestions.
   • Jen critiques the authenticity, stating, “A lot of influencers like this will order all this stuff and return most of it,” pointing out the ephemeral nature of such trends ([12:15]).

2. Parties:

   • Example: A creator showcases elaborate party preparations, including gourmet food and high-end equipment.
   • Jill observes, “It's another one. That's beautiful,” yet questions the necessity and sustainability of such extravagance ([25:07]).

3. Decor:

   • Example: A Memorial Day-themed Christmas tree filled with American flags and patriotic ornaments.
   • Jen notes, “You cannot see tree anymore. Oh, there’s a sunflower...” highlighting the clash between traditional decor and themed decorations ([30:43]).

Jill articulates the psychological tactics at play, stating, “It can create... an anchoring bias for us. If we see enough content, this is what we need to be doing,” underscoring how repetitive exposure shapes consumer expectations ([23:44]).

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Psychological Impact on Consumers Jen and Jill delve into the subconscious effects of constant exposure to idealized lifestyles:

• Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): Influencers create a sense of urgency and scarcity, urging listeners to act quickly or miss out on the latest deals.
• Social Proof and Normative Behavior: Seeing numerous influencers endorsing specific products or party styles makes consumers feel compelled to conform.

Jen aptly summarizes, “How are we going to connect? Are we gonna connect authentically or just show people we’re better than them by cutting all of our watermelon into stars?” ([29:57]).

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Strategies to Mitigate Unnecessary Spending The hosts offer actionable advice to help listeners navigate and resist manipulative marketing tactics:

1. Awareness: Recognize when content is designed to influence spending rather than inspire genuine needs.
2. Critical Evaluation: Ask questions like, “What’s really going on here?” and “Is this influencer’s lifestyle attainable or sustainable for me?” ([35:06]).
3. Curate Social Media Feeds: Actively follow creators who promote frugal living, such as those offering tips on shopping closets or hosting minimalist parties.
4. Limit Social Media Time: Reduce exposure to high-pressure marketing by spending less time on platforms that propagate these trends.

Jill encourages a proactive approach: “Become kind of the person on the other side, almost an observer of what the marketing tactic at play here.” ([36:54]).

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Bill of the Week Segment In a heartwarming segment, the podcast features a listener's story:

• Listener Em from Nashville shares how maintaining an emergency fund helped her navigate unexpected medical bills without falling into debt.
• Jill responds, “If that's not the goal, I don't know what is,” celebrating Em’s financial resilience ([40:45]).

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Politening Round: Sharing Disliked Sales Tactics Jen and Jill candidly discuss the sales tactics that irk them the most:

• Fear-Based Marketing: Jen critiques aggressive tactics like “avoiding the car price increase from tariffs,” finding them manipulative and off-putting ([45:44]).
• Emotional Appeal: Jill condemns ads that exploit emotions, such as dramatized military homecomings tied to product sales.

Jill passionately states, “It feels manipulative, exploitive, cheap,” expressing her frustration with brands that overreach in their emotional marketing efforts ([48:47]).

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Conclusion and Takeaways Jen and Jill wrap up the episode by reinforcing the importance of conscious consumerism:

• Be Intentional with Media Consumption: curate your social feeds to include content that supports your financial goals rather than undermines them.
• Empowerment through Awareness: understanding the tactics used by influencers and marketers empowers listeners to make informed, frugal decisions.

Jen concludes, “Be engaged, and intentional about what you keep in your feed,” encouraging listeners to take control of their spending habits ([38:38]).

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Final Thoughts "Deinfluencing Memorial Day Sales" serves as a crucial reminder of the subtle yet powerful ways social media can influence our financial decisions. Jen and Jill provide listeners with the tools to recognize and resist manipulative marketing, fostering a mindset geared towards financial independence and purposeful spending.

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Notable Quotes:

• “It’s crazy in this economy.” — Jen ([05:03])
• “We want to have a good time and we want to eat good food.” — Jill ([07:10])
• “A lot of influencers like this will order all this stuff and return most of it.” — Jen ([12:15])
• “How are we going to connect? Are we gonna connect authentically...” — Jen ([29:57])
• “If that's not the goal, I don't know what is.” — Jill ([40:45])
• “It feels manipulative, exploitive, cheap.” — Jill ([48:47])

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Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Buy What You Love Without Going Broke ([49:09])
• Website: frugalfriendspodcast.com
• Affiliate Links: Jen and Jill mention various products and services throughout the podcast, encouraging listeners to explore frugal alternatives.

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Join Jen and Jill in future episodes as they continue to explore frugality, financial independence, and the nuances of consumer behavior in today’s digital age.

Transcript

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[Jen]

On Hulu de influencing Memorial Day sales.

[Jill]

Welcome to the Frugal Friends Podcast, where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity and live a richer life. Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill.

[Jen]

Welcome to the Frugal Friends podcast. My name is Jen.

[Jill]

My name is Jill.

[Jen]

And today we are doing something a little unique. We are going to explore some of the videos you might be seeing on social media and giving you an overall picture of what it's trying to do to you psychologically to get you to spend money on Memorial Day and, and why you don't need to.

[Jill]

We talk about marketing tactics and we talk about social influence and some of the reasons that we end up impulse buying or spending unnecessarily. But today we're really doing it on giving some examples, actual examples where it's like, okay, yeah, but what does that actually look like? Whoa, here it is. And no holds barred here. And we might be opening up something that we can't close because now we're really into de influencing all of these things because what we're about to talk about is pretty wild. But first, this episode is brought to you by interest, like being interested in how to make my money become more money. The answer interest. And this can happen for you when you put your money into a high yield savings account like the one at CIT, you can get started with as little as $100 and then you can watch that money grow month over month. More money just gets deposited into your account because of interest. Get interested frugalfriendspodcast.com cit yeah.

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[Jill]

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[Jill]

No, but I mean, if you've got your emergency fund in there, it's not insignificant. Absolutely not.

[Jen]

No.

[Jill]

It shouldn't be an alternative to investing, but it is a great place to keep money that you do need to have access to eventually.

[Jen]

Yes. But let's, let's not bury the lead. Let's get into what we're really doing today and that is talking about Memorial Day sales and Memorial Day things that you probably don't need by, but you are going to see a lot of on social media for the next week. So we are going to go into some of the heavy hitters and we're going to tell you why we're doing this episode with a few stats. The first one being 57% of US consumers plan to celebrate Memorial Day weekend in 2024. So not everyone, but over half of you.

[Jill]

Yeah, that's a significant amount. And among those who are planning to celebrate, 95% intend to make purchases. This is primarily going to be on food and alcohol, and 23% expected to spend more than, than they did the previous year. They're looking at this year saying, you know what? More, I'm going to spend more money.

[Jen]

On more things, which is crazy in this economy.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

But I think what it might come down to is that the state of the world is really chaotic right now. And so to have these small things that can maybe be an escape is what's driving more of this stuff. So it's not going to be lavish like our Christmas or our Halloween, but it can be a small scale escape. And we're not against escapism, but we need to do it in a healthy way and one that is not gonna make you regret looking back at your credit card or your bank account in several weeks.

[Jill]

Did those two things go together? You know what, we're not gonna sit here long enough to find out who's a social worker. So the top plan purchases are food. So 83% of this spending is on food, 44% alcoholic beverages, 33% on non alcoholic beverages, 17% on decorations. So these are the things we plan to spend on. It just sounds like we, we want to have a good time and we want to eat good food. And to that end also, restaurants experience an increase in visits, up 41.9% compared to an average Monday. So that's a 7.1% increase compared to Memorial Day of the previous previous year. So we're prioritizing food and parties and getting together. And so there's a lot that comes with that. There's a lot of things that we will end up spending on.

[Jen]

But we're not forgetting the sales either. So it's not just the parties. It's also all the bombardment with discounts and sales and coupons. Walmart dominates the online Memorial day space. In 2024, they captured approximately 62% of the online market share, marking an 11% year over year increase. And so the numbers themselves shouldn't mean a lot to you, but the year over year increase numbers, though, should mean a lot, because when they outpace inflation, that doesn't just mean, that means we're not just buying the same things and we're spending more for them. It means that we're buying more things and that is what we're seeing. And we're not sure what we'll see. This year. But I think it is important to know we'll see the same marketing that we saw last year. We'll see the same push to spend even for travel. Gas stations experienced their busiest day of the year on Friday, May 24, 2024, which is the Friday of Memorial Day. It's foot traffic, up 32.3% compared to an average day. So even if you're just taking a short little staycation or a short road trip and you're not going to be spending a ton, we still need to identify some of these. The marketing that influencers will do, how it targets, the psychology of how you are influenced to buy. And we're going to talk about some social media videos. We're not going to play the ones that have copyrighted music. Eventually we'll start recording the video of these so you'll be able to see but we will link to all the videos. We will play the ones that don't have copyrighted music, but we will talk about not the influencer themself. But they are just one example of the sea of sameness that you'll get across the Internet.

[Jill]

And we want to be able to look at what is happening with each of these so that we all can be really equipped as we're scrolling and we're seeing these things to be able to easily identify what's happening here and make informed decisions rather than kind of knee jerk reactions, spending or thinking that something is expected of us that is just really absurd. So the top three categories that we're seeing influencers push when it comes to Memorial Day is outfits, parties and decor. So we're going to look at each of those categories starting with outfits. We found this video, it's an example video about kind of how we should be dressing and the things that we should be buying. So we're going to play a clip of that for you. All right.

[Jen]

The red two piece set. It's really easy to add blue jewelry to the outfit and you can also never go wrong with a denim vest or go for the super trendy oversized blue denim jacket or really any denim. You can never go wrong with a cutie little blue romper, good pair of denim shortalls. This is just the top half of that red two piece set. Or you can take this top half of the red two piece set, style it with jeans or some good denim shorts. First of all, what are shortals? I, you're, you're watching the video and I'm just listening to it. So I'm not seeing but like I Read the caption. And I first, I loved that she was just pulling out things from her quote unquote closet. And in reality, I don't know if that's true because the caption says all of these things can be available via Amazon prime by Friday.

[Jill]

Well, I think some of the stuff is from her closet, but she shows a lot of different outfits. You can't totally tell it from the audio, but there's a lot that she's, you know, when she's like, try a graphic tee or a print or it's like fast to those images.

[Jen]

Yeah. So that you have to go to the link in her bio to her LTK and see them slowly. But what a lot of influencers like this will do is they'll order all this stuff and from whatever store, Amazon, Target, and they'll return most of it, but they just want to show it all to you so that you'll buy one or two pieces using their link. So like very often it's not from their closet, especially if they're saying it's all available by Friday on Amazon Prime. You know, the things in my closet, some of those are like five years old. You can't get that anymore. It's not available by Friday.

[Jill]

Right, right. Yeah. And while I like opportunities to learn, okay, how can I put together new outfits? I think recognizing that the key here is to get you to buy and not just that, get you to think that you have to have a certain outfit for kind of every occasion. And even just that mindset, even if you don't click on her Amazon link. But to be embedded and steeped in this type of thinking that, oh, I've gotta have something special, everybody else looks hard, I've gotta have the uniform is not helpful long term mindset about our wardrobe. Like what you have is fine for a Memorial Day party.

[Jen]

Yeah. She was saying so much blue stuff. She did give tips that would encourage you to just shop your closet.

[Jill]

Right.

[Jen]

So like I did like that about this one. It wasn't an overt, like, here's everything I got on Amazon, you know, for Memorial Day or fourth of July. But it was a subtle like, oh, if you don't have all this stuff in your closet like I clearly have in mine, then you can buy it. You can be like me and have more of the stuff in your closet. Just use the link that I've provided along with clothing.

[Jill]

In case we haven't convinced you yet that everyone's gonna get you to try and buy clothing on Amazon, here's another example we don't have the audio for it, so I will just describe is a woman who is showing you two different types of sweaters that you can get for Memorial Day that has an American flag on it, the types of shorts you can put with it, even shoes. So literally everything she's wearing, she has a link for showing it off. A white sweater with the American flag, a kind of neon green yellow sweater with the American flag, and then everything else that she's wearing with the link that you can get at a TikTok shop.

[Jen]

TikTok shop. I'll link it all below. But I have to say the neon yellow sweater is so bad. It is a bad looking sweater.

[Jill]

You can tell that the sweaters are not quality. You are just buying the sweater almost as a one time use. She got two of them now, making it seem like she bought both. And it's worth it to have multiples of the same thing. No, no, don't be fooled. She was given both. Right?

[Jen]

Or she plans to return one.

[Jill]

Right.

[Jen]

Hopefully the yellow one.

[Jill]

And let's also not skip over the fact that none of us really, regardless of whatever climate we're in, need a sweater in the summertime.

[Jen]

I will say, unless you are in Canada, you probably aren't looking for a.

[Jill]

Sweater and certainly not with an American flag.

[Jen]

Exactly. If you're in Canada, you probably are not going to be shopping for an.

[Jill]

American flag sweater and you're probably not celebrating Memorial Day.

[Jen]

Nope.

[Jill]

So.

[Jen]

Oh gosh. Yeah, it. So the fact that it is a sweater as well. And I can imagine the mesh. Was she looking at her shoes?

[Jill]

Mm, yeah.

[Jen]

Mesh on the shoes. On shoes never lasts very long. I didn't see if they were, if they looked quality, but if they were from TikTok shop, it's probably like a, like a drop ship operation.

[Jill]

So here's what's going on here. I mean, there's a lot that's going on here, but particularly with these two, we've got some tradition and just normative behavior. So making it seem like everyone shops Memorial Day sales. Everyone wears themed Americana clothing for Memorial Day. So it's kind of this mass advertising that is utilizing social proof where you're gonna see all over the place, tons of people trying to get you to buy from their stores. That this is what we do. Kind of hanging onto the coattails of a cultural momentum that is happening as we all kind of celebrate this current thing and utilizing that for marketing. It is for marketing. This message is brought to you by Apple Card.

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[Jen]

All right, let's look at parties. And so this is where obviously food and drink is the most purchased. This is where most of the money is going to these parties. And we just believe social media is giving an unrealistic standard for what your memorial for A, that you need to throw a Memorial Day party and B, what that party should look like.

[Jill]

All right, so let's listen to this little example of party prep.

[Narrator]

Let's get ready to host a party for Memorial Day on Friday. I did all of my grocery shopping, so I brought everything home and put it away and made some cute little flower arrangements just to set out. I just threw some blue and white hydrangeas in a vase and tucked some American flags in there. I think it looks really cute and really festive now. We just got a new griddle for outside, so on Saturday morning, I had to get that all completely seasoned and ready to go to cook on Sunday. Let me know if y' all want a video about that because I'm happy to share all the details. Saturday night, my sister Caroline and I just kind of hung out in the kitchen and prepped a whole bunch of stuff for the party. And we have been obsessed with dance moms lately.

[Jen]

Okay, so we had to leave the dance moms part in because Helen Keller first, fourth place. First place. I don't even remember.

[Jill]

I don't even know what that means.

[Jen]

I don't know if they should have gotten a place for that one. But the ultimate is just the amount of prep. So, like this creator, their job is to create social media content around party planning. So I looked and this was from Memorial Day last year. Obviously, they haven't thrown their Memorial Day party this year. They got seven videos out of this party. So this was a good thing for them to do to create all of this, you know, this extravagant party because they literally got, he did a, a burger video and a grill video and making a ranch dip video. Like so video different videos of all of these things and creating this content. He gets paid for it, he gets more followers and therefore he can charge more for brand deals. But we are not professional party planners. And I feel like it just holds us to this unrealistic standard. This is a multiple day party prep.

[Jill]

Yeah. And I really shouldn't have watched this video. Hungry. Honestly, it all does look so yummy. And I'd love to find myself at that party.

[Jen]

But he invited us.

[Jill]

He didn't have to do so much. Like he made his own ice cream sandwiches. And maybe that's his joy.

[Jen]

That was another video though.

[Jill]

He loves to do that. But also what stood out to me is that for this he got a new griddle. I mean, he just mentions that in passing references how there's gonna be another.

[Jen]

Video affiliate link for the griddle.

[Jill]

An affiliate link for the griddle. And it just kind of like for me, yeah, even watching this, it kind of instills, okay, this is the level of party prep. If I'm gonna throw a party, these are the types of things I should be doing if I want them to be a certain way and I want my guests to enjoy it.

[Jen]

And this is the new standard.

[Jill]

It starts.

[Jen]

And that's the problem.

[Jill]

It can create. Yeah. That anchoring bias for us. If we see enough content. This, that this is what we need to be doing. Even though we're not content creators, we're not professional party planners, we're not hosting elaborate gatherings constantly. But then it could lead us to swing the other direction of, okay, well then I'm just not going to do it because it's not going to look like this.

[Jen]

I'm not going to invite people over. I'm not going to be in community because I can't throw a party like this. Yeah. That is the extreme we don't want to go to.

[Jill]

Here's another party example.

[Jen]

You're hosting a fourth of July party, y' all. This is so good. And everything will be linked to my Amazon storefront. I love these red and white stripe runners. I did two of them. And then I added my floral arrangements. A large cutting board because we did a mini slider bar of chicken and burgers. And then I love these little white risers. I adds dimension to your, like food and overall appearance of the look. And then in those star shaped cardboard boxes, I did like snacky items like chips and things like that. The blue and white gingham print is so good. And then I add little bows to the Acrylic glasses, all the small details is like key for hosting parties. Yeah. For me it's the risers. Why they are white boxes that they're putting plates of food on. And for me, it seems like an unnecessary expense. It looks great.

[Jill]

Yeah, it is, right?

[Jen]

It's another one. That's beautiful. And again, she makes her money when you go to her Amazon storefront and buy the things she's talking about. But again, this. And I feel like this is what I see the most of like in my feed is parties like this.

[Jill]

For me, it's the waste. There is so much single use plastics from the containers to. She had individual salad dressing bottles that went to every individual salad.

[Jen]

Well, now wait, depending on how often you go to Cracker Barrel, you could reuse those maple syrup bottles from Cracker Barrel.

[Jill]

I don't think that they actually let you take those anymore. I think that's like.

[Jen]

They don't let you.

[Jill]

Yeah, well, yeah, that's not. That is not what she's doing here.

[Jen]

She does not go to Cracker Barrel that often.

[Jill]

And then buying, putting little ribbons on every single Coke bottle. And then just some of the time, I mean, certainly putting every little watermelon into star shapes, that's fine. Spend your time how you want to spend your time. But it's interesting to me because I watch these videos and I think, well, but it's not leading us to do this much.

[Jen]

Right.

[Jill]

And our listeners are probably going to say the same. I'm not doing this at my parties. And yet it still is the content we're consuming. So it still is necessary for us to push back a little bit. Not on this singular individual, but on these types of concepts and the type of content that we are consuming and to be really aware of how is this actually affecting me? Because we can't watch video after video of that. And it not affect us even from just how fast paced. I mean, she sped up her audio. So you're kind of. You're already on the edge of your seat. You've got this sense of urgency. There's this call to action, there's this expectation that's happening. There are subconscious things that go on when we are watching these types of videos to an extent that we may not even realize, yeah, I might not do all 20 of the things she's doing in that video. But down the road, as this leaks into my mindset, at what point am I gonna find myself doing one of those things? Absolutely five of those things, thinking that.

[Jen]

This is the standard and how does it Feel to be somebody going to a party like this and then feeling inferior because this is not something I'm gonna do or feeling bad. Like I feel like I'm taking advantage of this person because I'm never going to be able to or want to provide this experience back to them. It can be also isolating. Even if it isn't in your social media feed, you might experience it or.

[Jill]

Even just anxiety about, I'd never be able to afford to do that. This woman must be rich. And maybe she is, but maybe she's not because this is her business. So she might. She is getting paid to do these things and trying to sell to us this idea of a lifestyle that we are not getting paid to do, to film, to put out into the world. So I think it's also worth looking at how it's affecting our well being. Even if we don't throw a party like this or spend money on any of these things, what is it doing to us emotionally to be watching this type of thing?

[Jen]

Yeah. And I think what's going on here is fomo. So I think these people want you to see the parties and be like, oh, I should be throwing a party. I should. I. This is what people do. Right. So it's kind of like that bandwagon or tradition normative behavior as well as fomo. So we are maybe missing out if we don't throw a party.

[Jill]

Mm. Yeah. And yeah, it made me like, I want a friend like that. I want to go to that party. Even just that.

[Jen]

Right. Like, what am I doing if I'm not going to a party or throwing one?

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

It makes like socially, I think there's such a big social component too because we all want to connect to each other. But how are we going to connect? Are we gonna connect authentically or just show people we're better than them by cutting all of our watermelon into stars?

[Jill]

And those parties kind of touched a little bit on this next category. But we're gonna now take a little deep dive on some of the decor that can happen around Memorial Day and some of the expectations there. So here. So both of these videos, we will link them, but they are music only. There's no words. So we're just going to talk about them. This first video is a Memorial Day tree. So it is exactly as it sounds. A Christmas tree that is decorated Memorial Day themed. So flags, red, white and blue ribbon, like posters. It doesn't look good.

[Jen]

Can you play it? And we unmute and we'll just like walk through it. Cause this is when I. This whole creator. All she does is wreaths and trees for every single.

[Jill]

So there's like, wooden hearts that have the American tree painted onto them.

[Jen]

Every military branch's flag and big balls, big ornaments.

[Jill]

Red and blue goblets, red, white, and blue stars, baubles.

[Jen]

There is. You cannot see tree anymore. Oh, there's a sunflower that's red, white, and blue with the blue and white stars in the center. And then red and white striped sunflower petals.

[Jill]

The thing that stands out to me on this one is it doesn't look good.

[Jen]

No, it's like the neon yellow flag sweater. It don't look good.

[Jill]

It's like those, like, Pinterest fails, you know, Nailed it, kind of. And that's not to say that she doesn't have an eye for things. It's just that there isn't a way to make a Memorial Day Christmas tree.

[Jen]

But here's the. Here's what I think is happening. She makes all of her money, obviously, around Christmas, but she has to create content through the rest of the year. And I think a lot of these holiday trees and wreaths and stuff. Wreaths, probably. She does do well seasonally, but I think it might just be rage bait of, like, why are you keeping your tree up all year? But also, these are decor things that don't just have to be used on a tree. She's highlighting decor that you can get on Amazon, you can use anywhere. And she's just put. She's just using the tree as the backdrop.

[Jill]

The hope is that you will just buy one of these 20 items, and if you do that, she's one.

[Jen]

It's really key. Like, she heavily plays into, like, every branch of the military being, like, represented on the tree.

[Jill]

Yeah, that's okay. So we've got one more example of a tablescape that somebody does. Because obviously, you've got to make your table look exactly on theme. You can't just have a plain table.

[Jen]

Four plates.

[Jill]

Four plates, yeah.

[Jen]

Four utensils. The cups and the napkins are all hydrangeas.

[Jill]

American color, like red, white, and blue. So the types of cups that you're not going to utilize throughout the rest of the year, like, a lot of this stuff is specific for, I guess, Memorial Day and Fourth of July.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

You could use it twice in the year, but otherwise.

[Jen]

Yes. Unless you are. Unless you live in D.C. and your life is America themed, that's probably only gonna be the two times a year you'll use it. But, like, that is. And the thing that gets me about tablescapes is that they're typically not used. Unlike a party where you're putting out plates. Those are definitely gonna get used. Your formal dining room, the decor in there most likely not getting used. Because when do you ever have like a Memorial Day, like family dinner, like it's much more synonymous with party. Whereas like Thanksgiving and Christmas use the formal dining room. So she probably isn't using this stuff. It is just for show.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And people rarely go into the formal dining room, so it's probably not gonna get seen.

[Jill]

She may not have had anybody over in order to create this video. Honest to goodness.

[Jen]

Yeah. I mean, you're right. I laugh, but like, yeah, that's for sure.

[Jill]

Who's having a party that is so the exact number of seats that you have at your table. No more, no less.

[Jen]

You gotta keep that invite.

[Jill]

And they're all coming for a sit down for Memorial Day.

[Narrator]

Right.

[Jen]

You just don't do that for Memorial Day.

[Jill]

Yeah, yeah. So there's a couple of things going on here. If we wanted to dig deeper into some of the marketing tactics, there is some patriotic and emotional appeal happening. So utilizing the American flags, red, white and blue color schemes, military appreciation, either language or shown, and a lot of just commercials advertising will do this. Using messaging of gratitude for veterans, honoring service member themes, linking patriotism with consumer spending.

[Jen]

The music is patriotic and we couldn't play it, but like it's America the Beautiful. It is this really reverent music set to creating beautiful, you know, throw pillows and American flag plates.

[Jill]

Yeah. Not that those things can't be a part of one's experience, but it is being preyed upon really in order to buy.

[Jen]

Right. If I want to show my respect for the for veterans, then I should celebrate this day to the fullest.

[Jill]

And across all, all of these examples, we've got scarcity and urgency happening where limited time offers. This weekend only ends Monday night. And so this kind of fear of missing out, the fear of losing out on the deal, the desire to kind of fit in this idea that everybody else is doing this and just buying all of the unnecessary stuff because it's being, we're being bombarded with it. I mean, if we're scrolling then we are seeing this message over and over and over again. And our willpowers are only going to go so far and our understanding of reality and how most people live is only going to be so intact the more that we steep ourselves in this type of content. And so I think, you know, what do we do as a result of This I think in part being aware of like utilizing some of this language, like those questions of okay, what's really going on here? Asking yourself that as you're scrolling, start to become kind of the person on the other side, almost an observer of what's the marketing tactic at play here?

[Jen]

Yeah, what's going on behind the scenes?

[Jill]

Uh huh. Is this really reality or is this somebody who is running a business trying to make money and curating our feeds?

[Jen]

Curating an experience for sure.

[Jill]

Not only, I mean, I think we can all do well in just decreasing the amount of time we spend on social media, but also when we are there, that we have curated and created our feeds to be beneficial to us, that it's the type of content we want to see. Because while there are so many creators like this who are pushing over consumption and purchasing off of prime and living a certain lifestyle that's unattainable and unsustainable, there are also creators creating content about how to shop your own closet, how to throw a great party without worrying about your place looking perfect, how to prep single ingredient or you know, low ingredient things and throw a potluck and have other people over. Like those accounts also exist. So finding those, following those, watching those.

[Jen]

Engaging, like, watch the full video. Because your algorithm, your feed is no longer just based on people you follow, it is based on where you are spending time and engaging. So if there's something you want to see more of, you have to like it, you have to comment and you have to watch that because there's really no way. If you don't like something and you watch it because you hate watching it, the algorithm don't know that. So if you're watching something cause you do like it, you have to be more intentional if you want to like keep it in your feed.

[Jill]

Do you know what I'm intentional about keeping in my podcast?

[Jen]

And we play this every week and it never leads us astray.

[Jill]

The Bill of the Week.

[Narrator]

That's right. It's time for the best minute of your entire week. Maybe a baby was born and his name is William. Maybe you paid off your mortgage, maybe your car died and you're happy to not have to pay that bill anymore. Duck bills, Buffalo Bill, Bills. Bill Clinton. This is the Bill of the Week.

[Jen]

Hi Jen and Jill, it's M in Nashville, Tennessee and I'm calling with my bill of the week. This week my bill is my credit card bill and we put all of our normal purchases on our credit card for points. And this week it's really high. From last month because we had some unexpected medical bills in our family. My daughter has some ongoing health problems. I was sick for most of December and we just had some unexpected bills. So my credit card bill is really high and I had to dip into savings and I was really bummed. But then I realized that I have been putting money into savings into my emergency fund all year. And this time last year I switched jobs so that I would be paid more. And I realized that it kind of stinks to have a high bill that you have to pay into dip into savings. But if I had not followed you all's advice and been saving aggressively and switched jobs to make more money, then I would have been in a whole heap of trouble. So I just so appreciate you all and what you do for your community.

[Jill]

Thanks.

[Jen]

That's so great, Em. I'm so glad you shared that with us.

[Jill]

This is so encouraging that these really difficult things still happen. That being frugal didn't save you from emergencies and high medical bills. However, it did create a lot more cushion and peace. Throughout that experience, some stability that you still had to dip into savings. However, your sights have been on earning more, saving aggressively, which allows you to be able to navigate this without finding yourself deep, deep into trouble and overwhelm. And that is just. If that's not the goal, I don't know, I don't know what is. Congratulations, Em. We're so thrilled for you. We hope that the worst of all of that chaos is behind you and then you're able to keep that credit card bill low. And congrats on getting a job that pays you more. That's a huge part of this whole journey.

[Jen]

So that's being frugal with your time, being doing the same amount of work for more money.

[Jill]

I like that. If you all listening, have a bill you want to submit. If it has to do with a high bill, a low bill, a no bill, or you are bill a no bill, man. Frugalfriendspodcast.com bill. Leave it for us. We cannot wait for it. Looking to save even more money on your phone bill? How does free sound? Helium Mobile is offering the first free phone plan. That's right. Free phone service. Seriously, no bill, no contract, just free.

[Jen]

It's not just some limited time deal. You get nationwide 5G coverage with 3 gigabytes of data, 300 texts and 100 minutes of calls. If you need more data, you can upgrade to their other plans. Plus you're supporting a community built network that's growing every day to keep you seamlessly connected wherever you go.

[Jill]

When we first heard about Helium Mobile, we couldn't wait to share it with all our frugal listeners who are looking to budget smarter when it comes to everyday necessities without sacrificing quality.

[Jen]

So if you're in the market to cut that monthly phone bill, like really cut it, Helium Mobile is where it's at. Download the Helium Mobile app today and use the Code Froogle to get your free plan today.

[Narrator]

Ready for another dose of mystery, mind games and psychological intrigue? The Hulu Original Series Nine Perfect Strangers starring Nicole Kidman is back for an all new season. This season, a new group of visitors with mysterious connections to each other journey to an exotic healing retreat set high in the Swiss Alps. In this opulent winter wonderland, the group is subjected to a unique vision of therapy that takes them to the very edge of sanity. As they peel back the layers in a series of shocking twists and character revelations, the retreat's leader reveals her own complex motives. As the strangers unravel before our eyes, everything is revealed in a visually stunning and intoxicating finale that will leave you breathless. Starring Nicole Kidman and with an all star cast including Christine Baranski, Murray Bartlett, Henry Golding, Annie Murphy, Mark Strong and King Princess, Nine Perfect Strangers is your next must watch drama. The season premiere of Nine Perfect Strangers premieres May 21st. Streaming on Hulu. We're leaving today and entering a world of Cinderella, Castle, sightseeing, Tron Light cycling Jungle K. Cruz punning Pirate swashbuckling Everest climbing Dapper Denning soaring, soaring fireworks show of I'm not crying, you're crying. World of Favorites for whatever you love, infinite worlds await at the most magical place on earth. Walt Disney World Resort. Not everyone who handles your personal information is going to be as careful as you are, and it only takes one mistake to expose it to hackers and identity theft. Maybe that's why there's a new victim of identity theft every five seconds in the United States. Fortunately, there's LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity if your identity is stolen. A LifeLock US based restoration specialist will help solve identity theft issues on your behalf, guaranteed or your money back. Plus, all LifeLock plans are backed by the million dollar protection package, meaning LifeLock will reimburse you up to the limits of your plan. If you lose money due to identity theft, you can't control how diligent others are with your personal information, but with Lifelock you can help protect it. Act now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off. Terms apply.

[Jill]

And now it's time for politening round.

[Jen]

Pew, pew, pew. All right. What is your biggest sales tactic? Ick. And I think we will have similar ones. I think mine's slightly different. Mine is fear based marketing. It is the worst. And usually just like bros on YouTube will do it. But car dealerships will use this. There was a man yelling at me about avoiding the car price increase from tariffs. I have to act fast cause car prices are increasing cause of tariffs. Avoid it. By now just yelling at me and I was like, hush, Just stop. Hush, hush, hush. Well, that's not what I said in reality, but that's what I'm saying now. Just stop. Yeah, that is the biggest ick. I would never go to that dealership just because of that ad.

[Jill]

Mine is the emotional appeal. I can't stand it. I have a visceral reaction where brands try to sell you a lifestyle and an idea of kind of transcending your experience. And it's so cheap to me. So gross and exploitive. It feels in a lot of ways too, like, here's something to get you to cry. This man is coming home from serving overseas on military duty and he's coming home and surprising his child and buy this car. Like, no, your car does not create family values.

[Jen]

You'll fit in this car.

[Jill]

Car. I, I, I am getting this. My blood is boiling right now as I think about it. Like, wow, No, a car is not gonna make you get up to go see the sunrise and like, become a better person who finds themselves on top of a mountain. A car is gonna get you to and from work, hopefully.

[Jen]

Yeah. It's gonna get you to and from Chipotle. All right. You're not going to watch this sunrise. Just you're getting Chipotle way home from the grocery store.

[Jill]

It is enough to say, here's something that might make your life more efficient or here's something you are already looking for. Here's reasons to buy. This particular one, I think feels like it's treating us like we're dumb. And I hate that. It feels manipulative, exploitive, cheap. Like, people are gonna buy cars. Tell them why they should buy this car. Don't take them on an emotional journey where they're crying by the end of it and then being like, now give us your money. It's not even just an ick. It ticks me Off.

[Jen]

So car brands and car dealerships.

[Jill]

Yeah, right. It's not just cars who do it, but like they are the easiest to point to. They are good examples. Plenty of other brands do this. Yes, clothing brands in. In the ways that they take their pictures and market you on social media. It's disgusting.

[Jen]

Well, thank you for listening. Let us know if you liked this format. If we should put it on YouTube and show some videos. You can leave a comment on the YouTube video for this episode or leave us a comment on the episode on Spotify. Let us know what you liked and if you want more from us then our book Buy what yout Love Without Going Broke is available now. Buy what you love book.com. people tend to like it. Like this guy Eric left it a five star review. Everything I've ever wanted in a personal finance book. This book is so relatable and helpful. From all the examples, stories given to the action steps and journal prompts at the end of each chapter, the authors not only help me understand the psychology behind spending, but how to make better spending decisions. I feel so much more confident about my money and equipped to reach my longer term financial goals. For anyone looking to curb impulse spending, pay down debt, or just experience more freedom with their money without all the strict budgeting, this book is for you.

[Jill]

Wow. I mean, it's probably just coincidence that my husband's name is Eric. He did read the book, but like, I guarantee you, he did not leave this review.

[Jen]

Oh, and you didn't leave it for us on his.

[Jill]

You know, I'm not entirely sure that that's not true.

[Jen]

Cause I left a review for Travis for my. For our book.

[Jill]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But did you put Travis's name down?

[Jen]

No. You know whose name I put?

[Jill]

Whose?

[Jen]

I just picked a random name. It's Theresa.

[Jill]

Oh, wow.

[Jen]

So if you see a Theresa Theresa.

[Jill]

Review, don't trust it.

[Jen]

Trust it.

[Jill]

It could be an inside job.

[Jen]

I just want to be transparent that I reviewed my own book.

[Jill]

I did too. And I don't know if we just.

[Jen]

Read it or not.

[Jill]

I do like the use of slashes. And there is a slash in this one. I might. Who knows? I was on a rampage and I can't remember what I did. I might have wrote this one. Eric might not exist. It might be me.

[Jen]

Please help us by leaving your own review for the book on Amazon.

[Jill]

Bury our own reviews of our own book by getting yours up at the top.

[Jen]

It's only. It's only two of like 160. So we're not the only two reviews. There are over 100.

[Jill]

We didn't create 160 separate Amazon accounts.

[Jen]

We did not do that. I can assure you we do not have time for that.

[Jill]

Oh, wow. Well, if you're still with us, thanks for listening. Thanks for reading our book. If you liked either one of them, please do leave us a review. It helps us, it helps other people. And we'll see you next time. Time.

[Jen]

Bye. Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni. All right, Jill, you. Let's talk about exploitation.

[Jill]

Okay.

[Jen]

Yeah, because you use the word. We talked about this a few days ago. You used the word explanation, exploitive.

[Jill]

And you were quick to correct me with what's your version?

[Jen]

Exploitative. And I was like, wait, could they both be right?

[Jill]

Uh huh. I mean, we didn't. We didn't. We didn't jump to that. It was definitely you thought you were right. I thought I was right.

[Jen]

Right.

[Jill]

And then as I googled it to realize we both right.

[Jen]

We were both right.

[Jill]

They're both right.

[Jen]

They are the same. You can use both. And it just was very indicative of our personalities. I add an extra syllable because why not add something extra if you can. If you can make it more complicated.

[Jill]

Why not I'm less is more and you are more is more. And we're both right. And we're both expressing our ideas and opinions, but in different ways.

[Jen]

Just like the book tywhyoulovebook.com in different ways. So on brand.

[Jill]

Yeah. Well, glad we have that settled. And you know what? Both of us love being right, so neither one of us had to walk away being wrong.

[Jen]

That was the best takeaway.

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[Jill]

Learn [e-mail] AmExBusiness looking to save even more money on your phone bill? How does free sound? Helium Mobile is offering the first free phone plan. That's right. Free phone service. Seriously? No bill, no contract, just free.

[Jen]

It's not just some limited time deal. You get nationwide 5G coverage with 3 gigabytes of data, 300 texts and 100 minutes of calls. If you need more data, you can upgrade to their other plans. Plus, you're supporting a community built network that's growing every day to keep you seamlessly connected wherever you go.

[Jill]

When we first heard about Helium Mobile, we couldn't wait to share it with all our frugal listeners who are looking to budget smarter when it comes to everyday necessities without sacrificing quality.

[Jen]

So if you're in the market to cut that monthly phone bill, like really cut it, Helium Mobile is where it's at. Download the Helium Mobile app today and use the code froogle to get your free plan. Today.

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