Holiday Anti Haul: 10 Things We're Not Buying This Season

Summary

Frugal Friends Podcast Episode Summary
Episode Title: Holiday Anti Haul: 10 Things We're Not Buying This Season
Release Date: November 29, 2024
Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
Platform: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction to the Holiday Anti Haul

In this episode, hosts Jen Smith and Jill Sirianni delve into the concept of the "Holiday Anti Haul," encouraging listeners to identify and refrain from purchasing specific items during the festive season. The goal is to promote mindful spending, reduce clutter, and embrace frugality without sacrificing holiday joy.

Notable Quote:

• Jen: "For every shopping list you have for the holidays, you should have an equal not buy list."
  (03:38)

The Importance of a No Buy List

Jen and Jill discuss the significance of creating a "no buy list" alongside traditional shopping lists. This practice helps individuals focus on their values, avoid impulse purchases, and spend money intentionally on what truly matters.

Notable Quotes:

• Jill: "So you be confident in the things that you are buying because you are certain in the things you are not."
  (03:48)
• Jen: "It does make me feel a lot more confident about the things that I am gonna spend on. So this is just really good practice for values-based spending."
  (03:55)

Listener Feedback and Survey Results

The hosts share insights from a poll conducted via their newsletter, revealing that 54% of listeners find decorations the easiest item to exclude from their holiday spending. Travel follows as the second most common area where listeners opt to save money.

Notable Quotes:

• Jen: "By a landslide, you all said decorations. 54% of you said decorations. That's the easiest thing to say no on."
  (05:35)
• Jill: "Travel is too expensive around the holidays. And you know, pets are more expensive to board around the holidays."
  (06:45)

Personal Anti Haul Items

Jen and Jill each share their personal "not buy" lists, detailing specific items they have chosen to forgo this holiday season and the alternatives they are adopting.

Jen's Anti Haul:

1. Wrapping Paper:
   • Jen: "I'm not buying wrapping paper because I have plenty already and can reuse brown paper or bags from takeout."
     (11:48)
2. Advent Calendars:
   • Jill: "Advent calendars have had a glow up, but I prefer free printables to avoid clutter and extra costs."
     (12:52)
3. Holiday Decor:
   • Jen: "I've curated decor from thrift stores and family, reducing the need to buy new items."
     (13:47)
4. Gifts:
   • Jen: "I'm opting for thoughtful, DIY, or low-cost gifts instead of buying for the sake of buying."
     (25:35)
5. Holiday-Themed Products:
   • Jill: "I'm not spending on holiday-themed cups and toys that are only relevant for a short time."
     (29:48)

Jill's Anti Haul:

1. Elf on a Shelf:
   • Jill: "I'm not spending money or time on Elf on a Shelf due to the ongoing costs and mental burden."
     (24:00)
2. Holiday Pajamas:
   • Jill: "I'm avoiding holiday-themed pajamas that are only useful during the season."
     (33:06)
3. Gimmicky Activities:
   • Jen: "I'm skipping activities like Christmas-themed putt-putt golf that feel like money grabs."
     (31:08)
4. Gingerbread House Kits:
   • Jill: "I'm steering clear of gingerbread house kits that often end up looking messy and aren't enjoyable to eat."
     (38:35)

Recommendations and Resources

Jen and Jill offer practical advice and resources for listeners to develop their own Anti Haul lists. They emphasize the importance of aligning purchases with personal values and avoiding consumerist pressures.

Notable Quote:

• Jen: "Our book, 'Buy What You Love Without Going Broke,' helps you define what you value and offers solutions to say no to what you don't."
  (04:15)

Personal Experiences and Stories

The hosts share personal anecdotes about their holiday spending habits and the positive changes they've experienced by adhering to their Anti Haul lists. They discuss the emotional and financial benefits of simplifying holiday traditions.

Notable Quotes:

• Jen: "Last year was my quiet Grinch Christmas, which allowed me to enjoy the season without the pressure of excessive spending."
  (28:07)
• Jill: "I love driving around neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights, investing in a quality reusable tree instead of multiple decorations."
  (37:13)

Listener Interaction and Community Engagement

Jen and Jill encourage listeners to participate by submitting their own anti haul items and sharing their experiences. They highlight the community aspect of the podcast, fostering a supportive environment for frugal living.

Notable Quote:

• Jill: "If you have a bill that you want to submit or a great money-saving tip, visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill."
  (47:17)

Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with a reflection on the joys of a simpler holiday season, emphasizing meaningful experiences over material possessions. Jen and Jill express gratitude to their listeners and encourage continued mindfulness in spending.

Notable Quotes:

• Jen: "I love the simple luxuries of life. Daily enjoyable things that don't have to cost anything bring me so much joy."
  (52:06)
• Jill: "Finding my radical middle by supporting local businesses and choosing secondhand whenever possible is my ongoing journey."
  (60:53)

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Key Takeaways:

• Anti Haul Lists: Creating a list of items to avoid can help manage spending and reduce holiday clutter.
• Value-Based Spending: Focus on purchasing items that align with personal values and bring genuine joy.
• Listener Engagement: Community involvement enhances the frugal living experience.
• Personal Growth: Simplifying holiday traditions can lead to increased happiness and financial well-being.

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Buy What You Love Without Going Broke
  Preorder at: buywhatyoulovebook.com
• Live Classes: December meal planning and January 2025 spending plan available for book pre-orders.

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By adopting the principles discussed in this episode, listeners can navigate the holiday season with greater financial control and personal satisfaction, ensuring a joyous and stress-free celebration.

Transcript

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[Dr. Laurie Santos]

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By NCUA Episode 463 Holiday Anti Haul 10 Things We're Not Buying this Season welcome to the Frugal Friends Podcast where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity.

[Home Depot Announcer]

And live a richer life.

[AT&T Announcer]

Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Welcome to the Frugal Friends Podcast. My name is Jen. My name is Jill and today we are talking about things we're not buying. We're giving you permission to not buy and giving you permission to make your own list of things that you're not going to buy this season. Because it is a list everyone should have.

[AT&T Announcer]

We've got so many lists going on this year, so many lists we need to check twice. This one, this one's a good one.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

For every shopping list you have for the holidays you should have an equal not buy list.

[AT&T Announcer]

Anti Haul List Anti haul. I love the term anti haul.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

So you be confident in the things that you are buying because you are certain in the things you are not.

[AT&T Announcer]

I think it really does help us to focus on, not for the whole time but to really know what am I not gonna spend money on. It does make me feel a lot more confident about the things that I am gonna spend on. So this is just really good practice for values based spending which you know, is what our book is all about. Buy what you love without going broke.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Buy what you you're jumping the gun because this episode is brought to you by. The one thing, the one thing that you should be adding to your haul list is buy what you love without going broke. It is our book that helps you define what you value and love and offers the solutions and tips to say no to what you don't. So it helps you make that no buy list. It also helps you stick to it and be freed of the guilt and shame that comes after the holidays when you've bought things that you don't actually care about. So if you want to free yourself from that, go ahead and preorder it at Buy what you love book.com and you'll get access to our December and January live classes that are exclusive only for Pre orders in December, December 29th we are making a full year meal plan. We are helping you, walking you through making that 365 day meal plan. And then in January, we are going to walk you through making a 2025 spending plan. So these are going to be fantastic live classes that we're going to walk you through all the steps to do this. So buy what you love book.com best.

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For the end of the year and the new year. I'm very excited about those lives. Yeah, you can tell we're excited about this. We're getting so close to the book being published that we're just so thrilled. I know that you can hold it in your hands, but now we're going to talk about things you're not going to be spending on, what we're not spending on. But we did ask you all in the friend letter because we put a poll at the end of all of our friend letters. If you're not receiving that frugal friends podcast.com just frugal friends podcast frugal friends podcast.com it'll pop up. So we asked you what's the easiest thing to say no to spending money on around the holidays. And by a landslide you all said decorations. 54 not you all 54% of you said decorations. That's the easiest thing to say no on. But second was traveling. So it sounds like a lot of you find it easy to stay put for the holidays, which is good. Travel can be very expensive and airlines especially hike up prices around the holidays. So if you're able to stay put and not travel, that is definitely a wallet saver.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah, that's what everybody was saying. Travel is too expensive around the holidays. And you know, pets are more expensive to board around the holidays.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. And it's, and it could be really stressful too. Flights get canceled. Just so many more people are traveling. The other things that we listed that not many of you, not many of you responded to was extra food and activities. So I'm going to take that to mean we do like spending on extra food and activities, which Jen and I will share on a little bit ourselves.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

We've done, we do a Black Friday episode every year. It's our annual kind of anti consumption, not anti consumption, but like alternative consumption inspiration episode. So we've, you know, under consumption core. Under, under consumption core. So you can, you can check out those. And then also our other holiday episodes like 456 how to have a Frugal Holiday Season. And then way back in the archives to 184 tips to prepare for Holiday Sales early. So all of that is great. It's Black Friday. Our biggest tip is get the deals that you have been waiting for and planning for and do not let the holiday sales season sweep you up so that you sneak in a few impulse buys just because they're a good deal. Do not do that.

[AT&T Announcer]

So we're primarily going to talk about. Jen and I are just going to volley back and forth on the things that we're not buying this holiday season. But in preparation for this episode, I did find an interesting article titled how much do Americans really spend on Christmas? And what is everyone buying? Comes from Wharton women. And there were some really fun statistics in here. Now this was written in 2022, so it's not the most time up to date. Thank you. As maybe we would want, but we can still see the trends happening. So they talked about how in 2021 U.S. holiday shopping generated $886.7 billion in sales, which is a 14% increase from the previous year. And how the average American had planned to spend $826 in 2022 specifically on gifts, food and decorations. Of that 800 something dollars, 500 of it was spent on gifts for family, with the most popular being toys, clothing, gift cards. And it also listed how one surprising area of spending is on petroleum presents, saying that the average American pet receives around $50 in gifts. And this is the clincher. This really made me chuckle out loud. So 34% of Americans will purchase gifts for their dogs, while 22% purchase gifts for their cats. So that's interesting. Dogs just dog owners want to give gifts to their pets more than cat owners do. Meanwhile, only percent of Americans purchase gifts for their in laws. Wa so we are buying more gifts for our pets than we are for our in laws. Isn't that something?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. So what I thought was interesting, so I did some, I looked for some updated statistics and what I look to see is is the amount of spending going up with the rate of inflation or is it outpacing inflation, which we.

[AT&T Announcer]

Had talked about in a recent episode as well. But it is very interesting.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

So, and we have this before and it, it still rings true. In 2023, which is last year the rate of inflation in the US was 3.4%. Right. So we're looking is consumption increasing or is it just prices are increasing and holiday spending increased at 3.8%. So consumption is increasing at a faster rate than the prices. So we are buying more. And so that's what we really want to look at. We want to be able, yes, we're going to spend money, but we don't want to Consume for the sake of consumption. And so that's why we want to normalize these no buy lists and, and just make sure that we are getting everything that we want and not what the retailers want us to want.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. Not for the sake of deprivation, but for the sake of really identifying. Is my money going to be best spent because I don't have to buy.

[Dr. Laurie Santos]

All of the things?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

All right, Jill, kick us off. What's the first thing that you are not buying this holiday season and what are you doing instead?

[AT&T Announcer]

Well, I'm not buying wrapping paper. And that's in part because of another thing I'm not buying, which is gifts. However, there probably will be some gifts that I give that are diyed or low cost or just as the mood strikes. But I have plenty of wrapping paper already, so that's part of it. Not all of it is holiday themed wrapping paper. Do I care? Does the recipient care? No. But also with different packages that might be coming in the mail just related to everyday expenses that we get delivered. There's usually brown paper that can be utilized or bags from takeout over the, over the past year that I still do keep because they're just brown usable paper bags. So these are the things that I use to wrap my gifts.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. I do not use themed wrapping paper. That's my solution. I have one.

[AT&T Announcer]

Or don't even buy themed wrapping paper. Buy the kind that you can use all year round.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I don't need to have a Christmas paper, a birthday paper, a baby shower paper, and whatever else. A wedding paper. Right. I have one neutral roll of wrapping paper and that's what gets used for everything.

[AT&T Announcer]

I love that.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. Whether it's Christmas or not. And it also cuts down on clutter. I don't have to use one of those wrapping paper rolls, you know, plastic containers, or figure out where I'm going to keep all my rolls of wrapping paper. I have one. It is in my closet and I pull it out when I need it. And honestly, mostly I will reuse bags.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Like anytime I get a gift, I have a whole container. Are you really a millennial if you don't have a container full of gift bags and use gift bags and used tissue paper?

[AT&T Announcer]

Oh, yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. So that's most that I will use that mostly for birthdays and stuff because those are usually kid themed. But for adult things. Yeah, I have this one wrapping paper.

[AT&T Announcer]

I love it. What else is on your list?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

So the first thing on my list is an Advent calendar. There are Advent calendars have gone.

[AT&T Announcer]

Why yol they've had a glow up.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

A glow up. So it used to just be like a little toy or a chocolate. And now you can get books, meats and cheeses. Meats and cheeses. Beer, wine, whiskey, every coffees. Like there is an Advent. I got a hot sauce advent calendar one year and I actually loved it. You know, I loved buying that, but I'm not going to buy it again because I literally kept that, all of those little hot sauce bottles the full year. It took me forever to get through them. So I'm just not gonna do it. If I want to celebrate the Advent, if I want to celebrate the 25 days leading up to Christmas, there are a lot of printables that you can download for free and really have the same experience, but for printer ink. I mean, if you're just doing the black and ink and, you know, not really fancy printing does come out to less expensive and less clutter than all of these Advent calendars. Because if you want wine, buy a bottle of wine. You know, like, you're not going to have. You should not have two glasses of wine every night for 25 days in a row.

[AT&T Announcer]

Right. I mean, I'm not gonna tell someone how exactly to live their lives.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I just. I think that's what I think and maybe it's not what you think.

[AT&T Announcer]

The decision you're going to make is not just buy a bottle of.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Buy up a couple bottles of wine.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. So the next thing I'm not purchasing is decor. This has been such a shift for me over the years because I do love this season. And I have definitely equated really getting into the spirit as purchasing all of the decor, getting new things to update. And I think I've realized over the years as I've kind of had to have less living in a vehicle or moving or living in someone else's home, house sitting, that it just didn't make sense for me to have bins and bins and bins of things and that it is still just as special. The few things that I have really curated from thrift stores and yard sales and family members, like, I now have the things that I love and I put up that all fit into one plastic bin. And I really love them. Yeah, they're familiar to me. They're not necessarily new and exciting, but I've realized I don't need that. I do have decor. It helps me feel like we're celebrating, but I don't need to buy anything new. So it's been interesting. I've kind of dropped that. I used to really love going up and down the aisles when they put out all of the Christmas stuff. But now I'm like, I don't need to look at that. I got stuff at home. And that, that has taken time. But it's been interesting to watch that shift just in myself. There are times that I get tempted for like, oh, look at that beautiful holiday wre. And then I'm like, what, what is that going to do for me? I don't even leave my house. I'm not going to see the wreath on my door ever. And it's going to cost me $80 because wreaths are expensive. I don't need that.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah, I take the same approach with decor, just keeping it simple. I got a new tree last year. So last year I set up my old reusable tree and it was just tilton like a Charlie Brown Christmas.

[AT&T Announcer]

It was like very adorable. Actually. I kind of loved how dilapidated it was.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Well, and that is we are the frugal friends. Yeah, right. And that was my only like. But we were in the middle of a renovation and I was like, this is appropriate for the setting. But after Christmas, I took advantage of the sales to get a tree half off. So I really went in and I got a very good quality large tree for our new renovated space. First Christmas in the, you know, with the renovation done and I got it for half off. And so that's really where I'm leaning into. Instead of buying a lot of different decor, I just bought a very quality reusable tree. If you keep them, it's. It's debatable. Like how long to keep it? At least five years. In order to offset the kind of the impact, the carbon impact versus getting a disposable, not a disposable like a real tree. Some people say 10, so five to 10 years. And I definitely have the other one for over five years. So this is going to be the first year we are using the new tree. And I just got some extra lights also on sale because it's a bigger tree and that's going to be my decoration. Like it's just going to be that tree. And I love it.

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[Dr. Laurie Santos]

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[AT&T Announcer]

Lovely.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

So my next one. I don't know if this is going to be controversial, but I am not spending any money on Elf on a Shelf. I don't own one. And it's not just the cost of the ELF because you could get those for free. It is actually the cost of everything that the ELF does throughout its tenure. Like it is the cost of time when you are. Because the. Are you familiar with Elf on Yes I am.

[AT&T Announcer]

I actually have one.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah.

[AT&T Announcer]

Which is very funny because I you don't have kids, but my mother in law got me a tropical themed Elf on a shelf which is really cute.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Okay. Yeah, don't get that for people. Yeah, it's the it like making snow angels in flower and then you have to set that up and then you also have to clean that up and then the cost of flour is negligible but it's the time cost. And then you're also searching the Internet for ideas because you wanna do different things every year. So it's a mental cost. It's really. And then it's this weird thing. This elf is watching you. And it's also being naughty. But you can't be naughty because it's watching you. It's a spy.

[AT&T Announcer]

Right.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

And we don't do the elf's boss, that guy. We don't do that in our house. So it just doesn't make sense.

[AT&T Announcer]

Here's the thing. We are. We are listing off the things we are not buying. But please know this is not a personal attack. For those of you who these are on your buy list. We're just hoping to give you ideas for you have permission to put other things on your no buy list because you may make different decisions. Elf on a shelf. For some people, the energy expended is what's fun. And you don't have to purchase all this extra stuff to be able to do.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Look at this one, though. This elf on a shelf went on a quote unquote shopping spree. And these are custom little Amazon packages. Elf is on. And he's covered in packages.

[AT&T Announcer]

Oh, my.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I just. And there's one where it took a picture next to the sleeping child. Like the elf is watching you sleep. There are so many wrong Elf spaghetti. Like, it's funny in the movie, but then you just waste all of that candy and pasta there. There's just so much to unpack.

[AT&T Announcer]

It just. You. You can't. You don't want to engage. I get it.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. So that's. I'm not engaging in that cost.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. The next thing for me is gifts. I'm doing it again. Friends, I loved last year. Last year was my quiet Grinch Christmas. And it might not be as quiet this year, but it still might be a little Grinchy without gifts. That doesn't mean that I don't love and care for people and will plan to show value to them, maybe even write encouraging notes and cards to people. But I don't need the pressure of just buying for the sake of buying. I do love to give gifts that feel thoughtful in what the person's gonna want. So if I come upon that, then I'll do it. But I'm not just gonna make a list and try and pull ideas out of thin air for what I could possibly spend $20 on for this person.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah.

[AT&T Announcer]

And I also realized. So last year when we did our quiet Grinch Christmas, Eric and I did say that we would get gifts for each other. So it was kind of like we blocked out the rest of the world. And then we're like, okay, but for you, I like. But for you, I like. Here's the thing. We both returned every single gift we got for each other.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

That's. I. It's so. So you return them because of the products. Travis and I are horrible gift givers to each other.

[AT&T Announcer]

Just.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

We don't like the things that each other gives.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

And so that's why we don't get gifts from each other.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I get gifts for me. He gets gifts for himself.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. I don't. I like. I don't need that. So I would much rather just enjoy good food, have some relaxing times, maybe do activities. So I'm already jumping the gun on what I will spend on. But y'all know me. We're just not doing gifts. Except for there. I may make the caveat of. For adults, it's very possible, depending on where we find ourselves for Christmas, that I'd give gifts to kids. And I know you and I do that differently. There's been times where you're like, kids aren't getting the gifts. They get enough stuff. I'm getting gifts for the adults, and I respect that. But for me, I usually choose. If I'm not doing gifts, I'll at least do it for the. For the children. For the children. For the children.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. No, I will only. So I will get my own children gifts. I'm talking about other people's children. I'm not buying them gifts.

[AT&T Announcer]

I got nieces and nephews, you know, I need them to.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

You don't have your own children, so those are basically your children.

[AT&T Announcer]

They are my children.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

But yeah. So we'll do a few gifts for Kai, maybe one for Atlas because he's not even two yet. But we're. And maybe we'll go in on a gift for my in laws and my mom and that's it. Nobody else. Nobody else get gifts. And that's. And they have to be okay with that. And they usually are. Nobody has ever complained to my face. And they still talk to us pleasantly.

[AT&T Announcer]

Well done.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. So my next one is holiday themed products like cups and toys. So any of the regular toys or things that we might get anyways, but holiday themed, which means they're kind of only relevant for a day because you're getting them on Christmas and the next day Christmas is over. So they are relevant for one day and even within the season, like Starbucks has the free holiday cups yesterday if you order a drink. Why would I get a holiday cup? It's only relevant to use for a month. For the next six weeks. And then what do I do with it? I put it on a shelf.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I already have a cup. I'm fine.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

So whether it is free or like a collector's edition or whatever. No, we don't do anything that has a lifespan. Just like wrapping paper. If it's got. If it's not evergreen, which is not a great term to use when we're talking about the holidays, but evergreen means it's usable throughout the year, whatever season, then it's just not worth it.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. The next thing for me is what I will term gimmicky activities. And this is really my own opinion on an activity. There's not really any exact metric for this, but I will give an example. So the pier near us will usually have some sort of booth set up that's like a Christmas themed putt putt golf something. And it's literally like 15ft long by 10ft wide. And they're charging 20 bucks to be able to walk through and do like three putt putt holes. And then you can feel like you did something or.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Outdoor ice skating in Florida. It's not real ice and it is so hard to skate on. I was a competitive figure skater.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yes.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

And I would never set foot on an outdoor rink in Florida.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. So these things that you can just very easily tell are money grabs.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah.

[AT&T Announcer]

I'm just not gonna do it.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

No.

[AT&T Announcer]

Not here for it. Not if it feels gimmicky or the. I want it to feel magical.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

They're probably not gonna do it this year. But in past years, they've done the enchantment. You walk through Christmas lights. It's 50 bucks.

[AT&T Announcer]

Which I have been interested in. I've been curious about it. It seems like a very immersive experience. But, yeah, the cost was prohibitive to me. And then they. Cause they. The year that they did it for the very first time was when I was interested. Like, what's this gonna be about? I'm so glad I waited because all of the reviews on it were. This place was packed. We couldn't do any of the activities. It. You were waiting in line for everything. I'm like, yeah, paid 50 bucks for that per person.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. All right, so the next one. And I am already seeing. I have been seeing ads for this for weeks on social media. And it just angers me. Holiday pajamas.

[AT&T Announcer]

I.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Holiday themed pajamas. And I've been seeing the social media post is like, run to Old Navy. You need these. These are a great deal. I was like, these pajamas are relevant for Six weeks. And if I am going to most times, we'll wear the pajamas. If we get holiday pajamas. Not because we bought them. They're. They're being worn after the holiday. So why? Every holiday pajama set that we've ever gotten, we've been given, and we try. Like, it's just weird to wear them outside of the holidays. Even though, like, out of spite, I want to.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

But I'm just gonna buy matching sets. Cause I do think Christmas morning matching jammies are cute. Like, I do have a heart. But we're gonna make sure they're evergreen.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yes. Evergreen jammies.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

They're jammies that can win.

[AT&T Announcer]

They're jammies.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. For the next year.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. Yeah. I support that.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

But you do not need to run to Old Navy to take advantage of this $6 pajama set.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Why is it $6?

[AT&T Announcer]

Right?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Like, let's ask ourselves, why is it so cheap?

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. Because the itches come for free. It makes you itchy. My last one. And similar to what you were saying, I'm not buying special outfits. So, like, we've got a holiday party coming up. I gotta get in. I gotta get a dress. I've gotta have a themed. Whatever. I got clothes in my closet. They worked for me last year.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yep.

[AT&T Announcer]

It'll work for me again this year.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

All the. I'm also seeing social media posts like holiday outfit haul and buying new outfits for holiday parties. No. Don't need a new holiday party outfit. Nobody remembers what you wore to last year's holiday party. Unless you truly made a scene, in which case, I'm sure you have a second outfit.

[AT&T Announcer]

It's fine.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Just right. Wear something you already have that you've accumulated.

[AT&T Announcer]

Here's the thing. You could choose something different from me, though. Like, I'm just saying what I'm not buying. But if someone is like, I do need a new dress, and this is a great time to get one, and I've got plenty of places to wear it, but let's be honest and wear it throughout the year.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

You probably don't need a new dress. You want a new dress. If you've been wanting a new dress for a while and you've been waiting and there's a sale on the one that you've really wanted, and you're gonna be able to wear it the whole year, then this is your moment. This is your moment to get it.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

But let's be real with ourselves. You don't need a new outfit for holiday parties.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. We don't have to feel the pressure for it really is what it is. I think we can just feel peaceful.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

You can just want something.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

And get it.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. But sometimes the stress of feeling like you have to get something is more anxiety producing.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. I feel I forgot to mention the adult holiday pajamas. The onesies, like, onesie holiday pajamas. You. You put those on for a picture and that's it. Who is sleeping in those? Those are hot.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. No, it's not practical. I get up in the night to go to the bathroom. Welcome to your 30s. So we're not doing that.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

And it's. This sounds like a very curmudgeony episode.

[AT&T Announcer]

And maybe we are.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Maybe we are.

[AT&T Announcer]

But, like, welcome to your 30s.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

There are things that we do love, and we just are defining what we don't like. Like, I, obviously, I love the Christmas. I spent $150 on a Christmas tree. On a very nice Christmas tree.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

And that thing was $300 originally. And some people would look at me and like, you spent $150 on a Christmas tree? That's so dumb. It didn't even have lights on it. I bought more lights in addition to it.

[AT&T Announcer]

Oh, wow.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

So, yeah, right. Like, I spent money on that because that is my one Christmas. I love Christmas trees. Oh, my gosh. If you have a Christmas tree in your window, I'm looking through your window into your house. Hi.

[AT&T Announcer]

It me.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

It gonna be me looking into your house. Like, I just love Christmas trees and I love Christmas lights. I love driving around the neighborhood. My kids hate me. Kid and husband hate me. Because I'm always trying to take the long way home through the neighborhoods to look at the light.

[AT&T Announcer]

Not gonna do elf on a shelf. But I will spend my time driving through neighborhoods peeping on you, spending money on gas.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I know. I am investing to peep into your home. And snacks. I love holiday snacks too. Not themed snacks, but, like, parties with snacks.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yes.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

And I'll. I'll pay extra for the pre made nice, like, snack from Costco or Sam's Club because I love it.

[AT&T Announcer]

Okay, well, you're getting ahead of yourself. Tell us the last thing you won't buy.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Oh, my gosh. I'm so sorry. I thought I said it. A gingerbread house kit. Gingerbread house kits always come out looking the worst. Are they not always the worst? Because we're not good at construction. Right. And then the materials are poor. They pour adhesives.

[AT&T Announcer]

They don't taste. No one's actually eating them.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

They're not good. You don't.

[AT&T Announcer]

Unless gingerbread Houses are your thing and you've got your grandmother's recipe and it's what you do and you eat it because it tastes so yummy. That's. Have at it. But yeah, the gingerbread 1% kits are. I know a few people who like. It's their thing. It's. It's a tradition. And then they actually eat them and they taste good. But most of us out here just grabbing the kits off the shelf.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

On the shelf. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah. Unless you're working at the Grand Floridian at Disney World and you're, you know, have you seen the gingerbread house there?

[AT&T Announcer]

No.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

It's a gingerbread empire. Essentially. It's very famous. If you are in Disney World around the holidays, you can go to the Grand Floridian. You don't even have to pay for the parks. You just, you can go. It's open to the public and they just have this massive, almost life size gingerbread house inside the Grand Fleurity and it's very cool.

[AT&T Announcer]

That sounds beautiful.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

But that's it. Okay. Yeah, I did jump the gun. I'm so sorry. Jill. What are you buying?

[AT&T Announcer]

I will most likely buy plane tickets. We will probably go somewhere this Christmas so that will be expensive. But I do put money aside for the holidays throughout the year and then I can decide how we want to spend that. So this year it will most likely be on plane tickets. It will absolutely be on nice food to share. That's an evergreen thing for me at the holidays. I really love getting some of the nicer meats and cheeses and spreads and accoutrements and just if we want to order out, this is the time. This is when we do it. We really, we really shine in December, January, really shining. I will also spend on like a fun or memorable event. Not too many usually every year it'll be one or two that we decide we want to do. And maybe it's just a concert if a band we like is in town or maybe we even like drive a little bit to see a fun concert. That's what I'll spend on around this time. Anything else you would add to the list that you will buy.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I. Besides the gas to go run around and peep in your homes. I do love to buy a peppermint mocha or a hot cocoa in a paper cup. I am moving away from Starbucks.

[AT&T Announcer]

What? What you're talking about later.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah, but.

[AT&T Announcer]

Oh wow.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

But yeah, I do. I do love to feel the warm cup in my hands and be walking Around a beautiful place because we don't have snow. Right. So Christmas lights are kind of our snow, and you got to find joy somewhere. And I love it. I love light.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

And I think that's kind of my biggest. I do not Carol. I do not sing. I do not do art or anything like crafts, DIY ornaments, or any of that.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I'm kind of even wondering if I will do ornaments on our tree. Ooh, I am excited.

[AT&T Announcer]

Just decorate it with a light.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. I'm undecided.

[AT&T Announcer]

So I do love the. And I haven't ever done this, but the orange. Dehydrated oranges. I think they look so pretty.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

They do. But I love multicolored lights. So I'm a multicolored light girl.

[AT&T Announcer]

I know you are.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah.

[AT&T Announcer]

And a white light girl.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Right. So we're different girls. So I think it would be beautiful on your tree. Also, your tree is smaller, so you could actually handle that many oranges.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. Yeah. So it's a thin, thin one.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Maybe you'll be buying an orange.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah, maybe.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

You know what you won't be buying.

[AT&T Announcer]

I never have to pay for this.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

But it's always a value. It's always on the to have list, on the priority list.

[AT&T Announcer]

The bill of the week. This is the bill of the week.

[Home Depot Announcer]

That's right. It's time for the best minute of your entire week.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Maybe a baby was born and his name is William.

[Home Depot Announcer]

Maybe you paid off your mortgage.

[AT&T Announcer]

Maybe your car died and you're happy.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

To not have to pay that bill anymore. Duck bills. Buffalo Bills. Bill Clinton.

[Home Depot Announcer]

This is the bill of the week.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Hello, Jen and Jill. My name's Nissa and I live in Coos Bay, Oregon, on the coast. My bill of the week is insurance related. Wah.

[AT&T Announcer]

Wah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I was perusing my pay stub a.

[AT&T Announcer]

Few weeks ago, and I saw that.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I was paying a lot for life insurance through my work, and I said.

[AT&T Announcer]

No, that's not very fun. So I went outside my work bubble.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Of the recommended and standard insurance, and.

[AT&T Announcer]

I got independent life insurance that is.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Way, way, way cheaper. Something on the order of 25% of the original cost. So I am very happy that I went through my pay stub and evaluated my payments that were coming out of my paycheck every two weeks. So I totally recommend anyone to do this. Just check it out, see what you've got going on. You know, make sure that you're putting the right amount into retirement account, getting your right amount for insurance, and, yeah.

[AT&T Announcer]

It was totally worth it. I love you guys. Thanks so much.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

For your podcast.

[AT&T Announcer]

Bye. Bye.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

This is something we should definitely talk about. You've hit on something very important because life insurance at work, that is considered usually like a group coverage and it does not, it's very restrictive, does not cover a lot, maybe one year of your salary. Whereas term life insurance from a third party not only less expensive, but covers a wide breadth, more things.

[AT&T Announcer]

We talked about that before. That is so important bringing this up.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

If you are paying for life insurance at work, you should be very critical of what it is you are paying for. And if it sounds too good to be true, it is. I don't. They all sound very bad. In my experience. They're all very easy. No's going with something like Ladder or Ethos. You can go to frugalfriendspodcast.com ladder Jill has ladder, I have Ethos. They are term life insurance policies that are much less expensive. And actually Eric has Ethos.

[AT&T Announcer]

Like I got a better rate for him through Ethos than Ladder. But yeah, we have both.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

But Ethos doesn't pay us. Ladder does. If you get a policy, check out Ladder first.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah, Ladder.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Ladder.

[AT&T Announcer]

I don't know what it was, but yeah, Ladder was better for me.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. So frugalfriendspodcast.com ladder I. So one of the things I will say I like about Ladder is that it, the reason it's called Ladder is that you can't increase your life insurance payout and you obviously, you know, pay more monthly but you don't have to start over with the term. So you stay on that 20 year term and just pay a little bit extra per month to be at a higher place. That's a very, it's very flexible.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah, that's cool.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

So it gets you started. If maybe you don't think you can afford life insurance, it could have a really low barrier to entry. But also you should be comparing life insurance companies because you don't know who's going to offer you the best deal.

[AT&T Announcer]

Man, what a great bill. NISA and reminder and tip to all of the rest of us. Just take a look at your pay stub, see where that initial money is getting pulled out and where is it going to and are you okay with.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

It that you are getting all the benefits that you should be getting? Like if you've signed up to contribute to a 401k, are you getting, you know, are you getting the match? Are they pulling the full however much you've allocated?

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. Wow. Okay. What a great little interruption to the rest of this episode. If you all are listening. You have a bill that you want to submit if it has to do with a really great bill tip that you have a way that you ended up saving money or anything else. Super vague and bill related. You know us, we love it all frugal friends podcast.combill we can't wait for it.

[Dr. Laurie Santos]

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[AT&T Announcer]

Total gifting is hard, but here's a.

[Home Depot Announcer]

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[AT&T Announcer]

Not sure what that means? Here's a slightly more specific hint.

[Home Depot Announcer]

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[AT&T Announcer]

Your family wants new phones? How do we know?

[Home Depot Announcer]

They told us.

[AT&T Announcer]

The good news is that compared to.

[Home Depot Announcer]

Wrapping presents, you're great at getting hints.

[AT&T Announcer]

So take the hint and get them.

[Home Depot Announcer]

Four free phones and four lines for $90 a month US Cellular built for us. Joel, as you know, my father served in the military. He was in satellite communications. Satcom. I'm not sure if that's what they still call it these days. Sounds cool, but when I think about him truly and the other veterans I know, I'm reminded of their quiet strength, their resilience. Those are some of the qualities they carry with them long after their service ends. Well, at Navy Federal Credit Union, every day is Veterans Day and they are proud to have served the military community for over 90 years. Veterans Day only highlights Navy Federal's everyday commitment because Navy Federal serves more than 2 million veterans by providing the support they need to succeed financially. They offer members exclusive rates, discounts and perks, and 45% of their employees are directly tied to the military. So Navy Federal understands the needs of the veterans they serve. That's right. Navy Federal donates to not for profits focused on veterans like the mission continues and rebuilding together. It's good to see an organization prioritize those who have served our country and remember that active duty veterans and their families can join Navy Federal Credit Union. Learn [e-mail] Veterans Navy Federal is insured by NCUA Proving Trust is more important than ever, especially when it comes to your security program. VANTA helps centralize program requirements and automate evidence collection for frameworks like SoC2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and more. So you save time and money and build customer trust. And with Vanta, you get continuous visibility into the state of your controls. Join more than 8,000 global companies like Atlassian Flow Health and Quora who trust Vanta to manage risk and prove security in real time. Now that's a new way to GRC. Get $1,000 off Vanta when you go to vanta.comspecial that's vanta.comspecial for $1,000 off. After investing billions to light up our network, T Mobile is America's largest 5G network. Plus right now you can switch keep your phone and we'll pay it off up to $800.

[AT&T Announcer]

See how you can save on every.

[Home Depot Announcer]

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[T-Mobile Announcer]

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[Home Depot Announcer]

Card has no cash access and expires in six months.

[AT&T Announcer]

And now it's time for the lightning round.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

All right, what are you most looking forward to this holiday? Jill.

[AT&T Announcer]

I think the quieter pace last year went so well that I'm really excited to capitalize on that and really enjoy the things that make me feel nostalgic and really just comforted in this season really are the free things like you said, looking at light displays, walking around the neighborhood, watching fun nostalgic movies, getting some special food, baking, cooking, getting together with friends. Just the really simple things. I think I'm really recognizing that the simple luxuries of life are really so fun for me. Like I just love daily enjoyable things. I also love the big things, right? I love the big vacations you get to take, but they only happen every so often and we do get to decide and engage in small little luxuries daily and they usually don't have to cost anything.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yes.

[AT&T Announcer]

What about you Jen?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Doing things with my kids. Last year was the first year Kai kind of got fully into Christmas, so just finding some like things to do with him. He loves Christmas music. We were listening to Christmas music through February and just kind of seeing his face light up and enjoy this special season. And of course peeping in Yalls homes. You're most forward to that and seeing your Christmas lights and nobody else is as excited in my family about that as me.

[AT&T Announcer]

So are you bringing your binoculars for that?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Well I won't need to if your tree isn't a good viewing spot.

[AT&T Announcer]

Don't make me have to bring my binoculars.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

That's what I'm saying. It's not on my list of things to buy so please don't make me.

[AT&T Announcer]

Thanks everyone for listening. We we just love hanging out with you and we also love reading your kind reviews like this one from snickler04 phenomenal friends 5 stars. Love this podcast. It is like listening to two non judgmental friends talk about frugality and all things money. I work at 3am from home and this podcast keeps me awake in the early mornings when the rest of the world is asleep and makes me feel less alone. Thank you for all that you both do. Snickler04 I love the idea that we're hanging out with you in the early morning when everything is so calm and quiet and then you got us yelling at you.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I know.

[AT&T Announcer]

I'm so thrilled we get to hang. Thanks for that your kind words.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

If you feel similarly then please we would love if you would leave a rating and review on Spotify or Apple podcasts and let people know what they are in for when listening to this show that we are big curmudgeons and that we are sad, sad people.

[AT&T Announcer]

I mean we'll definitely get some interesting listeners if that that's the review that you're telling people what to expect. But you know I'm here for it. Let's experiment as long as the five stars. See you next time.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni.

[AT&T Announcer]

Okay Jen, tell me about this disenchantment with Starbucks. This is some hot fresh off the press news.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah it is. So apparently. Okay. I lived in Orlando for five years and we're going way back. Yeah, this was back in I left Orlando in 2012 and there was a coffee shop there that I loved and I saw that after I left they expanded and one of their busiest locations was forced to close and apparently they were making way. The landlord was making way for a Starbucks and I can work I can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of this because I am no longer in Orlando and or talking to a lot of people involved. But I it just didn't sit right with me. And, like, I've known this. Starbucks ruins local coffee shop economies. You know, it's nothing new, but part of my, like, justification was, well, if y'all made exactly what I like the same way every time I would drink your coffee, and obviously that's, like, the wrong mentality to have. And so that was you.

[AT&T Announcer]

When you're spending $7, let's be real, for a drink, you do you wanna like it?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Absolutely. And that was a justification. And so I think my. I'm just at a point where I. I don't want to support that anymore. I'm just kind of done.

[AT&T Announcer]

Whoa. Cold turkey, do you think, or what's going to happen?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Well, I probably. I still have some money left on my, like, Starbucks gift card and probably, like, a free drink, so it won't be cold turkey. But, like, once that money's gone, I'm not. I'm just going to delete the app.

[AT&T Announcer]

Where do you think you'll go?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

That's a great question. I love the blend, so I could go there, but I think, like, most of it will just probably be drinking coffee at home, which is what I already do, you know, nine times out of ten anyway, it'll just be something new I have to navigate.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. Wow. A new journey.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

A new journey.

[AT&T Announcer]

New Year, new you.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. But I'm not that hard to please anymore. Like, I can be happy with just a plain cappuccino and a raw sugar, you know, So I had to look at that too, and be like, I only get the fancy drinks because they're available. But honestly, most of the time, I'm just happy with something very plain.

[AT&T Announcer]

Do you think that this is going to be a foreshadowing for letting go a Target too?

[T-Mobile Announcer]

If I have to go, I don't like to go into places, but if I have to go into a place, I like Target. There's no comparable mom and pop competitor.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah. Wow. I mean, we. The. These were the things that really set you and I apart and made us different people. And now you're saying, no more Starbucks, and I don't even go into Target that often. What's happening? You were the Starbucks Target, girly, and I was.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Okay, well, that.

[AT&T Announcer]

I don't know. I'm. I don't know what I do.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

That's an exaggeration.

[AT&T Announcer]

Don't do those things.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I went to Target a lot, like, when I was postpartum, just to walk around and, like, feel the vibe and Same with Starbucks, honestly. So, yeah, I am evolving. Devolving. I used to not go to Starbucks and Target a lot. So maybe I'm just like reverting back to a simpler time in my life.

[AT&T Announcer]

We're just all under consuming.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah. So it's. I feel better about it. Yeah. I want to. I want. I'm always on a journey closer to buying as much secondhand as possible.

[AT&T Announcer]

So not secondhand coffee.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Right. But local, local and secondhand. And so that I'm just evolving on my journey.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Finding my radical middle.

[AT&T Announcer]

Wow. Wow, wow.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Yeah.

[AT&T Announcer]

This is big news, folks.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I know.

[AT&T Announcer]

And if you want other things from us, buy what you love book.com buy.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

What you love book. Please buy that brand new. Please buy it new.

[AT&T Announcer]

Yes.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

I don't care where you buy it from.

[AT&T Announcer]

We are used. We are the used things that you're buying from.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

And buy the book new. Support me being used.

[AT&T Announcer]

Oh, wow.

[Dr. Laurie Santos]

Hey, come on in.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Small Business Saturday is right around the.

[AT&T Announcer]

Corner and so is that shop you've.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Been meaning to check out on November 30th.

[AT&T Announcer]

Support your local community by shopping small.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

On Small Business Saturday.

[AT&T Announcer]

Founded by American Express. Pick up a new outfit, a handmade gift, some vintage vinyl, maybe even some local tea. Thanks so much. See you soon.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Shop on small business Saturday, November 30th.

[AT&T Announcer]

That's the powerful backing of American Express.

[Home Depot Announcer]

The flavor, the tradition and the spirit of carne asada lives on at Del Taco. Join the asada today with Del Taco's new limited time half pound chipotle carne asada steak burrito packed with sweet, spicy and smoky flavor.

[AT&T Announcer]

Wrapped up and grilled to perfection, the.

[Home Depot Announcer]

Whole carne asada steak menu delivers the bold flavors you crave with epic burritos.

[AT&T Announcer]

Loaded fries and street tacos.

[Home Depot Announcer]

Starting at just $2.99 only at Del.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Taco this holiday season. Surprise everyone on your list with the best gifts tickets to see their favorite artists live.

[AT&T Announcer]

Choose from thousands of concerts and comedy shows including Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

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[AT&T Announcer]

Orchestra, Sarah Silverman and so many more.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Share a memory together or give a gift they'll never forget. Find the most exciting gift for every [e-mail] gifts that's livenation.com gifts with Kroger brand products. You can get all of your favorite things this holiday season. Because our proven quality products come at exceptionally low prices and with a money back quality guarantee, every dish is sure to be a favorite from sweet sugar cookies and holiday ham to that perfect slice of pie. Whether you shop, delivery, pickup or in store Kroger brand has all your favorite things.

[Home Depot Announcer]

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