← Frugal Friends Podcast
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- [00:00]
Jen
This message is brought to you by Apple Card.
- [00:02]
Jill
Apply for Apple Card today and start earning up to 3% daily cash back on everyday purchases.
- [00:07]
Jen
And that daily cash can even grow automatically when you open a High Yield Savings account through Apple Card.
- [00:12]
Jill
What are you waiting for? Visit Apple Co CardCalculator today to see how much daily cash you can earn.
- [00:19]
Jen
Subject to credit approval Savings available to Apple Card owners subject to eligibility savings and Apple Card by Goldman Sachs Bank USA member FDIC terms and more@applecard.com looking.
- [00:30]
Jill
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.
- [00:42]
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.
- [00:59]
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.
- [01:10]
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.
- [01:21]
Eric
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- [02:21]
Jen
Start here to become frugal in 2025 welcome to the Frugal Friends Podcast where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity.
- [02:34]
Eric
And live a richer life.
- [02:37]
Jen
Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill. Welcome to the Frugal Friends Podcast. My name is Jen. My name is Jill and today we are talking about the foundations of frugality, at least the frugality that we practice.
- [02:57]
Jill
We're calling it our frugal manifesto. Kind of everything we've come to believe about frugality jammed into 45 minutes just.
- [03:08]
Jen
To help you a deep dive into modern frugality, which I do own the handle for that. So I feel like I can say.
- [03:17]
Jill
You can say that. I can say anything you want.
- [03:19]
Jen
So, yeah, that's what we're going to be talking about today. So if you have maybe wanted to become frugal but you're, you know, kind of feels like an F word. Frugality is not a dirty F word that so many people associate it with. And we are going to explain why today.
- [03:43]
Jill
But first, this episode is brought to you by Good advice. Just plain old good advice. Like always having an extra roll of toilet paper, snacks and phone charger nearby. There's just some things we need to take heed of. Like this advice I'm about to give you. Keep your savings in a high yield savings account like the one I use at cit. I do actually keep my money there because they're great. They got a great apy. They're an online bank, which means they can offer you the highest APY since they don't have the overhead of a brick and mortar bank. So. So you earn money on your money monthly. Frugalfriendspodcast.com cit that's just plain old good advice. And you know what? I just had our friend Sam, who was our very first spending intervention guest on YouTube. If you've not seen those episodes, don't sleep on it. Go to YouTube. Frugal friends.
- [04:43]
Jen
The thumbnail spending intervention is easy to identify.
- [04:46]
Jill
Sam, she was the one where we were like, is she too generous? Anyways, she just texted me this morning, hey, what high yield savings account do you use? And of course I sent her to cit, but also, I should be chastising her for the fact that we didn't get her signed up for that a month ago.
- [05:08]
Jen
Yeah, it's good. People do the things that they need to do in their time, so it's fantastic.
- [05:15]
Jill
Yeah, but I love that. Like, I'm literally talking to friends about this, sending them these links. And you are my friend too, and I'm giving you good advice. Frugalfriends podcast.com cit yes.
- [05:25]
Jen
So we wrote a book last year called buy what you love without going broke. And it is the how to guide on how to spend money, how to find what you value Align your spending with it and say no to what you don't, which is being a good steward of your financial resources. And we focused heavily on financial resources. We believe frugality goes beyond financial resources. So if you want to become frugal, this lifestyle isn't just a spending race to the bottom. It's not an obsession with spending or you know, an obsession with not spending. It is truly an obsession with, with life and stewarding resources. Well, so that's what we think frugal living is. We got to define it right off the top. And we believe frugal living is good stewardship of all of our finite resources. And that includes money, which our book Buy what yout Love Without Going Broke really heavily emphasizes. It's also about being a good steward of your time, your physical space, your mental energy and your natural resources. And the only these are all finite resources in that you have what you have in the time that you have it, right? You can't manifest more at any given second. You can always make more money, you can always declutter and create more space or buy a bigger house and have more space. But what you have right now is what you have. The only one of these resources that is not like semi renewable or you can make more of is time. That one is completely finite. What you get is what you have. And you may have less of it than you think, you may have more of it than you think, but you ultimately can't control it either. So that's why we view time as highly, if not more highly than money. But really how we steward our time is dictated by buy our money. So those are our top ones.
- [07:46]
Jill
So when it comes to living frugally well, we really want to emphasize the intersection of all of these different resources. So I know a lot of times when we traditionally think about frugality, we just think about the money aspect. Getting things for cheap, getting things for inexpensive, not hardly paying for nothing. And we are going to talk about how to get things for free. That is a part of this. But our version of frugality is really looking at all of these pieces. Money, time, physical space, mental energy, natural resources, that all of it matters to our well being, the well being of the relationships around us, our community. And when we kind of look at it with this larger lens, it actually makes the lifestyle super enjoyable. It makes it fun, attainable, it gives it longevity. And so it's one of the reasons why we also blend the term values based spending with frugality. Again, one of the things we talk about in Our book, Buy what yout Love Without Going Broke a bunch is leaning into what are the things that are bringing me the most joy and are connecting me more with the things that matter most, like family, friends, faith, fulfilling work, doing those things more, and in ways that are making the most of stewarding well, all of the different resources that we've just described. That's the main focus. Then of course there's things that we spend on. There are ways that we do interact with money. There are ways that in order to manage our physical space well, or our mental energy well, we will choose to spend. So when it comes to that aspect where money intersects with all other aspects of our personhood, we can run through this lens of how do we approach our spending decisions. And one of the things we've been loving to do with recent episodes and just in our own lives when it comes to spending money, is filtering it through these questions. How can I get it for free? How can I get it low cost, how can I get a deal and how can I spend on it guilt free? And we feel like this framework is really helpful for making sure that we are stewarding our money well. But when we're asking these questions, it of course is going to intersect with all of our other resources because it will help us when we're thinking, how do I get it for free? It's going to include community. Then that's going to be, yeah, how am I stewarding my mental energy, my time and my natural resources well. So all of these questions intersect not just for the purpose of how can I get it as cheap as possible, but rather how can I make sure that I am taking care of everything that's been entrusted to me?
- [10:38]
Jen
Yeah, so we're going to kind of dive into these questions, these filters and explain how they impact all areas of our resources as well. Again, in past episodes we've kind of focused on the financial aspect, but there is a component of all of these resources in every financial decision we make. And so it's important to be able to identify that. So the first one obviously is we prioritize getting what we need and what we want for free. And far and wide, the things we consume are wants versus needs. Sometimes we'll over rationalize something as a need because we think we are irresponsible if we spend on wants. But we can really transform how we make purchases, the amount we impulse spend and really how we view spending and you know, guilt free spending, et cetera, if we view the appropriate purchases as wants versus needs. So there are Some questions that we ask before we consume something, before we acquire something. Do I need it? Can I borrow it? This impacts our physical space. Because even if we can get it for free, doesn't mean we should get it for free. I know that is a big issue in a lot of households that consider themselves frugal, including mine. In my household, Travis, my husband, cannot say no.
- [12:24]
Jill
If it's free, it's free. I think he has said that he.
- [12:27]
Jen
Has that tattoo on his soul. And so it does create a difficulty because we have a finite amount of physical space at our house. So when you consume something for free, you are spending physical space. So you're always spending something when you consume, whether it is time, money, physical space, mental energy, or natural resources. Right. That's what we want you to really understand and take away from this episode and then give you the tools to filter to make sure that expenditure is worth it. So do I need it? Can I borrow it? That way I have it and I can use it, but I can give it back. Can I trade for it? So there are these beautiful things called time banks around the country. We have one in St. Pete, but you can essentially, traditional trading is like, I have eggs, you have butter. Let's trade. Time banks, you don't have to trade for necessarily good. You can also trade for time, and you can give. So maybe I need something, and that is worth four hours. And so then I would pay with four hours, and maybe I would pay for that. Giving two hours to somebody and two hours to. But the hours aren't necessarily strict hours. It also takes into consideration the level of physical or mental or career effort involved. They have ways to figure that out. But it really is this kind of sharing, this trading economy for the modern age. And so that's obviously, time banks are a. You're spending with your time. Sometimes you're spending with your physical energy or mental energy. And so can I trade it or what can we share? I know sometimes this is. I mean, for us specifically, we have shared a phone plan with another family. And even now, my mom's in. There's like eight of us or nine of us now that are sharing in this family phone plan. And it makes the phone plan less expensive for all of us. And sharing a Costco membership. We share a Costco membership? Yeah. Sharing tools, like actually buying something that it's like, okay, let's go in on it together and we'll share it. Or even sharing libraries, tool libraries, seed libraries. And then that brings me to the last point. Does the library Offer it.
- [15:20]
Jill
Libraries are amazing. You've heard us just geek out over how much we love libraries.
- [15:25]
Jen
Go back to the entertainment episode, how to save money on entertainment.
- [15:28]
Jill
Practically library.
- [15:29]
Jen
It's a love letter to libraries.
- [15:31]
Jill
Yeah. And of course you're hearing in this the undercurrent of reciprocity that we think is so, so important to living a frugal lifestyle that we are not just taking, we're also giving. And so when it comes to freebies, we can be asking ourselves, what do I own that someone else might need occasionally that there is a give and take. And so when it comes to tools, baby gear, books, kitchen appliances, party supplies, people often need them, but only for the short term. So making sure that you know what you have to offer and they'll be more inclined to reciprocate. And again, this is why when we look at those higher level needs of belonging and community and relationship and esteem, this blends so beautifully into it and is a lifestyle that actually is fulfilling for us. Not just deprivation, because we are not just looking at frugality on a money aspect, but recognizing that when we ask these questions and we engage in this give and take, we have more flourishing relationships. We feel better about ourselves because we have purpose and something to offer, we're thinking critically and creatively and we're solving problems together. So yeah, again, not just so I can get the most for the least amount, but so that I can really be a contributing member to my community.
- [16:53]
Jen
Yeah, we really do believe that frugal living is a shift in mindset to a, to a village mentality. A sharing economy. Obviously not. We're not leaving capitalism. Right. We're not anti capitalism and we're not, you know, pro sharing everything equally, you know, like communism or something. We are pro sharing in our smaller communities and that involves getting to know the people in your community. It involves a high level of invested relationships and it takes time to build those. So like, when you have something that you're willing to share, let people know. When they know you're willing to share, they are more willing to share with you. And this comes from interacting with people face to face, voice to voice. Sure, you could post on Facebook or post on Instagram a picture of something you're willing to share, but that's not gonna really fly in the terms of people feeling safe with you. Right. So it's putting ourselves out there into more face to face interactions and that's what builds this small scale sharing economy.
- [18:10]
Jill
Yeah, it's just like a win, win, win across the board. Okay. So then the next filter here is if we can't get it for free, then how can I get it for low cost? So maybe that same or similar item less than what you might typically pay for it. So this is where we are thinking secondhand first, your thrift stores, Facebook marketplace, pawn shops, consignment stores that again, not just for the lowest price, but also so that we are not contributing to more consumption, the creating of new things when most likely what we are looking for already exists. So beginning to look for that pre owned is always going to be the first filter that we go through. And of course considering repairing instead of replacing. There's a lot of additional benefits here from building a new skill set, increasing self esteem and our own sense of purpose, creativity again, problem solving, not putting more into the landfill, not buying new. If we can figure out how to make what we already have work through DIY fixes that we're YouTubing or asking a friend to help you to repair something. Like, I just did an Instagram post, well, somewhat recently about repairing shoes. They were great shoes that I actually initially got from the thrift store. So somebody else had already worn them through then. I've been wearing them through for about eight years now and I just can't find anything else I like better. They're leather boots, they're great, but the soles absolutely came off of them and I took them to a shoe repair. I didn't have to repair it, but I did support a local business and was able to maintain the shoes I already owned. So it's this type of mentality too that we want to lean into. And along with that, it will mean investing in quality over quantity, getting the thing that will last longer rather than as cheap as you possibly can so that it will be something that you can eventually repair.
- [20:25]
Jen
Yeah, and this explicitly looks at the good stewardship of natural resources. Right. We're trying to, we're not against new, but we're trying to limit like the manufacturing of new things because it also plays into the physical space that we have in the world, honestly, because we're not getting another world. And all of our textile waste, our appliance waste, our tech waste, it doesn't disappear. It doesn't just get burned up and incinerated and then create, you know, more dirt for us to build on. That's not what happens. It gets sent to other places. And right now those other places are not typically in America, but we won't be able to say that forever. So many, so much textile waste is ending up in American landfills. It's just a smaller percentage of what is sent overseas. And so we want to be good stewards of the physical space of our planet. Right? So minimizing the need for new manufacturing is one of the ways that we can do that.
- [21:41]
Jill
This message is brought to you by Apple Card.
- [21:43]
Jen
Whoa. I just found out you can earn up to 3% daily cash back on everyday purchases made with Apple Card.
- [21:49]
Jill
Yeah, you can earn unlimited daily cash back with Apple Card on every purchase. No matter where you check out with Apple Pay, you always get daily cash.
- [21:57]
Jen
The possibilities are endless.
- [21:59]
Jill
What's better is that daily cash can automatically grow when you open a high yield savings account through Apple card.
- [22:04]
Jen
That's like endless plus one.
- [22:06]
Jill
Visit Apple Co CardCalculator today and discover just how much daily cash you can earn.
- [22:12]
Jen
Subject to credit approval Savings available to Apple Card owners subject to eligibility Savings in Apple Card by Goldman Sachs Bank USA member FDIC terms and more@applecard.com looking.
- [22:23]
Jill
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.
- [22:36]
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.
- [22:53]
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.
- [23:03]
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.
- [23:14]
Eric
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- [24:21]
Jen
Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past?
- [24:27]
Eric
Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past.
- [24:32]
Jen
Discover is accepted at 99% of places.
- [24:35]
Eric
That take credit cards nationwide and every.
- [24:37]
Jen
Time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back.
- [24:41]
Eric
Welcome to the now it pays to Discover.
- [24:44]
Jen
Learn more@discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report we also love these secondhand websites online. There are so many more options to get what you need secondhand online. If you don't have the time resources to invest in thrifting, yard sailing, all of that and you will pay a little more money but you're getting good quality and you're saving some of that time resource. So I've seen places like Back Market for Tech Relay for running shoes which are not used running shoes but they're shoes that were returned within the 30 to 100 day window so that they can't resell as quote unquote new goodbye gear. B U yeah that's baby stuff or unclaimed baggage is stuff that was literally unclaimed baggage from airports that they have a whole store. I think it's in Kentucky or Alabama. It's a very cool store. I would love to go. But yeah, so there are so many more options to buy things online secondhand. We just have to put that filter into place and spend a little time looking before we jump straight to Amazon or Walmart or wherever else we tend to go.
- [26:25]
Jill
And when we can't get it secondhand, this is when we are looking for a deal. So a way to buy the item may be new but for more than what you would have purchased it if you would have paid full price for it. And this is when your rebates, coupons, sales, discount stores are going to come in clutch for us because why not if we're going to already now be buying it, how can we get it for less expensive so that we can free up more of our resource of money to go towards things that Might be even more important to us. And because these resources exist, so why not use them? Sites like Groupon where you can get up to 70% off of local restaurants, services, travel. I have traveled at least twice with deals off of Groupon. We're not sponsored by any of these, by the way. I know it sounds like we are, but we're not living social similar to Groupon with local deals and discounts. Brad's deals, they actually have sponsored us. But we do think that they're. We think that anyone who sponsors us is great. We're not going to let anybody sponsor us who we don't think is a, a good site and resource for you. But they specifically curate deals from trustworthy sources. They're going to tell you who's offering the best price on maybe this set of sheets or this kitchen gadget or these shoes or even travel, sometimes even up to getting 50% off. Then you've got places like slickdeals.net that one's community powered. It's a deal site with reviews and alerts on different things that you, you might already be buying local flavor, that's a local restaurant with coupons for the different foods that they may offer. Sometimes 50 to 60% off. So being able to be aware of what are these different deal websites and am I using them regularly. This is back to. Did you mention Benny already?
- [28:33]
Jen
No, I didn't.
- [28:34]
Jill
That's secondhand. So we're jumping around a little bit. But that's a browser extension that you can download and if you are on any website and it finds that same item that you're looking for on a secondhand site, they'll tell you about it. So let's say I'm on Patagonia's website and I'm looking at a pullover. Benny might pop up and say actually that same pullover in this size is for sale right now on Thredup. Done. Bouncing right over to Thredup and getting it secondhand instead. So that's primary. Benny is primarily clothing and accessories, shoes, that kind of. But these types of things can really help us to make sure that we are being as efficient as possible in shopping our second hand and getting the deal. Like we don't have to be sprawled out on our living room floor clipping coupons all day. We just need to know about these handful of websites that we go to first.
- [29:33]
Jen
Yeah, deals are really something we resort to. It's not what we jump to. And I think this is what gives frugal people a bad name. People will bash Frugality as being scarcity minded or limited mindset. And that could not be further from the truth we have. This is, this is an internal motivator. Frugality is an internal motivator for me. I love the idea of freedom, financial freedom, time freedom, space freedom. And so when I can steward my resources in these categories, well, I get more of it. I cannot out earn my spending. I cannot have a big enough abundance mindset to control my impulse spending. The spending I do because I'm insecure. The spending I do because I'm tired and I'm just not. I don't want to think about anything, I just want to spend. Things are out of my control and the only way I can find control is by purchasing things to solve other problems. Earning money cannot fix those things. When we have freedom and flexibility, that is what really gets to the root of those issues. You can earn as much money as you want and you'll still not be financially secure or feel financial freedom. I know a ton of financially quote unquote free people that don't feel financially free and they are just trying to spend as little as possible and earn as much as possible out of fear that it'll go away, out of fear about the future. And frugality is not fear. Frugality does not look to hoard like to gain all the deals to gain the system. Frugality does not look to acquire and consume as much as possible at the lowest price possible. That's not our brand of frugality. That's not it. If that's what you're looking for, that's not us.
- [31:51]
Jill
Yeah, I think that because I love finding deals because it's not the first thing that I'm jumping to, my frugality has de influenced me from over consumption. And so I'm only finding myself here at this place of finding the best deal after I've done all of my understanding of what do I enjoy doing. How can I do those things in a way that doesn't cause me to overspend? How can I decrease my impulse spending while still having fun and enjoying my life? So by the time I get to the point of just simply buying something, then yeah, it's enjoyable to see. How can I get this for less cost once I've already done the secondhand and the free options? So it's not this collection, it's not this over consumption. And I think that's one of the reasons because those people do exist. And it gets the bad rap of look at how much candy I bought for 50 cents. It's just like. And who's gonna eat that? And what are we gonna do with all this candy?
- [32:57]
Jen
Right.
- [32:58]
Jill
Why? Just because you got a deal?
- [33:00]
Jen
Cause you could.
- [33:01]
Jill
No, I'd rather get a deal on the thing that I knew I'm going to utilize. I put time and intentionality into this and I was able to utilize a resource that's available to me.
- [33:11]
Jen
Yeah. So these are the foundations of frugality. And if we can't get it for free, first deciding that we really do want it or need it, if we can't get it for free, if we can't get it secondhand, if we can't get a deal on it, then our last filter is that we buy it full price and we buy it guilt free. Because if it's been through all of those filters and we know it's aligned with our values, it's a good purchase. And people, I think a lot of frugal people will feel guilty. I know they feel guilty for buying things full price. I know they feel guilty buying things that are not quote unquote needs or essential to life. And that's how we do this. We give these filters and if we go through them and we still really want it, we have to buy it without guilt. Because you only get one life to live and you don't know how long that life is gonna be. Honestly, people will use that as an excuse to over consume. But truly it gives us also permission to consume when we feel guilty or fearful about spending.
- [34:35]
Jill
I think a lot of times guilt can come when we haven't really thought through the purchase either. Not, not always. It doesn't always dispel all of the guilt and shame. There's a lot of reasons that we feel this way. And part of that has to do with giving ourselves space to dig into our money story and understanding our own mindsets around these things and putting in the work to kind of shed shed that. But it can help if we feel really confident in knowing. I've done the research, I know how this is aligning with my goals, my values and being able to. We talk about this a lot too. Purchase locally. If we know that we're supporting a friend or we're supporting a local business, we're giving back to our community. These types of ways of spending also can help us to enter into that kind of guilt free spending mode that we're after here. And so that's how we do it.
- [35:33]
Jen
Yeah.
- [35:34]
Jill
And I will say there was something else I want to say on this. Here it is. I think too there are times I will skip over the deal filter. Hot take. So, yes, free, secondhand, and then sometimes just guilt free if it means that I'm able to buy this locally or from a more reputable brand. I might not be able to get a deal if I'm at a farmer's market buying some sort of gadget or spice blend or whatever from people who are within my community. Fine. I'm not gonna go now. Undercut them because I can get a deal someplace else. My guilt free spending is supporting you and the work that you're doing. Your small business rather than Jeff Bezos.
- [36:22]
Jen
Yeah, you can. You have our full permission to skip right to values based spending if you already know that it is aligned with your values. But if you are unsure, these filters really do help in getting to that guilt free spot.
- [36:43]
Jill
Another pillar of our frugal lifestyle. And this podcast is.
- [36:49]
Jen
It's. Yeah, it's part of the framework. It's part of the framework. It's the fifth filter.
- [36:54]
Jill
The bill of the week.
- [37:06]
Eric
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.
- [37:16]
Jill
Maybe your car died and you're happy.
- [37:18]
Eric
To not have to pay that bill Anyway.
- [37:20]
Jen
Duck bills, Buffalo Bills, Bill Clinton. This is the bill of the week.
- [37:26]
Jill
Hi.
- [37:27]
Eric
My bill of the week is I.
- [37:29]
Jen
Was able to reduce my phone bill by $28 each and every month.
- [37:34]
Eric
Yay.
- [37:36]
Jen
I just reviewed the phone plan options that they had since it's been a few years and now I have more money each and every month. Yay. Yay. Kelsey Woo.
- [37:50]
Jill
That's amazing. That's a significant reduction.
- [37:55]
Jen
It's always good to remind everyone because we say it all the time, but it begs reminding. Your phone bill and your Internet are the easiest bills to negotiate. So if you are worried about negotiating, those are the two bills to start with. Travis called about like, our bill for our Internet was increasing by $10 a month. He just made a call because he wanted it to stay the same and he got off the call and it had lowered $5 a month.
- [38:24]
Jill
Amazing. One time I called about Internet because I got a mailer of how they were offering a gift card, like a $100 gift card, to new people who signed up to use their service and a lower rate. So I called and I'm like, I am a current use your service, but I'd love this rate and I'd love that gift card too. And they did. I got both as a. As a longtime user and I was kind of like, how do I get rewarded for my loyalty? They're like, all right sweetheart, here's your gift card. Here's your lower rate.
- [39:05]
Jen
Yeah. Remind them that you have other options and you are loyal.
- [39:09]
Jill
Yeah. Or what's to keep me from canceling and then re signing up and getting this deal?
- [39:13]
Jen
So I've got the time resource.
- [39:16]
Jill
Yeah.
- [39:16]
Jen
And willing to do that.
- [39:18]
Jill
So that's a reason to also look at your junk mail, but also cancel your junk mail because that's just wasted paper. But in that situation, it did help me. Well, if you're listening and you have a bill that you want to share, if it has to do with lowering a bill or just being bill and you're paying your bills frugalfriendspodcast.com bill leave it for us. 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.
- [39:56]
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.
- [40:13]
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.
- [40:24]
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. Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days?
- [40:40]
Eric
Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past.
- [40:45]
Jen
Discover is accepted at 99% of places.
- [40:48]
Eric
That take credit cards nationwide.
- [40:50]
Jen
And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back.
- [40:54]
Eric
Welcome to the now it pays to Discover.
- [40:57]
Jen
Learn more@discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report.
- [41:03]
Eric
What's good fam the Black Effect Podcast Festival is back and taking over Pullman Yards in Atlanta on Saturday, April 26 and it's gon be a whole vibe. Doors open at 11am so you already know it's an all day celebration of black excellence and we're partnering with Nissan to bring you an event you won't want to miss cause it's all going down in the Nissan Lounge. If you haven't seen the all new 2025 Nissan Kicks or the Nissan Rogue yet, this is your moment. From available Intelligent around view monitor to available Bose Personal plus sound system, the all new Nissan Kicks is ready. Whether you're cruising through the city or hitting the highway, the Nissan Rogue S is more affordable than CR, V and RAV4 with available HD enhanced intelligent around view monitor with moving object detection and a standard VC turbo engine. So pull up to the Nissan Lounge to explore their cutting edge features, snap some epic pics and see which ride matches your energy, music, love, culture and community all in one place. So come through, show out and make some memories. Tickets are on sale now@blackffect.com podcast festival.
- [42:06]
Jen
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities.
- [42:16]
Eric
So do like I did and have.
- [42:18]
Jill
One of your assistant's assistants switch you.
- [42:19]
Jen
To Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do@mintmobile.com.
- [42:24]
Jill
Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month Required intro rate first 3 months only.
- [42:31]
Jen
Then full price plan options available, taxes.
- [42:34]
Jill
And fees, extra fee, full terms@mintmobile.com, and now it's time for the lightning round.
- [42:43]
Jen
How did you become frugal?
- [42:46]
Jill
Oh wow, I did not read this question all the time.
- [42:49]
Jen
You didn't fill it out. Okay, I will give an answer. Okay, so I'll be very transparent. I don't think I was frugal when we started the Frugal Friends podcast. I wanted to help people become debt free. And a big thing that was transformative to me in our debt free journey was learning why I had little control over my spending. It was easy for me to make money, side hustles came naturally to me, but I could not out earn my mindless spending and so finding ways to lower my spending became really transformative because that was more difficult than making money. And so when I about 2019 I think it was maybe a year into the show when I lost my job and could no longer max out all of my retirement accounts and lost my identity in that level of achievement that I was really honestly defining myself by then I had to let go of the idea of like white knuckling your self discipline with money and we were so obsessed with spending being kind of like a race to the bottom. And I realized that it wasn't. And I had always been quite in tune with the reality that life is short. The end is not determined. The end is not controllable. So I think it was really easy for me once I had to lose my identity of just being a financial overachiever, coupled with, I don't know how long I'm gonna get on this earth. That was truly the transformation. That was the start of my transformation to discovering this good stewardship approach.
- [45:15]
Jill
Mm. That's really beautiful. Thanks. Yeah. Similarly, it does take me to kind of a more meta place to answer this question, which I do think is very indicative of where we're finding ourselves in our understanding of frugality. I think my answer to this is, I'm still becoming frugal. I think. Yeah.
- [45:41]
Jen
It is a journey.
- [45:42]
Jill
Right. Well. And because I feel like it is a lifestyle, and it is integrated to how I view myself, view the world, and not just a way I manage money that I am becoming. So as I'm in my own process of becoming how I'm understanding frugality, meaning the way I steward all of my resources and what's been entrusted to me, I'm still learning how to do that better and better. I will say, though, there is, if I were to kind of think about a turning point for me, and this was not me ever arriving. There's been so much that I've been able to build upon from this point. But I remember when I was younger, my grandmother would take me to the thrift store. She would get things for herself. That's where she would like to buy things. I only wanted to go to the mall. Like, that's where I wanted to be.
- [46:41]
Jen
Oh, my gosh. Same. My mom actually went to the thrift store, Took me to the thrift store once, and I refused to go inside.
- [46:46]
Jill
Yes. Yes. I. Yeah. Like, little me who couldn't even drive myself was just like, I'm not going there. It's gross. I'm not touching anything.
- [46:54]
Jen
I should sit in the car in the hot Florida sun. I did eventually go in because I was so warm.
- [46:59]
Jill
Yeah, yeah, right. Just for a little bit of ac. And she would take weathervane. Do you remember weathervane? Aeropostale, American eco. These are the places that I wanted my clothing from. Of course.
- [47:15]
Jen
Absolutely.
- [47:17]
Jill
And then at some point, I realized, wait, they have some of those clothes at the thrift store. It must have been that. Yeah, I went begrudgingly. So I'm finally just digging through and then I realized I can. So this is where obviously like 13 year old me, I can get so much for so little. Right. That was like kind of my understanding, but still it was something. It was a version of a building block for me to realize that I can get the things that I want for not as much, which frees up more opportunities. How I've understood that has shifted over the years. I mean I even talk about in the book, even within the last 10 years, I have shifted from wanting acquire as much as possible for as little as possible to now I don't want all that stuff. I don't want it to take up my time to clean it and repair it and yada yada. But I will say I think that that was a little bit of a pivotal point for me to realize there are other ways to think critically about how we manage our resources. And if we allow ourselves those opportunities, then the opportunity cost, what it opens up for us is there's a whole new world out there. And so from that point then, then I became a thrift store girly. And that was. That was it. You couldn't. You can't take me back to Weathervane because they closed down. They don't exist anymore. Yeah. So we're just building upon it and we're learning and we're sharing it all with you guys.
- [48:51]
Jen
Yeah. So thank you so much for listening. I hope if you're in your beginning journey of potentially becoming frugal following this lifestyle, welcome. Insert cult joke here, but we think a great place to start after this is reading our book Buy what yout Love Without Going Broke. It's extremely comprehensive in how we steward the resource of money well and it also does touch on the other other resources. Just really hones in on the money aspect. You can get that@buywhatyoulovebook.com people have nice things to say about it, like Ryan who gave it a five star review on Amazon. Admittedly, it has been a while since I've actually finished the book, they say, let alone within the span of two weeks. Buy what you LOVE is a fun read, full of amazing advice and relatable stories. It feels like a conversation with a friend, one who wants you to feel empowered about your finances and spending. Jen and Jill not only acknowledge that the old standby financial advice to simply just not spend money is impossible, but they challenge you to really figure out how you can and want to spend money in your current season of life. The lightning rounds and action steps at the end of each chapter are what sets this book apart and helps you internalize their words in advice. I had so many revelations when I actually took the time to look at the deeper meaning behind my spending and coming up with creative ways to spend less and get more of what I really want. Thank you Jen and Jill. I will continue to recommend this book to friends and strangers alike.
- [50:33]
Jill
That's really awesome. That's one of the first times that I've heard somebody specifically reference how helpful the Lightning Round and Action Step were, which was something that was really important for us to put into the book that it would be this integrated. You weren't just passively reading, but actively engaged and kind of knowing what to do next. I think that that's one of the things that self help books can lack is the but what do I do now? Not just at the end of the book, but every single chapter. So I'm so thrilled to hear that that was helpful for you, Ryan. And if you want the same kind of help for yourself, buywhatyoulovebook.com we really believe in this thing and we want, we want to help you. We think it's a good resource and.
- [51:17]
Jen
If you have read it, please leave a rating review on Amazon. That would be so helpful to get the word out. Thank you and see you next time.
- [51:25]
Jill
Bye.
- [51:28]
Jen
Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni. So I've been watching a lot of social commentary on YouTube. I know I've talked to you about this, but some of my favorite channels are Hannah Alonso and Kiki Chanel. And what they do is they will go, they will dissect social media like influencer culture and viral trends and talk about what it means, how we interpret it, like how it permeates our identity when we see so many of them. Cause it's a viral trend. You're not seeing just one. You're seeing like 20 or 30. Whether it's like the over consumption, the over organization, the Stanley Cups. Like this is not just a problem for women. Like girls like in their early 20s.
- [52:32]
Jill
Young girls with makeup.
- [52:33]
Jen
Yeah. This is an issue for women in their 30s and 40s. And I showed you the tail end of a video of a Kiki Chanel video I was watching yesterday about how we should start banning podcast equipment because every. And you know, if anyone with a.
- [52:59]
Jill
Microphone can say whatever they want.
- [53:01]
Jen
Anyone with a microphone can say whatever they want whether it is helpful or not. And it primarily featured the traditional bro podcaster, but there were some women in there too. People should just not allow be allowed.
- [53:18]
Jill
Careful. Here's the thing. What's beautiful about podcasts is that there's so many. And we can choose. That's the thing. Anyone can say whatever they want and we can choose whether or not we wanna listen to them.
- [53:31]
Jen
Yeah. And so my hope is that, that more reasonable people will say reasonable things because it's the delusional ones that think people want to hear them. And that's why we stick around, because we're still here. We've said so many times we could for sure make more money doing other things, but this is a, this is, this is seriously. Still, it's been seven years and this is a gap that no other podcast is filling. We would love to see more Frugal Living podcasts, but everybody wants to talk about the economy and investing and financial news and earning money. And so we'll stick around to be that alternative for people who want to be better stewards of their money, time, physical space, energy and natural resources.
- [54:36]
Jill
We'll still be here just chugging away on our, on our microphones.
- [54:41]
Jen
But yeah, you should watch that video from Kiki Chanel. It good.
- [54:46]
Eric
When you're with Amex Business Platinum, going.
- [54:48]
Jill
The extra mile for your business pays off.
- [54:50]
Jen
With five times membership rewards points, points on flights and prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com, you can earn more points to.
- [54:57]
Eric
Help grow your business.
- [54:58]
Jill
And with access to more than 1400 lounges globally through the American Express Global Lounge Collection, including the Centurion Lounge.
- [55:05]
Eric
Can I get you a refill?
- [55:06]
Jen
You can stay fresh wherever your business travel takes you.
- [55:09]
Eric
That's the powerful backing of American Express.
- [55:12]
Jill
Terms apply learn more@americanexpress.com 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.
- [55:29]
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.
- [55:46]
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.
- [55:56]
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 frugal to get your free plan today.
- [56:07]
Eric
Summer on the south side of Chicago is heating up.
- [56:10]
Jill
You planning revenge on two?
- [56:11]
Jen
The Chi is back. May 16th on Paramount. It's the season of the women.
- [56:17]
Jill
Women, this is our chance. It's time to get to work.
- [56:20]
Eric
But the men aren't giving up without a fight. Street's always gonna have a villain.
- [56:24]
Jen
No one is backing down in the Showtime original series from Emmy award winner Lena Waithe.
- [56:28]
Jill
Why do black women always have to save the day? If we don't do it, who else will?
- [56:33]
Eric
The shy new season streaming May 16th on the Paramount with Showtime plan. Get in the zone AutoZone. Welcome to AutoZone. What are you working on today? Ah, worried about your battery and the heat? We get it. You don't want to get stranded somewhere with a car that feels like an oven. We've got you covered at AutoZone, America's number one battery destination. Our free battery testing and charging service can help. And if you need a battery, we'll help you find a new one. No problem. Power through with free battery testing and charging at AutoZone. Get in the zone. AutoZone restrictions apply.