This Level of Overconsumption is Organized Hoarding | Unhinged Hauls

Summary

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Frugal Friends Podcast — “This Level of Overconsumption is Organized Hoarding | Unhinged Hauls”

Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
Date: January 16, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively and insightful episode, Jen and Jill tackle the phenomenon of “unhinged hauls” and the addictive world of stockpile videos. The hosts examine the cultural forces—especially on social media—that glamorize excessive consumerism under the guise of organization, aesthetics, or personal fulfillment. With plenty of humor, honest confession, and self-reflection, they break down why we can’t look away from these haul videos, how they subtly rewire our shopping habits, and how to find a healthier, value-aligned “radical middle.” The episode includes analysis of viral videos, psychological insights, and practical strategies for listeners to define “enough” and resist the overconsumption trap.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Are We Obsessed With Stockpile and Haul Videos?

• Stockpile Videos as Entertainment & Temptation
  • Jen observes: “These videos are entertaining, but they're also quietly rewiring our brains and shopping habits.” (02:00)
  • Jill wonders about the allure: “Why are they so weirdly compelling? Is this extreme overconsumption online normalizing incremental over consumption in the rest of us?” (02:09)
• Psychological Triggers
  • ASMR elements sooth, organizational aesthetics attract, but there’s also “rage bait” and aspiration at play:
    • “Part of it might be asmr, part rage baity, part aspirational... they lead to consumption-wise.” (Jen, 02:27)
  • The allure is universal: “We've all, you know, bought seven bags of bones coffee at the Black Friday sale, right?” (Jen, 03:40)

2. Analysis of Viral Stockpile Videos

a. The “Over Consumption Girl” Body Care Closet

Example of organized hoarding:

• Lainey (Over Consumption Girl) tours a closet with 206 body sprays, endless lotions, scrubs, perfumes—all highly organized but excessive (06:28–07:54).
  • Jen quips: “The shelves are bending.” (06:42)
  • Lainey: “I know it's...it's a lot, but I don't care.” (07:54)
• Jen questions product necessity: “I don't know the difference between a body butter and a body lotion...I also don't know why you need a body oil if your body makes natural oils.” (07:59)
• Jill’s insight: The appeal is not usefulness but “not needing to say no...I am able to have all these things and they look nice and organized.” (08:45)
• Key Insight: Even non-influencers fall into “organized hoarding” from consumer and novelty bias, not necessity.

b. Aesthetic Pantry Restock & $4,000 Weekly Pantry Restock

Examining “aesthetic organization” as a consumption driver:

• Jen notes, “It's the organizational things that she's putting them into...that's what gets me.” (13:21)
• Jill points out, “Anybody would probably walk into this pantry and be like, dreams. But what is happening here is this person is stocking for a hotel...not one person's actual pantry.” (13:21)
• Jen on aspirational effect: “…it does make me want to have maybe one version of the beautiful container she has...it feels like a radical middle because this is a $4,000 pantry restock and I'm never going to spend $4,000. But if I spent $30 or $50...that’s $30 or $50 I would not have spent if I never saw this.” (15:00–16:57)
• Emotional Impact: These videos breed both aspiration and discontent, making us want to inch closer to the unrealistic ideal or leaving us “bummed” about our own homes.

c. The Makeup Stockpile — The Fantasy Trap

Stockpiling as hobby and fantasy fulfillment:

• Jill connects it to media conditioning: “It does remind me of those movies that exemplified wealth and you never needing to hear the word no. These types of videos show you can have whatever you want.” (22:09)
• Jen reflects on ignorance and insecurity: “When I see someone who seems like they do [know], I will initially trust their recommendation...Where I was content in ignorance before, I now become discontent in knowledge.” (25:21–26:34)
• Key Insight: Skill-building and creativity are lost when “buying away problems" becomes the go-to solution. True contentment comes from using what you have and developing skills, not endless acquisition.

d. Coupon Stockpiles — The “Frugal” Extreme

Can it ever be moderate or helpful?

• A couponer touts the FIFO (first-in, first-out) method to prevent waste and maximize charitable giving (30:04–31:32).
• Jen admits: “I dog on couponing a lot...I think this is the healthiest version of it. But I still can't get on board with all the time that it takes and all of the...room it takes up.” (31:33)
• Jill notes the impracticality and health risks: “How many different types of laundry detergent did we see? There’s just some things to me that make it super impractical.” (32:33)
• Both highlight "deal dopamine" and the lure of a “scarcity mindset”—buying for imaginary future needs—and how it often leads to overvaluing discounts and undervaluing time, space, and actual need.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jen, on emotional aftermath of overconsumption videos:
  “This, I mean, aesthetic social media breeds discontent.” (17:34)

• Jill, on the subtle impact:
  “Ultimately...I do feel just a little bit sad that, oh yeah, I don't have, like, my things don't look like that.” (18:22)

• Jen, on emotional coping:
  “That breeds into emotional coping buying. So what can I buy to make me feel a little bit better? Maybe something to organize.” (19:01)

• Jill, on defining “enough”:
  “Would I have bought this before I watched this content? Or is it only because now this stirred up a knowledge that this thing even existed?” (37:26)

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Strategies for Breaking the Consumption Spell

1. Defining Your "Enough"

• Take stock of categories you overspend in.
• Set your own thresholds—e.g., “How many candles is enough for me?”
• Example: Jen’s friend discovered she had over 70 candles, when 20 was her “enough.”
  “You have to define your enough and then use up the excess and not buy anymore until you reach that... It doesn't have to make sense for other people.” (36:37)

2. Questioning Normalized Excess

• Be aware of the influence of community, social media, and algorithms.
• Ask: “Would this actually solve a problem for me, or do I just love seeing it organized?” (38:23)
• Organizing isn’t the same as simplifying/minimizing. Use creativity with what you already own rather than buying solutions.

3. Value Skill-Building Over Acquisition

• “There is this loss of creativity when we're buying away our problems... skill-building is what builds character and contentment within us.” (29:01–29:49)

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Lightning Round: “What Did You Used to Hoard?” (45:11)

• Jill: Former trinkets and thrift shop “tchotchkes” collector, now more minimalist:
  “I'm becoming more and more like my grandmother. She called those things dust collectors.”
• Jen: Candles—still loves them, but keeps just a few. Childhood shaped her anti-hoarding stance:
  “I grew up in a situation where there were a lot of bath products that never got used and a new one was always being purchased...I’ve always been anti-hoard from that experience.” (47:21)

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Emotions and Takeaway Reflections

• Overconsumption videos can trigger:

  • Aspiration (“I want my place to look like a store”)
  • Rage (“No one needs that much!”)
  • Discontent (“My things don’t look like that”)
  • Coping/justification for smaller purchases (“At least I’m not as bad as them…”)

• The hosts’ radical middle is about:

  • Setting your own enough
  • Channeling energy into skills, relationships, and contentment
  • Recognizing that buying and organizing have value—but not as a panacea for self-worth
  • Focusing on intentional, value-aligned spending over reactionary or algorithm-driven consumption

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Practical Segment Timestamps

• Introduction of theme: 01:36–03:19
• Over Consumption Girl video & discussion: 06:28–11:50
• Aesthetic pantry ASMR & $4k restock: 12:01–17:34
• Fantasy makeup stockpiles: 22:09–29:01
• Coupon stockpile & critique: 29:49–35:23
• Strategies for moderation (“enough”, algorithm retraining, reuse): 36:37–39:57
• Lightning Round—Personal confessions: 45:11–49:45

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Notable Listener Submission

• Bill of the Week (Olivia from Melbourne, Australia):
  • Proudly prepared for her hot water system breaking—saved up in advance, researched eco-friendly replacement, and got government rebates.
  • “Even though it was expensive...it was the best I could do, and I felt proud of myself, and you guys have inspired me to do things like that.” (41:59)
  • Hosts praise her for planning ahead and being proactive.

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Tone & Style

Candid, warm, down-to-earth, with a blend of humor and practical wisdom. Jen and Jill are both empathetic and gently challenging, never shaming, but encouraging self-awareness and intelligent consumption.

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Closing Encouragement

“Buying things is not the enemy. It is this extreme overconsumption that normalizes more and more consumption out of the rest of us.” (39:24)

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Takeaway:
If you find yourself spiraling after a binge of aesthetic haul videos, step back, check your sense of enough, and use your creativity (and current resources!) to build satisfaction—before buying another “organizer.” Define your “radical middle” based on true well-being, not TikTok trends.

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Transcript

[Jen]

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[Co-host (possibly Jill)]

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[Co-host (possibly Jill)]

This level of over.

[Jen]

Consumption is organized hoarding.

[Podcast Host Intro]

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

[Jen]

If you've ever watched a stockpile video and thought, should I be doing that? Let's talk about it. These videos are entertaining, but they're also quietly rewiring our brains and shopping habits.

[Jill]

Today, we're unpacking what's actually going on with these stockpile videos. Is it hoarding? And why are they so weirdly compelling? And is this extreme overconsumption online normalizing incremental over consumption in the rest of us?

[Jen]

Welcome, frugal friends. I'm Jen.

[Jill]

I'm Jill.

[Jen]

And let's talk about these unhinged influencer stockpiles. No, maybe not the ones that you're thinking of, but the ones that are just superfluous stuff that we find so weirdly intriguing. And part of it might be asmr, but. But part of it is a little rage baity and then I think part of it is a little aspirational too. And I think we have compiled some videos that just like, kind of exemplify that really well. And I hope so we're going to say what we feel about them and what we have seen that they lead to consumption wise. But also I think it would be awesome if you guys also looked at them and kind of inspected. How does it make you feel?

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Jill]

What is it that's drawing you in? What is it that's making you angry? It'll help us understand why we're engaging so much in these, in this kind of content. Like, why are these types of videos blowing up so much? And it can kind of help us to then untangle what it then means about the way that we shop and how we spend money.

[Jen]

And I think it's also telling. Like, I've seen a lot of stuff online lately that about how people are just sick of influencer culture. We are sick of influencers flaunting their wealth spreading links just trying to get us to buy stuff and like, not really giving any helpful educational content with all of their shopping hauls and their. I love this. It's linked in my profile. Like, so we collectively are sick of it. Right. But then there's also this part of us that sees these grotesque collections of things and it just gets stuck in our algorithm. And so we can talk, I mean, we can talk a little bit about retraining your algorithm, but there is this kind of like, disconnect and we don't want to shame any or single out any influencer. There's, there's people. Like, obviously when I'm saying this, you're probably getting somebody. Maybe if you're in this algorithm, maybe some creator is coming to your mind right now. But I mean, honestly, we've all, you know, bought seven bags of bones coffee at the Black Friday sale. Right. You know, like, we've all done it, so we don't want to single out anyone in particular, but we do want to inspect this idea around kind of what feels like organized putting organized hoarding on a pedestal and calling it ascetic or aspirational or.

[Jill]

We've all watched Princess Diaries and would love to live the life of discovering you're a princess. And now you have access to everything and your closet is so full. I truly do feel like some of those movies of like the 90s and 2000s kind of feed into this. Like, I want my place to look like a store kind of a thing.

[Jen]

Yeah, that is, it is like, it's not Like I want that specifically in my home, but I don't not want to watch it in other people's homes. But also when I see it, I get a little angry. Yeah, so many feelings.

[Jill]

Speaking of me, let's do this together. Let's do an exercise together where we all watch and react. Let's it face figure out what are our what. What are our. What's being triggered as we see this.

[Jen]

And I think this first video really exemplifies it best. It was an eight minute video that I had to cut down to I think a minute and a half, two minutes. And it will. It'll take you on a trip.

[Lainey (Over Consumption Girl)]

Hi, I'm Lainey, also known as the over consumption girl. And today we're going to be showing you every single product that I have.

[Jen]

So.

[Lainey (Over Consumption Girl)]

So let's do a little tour. So this is my body care closet. I have the Bath and Body Works body creams up there. We have all of my shower gels from Bath and Body.

[Jen]

The shelves are bending.

[Jill]

Shut up.

[Lainey (Over Consumption Girl)]

We have this cute little rolly cart that has a bunch of body washes that I don't have any room for. Guys, we have all of my 206 bath and body Works body sprays right here. So this is my shower rack. We got all the Doves. We have all of these natives. We have some eos right here. Have my like scale skin care. We have hand soaps in here too. We got all the Dove bar soaps. We have a couple Bath and Body Works. These are all of my body scrubs. Yeah, these are all tree huts.

[Jen]

This is a mixture of Tree hut and dove.

[Lainey (Over Consumption Girl)]

My perfume place. We have all of these perfumes right here. Here are all my expensive perfumes. Here are all my Soldier Janeiros. These are my travel size perfumes. You got all of like the Kayali perfumes. You got some random ones from like tick tock shop, whatever. Ariana Grande is right here. And then here is my Lazy Susan with a bunch of other perfumes. These are all of my body oils. And this is a divider that I made actually. And these are the body sprays. And then under here are all the body butters. I'm not even gonna open that whole thing because everything will fall on top of here. But things that aren't Bath and Body Works aren't anything like that. And then under here are just a bunch of body sprays. Mostly Victoria's Secret. And then we have all of like the TJ Maxx perfumes and some Lemong Gourmands. And then over here, it's just some, like, got some Walmart body spray.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Lainey (Over Consumption Girl)]

I know it's. It's a lot, but I don't care.

[Jen]

I don't know what some of this stuff does. And I know that that's part of the ignorance in me. Like, so Florida is very humid, so we don't use lotion a lot here. But I don't know the difference between a body butter and a body lotion. And I also don't know why you need a body oil if your body makes natural oils. But also you have access to lotions and. Or body butters. So there's just. I think I know. So companies create different things so they can sell more. Right. Whether it's needed or not. And then to have so many of each. Yeah.

[Jill]

I don't think it's about, like, what's going to serve which purpose. I think it's about not needing to say no to. To any of it that, like, I am able to have all of these things. Like, I could collect all of these things and they could look nice and organized. The thing that I don't understand with this type of consumption is what happens when you do start to get low on something or it doesn't look exactly aesthetic in the environment anymore. Like, all of them kind of look untouched and unused.

[Jen]

I don't think it looked aesthetic, though. We'll look at an aesthetic video.

[Jill]

Yeah. At least organized.

[Jen]

It's organized. And this is, I think, what, like I said, the best example of organized hoarding that I think that I've seen on the Internet. And this video went super viral. You may have seen it if you're on TikTok. And I think it's a part of it is a little rage baity. Like, you can tell, like at the beginning she was like, I'm the over consumption girl. So clearly she has been kind of raged at for her previous videos.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Which ultimately, like, I have this kind of like, disillusionment with, like when people, when we're. We're trying to call out consumerism, like over consumption. Right. And then people are like, it's my money, let me spend it how I want. And like, to an extent. Yeah. But like, if you're offended or you feel guilty, that's on you. We're not like, calling her out as a person. Right. Like, you can have collections. I don't think collections are bad. We did a whole episode on how social media is, like, leading to collections getting out of control. But collectors been collecting out of control way before social media so there is an aspect of that to this, but then what is it doing for us? Like, what is it doing to us?

[Jill]

And we've all. This is an extreme example, but like, we all have bought things even though we had that thing already at home. And so there's this sometimes novelty bias that can happen of, oh, this is a new thing. Yes, I have Body Butters, but I don't have that new scent.

[Jen]

Yes, novelty, so, so important.

[Jill]

What will that bring to me if that then happens? I may have this kind of like scarcity mindset. Yeah, I have a ton at home, but then what happens when I use them up? And right now there's a sale on this item or there's this big deal happen and now I can have multiple of them and really be set for whatever's coming down the road. And I'm not, don't, don't have access to that thing.

[Jen]

So much of her content is these like $1200 bath and body works hauls. Like, so part of this extremeness is she goes viral, I think, for doing these really big hauls of bath products. And that's. Once you do that so many times, then you get an eight minute walkthrough of just your like, bath products.

[Jill]

And so like you said, this one's not necessarily aesthetic, but there is an aesthetic version. There's a very kind of luxury haul, luxury stockpile that we can all react to as well.

[Jen]

So this one is an ASMR video. So we're just going to talk while it plays and we'll describe it a little bit if you're listening on rss. But she's essentially just restocking all of these snacks. And I'm sure you've seen this type of video just restocking a bunch of snacks and they're arguably like not healthy snacks. So you've got like a little bit of rage bait in here. But like, I, I think with these, for me personally, it's not so much the snacks that get me. And I know that's, that's part of it for some people, but like, it's the organizational things that she's putting them into. Like, that's what gets me. And I, I hope you saw that. Like there was one, had the, the tag still, the, the sticker still on it so you could see what the container was for. All the other ones, they were perfectly aesthetic, had all the stickers taken off, everything's labeled and now she's putting it like, you know, back in. But I know that this is selling Organizational products more than it's selling. Look, so much junk food and candy. Like, the candy is the rage bait and the organizational material things. That's what's being sold.

[Jill]

I mean, anybody would probably. I'll speak for myself, at least walk into this pantry and be like. Like dreams. But what is happening here is this person is stuck stocking for, like, a hotel. Like, this is a. This is a hotel snack shop right here. This is not one person's actual pantry that they're all going to be using all of these things in the span of a week. Like, no one needs to have that amount of snacks, that amount of organizational material.

[Jen]

We know that in our brains.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Right?

[Jen]

Like, we know that nobody has to tell us. Beautiful. So, like, yeah, that's why it's the organizational stuff for me. There's also another one that will show that it's actually a $4,000 weekly. Weekly. $4,000 weekly pantry restock. And it's similar, but I thought it had. I thought the aestheticism was even more extra.

[Jill]

And I think the rage on this one is that it's a $4,000 weekly haul. Like, you' all of this in a week. You're not go. I don't even care how many people you have in your house. You're not going through this level of food in a week. Like, that just can't be right.

[Jen]

You're not going through five big bag, big bags of pasta. Like, different types of pasta.

[Jill]

And five big bags of pasta isn't costing you $4,000. Like, none of this is that expensive.

[Jen]

I think part of it. These were all brand new containers, too. You can see at the beginning, she's taking off the labels and washing them.

[Jill]

Mm.

[Jen]

And so then she's. It's, you know, kind of more of the same, like, asmr, pouring and stacking and organizing. Yeah. It's these. It's this identity. Like, you're. You're looking at this, and there's. There's part of this. Is this. This identity kind of aspirational, like, dream pantry vibes. So, like, this isn't a coupon stockpile. It's. I want. And my pantry does not look aesthetic. I don't think normal people's pantries look aesthetic. But I don't want a pantry like this. But it does make me want to have maybe one version of the beautiful container she has. Like, I don't need a dispenser for my cereal, but putting my, you know, putting my pastas in plastic containers is appealing to me. And it also, like, Makes sense on a functional level as well. Right? It's. So there's just this. I. And I would love to get your response if you're like watching this to see like what you feel, you know, listening and watching this. But yeah, I, I want the beautiful containers and I feel like getting those is kind of a radical middle because this is a $4,000 pantry restock and I'm never going to spend $4,000. But if I spent 30 or $50 on something, I feel better because I'm not spending 4,000. But that's $30 or $50 I would not have spent if I never saw this. Now, like, in reality, I'm not buying any of this stuff, but this is kind of what is filtering through our heads when we see this. Right? Yeah.

[Jill]

Or it's like bumming you out because it's like, well, even if I got those containers, my kitchen isn't that beautiful. I don't have those pull out drawers. I don't have that walk in pantry. I don't have any of these things. And maybe you just walk away and just feel bummed about yourself and that sucks. What decisions does that then lead you to down the road, even if you never buy the containers? Or maybe it's okay, I'll never have that. But what small thing like you're saying could I have to get a little bit closer to feeling like I've got something and I'm just not some poor person who like, doesn't know how to eat.

[Jen]

We just recorded our episode on like, why grocery prices have been skyrocketing and how to save on that. And like, you can experience this increase in prices, right? And like feel like it's really, it's harder and harder to get ahead. And then you see something like this and you feel even more discontent. Like, it's hard for me to live here and I can't even think about improving, you know, like my surroundings. And so what a bummer. And it makes you feel like even less capable of reaching your goals. And I think maybe that's extreme. Maybe like I'm. Maybe I'm taking an extreme take on it. But like, yeah, this, I mean, aesthetic social media breeds discontent.

[Jill]

That's all. Ultimately, like, if I were to be like, reflective right now, after watching these together, I think I do feel just a little bit like sad that, oh yeah, I don't have, like, my things don't look like that.

[Jen]

So it's this discontent and this aspiration because it's so easy to have like a little bit of hope they're not telling me to do like hard 75 or 75 hard. Right. Where it's like, nope, never can do that. Not going to. But like, this I can, potentially. I could maybe. It's so bizarre to me.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

So. And then it like, honestly too, with the discontent, like, that breeds into emotional coping. Buying. So, like, I feel discontent. So what can I buy to make me feel a little bit better? Like, I'm in a bummed, you know, state right now. What can I buy to make me feel a little bit better? Maybe something to organize. Maybe it's not even my pantry. Maybe it's just something organized, something else. Like maybe our next video, which is a stock file that kind of exemplifies a different psychological trap, which is the fantasy itself. And this is another ASMR video. So we'll, we'll talk through it. What do you think of this one, Jill?

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[Jill]

Quince.com frugal I am definitely that person who like it does remind me of those videos way back when of like the, the girls going to the mall and like getting whatever the heck they wanted. And there were so many movies that like exemplified wealth and this like you never needing to hear the word no. And these types of videos show that there are some products where that could be possible. You don't ever have to experience no. You can kind of have whatever you want. Your place can look like a Sephora or an Ulta and you can always just have that at your fingertips in your own home. But then like my logical brain kicks in and is like, yeah, but I wouldn't use all of these. Like most of them aren't even in my color. So it's very confusing. The whole thing's confusing.

[Jen]

It does look like a beautiful Sephora when she just like places everything. Like 16 boxes of lipstick and 16 lip liners and all of these eyeshadows. Like we love the feeling or we see on like tv, I think these, the closets, like what you were saying with Princess Diaries. Like going walking into these closets that feel like stores or like the movie's like 13 going on 30 Sex and the City. Like I think we were conditioned at an early age to think that this is adulthood, having this is adulthood. And it was cool to watch in the movies because back then it was inaccessible. Like that was aspirational. That was our social media. And now it's accessible. Accessible. Now you can impulse buy something like laying in bed at 11pm at night. You can impulse buy. They don't want you to impulse buy 16 lip liners. They just want you to buy one.

[Jill]

And you can klarna and after pay your way to buying one of each.

[Jen]

If that's the mental state that you're in.

[Jill]

And I think especially for those of us who have, like, decision fatigue, which a lot of times is where we're at at the end of the day when are scrolling and shopping, we're so tired of making decisions. So we're just shopping out of boredom, out of whatever. And then we don't want to have to make another decision about, well, which lip gloss should I get? What if I just got all of them? Oh, well, now I need an organizing container. And now I need to put it up on this, like, nice shelf and have the whole vanity and the mirror and the. And maybe you don't end up doing all of that, but again, it just inches you a little bit further and further to think this is what's normal. Where it might have used to be normal for me just to have one lip gloss in my purse, and now it's. Maybe now I have 10. It's gonna happen next year.

[Jen]

And I don't think a lot of our listeners, like, will get to that point. But here's something with me and makeup and makes me kind of fall prey to this stuff. It has made me fall prey to it in the past is that I don't know a lot about makeup. And so maybe that's other people that they, like, don't know a lot about cooking or don't know a lot about xyz, because I don't know a lot about makeup. When I see someone who seems like they do, I will initially trust their recommendation, knowing nothing about them, which is why it's important to, like, pause and Google. But I am looking at all these things and I don't know fully what they are. And so then I will Google it to find out what it is, what it does. And of course, Google is going to tell me, oh, you need this, because it's just another platform trying to, like, close the sale. And I didn't think, like, where I was content in ignorance before, I now become discontent in knowledge, which is not always the case, but it is this weird place to be.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And so I have. I really. And we'll, like, talk about, like, kind of how to break the spell at the end, but spoiler alert, have had to, like, figure out, okay, I don't need to know everything about makeup. I'm not going to be good at makeup. I don't want to be good at makeup. So, like, what? But I also don't want to let myself go. I want to feel good about myself. So, like, where's My radical middle, like, what's my for makeup? And knowing like if there is some discontent inside me, it's not the makeup's fault or the lack of makeup or the lack of makeup technique's fault. It's something within me.

[Jill]

Yeah, I think what we see, whether it's makeup or some other type of hobby, I mean, a lot of this does just feel like hobby spending. This is what they do. This is going to take a lot of time to collect all of these things, organize all these things, make content on all these things. But it is procrastinating in a, in a way on some of these, like misplaced self improvement efforts. And so thinking that if I have more of these things, then I'm going to be better at doing my makeup, better at creating this art, better at cooking this thing, cleaning that thing. Like you name the category. We can have a tendency to just collect all of the things that we see online, that we see other people have that looks new and interesting in the store. Thinking, if I have that thing, then I'm going to build that skill, I'm going to be better at it. I'm going to have all the tools and resources that I need in order to implement and hit that target. Exactly. And in reality that's not actually what it produces. Because, yeah, you could learn how to do your makeup really well with limited supplies. You can clean your house super well with vinegar and water. Like you can do art with a pencil and a piece of paper. Like there's just, there's a reality to what's actually needed in order to do the self fulfillment, self improvement thing, the hobby, the thing that brings us joy. But we think we need to buy our way there. And I think social media is just a affirming that, making us feel like I have to have at my fingertips all of the tools and that's the thing that's going to make me better when really building the skill is what makes me better at that.

[Jen]

Yeah, there is this loss of creativity when we're buying away our problems. Like when you can just buy another shade because you don't feel like your makeup looks good, then you lose the creativity that comes with, okay, this doesn't look good. Maybe I'll look up a free YouTube video and learn the technique for whatever it is I'm trying to do. Or maybe I can get creative with these limited things that I have. And that's real skill building. I think skill building is what builds character and contentment within us and not so much just trying to buy our Problems away.

[Jill]

Okay, we got one more very controversial type of hoard, and that's the coupon stockpile.

[Jen]

But I think we've found a radical middle example to kind of, I don't know, challenge both sides.

[Couponer]

How are couponers able to have these massive stockpiles and make sure absolutely nothing goes to waste? Well, as a couponer who has a massive stockpile and ensures nothing goes to.

[Jen]

Waste, I'm going to tell you, while.

[Couponer]

I put away a week's worth of coupon deals that I have yet to put away, don't judge me. So the first, probably most important thing I implement my stockpile is something called like FIFO or fifo, essentially just an acronym that stands for first in, first out. This is my newest bottle of Tide. It's going to go all the way.

[Jen]

Oh dear floor into the very back.

[Couponer]

To get used when it's.

[Jen]

It's done.

[Couponer]

And that's just for things that don't have expiration dates. Things like toothpaste are a lot easier because they have expiration dates written on the package. So then in my stockpile, I organize all of my toothpaste with the expiration dates facing outwards with the one that gets used first on the top and the one that gets used last at the bottom. Organizing that way with expiration dates also really helps me keep an eye on them so that they get used or donated before they expire. And same principle also applies if I end up with not enough room on my shelf else. So let's say, for example, I just got this new thing of trash bags and I don't have any more room on my shelf to fit it. All I do is I take the oldest trash bag off the top, put it in a donation pile, and then put this guy at the very back that way. My stockpile is constantly circulating fresh items, and I'm making sure that all of these items are getting used before they have the potential to go bad. Organizing like this also helps me keep an eye on what items my family is using a lot of and maybe not so much of. So, like, I know my family doesn't go through mouthwash very quickly. So unless it's like free or I'm getting paid, I'm not going to get it. But we quite literally, literally burn through dawn and Kane Power Wash like it's going out of style. So I know to make sure to snag that deal when it pops up. So for me, the stockpile not only allows me to keep a stock of dirt cheap items that I know my family will use. It also gives me a way to be able to donate to my community without breaking the bank. So if you thought couponers were wasteful because we had a stockpile, I can absolutely guarantee you it is the exact opposite.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

All right.

[Jen]

I. I dog on couponing a lot, and so I wanted to. I didn't want to, like, feel like a broken record. And so I looked for a video of somebody doing healthy couponing and healthy stockpiling, and I feel like this is.

[Jill]

It, the healthiest version of it. But I still can't get on board.

[Jen]

I still can't. Yeah, I still can't get on board with all the time that it takes. And all of the. Just like all the other stockpiles, all the room it takes up just in the same vein. So, yeah, no, I'm not going to become a couponer. But so many of you out there do love couponing and are interested in couponing, and so I think there can be for something like this. And I still think couponing's a hobby.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And if you want a hobby of consumption, this might be the way to go.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Jill]

One of my biggest qualms with it is just the types of products that you're getting. Where these big deals are happening are on these big manufacturer type of. Yeah, you're tied, your gain, your unsentables, whatever. And personally, I would prefer like a low tox situation. And that is not what you're getting when you're doing couponing the way that most people are doing couponing, not to mention then the variety of the types of products that you're using. And so if you are a person who is sensitive, one of the biggest things they say when you have an allergic reaction is, did you switch your laundry detergent? And I think in this situation, how many different types of laundry detergent did we see? There's just some things to me that make it super impractical. It's my personal opinion. And everyone can live their lives the way that they want to live it.

[Jen]

And even if it is all dirt cheap, cheap, you're still reinforcing that habit of deal dopamine, which I think as frugal people, we all really struggle with. Right. We want to get the deal. And often our biggest problem is we will chase the deal and we will spend money that we ultimately didn't spend, need to spend at all, because we're getting a good deal on something whether that is brand new or secondhand, you know, like all around consumption. And so this, this just reinforces that habit of consumption. Consumption. Consumption. And where does it end? If you're reinforcing this habit, you're not going to stop at things you get with coupons. Yeah.

[Jill]

I think it certainly reinforces kind of this, like, scarcity mindset, buying for imaginary future needs. Like, how many containers, big old jugs of laundry detergent do we need? And if our family's not using these products, why are we even bothering to get them, even if they're free? I think there's just this overvaluing of the discount and then the undervaluing of your space, your time, your resources, how much stress. I mean, it's great that she and maybe others are donating some of these excess things, but that's not nothing. That is, you've gotta have a place then to put your donations. You've got to then be able to know, where am I taking different. Because certain places aren't gonna take those types of donations. You gotta know where to take them, what days to take them on. Put that into your travel routine. And then where else are we going? Because we're already out. Oh, we're already in the car. We're already driving around, had to take this donation, so might as well stop at this store.

[Jen]

Or might as well stop and get a coffee. Yes. Yeah, we know.

[Jill]

We're people too.

[Jen]

Yeah, we rationalize. Oh, I'm doing a good deed. Let me treat myself. So there's all of this, all these tiny little money sucks that come out of this culture. So how do we break the spell of and finding our radical middle? Not the radical middle that's set by the extremes. Because the extremes on social media just get, like, further and further and further out. So, like, let's not adjust our radical middle based on what we are seeing. Let's find it based on what's truly appropriate for us. And so that comes with first kind of what I alluded to earlier is defining your enough levels. And this is particularly on things that you feel prone to overspending. So I had a friend that I was working with on her spending, and candles and water bottles were, I think, her two biggest areas for impulse spending. And I asked her, okay, what is enough candles for you? And she was like 20. And she was like, I think I have like 50. She went home and counted and she had over 70. Right. And she's like, not an influencer. She's a normal person. But she keeps putting them in the back of her closet and you don't realize how many you have until you take them out and Count them. You have an idea, but you don't fully know. And so. But to other people, 20 sounds like. Like you have 20 candles. Like, where do you put. Right. It doesn't have to make sense for other people. Right. It's gotta make sense for you. You have to define your enough and then use up the excess and not buy anymore until you reach that, you know, for her, 20 candles was enough. So I said, we're not buying more candles until There are only 19 candles in your house.

[Jill]

Yeah. And then I think the other thing that can really help us here is to be aware of normalized excess, normalized over consumption. When we see these types of videos, I mean, certainly we can be training our algorithm to not be seeing them anymore. We can be aware of the ways that our community is impacting. You know, we go over to somebody else's house. What are they making seem normal to us? And some of the questions that we can be asking ourselves is, would I have bought this before I watched this content or before I heard about it from this friend? Or is it only because now this stirred up a knowledge that this thing even existed, that now I'm like, I gotta have it. And also asking, do I love it? Would this solve a problem for me? Would this help make my life more efficient? Or do I just love seeing all of these things organized?

[Jen]

Do I love how it looks?

[Jill]

And that may be the case. And I think there's nothing wrong with organizing. It is not the same thing as simplifying or minimizing. But I think once we are able to define our enough, if we want it to look pleasing in our home, that's a beautiful thing. And I think it can help to decrease our stress levels. But recognize that we can organize without purchasing a single thing. Guaranteed, we have the things already in our house, whether it's a basket that somebody gave us a gift in, or it's a cardboard box that we can kind of cut the top off of and use that inside a cabinet, because who really cares? And if you do really care, use up some old wrapping paper to wrap up that cardboard box, make it look pretty, have yourself a little project, but challenge yourself to use what you already have to kind of gain maybe some of that organized aesthetic that you need. But you don't need to buy what you.

[Jen]

And then once you've done that and you found what works and doesn't work for you, then when you see some plastic containers go on sale, you know what you need. You're not just like buying containers and then being like okay, what do I put in these now? Like, you have plans for them. You plan out what your organization can be. Again, buying things is not the enemy. It is this extreme over consumption that normalizes more and more consumption out of.

[Co-host (possibly Jill)]

The rest of us.

[Jill]

Do you know what's also not the enemy? 100%, my friend.

[Jen]

Never over consumption. It's just adequate consumption. The bill of the week.

[Podcast Host Intro]

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

[Olivia]

Hi, my name is Olivia, and I live in Melbourne, Australia. And even though it seems a bit weird to say it, I absolutely love your podcast. It's weird because I can't imagine loving a podcast about money and budgeting, but I absolutely do. I love listening to you guys. You're the best. Anyway, I have a bill of the week. My gas, very old hot water system broke, and I kind of knew that that was coming. And so I had been saving and putting some aside, some money aside for that, and I'm so proud of myself. I'd also been researching the most sustainable and environmentally friendly option to replace it with. And so when it died, I knew what I wanted. I wanted a heat pump, and they came and they installed it, and I had the money, and I got some rebates for the government from the government for installing something that was environmentally friendly. And so even though it was expensive, it was 1,800 Australian dollars, and that seems a lot to me. It was the best. And, well, it was the best I could do, and I felt proud of myself, and you guys have inspired me to do things like that. And so that's the bill of the week for me.

[Jen]

Thank you, Olivia. Yes. Well done. Oh, my gosh. I'm so happy that you love our podcast, even though it's about money. Thank you. And I'm so proud of you.

[Jill]

Yeah. This is a beautiful thing. You've done so many, so many things. Well, to see that something was going to be happening and prepare for it, save up for it. I think sometimes we know things are gonna need to be replaced, but we kind of ignore it, and then it happens, and then it's an emergency.

[Jen]

It's like, well, we did see it coming.

[Jill]

Not you, my friend. You saved up and you researched what's gonna be the best replacement, and you looked into whether or not there were rebates for you. And there were. And you just did a phenomenal job all around. Well done with your bill, Olivia. If you have a bill that you wanna sub, it has to do with your own surprise by how much you like our podcast, despite the fact that it's about money or your name is Bill, or you found a rebate for a new system in your home, or literally anything Bill related. We can't wait to hear it.

[Jen]

Frugalfriendspodcast.com Bill, that's where you gotta go.

[Jill]

Thank you. Yeah, I've only been doing this for.

[Jen]

Eight years, but yep, we all need a little help sometimes. That's totally fine.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Co-host (possibly Jill)]

With bilt, every rent payment earns you points you can use towards flights, hotels, Lyft rides, Amazon purchases, and so much more. And starting in February, members can even earn points on mortgage payments. So whether you rent or own, you can get rewarded wherever you live.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Co-host (possibly Jill)]

Join the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com frugal that's J-O-I-N B I L T.com frugal and make sure to use our URL so they know we sent you.

[Advertiser]

If you're early in your career and looking for insight, inspiration and honest advice, listen to the Capital Ideas podcast. Hear from Capital Group professionals about leaning into the differences that make you unique, making decisions that last, and what it means to lead with purpose. The Capital Ideas podcast from Capital Group. Available wherever you listen. Published by Capital Client Group, Inc.

[Jill]

And now it's time for lightning round.

[Jen]

What is something you used to hoard but not anymore? Jill?

[Jill]

Oh, my gosh. Straight to me. I want to say cheese.

[Jen]

What? Jillian? No.

[Jill]

Do you have another answer for me?

[Jen]

Yeah, I mean, I would say trinkets, tchotchkes, like thrifted. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jill]

Did you ever know me in that Season of Life.

[Jen]

Only because of how much you've talked about it.

[Jill]

Talked about it.

[Jen]

So. No, I haven't. I met you in your RV era.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

So, no. But I would say, from what I know of you, for knowing you for.

[Jill]

Nine years, I do have one trinket tchotchke that I did. Well, I didn't even buy it. My sister bought it for me. Cause she saw how much I loved it. We were walking around at this craft market. Maybe I'll get it for you and show you.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

But. Yeah.

[Jen]

No, I don't.

[Jill]

And it's so funny, because I feel like I'm becoming more and more like my grandmother. I remember she was such a buzz kill about stuff like that. She's like, you know what I call those things?

[Jen]

Dust collectors call her Gimba.

[Jill]

Like, gimba.

[Jen]

She right.

[Jill]

I'm like, or you just don't have to dust. And now that I'm, like, solidly in my 30s, closer to my 40s, I'm like, yeah, no, it is dusty. And that bothers me. And I don't want to have to dust stuff, like, more than I need to. Yeah.

[Jen]

Between the two of us, Jill's much more clean than I am. So you would have more time to.

[Jill]

Be clean and less things making it dirty. But yeah. And I did refer to your kids as things just now, I suppose. Yeah. When I had more space, I used to just collect things at the yard sales and thrift stores, and Christmas used to be insane for me. I would just. You know, it would. Things would explode everywhere. And now I'm just so much more simple.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

How about for you?

[Jen]

Mine, probably. Candles have always been, like, a big thing for me. I love burning a candle. 80% of the time in my house, I have something on fire, and it's 80% of the time, the candle on purpose. But I don't. Like. I have. I think two. I have. I maybe have five candles in my house. And that feels good. So I don't. I. I don't have a hoard of candles. I grew up in, like, a situation where there was a lot of bath products that never got used and a new one was always being purchased. Just even though we had a lot at home. And that always bothered me because there's always a lot of stuff. And so I think from that, I've always been more of a minimalist, and I've been anti hoard from that experience. But I would think if I had to nail down, like, one thing, that might be a trigger for me. It might be candles yeah, but I'm just like an anti hoarder because of. I don't want to say childhood trauma, but like childhood disgust. Because shopping was a hobby. And we talk about. I talk about this in our book, Buy what yout Love Without Going Broke, How I grew up and shopping was a hobby. We went shopping every weekend. We didn't have the money for it, but we found money. And we didn't go to the park, we didn't go to the playground. We didn't go to do things and experiences as a family. We never went on vacation. We went shopping every weekend. And that was a kind of. It shapes.

[Jill]

Yeah, it sure does.

[Jen]

How I think and buy today, and.

[Jill]

I think it starts to make you think that that's the only way to have fun is like in order to have fun, you have to spend money. And that takes a lot of reworking to realize. No, not true. Not true. There's other ways to have fun. Thanks all for being here.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Thanks for listening.

[Jill]

Thanks for reading our book and for reviewing it like this person. Hillary, five stars says fantastic book. I love how this book helps us look at our values and spend according to what it. According to what is important to each of us. I'm recommending this to all my family and friends. 10 stars. It's not even possible, but thank you, Hillary.

[Jen]

Thank you, Hillary. Thank you for listening. If you're watching this on YouTube, please hit that subscribe button. It is so helpful for us. And we produce content like this twice a week. So if you're trying to consume less or just consume smarter and more in alignment with your values, hit that subscribe button. Half of the people that watch our videos are not subscribed, which is crazy. So please, it helps us a lot. And you'll get notified when we have new videos if you're listening on Spotify or Apple. Thank you. We would love a review. We would be so appreciative and we're just so appreciative that you're here and you love us. Even though we're a money podcast. Even though despite our flaws, despite being boring, you love us and we appreciate you.

[Jill]

See you next time.

[Jen]

Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Seary.

[Jill]

Okay, should I quick show you my one chat ski?

[Jen]

Okay, go.

[Jill]

This will be our end screen.

[Jen]

Misha.

[Jill]

I'm getting it from afar.

[Jen]

I am.

[Jill]

Here we are.

[Jen]

Oh, my gosh. That is not. You get to see it first. This is what you loved.

[Jill]

I loved it so much. But wait, show the people in case they want to see it.

[Jen]

What Is it?

[Jill]

Don't ask too many questions. It's like a little gnome.

[Jen]

This is not suitable for work. What kind of markets are you shopping at?

[Jill]

It's like a little pottery piece of gnome, and I just.

[Jen]

A piece of gnome. That's what it is. Jill. It's not a full gnome because I know gnomes, and this is part gnome, part of gnome.

[Jill]

Isn't there just something about it that's so. So intriguing?

[Jen]

Disturbing? It's not. Doesn't even have a real face.

[Jill]

I was just so drawn to it. Like, I've never seen anything like it.

[Jen]

Yeah, I haven't seen anything like it ever either.

[Jill]

And I was so enthralled and enamored by it. I just kept coming back to that booth until eventually my sister was like, I'm ending this. Like, I'm buying this for you. And that was my birthday gift this year, and now I have it in a place where I see it all recently.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Jill]

This was for my birthday this past August.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Well, you were going.

[Jill]

You can't stop staring at it.

[Jen]

I want to.

[Jill]

This is what they call a conversation piece.

[Jen]

You were going through a lot in August.

[Jill]

So I don't know that's true.

[Jen]

But that's when you sold your house. You were? Yeah.

[Jill]

Oh, yeah.

[Jen]

You were going through a lot in August, and so I can see why this felt like the solution to everything.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Its face is worrisome to me.

[Jill]

It was the best face. There were actually multiple options in this.

[Jen]

That is sad.

[Jill]

Yeah, I like it.

[Advertiser]

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