What You Actually Get for Your Money in 2026: Then vs Now

Summary

Frugal Friends Podcast

Episode: What You Actually Get for Your Money in 2026: Then vs Now

Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
Date: February 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into how the value of consumer dollars has changed over the past two decades (2006 vs 2026) in everyday categories like streaming entertainment, restaurants, housing, and cars. Jen and Jill break down whether we’re truly getting “less for more,” explore the nuanced ways our spending experiences have shifted, and inject their signature humor and practical frugality tips.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nostalgia vs. Reality ([01:52]–[03:41])

• Jen & Jill reminisce about 2006 — simpler tech, no streaming, and when “money seemed to stretch further.”
• Jill: “Fast forward to 2026. It feels like we're paying a lot more for a lot less. And it's making me wonder, is that just nostalgia... or is it true?” ([02:21])
• They set the stage to compare how major spending categories have changed and why the perception of value has shifted.

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2. Streaming Services: Are We Better Off? ([03:56]–[09:44])

• 2006: Netflix mailed DVDs ($20/mo for 3 DVDs), or Redbox at $3.17 per movie.
• 2026: Multiple streaming services, costs average $48/mo (for ~3–4 subs), basic cable is ~$122/mo.
• Jen: “In 20 years, our monthly entertainment and streaming has cut in half, but it's expanded so much... everything you have instant access for, whereas before you did not.” ([07:03])
• Discussion of tradeoffs: Now there’s extra friction (ads, rotating services), but also more choice and convenience.
• Jill: “Choose what type of waiting you want.” ([08:52])
• Both hosts only subscribe to a couple at a time, rotating as needed.

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3. Dining Out: Skyrocketing Prices & Shifting Expectations ([09:44]–[13:58])

• 2006: Sit-down entrée $10–$12, big, shareable portions, clear tipping expectations.
• 2026: Entrées now $18–$30, smaller portions, “skinflation” (same calories, less quality), tipping pressure everywhere (even invoice/payment apps).
• Jill (on tipping): “There is a tipping option when I get an invoice from QuickBooks. …Of course I don’t. I am not tipping on my QuickBooks subscription.” ([12:13])
• Tipping norms and confusion have expanded. Quality and portion sizes have dropped; prices have doubled.

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4. Housing: The Mortgage Dilemma ([14:42]–[22:58])

• 2006: Median home price $222,000; rates ~6%; inventory plentiful.
• 2026: Median $405,000 (55% increase); rates similar (~6%); inventory tight.
• Monthly payments up by $1,000—a “thousand-dollar gap” with only modest wage growth.
• Jen: “It’s that thousand dollars a month that really hurts people because the loan amount is so much bigger.” ([18:28])
• Post-2008 financial crash leads to better consumer protection but tougher approval and affordability.
• Rise of hedge funds/investors hoarding entry-level homes exacerbates shortage.

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5. Transportation: Where Did Affordable Cars Go? ([25:15]–[39:36])

• 2006: Median sedan $15,000–$18,000; more basic, reliable options; used car bargains via private sale/Craigslist.
• 2026: Same sedan $22,000–$30,000 (45% increase), new average cost is $50,000; “cheap cars” discontinued; SUVs/trucks dominate; tech upgrades but planned obsolescence.
• Jill: “There is planned obsolescence happening that is going to force us to need to be buying a new car every four years. ...Our vehicles should be lasting us 14 years.” ([30:13])
• Jen: “Now SUVs and trucks dominate sales. ...It’s become a status symbol to have a big shiny new car and you’re embarrassed to have a small older sedan.” ([29:33])
• Keeping an older car is re-framed as a “frugal flex.” The hosts run a contest for whose car is the oldest.

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6. Mindful Frugality: Questions to Ask Before You Buy ([36:40]–[39:36])

• Habitual spending has been shaped by decades of marketing and societal shifts. The “good old days” were also a product of prior economic trends.
• Ask:
  • How long will this last, and am I okay with that?
  • What is the annual cost, and will I use it enough?
  • What do I lose by making this choice?
• Jill: “These aren’t negative things necessarily, they’re just reality. And we do have to think through them.” ([39:36])

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Jen: “When did we sit down as a society and talk about where to tip and how much to tip?” ([12:37])
• Jill: “For some of us, it is a flex to be out here with our 15 to 20-year-old vehicle that is just still going.” ([30:04])
• Jen: “Let us not drive down the street, look at the old banged-up car next to us and think...that person is like not doing well in life and I’m doing better...That is a fallacy. ...There is wisdom there.” ([33:45])
• Jill: “All the good old days had bad old days there too. And right now we’re sitting in some bad old days. But in 20 years there are definitely going to be some things right now that we will consider good.” ([36:49])

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Listener Segment and Lightning Round

"Bill of the Week" ([40:21]–[43:41])

• Listener shares a frugal Disney hack: Attending a work conference in Orlando covered all Disney expenses (over $5,000), paid via work and donations.
• Jen adds a tip: Use Costco to save on Disneyland tickets (California, with Park Hopper + Express Pass).

Lightning Round: What Do You Love Now That Didn’t Exist in 2006? ([46:39]–[50:08])

• Heartfelt answers (children, the podcast, marriages, better phone cameras).
• A touch of fun: learning Cava’s been around since ‘06!
• Jen: “Another thing that didn't exist in 2006 that exists now is our book.” ([49:57])

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Major Timestamps

• [01:52] – Reminiscing about 2006 vs. today
• [03:56] – Streaming service comparisons
• [09:44] – Restaurant prices, tipping, and “skinflation”
• [14:42] – Mortgages and home affordability then vs. now
• [25:15] – Cars: costs, options, and planned obsolescence
• [36:40] – Frugality mindset and intentional spending
• [40:21] – Listener “Bill of the Week” (Disney on the cheap)
• [46:39] – Lightning Round: What do you love now that didn’t exist in 2006?

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Tone & Takeaways

• Conversational, humorous, and affirming—Jen and Jill both validate feelings of financial frustration but work to distinguish perception from fact.
• Recognize and accept the tradeoffs in today’s economy.
• Practical frugal wisdom: Mindful spending, rotating streaming services, resisting status-signaling with cars.
• It’s not just nostalgia; in categories like housing and dining, we’re paying much more for less, or at least for something different.

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Calls to Action

• Join the conversation: Comment on the episode with how old your car is for a chance to win a “frugal, not cheap” tote bag.
• Use intentionality tools: Check out their cost-per-use calculator and budgeting spreadsheet.
• Read and review their book: Buy What You Love Without Going Broke

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This episode provides both validation for today’s “squeezed” feeling and actionable ways to rethink your financial decisions in 2026 and beyond.

Transcript

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[Jen]

For your money in 2026 then verse now.

[Podcast Narrator]

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

[Jen]

Welcome Frugal Friends. I'm Jen.

[Jill]

I'm Jill.

[Jen]

And let me take you back to 2006. Ooh, Netflix still mailed DVDs, your iPod held all your music or if you couldn't afford an ipod, a mix CD made by a friend. Your MySpace top eight was perfected, every kitchen still had a landline and I was a senior in high school.

[Jill]

Honestly, in 2006, everything did just fit. Feel a little simpler. And Fast forward to 2026. It feels like we're paying a lot more for a lot less. And it's making me wonder, is that just nostalgia that's making me think back with like rose colored glasses or is it true? Is that what's really happening?

[Jen]

It just feels more complex. Like everything and everything you buy has become more complex. And it's not just going in to buy groceries, but you have to sign up for the service and then also get a subscription if you want to save money because you can't just like coupon anymore. Like everything just feels like you have to go through two to three Extra steps. And is it worth it? Like, are you getting more for the price difference?

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Jill]

And I don't want to be one of those, like, oh, the good old days type of person. Like, I really want to age well and embrace the current present reality. However, it is kind of hard when it's just like. But it really feels like my money went further just five years ago. And so we think it's worth it to look back just in the last 20 years. Like, what is true?

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Why.

[Jill]

Why do so many of us feel like things have quietly or maybe sometimes loudly shifted? And is it true? Like, what has shifted? So we're going to go through a couple of our main categories, starting first with streaming services.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

We all do it.

[Jill]

We all need to be entertained.

[Jen]

This has been. I wanted to start with streaming services because in 2006, what we know is streaming services, like, did not exist. Like, it was Netflix mailing DVDs.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

For, get this, $20 a month. I think we all complain so much now paying $20 a month for Netflix. But, like, 20 years ago, Netflix cost $20 a month and you had to pick, like, three DVDs. You had to wait in the mail. If you wanted a new one, you had to mail it back.

[Jill]

I remember doing red box. If you didn't want to wait, you could go to the nearest red box. And I am pretty sure you can fact check me. I'm pretty sure it was $3.17 to rent a movie. You had to go pick it up, bring it back home, and then take it back. And. And that was $3.17 just for one movie.

[Jen]

And now you will pay the same amount to stream a movie that you are not. Like, if you're not a subscriber of where it's streaming, you can, like, usually pay $3.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

To stream that movie. And you don't even have to go.

[Jill]

To the grocery store anywhere. Yeah.

[Jen]

So, like, some of these. So we're gonna be, like, hating on some things. Of course.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Jen]

But, like, I think it's important to realize that sometimes the change is for the better, too. That maybe you get something different, maybe you get something less, but maybe you get something more. I was really shocked to realize it wasn't really Netflix that did it first. It was Amazon. So Amazon unbox launched in 2006 as an early digital video store with a streaming extension. And it didn't have a big library. It was mostly paid downloads and limited streaming. But Netflix's, like, true streaming wasn't available until 2007 for most people. And it was still that DVD by mail.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Which we love to reminisce about.

[Jill]

And cable bills.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Right.

[Jill]

Like, streaming services kind of took over what used to be cable bills. But in the mid 2000s, they were.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Roughly 80 to $90 per month for.

[Jill]

The basic, maybe a somewh expanded package. Like, to me, that still does sound like a lot of money for cable. And that was 20 years ago money. And so, you know, now in 2026, people are rarely subscribing to just one service. Most of us have 3 to 4. So split the difference, like 3.4 streaming services, which is equating to about $48 per month. Now for those who are still on some version of a cable package, the basic version, about $122 a month. So that pricing hasn't shifted all that much. And yet now we do have the optionality of we can only. We have the option to only subscribe to one streaming service. We don't have to have three and a half services.

[Jen]

Yeah. This is one of the examples where I feel like things have gotten better. Like, we can complain. Like, yes, there was a heyday where you could pay $12 a month for a streaming service and get everything. But when we were 20 years ago paying like 80 bucks a month for cable, add on netflix potentially 100 bucks a month for entertainment at home. Now we're paying about $50 a month. So, like, in 20 years, our monthly entertainment and streaming has cut in half, but it's expanded so much, you never. You don't have to wait for your show to come on and then potentially have to record it to watch it later. It's typ all there. Binging is super easy, like, because everything is pretty much dropped at the same time. HBO is still doing its weekly drops, like we get at hbo. Do your thing.

[Jill]

Netflix does that with a couple of shows too.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

So some of it's going back. And you know what? It's probably good for us that we just need to wait.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Give it some time. Pretend like we're in the early 2000s.

[Jen]

Yeah. But like, I. I do think that the price for streaming services has. Has improved. But maybe the experience of what we remember, I think ultimately has improved because everything you have instant access for, whereas before you did not or is very, very limited. But now that since we hit that peak and we're like on the. It feels like we're on the decline. It can feel like it sucks a little bit. Because now instead of just like waiting for your show or waiting for your dvd, you're waiting for ads in your paid plan. You are waiting for one annual plan to finish before you can afford another. So it's just like maybe different kinds of waiting.

[Jill]

Yeah. Choose what type of waiting you want.

[Jen]

But I personally do Netflix and HBO right now. I did. Well, I have Paramount through Walmart Plus. That's not something like I pay for. It's just because I pay for Walmart Plus. And then I did have Peacock for the Olympics, but I did not renew that.

[Jill]

Nice.

[Jen]

So I don't have it right now, but I probably will get it again. I mean. Cause the Olympics, when this comes out, starting. We're in it.

[Jill]

Yeah. Yeah. I currently have Netflix and hbo, but again, sometimes I oscillate between just having one streaming service because we can only watch one thing at a time.

[Jen]

Yeah. Watch things that are not in the top 10. Like there's a lot of it.

[Jill]

Okay, the next one. Dinner at a restaurant.

[Jen]

I feel like we've been talking about this a lot lately.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

But we have to talk about the price difference.

[Jill]

That's part of it.

[Jen]

Eating at a restaurant. So.

[Jill]

Yeah, I mean, sit down. Meals used to be that you could get them for like 10 to $12 and that would be for like an entree.

[Jen]

Sit down.

[Jill]

Yeah, sit down. Entre. $10 to $12.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Now we're talking $18 to $25. That's even. That's like mid range. I feel like most of the time you're even creeping up on $30. This probably depends on where you're living. Right. Like if you're in a city or you're more of like a suburb or rural, that's going to probably affect the pricing. But we're literally talking double here.

[Jen]

Yeah. It's insane. And these numbers come from the USDA and you. If you haven't watched our last episode about money traps, you have to watch it just for the video. It's near the front of the episode. The. The burger joint, gastropub, like video. It's let us know in the comments if you saw that and if you've been to that gastro. It's. I feel like we've all been there. But you're getting same like basic foods, burgers, pizzas. Like nothing revolutionary. It is double the price because they're using fancy words.

[Jill]

Because they're giving you mayo and calling it aioli and they put some sriracha.

[Jen]

In the ketchup and now it's spicy and it costs you a dollar. No, I hate it here. Another really thing that has changed Drastically in the last 20 years is tipping. Whereas in 2006 tipping, you knew where to expect tipping. Like you were not going to get surprised by somebody asking for a tip where it normally is not expected.

[Jill]

This is such a side tangent, but do you know what we pay for QuickBooks for our business? And there is a tipping option when I get an invoice from QuickBooks. I mean, because we also have like an accountant assigned to it.

[Jen]

I don't know, but we haven't talked to him in like four years.

[Jill]

When I pay the invoice for QuickBooks subscription, I can tip 5, 10, 15% or other.

[Jen]

I hate it.

[Jill]

I don't. Of course I don't. I am not tipping on my QuickBooks subscription. Let it be known. Come at me otherwise. But like, we're in two very different worlds.

[Jen]

We, the stingy sisters. Okay, come at us.

[Jill]

I will tip at a restaurant 100%. Like, I'm a tip where you're supposed to tip. But that's just the two wows.

[Jen]

Where to tip or how much to tip. Because the tip thing is like, oh, tip 30%. I'm like, when did we talk about this? When did we sit down as a society and talk about where to tip and how much to tip? Because it used to be, oh, gosh, I am this. I hate that just come out of my mouth. It used to be I could sit down at a restaurant, knew I had to tip the server 20%.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

But now I don't know. And I haven't even seen the server because I ordered everything off of a screen myself. But I am a horrible person if I don't tip. Jesus. But we did talk in our laptop everywhere how servers. It gives the elute because of this. It gives the illusion of less service. But the servers are worked just as hard, if not harder, because now they have larger sections. And so it sucks. Only it sucks for employees, as everything typically does.

[Jill]

It's not just with pricing and tipping, it's also with quality. Yes, we are still on restaurants. Portions used to feel very generous. I mean, granted, I was probably a smaller person back then in high school in 2006, but being able to make at least two meals out of one meal was pretty common.

[Jen]

Four girls could walk into a restaurant and all share one plate in high school. It's what we could do.

[Jill]

Now, granted, maybe those larger portion sizes had something to do with the obesity in America. We're not talking about that. We're just talking about generous portions. And I liked it.

[Jen]

But. Okay, here's the thing. The portions have decreased, but the quality has decreased, too. So while portions are smaller, calories same, if not more.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

So we think, oh, it's a move towards health. Like, healthier portions, fewer calories, no lesser quality ingredients with the same caloric structure, but calories in, like, worse place.

[Jill]

Like, more out of balance places, which is skinflation. When we are skimping on quality while still charging the same amount or increasing pricing. We did a whole episode on this. You're going to want to catch that. We talked about it, at least in our 2026 money traps everyone's falling for. So if you're curious about that concept. All right, moving on to another really hot button topic. Mortgage mortgages.

[Jen]

Okay.

[Jill]

You knew we were going to cover it.

[Jen]

So now we're going into our top three. We just covered restaurants and our other two top three expenses are housing and transportation. And we're going to start off strong with housing, specifically mortgages, because we know a lot of people watching our podcast are interested in buying house or owning a house and wondering why more people aren't owning houses. But if you're a renter, Jill recently sold her house and went back to renting. So you're not alone.

[Jill]

Yeah, I think it's a great life.

[Jen]

I own two houses, and Jill left housing, and so I'm a free bird. I want. I'd love to be a free bird.

[Jill]

That's.

[Jen]

But I trap myself in places.

[Jill]

You money trap. You money trap yourself.

[Jen]

I trap myself in places. And that should have been my money trap that we talked about at the end of the episode.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

So let's just.

[Jill]

Anyways, pricing of mortgages.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Right.

[Jill]

In 2006, the annual median existing home price was about $222,000. Oh, man, let that sink in. Could you imagine being able to buy a home for that amount? Oh, my gosh. Now, today, 2026, the median existing home price is $405,000, which is a 55% increase.

[Jen]

And that's just the median. Some places have increased more like that. A higher percentage.

[Jill]

Yeah. Some of you are thinking, oh, wouldn't it be nice if I could find a house? $400,000. Yeah, that'd be great.

[Jen]

Like in St. Pete, we bought our house in 2017 for 185,000.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Today it is worth 405,000. So St. Pete used to be a way more affordable city to live in and is now kind of like on par.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

With the median.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Which sucks for people born and raised here, but. I know, I know. Okay, so let's Take a look at interest because this is where things really get crazy and this is where the affordability really like sinks in when you combine the interest with the price. So interest rates in 2006, mid 6%, mid sixes and today as of January 15, 6.06. Okay, so not a difference. Like I know people.

[Jill]

Yes, but here we are.

[Jen]

I know people are still scared of these interest rates because they remember 2020, 2021, these 3% interest rates. But 6 is quite average. So it shouldn't be a reason to not buy a house if you can afford it. The problem is affordability, because in 2006, when you put 10% down, your loan would be just under 200,000, which would result in a payment in interest or like a principal and interest payment of just over 1,200. In 2026, same scenario, you're putting 10% down, your loan is now 364,000 and your principal and interest payment is 2,200. So $1,000 more per month for a median home. And you still have to add on taxes and insurance and PMI if you're only putting 10% down. So like you will be paying over 2,200 easily for that. And so even with similar rates, it's that thousand dollars a month that really hurts people because the loan amount is so much bigger.

[Jill]

And it's not even just that inventory availability of housing has been difficult for many in 2020. In 2006, you had a lot of homes to choose from. There was about six months supply of homes to be able to shop around for. As of December 2025, that was closer to three and a half months worth of supply. So that's another barrier I think for a lot of people is just not being able to find the home that they're looking for, even if they can afford it. So multiple barriers.

[Jen]

Yeah. And people in 2006 didn't know it was coming for them in 2008. It's crazy that we like have almost 20 years of perspective since the housing crisis. So like people could get these financial information. Financial education was a lot harder to come by in 2006. You really had to rely on a money guy to tell you what to do or word of mouth. You didn't know who to trust. You didn't really have the availability as of certified financial planners who had a fiduciary responsibility to you. Most of the people giving financial advice were trying to sell you something that is maybe a mortgage. And so you had a lot of people walking into mortgages that were too big. And so it was a really reasonable time to buy a house. But we did not have the education information available today, whereas today is a lot harder to get one. But we're going in with a lot more availability of education and consumer protection laws that were enacted after the housing crisis. We love a consumer protection law. So we, it made it a lot harder to get a mortgage because there's more things that you have to like submit. And so the rules change and it made mortgages harder to get but ultimately safer, more protected. You're not going. It's very unlikely that you will get into a mortgage that you will not be able to pay for. Which is why they're talking about a 50 year mortgage. Right. Like that's why we have stuff like that. And it is, it is a give and take. Right. Like we, I, I think we also didn't know what was coming for us in 2020, 2021 when you had hedge funds get into single family home investing and in some areas buy up to 25% of single family homes in neighborhoods that are typically first time homebuyer neighborhoods. So you've got some really bad things. And hopefully there will be consumer protection enacted against these head starts.

[Jill]

There are rumblings of that.

[Jen]

Right. But we're not there yet. And so it just seems like a way more dire situation for housing. We get it.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And it, and it sucks. And hopefully we always see after something big and bad, we usually will see consumer protection laws come up that, that will prevent that from happening again. So we'll see.

[Jill]

We don't have like much hopeful to offer on this one other than to say you're not crazy. Right. Affirm that this is happening. This, this particular category has its more cons than pros than it did.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Maybe 20 years ago.

[Jen]

If somebody's coming up to you being like, I don't know why you just don't buy a house like yada yada. You can just explain that or show this little clip and it really can explain why we just don't have like wages have stagnated and we don't have an extra thousand dollars a month for this.

[Jill]

It's just inflated at an insane rate.

[Jen]

Yeah.

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[Jill]

Okay, the next category. Cars.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Transportation.

[Jill]

This is another massive area of spending annually for each one of us. And let's see how does it shake out pricing wise? In 2006amedian four door sedan cost about 15 to $18,000 which was affordable on a mid range budget compared to today. So in 2026 the average price of that sediment same type of car has jumped to over 22,000 to 30,000 and the average new cost being $50,000 for a new car. So we're talking about a 45% increase.

[Jen]

Yeah, I Use the Toyota Corolla as.

[Jill]

A, that's a great one to use.

[Jen]

Median four door sedan.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Uh huh. Yeah.

[Jill]

So for comparison, general US inflation for the same period was approximately 59.25%.

[Jen]

So it feels like when we see, especially when we did our car episode like where prices for car loans are insane, people paying $702,000 per month for their car payment and then people going like, well if you didn't buy such an expensive car then you could buy a house.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Fair.

[Jen]

But cars didn't increase at a faster rate than, than U.S. inflation. Right. So they've been kind of on par. The problem is here's where, here's where we get into it is reliability and choice. And I, I want to jump to choice because I just like feel so passionate about this. In 2006 you could walk into a showroom and you had a lot of options available to you that were very basic. Like you could get a hatchback, you could get a small sedan, you could get, you could find something basic in addition to your luxury models or these basics just had different like levels. And by the mid-2020s those cheap options have mostly been discontinued. They're not around anymore. They're in favor of, you've got like, they stop making these like cheaper affordable models and started focusing on like electric vehicles to compete with like the Tesla and the Rivian and stuff. So you've got more of that stuff. So your choice options for affordable cars are gone. And so that's why when people are like just pay cash for a car, like you can't because those cars that you could pay cash for at a reasonable rate, they're gone, they don't exist anymore. Where in 2020 you can find them new and used now it's hard to find them used.

[Jill]

And it used to be that you could do private sale with vehicles, but Covid really intersected that one. I don't totally know what exactly happened, but the used car private sale market was just about the same pricing as going and getting a certified pre owned car from a dealers. And at that point it's worth doing the dealership route because a lot of times it will come with a dealer warranty on that vehicle. And so going private sale has become relative. People are still doing it. I'm not saying it doesn't exist but like not necessarily a great option anymore given the fact that we don't totally. There's no warranties backing these vehicles. You have to look and they're just as expensive.

[Jen]

You have to really look for a While, and get lucky on like Marketplace.

[Jill]

You have to really get lucky.

[Jen]

Yeah, that's. And that sucks because he used to just be able to go to Craigslist and you could find something. You didn't have to get lucky, you just had to like pick which one. And like now SUVs and trucks dominate sales. That's what everybody seems to want. And so that's what all the brands are making is bigger SUVs, more SUVs, bigger trucks, more trucks. That's what the consumers say they want.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And I think some of it has to do with social media. I don't think all of it because I think cars, you can see a lot of cars without being on social media.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

But I, I do just like it's become a status symbol to have a big shiny new car and you're embarrassed to have a small older sedan. And the car companies know that and that's why they're making bigger, more expensive cars and they stopped making smaller, simple cars.

[Jill]

You know what, for some of us it is a flex to be out here with our 15 to 20 year old vehicle that is just still going.

[Jen]

I love it.

[Jill]

And that's the thing too that I think people are starting to become jealous of is that reliability factor. We did an episode, this was months ago at this point point with Hayden about purchasing vehicles. And you know, he lives in that world and has described the decrease of quality in these newer vehicles. That there is planned obsolescence happening that is going to force us to need to be buying a new car every four years. My friends. Our vehicles should be lasting us 14 years. That is, that is how long we should be having vehicles. Now. It's not your fault if your vehicle is just like breaking down because it wasn't made well. But that's one of the reasons that our play now is whatever car you're in, take good care of that puppy. Because 2006 cars did not have the same amount of tech built into them as these newer cars in the mid-2020s have. And there are so many more complaints about that tech. That tech breaking down, that tech needing updates and who knows what that's going to, how that's going to impact, you know, what we're able to do in our vehicles if they are constantly able to give us like a software update. I don't even want to think about it. No, keep your car, change the oil, rotate the tires, do the things on a regular basis. Because she's your beauty.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Take good care of her.

[Jen]

It was crazy to me in that episode, hearing that cars like in 2007, 2006, they had components that were made of metal and then the new cars in 2025 were making the same components with plastic and knowing that they used to make cars that would last 14, 15 years. But consumers, we have been conditioned, and I'm not going to say that it's all our, all our fault, but we have been conditioned to want what we want and get it when we want it. And so we want a new car every four years. So then brands do not have the incentive to make a car that lasts for 14 years because they, it's better for them if we buy cars every four years. And so they make a car that will last eight years and they will sell the new car and they'll resell it once and then it'll be done and we'll just have a shorter cycle on each car and that's better for the car manufacturer, worse for us. And there's a part of us that's doing it to ourselves and them that's doing. It's like we are both at fault. And I think if we would just keep our cars longer. Let us know in the comment section, how long have you had how old your car? Let's find a winner. And in 30 days I'm gonna right off the cuff. So this comes out on the 13th of February. Oh wow, she's committing the 13th of March. Whoever has had their car for the longest and can provide a picture. I don't know if you can provide pictures in comments. I don't think you can, but maybe we'll just have to like, I don't know, I'll send a tote bag. Our frugal, not cheap tote bag that.

[Jill]

You can put in that vehicle.

[Jen]

You'll have to send me, you'll have to email me a picture if you get picked to win, to prove to.

[Jill]

Me we can put it in our story on Instagram.

[Jen]

Yeah, put in our story on Instagram. We won't put your license plate, but let us know in the comment and we'll send a tote bag to whoever has had their car the longest because let's honor and celebrate. Let us not drive down the street, look at the old banged up car next to us and think they're a millionaire and think that person is like not doing well in life and I'm doing better in life because I have a newer, shinier, bigger car. That is a fallacy. We need to stop that line of thinking and we need to look at people with older, smaller cars and be like good for them. They're doing better car wise than I am. You know, like regardless of what life looks like for them, car wise, like there is wisdom there. Or even better, I look at people on e bikes and be like they're crushing it. They're e biking to work and I'm here in this gas guzzling minivan, full stop.

[Jill]

Yeah, I mean there is something to consider as far as where you live. Accessibility, walkability, bikeability to be made. I know that that's a little bit more of a drastic step than just like keeping your car or making the best, wisest car purchasing decision. But that is on the table for us. For example, Eric and I only have one vehicle. Granted we both work remotely, we don't have kids, so that option is more readily accessible for us. But if that's you too, I mean we can think outside the box and what our choices are from there. You know, we, we do have public transportation accessible to us. That has been something that, you know, we've done in the last year. We've got then little scooters that we can like meet around and that's fun. So yeah, there are other things that we can choose rather than just forking over tens of thousands of dollars every four years. Yeah, we don't have to do it. We can opt out.

[Jen]

We have decided to only do one car loan at a time. So we have two cars, but one is paid off and one has a car loan and we can't replace the paid off car until the car with the loan is fully paid off. So that's kind of like our, we won't have two car payments at a time for sure.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Oh yeah. The, the deal has quietly changed. It's been like you could go across decades and I mean all the way back to like the 20s and 30s and 40s when I was, when, when we were talking about Edward Bernays and that guy Elmo, you know their prop propaganda and planned obsolescence like created in, in the 20s and 30s. Like there are things leading up to how we got here.

[Jill]

Right.

[Jen]

There are things that have led up to how we got to 2006 which led us to 2008.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Right.

[Jen]

So like we can't sit here and look back on the quote unquote, good old days.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Because all the good old days had bad old days there too. And right now we're sitting in some bad old days. But in 20 years there are definitely going to be some things right now that we will consider good. And it's just a matter of, of really being intentional with your purchases today and trying to shed some of the normalized ways of thinking that have become like, common and normalized because of the run up since the 20s and 30s of propaganda and planned obsolescence. So asking yourself questions when you spend money, like, how long will this last and am I okay with that? It doesn't have to, you know, like, just because my car won't last 20 years, like, it's not enough to just be mad and then waste $50,000 on a car. It's like, okay, I know this car will only last eight to 10 years. You know, like, what can I buy that I can be okay with the reality?

[Jill]

Yeah. Doing the math, what is the annual cost of this? If I plan to own it for seven years, am I okay with that?

[Jen]

Right. How often will I use, will I get the use out of it that it's warranted?

[Jill]

Which we actually have a cost per use calculator within our budgeting spreadsheet. We'll link to that in the show notes as well. And it will help us to know if this costs this amount of money. Let's say a piece of clothing, and I think I'll wear it, you know, this amount of times. What's that cost per use and is that worth it? Sometimes changing around the math, the way that we take in numbers, can help us to make an informed decision. Like, if I'm only actually going to probably wear this dress two times, is it worth $50 per wear? Nope, nope.

[Jen]

That's where it gets us. Right. You either have the dress that's $50 per wear or like a dollar per wear, like there's nothing in between.

[Jill]

Yeah. And that doesn't mean you can't buy a hundred dollar dress. It just means buy one that's going to be a little bit more versatile.

[Jen]

Exactly. It can change how you purchase, not that you don't purchase at all. So. Yeah. And then how much friction does it remove? For how long? What do I lose by choosing this option? Because there's always a trade off. Right. We always lose something when you spend your money in one place, you can't spend it in another. And so like just thinking through these things, these aren't negative things necessarily, they're just reality. And, and we do have to think through them.

[Jill]

It'll really help us to interrupt our impulse spending if we can remind ourselves to be asking these questions, even write them down. Keep them in your purse, post them up on your dashboard, keep it on your computer, wherever, like are when you're spending the most money. These are good questions to be asking yourself. Do you know what else is good to be just doing regularly?

[Jen]

Yeah. And you do, I believe, truly get what you pay for now and even back eight years ago when we started the show.

[Jill]

The Bill of the Week.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

That's right.

[Podcast Narrator]

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.

[Listener Sharing Bill of the Week]

Hi. I have a bill of the week related to your podcast today on how to save money at Disney. And my bill of the week is actually from April 2024. I belong to a professional organization for my area of work. They had a conference in Orlando of April 2024 and I was able to attend that conference. I was able to go early. I was able to spend one whole day in each Disney park, which was amazing. I've never been before and it was my first time going alone as adult and I got to do all the rides, all the things and I had a fabulous time. I also did not spend that much money on food in the park because it was just too hot. However, I had education funds through my job and I also had donations from some of my co workers who were incredibly generous. My total bill for the week for the conference for Disney, for the hotel was about little over $5,000 and I didn't have to pay any of it. I was told to submit all of my receipts and I was fully refunded. So that's my tip on how to do Disney on a budget. Thanks. Take care.

[Jen]

Oh, girl.

[Jill]

Wow. That is amazing. Who did she submit it to?

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Her work?

[Jen]

Yeah, because it was a work conference.

[Jill]

Yeah. They did not have to pay for four days Disney.

[Jen]

But that's amazing. All right, so I actually have another Disney tip now that I didn't have when we recorded that episode. Episode. I am going to Disneyland into in a week and a half.

[Jill]

So out in California.

[Jen]

Out in California. So I'm not a resident. Yeah, normally I would just do Florida resident discounts for Disney World, drive over there, bring my own food. But like I'm doing a half marathon and so going out there for just a couple days by myself, Costco. I got a two day park hopper with Express Pass from Costco saved me about like a couple hundred bucks.

[Jill]

Whoa.

[Jen]

And I was just gonna do basic, no Express Pass, one park a day. And I Think I ended up paying maybe like $50 extra for the whole shebang. So. So worth it.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

But Costco. If you're a member of Costco, check for their ticket.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

I've got a ticket.

[Jill]

I got a friend who's a member of Costco.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

That you want to reimburse.

[Jen]

Yeah. And I was like, so worried it would be sketchy and like, not work. But I've already attached it to my phone, made my reservations for the parks and I'm using points for the hotel, points for the flight. And I did have to pay for the race.

[Jill]

Yeah. But yeah.

[Jen]

Which they're not cheap, but worth it.

[Jill]

I love this. This is just celebratory. Well done on getting your solo vacation.

[Jen]

Way to go, ladies. Going to Disney by themselves as an adult. As an adult alone.

[Jill]

If you have a bill that you want to submit, if it has to do with getting reimbursed for a very fun travel experience or your name is Bill and you want to tell us literally anything about your life. Frugalfriendspodcast.com Bill, we can't wait to hear whatever you've got for us.

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The start of the year always has me thinking about our goals, especially maxing out our Roth IRAs, building savings and planning for the long term stuff. But goals are just wishes if you don't have the right systems to support them. That's why I use Monarch. It's the budgeting app I use to actually implement those plans, not just track what already happened.

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[Jill]

And now it's time for the lightning round.

[Jen]

All right, in honor of Valentine's Day tomorrow, what do you love now that did not exist in 2006? Ooh.

[Jill]

I like this question, but I don't. I've got a noodle on it.

[Jen]

I know.

[Jill]

Do you have an answer?

[Jen]

I want to give my cop out answer first.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Okay.

[Jen]

While we think of real answers.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Okay.

[Jen]

For me, it is my children.

[Jill]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jen]

They did not exist in 2006. Frugal friends did not exist in 2006.

[Jill]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I know. I was gonna say, like, my marriage didn't exist yet, but Eric did. He was alive and well.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Semi.

[Jill]

Well, he hadn't met me yet, so let's be real.

[Jen]

He wasn't that. Well, he wasn't the best he could be.

[Jill]

Nope. He hadn't peaked yet. It's so funny. I would always ask my parents, where was I before I was born? As a child, I could not wrap my mind around not.

[Jen]

Not existing, not being here.

[Jill]

Like, you just weren't here yet. It was a question that I literally asked them on the regular. I think I annoyed them. They probably eventually just, like, said an answer.

[Jen]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jill]

And I'm just like, I had to have been somewhere. Like, there's no way that, like, all of this just wasn't at all in the atmosphere somewhere.

[Jen]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jill]

Anyways, yeah. What else didn't exist, though?

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jen]

Okay. I had an answer, and it's Wouldn't you know, they started in 2006.

[Jill]

Okay, what is it?

[Jen]

Cava. The restaurant. The quick service restaurant with the Greek food. Yeah, I love that place.

[Jill]

That is so.

[Jen]

But it was here in 2006.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Wow.

[Jill]

You just didn't. You just didn't know about it.

[Jen]

I just didn't know. And that's. You know, we're gonna have to find more things.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Jill]

I don't know.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Maybe.

[Jill]

Maybe better cameras. Honestly, like, here's the thing. Eric and I got married, okay. Six years after we got married in 2012. So this is our bad. Cameras did exist, however, I guess not enough for us that we have zero photos of like our early dating life, our early marriage. It just. We didn't have smartphones yet. I think they existed. We just didn't have them.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

2007 was the first iPhone.

[Jill]

Was it really?

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Yeah. So we just didn't take pictures. Like, I get it that there's pros and cons of that. I'm not talking social media. I'm just talking the ability to. To kind of document. But not to an extreme. Like now we're trying to just like when we're out with friends, we snap one photo just to remember.

[Jen]

Oh, that's so sweet.

[Jill]

You know, like what? Otherwise my memory. This is its other problem. I just don't remember.

[Jen]

I'm bad. I'm bad at taking photos. And so I love that idea.

[Jill]

Well, thanks so much for being here. And another thing that didn't exist in 2006 that exists now is our book Buy what yout Love Without Going Broke. That many of you have read and.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Have left wonderful reviews for.

[Jill]

Like this one from Allison who said, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Five stars.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Jen and Jill, you are my wise.

[Jill]

And hilarious parasocial guardian angels in your podcast slash book helped me change my life.

[Jen]

Oh my gosh.

[Jill]

I started listening to Frugal friends podcast on January 1, 2025 while putting away Christmas decorations. Probably thinking I had overspent during the holidays and could use some frugality in my life. I had been in a never ending cycle of consumer debt for 17 years. I'm not sure what changed in my.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Brain by listening to your bills of.

[Jill]

The week and lightning rounds. But I decided I couldn't keep saying one day any longer. So I did the math, and I hate the math to see that I had 41 weeks until my balance transfer deal expired. I began simply by following a schedule to pay off debt every week. I couldn't believe it was working and how excited exciting it was to see the debt total dwindle buying the charming how how to buy what you buy buy what you love without going broke book book has given you to we're helping was a given was a given as you two I can read.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Oh my gosh.

[Jill]

Helping me during my debt free helping.

[Jen]

Helping my debt free dream come true.

[Jill]

I paid off $14,000 of debt in 441 weeks. Can't make it through this.

[Jen]

As of October 7, 2025, I am debt free. But most importantly, I'll never ever be in debt again because I've learned to budget pause before buying and realize how feelings of insecurity affected my spending. Thank you for being the teachers who appeared when this student was ready.

[Jill]

Wow. Who thinks we're finished.

[Jen]

We did it together.

[Jill]

We did it just like the book. We did it together. So where I lack Jen stepped in and if you want to see that real time get the book buywhatyoulovebook.com and.

[Jen]

Thank you so much. If you read the book. We would love to read your review on the show, but you got to leave it. We pull them from Amazon. So go over there, leave a review comment on this video with how old your car is and if you want that tote bag and what you love today that wasn't here in 2006. Yeah, yeah.

[Jill]

Oh, beautiful.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

See you next time.

Bye.

[Jen]

Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni.

[Jill]

Reading.

[Jen]

You had it. You were just getting in your feels. You got new feels.

[Jill]

I know. I was. I was too much in my head about what a great review it was.

[Jen]

I. I will be honest. The last review we read, episode 588. I read it while I was doing the outline. I read it before.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

We just read it today.

[Jen]

Yeah. And I started crying. To be part of somebody's journey and even with Allison, to be part of somebody's journey in literally changing the trajectory of their life in a way that is so meaningful. Because everything we do is for the stuff that isn't monetary. We do money well so that we can live a fuller life without worrying about money. And to be part of somebody realizing that feels even more gratifying than helping somebody win with money.

[Jill]

No kidding. Yeah. I often forget that this is some of the impact that's happening. I love just hanging out with you and talking about the things that light us up. But then it is really helping people. And when we read reviews and messages and comments like that, man, it really. It really can get me.

[Jen]

Yeah, it is a bummer that we can't see all 15,000 plus of you that are listening to each episode, because then you can miss that. There are that many.

[Jill]

I would feel overwhelmed, though. Like, if we were actually in a stadium and we saw how many people were listening to an episode, that would. I think it'd be a different vibe.

[Jen]

I think maybe we would speak differently. It's probably safer that we can't see the thousands of people. Cause then we just feel like we're talking, talking to this OSMO camera and nobody's on the other side. So.

[Jill]

It is a cute camera, though.

[Jen]

A little Aussie. All right, before he dies, let's turn him off.

[Jill]

Let's go eat lunch.