Your 2026 Money Problems, Solved: A Full Q&A Episode

Summary

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Frugal Friends Podcast

Episode: Your 2026 Money Problems, Solved: A Full Q&A Episode

Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
Date: March 24, 2026
Episode Milestone: 600th Episode

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Episode Overview

To mark their 600th episode, Jen and Jill host a special listener Q&A, tackling nuanced, real-life financial questions submitted via their “Mega Survey.” With humor, honesty, and practical frugal strategies, they focus on approaching money management with intention, simplicity, and values. The episode offers useful guidance on spending aligned with values, budgeting for families, prepping for kids’ futures, and more. As always, they lean into authenticity—elevating both the joy and complexities of long-term friendship and collaboration.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Values-Based Spending—When You Value Too Much

(03:32–11:47)
Listener Question (Stacy): How do you stop consuming things, specifically organizational tools, when they really do align with your values?

• Jen:

  • Values-based spending doesn’t mean buying everything you value:

    “What we value and how we consume in alignment with our values has to align maybe first and foremost with our income only.” (04:34)

  • Clarify the difference between valuing an item and chasing a feeling or identity.
  • The real value is the outcome (a tidy, organized home), not the objects.
  • Amazon will always tempt you; you need intentional limits.
  • Practical Tip: “Don’t buy anything yet...wait 30 days and live in it...make a list of things [you’d] like to have...Just stop consuming now and live for a month and see how you’re doing with what you have.” (10:00)

• Jill:

  • Become aware of “enough”; after a big organizing overhaul, shift from acquisition to maintenance.
  • Explore non-consuming ways to meet your needs (e.g., borrow containers via Buy Nothing groups, share your organizing journey online, or help others instead).

Notable Quotes:

• Jen: “You will never find enough on Amazon. You need to get off of Amazon to find your enough.” (10:40)
• Jill: “Being a visual organizer or wanting a clean, tidy space is not equivalent to needing aesthetic containers.” (08:09)

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2. Hobbies & Working Friendship

(11:47–14:39)
Listener Question (Jesse): Do you guys play video games or have hobbies together?

• Jill:

  • Their friendship-turned-business means shared hobbies are rare now, though they enjoy sampling local happy hours.
  • “This was our hobby. Hanging out with you, doing the podcast was our hobby.” (12:55)

• Jen:

  • Outside the podcast: documentaries, YouTube, studying for CFP, running (when not injured).
  • Jill enjoys experimenting with cooking and sourdough.

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3. Saving for Kids’ Futures Beyond College

(14:40–20:17)
Listener Question (Amy): How to save for children’s futures, fearing college-specific accounts like 529s may limit their options.

• Jen:

  • 529 plans have expanded: after 15 years, up to $35,000 can be rolled into a Roth IRA for the beneficiary (as of 2024) (15:06).
  • 529s are now more versatile: can be used for college, trade school, apprenticeships, and some K–12 expenses.
  • Using Utah’s 529 plan via Backer for its flexibility and gifting features.

• Jill:

  • Only major limitation for 529s/Roth IRAs is covering wedding costs.
  • Rolling money into a Roth IRA can allow for tax-free first-time home purchase withdrawals.

Notable Quotes:

• Jen: “You need to have earned income to open a Roth IRA...But yeah, there’s a lot of options.” (19:18)
• Jen: “That’s $641,000 that they’re going to have tax free at retirement.” (19:52)

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4. Simplifying Budget Categories—Balancing Detail and Sanity

(20:17–27:45)
Questions from Michelle and Jennifer: How to budget food vs. household goods? How to make budgeting less tedious?

• Jen:

  • Your budget does not have to be nitpicky detailed; tracking every penny is for forensic accountants.
  • Simplicity helps sustainability. “I no longer love the idea of a zero-based budget.” (22:07)
  • Use wider categories; keep some “buffer” or “bench players” for unexpected expenses.

• Jill:

  • Middle pathway: Separate items as you scan/manage receipts, but don’t obsess unless you enjoy the granularity.
  • If splitting categories doesn’t change spending behavior, skip it.

Practical Habit:

• Instead of obsessively tracking categories, do a “90-day transaction inventory” a few times a year to detect spending leaks.

Notable Quotes:

• Jen: “You don’t have to give every single dollar a job in such great detail that you almost feel obligated to spend that money.” (22:18)
• Jill: “A budget isn’t supposed to be like an entire archive of every single action...but rather a decision making tool.” (24:44)

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5. Friendship, Business, & Disagreements

(27:45–36:46)
Listener Question (Christy): Do you ever argue or disagree about episode content?

• Jill:
  • It’s a frequent question for female hosts—perhaps less so for men.
• Jen:
  • Differences of opinion are normal and healthy, born of unique life experiences and perspectives—not real conflict.
  • Their secret: Directness, honesty, high integrity, and refusing to let resentments simmer.
  • Content ideas: Mostly Jen’s realm; Jill has pitched in a handful, with one notable denial—“cycle-syncing with budgeting.”
  • The “Bill of the Week” segment was a collaborative or perhaps Eric-inspired idea.

Notable Quotes:

• Jill: “We are both straightforward people. We will both say what we want to say, but with tact, and also hear the other person and bend. So it never does come to a boiling point.” (29:51)
• Jen: “You have to intentionally turn [the leaf] over every day.” (43:58, metaphor for persistence)

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6. The "Bill of the Week" Segment

(36:46–41:10)

• Caller Jeremy shares a moving story of a $2,800 medical bill being mysteriously paid in full, expressing gratitude for the podcast’s practical advice on medical billing.
• Hosts are visibly moved, reflecting on the real impact their work has had on listeners’ lives.

Notable Quotes:

• Jeremy (Caller): “The hospital wrote us a letter and said that it had been paid for. ... Blessings, blessings.”
• Jen: “This is the most impactful part of doing this.” (38:53)

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7. Lightning Round – Long-Term Motivation & Financial Progress

(41:11–45:15)
Listener Question (Ann): What’s one habit or mindset shift for sticking with financial goals over the long term?

• Jill:

  • Automation is crucial; “automation doesn’t require motivation.”
  • Directly linking pay to investments keeps goals on track without conscious effort.

• Jen:

  • Progress is not all or nothing; “The journey toward goal achievement is not all or nothing. ... Taking two steps forward and one step back is still progress.” (43:58)
  • Build the habit of making the next right decision, even in imperfect circumstances.

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8. Reflections on 8 Years and 600 Episodes

(49:16–53:25)

• Personal Moments:
  • Reminiscing about eight years—starting before Jen had kids, through life changes and multiple moves.
• Pride Points:
  • Integrity and boundaries maintained despite “sell out” opportunities.
  • Authenticity, mutual trust, and relationship longevity.
  • Publishing a book together.
• Community Appreciation:
  • Deep gratitude for their listeners who have stuck with them or are new to the Frugal Friends circle.

Notable Quotes:

• Jen: “We go so much further together than we do apart in general. That’s just a life lesson.” (47:16)
• Jill: “The more that I know you, the more that we work together, the more I enjoy you and see all the good qualities about you.” (51:47)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| MM:SS | Topic | |----------------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 03:32–11:47 | Values-based spending & finding “enough” | | 11:47–14:39 | Hobbies, friendship, and non-work activities | | 14:40–20:17 | Saving for children’s future: 529s and Roth IRAs | | 20:17–27:45 | Budgeting: Food vs. household goods & making habits | | 27:45–36:46 | Friendship: Disagreements & the creative process | | 36:46–41:10 | Bill of the Week: Listener success story | | 41:11–45:15 | Lightning Round: Motivation & habits | | 49:16–53:25 | Reflecting on 8 years & maintaining integrity |

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Memorable Quotes

• Jen: “You will never find enough on Amazon. You need to get off of Amazon to find your enough.” (10:40)
• Jill: “Being a visual organizer ... is not equivalent to needing aesthetic containers.” (08:09)
• Jeremy (Listener): “We got a letter from the hospital saying that our bill was paid in full. ... Blessings, Blessings.” (37:06)
• Jen: “The journey toward goal achievement is not all or nothing. ...Taking two steps forward and one step back is still progress.” (43:58)
• Jill: “Automation doesn’t require motivation. It requires a one-time decision.” (42:06)
• Jen: “We go so much further together than we do apart in general. ...That’s just a life lesson.” (47:16)
• Jill: “The more I know you, the more that we work together, the more I enjoy you... That feels like such an accomplishment.” (51:47)

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Summary Takeaways

• Find YOUR “enough”—stop letting purchases define your identity or sense of belonging.
• Budgets = Tools, not Shackles—Broader categories and regular review work better for most than forensic tracking.
• Long-Term Success—Automate good money moves, and remember, progress is built on consistency, not perfection.
• Authenticity & Friendship Matter—Honest communication, boundaries, and shared values keep both money journeys and businesses healthy.

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Closing Note:
Eight years in, Jen and Jill credit their personal growth, podcast longevity, and impact on listeners to authenticity, resilience, and always striving for everyday progress over perfection.

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Transcript

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[Jen]

Your 2026 money problem solved. A full Q and A Episode.

[Podcast Intro Announcer]

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. I'm Jill and this is our 600th episode. If you've been with us for a while, I used to say the number of the episode before each episode and then it just got to be too high for me. It's too many episodes, too many numbers. Too many numbers. So I haven't been doing that. But if you've been counting along, this is our 600 episode. So we always like to do something special for our milestones which, you know, 400, 500, 600. And we also have our anniversary episode which is mid to late April and I can never remember when in April it is. I just know it's like mid to late. So this is one of those milestone episodes and we are going to read some of the questions that you sent us in the Frugal Friends Mega Survey earlier this year and we're very excited.

[Jill]

Yeah, this means we've been doing this for eight years now and if you have been with us for those full eight years, we 100% want to hear from you. Drop it in the comments on YouTube. Also subscribe because listen, if you've been around for that long, you really should be a subscriber.

[Jen]

We'll continue the episode in the comments. So if you have a question question that you asked that wasn't unanswered in this episode, leave it in the comments for us. And yes, the meal prepping episode is coming. It was the most requested thing in the entire survey. So yes, I am planning to record myself meal prepping and I'm just kind of like psyching myself up for it because I don't like recording my life and doing normal things. And so I just have to like do it. Just press record.

[Jill]

Which is funny cause we do this all the time. But I get it.

[Jen]

It's different. It is different. It is different.

[Jill]

It feels vulnerable. All right, let's get to it. Stacy says. Here's Stacy's question. How do you stop consuming things that don't align with your values that do align? Oh, sorry.

[Jen]

That's the question.

[Jill]

Okay, sorry. That's a big piece of this question. How do you stop consuming things that do align with your values? Cass from Clutterbug completely fixed my house. So we interviewed Cass a long time ago. She's huge on YouTube.

[Jen]

Shout out Cass. She's fantastic.

[Jill]

She's great at simplifying, decluttering, organizing. Awesome resource there. Back to the question. Determining I'm a visual organizer has been a game changer for my house. Unfortunately not for my bank account. Amazon brings me things several times a week.

[Jen]

But seriously, Amazon brings me things, right?

[Jill]

I'm not ordering.

[Jen]

They just bring em, you know, here now.

[Jill]

But seriously, it's stuff that's transforming my life and being able to put things away post decluttering.

[Jen]

Okay, I love this one because it's not how do I stop impulse spending? How do I stop mindlessly spending? It is how do I stop spending on things that I know I value, that I know that I intentionally want. Because there is a line and we say this all the time. Values based spending doesn't mean we are spending money a on only things we value. Of course we're going to have to also spend on things that we don't value or value less. But it also doesn't mean we're buying everything we value because we also have an income limit like what we value and how we consume in alignment with our values has to align maybe first and foremost with our income only.

[Jill]

Spending on our values isn't going to solve our spending problem because we can value a lot of things. But that's where this is a really important conversation to be having is also in frugality. We talk about finding our enough. And I think that that's a really big key in what you're identifying here, that you really value having a clean, organized space. I'm sure it help in other areas with decision fatigue and staying on course with some of your goals. And there can be really beautiful Things from decluttering and then organizing what is. But there can become a point where it's beyond what's actually enough for us. And maybe now we are chasing a dopamine hit or we're trying to keep up with whatever it is that we're seeing on social media and we've kind of lost the plot at that point. How many organizational containers do we actually need versus Am I just looking for something, some sort of fix, and this is my justification?

[Jen]

Yeah, I love that. Exactly. That Organizing products for you specifically. But we can look at this broader, you know, like, I really value, like, fitness stuff. Anything that makes it easier to be active because it's not like normally where I don't love the gym. So anything that makes it easier for me to get over that barrier. This could be anything that you decide you value, but specifically for you, Stacy, organizing products, these are tools. And the value is not in the organizing tool. It's not even in your identity as a visual organizer. It is in the face feeling that you get when you have a home that is organized in a way that works for you. And so that is what we're chasing. And it doesn't require you to buy products to achieve that goal. So always remember that what you value is not the product you value. The feeling that getting to that end result gives you is that organized, that visually organized home. Amazon will never stop showing you, and it will only get better at showing you what you want based on what you buy. The more you buy, the better it gets at showing you what you should want next. But these are tools, and you can get creative with the tools you use to get to the end result. You don't just need to buy things to get there. Yeah.

[Jill]

And being a visual organizer or wanting to have a clean, tidy space is not equivalent to needing aesthetic containers. I think that is an important piece to start to pull apart of. Are there ways for me to have a clean, tidy, decluttered, organized home without needing to buy more products? It's okay to buy some things that are going to be solutions for you, but most of us, even if we value it, aren't gonna need to be purchasing those things weekly, monthly, once we've done kind of a big overhaul of a declutter and a reorganization. It's really maintenance at that point. So for you, it might be worth identifying what other ways are there for me to get that dopamine hit. If I am just enjoying to organize things, is there another way for me to do that maybe in my own place? That isn't requiring me to purchase new things or can I offer this to other. Am I so obsessed with this that maybe it's a side hustle for me now?

[Jen]

Or not even a side hustle. It doesn't even have to make you money, but maybe it's just stuff you post about like on Instagram or TikTok or something. And so I would say for you, and if you're listening to this and you're kind of wondering the same thing, don't immediately go out and like, buy the things that Cass or anybody says, you know, you could buy. Cas would never say you need. You need to buy these things in order to achieve the result of visual organizer or ideal home for a visual organizer. She'll always give options. She'll never say you have to buy these options, though. So my thing would be do your decluttering, do your thing and don't buy anything yet. Wait 30 days and live in it. So then you can, throughout that month make a list of things. I would like to have this. Don't even look at the recommended lists. Just kind of look and be like, okay, as a visual organizer, I know this about myself now. I think I would like this and just live like that for a month. You've bought a lot of stuff already, so just stop consuming now and live for a month and see how you're doing with what you have. And if there's one or two things that's like, okay, I recognize a need for this, then you haven't reached your enough yet. You probably will, you know, can buy one or two more things to meet that enough and then be done. But you do have to define your enough and defining that you will not find that on Amazon. You will never find enough on Amazon. You need to get off of Amazon to find your enough and even get out of, like, social media, get out of Instagram, get out of all of that, find your enough, figure out what visual organizing means for you, and then go to Amazon or Instagram to find solutions for, you know, and buy nothing groups. Buy nothing groups, man, that is like, who doesn't have a container or two in their house that they would be willing to get rid of, right? And so if you go onto buy nothing group and be like, hey, I'm looking for this and this. Does anybody have one they're willing to part with? I think you're more likely to get that than the people I see on there being like, hey, I'm looking for like a PlayStation 4 or something, you know, stuff like that. So, yeah, try that before you go to Amazon.

[Jill]

Okay, next question from. Jesse says, do you guys play video games or work on hobbies together when you aren't working?

[Jen]

So do we do hobbies together?

[Jill]

Really? We hang out. Is that a hobby?

[Jen]

We have a cocktail together. That's probably our favorite hobby to do or activity to do is have a meal.

[Jill]

You know what we do love? Can it be a hobby, but collecting all of the happy hours in the area. Yeah, we know where the happy hours are.

[Jen]

You know more than I do.

[Jill]

The four to six, the three to seven, you name it, I can tell you where to go.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

And we hit them up not all the time, but once a month.

[Jen]

Honestly, not even then. I think we see each other so frequently in a professional setting that when we're outside of work, we try to hang out with other people besides each other, which is fine, but it's also a treat when we just get together and we don't work.

[Jill]

But it is funny because this was our hobby. Hanging out with you, doing the podcast was our hobby.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

We were friends first, became our business. So in some ways it does kind of feel like. Well, yeah, I podcast with Jen. That's our hobby we do together.

[Jen]

Right. When we're sitting together chatting, we're not, like, just working in silence like co workers talking to each other is our work.

[Jill]

Yeah. But outside of that, what would you say is a hobby of yours?

[Jen]

Watching crime documentaries, mostly cult documentaries and YouTube. And studying for the CFP exam.

[Jill]

Yeah, I kind of put that into the work category, but same. We are studying.

[Jen]

Yeah. And then the obvious one. Running. Yeah, running. I have Achilles tendonitis right now, so I'm not running. I'm trying to, like, rehab that and do some strength training, which to me is very boring. I'd rather be outside and pretending.

[Jill]

You're being chased.

[Jen]

Yeah. And I wish I was running.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

But, you know, you gotta take care of yourself.

[Jill]

I've tried to approach cooking as a hobby because I have to do it every day. Like, I might as well try and find ways to, like, trick my brain into, like, this is cool. This is something you want to do. So trying to find, like, new things to make or. I mean, I do do sourdough. And so recently I made sourdough crackers, sourdough chocolate chip cookies, sourdough bread. So those are kind of some fun things for me to do.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

And just feels cathartic, the working with my hands.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Okay, next question from Amy says, my husband and I are saving up some money for our girls for when they are out of high school. This could be for college, trade school, house, wedding, et cetera. We lived in Kentucky and had previously considered a 529, but we worried if it wasn't used for college specifically, it would get wasted. We do not want to limit or dictate our kids.

[Jen]

That is so smart. I love this. And so something that most people do not know. So if you've zoned out, come back to me just for this minute in 2024. 529 plans actually expanded their usability. So that's just less than two years ago. Now, after a 529 has been open for at least 15 years, the money in there can be rolled over into a Roth IRA for the beneficiary. So not for the owner, not for you, Amy, but for your daughters. And so there are some stipulations, like normal Roth IRA stipulations. So the money that's rolled over from the 529 to the Roth IRA is considered contribution for that year. Even if it's growth in the 529 and it's rolled into the Roth IRA, that money will still be considered contribution. And we know the important thing about Roth IRAs is that all contributions are withdrawable at any time for any reason with no penalty, which is fantastic. But so then you're limited to your contribution limits for each year, which right now is 7,000. And you can do that up to $35,000 per 529 per beneficiary. So you could save 5,000 in a 529 right now, let it grow for 18 years if they use it for college. And 529s are very versatile too. So it's college, trade school, apprentice programs, gosh, books, supplies, room, board. Even if you were doing private school, school like K through 12, they're very versatile. But even if you don't use them for that, then you can roll it into a Roth IRA. But the account, the 529 has to be open at least 15 years. So highly recommend opening one right now. If you're in a state like us that does not charge a state tax, then there's really no tax incentive of using Your own state's 529. So, like personally or our 529s for our boys are from the state of Utah. Shout out Utah. They have a really good 529 plan. We use backer frugalfriendspodcast.com backer it is a gifting platform, so people can gift. It has this nice page that people can gift money to our kids 529 and that's where our. It's through Utah. But we contribute through. We have people gift through backer and yeah, that's how we do it.

[Jill]

So it still might not be exactly what you want to choose as far as putting money aside for your kids. But just to recognize that it's not college or bust with it. The only thing that it wouldn't be able to solve for in your questions you mentioned college, trade school, house, wedding, etc. Is wedding. You would not be able to pull money out of a 529 or a Roth IRA without penalty for a wedding. However, if you had money in a 529, eventually you rolled it over to a Roth IRA. You can pull out or the beneficiary can pull out up to $10,000 for a first time home purchase. It's not a ton, it's not nothing. So. So just for you to be aware that there is some optionality here and tax benefits as well. So something to consider. It could be still a great option for you and setting aside money for your girls.

[Jen]

Yeah. And the Roth IRA, first time home buying, that can be 10,000 of contributions and growth that can be taken out penalty free. And technically for a wedding you can withdraw contributions at any time.

[Jill]

That's true.

[Jen]

Yeah. You do want your Roth IRA to be open at least five years before you start like doing too many things because before five years there are some limitations. But you do have to have earned income to open a Roth ira. So just pay attention to that. But yeah, there's a lot of options. $35,000 rolled over like into an IRA over several years because you can't do it all at once. You got to do 7,000 at a time or whatever the max is for the year. But if you got $35,000 rolled over into a Roth IRA by the time your girls are 22 or one of your girls is 22 growing at 7% compounded until 65. So that's 43 years. That's $641,000 that they're going to have tax free at retirement. And so that's amazing. So start with a 529 and there's a lot of option for you to move forward.

[Jill]

Okay, next question. We kind of are going to combine two questions here and then respond to both of them. So the first is from Michelle who says I am always confused how to budget the cost of food versus paper type goods. The Toilet paper, dish soap, laundry, et cetera. If I go to Walmart and purchase some of these items and some food, do I separate those out? This is the one category I struggle with the most. Followed up by Jennifer, who says, I love making a budget, but tracking all the things is just so tedious. Do you have any tips for how to make this a habit or make it easier?

[Jen]

I always think of the time I was in the grocery store and there was the lady in front of me. She wanted to do two separate transactions so she could do one for food and like one for home products. And I'm like, why?

[Jill]

And you have talked about this and honestly you're not. No one's gonna love this answer from me. And you don't have to do what I do. But I will often put, as I'm scanning things, I'll scan my food first and then my miscellaneous, my non food items last so that I can go through the receipt and kind of see, all right, about how much of this was my paper products and how much of this was food. Because I do like to get into the weeds. But that doesn't mean that has to be your answer. It doesn't have to be that tedious. I don't do two separate transactions, but I am doing something.

[Jen]

Yeah. So this question on the surface is, how do I separate toilet paper from apples? Right. But underneath the question is really like, how detailed does my budget have to be and why does this feel like so much work? And the thing is, is that it doesn't have to be so detailed. It doesn't have to be so much work. If you're like Jill and you love the details, you love separating your transactions and getting into the weeds, do that. If you don't feel that joy by separating your home products from your groceries, don't do it. You don't have to. I honestly do not love. I no longer love the idea of like a zero based budget. Honestly, I don't. Uh oh, uh oh.

[Jill]

I know we made it to 600 episodes and now she's just tanking it.

[Jen]

I hate zero based budgets. No, here's the thing. Like, I feel like a budget can be a range, you know, like your top range obviously is the, you know, the max income. If I've got $5,000 coming in, that's the limit. But you don't have to give every single dollar a job in such great detail that you almost feel obligated to spend that money. And then something you didn't anticipate comes up and now you don't have any dollars without jobs to put towards that job. You need some dollars on the bench. So when an unexpected player comes into the game, you can put more players onto the field.

[Jill]

I mean sports.

[Jen]

Hashtag sports.

[Jill]

Cause we have a podcast so you know, every 600th episode we have to talk about sports.

[Jen]

Every couple hundred episodes is about sports. But does that make sense? Right. Like you have to have. And a lot of people will call it like a miscellaneous fund.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

But for me it just feels like I need to have some players benched for the unexpected things.

[Jill]

Some would call that savings. Like if you've got 270 bucks that isn't assigned, that's your buffer, that's your savings, that's the job it has. Right.

[Jen]

I like to have a buffer. And that's not technically zero based, but that's okay for me. And I just like to have more simplicity in categories. I like to. Maybe I have been like when I buy coffee, putting it into the coffee shop category. But like yesterday I'm looking at the budget, I'm like, I don't have to put it in a separate category. It could just be like Jen's fun money category and like all the things I do for fun restaurants, coffee, embroidery, like yarn. Can I just all go in there? It doesn't have to be special. Yeah.

[Jill]

I think that is why a lot of people abandon budgeting or think it's not for them because it's turning into like forensic accounting and it doesn't have to be that. Again, if you're a forensic accountant then you love that and that's what you're going to do. But a budget isn't supposed to be like an entire archive of every single action that you've made, but rather a decision making tool, something to inform you on what you can do, what you shouldn't do, what's available to you. It's the parameters that we're setting for us to then just make our decisions and have flexibility within it. But taking it down to every single penny, every single time, that feels really restrictive and unnecessary. And especially when it comes to, we're talking here, food and paper products, things that we do have to buy. Certainly impulse purchases happen at the grocery store, I'm not denying that. But if separating it out isn't going to change anything for you, if you know at the end of the day I'm still going to have to buy toilet paper, then it doesn't really matter. Those aren't the decisions that you're going to be cutting out a Lot of times getting clear on this spending is to help us make different decisions. But if doing that isn't going to help in that way, then why bother? It's just busy work at that point. But a middle of the road solution could be that you kind of take a guess, you've got your receipt and you're able to just quickly see, you know What? Yeah, about $60 was spent on miscellaneous non food items and the rest of it was food. Great. Pop it into your spending.

[Jen]

It doesn't have to be perfect. Yeah, yeah. And I think if you're trying to work on your impulse spending much, much more beneficial to you than having really strict categories in your budget is doing a 90 day transaction inventory. The budget can be loose when you are keeping track of your actual individual transactions. So we are doing that 90 day transaction inventory once or twice a year, maybe a mini one a couple times a year if that works better for you. And then maybe we're keeping our receipts if we're shopping in store or looking at the app, if we're shopping online and going back through when we do that transaction inventory and looking at the items for our groceries, looking for the items in those Amazon purchases. So that is going to be much more beneficial in fixing the spending leaks that you're experiencing than really strict to the penny, 20 to 30 categories in your budget. That's not going to fix anything. That's just going to make it really hard and you can build a habit of doing it, but you don't have to. What's the one thing that by doing makes everything else easier and unnecessary? I think doing the transaction inventory builds habits that make strict budgeting easier or unnecessary.

[Jill]

I love that. Okay, final question. This comes from Christy. Your personalities and life stages are so different, yet you mesh so well. Do you ever argue? Do you ever disagree about what content to bring to us? Sidebar. I just want to point out this is a funny one that I think a lot of women get asked and I'm fine with it. I'm not pushing back on it, but oftentimes female friends are asked, like, do you ever argue?

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

And I don't know, I feel like it's unique to the women. Do the guys get that question?

[Jen]

Have the guys smartless ever gotten that question? Do you guys argue? Do you like disagree? Yeah, I mean, I'm here for it. Crocheting Christie.

[Jill]

Yeah, let's dig in. I just find it interesting like it is because we do get that question a lot. Like, what do you guys argue about? So it's interesting. Like, what is that? What's under that question?

[Jen]

And it's funny. Like, I don't think our personalities or life stages are super different. Right. I have two kids. That is unique to me.

[Jill]

Well, it's different from me, between the two of us.

[Jen]

I don't know about anybody else out in the world, but I have two children.

[Jill]

No one else out there has two children.

[Jen]

And they're both boys. I'm a boy mom. So do we. So we do disagree occasionally, but I think it's just like normal people not being the same person will have different perspectives on things, and that's great. I live in the vacuum that I was raised in and put myself in. I don't know what I don't know. And I don't have experiences that I've never had before. And so I need people around me with diverse experiences to speak wisdom into my life so I can expand my understanding. Yeah.

[Jill]

I have said to even close friends when they ask, how's the podcast going? How's it going with Jen? And I will say, I think one of the things that has allowed us to do this together for eight years, 600 episodes, is we are both straightforward people. We will both say what we want to say. But, like, with tact, like, I think that there's. We both possess an ability to say what we're thinking, mean it, but also hear the other person and bend. So it never does come to a boiling point. Because I'm never. I don't think either one of us is ever letting something simmer.

[Jeremy (Caller)]

Never.

[Jill]

There's never something. Oh, I haven't brought that up to her.

[Jeremy (Caller)]

Like, it just.

[Jill]

We're always for better or worse. Like, we just automatically know what's going on for one another. But the content question is funny. So Jen is my brilliant friend. It is my word that is reserved for Jen. She's brilliant. She does the content planning. Like, this is Jen's baby. I have hardly touched content. What is every episode going to be about? Because that's another question I often get from my friends. How can you guys be doing this for so long? What is there to touch? I'm like, thankfully, I don't have to come up with it. Like, Jen loves it. She's doing it. But there have been a few times, and I mean, a handful of times that I've had ideas for episodes one you absolutely turned down, and we haven't done it.

[Jen]

I know it's 100%. You can talk about it because 100%. Like, it's a no for Me dog.

[Jill]

I am. I'm like, I'm off the idea. Like, it's fine, we don't have to do it. So here's what it was.

[Jen]

And I don't know if this is bad because you have had a few ideas, but I do know what you're gonna say.

[Jill]

So the one that Jen turned down and is not gonna happen, at least on Frugal Friends ever is. I can't even say it. Cycle syncing with budgeting. So like understanding as women are different phases throughout the month and how that impacts decision making and how that might intersect with budgeting and money management and impulse spending. I still think that there's something there and I think that can be discovered in a 90 day transaction inventory. What time of the month was it? What types of decisions am I making around that? Jen just doesn't think it's worth a full episode.

[Jen]

And that's fine.

[Jill]

I respect it.

[Jen]

It's not that I don't think it's worth it. And even if you're in the comments and you're like, oh, I want to hear it, it's still a no. Cause I'm not gonna create a full 45 minute outline about my like talking about my luteal phase for 10 minutes and how that impacts how I spend money. Like, it's just a personal thing that I don't wanna talk about.

[Jill]

And I respect that.

[Jen]

How like when I'm PMSing and I'm like angry at my kids and so I'm impulse buying a bottle of wine, that didn't happen. But like those are the kinds of things I can see. Like.

[Jill]

Right. I had two other ideas that you did allow. So just for the sake of the audience, for them to know that I'm 2 for 3 on my content ideas. The other one was what to do with a windfall and we did do that episode. And the other one was basically like the spending intervention or like listener questions kind of a thing.

[Jen]

Yeah, I loved the spending intervention, but when we did them, I wanted to go so much deeper and I didn't want it on camera.

[Jill]

I know.

[Jen]

And that was why ultimately why we stopped and we just couldn't find anybody else to talk about their spending on camera.

[Jill]

Yeah, no one actually wanted to do it. Fair.

[Jen]

Fair. And I. Yeah. And part of that kind of transition that led into the CFP, like journey that we're on because. Yeah, like I want to do more of that, but not in front of the camera.

[Jill]

Yeah. There was so much more conversation that happened every single time when we Turned the camera off. That was just too vulnerable for the Internet. And we respect.

[Jen]

Yeah, yeah. And we're not here to, like, make a mockery of people for views. That's not what we're here for. Yeah.

[Jill]

But then we also did some Reddit stories and questions, like listener questions. So I'm still. I'm not off the idea of hearing real people's situations and responding to them. So we are workshops.

[Jen]

You had an idea this morning that I think that we're gonna try. Yeah. We just gotta figure it out.

[Jill]

More listener questions, essentially, is what it is.

[Jen]

Three for four potentially, on Jill's ideas.

[Jill]

And 600 or what would it be? 596 for 596 on Jen's ideas.

[Jen]

I just have so many.

[Jill]

Well, I don't even remember whose idea this one was, but it has stuck for all 600 episodes.

[Jen]

I think this was. We had this before we had the idea for the show.

[Jill]

That sounds right.

[Jen]

We were driving. Just a preface before we yell at you. We were driving in your car in Pennsylvania, the four of us, and I was like, I think it would be fun to have this segment. Or Eric was like, one of us.

[Jill]

It might have been Eric. Honestly, it might have been Eric. He's had a lot of our Frugal

[Jen]

Friends ideas if he was here. Typically, he is here, and this is the one day we can talk about him, because he's not here to have this, like, listener call in every. Every episode. And we have literally. This is our 600th. We have done some replays over, you know, the last eight years. So maybe not exactly 600, but there

[Jill]

was a time when we didn't have any of these, but not anymore. Y'.

[Jen]

All.

[Jill]

Y' all are bringing.

[Jen]

We have to literally call our friends. Friends and be like, hey, can you give us. Can you tell us. Record yourself saying this and send it to me in a voice memo. And that was how our first ones, like, in our first episodes came about.

[Jill]

But here it is now.

[Jen]

You got the background now. Now we've got a backlist probably six months long. And I love it, and we love it.

[Jill]

And it's time for the bill of the week.

[Jen]

The bill of the week.

[Podcast Intro Announcer]

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.

[Jeremy (Caller)]

Hey, Jen and Jill, this is Jeremy, I am calling in for a bill of the week. I had emailed you guys right after the insurance and medical bill podcast because my hos. My husband was hospitalized around that time. And I used some of your tricks and was able to compare CPT codes and did get one of the bills lowered. But the really amazing thing is, and I have no idea how this happened, we. A few weeks ago, I've been meaning to leave you a voicemail. We got a letter from the hospital saying that our bill was paid in full. And I have no idea how this happened. And I think I'm getting a little tearful because I just listened to the episode where Jen, I think it's you thanking Jill, and it was so precious. And that's what made me remember, too. But anyways, yeah, it was. So I got on my husband's health insurance portal to look. It was a $2,800 bill, and the hospital wrote us a letter and said that it had been paid for. And we're like, what? Anyways, I asked him, did you apply for assistance? And he said no. And anyways, blessing. Blessings, Blessings. Save the letter, of course. But I love you guys. My 90 seconds is almost up. Thank you all for what you do.

[Jill]

Oh, this is so beautiful. Just, like, the tone that you're bringing, Jeremy, is so fun.

[Jen]

I don't know why.

[Jill]

Like, I feel tearful probably. Yeah. To realize, like, 600 episodes and, like, real amazing things happening in people's lives that we just get to get little sense sneak peeks of because of this segment.

[Jen]

This is the most impactful part of doing this.

[Jill]

Oh, my gosh, didn't see this one coming.

[Jen]

Is to see. Well, to hear you guys, like, saying, like, I feel hope or I have saved money or actual things in my life have changed as a result of listening to these episodes that we just, like, sit in chairs or on a couch just chatting. And, like, we think it's like, I write a lot of this content because it's what I'm interested in, and it's what I'm passionate about, and I think it's gonna be interesting to other people. It was interesting to me, and I'm a normal person, you know, so, like. But you don't know what's gonna land or what's gonna help. And it's amazing to hear your stories. You know, telling people to not spend so much money is not a super lucrative, influencing job. And so, like, we thrive on your stories. So thank you.

[Jill]

Yeah, thanks for calling this one in. We're just celebrating with you. We get to hear the joys and the difficulties that are happening in people's lives. But thankfully, the bill of the week has been celebratory over the years. Most often bills I don't mind paying bills I paid off, bills that got paid for me. That's incredible. And we are just so happy and thrilled with you. What an amazing thing. And if you all are listening and you have a bill that you want to share, you want to be a part of this really phenomenal segment that we've been doing for eight years, we would love to hear it because we're not stopping. It's not lucrative, but we love what we're doing.

[Jen]

I've got 600 more ideas. I just want you to know that,

[Jill]

yeah, at 16 years, maybe, maybe we'll end it. But for right now, let's keep going. So frugalfriendspodcast.com Bill, leave it for us. And now it's time for the lightning round.

[Jen]

A round that I hated initially.

[Jill]

I don't remember when we added this in the.

[Jen]

It was all you. Oh, here is an iPhone. Yeah, you wanna know where Jill is in the episode? It's the lightning round. Like, I don't know why it's here, but it has always been here. Not always. Not like as old as bill of the week, but like early on. Definitely.

[Jill]

Yeah, for sure.

[Jen]

Okay, so this is actually a bonus question. This one's from Ann. It's what's one habit or mindset shift that can consistently helps people stick with their financial goals long term, even when motivation dips or life gets busy? And I thought we could maybe answer it from like a personal perspective. Like, what's a habit or mindset shift that consistently helps us. Yeah. Stick with goals long term?

[Jill]

I mean my, my best true answer, even for myself, although I think for other people is automation. Like, automation doesn't require motivation. It requires a one time decision and then life happens around that. So I have automated money to come from our checking account into our investment account and then automatically be invested. And so it's just happening in the background and yet reduces the amount of money I have to spend every month. But I budget around that amount of money then. And so it's this amazing thing that doesn't matter what's happening in the rest of my life. This thing is always going on. So, yeah, that's been a huge one. Granted, I had to get to the point where I was making enough. We were making enough. Thankfully Eric's income helps with that because again, this isn't super Lucrative.

[Jen]

You probably. Guys are probably sick of us mentioning

[Jill]

that we don't know how to make money.

[Jen]

We just did our taxes on Tuesday and it's all fresh. It's all fresh right now. Yeah, yeah.

[Jill]

So getting to the point where then that's finally possible. So I don't want to act like, oh, this is just available for everybody. Having extra beyond necessary bills and bare living expenses to then also be saving and investing. Like, that takes time to get to that point. But once you're there, being able to do that and a debt payoff journey is what helps with that. Having paid off our debt and being used to kind of cutting down, finding extra, putting it towards debt, and then once it's gone. Okay, now we're putting that towards investing.

[Jen]

Yeah. For me, it's that the journey toward goal achievement is not all or nothing. Like, the next right decision is what gets you closer to your goals. So, like, if you can't. If I can't do it perfectly, I can still do it because I can never do it perfectly. And that was something that held me back throughout my entire life. It's like these idioms that we just take for granted. Turning over a new leaf, you know, like, the leaf doesn't stay turned over. You know, you have to intentionally turn it over every day. And so that for me, it's like, it's not all or nothing. Taking two steps forward and one step back is still progress. Even taking two steps forward and two steps back doesn't mean the progress is halted. It just means that maybe the next two or three steps are coming in a little bit and I need to keep going because progress is seen over the long term, not in the short term, and it's just continually making the next right decision. That's it. The next right decision is little decisions count.

[Jill]

Yeah. Beautiful. I love being here.

[Jen]

Same. I mean, there's not much else I'd rather do.

[Jill]

No, like, there isn't. That's why we're both still here. I love it. I love it so much. I love our community. I love you. I love the content that we're putting out that I've had 0.01% say in. I love it.

[Jen]

I mean, you always have enough say during.

[Jill]

Right.

[Jen]

Besides the times I interrupt you and we get comments saying that I talk

[Jill]

over you, I interrupt you too.

[Jen]

And I'm sorry, it is weird to think, like, if we were just having a normal conversation, it would sound normal, like us looking at each other and talking at the same time, and we would know what the Other is saying because that's our relationship doesn't translate as well on a video as a podcast.

[Jill]

So you only got one comment on one video. It's fine.

[Jen]

Yeah, it's fine. It doesn't affect me at all personally. I just brush those comments right off and I do not right definitely don't engage or do anything weird about them. Thank you for listening to me not be weird. We love reading your comments, especially the nice ones. We love reading your reviews of our book Buy what yout Love without going broke. That we were able to write only because we are a dynamic team. I truly believe that all the the things that we have accomplished are because we are together like and we go so much further together than we do apart in general. That's just a life lesson. But we especially loved this one from Ms. B reads. Sounds like she reads a lot, so I'm excited to hear her five star review. It says I received this book as part of an an arc, but I had already pre ordered it. I'm a big Frugal Friends fan. I've been listening to the podcast for years now. This book is an easy to read beginner's guide to getting good with money. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to get better with money. It covers a lot of different topics. Readers come away with a good foundation. I enjoy Jen and Jill's very personal storytelling and advice. Reading their book is just like listening to the podcast. Like you're hanging out with your besties, trying to give you a little bit of financial advice.

[Jill]

So beautiful. Ms. B reads. Thanks for reading our book.

[Jen]

Thank you Ms. B.

[Jill]

And if you've also read our book but haven't left us a review yet, please do so. Amazon is the best, best place to do that. Even if you didn't get it from Amazon. If you are watching us and not subscribed, please subscribe. If you're listening to us and you want to pop over to YouTube and subscribe, we'd love that too. And just leave us comments and we'd love to respond to them. Tell us what you want more of because we're not stopping yet.

[Jen]

Let us know in the comments how long you've been with us. Whether you just found us or you've been here for eight years, we got when we asked people who's been here for eight years on a recent video we got a couple people being like oh gee. And I'm like this is crazy. So we'd love to see because since we've entered YouTube, I think 60% of our viewers on YouTube are new, which is crazy. You never get that on like Spotify or Apple. Like 60% new listeners. And so it's just been so great to like add people to the community and yeah, we'd love to know how long you've been here.

[Jill]

So see you later next time.

[Jen]

Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni.

[Jill]

Eight years, not just of the podcast, but to also think about all that has happened in our lives in these eight years. Like, Kai is not eight years old. Like we've been doing this podcast. Before you had kids.

[Jen]

I told you I was pregnant when we got on to record a podcast. Uh huh.

[Jill]

Yeah. I was the first to know.

[Jen]

Yes.

[Jill]

Before Travis.

[Jen]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I know, right? She knew before Travis.

[Jill]

You've had two kids? Moved, renovated. I moved out of state. We've lived in motorhomes with my grandma in a log cabin. So much. Sold a house, bought a house, sold a house. Yeah. So much has happened. What are you most proud of with what we've done with Frugal Friends?

[Jen]

I'm very proud, honestly. The integrity that we have maintained through eight years of like having an online business. There have been things that I've seen people kind of, I don't know, not sell out, but sell out, honestly. Yeah. Because the money's just too good to not. And I know, like, I've seen it.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And then like sell out, like to do some of this stuff, it can bleed into your personal life. And we've always maintained really good boundaries and really high integrity and I'm most proud of that. And the way we have evolved, I think is for the better and not just for what's most profitable.

[Jill]

Yeah, I like that perspective.

[Jen]

And there's so many influencers I can think of I can name.

[Jill]

We won't, but we could in my head.

[Jen]

Yeah. That have not. And so.

[Podcast Intro Announcer]

Yeah.

[Jen]

Yeah. And I don't like, knock them, you know, it's a job and you gotta make money doing it. Yeah, yeah.

[Jill]

I do like that. This still feels like very grassroots and like for the people. I do like that about this. I mean, I'm so proud of the longevity. Like, this is the longest thing I've ever done other than marriage.

[Jen]

Same.

[Jill]

I've never lived anywhere, had the same job, stuck with anything for eight years. So that, I mean, the maintaining friendship and honestly only getting stronger. I feel the most trust and faith and belief in you and care and it's just like the more that I know you, the more that we work together, the more I enjoy you and see all the good qualities about you. And that's so cool that that can happen in relationships because it doesn't always go that way. Sometimes you learn people more, and it's like, no, thanks. But to learn you more and more and more and just get to have, like, such intimacy of relationship. I think because of the podcast, like, I don't think we'd be as close. Like, I am so close with you. You're such a close friend because we have a podcast together. And I love that. That feels like such an accomplishment to allow, like, a business to just, like, further relationships.

[Jen]

Yeah. There's a lot of people you can be friends with, but you may not want to be in business with. So the fact that we can do both is really special. And I think it's because we both have, like, a high ethical and level of integrity.

[Jill]

Yeah. I'm also really proud of our book.

[Jen]

I'm not gonna lie.

[Jill]

Just as far as an accomplishment goes, no one can take that away from us. I'm so thrilled with it.

[Jen]

Yeah. I love that book.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

So much.

[Jill]

Me too. I'm really proud of that. Okay, let's go read it.

[Power of Advice Podcast Narrator 1]

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[Power of Advice Podcast Narrator 2]

Some of the best lessons don't come from a classroom. They come from experience. On the Power of Advice, a new podcast series from Capital Group. You'll hear from CEOs, investors, and founders about how they built careers, took risks, and reinvented themselves. If you're starting your own journey, this is the kind of advice you won't want to miss. Available wherever you get your podcasts. Published by Capital Client Group, Inc.