A Week In Her Wallet: A 49-Year-Old On A Weight Loss Journey

Summary

HerMoney with Jean Chatzky: “A Week In Her Wallet: A 49-Year-Old On A Weight Loss Journey”

Date: September 19, 2025
Host: Jean Chatzky
Guest: Amy, 49, Higher Education Administrator, Nashville

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Episode Overview

This episode of HerMoney dives deep into real-world money management with “A Week in Her Wallet”—a series where women narrate seven days of genuine spending and reflect on what that reveals about their lives and values. This week features Amy, a 49-year-old higher education administrator navigating both a weight loss journey and intentional lifestyle changes. Amy’s week illustrates the intersection of health and wealth, with thoughtful insights on tracking spending, adjusting habits, community connections, and aligning money decisions with self-care goals.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Amy’s Financial Backdrop

• Homeownership: Amy owns her Nashville home outright, made possible by family support from her grandparents and smart, incremental moves in the real estate market (02:38–04:31).
• Partner Finances: Her live-in partner pays “rent” into a house fund that covers bills and maintenance; he contributes handyman skills (04:44–05:24).
• Goals: Prioritizes funding travel, especially family trips, and steadily saves for retirement (05:37–06:54).

“My house is actually fully paid off… I was blessed with some money to purchase a home many years ago… My comfort level was being able to fully own my home.”
— Amy, (02:38–02:45)

2. Mindful Spending Through Tracking

• Intentional Logging: Amy compares tracking money to tracking food, both serving as reality checks and tools for self-accountability (07:01–09:02).
• Breaking Old Habits: Noticing how frequent small purchases—like that daily muffin—accumulate led to conscious effort to limit these splurges.

“I realized one day I had spent almost $100 at this one little cafe. And I was like, that's not helping anything that I'm doing.”
— Amy, (08:39–08:54)

3. Health Journey’s Impact on Money

• Health Shifts Save Money: Amy’s focus on weight loss led to fewer meals out, less snacking, and more home cooking—translating to regular “no-spend” days (09:19–10:59).
• Rethinking Food Purchases: She aims to minimize waste and make grocery spending more efficient, also treating eating out as an occasional pleasure rather than a routine (10:05–10:47).

“I think being on a weight loss journey also makes me spend less money because I usually spend a lot… on food, whether it was eating out or just an interesting coffee or a snack. And I’m not doing that as much anymore."
— Amy, (09:32–09:52)

4. Experiences with Weight Loss Medications

• Costs & Outcomes: Amy tried a compounded medication (~$400/month), but suffered side effects and discontinued use. She highlights how “food noise” (constant thoughts about food) decreased temporarily on medication (12:52–15:58).
• Emotional and Financial Calculation: Acknowledges her mixed feelings, but appreciates having tried the more affordable version—especially since other options can run to $1,200/month.

“It was about $400 a month… I got very sick. I couldn't eat anything… And the doctor I was working with said, yes, we need to take you off of this right now. And I don't think it's going to work. And I'm sorry.”
— Amy, (12:52–13:24)

5. Community, Connection, and Financial Perks

• Neighborly Support: Amy’s close-knit Nashville neighborhood shares food, helps with errands, and provides social support, all of which indirectly save money and enrich life (19:56–23:31).

“My neighbors texted me one day and said we forgot to cancel the food delivery... if you want anything, eat it… I pick up mail for neighbors, so maybe they don’t have to pay somebody to do it.”
— Amy, (21:11–24:03)

6. Biggest Purchases and Treating Herself

• Boutique Haul: Hit a local boutique and bought dresses and a shirt—more than she spends in a typical week—to boost her confidence during her wellness journey (24:11–26:09).
• Self-Care Splurges: Took advantage of “buy nine, get three free” waxing deal; picked up other small self-care items.

“I need to have some clothes that make me feel good, and I bought things that make me feel good.”
— Amy, (25:04–25:07)

7. Working Life as a Spending Filter

• Workdays vs. Free Days: Amy finds she's less likely to overspend on workdays, as busyness keeps her away from temptation (27:04–28:20).

“I’m kind of glad I work most days because I could possibly spend a lot of money if I wasn’t working.”
— Amy, (27:04–27:16)

8. Weekly Spending Takeaways

• Weekly Total: $988.69, higher than usual due to clothes and photo digitization services. Amy describes it as a “lot,” but recognizes that many expenses are useful or rare larger purchases (28:20–29:14).
• Tracking Reflections: She’s unlikely to track every dollar going forward, but will remain watchful and aims for “spending that moves me forward in the direction of health and learning and professional development” (29:14–30:31).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There is that—do I want to write this down? Am I going to feel annoyed at myself later because I bought something… that isn't towards my goal?” (08:11–08:27, Amy)
• On neighborhood cooperation: “A tree fell in somebody's yard, and, like, three people showed up with chainsaws… nobody had to call a tree service.” (23:05–23:33, Amy)
• On aligning spending and goals: “If I do that all the time, that's not helping me with both my health goals or saving money for… something that will be more lasting than just a fleeting hamburger out to eat…” (11:50–12:32, Amy)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:01 — Episode Introduction & Amy’s Background
• 02:34–06:22 — Homeownership, Relationship Finances & Goals
• 07:01–09:02 — Tracking Spending vs. Tracking Food/Calories
• 09:19–10:59 — Health Goals Reduce Everyday Spending
• 12:52–15:58 — Weight Loss Medications: Financial and Emotional Takeaways
• 19:56–24:03 — Neighborly Generosity & Financial Help from Community
• 24:11–26:09 — Shopping Spree & Self-Care Splurges
• 27:04–28:20 — How Work Routines Curb Impulse Spending
• 28:20–30:31 — Weekly Spending Totals and Reflections

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Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is warm, candid, and practical, infused with Jean’s characteristic humor and empathy. Amy’s week offers relatable lessons about the ways our financial and wellness journeys can reinforce each other, how community weaves into financial health, and how tracking—even briefly—can reveal habits worth reshaping. Whether it’s resisting the siren call of the coffee shop, saying yes to a supportive neighbor, or treating oneself to a confidence-boosting dress, Amy models thoughtful decision-making that balances short-term pleasures with long-term well-being.

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Transcript

[A]

When did making plans get this complicated?

[B]

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[A]

Hey everyone. Welcome back to her money. I'm Jean Chatsky and today we are bringing you another episode of A Week in Her Wallet where we follow real women through seven days of real spending and take an honest look at what their money says about their lives. This week we're joined by Amy. She's 49, works in higher education administration and lives with her long term partner. Her her week shows us what happens when you're in a season of change, trying new things, cutting back on old habits and figuring out what feels worth it. Her week includes a few zero spend days avoiding temptations at the coffee shop and a mini shopping spree at a local boutique. But more than that, it's a reflection of a woman trying to spend in ways that align with how she wants to feel in her body, her budget and her life. Amy, thanks so much for being here.

[B]

Thanks for having me.

[A]

Let's start with some just basic information about you and your money. Tell me what you do, what your partner does. Let's start there.

[B]

Sure. So we live in Nashville, Tennessee. I work for Vanderbilt University. I do operations and data support for a department here on campus and my partner is a hairstylist full time. And so we live together in a house that I purchased about seven years ago and he has two children and one lived with us a little while but they no longer live with us. So it's just the two of us in our house.

[A]

What is the housing costing you each month?

[B]

My house is actually fully paid off.

[A]

Oh, lucky you. Or smart you, right? Amazing.

[B]

Yeah. I was blessed with some money to purchase a home many years ago from my grandparents and that little bit extra each time I sold and bought some houses allowed me my comfort level was being able to fully own my home. And so that's something that I know as I'm really lucky to have. And so it's nice to know that no one can take that away from us.

[A]

I completely understand. Did you flip your way from one house into another as you got older?

[B]

Not really. I just purchased a very small townhome that was in a really good location and it appreciated. And then I was able to purchase a slightly larger house not too far away and that appreciated. And then I purchased a condo. I was married and then got divorced, and so I purchased a condo. And I try to do everything in good locations, so that helps, I think. But no, there was definitely no flipping. I am not a do it yourselfer. These were all nice places to live.

[A]

Taking advantage of the escalation in housing prices and the fact that Nashville got so hot.

[B]

Nashville got really hot. I purchased our current home when it was a hole in the ground. And I really do think I got it at the absolute right time because they built some slightly larger houses next to us that were sold for, I think, more than twice as much what I paid for my house. So you never know. But looking back, I timed it perfectly to really buy a house that I hope is our forever home.

[A]

Two more basic questions. How do you work it with your partner that you own this house outright? How do you manage the finances so everything feels fair?

[B]

He sort of. We kind of agreed upon a rent that he pays every month, and that goes towards a lot of just the bills of the house, as well as a fund that I keep for maintenance and other stuff that we might want. We're trying to find a new piece of furniture in the dining room. And so when we find something, I can take the money from that account and put it towards that. He's more of a do it yourselfer. So I would say a lot of things that I used to pay someone else to do, he can fix that for us in the house.

[A]

Well, isn't that nice?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I'm wondering, are there any big financial goals that you guys are trying to accomplish right now? Anything on your roadmap that you're saving for?

[B]

We like to travel a lot. We always want to make sure we have money in the travel fund so we can go places and if possible, we can take family with us or at least pay for part of family to go with us. So we're both kind of always saving for retirement and always trying to make sure that we have as much as we can going to that. Knowing that we don't want to work forever, but also knowing that we can still Work and travel now and taking advantage of our health and fitness and being able to do a lot of things. So we do try to travel and work, and I think we both plan to do that for a while.

[A]

How old are you? How far from retirement would you think you are?

[B]

I'm 49, so I have a while, I think, to retirement. I'd love to try to retire early. My dad retired early, but I don't know if it's really in the cards or not.

[A]

And how about your partner?

[B]

I think with his job, as he likes to say, he could work forever, even just a couple days a week, but I think he probably is thinking another 10 years or so at least to work.

[A]

All right, let's start with your week as a whole. First of all, what made you want to start tracking for us?

[B]

It was one of those, I think, interesting things of, I keep a general budget, but I don't write down every single saltary thing that I buy. And I track everything I eat every single saltary steak. And so it was sort of, oh, what happens if I do that?

[A]

That is so interesting. People don't make the connection very often between tracking your calories or tracking your grams of whatever and tracking your spending. But years and years and years ago, I cut a story out of Good Housekeeping magazine that the headline was something like the biggest diet secret you've never heard. And it was keeping a log of what you ate. And I think that tracking your spending has the very same magic.

[B]

I mean, I think it is. I felt like a little the same. And I track my sort of my food, partially for this weight loss journey on Mar, but also just to kind of know how did I feel? Like if I didn't feel well, it's nice to go back and go, what did I eat? And is there something that I keep eating that makes me not feel good? That sort of thing. But it's also interesting to write down because there is that. Do I want to write this down? Like, am I going to be. Am I going to feel annoyed at myself later because I bought something or ate something that isn't towards my goal? And so I think it was interesting to go, huh? I mean, just acknowledging that I was spending kind of before this week, but just spending a lot on snacks. Like, every time I went to the gym on the way home, I was stopping in a coffee shop and getting a cup of coffee and a muffin, and I realized one day I had spent almost $100 at this one little cafe. And I was like, that's not helping anything that I'm doing. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Let's take it day by day. You had a mix of no spend days, and then you had a couple of bigger spending ones. On day two was the first time that you talked to us about the fact that you are on this weight loss journey.

[B]

Day two. And so far, I haven't spent any money and the weather is terrible, so I don't think I'm going to leave the house. I think being on a weight loss journey also makes me spend less money because I usually spend a lot of money on food, whether it was eating out or just an interesting coffee or a snack. And I'm not doing that as much anymore. So I'm really saving a lot of money.

[A]

Talk a little bit about the connection between those health goals and your everyday spending goals. I mean, the muffin is a great example, but did you find other things?

[B]

I read a lot that we throw out a lot of food in the United States. You know, we buy things, we go to the grocery store. We think we're gonna make these elaborate meals, and then we don't and stuff gets thrown out. And so I think I just realized I can do more to be healthier and to know exactly kind of what I'm eating and how much I'm eating, if I'm eating from my own house. And I'm also saving money. And I definitely do go out. I mean, I went out to dinner last night with a good friend, but I have to sort of realize, you know, that should be more of a once in a while and not. I don't need to go out every day for lunch when I'm working from home.

[A]

It's the difference, I think, in my mind at least, between sitting down and having a meal in, whether it's in a restaurant or a coffee shop. And takeout.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I think, well, that's just it. I mean, going somewhere is way more fun. You know, takeout. It's sort of. I know a lot of people love takeout. I have friends who use Uber Eats all the time because they're like, I get to stay home, but I don't have to cook. I'm like. But we don't use Uber Eats very often. We like to say that if we want something bad enough, we'll go out and get it. And yes, there are times when I'm like, I'm gonna be totally unsatisfied if I don't go out and get this thing. But just finding that I like to cook. We both like to cook. And so sometimes it's hard coming home at the end of the day and going, all right, what can I have? What can I. What's in here that I can find? And I know that we're in a place where we can both afford healthy food. We could afford to go to the grocery store. We could afford to eat out once in a while. And so. And that's definitely a place of privilege. But I still want to be responsible for. Like, we want to be responsible for the money because we do want to do other things. And sometimes when you stop this week of writing down what I was spending, kind of going, oh, if I do that all the time, that's not helping me with both my health goals or saving money for. Whether it's vacation or just saving money for a new piece of furniture for our house, something that will be more lasting than just a fleeting hamburger out to eat, so to speak.

[A]

Yeah. Or $100 worth of muffins at the same stop on the way home from the gym. You also shared that you've tried weight loss medications and that they didn't work for you. If you're comfortable sharing. What were the costs that came with that experience? Sort of financial and emotional.

[B]

It was. I can't remember exactly. I think it was about $400 a month. So much less expensive than I've heard that other people are paying or different things like that. It said it was compounded. I don't even know if it was real, what I was getting. It worked for a little while, but when I dosed up to the full amount, I got very sick. I was one of those few people that got very sick. I couldn't eat anything. I was having a lot of problems. And so I just said, I can't do this. And the doctor I was working with said, yes, we need to take you off of this right now. And I don't think it's going to work. And I'm sorry. It was interesting because since these have come out, there's been a lot of talk about food noise and how people are like, that's just something that's made up. It's not real. And it's real. It is very real and not for everybody.

[A]

Well, how did it manifest for you?

[B]

Well, I just sort of was thinking about food a lot. And I realized on this medication, I didn't think about food until I was hungry. Like, suddenly I was like, oh, I'm hungry. I haven't been thinking about food. I just know that I haven't eaten in four hours. And I should eat right now. And I would eat something and then I wouldn't think about food again for four or five more hours.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And it really was very different because there are times like I'm driving around going, oh, should I get a muffin? Oh, oh, I wonder if crumble is open. Oh, I wonder in a way that I didn't for that few months that I was on it.

[A]

It's so interesting. I just. I mean, we're recording this in the late morning at 10 o' clock this morning I had a discussion with my husband about what's for dinner. Right, like that.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

That kind of interplay is part of our everyday experience. And I don't really think of it as noise, but I could see if it's omnipresent, that it could be troublesome, I guess. Are you happy that you tried?

[B]

I think I'm happy that I tried. I think for some people, I've had some friends on it and it's really worked for them and that's really great. And they feel healthier and better. So I'm all about it. I don't think it's cheating. I think everybody's got to do what they want to do. I have friends who have said, I'm done with the dieting rollercoaster. This is who I am. I'm healthy, I'm happy, and I love them, too. I think everybody has to do what feels the best for them. And so I'm glad I tried it. I'm glad I was able to try it for less than the over $1,000 that my doctor told me was the cheapest she could. Like my primary care physician said, I think it's $1,200, and that's like, what we'd have to charge you for it. And I was like, that's not worth it. That. So I'm glad I tried it for less money for a few months.

[A]

Absolutely. We're going to take a real quick break, Amy. When we come back, we're going to dig into the rest of your week. You know what doesn't belong in your summer plans? Getting burned by your old wireless bill. While you're planning beach trips, barbecues, or long weekends with your girlfriends, your phone plan shouldn't be the thing that's draining your wallet. That's where Mint Mobile comes in. For a limited time, Mint mobile is offering three months of unlimited premium wireless service for just 15 bucks a month. That means you get the coverage and speed you're used to on the nation's largest 5G network, but for way less this year. Skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank. Get this new customer offer and your three month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month at mintmobile.comhermoney that's mintmobile.comhermoney upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to $15 a month limited time. New customer offer for first three months only. Speeds may slow above 35 gigabytes on the unlimited plan. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. I've had term life insurance since my kids were little. It was one of those decisions I made early on. Not because I wanted to think think about those worst case scenarios, but I wanted to know they'd be protected no matter what. Fabric by Gerber Life is term life insurance you can get done today. Made for busy parents like you, it's all online on your own schedule and can be done right from your couch. You could be covered in under 10 minutes with no health exam required. Fabric's policies are flexible, high quality and affordable. We're talking a million dollars in coverage for less than a dollar a day. Join the thousands of parents who trust fabric to help protect their families. Apply today in just [e-mail] hermoney that's meetfabric.com hermoney M E E T fabric.com hermoney Policies issued by Western Southern Life Assurance Company not available in certain states. Prices subject to underwriting and health questions. We are back. We're talking with Amy. So the next couple of days were again those, those no spend days.

[B]

Okay. Once again, I didn't spend any money today and it was sort of intentional and sort of not intentional. I think because I am on this weight loss journey that when I want to go get a cup of coffee or something, I remind myself how many calories it has. And so I don't get it. And once again it has saved me money because I really wanted to go get a fancy coffee today, but I told myself that I did not need calories and so I didn't get one. And I brought my lunch and I brought my breakfast and all of a sudden it's the end of the day and I haven't spent any money. But don't worry, I have both breakfast and dinner planned to be out tomorrow.

[A]

Were you not spending because you were writing it down? Maybe a little.

[B]

It's hard to know your rationale, but we have a hybrid schedule at our job. So I go in some days and I stay home some days. And usually when I come into the Office, I bring lunch. We don't always have time to go. And sometimes when I'm home, like all of us, you get into that groove and you're just like, you look up and it's six o' clock and maybe you haven't even eaten all day, but there isn't time. So I'm sure some of it was a little do I have to spend money? And some of it was I just don't always spend that. Like, I guess don't always spend that much money.

[A]

Yeah. On day five, you said your neighbor dropped off a ton of food before heading out of town. And.

[B]

Our neighbor is heading out of town and dropped off a ton of food last night. So this means I don't need to go to the grocery store to get any more fruits and vegetables for the next few days before I head out of town. It also means I have to cook all of these fruits and vegetables, including a lot of zucchini. Well, because it's better than spending money and it still gets me towards my goal of losing weight.

[A]

Tell me a little bit about your community. Is this the kind of thing that routinely happens?

[B]

I mean, yes and no. We have a street that is really neighborly. Two nights ago I texted a neighbor four houses down and just said at 8:15 and said, I'm going for a walk, do you want to come? I mean, 8:15pm and she said, yes, I'm in dress clothes but I will change right now. And we walked for, I mean, we walked to the end of the street and came back. And so this is my next door neighbor who travels a lot for both work and fun. And she said, I have all these things. I thought I was going to be home longer. I'm taking a quick weekend trip to visit my son. I'm not going to eat this stuff. Do you want it? I was like, sure, we'll eat it. And so, yeah, I mean, this is the kind of place where I can, you know. My neighbors texted me one day and said we forgot to cancel the food delivery. The whatever they got. They're like, could you just put it in your fridge for us? We're back tomorrow and if you want anything, eat it. And so I just threw it all in the fridge or the freezer. I think I used one of the vegetables and then brought it over to them. So it is a neighborhood, I mean, that we sort of know each other. We have each other's contact. If something's weird, you can say, your dogs seem to be barking a lot. Are you home? Is everything okay. We close the street down on Halloween and people just walk around and, you know, and see people.

[A]

Do you find that that saves you money in other ways? When I moved from my house in Westchester County, New York, to Philadelphia, I feel like I lost a little bit of a village like that. Right. I had of neighbors where even if they weren't home and I needed a cup of sugar, I could go in and get a cup of sugar without having to run to the grocery store or borrow a leaf blower or whatever, a shovel, and if it had snowed. I think sometimes those kind of communities can be a real financial help.

[B]

Yeah. I've never thought about it like that, really. But yes, there was one day I needed to get to. I had taken my car in for service, and one of my neighbors is retired, and I said, hey, any chance you could just drive me over? Because we had been talking about problems with my car. And he said, oh, if you need me to take you somewhere, let me know. And I said, would you mind driving me to pick up my car? And he said, I'm retired. No. So, yeah, I guess that saved me an Uber ride.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But for me, I think I'm an extrovert. I love people. And so for me, I think the benefit of our neighborhood is the just knowing that there are people around, just being able to wave to neighbors. A tree fell in somebody's yard, and, like, three people showed up with chainsaws. And so just the like, fact that we were all able to be like, is everybody okay? Oh, Scott has a chainsaw. Oh, so. And so has a chainsaw.

[A]

And nobody had to call a tree service.

[B]

Yeah, nobody had to call a tree service. So there probably are other more financial things. Yeah. One of our older neighbors who used to live here, one of the teenage boys down the street, used to walk her dog every once in a while. So there are probably a lot more of those examples that I'm not really thinking about. But yes, My one neighbor brought me some vegetables. Another neighbor took me to pick up my car. I pick up mail for neighbors, so they're not. They don't maybe don't have to pay somebody to do it.

[A]

It's a nice. It's a nice way to live. Toward the end of the week, you treated yourself to a boutique hall today?

[B]

I spent a lot of money. I kind of planned it, I guess, but didn't totally expect it. I get emails from a small boutique in town that I like, and I remember thinking there was a shirt and maybe a dress that I wanted to Go to try. So I swung by today after working out, and they had some cute stuff and I tried a ton of things on, and there was actually two dresses and a shirt that I liked. So I bought them. And, you know, nothing is expensive by itself, but when you get a few things, it just adds up. I did manage to get my lunch and my coffee for free when I had them later because I had points at different places. But I still end up spending significantly more money today than I had the whole rest of the week. But that's okay. I need to have some clothes that make me feel good, and I bought things that make me feel good.

[A]

Is this all part of your wellness journey?

[B]

I think a little bit. You know, we all have too many clothes in our closet, but then sometimes you're like, nothing fits. Oh, my gosh, nothing fits.

[A]

Nothing fits. Or I don't like any of this.

[B]

Yes, yes, or it fits. But not a way that makes me feel good. And so there are a couple stores in town that I have found that have stuff that are not the most expensive, not the least expensive, but that are nice, that are both useful for work, for fun. I can buy some casual things. I can get work things. As a woman, I feel like a blouse is possibly the most impossible thing to buy all the time. Like, all I want is a nice work blouse and everything feels like it's cut down to here. And I'm like, I can't wear that. Yeah. So finding a couple things that for me, I can both wear to work, wear out, use multiple ways is really useful for me.

[A]

I completely understand what you're saying.

[B]

I'm kind of glad I work most days because I could possibly spend a lot of money if I wasn't working. And I always seem to do that on the weekends. Again, it seems like I'm trying to get deals on things. So I spent a lot of money at the waxing place because they were having buy nine, get three free. So it made. Made it really cheap or at least cheaper. And it's the one thing I do for myself. I probably didn't need everything I bought today, like the face wash or the tweezers, but I feel like I'd need them at some point. So let's get them now before I need to travel and don't have it. But it was interesting tracking everything and looking at how I spend money during the week versus the weekends.

[A]

One of the most interesting things that you said this week was, I'm kind of glad I work most days. I could possibly spend a Lot of money if I wasn't working. Can you unpack that?

[B]

I joke about that. And some of my friends agree that I'm working. Like, today we had a meeting this morning, I'm meeting with you. I have another meeting. I have a training this afternoon for a couple hours. I'm glad I brought lunch because I'm not really gonna have time. But, yeah, on a day that I take off, it's like, oh, what should I do? Okay, well, I'm gonna go to the gym. But then, oh, I could go, oh, do we need something at Home Depot? Oh, do I need to run to Target? Like, even going to Whole Foods, you're just kind of like, ooh, that looks interesting. I mean, we go to Aldi a lot because they have good produce and it's a little less expensive, but. But there's always something interesting at Aldi to buy, and you might as well buy it. Cause you may never see it again. So I think sometimes if I'm not working and I'm, like, out and about, there could be a greater tendency for me to just, oh, I've always wanted to go to that store and see what it's like, oh, I wonder if they have anything interesting over there. And then, next thing you know, I've spent money.

[A]

Your total for the week was $988.69. Is that a typical week for you? And how does that number make you feel?

[B]

It feels like a lot. I don't close shop every week, so that part of it is probably an outlier. But I am sure I'm spending a few hundred dollars every week on going out stuff. I mean, yesterday, I know I charged, I think, $150 to a company that is scanning in some old photos for me. And so I'm gonna do something with those. So, yeah, it's like, I know. I'm sure I wind up spending money, and a lot of it is on things that are not even tangible services.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And things like that. They're useful but slightly sneaky. That all of a sudden I'm like, oh, yeah, I forgot about that.

[A]

Some of the women that I talk to who've gone through this experiment, I can just tell they are never tracking again. I suspect that you might track. What do you think?

[B]

I haven't really tracked like this, but what. But I do. I'm that crazy person who still checks her. I still, you know, try to even out my checking account every month. And I do check all my. My credit card things. So I definitely, when I'm doing that do kind of go, ah, you spent a lot of money on these things. So it's almost more maybe every month. I'm looking going, I wonder if you could spend a little less on that next month? Because it looks like I spent about this much. So I don't know if I will keep tracking exactly as I did this week for you, but I definitely feel like I try to be aware of what I'm spending, what I'm using, what I'm doing, and is it helpful? Is it moving me forward in a direction of health and learning and professional development? Or is it just I was bored so I bought a muffin or a pair of shoes.

[A]

Amy, thank you so much for doing this with us today. It's been a pleasure talking to you.

[B]

Thank you so much for having me.

[A]

And if you're ready to keep the Money conversation going, HerMoney has three amazing programs designed to help you feel more confident and in control of your money. There's Finance Fix. It's our four week coaching program that helps you rethink your spending, find hidden savings, and make smarter choices for the future. Our pre retirement program runs for six weeks and walks you through building a retirement retirement strategy that's personalized for your next chapter. Finally, there's Investing Fix, our investing club for women. It meets every other week on Zoom. It is a supportive space to learn, ask questions, grow your investing confidence and build your portfolio. And your first month is absolutely free. These programs are truly helpful helping level the playing field for women financially. I'd love for you to join us. Hermoney is produced by Haley Pascalides and our music is provided by Video Helper. Thanks so much for listening and we'll talk soon.

[B]

I'm Nate Silver. And I'm Maria Konnikova. We're journalists who moonlight us high stakes poker players and on our podcast Risky Business, we bring an analytical lens, thinking about odds, incentives and outcomes to the choices shaping our democracy. Because every move in politics is a calculation and sometimes our leaders can make bad bets. You don't say Nate. If you want to understand what our politicians are thinking and what's at stake with each decision they make, this show is for you. Listen to Risky Business wherever you get your podcast.

[A]

Sam.