A Week In Her Wallet: A 55-Year-Old Tech Director Who Meal Preps Every Meal — Even for a Half Marathon

Summary

Podcast Summary: HerMoney with Jean Chatzky

Episode: A Week In Her Wallet: A 55-Year-Old Tech Director Who Meal Preps Every Meal — Even for a Half Marathon

Release Date: February 27, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode features Courtney, a 55-year-old director of technology based in Texas, as part of HerMoney’s “A Week In Her Wallet” series. Host Jean Chatzky guides listeners through Courtney’s week of tracked spending, using real-life examples to discuss how Courtney’s financial habits reflect her health, values, and priorities. The conversation balances practical budgeting with memorable splurges, fitness routines, generational change, and intentional money strategies, especially for women.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Courtney and Her Background

• Courtney’s background: Born in Detroit, raised in a working-class family, moved through several states with her career, now in Texas.
  • “I grew up basically poor, and my parents worked paycheck to paycheck, and I just didn't want to do that.” (04:00)
• Career & Family: Director of Technology (emphasizes her social skills over tech skills); married 29 years, mother to two daughters, both college graduates.
• Pride in Running: Completed all Abbott World Majors Marathons; fundraising for Boston ($10,000+).
  • “My favorite is absolutely New York… I just did it because I tried for like five times and I finally got in.” (02:08)

2. Money Mindset & Motivation

• Motivation to Participate:
  • “I am a compulsive spender sometimes... Every time I listen to these women’s stories, I’m like, I need to try this.” (03:01)
• Compulsive spending & reflection:
  • Courtney distinguishes between spending on joy/experiences (concerts, travel) versus frivolous spending—clarifying that her habits stem more from appreciating life rather than childhood deprivation.
  • “I realized that life is very short… I buy things that I really like or I really enjoy or things that make me happy… I really love lipstick and handbags.” (05:51)

3. Routine, Wellness & “Girl Math”

• Shared routine: Runs 3x/week, lifts weights 4x, meal preps all meals. Doesn’t think of herself as organized but values discipline for health and finances.
  • “If not, now this is a part of life now. This is about my health now. This is about not having diabetes… In my mind, I’m saving money if I don’t have to buy different size clothes.” (07:32/07:54)
• Cost per wear & capsule wardrobe concepts explored, relating wardrobe investments to recurring health habits.
  • “That’s a way to save money in my eyes. That’s girl math, right.” (07:54)

4. Detailed Day-by-Day Spending Breakdown

Day 1: Minimal Spend, Strategic Meal Prep

• Spent: $4.86 (snack) after meals didn’t last.
• Insight: Disappointment over not being sustained, reached out to her trainer to adjust meal plan.
  • “I am more disappointed that my meals did not sustain me. So I've already sent a message to my trainer…” (09:25)

Day 2: Larger, Planned Expenses

• Spent: $954.65 (massage subscription $79, lashes $75, tailoring $101.76, credit card payment $500, Costco $159, happy hour $36.70, Starbucks $3.19, Macy’s $104).
• Spending philosophy: Massage is preventive maintenance, not a luxury; lashes and nails are allowed confidence boosters.
  • “The trainer is $200 a month, but it includes my workouts and my meal plans… She truly has built a community.” (11:46)
  • “I do get massages regularly… because of the amount of running and lifting weights that I do… It’s necessary.” (15:12, 22:59)

Regular Meal Prep & Shopping

• Meal staples: Ground turkey, salmon fillets, liquid egg whites, turkey breast, vegetables, yogurt, pineapples. No snacks, few processed foods.
  • “I tell people I’m not looking for a party in my mouth. I just need some energy.” (10:27)
• Family eats differently: Husband “can eat anything and doesn’t gain weight”; eldest daughter also meal preps. (21:49)

Attitude to Small Pleasures

• Prioritizing appearance: Lashes/nails tailored for professional presence. “Before I open my mouth, my appearance is very important.” (24:25)
• Wardrobe Diary: Tracks work outfits since January to maximize convenience and cost per wear.
  • “Now I just know I can put this together and I can wear it.” (26:26)

Experience-Driven Splurges

• Concert Tickets: $820.62 for Bruno Mars tickets for herself and daughter – emphasized as meaningful, not frivolous.
  • “She did not ask me to buy the tickets, but I know she loves him and I've been wanting to see him.” (26:56)
• Philosophy: Values experiences over things.
  • “Those are things that people cannot take away from me… You can never take away my experience.” (30:12)

Travel for Half Marathon: Frugality & Planning

• Keeps travel frugal: Used points for hotel, meal prepped and packed own food for the trip, only spent $121 on travel day.
  • “I try to do that when I can… I feel like spending money in the airport for food… absolutely not. I always take my food to the airport.” (35:00, 38:16)
• Willing to upgrade when worth it: Paid $120 for first class on cheap ticket for comfort.
  • “It was a four hour flight and it was 120 bucks. I was like, why not?” (38:47)

5. Balancing Spending & Saving

• Extensive savings vehicles: 401(k), HSA, annuities, Roth and regular IRA, pension, high-yield savings account.
• Goal: Maintain lifestyle and flexibility in retirement, possibly downsize, regularly discusses savings with her daughters.
  • “I don't want my lifestyle to have to change too much. I want to be able to enjoy a couple vacations during the year.” (33:42)

6. Reflecting On The Week

• Total spent: $2,245 (higher than expected due to concert tickets, recurring or non-weekly payments).
• Takeaway: The exercise was “eye-opening”; cut back on unnecessary small expenses (no more bottled water), even if savings are minor.
  • “It just gave me an opportunity to pay closer attention to how I spend my money and it's definitely keeping me focused on my goals.” (39:32)
• On tracking: Inspired to continue tracking and evaluating her spending. (40:49)

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Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Courtney’s Background & Running Journey – 01:44 – 05:21
• Money Mindset (“Compulsive Spending” & Values) – 05:38 – 07:06
• Routine & Girl Math – 07:21 – 08:20
• Meal Prep Details & Trainer – 08:46 – 11:40
• Day 2 Major Expenses (Massage, Lashes, Credit Card, Groceries) – 15:12 – 20:12
• Wardrobe & Cost-Per-Wear Philosophy – 25:26 – 26:43
• Bruno Mars Concert Tickets (Splurge/Experience Focus) – 26:56 – 29:45
• Saving & Retirement Goals – 33:42 – 34:47
• Frugal Marathon Travel Planning – 35:00 – 38:45
• Reflection On Tracking & Spending Habits – 39:32 – End

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On values-driven spending:
  • “I realized that life is very short… I buy things that I really like or I really enjoy or things that make me happy.” (05:51 – Courtney)
• On cost per wear and routines:
  • “That’s a way to save money in my eyes. That’s girl math, right.” (07:54 – Courtney)
  • “If I’ve worn it and I thought it was a successful look, now I just know I can put this together and I can wear it.” (26:26 – Courtney)
• On experiences over things:
  • “Those are things that people cannot take away from me. You can never take away my experience.” (30:45 – Courtney)
• On practical self-care:
  • “With the massages… I have to do this to maintain and keep my body moving. So I try to go at least once a month.” (23:17 – Courtney)
• On learning from tracking spending:
  • “It was very eye opening… It just gave me an opportunity to pay closer attention to how I spend my money.” (39:32 – Courtney)

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Tone & Language

The conversation is candid, practical, occasionally funny, and always compassionate, echoing the supportive, “real talk” tone HerMoney is known for. Courtney is reflective, humble, and energetic; Jean’s approach is affirming and insightful—focusing on helping listeners learn without judgment.

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Episode Value

• Offers a rich, relatable example of female financial empowerment
• Breaks down the “why” behind money decisions
• Highlights balance: self-care, family support, deliberate indulgence, and future planning
• Opens necessary conversations about women’s unique money journeys

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Recommended for: Women seeking relatable, actionable financial strategies; anyone interested in the intersection of money habits, values, health, and self-worth.

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Transcript

[A]

On June 18, 2023, OceanGate's Titan submersible imploded during an expedition dive to the Titanic, killing all five on board, including OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush. Numerous industry experts and employees from within Oceangate itself had warned Rush of impending doom, citing safety concerns and a lack of testing. His hubris, ego and reckless desire for innovation over all else cost him his life and that of four others. The catastrophic destruction of the Titan submersible sent shockwaves through the ocean exploration industry that are still being felt today. The Oceangate Titan Submersible A Preventable Tragedy. A two part series available now on shipwrecks and sea dogs. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[B]

Hey everyone. Welcome to Her Money. I'm Jean Chatzky. Today we are diving into another another episode of our special series A Week in Her Wallet, where we follow real women from our community as they track their spending for seven days and reflect on how their money habits reveal their values, priorities and goals. This week we're heading to Texas to meet Courtney, a tech manager who makes $212,000 a year. Over the course of her week, she tracked everything from meal prep, groceries, and subscriptions to a flight for a half marathon. You better believe we're going to talk about that. And a spontaneous but meaningful splurge on concert tickets for herself and her daughter, Courtney. Thank you so much for being here.

[C]

Oh, thank you so much for having me. Super excited.

[B]

So I'm looking at you and I'm looking over your shoulder. Tell me about those medals.

[C]

So those are the six medals I, I received. I didn't win any of those, but that's for running the Abbott World Majors. So that's Boston, London, Tokyo, Chicago, Berlin, and New York.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Wow. What was your favorite?

[C]

My favorite is absolutely New York. And I did New York back in 2018 and I didn't even know the majors existed at that time. I just did it because I tried for like five times and I finally got in. And then the following year I met a young lady who had, as you can see, that center medal. And I was like, oh my God, how did you get that? And once she told me, I was like, okay, that's my goal. I need to do the other five.

[B]

Amazing.

[C]

Yes, amazing.

[B]

You must be speedy if you got into Boston.

[C]

I am not speedy, but I am a fundraiser. So I did fundraise for Boston and I raised over $10,000.

[B]

So.

[C]

So it was like a part time job. It was like a part time job, but it was amazing. Yes. Thank You.

[B]

Well, clearly you're a woman who likes a challenge. What made you curious to track your spending with us?

[C]

Because I am a compulsive spender sometimes. And I was like. And I listened to you. Let me just say, I listen to you every Wednesday, every Friday. I am. And it has really helped me with my financial journey. I share the information with friends, family, my daughters. But every time I listen to these women's stories, I'm like, I need to try this. I need to try this. So when I saw the post, I was like, yeah, sign me up.

[D]

Sign me up.

[B]

Amazing. Well, tell me a little bit more about you, your life. What do you do? What does life look like right now?

[C]

So I have to say I feel like I am really blessed because I'm originally from Detroit, born and raised in the city. Me too. Oh, my God. I didn't realize that.

[B]

Yeah, I was born in Detroit.

[C]

Oh, my God. So I went to Canada, Cass Tech, and I grew up in a working class family. My parents, you know, each of them had some substance issues that they worked through, but I grew up basically poor, and my parents worked paycheck to paycheck, and I just didn't want to do that. So I worked really hard. And we moved from Michigan in like, 2009, and my career took us to Georgia, to Idaho, and then to Texas. And we've been here since 17. And I have two daughters. They're 23 and 21. They've both graduated from college. My youngest just graduated in December. So I'm super proud, Mom. But I've managed to do and accomplish some things that I probably didn't dream about as a child. Like, I didn't know that I could do this. And I love to travel and. And running has definitely taken me some places. But last year, I think my biggest trip, I went to Africa for like 10 days with a friend. So that's me. I work. I am a director of technology. And I am not a technologist. I am more of a social person. So again, something I never dreamed I would do. And I feel like I have a really good life. I'm really blessed. And I share the wealth with my friends, with my family. I try to teach my girls the same. I've been married. This year will be 29 years we've been married.

[B]

Congratulations.

[C]

Thank you. It's a lot of work, and I know you know, I know you know, it is a lot of work, but that's about it. I run a few days a week with my friends. I have a big social Group that I run with, and then I go to the gym the other four days and lift weights.

[B]

Boy, oh, boy, I'm getting tired just listening to you. Do you. As you think back on your life, do you think the spending, the compulsiveness of the spending has to do with growing up poor?

[C]

You know what? Sometimes I try to think, like, am I doing this? Because these were things I wish I had growing up, And I don't think so. I think a lot of it is because I realized that life is very short and I'm frugal with certain things. Like, I don't go out to eat much. You know, I don't. I just don't buy things to buy them. I buy things that I really like or I really enjoy or things that make me happy. And I was thinking about it this morning, preparing for this show. I was like, I really love lipstick and handbags. I. I'm truly guilty when it comes to those. And I'm even, you know, working through to say, nope. Do you really need that? Does that really fit in your wardrobe? Is it necessary? But there are some things, like the Bruno Myers tick. I knew I wanted to see Bruno Mars. I know my daughters love Bruno Mars. And I knew he was coming in concert. I just didn't realize the tickets were going on sale that day. And I'm like, oh, I got to get these tickets. But when I was a child, that wouldn't have happened. My parents would not have been able to do things like that for me.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. We're privileged. And it feels very good to be able to do those things in the moment. You just want to make sure that you're not overdoing it.

[C]

Exactly.

[B]

So let's go through your week. There's a lot of routine built into your week. The four days at the weightlifting, the running, the meal prepping. Do you consider yourself a creature of habit?

[C]

I don't. I don't even consider myself to be organized, let alone a creature of habit. But there are some things. Like I said, I've been running for over 30 years.

[B]

And.

[C]

And my husband, when we were dating, I would get up on Saturday mornings and run. And now he's like, I just can't believe that you are still every Saturday, committed to the Saturday run. And I'm like, I absolutely am. I said, because if not, I'm like, now this is a part of life now. This is about my health now. This is about not having diabetes and different diseases. I don't wanna take medication if I don't have to. So that's how I manage that and the eating well figure. In my mind, I'm saving money if I don't have to buy different size clothes. I have clothes in my closet that I've worn for 20 years because I can fit them still. So I'm like, that's a way to save money in my eyes. That's girl math. Right.

[B]

We were just doing a little piece of social video on this whole concept of cost per wear. Right. And it's girl math. It's amortization. It's a real thing. Yeah. On day one, you spent less than $5 on a snack. But what struck me was not the amount. It was that you said that you were actually disappointed that your meals hadn't sustained you and that you reached out to your trainer about it.

[D]

Okay, so it is Monday, January 12, and I am home.

[C]

I've already eaten my dinner, and for

[D]

today I've only spent $4.86 in which I use my Apple Pay on my phone. This is the only money I spent today. And honestly, it was a very small amount. But I am slightly disappointed because I

[C]

meal prep and I take all my

[D]

meals to work, including my breakfast, and I have not had to buy a

[C]

snack on my way home from work in a while.

[D]

I am more disappointed that my meals did not sustain me. So I've already sent a message to my trainer in which she and I

[C]

are scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss.

[D]

But I did let her know I was hungry and I needed to eat. I bought some nuts.

[C]

I didn't eat all of them. I kind of picked through them.

[D]

So I didn't eat all the processed food, pretzels and all that.

[C]

But that's it for today.

[D]

So this is good. I do have some other things planned for the week. I don't typically eat out, but I do have happy hour tomorrow in which

[C]

I don't plan to drink because I am doing dry January. I'm just meeting a friend and then

[D]

I have a birthday party on Friday.

[C]

So I'll update you more tomorrow.

[B]

So tell me a little bit about your attitude toward meals and food and eating and shopping for food and meal prep in general.

[C]

Sure. So I just started with this trainer back in December, but it's not my first trainer. And I've been meal prepping probably over 10 years now. And my mom, my mom passed away back in 2014. But the one thing my mom always said that you eat to live, you don't live to eat. So even growing up as a child, she never brought like pre sweetened cereals. I was the kid that was eating Wheaties and Cheerios and shredded wheat because my mother was very health conscious when it came to food. And you know, she gave me that talk at the door like, you've already eaten, say no thank you. And I was a chubby kid. I was a chubby kid and I struggled with my weight. But now I do realize food is just for energy. I can eat the same thing. Well, I do. I practically eat the same thing every day. It doesn't bother me. I tell people I'm not looking for a party in my mouth. I just need some energy. I just need the energy to work out and to run. And so people think it's crazy, but it makes life so much easier when I can just go in the refrigerator, pull out my meal and keep going. Because I do get up at 4 o' clock every morning to work out. So it makes it easy for me.

[B]

The trainer, how much does that cost and why is this an expense that is in the budget?

[C]

It's okay. So I've tried to do it alone and it works for a little bit, but then I get a little off because there's no accountability. I don't have to send pictures to anyone. I don't have to say, well, I did eat a little bit more, I ate more chips, I ate more tortillas or whatever the case is. So the trainer is $200 a month, but it includes my workouts and my meal plans. And this trainer actually has an app. Her name is Dee Jackson and I followed her on social media before I decided to commit. But she has an app where I can upload my pictures. We communicate and she truly has built a community. Once a month we have calls with other members and she's talking about health weightlifting if you wanna go into bodybuilding. So I am really enjoying it. And she's over 50 like myself. And that makes a difference. That makes a difference. It makes a difference. Yes.

[B]

Shout out to Dee Jackson.

[C]

Yes. I absolutely love her. Yeah, absolutely love her.

[B]

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[D]

Hello, it is Tuesday evening, January 13th and wow, did I spend more money than I anticipated today. Part of that is because some payments came out of my account so I did take the time to look and a few payments included my Sienna massage which is a monthly subscription of $79. And I do get massages regularly or I try to because of the amount of running and lifting weights that I did. So I figured if I get a subscription that will force me to get a monthly massage as my body needs it. So right now I probably have a surplus of maybe three but I will get those. The other was a Zelle payment from when I got my lashes done. 75 got them done over the weekend but the payment just came out of my account, my debit account and this is more of a want and I get my lashes done once a month. I go to the same person. I've been doing this probably for about four, maybe five years so I enjoy the way it makes me feel. The other payment that came out today was from the tailor. That was A total of $101.76. 4 Pair of pants altered. Most of them had to be hemmed. One pair in particular had to be taken in at the waist. This tailor does a really good job. This isn't a regular expense, but those payments are either handled through Venmo or Zelle. And it looks like this one went through Venmo, which. And then my Berkeley Aviator card payment went through, which was $500. And tonight on the way home, I stopped at Costco to buy the food that I use for my meal prep, which is like ground turkey spring mix for my salads. Water. I'd buy a six pack of gallon water because I try to drink a gallon of water per day. And I spent $159 today because I did buy a Kohler stainless steel garbage can. Now it was on sale for $69, in which I've been watching this garbage can since a little before Christmas. Actually around Thanksgiving, I started looking for

[C]

a new garbage can.

[D]

And they were normally about a hundred bucks. So to get this for 70 bucks, 69 dol. Basically $70. It was a good deal. And I had to buy vitamins because I was down to about seven. So I try to reduce my Costco trips. So I got the vitamins and those were on sale for like $10 off the regular price. So I felt good about that. And then the ground turkey, so that was Costco. And as I mentioned yesterday, I went to happy hour. That was $36.70. I stayed true to my dry January go and only had a sparkling water with lime. And me and a friend, former colleague, we shared a couple of tapas, plates of vegetables and I had shrimp. So not a bad amount considering I did not drink. And I'm super happy about that. And I still ate within my meal plan, having just some vegetables and shrimp. And my one guilty pleasure this morning

[C]

was a Starbucks coffee.

[D]

It was $3.19. And once or twice a week I buy coffee. Starbucks because I run with a group at like 5 in the morning. And after we run, we do go into the Starbucks because we actually meet at the Starbucks. So I had coffee morning, but that's not a normal purchase. And I literally just get black coffee, so that's why it's only $3.19. But on a Tuesday, I spent a whopping $954.65. Again, I don't really anticipate. Oh, I do have another payment, a Macy's payment I need to make. And that's like $104.

[C]

I'll probably take care of that tonight.

[D]

And then I don't anticipate too much more for the week, with the exception of going out to a birthday party on Friday. So I will check in again on Wednesday.

[B]

So there's a massage, membership, credit card payment, tailoring, groceries, Costco. Tell me a little bit about your meal prep routine. What are, what are your go tos?

[C]

So ground turkey. And it's interesting because I figured this would come up because I go to Costco, I get my ground turkey from there. I buy liquid egg whites from there, my spring mix from there, and my green beans. But I also have turkey breast that I typically buy from Walmart because they have that tenderloin there. And I buy two. And I figured out because I have five ounces of that, and I'm like, if I buy two of packages of those, that will cover me for a week. That's 7 days, 5 ounces. So I'm like it down to a science with my meals. But and salmon. And I buy salmon also from Costco. I buy the, you know, the frozen filets, but it's just simple. And the difference with the trainer I have now is that the meals don't include like snacks. Like when I was just focused on my macros. I could probably have some Skinny Pop popcorn or a. It was a skinny like peanut butter cup that I used to buy. Now everything is just food. Every meal is food. Either I'm eating ground turkey and green beans or turkey breast with green beans and rice. And the only thing that's a little different is I have yogurt and pineapples. But everything else is just all food. And that's it. She doesn't want you eating processed foods. And it just makes a difference because I notice my energy is a lot higher.

[B]

What does your husband eat?

[C]

My husband is one of those slim men who can eat anything and doesn't gain weight. So he eats potato chips. He actually has a peach cobbler sitting on the counter right now. In the fall, he buys sweet potato pies. He loves sweets. He loves sweets, so he can eat whatever. But he'll occasionally he'll buy wings or he'll fix himself a steak. And you know, the kids are older and I don't cook like big dinner. Sometimes I'll cook on Sundays. Cause my dad lives here in Texas, so sometimes I'll cook so I can take him a plate and make sure he has something good to eat. But my husband will just eat whatever. And if he sees my bag of ground Turkey already prepared. You can see him kind of peeping around like, do you need all this? So I'm like, if you want to have some, he'll throw it on nachos. So he eats whatever. And my oldest daughter meal preps as well. So, yeah.

[B]

You talked about your massage membership because of how much you run and lift weights. And some people I think, would think of that as a luxury. But it sounds like it's really part of maintaining your health. How do you think about spending in that category?

[C]

I think it's necessary because, Jean, I honestly, I'm flat footed. So the first thing is, you know, I invest in my shoes and custom orthotics. But with the massages, when I ran Boss, I ran Boston and London the same year, literally two weeks apart.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[C]

So preparing for that, I was getting a massage leading up to that first race and I stayed a little longer in Boston and then went over to Scotland before going to London. But I got a massage in between the two and I was like, I have to do this to maintain and keep my body moving. So I try to go at least once a month. And especially as I try to lift heavier, I can feel it. So it is, to me, it is necessary.

[B]

I think it's a little bit like cleaning your gutters. Right. It's like these are the things that we do preventively so that because an injury is gonna be much more expensive long term.

[C]

Absolutely, absolutely.

[B]

You mentioned getting your lashes done regularly because you enjoy the way that that makes you feel. And I look, I can relate. I don't do my lashes, but I do get my hair blown out even when I have nowhere to go. So I think that, you know, sometimes we spend because it contributes to confidence and well being. How do you decide what's worth it for you?

[C]

What's worth it for? Oh, you know, I think about the impact. So I work in the office. I go in the office every day. Prior to this role, I was a chief of staff for one of the officers at our company. And I cannot go in a meeting and not look appropriate because before I open my mouth, my appearance is very important. So I think about that. I'm also the chief development officer for our erg. So again, if I am representing my company, this erg, I feel like how I look has to be maintained. So that's when I think about those things. So I keep my nails done, but I just have a very short length. I get the lashes done like once a month is all I do. But my hair is natural. So I don't have not paying for extensions or anything like that. I don't buy trendy clothes. So I've been started this experiment this year and I don't know what you're gonna think of me, but I've literally documented everything I've worn to work since January.

[B]

You know, I think you're right on trend, honestly. I mean, I was talking to our social media manager, Emily about this cost per wear concept just this morning, and they use an app to track the items in their closet and amortize the cost of per wear and get very, very detailed about it. They said it helps an awful lot with building sort of capsule wardrobes to take on trips. I'm totally going to try this. I kind of think it's brilliant. Right? I mean, I do know what my big purchases are that I've amortized over time, but there's some small ones that I think I definitely have not amortized nearly enough. And maybe those things should go to consignment.

[C]

And the thing is, I did it for convenience. I'll spend too much time like, how do I want to wear this? What do I want to wear this? But if I've worn it and I thought it was a successful look, now I just know I can put this together and I can wear it. So my cousin, I was telling her about it and she was laughing. And so one day I was getting dressed, she was like, well, why don't you just go get something from the rotation? Like that's why you did it. I was like, you know, you're absolutely right. Why am I spending my time? And I just go back, I look and I'm like, yeah, I can totally wear this outfit together. So yeah, that's. That is important to me.

[B]

We can all be Alicia Silverstone, right?

[C]

Right. Exactly. Exactly.

[B]

Day four was the day you bought the Bruno Mars tickets, which made that a big spending day.

[C]

Yes. Okay.

[D]

Checking in for Thursday. I spent a little more money than I had anticipated today. However, none of it was wasteful. I spent $820.62. The biggest portion of that was the two tickets I purchased for the Bruno Mars concert. I did not realize the tickets went on sale today.

[C]

I am a huge fan.

[D]

My youngest daughter is a huge fan. She is 21. She did not ask me to buy the tickets, but I know she loves him and I've been wanting to see him and I always miss the sale. So a colleague mentioned to me she purchased pre sale tickets and I went online and wow, they were going on for 12 o' clock. So I purchased two tickets for us. The other was I did a Walmart pickup order and that was $39 and that was just my yogurt and my turkey breast and then household items just like toilet paper. So that was not a huge deal. But then I had a few things that came out of my checking account, including a student loan payment which I'm pretty certain that's for my oldest daughter, but I need to pay that loan off because we do have money left in her 529. So I was just looking at that over the weekend. So I want to pay that off with that remaining money. My toll payment for the car. We have toll roads here in Texas, if you're not familiar. So I pay about $40 a month. I don't necessarily drive and utilize $40 on the toll road, but that is the amount I allow them to withdraw from my account. Sirius XM Radio. Yes, I do have a subscription. It was $26. I just recently had it reduced to $8.62. So that came out today and then audible because over the holidays I was listening to a couple of books and that was $15. I will be checking into that because I did think that audible was less than that. And if it is truly $16, I mean $15. I'm going to finish up this last book that I'm listening to, which is actually work related and I am going to cancel that because I don't need it. I don't utilize it enough.

[B]

Are you an experiences person? Do you spend on things that build memories?

[C]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. That trip to Africa, I didn't even think twice about it. I didn't think twice. It was something on my bucket list. A friend from high school and college said, let' and that was it. And people were like, wow, how much? I was like, I don't care, I'm doing it. And we, you know, we paid for, there was an installment, but I was like, no, I want to do it. And so I had an amazing time. And this year I'm going to Turks and Caicos actually for my birthday. My husband is going, he and I. And you can tell I'm the experienced person because someone said, oh, are you excited? You know, Woody, are you excited about going on this trip? And he was like, mm, I guess. And I was like, I'm totally excited because I've been wanting to go for a few years. So yeah, I will because those are things that people cannot take away from me. You can never take away my experience.

[B]

We are going to take a very quick break, Courtney. When we come back, we'll talk a little bit more about travel. I want to talk about achieving your savings goals as well, so hang with us. We'll be right back. You know those weeks when you really want to eat well, but between work workouts and everything else, cooking just isn't happen thing. I've been leaning on Factor lately for exactly that reason. Factor delivers fresh, fully prepared meals that are designed by dietitians and crafted by chefs so you're eating something completely balanced and satisfying without doing any of the planning or prep. I've especially been loving the Thai roasted vegetable green curry. It's comforting, really flavorful and ready in about two minutes. And those kale and mushroom egg bites. What an easy breakfast. On busy mornings I use this and it really does take one thing off my plate during busy weeks, which honestly is huge. Head to factormeals.com hermoney50off and use code hermoney50OFF to get 50% off and free breakfast for a year. Eat like a pro this month with Factor New subscribers only. Varies by plan. One free breakfast item per box for one year while subscription is active. When I first started HerMoney it felt like I had to figure it all out alone. Scripts, tech, design, promotion. The list was never ending. Every day brought new tasks that I just hadn't planned for. I would have loved having Shopify in my corner. Shopify is like having a built in business partner. It helps you run your online store from top to bottom. Inventory, payments, marketing, analytics, all in one place. They even offer you hundreds of beautiful templates so that your store looks just like you. And if you're stuck, They've got award winning 24. 7 support and tools that simplify your work. From AI written product descriptions to social and email campaigns. Campaigns that actually convert so that you can spend more time growing your dream and less time chasing tech tabs. Start your business today with the industry's best business partner, Shopify and start hearing. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.comhermoney go to shopify.comhermoney that's shopify.comhermoney we are back with Courtney. You mentioned and looking at a student loan that you're planning to pay off and using some remaining funds from a 529 to clear that out. I'm wondering with all the spending goals that you clearly have, how savings goals fit into the picture for you?

[C]

Oh, they are huge for me. So in addition to the 401k that I have through my job. And I have the HSA savings, I have a couple of annuities, I have Roth, I have my IRA, I have a pension from when I worked at DirecTV. And then I have a high yield savings account. So that is very important to me because when I decide to retire and I don't even know what that's going to look like, I've been talking about maybe just pulling back for a little while and saying, you know what, maybe I'll just work three days a week, find some kind of job like that. But I don't want my lifestyle to have to change too much. I want to be able to enjoy a couple vacations during the year. And, you know, I've talked to my husband about, you know, maybe we need to downsize this house. And he doesn't want to move. He's like, where are we gonna go? What will we do? And he really likes Texas. And so that's just more for us to talk about. But yes, savings is important and I talk to my daughters about it all the time.

[B]

So important to get them started early. Late in the week. You travel to Oregon to run a half marathon. And what was impressive was how much planning you did to keep those costs down.

[D]

Happy Saturday and greetings from Salem, Oregon. I arrived this afternoon in Portland. This is simply a day trip that I mentioned in which I'll be running a half marathon tomorrow morning in Turner, Oregon. The hotel accommodations were cared for by some travel points, I think from one of my cards. As far as expenditures today, I only spent $121, which included gum at the airport, which was paid for on my Apple. Pay $24 for a shirt I saw at Zara, because I stopped downtown Portland before coming to my hotel. Hotel that was on my amex. And then $6 at Trader Joe's, which was cash for some water and ginger chews, $4 at Walgreens for Lysol, and $59 to have an assigned seat on American because they assigned me to row 30 to row 32 out of 36 rows. And I did not want to sit all the way in the back of the plane on my way back. And then dinner, which was 25, actually. I ate breakfast before I left home and I ate some snacks on the plane, literally just some eggs and coffee. So I didn't have to buy breakfast. But I actually packed my lunch due to my meal prepping. And I have my breakfast and pre race meal also that I brought along with me. Oh, and I also have my lunch for heading to the airport tomorrow. So all of those expenses will be here for because I brought my own food. So I try to do that when I can when I'm traveling. So tomorrow is my last day in a race is at 8:30 and my flight back home is at 2 o'.

[B]

Clock.

[D]

So I will try to be as efficient as possible to make sure I make it back.

[B]

Used points for your hotel packed meals. You brought pre race food with you. A lot of forethought. Is that always your mo?

[C]

Not always, but I'm always impressed. So a couple things impressed me and it's this probably weird, like when I see somebody who can travel with just one bag, like a backpack, I'm like, man, how do they do that? Can I become that efficient? And so I didn't take just a backpack just because I had my running clothes. And it's, it was chillier. But it's like when I see other people reaching their weight and fitness goals because they pack their food. Like I watched a video of my trainer and I was like, oh my gosh, she took all of that. And I've done that before. Like when I, prior to moving to Texas, I was on a meal plan and I literally brought all my food. I stayed here for like a week interviewing and people were like, you don't

[B]

want to go out to lunch?

[C]

I was like, I brought my lunch. And they were looking at me like, what is wrong with this lady? Like even to my breakfast. So even I'm traveling today for work and I have a few omelets I've already prepared. I have my lunch already ready and I'm only going to be gone for like a day and a half. I feel like, like spending money in the airport for food. $15 for a sandwich, like, absolutely not. I always take my food to the airport. I will not do it.

[B]

And yet you did upgrade to first class.

[C]

Yes. It was a four hour flight and it was 120 bucks. I was like, why not? And plus the ticket was only $200. I was like, this is a cheap ticket in itself. So I kind of look at things like that. Like, does this make sense? And yeah, although I was disappointed I had to pay for a $59 seat on the way back.

[B]

I know those kind of things just piss me off to no end.

[C]

I didn't like that.

[B]

By the end of the week, total spending came in at $2,245 higher than you expected. But including some of those unusual expenses like the concert tickets and the payments that don't happen each Week. When you look back at the week now, what surprised you most about the experience?

[C]

You know what, it was very eye opening, but it also made me think, like, where else can I cut costs? Like, I think I do a pretty good job. Like, I try to reduce my Costco visits to once a week. I try to get gas only once a week, but I drive 54 miles a day. So sometimes I have to get gas a little more often. But I was surprised. I was like, I cannot spend this kind of money every week. Like, fortunately I don't have to, but there are going to be some instances where I do and I'm glad I'm able to do it. One thing I did cut back on because I usually buy like the six pack gallon waters from Costco and so I stopped doing that. You know, I was talking to my daughter and my cousin and I'm like, we have a water filter here in the house, on the refrigerator. We have filter water at work. Like, why am I buying this? And it's only like $5.69. However, I can use that money towards something else, you know, a little bit here. You know, it, it adds up. So it just gave me an opportunity to pay closer attention to how I spend my money and it's definitely keeping me focused on my goals.

[B]

Yes. You've kept it going since.

[C]

Oh yeah, definitely, definitely kept it going. I've not bought any more water. I did my Costco run like over the weekend and because it was a long weekend, so I think I did most of my meal prep on Monday. But like during the week my husband and I, we rarely go out to eat.

[B]

Amazing. Courtney, you're a delight. Thank you so much for spending time with me.

[C]

I totally enjoyed it. Totally enjoyed it. Good luck to you on your runs this summer.

[B]

Thank you. And you as well.

[C]

Thank you. I appreciate it and and appreciate the time.

[B]

If you love today's episode, please take a moment to leave us a five star review on Apple podcast. Your feedback means the world to me. Looking to grow your investing skills and make smarter decisions with Your Money in 2026? Join HerMoney's investing fix, the twice monthly women's only investment club where expert stock pickers pitch ideas and you have help build the portfolio. Since launching four years ago, our member driven picks have outperformed the S P. Thanks to smart collaborative choices, we've got a strong track record and a community that's learning and winning together. Tap the link in the show notes and check out Investing Fix today. Her money is produced by Haley Pascalides and our music is provided by Video Helper. Thanks so much for listening and we'll talk soon.