The Clark Howard Podcast: 12.17.25 – Household $ Saving Tips / Housing: Buying Vs Renting

Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Clark Howard
Episode Theme:
Clark Howard and Team Clark dive deep into creative household money-saving tips from listeners and address the long-debated financial quandary: is it better to rent or buy a home in today’s market? The episode brings practical, real-world advice based on current economic challenges, while fielding nuanced questions from the Clark audience about major consumer and housing decisions.

Episode Overview

Clark Howard brings his signature practical, positive approach to personal finance, focusing on:

• Extreme (and practical) household savings strategies sourced from his audience, showcasing the breadth of "Clarkie" frugality.
• A deep dive into the pros and cons of renting versus buying a home in 2025's evolving real estate landscape.
• Listener questions around travel savings, insurance, and making tough decisions in American homeownership.

1. Listener Money-Saving Tips: How Far is Too Far?

[01:11–08:02]

Main Points:

• Clark and his co-host share inventive savings hacks from audience members, inspired by tightening household budgets and rising costs.
• A Wall Street Journal article highlighting product dilution trends (laundry detergents, soaps) prompts Clark to share his own experiments with stretching household products further.
• The show reads a wide variety of audience-submitted saving tips, covering everything from reusing everyday items to outsmarting high prices at restaurants.

Notable Quotes:

• “People are taking various liquid products and diluting them to make them stretch further ... I’m now tearing the dryer sheets in half.”
  — Clark Howard [02:23]

• “Do we have the greatest listeners and viewers? ... Our listeners and viewers are cheaper than I am.”
  — Clark Howard [06:20]

Audience Tips Highlighted:

• Angela: “I use my drying rack for all my clothes and bedding.”
• Jill: “I’ve been making my own laundry detergent and using white vinegar as my fabric softener since the 80s.”
• Bruce: “Reusing placards, floss – they wash off fine and work for several future uses.”
• Rachel in Texas: “Brew coffee at home and use double filters to reduce the coffee grounds needed.”
• Jackie in California: “Forage for fruit and berries on public land.”
• MK: “Wash and reuse Ziploc bags.”
• Joyce: “Bring my own soda to restaurants, saves almost $3 per drink.”
• John: “Keep gas water heater on vacation setting except right before showering.”
• Jed: “Reuse washing machine water to flush toilet and save shower water for morning coffee.”

Memorable Moment:
Co-host commits to turning these audience hacks into a follow-up article and encourages more submissions:
“Oh, we’ve got to put more of these in there. If you have more, we’ll put a link to the survey in the show notes.”
— Co-host [07:05–07:10]

2. Q&A Lightning Round: Cruises, Rentals, and Your Financial Toolbox

[08:02–15:31]

Cruise Prices Post-Pandemic

[08:54–12:06]

• Clark explains how the cruise industry recovered post-COVID by dynamically raising prices, unbundling perks, and filling cabins amid soaring demand.
• “Cruise lines have become a profit machine like it’s never been ... Once you are comfortable with a particular cruise line, use the calendar as your friend—not by picking a date, but by picking the deal.”
  — Clark Howard [11:24]

Top Takeaway:

• Cruise deals can still be found if you remain flexible on travel dates and focus on less popular sailings.

Rental Car Insurance Trends

[12:06–12:53]

• Growing trend of rental car companies requiring proof of personal auto insurance at pickup.
• Clark’s tip: “I have a copy of my insurance card in my Google Photos for when I travel.”
  — Clark Howard [12:34]

Credit Card Medical Coverage Abroad

[12:53–13:29]

• Listener question about emergency medical coverage provided by credit cards during travel.
• Clark: “The Chase Sapphire Reserve is best known for reimbursing unexpected medical expenses—up to $2,500—if you pay the trip in full with that card.”
  — Clark Howard [13:22]

3. Deep Dive – Should You Buy or Rent a Home Now?

[17:43–22:03]

Clark’s Framework for the Decision:

• Assess Local Market: “Depends on your local market … in a lot of markets now, rent is effectively half the cost of buying a home.”
  — Clark Howard [17:50]
• Time Horizon: Consider how long you’ll stay in the home or area.
• Financial Readiness: “Are you financially in a position to handle the mortgage, taxes, insurance, plus the hiddens?”
  — Clark Howard [21:00]
• Job Stability: Rent is safer if your employment situation is uncertain.
• Budget Discipline: If renting, “extra emphasis on budgeting for saving and investing” is key.

Memorable Stat:

• “The average age of a first-time homebuyer is now 40.”
  — Clark Howard [21:36]

Core Message:
If renting is much cheaper, use the savings to build your financial future. There’s nothing wrong with renting, despite old societal pressures to “buy.”

4. Listener Housing Questions – Real-World Dilemmas

[22:03–27:25]

a) Upsizing in an Expensive Market

• Rob in Virginia: Family wants to upsize to a $900k–$1M home, stay in the school zone, and has a sizeable down payment, but is wary of high costs.
• Clark: “Seven years is a long time, but what’s it do to your overall financial picture? … What’s it going to do to your budget every month if you do have that much higher monthly payment?”
  — Clark Howard [23:14]

b) Overextending on a Home Purchase

• Perplexed in Pittsburgh: Bought a $475k house, now feeling squeezed. Considering selling at a loss and moving into one of their rentals.
• Clark: Advised to weigh lost rental income against reduced expenses and to “sit down and think through how much net we’d actually save.”
  — Clark Howard [25:15]

c) Building an ADU in Southern California

• Jay in California: Considering an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) for family or rental income, but worried about the investment.
• Clark: "Your home is worth $800,000 because the land it sits on ... ADUs pay off as long as the budget doesn’t get out of hand."
  — Clark Howard [27:25]
• ADUs can generate future rental income or flexibility for family, but cost discipline is crucial.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “People always say to me, ‘Clark, you’re so cheap’ … I take it as a compliment.”
  — Clark Howard [06:20]

• “If you’re renting, extra emphasis on budgeting for saving and investing … as important as buying food or paying utility bills.”
  — Clark Howard [21:50]

• “Densification” is changing residential zoning, making ADUs more common, especially in California.

Segment Timestamps

• Money-Saving Audience Tips: [01:11–08:02]
• Cruises and Deal-Hunting Tips: [08:54–12:06]
• Rental Car Insurance Trends: [12:06–12:53]
• Credit Card Medical Benefits: [12:53–13:29]
• Renting vs. Buying Deep Dive: [17:43–22:03]
• Listener Housing Questions: [22:03–27:25]

Overall Tone & Style

Clark’s tone throughout is accessible, upbeat, and a little self-deprecating, always focused on empowerment: “It’s all about what we do to help you save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off.”

Useful Resources Mentioned

• More money-saving tips: Clark.com newsletter
• Submit your own tip or story: Survey link via show notes
• Real deals and shopping advice: ClarkDeals.com

For listeners seeking practical tips or facing major financial decisions in housing, this episode delivers crowd-sourced wisdom, current market analysis, and the clarity Clark Howard is known for.