Loading summary
Transcript75 lines
- [00:00]
Natural Cycles Ad
Meet Natural Cycles, the only FDA cleared and CE marked birth control app that's 100% natural hormone free and side effect free. Here's how it works. The app analyzes daily changes in your body temperature to find your fertile window so you can plan or prevent pregnancy naturally. Natural Cycles is a clinically proven non hormonal birth control option that's 93% effective with typical use and 98% effective with perfect use. No synthetic hormones, just science. And if you're ready to start family planning, switching from preventing to planning a pregnancy is as easy as tapping a button. Plus, the Natural Cycles app makes tracking fertility easy. You can measure your temperature trends using an Oura Ring, Apple Watch or our Bluetooth thermometer, which is free when you sign up for an annual subscription. Join over 4 million registered users who are taking control of their fertility naturally. Save 15% when you sign up with code radio15@naturalcycles.com that's radio 15 for 15% off today. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Knowing you could be saving money for the things you really want is a great feeling. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer, availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state. A heads up before you this podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not financial advisors. You should always do your own research and consult your own financial advisor before spending or investing your money. Please note that all income, financial information and expenses in what We Spend are self reported.
- [01:51]
Courtney Harrell
Last time on what We Spend, we met Michael, the single dad of 10 year old twins who feels caught in a cycle of debt that he's not sure he'll ever get out of. If you missed that episode, pause right now and go back and listen to that so you can get the full story. When we left off, Michael was just about to leave his cruise with all the hidden fees and fun and mishaps that come with traveling with kids. On this episode, Michael returns home to the reality of his life with all his bills and his two jobs and another really big thing his family is navigating right now. Back home, it's much harder for Michael not to feel the weight of his current financial situation and not to think about what it would mean if he could finally be free. I'm Courtney Harrell and this is what we spend. What was money like growing Up.
- [02:49]
Michael
Money in my family is so fascinating. My grandfather was an immigrant, came over on the boat from Italy, has been written up about. He's no longer alive, but he was written up about as the American dream. He had a third grade education, came over on the boat, didn't speak any English, started his own business and became a millionaire.
- [03:14]
Courtney Harrell
The business was an icebox business that turned into a successful furniture business that supported the family. Michael's grandparents were the ones who took care of him and his mom growing up. So everything was always provided for. But even though they had money, things weren't fancy.
- [03:32]
Michael
My grandparents were extremely humble and they never really showed that they had money. They lived in a one story ranch that's actually at the top of the street of my house. It had one bedroom and then like a very small, large closet that my mom slept in. So considered a two bedroom, one bathroom in the house. They were not flashy at all. I cannot remember one time in my entire life that my grandparents went on vacation. Not once.
- [04:11]
Courtney Harrell
His grandparents did say they would always pay for his education. So they put Michael through private school and then college. But they taught him that anything else he wanted had to be worked for.
- [04:22]
Michael
I went to private school. I went to a private boarding school, which they paid for. But while I was there, I was one of three people. The three of us were very close friends. One was a faculty kid and the other was a friend of ours who was on scholarship. The three of us worked in the dining hall, which was so humiliating. We were made fun of. I remember this girl Gretchen coming up and bringing her plate. And they had played with all the food and it was disgusting and I had to take the plate. I was in that little booth, you know, and has a hose and she hands me the stuff and she's like, oh my God, are you gonna touch that? I'm like, yeah, I kind of have to. She's like, ugh, that's disgusting. And I just remember like having that hose and just wanting to spray the shit out of her with the dish hose. I did not. Cause I'm a good person. But I just remember feeling so embarrassed that I was at this fancy private school and washing dishes. And I'm so proud of that now. I'm so grateful that I did that.
- [05:35]
Courtney Harrell
Michael's grandpa died when he was in college. And that's when he found out there wasn't a clear will or any plan for the family money.
- [05:43]
Michael
They were super old school. Like they would tape money underneath the drawer so like people couldn't find it. If they broke in the house. So like every moment they die, we're going through like pulling out drawers and looking into the drawers and looking behind things. My grandmother kept, you know, she did have a diamond ring. She kept it in a suitcase in her closet because who's gonna look in a suitcase for a diamond ring? Nobody. She kept stuff in the refrigerator in like, you know, like mayonnaise jars. Like crazy, crazy shit. But the long story short, it's a very complicated story legally, but there was a family feud upon the death of my grandparents and we were written out of their will.
- [06:25]
Courtney Harrell
Oh, wow.
- [06:26]
Michael
It was extremely painful and we didn't get any of that money.
- [06:35]
Courtney Harrell
Wow. I'm really struck by. You didn't inherit any of the money, but to have your kind of most influential parental figure growing up be literally the poster child for the American dream. And then for you to be quite literally living in the shadow of that now that you're living down the street, that's so much pressure.
- [07:03]
Michael
Yeah.
- [07:03]
Courtney Harrell
I wonder if that's part of the shame for you.
- [07:09]
Michael
I've never thought about that. What I do know is when I told my grandfather that I wanted to be a teacher, he was so unhappy. He was really unhappy with that decision. He wanted me to be one of two things. He wanted me to run a funeral home, to be like, you know, an undertaker because he said it was a very secure job. People are always going to die. He wanted me to do that or be a chiropractor. And when I said I was going to be a teacher, it was a very big issue in my family. It did not go over well.
- [07:49]
Courtney Harrell
But then, like now, Michael loved teaching and he decided to stick with it even though it was never going to be the thing that made him the most money. And he's still living with the consequences of that choice. Today we're picking back up with day three of Michael's diaries. It's a Friday and him and the kids are traveling back home from the cruise.
- [08:19]
Michael
This one comes with a warning that it's going to be a massive ramble. I am physically, emotionally, financially, just pretty beaten up today. I, I feel like a pinata at a five year old's birthday party that has just been beaten. We woke up this morning at 7am and had to get everything ready and be out of our cabin on the cruise ship by 7:30. And returning from vacation I think is always hard. I always have, you know, like a hard time entering reality again and feel like I get emotionally punched as soon as it's over and have to kind of step out of the fantasy world and enter the world of reality and going back to working two jobs. And I just sat down and did the finances for day for today, and just. It's rough. It's going to be rough, but here we go. Like I said, we got up early.
- [09:28]
Courtney Harrell
On the way home from the Cruise. Michael spent $116.70 on an Uber to the airport. And once they were there, a pass to an airport lounge so the twins could have breakfast.
- [09:40]
Michael
When we landed in Boston, again, sucker punch. It was 25 degrees. It was freezing. And, you know, leaving 80 degrees in the morning and coming back to 25 degrees, just, it sucks. There's no other way to say it's rough. And I got a message from my therapist. He must have sensed that I was going to need him. However, the message was to tell me that I had forgotten our appointment yesterday when I was feeding sharks with my children and watching them swim for two minutes. I had forgotten I had therapy and didn't let them know. So another punch. There's $150 for missing that appointment. And I just have to call those three rum punches on the boat. That was my therapy yesterday. Then we came home and went over to see my mom, who is the love of my children's life, and, and they are for her. So we kind of went right over to see her. And while we were there, she handed me a bill that I owe her. While I was away, she and my brother took my car to have some work that needed to be done on it. And that bill that I owe her for is $549.15. But the fun did not stop there.
- [11:17]
Courtney Harrell
Michael also had to pay for the ride home from the airport, his mortgage payment, and some food and medicine from cvs.
- [11:23]
Michael
So adding all of that up was just really depressing. Tonight, the total is $3,100.32. And that is more than I make a month as a teacher. And this is exactly why I hate keeping track of my finances. And I don't do it because it just, I spin, I spin into kind of despair, and I lose my positive manifestation outlook of abundance is coming, abundance is coming, coming. And, and I kind of lose that whole perspective. And I do have to remind myself that I, I, I figure things out and I make things work, and it's who I am. But I, I, I get so frustrated because I am so organized in everything else in my life when it comes to keeping track of money. I can't do it. It's, I just get overwhelmed. So how do we deal with being overwhelmed? We eat coffee cakes from cvs. That was the plan. I executed the plan. And now I'm going to take my beaten up pinata self and go to bed after I finish doing some laundry. Happy Day three. You know that feeling when someone shows up for you just when you need it most? That's what Uber is all about. Not just a ride or dinner at your door. It's how Uber helps you show up for the moments that matter. Because showing up can turn a tough day around or make a good one even better. Whatever it is, big or small, Uber is on the way. So you can be on yours. Uber on our way. Hey, what's up flies? This is David Spade. Dana Carvey. Look at I know we never actually left, but I'll just say it. We are back with another season of Fly on the Wall. Every episode, including ones with guests, will now be on video. Every Thursday you'll hear us and see us chatting with big name celebrities. And every Monday you're stuck with just me and Dana. We react to news, what's trending, viral clips follow and listen to Fly on the Wall everywhere you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com switch upfront payment.
- [14:21]
Natural Cycles Ad
Of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent.
- [14:23]
Courtney Harrell
To $15 per month required new customer.
- [14:24]
Natural Cycles Ad
Offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra see mintmobile.com.
- [14:30]
Michael
Today is day 4 and the day started off great because I actually slept last night for the first time since that cruise started, so was really grateful for a good night's sleep. Grateful that my 10 year olds let me sleep in this morning. Of course I did threaten them last night putting them to bed that they would never see college if they woke me up. They may never see it anyway because I'm not going to be able to afford it. But they don't know that yet. So slept in until about 9, which was amazing. Got up, had my cup of coffee and went on Amazon because I needed a couple things and me on Amazon can always be a little bit dangerous. I really have to watch myself.
- [15:28]
Courtney Harrell
Which he did on Amazon. Michael limited himself to Some socks, an outlet extender, and some electrolyte powder packets for a total of $60.18. Then he also had to pay a $330 bill to the chiropractor that he sees for chronic back pain.
- [15:45]
Michael
They're not going to be able to help my financial pain, but I'm hoping they will help my physical pain.
- [15:50]
Courtney Harrell
On day four, Michael also spent $24.46 on food to eat at a family dinner. He invited his mom and sister over to celebrate his sister's birthday and to talk about the cruise.
- [16:02]
Michael
Our conversation over dinner turned to a part of our lives that is kind of interesting and beautiful all at the same time. So when my kids were born, I had two boys and around the age of two started saying that he was a girl.
- [16:32]
Courtney Harrell
A note that we are censoring the kids names here for their privacy.
- [16:36]
Michael
And I was totally cool with that and said, you can be whoever you want to be as long as you're kind. And that has been our family motto that has been repeated over and over and over and over again. Be who you want to be, just be kind. And so, long story longer. A couple years ago, you know, we were driving home from school and he said, dad, you know how I tell you I'm a girl on the inside? And I said, yeah. He said, well, I want to be a girl on the outside. I said, great. What does that look like for you? What does that feel like for you? And we had a great conversation about it, and that is how the transition slowly started. I know with every fiber of my being that my child is a girl and she now presents as a girl. She is known by friends and family as a girl and accepted very well at school. Things have gotten complicated in this current administration declaring that there are only two genders. And so it has been tough to imagine the future and what this is going to look like. And this is where it kind of ties into my finances is there. There are going to be a lot of things coming up that are going to be financially really hard. So all of this is leading to a conversation that came up tonight where my daughter started sharing one of the stories that happened as we were getting on the boat on the cruise and when we flew this time, I was very anxious to fly with and hated to do it, but had a conversation with her about what's going on and the bill that has been passed against trans people participating in sports. And I've really protected her from all of this. But when you're traveling, it just is scary. As the parent of a trans child, it's really scary right now. So we've had to have conversations about the bathroom and knowing that when we go through the airport, her ticket and her documentation says mail. And so I hated to ask my kid to code switch, but we had a great conversation about kind of dressing as a boy as we go through the airport, and that was really hard. She was great about it. She understood. She wore her brother's sweatpants and a soccer shirt, put her hair up under a hat, and to be honest with you, she seems unfazed. I know this will end up in therapy later, but it was heartbreaking for me to have to do this. We got through all fine.
- [19:40]
Courtney Harrell
They got through the airport, but Michael didn't think about the fact that because the cruise was making stops in the Bahamas, they would also need to show their passports to board the ship.
- [19:50]
Michael
They were looking at them, and the woman was. Got to and was looking at her passport, looking at her, looking at her passport, looking at her, and said, I'll be right back, and was gone for about 10 minutes. And it was grueling. Looked scared and anxious and kept asking me if it was going to be okay. I kept assuring her that it was probably just, you know, they were checking something out and that it was going to be okay.
- [20:19]
Courtney Harrell
The woman came back and asked Michael and his daughter to follow her to another room.
- [20:24]
Michael
And when we got there, there were like five people standing behind a computer waiting for us. And the woman brought us up. And the woman was being very, very nice, but I. I just felt sick, absolutely sick to my stomach, more so just that my kid was having to go through what I knew was about to happen. And I said, is there a problem? And he said, well, there's a problem because the passport says mail. And I said, yes, I know that. And he said, well, that is not matching. And I said, we are who we are, and we do not have a problem with it. We are okay with who we are. And I just was very stern, kind of looked at him, and he said, okay, okay. We just needed to check. And then the woman kind of leaned into me and she said, you know, there's a lot of child trafficking that happens on cruise ships, and we just need to be. Be safe and make sure, which I'm sure is true and which I truly appreciate, truly appreciate that at the same time, they weren't checking to make sure he wasn't being trafficked or he, you know, there was no checking of my other. My. My friend's kids. There was no other way to interpret it other than this is a trans child who can no longer have a passport that says X and now has to have a passport that says male, and we can't change it. So that was really hard. And all of that led into this conversation with my family where my mom, who is incredibly accepting, incredibly loving of and buys girl clothes for her and takes her to get her nails done and does all this amazing stuff with her to show her love and acceptance. And at the same time, my mom is a. A trumper, and none of us understand it, and it's really hard for our family, and we don't get it. And it devolved into this conversation where my mom wasn't understanding really, why this was scarring and difficult for. So that was kind of how the night ended. And I don't hold this against my mom in any way because I know how much she loves my kids. I just wish that she could understand what this process is like for me as a parent and what it's going to be like for her granddaughter.
- [22:55]
Courtney Harrell
It sounds like a really, really scary time to be a parent of a trans kid. What is the biggest challenge for you? Right.
- [23:07]
Michael
I mean, everything at this point. I'm not gonna cry. Not gonna cry. I'm so afraid for her safety. I'm so afraid when she goes to the bathroom. You know, before it was easier because she would just come into the bathroom with me. That's no longer an option because it would be weird. So we try to find a family bathroom wherever we go, but that's not always an option. I'm afraid. Traveling now, and you know, what I'm finding is also challenging, are not the things that everybody thinks about. They're the things that you don't think about that everybody else just takes for granted. We had to buy a bathing suit on vacation. That was really hard. Yeah. Because I had to insist on a bathing suit that comes with a skirt. The worries are deep and vast. The anxiety is deep and vast. And I don't know how to navigate what we're currently going through. And my escape is constantly think about moving.
- [24:37]
Courtney Harrell
I'm so sorry.
- [24:38]
Michael
Thank you. But, you know, I constantly tell her, you are. You are loved and you are safe, and you can be whoever you want to be. Just be kind. And sometimes she struggles with the kind part, but overall, don't we all. Very kind. We all do. Yes. I'm finding it harder every day.
- [25:01]
Courtney Harrell
You talked a little bit about the dynamic with your mom, but it did make me wonder specifically how you talk about the finances of supporting her transition with your family or if you do.
- [25:15]
Michael
I don't. We. We don't discuss the finances of what's coming. I think partly that is because I don't really know financially what that is going to look like. You know, our next step, we are waiting for puberty. Only Jesus knows when that's going to happen. When puberty happens, she will go on puberty blockers right now. You know, there will be insurance help with that. I don't know for how long. Then hormone treatment happens, and then I think more down the road of when she's 18, there will be a choice. It doesn't have to happen at 18. It can happen at any moment in her life. Will she want surgery? I'm sure there will be a top surgery. Will she choose bottom surgery? And I think about this all the time. Like, how am I going to pay for that? Yeah, I worry about college for them. How am I going to pay for college? You know, my. We are dual citizens with Italian passports. So college is way more affordable in Europe. That was the plan. But my daughter has a male passport for Italy and they're definitely not. They're. They're more conservative even than here. So will she be able to go to college in Europe with a male passport being female? No. Will my son. Yes. But I don't know what will happen for her. So there are college concerns, and then on top of that, there are surgery concerns financially and there are medication concerns financially. Not to mention that girl clothes are more expensive than boy clothes by a lot often and a lot more challenging.
- [27:30]
Courtney Harrell
Yeah.
- [27:31]
Michael
Like when I thought my kid was gay, I was like, oh, I got this. I'm gay. I can handle this. I know how to help you. But I am not trans. I don't know what it feels like to be a trans person. And it's a world that I'm learning as we go along. So I don't know. I'm kind of lost.
- [27:53]
Courtney Harrell
You sound like a really good dad.
- [27:56]
Michael
Oh, thank you. I think I have moments, and then I have moments where I could definitely do better. The Hoover Dam wasn't built in a day, and the GMC Sierra lineup wasn't built overnight. Like every American achievement, building the Sierra 1500, heavy duty and EV was the result of dedication. A dedication to mastering the art of engineering. That's what this country has done for 250 years and what GMC has done for over 100. We are professional grade. Visit GMC.com to learn more. Assembled in Flint, Hamtronic, Michigan. And Fort Wayne, Indiana, of US and globally sourced parts.
- [28:42]
Natural Cycles Ad
Savor every last drop of summer with Starbucks.
- [28:45]
Michael
From bold refreshers to rich cold brews, the sunniest season only gets better with a handcrafted ice beverage in your hand. Available for a limited time. Your summer favorites are ready at Starbucks.
- [28:58]
Courtney Harrell
Day five.
- [29:00]
Michael
So today was kind of like exactly what I needed Sunday to be. I did not do a lot, and that's kind of what I like on a Sunday. It's just kind of a slow Sunday. The kids let me sleep in again. Miracle.
- [29:17]
Courtney Harrell
And after his leisurely morning, Michael went to the grocery store where he spent $205.59. And then when he was back, 35.99 more on some protein powder from Amazon.
- [29:30]
Michael
I was laughing when I got home. And usually I throw my grocery receipt away because it just. I don't need it. I don't want to see it. I don't think about it. Um, but for this, for this diary, I. I was looking at it and had this memory of my grandmother when we were kids. We would go with her to the grocery store and when we got home, it was our job to check the receipt. So she would pull things out of the bag. And so let's say, let me pull something on my list here. She would pull out mini croissants, and then she would make us find the mini croissants on the receipt. She would tell us the price and have us check the price. So my mini croissants were $4.49. And we would spend all the time that was necessary going through that receipt. And if my grandmother found that she had somebody had made a mistake, we literally would go back to the grocery store so she could get her five cents. Not exaggerating, not joking. This is the way I grew up. So this is the end of day five, two four, one five eight.
- [31:01]
Courtney Harrell
Something that was so striking to me was that your grandma used to give you the receipts from shopping trips and be like, help me check the prices. Which couldn't be more opposite from what you do. And.
- [31:17]
Michael
Yeah.
- [31:20]
Courtney Harrell
What do you think's happening there?
- [31:22]
Michael
Wow.
- [31:22]
Courtney Harrell
How did you get to a completely opposite approach?
- [31:25]
Michael
That's so interesting because my grandmother was very tight with money. And that is proof of that, that you are checking your grocery receipt. I must unconsciously really reject that because, you know, when I've tried to keep track of my finances and I keep the receipts, it's so annoying to me to have all those receipts everywhere and I end up just throwing them out. It's like, so annoying. I mean, I wish I had that skill. Maybe I should channel my inner grandmother and turn things around a little bit. I'm gonna make my kids go through my receipts. They'll be like, oh, my God, Dad.
- [32:10]
Courtney Harrell
Day six.
- [32:12]
Michael
So this morning, I should have been going back to school, but had a doctor's appointment. It was a virtual doctor's appointment and one that was pretty important for our family. For over a year, we've been on a wait list for the program for trans youth. I feel such relief that we are finally in process of being under care of such a great, great hospital and a great program. There was a lot of kind of rumors that the program was shutting down due the new administration and that they were canceling appointments. However, that was kind of misinformation that was in the. In the news, and it was really that families were canceling their appointments because they were feeling scared to go in. There's been a lot of situations in the past year here where families have gone in and been met with protesters and people who are, you know, against trans people. And it just makes me so sad. At the same time, I will not be intimidated, and I will bring my child whenever we need to go.
- [33:38]
Courtney Harrell
Michael and his daughter didn't have to face any protesters for this appointment because it was virtual. The doctor talked to them about next steps for Michael's daughter, including puberty blockers whenever puberty hits.
- [33:50]
Michael
A lot of misinformation about puberty blockers. They are reversible and really just kind of give everybody. I've been describing it as giving everybody a chance to take a breath and just see where we are and where we're going. So that was kind of how the day started. And then it got pretty boring after that. That was kind of the excitement of the day. I needed to have some keys made and buy some paintbrushes. So I went to our local hardware store and did that, and that was a total of $24.58.
- [34:31]
Courtney Harrell
Michael also spent $39.80 on some groceries and paid $280 to someone for preparing his tax return, bringing his total for the day to $344.38.
- [34:46]
Michael
As I'm on day six, I. The reason why I don't keep track of my money is because of the panic and anxiety it's causing me this week to do this. You know, being aware is terrifying, to be honest with you. Being aware of my money this past week has definitely. Terrified, I think, is a good word. It is very clear that more goes out than comes in, which is why I am in so much debt. So that's it. That's my panic moment. And I'm going to be grateful for the appointment that we had today, and I'm not going to allow the financial anxiety to overshadow the positive moment that we had today, because I am so grateful that is going to be getting the care and the attention that she needs and that she deserves as a young, young woman. So one more day to go. Today was the first day back to school after spring break. And it was good. It was good to get back and get the kids into their routine and for me to get into my routine. But if I'm being 100% honest, I. I just want to retire. I have been working since I was 13 years old. I've been teaching for over 30 years. And I love teaching Spanish. It is my passion. But I'm at the point in my career where I would love to just be doing tutoring and online teaching. I'm not in that position because, you know, me working at the school allows my kids to go there at a reduced rate, and they would never be able to go to the school if it weren't for that. So I kind of just gotta suck it up, and I'm doing this for them. You know, I. I am so far from retiring. Even though I'm 56, I. I just. I get confused by people who say they would be bored if they retired. That is not me, probably because I'm an older dad and I just, you know, been. The past 10 years have been really hard, so I cannot imagine being bored if I did not have to work. There's so many things I want to do. You know, I would go to the gym and work out and learn Italian and, you know, just sit. I think I would just sit in silence for, like, half of the day and then get up and, you know, do a workout and study some Italian. And I also think I'd be able to be more attentive to my kids because working two jobs right now, you know, takes a toll on how much time I get to spend with them. But that is not going to happen very soon.
- [38:07]
Courtney Harrell
On day seven, Michael spent $670 on a bill for a treatment for his chronic back pain and $20.91 on melatonin.
- [38:16]
Michael
I have to say, like, I feel embarrassed. I feel kind of ashamed at how much money I'm seeing go out and how little money is coming in. Kind of makes me sick to my stomach. Yeah. So not exactly how I wanted to ended my final recording. But there you have it. That is me swimming in my world of finances, but not really swimming, kind of just like treading water, holding my head up, trying not to drown. Great image.
- [38:53]
Courtney Harrell
I would like to apologize for the pain I feel that I caused you by making you track your finances for the week.
- [39:00]
Michael
It was really painful.
- [39:05]
Courtney Harrell
You ended your last diary by saying that you are treading water and you are holding your head up and trying not to drown. And I would love to end on a different image with you. And so I'm wondering if together we can imagine a world instead that you are floating on the water, not jumping.
- [39:27]
Michael
Off the balcony of the cruise ship.
- [39:29]
Courtney Harrell
Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [39:31]
Michael
Okay.
- [39:31]
Courtney Harrell
I like that we're in some kind of like, peaceful scene. And I wonder, like, okay, if you are imagining a life for yourself where instead of just trying to keep your head above the water, you are floating, what do you think that life would look like?
- [39:48]
Michael
So I don't need excess amount of money. So what would feel good for me to go with your image is I would like to be in an inner tube, you know, one of those floaty things. Probably a pink flamingo to go along with the gay theme. Or a unicorn, you know, one of those floating unicorns. I would like to be floating on top of the water with a good aperol spritz in my hand. I don't need anybody serving me. I don't need, you know, a tray floating next to me, you know, with a plate of hors d' oeuvres. I just want to be in the float, out of debt and able to provide and live a balanced, financially responsible life. And I feel at peace and I am okay. And that's my new image.
- [40:59]
Courtney Harrell
Michael's total for the week was $5,600 $383.97. What we spend is an Odyssey original podcast. It's written and hosted by me, Courtney Harrell. Our producers are Margot Gray and Kristen Torres. Our editor is Jonathan Menhivar. Our executive producers are Maddie Sprunkiser and Leah Reese Dennis. Theme song and original Music by Matt McGinley. Additional music from ABM Music Mixing by Pedro Alvira. Special thanks to Melissa Akiko Slaughter, Joel level, Genoe Sperman, J.D. crowley, Maura Curran, Josephina Francis, Kurt Courtney, Hilary Sheff, Sean Cherry, Laura Berman and Hilary Van Ornam. If you want to be on what We Spend, we'd love to hear from you. Write us atwhatwe spend podcastmail.com and tell us us about yourself.
- [42:03]
Emma Greed
I'm Emma Greed and I'VE spent the last 20 years building, running and investing in some incredible businesses. I've co founded a multi billion dollar unicorn and had my hand in several other companies that have generated hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. The more success I've had, the more people started coming to me with questions. How do you start a business? How do you raise money? How do I bounce back from failure? So it got me thinking. Why not just ask the people I aspire to the most? How did they actually do what they do? I'm so incredibly lucky to know some of the smartest minds out there, and now I'm bringing their insights along with mine, unfiltered, directly to you. On my new podcast, Aspire with Emma Greed. I'll dive into the big questions everyone wants to know about success in in business and in life. Through weekly conversations. You'll get the tangible tools, the real no BS stories, and undeniable little hacks that actually help you level up. Listen to and follow Aspire with Emma Greed An Odyssey Podcast available now wherever you get your podcasts.