Under the Influence (with Jo Piazza) - November 03, 2024


Sunday Nice Things: Frugal Friends

Topics
A Very Influencer Halloween with Sara Petersen You Deserve All the Hope

Episode Stats


Length

51 minutes

Words per minute

155.22

Word count

8,071

Sentence count

400

Harmful content

Misogyny

6

sentences flagged

Hate speech

1

sentences flagged


Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
00:00:00.000 Hello, hello, hello. A happy Sunday before the election, my friends. I hope that everyone
00:00:11.260 is taking care of themselves. You deserve nice things today. You deserve nice things
00:00:16.840 for the rest of your life. You do. We deserve a nice transition of democracy. But that is
00:00:23.500 not what we're talking about today. No, because you need a break. We all need a break. Today
00:00:27.980 I'm dropping an episode of the Frugal Friends podcast in your feed. I love this podcast because
00:00:33.440 it focuses on the opposite of what we get from Instagram and TikTok, which is under consumption.
00:00:39.740 Yes, Instagram and TikTok, we know they're just advertising companies that want to sell us stuff.
00:00:44.580 That's what I think about every time I open my phone. I'm like, oh, they're going to try to get
00:00:48.160 me to buy something today. They're going to try to get me to buy that flowery dress that's made
00:00:53.560 really crappily where the buttons are all going to fall off. And yeah, I'm talking about Doan. 0.99
00:00:57.980 Yeah, those dresses be $400 and they fall apart on me, okay? They do. They do. I've been tricked.
00:01:05.540 I've been tricked many a time by the Instagram and the TikToks.
00:01:09.260 But we're not talking about buying things today. Today I'm introducing you to the Frugal Friends
00:01:13.300 podcast, and this episode is about under-consumption core. Yes, the opposite of over-consumption. It
00:01:20.640 is about buying only what you need and then using it until it's worn out or requires mending or
00:01:25.960 replacement. It is about intention and minimalist wardrobe challenges, DIY upcycling projects,
00:01:32.640 and thrifting. They've got some hacks for you on keeping a list to stay mindful of your consumption
00:01:38.660 and planning spending. So if you need a break from election doom scrolling and you want an
00:01:43.540 excuse to clean out your closet, here you go. Episode 436, Under Consumption Core 101.
00:01:55.960 Welcome to the Frugal Friends Podcast, where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity, and live a richer life.
00:02:07.940 Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill.
00:02:14.300 Welcome to the Frugal Friends Podcast. My name is Jen.
00:02:17.340 My name is Jill.
00:02:18.260 And today we are doing something we don't do very often, but we are talking about a trending topic
00:02:24.000 that we want to keep trending. Or by the time this episode comes out, it may not be trending
00:02:30.120 anymore. It's under Consumption Core. And today we're going to talk about what it is,
00:02:35.840 why it's gaining popularity, why you should care about it, if you are already practicing it,
00:02:41.020 what you can do to spread this message. To be fair, I don't really care whether or not people
00:02:46.800 keep talking about it on social media. I more so care about whether or not we're incorporating
00:02:52.300 practices into our lives that are going to benefit us, benefit our communities. It's cool
00:02:58.400 when something like this becomes highlighted and featured and in some ways applauded. I know that
00:03:07.060 there's holes to poke in it, but I think that a lot of what we've talked about on this podcast,
00:03:12.300 a lot of what you listeners have really held up as far as frugality goes is highly connected to
00:03:20.060 under consumption core. So I feel like a lot of us can just feel like validated in it. But I think,
00:03:26.000 yeah, there's a lot we want to say on it. And we'll get there. We'll poke the holes. We'll
00:03:30.740 elevate what needs to be elevated. This is a 101 and a 201 because we recognize that as a frugal 0.73
00:03:37.040 friends listener, you are already doing most of this. And so here's what you can do next if you
00:03:42.900 want a next step too. But first, this episode is brought to you by none other than the influencers
00:03:49.220 themselves, the people who don't care if you follow them, because they're just out here living
00:03:54.460 their lives, non-aesthetically, drinking from whatever cups they can find, using mismatched
00:03:59.300 towels, wearing shoes they bought three years ago, and encouraging you that you're enough
00:04:05.120 is enough. They're pushing against overconsumption and showing us how. And if you need to be
00:04:11.880 influenced by some de-influencers, you should probably attend the virtual Get Organized Summit
00:04:17.120 that's running the week of September 9th. They've got over 100 speakers, including yours truly,
00:04:24.620 Jen and I are on this virtual summit with over 100 speakers talking about home spaces,
00:04:30.580 well-being, managing day-to-day tasks. It's all the de-influencing and contentment-creating
00:04:36.500 inspiration that we need to reduce our consumption, maybe even our spending. So if you want to attend
00:04:42.280 this virtual conference for free, go to frugalfriendspodcast.com slash go HQ. You'll
00:04:48.440 get to see our smiling faces and so many other smiling faces. This will be like the right next
00:04:54.400 step to this podcast episode. Absolutely. Yes. frugalfriendspodcast.com slash G-O-H-Q.
00:05:01.900 And it's free to attend all week, all 100 sessions. So if you are interested in under
00:05:09.720 consumption core, then here are a few other episodes from us that would be very good to
00:05:15.720 check out. We've got de-influencing yourself from social media with Paige Pritchard. She's
00:05:21.220 overcoming overspending on TikTok and Instagram. That's episode 368. And then our minimalist
00:05:27.300 skincare routine was probably our most recent minimalism episode that we did, but it ties
00:05:33.960 very closely into this TikTok trend. So that's episode 418. But let's get into our headline
00:05:42.260 today. And it is from Elle magazine. And it's, is under consumption core really as virtuous
00:05:50.420 as it claims a spicy title. But the subtitle is, is it really under consumption core? Or are we
00:05:57.680 just dot dot dot normal? Yeah, I didn't. I when I first read the title of this, like, oh, there's
00:06:06.320 to poke in underconsumption and like underconsumption core, which it was interesting to kind of hear
00:06:13.740 both sides and how people are receiving this, which we'll definitely go through. But I think
00:06:19.500 with anything, as you and I were talking before we hit record, there can be this
00:06:25.240 self-righteousness that comes with probably any trending thing or anything that kind of can come
00:06:33.280 across as virtuous, including frugality, we can put ourselves on a pedestal thinking, look at us,
00:06:40.040 we're doing it all right. Whatever it is that we're doing, we think we've got it right. I think
00:06:45.700 that that's primarily the hole that they're kind of poking in this, but we still believe that
00:06:49.800 there's so many amazing things about under consumption beyond just elevating ourselves
00:06:57.500 personally, but like what it does to our lifestyles and our community and all of that. But
00:07:02.040 it's worth going through it yeah definitely so first up what is under consumption core
00:07:09.120 so in short under consumption core refers to only buying what you strictly need and then using it up
00:07:16.100 or wearing it and re-wearing it until it needs to be mended or replaced and so obviously it makes
00:07:22.920 me think of this the saying use it up wear it out make it do or do without which I think comes with
00:07:31.800 a negative connotation sometimes, or a self-righteous connotation, like you were saying, Jill,
00:07:36.880 it was used by our elders to say, like, you don't need that.
00:07:41.740 You know, anytime you want something, you don't need it.
00:07:44.580 Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without.
00:07:46.760 But I think it's important to know, and what I love about this article specifically is
00:07:50.920 do without is the last.
00:07:53.780 Do without is the last of that.
00:07:55.700 We use it up is first.
00:07:57.880 We look at what we have.
00:07:59.840 And this was created in the during the Great Depression, the saying. So obviously, they didn't have a lot. So they were doing without a lot. And that's why this phrase has so much connotation with deprivation. But the first part is to use it up, wear it out.
00:08:19.740 And those are repurposing things.
00:08:22.800 Those are really positive.
00:08:25.080 You know, we're looking at the wealth around us and we're getting creative with how we use it.
00:08:30.420 We're wearing it out.
00:08:31.520 We're using products up in their fullest capacities.
00:08:35.920 And this is something you see a lot in this TikTok trend is people opening makeup containers
00:08:42.040 that are no longer like pumping out any.
00:08:44.460 and when they open them up there is still a week's left of product in there um i know you know for
00:08:51.840 most of us when we're at the end of our soap we're putting a little water in it and yeah so like
00:08:58.420 so these are really good things and the make it do or do without those those are last case scenarios
00:09:06.560 and that's a lot of like what we're talking about with in and buy what you love without going broke
00:09:11.920 The reason we say it's a values-based spending includes sacrifice but not deprivation is because sometimes in our hearts we want to go out and buy the new thing.
00:09:25.240 Like that's what we would rather do.
00:09:27.200 But we sacrifice that motivation, that desire to use up and wear out.
00:09:34.880 And it's not being deprived.
00:09:36.900 We can still go out and buy it once we use up and wear out.
00:09:40.520 We don't have to immediately jump to make do or do without.
00:09:46.300 Yeah, I like the order of that.
00:09:47.800 I have been finding myself mostly in a joking manner, but I have been using the phrase waste
00:09:52.960 not want not like a ton lately with with Eric, with friends.
00:09:58.860 I'll just say it again, usually to be funny, but maybe it's connected to this this trend
00:10:05.880 that's happening.
00:10:06.640 and I think with all things there's a way to do it sustainably and and well for ourselves and
00:10:14.820 there's a way to do it super extreme that's not necessarily going to lead to well-being
00:10:19.860 and I even think with this under consumption trend you still have higher levels of consumption
00:10:27.940 because to get into that bottle and get the rest of the product out they're selling
00:10:32.920 more products to scrape out the rest. Like I think I've seen, you know, a special type of tool
00:10:39.880 that they're selling now to scrape out the rest of the foundation or the cream or whatever it is.
00:10:45.920 Like there's also a way to end up doing this where you're still mindlessly spending and consuming
00:10:52.780 products that maybe something else that you had in your home could have been useful. But
00:10:57.560 At its core, I think it is this low waste, somewhat minimal, simplified, frugal, stewarding all resources well kind of approach.
00:11:12.600 But of course, there's always all sorts of ways that we can approach this, a way to do it that's going to have some longevity to it and a way in which it dies because it's not trendy anymore.
00:11:24.220 There's a quote in this article that I really loved. Under consumption core doesn't necessarily equate to foregoing luxuries or even being all that thrifty. It simply means using the things you've bought until they're finished.
00:11:38.180 And I thought that was great because frugality is not being cheap, right? It's simply using what we have, being good stewards of our money and our physical resources, our physical products.
00:11:55.420 Yeah, the trend itself, it seems to have somewhat originated on TikTok, although this is not a new idea. But as far as the term under consumption core, as a trend did originate with TikTok, mostly with people, again, using up products, rewearing things, making it okay to wear clothing again, wear it till it's absolutely worn out.
00:12:24.820 these types of things, people showing kind of their non-aesthetic houses, I'm sure we've seen
00:12:30.780 everywhere. So this is where that has kind of been happening and trending. But again, it's not,
00:12:38.220 none of it's new. Yeah, I think this highlights just another, it's another round in the cycle of
00:12:48.160 people being interested in consuming less. Because for so long, the narrative has been
00:12:56.900 earn more so that you can consume more. Don't focus on controlling your consumption. Focus
00:13:03.460 on controlling your income so that it supports your consumption. And I think there's part of it
00:13:11.700 is a fight like push back against hustle culture that that's that that mentality promotes hustle
00:13:18.980 culture and part of it is uh against inflation i think a lot of the news outlets are saying
00:13:26.220 this is a response to inflation which yes i i do think that ties into it but i think inflation has
00:13:33.860 been more of like an eye opener to to just how unsustainable these fast fashion halls and these
00:13:45.220 grocery store halls and these nice car tours and nice aesthetic house tours are for people that are
00:13:56.860 not in the business of social media so this is fine for people who are literally showing off
00:14:03.460 their house, cars, groceries for a living. These are almost tax write-offs for their business,
00:14:09.560 right? But for the rest of us, it's not sustainable. And so I think this is just,
00:14:15.380 you know, we had loud budgeting earlier this year. We had de-influencers. Now we're going
00:14:20.600 with under-consumption court. And there will just be cycle after cycle of this because people
00:14:25.660 are fed up with the overconsumption that the traditional narrative has been
00:14:32.660 touting. Which is what makes me so excited for the timing of our book, Buy What You Love Without
00:14:38.640 Going Broke, because I think all of this ends up leading to, okay, but how exactly? Because
00:14:46.100 just using up the last of my moisturizer, what is that really doing? But I think there's a deeper
00:14:54.000 message here that I don't think social media has truly tapped into yet that our book does address
00:15:00.440 and that is getting to the core of why we would do these things and creating that pause of do I
00:15:08.800 really need these things what is meeting the the core of my needs and my values they asked that
00:15:15.520 question in this article do I really need four concealers a cream and a powder blush three pairs
00:15:21.320 of sneakers, two coats, 10 handbags. Do I really need the amount of things that I have been
00:15:27.460 impulse purchasing that has been sold to me as what will help me to belong, make me feel good
00:15:34.680 about myself, make me feel like I'm fitting in? Or can I choose a different path? And is there
00:15:41.520 potentially greater levels of contentment on the other side of that? And we would say, yes,
00:15:47.140 If pursued rightly, if pursued in the sense of figuring out who you are, what matters to you, doing some of that foundational work, and then allowing your actions and your purchasing to inform that, absolutely, I think there's greater levels of contentment, less stress on the other side.
00:16:09.120 But I think right now the trend is just focusing on the actions and not entirely the reasoning behind it. And for it to last, we need to make that connection. But it's a great start. And it does open up that conversation for how do we make that connection between me choosing to consume less and it not just being because high inflation, but because I actually see benefit in my life.
00:16:36.640 I see long term implications. I see that I'd be able to reach other financial goals sooner. I see that I have a greater understanding of who I am and I'm able to live into those things and I'm able to respond to my needs better because I'm not clouded by all of this other information.
00:16:53.340 Yeah, there has been some pushback on underconsumption core, saying that some of it is just normal living and that people who are saying that this type of living is core, like underconsumption core, are kind of in privilege.
00:17:13.780 Yeah. So I think there's definitely both sides to it, right? You know, you've got the Olsen twins carrying around. They're famous for carrying around these high end bags that they've been carrying for, you know, over a decade that are kind of they get dirty and they you can tell they get them clean because of the paparazzi photos.
00:17:35.780 Like, this is the same bag just over and over for, you know, 10 plus years.
00:17:40.360 But sometimes it's not cleaned.
00:17:41.960 And it's seen as like this, Jill, you wrote this on the outline, the cosplay of poverty.
00:17:49.020 Well, that's what the Olsen twins, I know this article highlights, you know, just like
00:17:53.600 the Olsen twins who wore out their luxury handbags.
00:17:56.460 But that was previously pushed against because there has also been this trend amongst uber
00:18:02.800 wealthy celebrities of cosplay poverty and the like high peasant look where these very wealthy
00:18:12.000 people in an effort to try to connect with their followers and other consumers are looking as if
00:18:20.540 they don't have a lot of money, like giving the impression and idea that they can't afford a
00:18:26.940 certain lifestyle, trying to, I guess, make themselves seem a little bit more relatable,
00:18:31.440 even though they're not. There's been this pushback on that tension. So I think that this
00:18:37.620 can highlight that, but I don't think that that's what true underconsumption is, is like a putting
00:18:45.040 on of something. And I think the pushback of, isn't that just normal living? Maybe, but at least
00:18:51.960 we've got people who are showing that as a regular lifestyle rather than the alternative of the
00:19:00.100 fancy cars, the 10-step skincare regimen, the super beautiful on-trend clothing, the
00:19:08.840 home that is always updated with like crazy light fixtures.
00:19:14.280 And this is what, if that's all that we're seeing, then that is what can become normal.
00:19:19.760 I think this under-consumption core is helping to tether it and bring it back to, that's
00:19:25.320 actually not normal. And you don't have to aspire to that, especially if it's not what you want,
00:19:31.280 there can be another way of living that is just normal. And I think I don't think calling it a
00:19:37.440 normal way of living is really a like condemning of it or criticism like, we want more authenticity
00:19:46.180 on social media, that should be praise that shouldn't be criticized. So when you see this,
00:19:51.660 also know you're seeing it from a lot of very young people who may not have the bills
00:19:58.000 that a mom with two kids has right so you need to also understand when you're seeing these things
00:20:04.540 that a lot of the people not all but a lot of the people creating this content are in a different
00:20:09.620 life stage too all they're seeing are these fast fashion hauls and the like and they're pushing
00:20:15.560 back. And that's awesome. And let's encourage that. Let's not criticize it. And let's just do
00:20:21.960 more to normalize authenticity and not being the aesthetic perfection that social media so often
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00:20:47.260 Terms apply. So let's talk about some tips and ideas on how to practice under consumption court.
00:20:55.480 And then also for my 201 girlies who are like, I'm already doing like 10 out of 10.
00:21:00.800 Let's talk about what we can do to benefit, like to capitalize on this outside of ourselves.
00:21:07.940 Yeah, I love the intersection here with minimalism, sustainable living, low waste, frugality. And so none of this will be entirely new, but it is a way to participate and lean into this further, like doing a minimalist wardrobe challenge. There's so many out there. Google it. One of our favorites is Courtney Carver's.
00:21:32.800 three, three, three. So it's well, the three, three, three, three, three of everything, right?
00:21:41.140 It is three 33. It's like 33 items every three months. That's Yeah, I thought it was 33 items.
00:21:47.380 So that includes I think even accessories for her, you can come up with your own whether
00:21:52.620 however many items you want to identify that you want to be wearing. And it's a practice of
00:21:59.540 really being creative with what you have in your closet, but also being okay with wearing the same
00:22:05.580 thing multiple times, people seeing you in the same clothing and kind of building up that
00:22:12.900 confidence that this is okay. I don't have to have new clothing constantly. I don't have to
00:22:18.300 be contributing to the fast fashion world and just the high turnover of clothing and textiles.
00:22:27.100 So that challenge and can help us really identify what do I really love wearing?
00:22:31.620 What do I feel best in?
00:22:32.920 So we love a good minimalist wardrobe challenge.
00:22:35.100 Yeah. 1.00
00:22:35.380 And one of the things that some of these girls are doing is are showing pictures of the same 1.00
00:22:40.520 outfits styled in different ways. 1.00
00:22:42.640 So this is something you don't even have to do on social media.
00:22:44.640 You can do just on your phone.
00:22:45.900 And it's actually a very good idea to do on your phone is to take pictures of all of your
00:22:51.800 outfits, all the ways that you can wear one piece of clothing, different ways you can
00:22:56.640 style the same outfit. So they look different. That way, when you walk into your closet, and
00:23:01.140 you're like, I don't know what to wear, you can go back into that folder on your phone. And you
00:23:06.680 can just look through and get ideas and see what, what have I not worn or styled in a while. And so
00:23:13.100 that's a really great way to make to keep cycling through all the options in your closet. And we
00:23:19.180 also love, you know, getting your colors done. If you're not a black and white girly, you don't
00:23:25.660 only want to wear black, white, gray, and beige, to have your colors done online or in person
00:23:31.400 and see what colors look best on you. If you want to wear yellow, but some yellows look bad on you
00:23:39.040 and some yellows look good, then you probably just need to get your colors done to identify
00:23:43.340 what shade of each color is best for you so you feel the best. And that can help you create this
00:23:50.660 minimal wardrobe that you feel good wearing 100% of not just 20% of. So next, I mean, they're also
00:24:00.460 doing DIY upcycling projects. So this is really great when you get tired of something instead of
00:24:07.560 sending it straight to the thrift store. Think about how you can upcycle it. So one of the girls
00:24:13.120 used avocado skins to dye a shirt a white shirt and it turned out pink and yeah so she was just
00:24:24.620 boiling a bunch of avocado skins on the stove with this shirt which I assume would be a hundred
00:24:30.900 percent cotton because you have to get a synthetic dye for polyester so just know you need different
00:24:36.680 dyes for different fabric types but she was just doing it on the stove and the shirt came out pink
00:24:42.640 somehow, right? So, so if you're tired of something before you put it in the thrift store,
00:24:48.580 which is, you know, kind of like one step above the landfill, sometimes you send it to the thrift
00:24:54.420 store and they put it in the landfill for you. And it's just this delayed throwing away. Sorry
00:24:59.960 to break it to you. But think about can I upcycle this or repurpose this in a way that I can save it
00:25:07.180 from the landfill for a little longer and but it still feels new to me I don't feel like I'm making
00:25:13.480 do because that's one of the we don't want to just make do and do without we want to really reuse I
00:25:19.400 love Jill your reuse of your um your lamp your your light fixture light fixture yeah recently so
00:25:26.780 I had gotten this free pendant like hanging light it's very large from a previous work and
00:25:35.020 we've held onto it for forever and wanted to use it in our living room, but it didn't quite match
00:25:41.640 the rest of it. It was silver and the rest of our stuff is more like gold and black and the
00:25:48.520 wood tone wasn't quite right. But we also couldn't find another lamp that we liked for a reasonable
00:25:55.400 price or like a pendant that we liked for the living room. So we ended up just spray painting
00:26:01.600 the metal black and got walnut veneer to wrap around the previous wood and just polyed it
00:26:11.200 and hung it up and how it actually matches so good everything yeah and that cost us like ten
00:26:19.040 dollars so sometimes upcycling might cost money but then we didn't get rid of a perfectly usable
00:26:26.000 actually great size like as far as its form goes and you would never have gotten something
00:26:31.480 like that for ten dollars even on facebook marketplace yeah you wouldn't have and you
00:26:36.560 still you bought something new to repurpose it so this isn't always this doesn't involve a hundred
00:26:42.100 percent thrifting yeah right my old coffee table became the backdrop for the frugal friends studio
00:26:47.960 if you watch us on youtube you can see i think well no would we have this on youtube maybe not
00:26:53.420 on instagram you'd probably see it sometime yeah i'm a big fan of upcycling i'm also a big fan of
00:27:00.200 the thrift store so if you are a person who you really do enjoy shopping occasionally or you
00:27:08.520 actually do need a wardrobe refresh do a thrift store haul first day yeah go and see whether it's
00:27:16.920 a consignment store or a thrift store anything second hand you can find some really great stuff
00:27:23.160 And I will say, because this is becoming more and more popular, it's not as often...
00:27:29.980 You can find stores.
00:27:31.220 So I know, Jen, you're not a huge thrifter.
00:27:33.240 You don't like digging.
00:27:35.040 However...
00:27:35.600 In-person thrifter.
00:27:36.440 I love shopping secondhand online.
00:27:38.420 Right.
00:27:39.180 But there are becoming more and more stores that are a little bit more boutique style
00:27:43.600 with their secondhand offerings that feel closer to a typical store.
00:27:49.280 Okay, girl.
00:27:49.720 It's not crazy.
00:27:50.800 These shorts that I'm wearing right now.
00:27:52.860 I went to, what is it, Label Swap over in Tampa?
00:27:56.580 Yeah.
00:27:56.980 And that's where these are from.
00:27:59.040 Yeah.
00:27:59.480 Yeah.
00:27:59.960 My shirt is thrifted that I'm wearing right now.
00:28:02.920 We love a good thrift store.
00:28:04.500 And at this point, Goodwill is selling at the same prices as these boutique consignments.
00:28:10.500 So you're better off just going to these individually owned, locally owned consignment stores.
00:28:18.780 I mean, it is true.
00:28:19.780 i've been so pleased with some of even the boutique ones because they'll still do the their
00:28:25.040 stickers with their 25 50 75 off they still have to move stuff through their store so yeah don't
00:28:34.080 knock it till you try it it's great yeah try it don't you know skip the spa day try a thrift day
00:28:39.760 where you're just going to all these thrifts and you're like balling on a budget shopping spree
00:28:45.660 still pretty woman you actually need i would say make your list ahead of time figure out what your 0.99
00:28:51.260 wardrobe is lacking especially if you have your colors done know what's going to look good on you 0.99
00:28:56.560 you know even even though you're getting it less expensive doesn't mean we need more of it we still
00:29:02.820 want quality over quantity yeah i have to remember when i say like pretty um pretty womaning it like
00:29:09.460 my idea of a shopping spree is buying like four things in one day. Yeah, if you're different from
00:29:18.120 me, maybe don't pretty woman it. When you use the word haul, it does give the idea that it's more
00:29:25.280 than just like what you can hold with your hand. I once tried to do a haul video. I went out
00:29:31.400 specifically to do a thrift haul video. And I honestly came back with four items from the day
00:29:37.520 going to different thrift stores. And again, like I'm not a, you know, a hunter. So that's why it
00:29:43.320 was a little hard for me. But I was like, I can't do haul videos. That should be my job. I totally
00:29:50.020 could do a haul video. Because I do keep a list of things. And then if I give myself a day to go
00:29:56.500 to a bunch of different places, I can usually really check off everything that's been on that
00:30:01.780 list that's been building for like the last three to six months. Yeah. So yeah, try yourself one of
00:30:07.840 those. So I love like repurposing. So reusing like old towels, cutting them into cleaning rags. This
00:30:15.900 is probably my favorite thing to do. We're using like old jars, glass jars as drinking cups. I know
00:30:22.700 people love to do that. And using makeup until it's completely out. So a big thing on TikTok is
00:30:30.520 there's a way that you can like I don't know add water or do something to get makeup out and then
00:30:37.660 kind of pack it in like scraps of different blushes and then just combine them into one
00:30:44.280 thing I don't know how to do it but it is a thing that I've seen people do so that they can use
00:30:50.020 the little bits of everything in their makeup um and then like yeah do carry use things that
00:31:00.260 are not aesthetically pleasing according to social media dented water bottles uh bags that
00:31:08.340 maybe are a little frayed um or stained you know you don't have to get like your clothes don't have
00:31:15.300 to have huge stains on them in that case you can repurpose with some dye you know so just think
00:31:21.420 about what can i do to you know i've been doing mending too like i'll i'll have a pile of mending
00:31:29.880 I have one right now. And once I get like three or four items that need to be mended,
00:31:35.720 then that'll be like, while I sit and watch TV. That's actually one of our lives.
00:31:43.100 The pre-order incentives that we are giving to everybody who pre-orders the book.
00:31:52.240 Buywhatyoulovebook.com. Yeah. One of the things is on September 22nd,
00:31:58.260 make your clothing last this is a free class we're doing for everybody who pre-orders the book
00:32:02.480 we're going to be talking about mending high quality fabrics you know tips for dying you
00:32:07.580 know the difference between like synthetic cotton how to get the best maybe we'll even
00:32:13.820 eat some avocados and try that avocado that'd be fun yeah should i save my mending for the group
00:32:19.480 yeah because we're gonna be doing live like how to we're not just going to be talking about this
00:32:24.020 this is going to be like a visual thing. And I think, does this episode maybe come out?
00:32:31.400 When does this episode come out? We should know that. August 27th. Oh, so if you pre-order
00:32:37.840 this morning, you can catch our meal prep class, which is tonight. Yes. Yeah. So you might miss
00:32:44.820 that one, but the next one is the clothes class. Cool. And we did want to make one final note. If
00:32:51.160 you're like, I'm already doing all of these things. This is me. Then I think the next step
00:32:56.600 here is ongoing permission giving to yourself and to others. Maybe don't be so shy about
00:33:04.080 what you're doing, how it's benefiting you. Continue to normalize these things. If that
00:33:11.900 means that you choose to share some of this on social media, so be it. If it means that
00:33:15.980 you're talking with friends about it and sharing the benefits again, not from a, I'm, I'm better
00:33:22.180 because I do these things. And I don't think that our listeners are that way. But from this vantage
00:33:29.260 point of here's what has actually really helped me in ways that I've decreased stress and the ways
00:33:35.220 that I have really identify what truly matters to me, the skill sets that I've built as a result
00:33:41.760 of this. These are the types of things that I think community is made for where we can exchange
00:33:48.680 skill sets and ideas and encourage one another and just achieve things and go further than if
00:33:55.600 we would have been doing this on our own. Like we're not going to discover what we don't know
00:34:01.140 without engaging with other people and learning from others about that. I mean, it's why Jen,
00:34:06.960 you and I did this podcast. We enjoyed so much about the conversations we were having,
00:34:12.120 the permission we were finding and talking about a traditionally taboo topic. And then,
00:34:17.060 okay, how do we open this up for more people? It's like that. Find people that you can talk
00:34:22.600 about this with and exchange ideas on how can we make things last longer? How can I
00:34:27.960 under-consume without feeling deprived? How might even under-consumption get me closer to
00:34:33.720 understanding myself better. Yeah. And I think part of this journey might be chronicling it on
00:34:39.680 your social media page. Instead of posting the perfect picture from brunch, you're posting a
00:34:45.440 picture of your upcycled DIY project or a way you got creative in upcycling something or using
00:34:54.900 something out. I just want to read two quotes from another article that I read in prep for this
00:35:01.660 episode. First is by embracing this movement, we're not only promoting a sustainable lifestyle,
00:35:07.900 but also building a community that values authenticity and creativity over constant
00:35:13.960 spending. And that's the mindset we want to cultivate in our communities. And by doing it
00:35:20.300 ourselves, we give this unspoken permission for others to do it for themselves. And then the other
00:35:27.580 quote is, under consumption core invites us to reclaim our power as consumers. And by embracing
00:35:34.140 under consumption, we can contribute to a culture that values quality over quantity and mindfulness
00:35:40.920 over impulse. What a good summary. And I think that is the core. That's the core that we're
00:35:47.300 trying to get across in this episode is that we know a lot of y'all are already doing this stuff.
00:35:52.640 So how can we be the voice and the light in our communities to keep this trend, not just viral, but like sustainable? How can we encourage others to use up and wear out? How can we encourage people to view frugality as creativity and quality over the traditional, you know, make do or do without?
00:36:20.520 There's another core to this podcast that we are super hardcore about.
00:36:25.300 And that we want all communities to be core about.
00:36:29.880 The Bill of the Week!
00:36:42.280 That's right. It's time for the best minute of your entire week.
00:36:46.480 Maybe a baby was born and his name is William
00:36:49.640 Maybe you paid off your mortgage
00:36:51.700 Maybe your car died and you're happy to not have to pay that bill anymore
00:36:55.960 Dutch bills, Buffalo bills, Bill Clinton
00:36:58.900 This is the Bill of the Week
00:37:01.260 Hi Jen and Jill, my name is Kelly, I live in Seattle
00:37:06.060 I've been here about a year and I moved from the Midwest
00:37:10.240 And my Bill of the Week is that for the first year living here
00:37:14.520 in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S., I could only find part-time work 20 hours a week
00:37:23.100 as a contract gig. So I was paying for my own health insurance, not investing in retirement
00:37:29.540 for an entire year, and just making substantially less than I've ever made. And the job market right
00:37:36.600 now, let me tell you, is tight. But thankfully, after like 12 months of trying, I finally got a
00:37:43.880 full-time offer somewhere and the pay is I mean in my opinion amazing it's not like tech money but
00:37:53.120 it is really really stable I'll have health insurance I'll have benefits and I'm just so
00:37:58.280 excited to be able to feel secure again after a whole year of feeling really really shitty yeah
00:38:09.000 wow kelly it's it's so real and when we talk about authenticity this is it like in personal
00:38:17.200 finance content this is this is not what they're talking about they're talking about job hopping
00:38:22.140 they're talking about hustling businesses side gigs all this but like this is real life and so
00:38:29.380 congratulations kelly and i hope that if you're listening to this and you are struggling to find
00:38:35.340 full-time work which we've heard from so many of you that the job market is just it's so hard right
00:38:43.280 now like we see you um and we hope this stuff helps you specifically and is not for like you
00:38:50.660 know the privileged financial independence seeker that that has mobility you know in these things
00:38:57.080 but like i hope you feel seen and i hope that you feel encouraged by kelly's words that those jobs
00:39:04.160 are out there. Keep trucking, keep looking, keep expanding. And, and yeah, I just good luck to you
00:39:14.840 and congratulations, Kelly. Yeah, I'm glad to hear you on this side of it. But I know that sounds
00:39:21.120 like a really tough time when you were just in the contract work and not a lot of stability,
00:39:25.840 not doing the things with your finances that you want to do. And I just want to also normalize that
00:39:30.720 we do find ourselves in those seasons. So there could be people listening who they're not at
00:39:35.560 the Kelly part of the journey where they found the full-time work. Um, and, and sometimes those
00:39:41.320 seasons really do stink, but I think there is an entire lifetime here. So it's okay to be in those
00:39:49.220 seasons. It's not going to be entirely devastating for the long haul. Um, and, and we're here for
00:39:56.900 you you have support here yes if you all listening have a bill that you want to submit if it's good
00:40:02.320 news if it's news in just the the trenches of what is the economy and life right now we're here for
00:40:09.660 for it all especially we're here for all of you bills people named bill all types of bills
00:40:16.400 frugalfriendspodcast.com slash bill leave us your bill and now it's time for the lightning round
00:40:24.320 All right. So under consumption core, to me, it's mindful consumption because we're not under consuming. We're consuming well. We're consuming fully in under consumption core.
00:40:42.540 um so whether it's intentional consumption mindful consumption today the question is what's your
00:40:50.300 favorite personal mindful consumption hack you asked this question didn't you yeah all right
00:40:57.720 go for it okay so mine are not it's not going to be groundbreaking or like really inspirational
00:41:03.640 dang it i know i'm so sorry but like okay so i know you're really good at food that's your
00:41:11.020 personal area i think for me um i i like to reuse um and maintain like home stuff so we've probably
00:41:24.200 traveled with the same some of the same furniture pieces and art pieces um from house to house for
00:41:31.760 for the entirety of our marriage so almost 10 years um we just hung art on our wall the other
00:41:40.420 day in preparation for our party and actually the day of the party we finally got around to
00:41:47.500 hanging the the wall art and one was new one I had just bought nice one we had had um since we
00:41:56.880 moved in two years ago but just never got around to hanging and the other I bought at Goodwill
00:42:01.720 I think before I met Travis it's a set of plants like something old something new something
00:42:08.520 borrow something blue on the wall yeah um so so yeah just and keeping those big pieces out of
00:42:17.480 landfills is something that I am very interested in I feel like I love to um I can compost food
00:42:27.780 but I cannot as easily compost something metal you know or something plastic if it's wood it can be
00:42:36.880 you know ground up and used in the in the earth but um so i want to save those pieces from landfills
00:42:44.380 and so i like to um buy them on facebook we're a big facebook marketplace family girl we big
00:42:51.020 facebook marketplace family and just like whatever i can buy secondhand on ebay um or poshmark or
00:43:00.000 those are you those are my favorites right now thread up is not my favorite favorite place to
00:43:04.380 sell facebook marketplace yeah yeah that's where it goes back and forth yeah i like it i like to
00:43:12.020 keep it local yeah not have to go to mail stuff constantly yeah well travis bought um a few lego
00:43:19.980 kits and when he went to resell them he did resell them on ebay because they were specialty like
00:43:26.500 you could just get more money on the from them on ebay and they were not that expensive to ship
00:43:32.300 Yeah. So, yeah, man, this has become so ingrained into my lifestyle is hard to pick just like I look at every aspect of life and I'm like, yeah, there's a way that I and I think I'm so glad that it's becoming more popular because I think that this is where people could borderline like, you're just you just you're so stingy.
00:43:55.220 you just don't want to spend any money. And for me, it's not necessary. I'm not afraid of spending
00:44:01.060 thankfully through the podcast, I've become more and more like, this is a good thing to do on an
00:44:06.020 okay thing to do. You just need to feel good about it. But I love the creative aspect of
00:44:13.200 reducing, reusing, repurposing. I love feeling really good then about every spending decision
00:44:19.340 that I make. So if we were to say hacks, you all know this about me, but I would say probably my
00:44:24.800 favorite is keeping lists. As I come across a need, whether it's in the kitchen or the house
00:44:31.460 or outside, I'll, I'll put it in a list, like put it in my notes. And usually what that helps me to
00:44:40.060 do is like keep it front of mind to come up with potentially an alternative solution. But if it's
00:44:45.980 been on the list for a long time, then the next time I'm at the thrift store, it's what I look
00:44:52.300 for. But usually it's things that I can learn workarounds for until I want to purchase that
00:44:59.700 convenience. But I feel really good about those purchases because they feel very mindful. Like
00:45:04.160 I've thought about this. I've written it down. We've engaged in workarounds. We've
00:45:09.680 explored problem solving solutions. And if it's still there on the list, then okay,
00:45:17.100 now i can feel good about spending on it oh yeah okay so a hack here's a new hack actually this is
00:45:23.880 brand new i deleted instagram facebook threads amazon off my phone um anything that could make
00:45:33.580 me so honestly why i did it was because i was spending too much time like zoning out on there
00:45:38.980 but also these are things that make me want to buy things um so now when i go to like mindlessly
00:45:46.680 scroll. I'm either mindlessly scrolling, ThredUP, Poshmark, eBay, if I'm like looking for products,
00:45:54.680 it forces me to think secondhand first. Or I am reading something, you know, like online,
00:46:05.160 something that's good for my time. You mean you're editing our book,
00:46:10.440 Buy What You Love Without Going Broke. That's what you're reading?
00:46:12.620 I mean, it's already we have one more round. I'm emailing people in hopes that they will
00:46:20.800 talk about our book by what you love without going broke. That's another thing I can do
00:46:25.340 besides scrolling Instagram. So if you're having trouble with social media, or if you are having
00:46:31.440 trouble with the halls, or like you want to be under consumption core, but social media is doing
00:46:38.720 more harm than good in that area for you then that could be a helpful hack is to just delete
00:46:46.340 them for a time I don't plan to delete them you know forever I I think maybe I will go back on
00:46:54.020 around or after November 8th ish I think maybe it's just a soft date I don't know well thank
00:47:04.900 you so much for listening. We love, love, love reading your kind reviews. And we especially love
00:47:10.900 this one from Aaron with a K. The only money related podcast I enjoy. It happens to be five
00:47:17.100 stars. As a trying to be responsible grown up person, I try to keep on top of financial advice,
00:47:23.660 but it always seems like a chore. Jen and Jill give me all the info I need. But I actually look
00:47:29.360 forward to listening to and learning from them. Thanks for making a serious topic so much fun.
00:47:34.900 Wow. Thanks, Erin with a K. And it makes me wonder, does that mean your name is Eric?
00:47:41.000 That's very fun.
00:47:42.500 That's so true. Thank you, Erin with a K.
00:47:45.440 What a kind review. And thank you all for listening, your kindness for being here.
00:47:52.020 And if you enjoyed the show, feel free to give us another kindness of leaving a review.
00:47:57.240 It's one of the ways that you can help us sell the book, believe it or not.
00:48:01.780 Because the more reviews that we have, the more established we appear, which we have been doing
00:48:08.540 this for over six years. And we need our reviews to match that reality. And it would really help
00:48:16.900 us be able to get on other podcasts, be able to talk about this values-based spending and
00:48:21.480 give more permission, normalize what we're talking about a bit more so that others can feel normal.
00:48:28.480 that's what we're doing yes helping us all feel normal so leave a review and a rating that'd be
00:48:33.000 so so helpful and thank you at the at the time of this recording we are actually very close to a
00:48:40.680 thousand reviews um how jill ask me how close jen how close are we to reaching a thousand reviews
00:48:48.220 last time i checked we were at like 960 i think we're at 998 oh yeah but they haven't more i know
00:48:58.020 So they haven't popped up in two days, like populate, repopulated in two days.
00:49:02.660 But here's the thing, folks.
00:49:04.700 We don't need to stop at a thousand.
00:49:06.720 We can keep going because that'll help.
00:49:09.760 If you've already left a review, you can purchase a copy of Buy What You Love Without Going Broke.
00:49:14.340 And that would be that would actually help us even more helpful.
00:49:17.880 We'll see you next time.
00:49:19.620 Bye.
00:49:22.000 Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni.
00:49:28.020 okay so tonight we're talking about meal planning right meal planning yes so if you have pre-ordered
00:49:43.860 the book check your email for a special email with a special link to tonight's free class
00:49:52.940 and we would have their email from them pre-ordering
00:49:56.280 or do they have to contact us?
00:49:58.660 There is a order form.
00:50:00.200 If you go to buywhatyoulovebook.com,
00:50:05.320 there's a form on that page
00:50:07.540 where you fill in your order information.
00:50:10.020 You got to show a screenshot of your order.
00:50:12.640 And then once you do that,
00:50:14.840 then you will automatically be sent the instructions
00:50:17.380 to register for an account on Circle.
00:50:20.180 that's where all of our special private lives are happening it'll all be free yeah that's good
00:50:26.640 information because even if you miss tonight you can make it to the rest i think there's what five
00:50:31.740 more three live events that you can participate in yeah all around life skills building and just
00:50:41.080 exchanging of ideas and skill sets so that we can consume less essentially around this under
00:50:48.440 consumption core idea so the meal prep and planning is all about utilizing all the food you have
00:50:56.340 buying as you know as little as possible and getting the most out of it you've got the clothing
00:51:03.020 one we've got one on transportation one on housing not just for homeowners but for renters as well
00:51:11.380 And then we've got the last two are the best two. The December's is creating a full year meal plan. So we're going to create a full year meal plan for 2025 together live. And then we're going to create an all year spending plan in January for all of 2025.
00:51:33.980 five so and then we're all gonna get our books in january and we're gonna geek out the january
00:51:40.040 one's at the end of january so you have time to read the book uh if you'd like to before that
00:51:45.300 final free live how fun yeah so we look forward to seeing you there tonight if you have pre-ordered
00:51:51.580 otherwise we look forward to seeing you uh at the september live if you're pre-ordering after today
00:51:58.220 bye