Frugal Friends Podcast

It's that time of year again! Dreaded for students, anticipated for parents; but something we can all rally behind is not wanting to overspend on back to school supplies! It seems the lists get longer and longer each year, so we’re talking about how we can send kids back to school prepared without breaking the bank. And to top it off we have Allison from Inspired Budget co-hosting the show and giving her expert knowledge as a personal finance writer AND a fellow teacher! Don’t miss it!Click here for full show notes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This one is a long time in the making, but we are delighted to have Chris Browning from the Popcorn Finance podcast on the show! Chris has a lot of great insight when it comes to personal finance and becoming debt-free, and we admire him even more for sharing with us how he and his wife paid off $27K of credit card debt! We talk a lot about paying off student loan debt on the show, so we're excited to bring some hope to our fellow frugal friends who are facing this sort of debt and provide hope for freedom through hearing Chris' story!Click here for full show notes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are many budgeting techniques out there but today we're taking a look at the envelope system. It's an extra special episode as we have THE Allison Baggerly from Inspired Budget acting as co-host while Jen is on maternity leave! Allison and her family have actually used the envelope system for years and she brings a helpful perspective to this topic! Many of us have 'cut our teeth' in budgeting by using the envelope system and still more have fallen off the wagon - but let's talk about how might make this practical method work for us! Click here for full show notes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Setting and achieving financial goals is all fun and games, but what about if your spouse is not on board? Embracing frugality, much like minimalism, can't be forced on others - but there are ways to negotiate and become unified on this journey toward financial freedom! Join us as we look at some basic tips to help open the lines of communication and seek common ground regarding finances and important money decisions!Sponsors:: We love and use Rkuten all the time so we wanted to give them a shout out. If you’ve never used it, Rakuten is a shopping portal where you can get cash-back on purchases from your favorite stores. We use it for Groupon, Amazon, Walmart, travel sites and more. And, if you haven’t tried Ebates yet we’ve got a $10 welcome bonus for you on your first purchase of $25 or more when you sign up through frugalfriendspodcast.com/rakutenRakuten As you drive down the road today don’t let the sale signs on those fireworks tents be a metaphor for your relationship. Discounted Fireworks.Discounted Fireworks:Notable Notes:What the Internet has to Say:This article from Dave Ramsey highlights 3 ways to get your spouse on board with financial goals and decisions. What Jen + Jill have to say: Be aware of your words; watch the 'hot-button' words, and pulling out the old records/big hitters such as ‘you always’, or ‘you never’ Consider your timing; choose a time free from distraction and most likely to be conducive for an important conversation Watch your tone; this can set the trajectory of the conversation. Avoid sounding condescending. overly frustrated, or unwilling to listen to the other side More the Internet:This article from Mom and Dad money provides more tips on how to get on the same page with your spouse around finances and frugality.More from Jen + Jill: Lead by example Set a regular time to talk Give it time Ask for help Give each other ‘free spend’ $ - Thanks Lisa for sharing about paying down your car payment with double payments! We're so excited for you and your gazelle like fierceness!BILL OF THE WEEKIf you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a billLightning RoundHow to Ensure Your Spouse will Hate Frugality & You Take the empty toothpaste out of the trash and cut the end off to get the last bit that they wasted. Bonus points if you do it right in front of them or leave the remains where they can see it.  Tell them what the return on that $4.50 latte would have been after 30 years in the market. Mention “the budget” several times a day. Even when nobody asked. Don’t mention any of the things you do appreciate about them until they come over to your side. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many of us have never considered approaching this topic of finances with our parents, and for those who have, it can still make us want to run for the hills! It's the second most potentially awkward and dreaded conversation right next to 'the talk' you received as an adolescent, but no less important! Thankfully, we have Cameron Huddleston, personal finance expert + author, on the show to discuss how to have these crucial conversations and the importance of opening this dialogue before it's too late. Cameron shares her own insight and experience, and even some cautionary tales to motivate us to do the hard, but valuable thing!Sponsors: This one’s not a sponsor but an amazing deal and every purchase supports the show. The Master Your Money Super Bundle is a collection of 45 courses, ebooks, printables and videos to help you do better in all areas of your money. Whether that’s budgeting, paying off debt, investing, making more money, whatever. The bundle has over $1200 worth of resources in it but you can get it for less than $50 when you visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/masteryourmoneyMaster Your Money Super Bundle: They're excellent when they involve bread or laughter, but not when they involve steam. So don’t steamroll in conversations, or with finances - instead - slow your roll, grab some butter& eat a roll - then get on a roll with achieving your financial goals!Rolls:Notable Notes:We sincerely enjoyed our time chatting with Cameron on this very important, unique, and difficult topic. She had great insight and advice and we got to ask her all of the questions - including: Why should we start this awkward conversation any earlier than we have to? How do we approach these conversations in love and respect? What should we do if one or both of our parents won’t open up? What’s some of the important information we should look to obtain?  BILL OF THE WEEK - Thanks Cameron for sharing your bill with us!If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a billLightning RoundWhen we see parents blowing through money or not being responsible with it but refuse to change, what do we do in that scenario?Avoid criticism Share tips that have worked for YOUPrepare financially to support OR prepare emotionally to say ‘no’ to financial supportIf we have siblings, how can we get them involved in this process?Have conversationAccountability - send updates to siblingsShare the burden - if you handle bills - let siblings do care-givingDo you have any tips for young parents on creating safety for these conversations with our own children?Beginning making it safe to talk about finances from a young ageShare in age appropriate ways about financesTo get more from Cameron, check out her website!AND get Cameron's book: "Mom and Dad we Need to Talk, How to Have Essential Conversations With Your Parents About Their Finances"Frugal Friends Book Club:It’s June and we’re reading Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport for book clubIf you want a free copy, leave us a review on iTunes or Stitcher, screenshot the review and send it to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. We’ll select the winners at the end of the month.See you next week!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Now that we've de-cluttered and minimized our homes, it's time to simplify our digital lives! Beyond deleting files from your computer, we also talk about being more mindful about how we are spending our time and money online. Mindless technology use can lead to mindless spending so let's talk digital minimalism!Click here for full show notes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

School's out,  sun's out…now what? If you're like us summertime means a lot more get-togethers, vacations, day trips, and activities - but how do we make the most of summer without blowing our budgets? On this episode, we talk all about frugal ways to enjoy the summer along with some of the pitfalls and misguided tips for saving money during this season. Click here for full show notes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We know minimalism and simplicity have great benefits for our lives, but knowing where to start or how to achieve this lifestyle can be daunting! Thankfully Courtney Carver, author of Soulful Simplicity and creator of the minimalist fashion challenge #Project333 breaks it down for us on this episode! Courtney shares her own minimalist journey and offers a great way to approach simplicity with your wardrobe!Click here for full show notes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s important to have friends - especially when setting and reaching goals. Our friends can either support us or derail us, and while we would never advocate kicking anyone to the curb - we will give tips on how to surround yourself with a community that will assist you on this frugal journey!Click here for full show notes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Believe it or not, SOMETIMES the most frugal option is the more expensive option! Today we talk about the areas where it's worth spending more because of the savings it could provide in the long run. We also discuss some common frugal tips that are misleading at best, and usually not worth following!Click here for full show notes!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.