Ep. 65 — Live Richer (and Debt Free!) in 2017

And we're back.

Did you miss us?

I know I missed you guys. Sorry for that noise. I was adjusting my chair so I can get comfy.

Happy New Year, I'm happy New Year. The people have been thirsting for the podcast today.

We have not been here so long.

Honestly, even though like I'm not gonna lie, me and Maddie have seen each other.

We just just by ourselves. We just needed alone time, you guys just need we needed to get back to us, you know, and like just connecting.

Again, like get back to why we all started.

And I shouldn't know, but honestly, there's been so many, so much awesomeness in Shenanigans, and I have just been bursting to share. So I cannot wait to get started.

Yeah. Yeah, So how is your New Year?

Say? It was really good. My Christmas was great.

I spent it with of course the Supers, but also my family, my other family, dearly Chase.

And then my New Year is really great.

Superman's sister had a cute party at her house and me, Supergirl and him. We all wet and the food was amazing.

Wait, was Supergirl had a New Year's party?

Well?

No, Superman's sister had a New Year's Okay, I'm like, she's nine, no, ten, going on fifty four, and yeah, so it was honestly, it was just a really good holiday, kind of like breaking weekend and yep, so I mean it was perfect.

What about you.

I remember when I used to leave the house on New Year's Eve, put on shoes that were open and tides and do my hair. Yeah, those days are gone. I love not leaving the house. So we've started a new tradition where every New Year's Eve, I have this group of friends. We do camping in July, fourth of July and then we do New Year's Eve together. Those are our two holidays and so that we always switch.

Ooh nice.

She lost her mind.

She was so excited.

Well, she was like so excited she was she went into shock. And I was like, you know, I was expecting, like, oh my god, you're the best daughter brother, but she like she did. She was like so shocked. It was like she she got really quiet, and it was very scary for a little bit there.

But they're like, wait a minute, now you are right.

She's like what does this mean? I think she was too excited. She was like afraid that it meant what she wanted it to mean. And I was like, it means what the tickets say. It means we're going, So that's gonna be fun. I'm excited.

Isn't it the best? Though?

When you like come up with a really great present, not because of the expensive it or anything else, it's just because it's like the perfect fit for the person you're giving it to.

That's the best.

Yeah, I got really, I get like really like uh not snotty, but like a cock not cocky, but you know, I like feel I'm like, yeah, I got it this year. This year, I did it. Did a good job. You know, there's always like the off years. But yeah, I'm super stoked. She deserves it, she said, she's a good lady. We're gonna have fun. We're gonna cry. We're already crying. We're watching YouTube videos of it, like, oh, going back.

I just looked down Mandy and I forgot my ring. Darn it.

So how do you got your ring? Where?

Oh? No?

No, So last night I washed my hair and like I was like watching it, and it kept getting to have locks, you know, and it kept getting like snagged on my locks, I said, and I literally like, never take it off. So I was like, oh, I took it off and put it on the window sill because I was like, you know what, this is just gonna rip up my hair.

And then when I was waiting a second, that's like the beginning of a really terrible comedy movie, is when she puts the engagement ring on a windowsill.

No, but at the house obviously, because you know, I was watching my hair in my own shower. And then last night when I got into bed, I said, oh, babe, I should get up. I forgot my ring on the windowsill. He was like, it's on the windowsill. It's fine, don't worry about it.

Of course, it's on a windowsill. Anything could happen.

And then I woke up, of course, and I forgot, and I went I taped them.

I was on ABC seven this morning taping about like credit tips or whatever.

Forgot the ring. I just looked down still forgot. I said, this is why I like taking it off.

Yeah, I learned early on you do not take it off. I used to put it in my pocket when I wash my hands, and and then I would have these moments of terror when I looked down in my hands and it wasn't there, and I was like, oh my god, the ring isn't there. Word I put it in. It's lost. It's lost. Oh my god, it's gonna be some Oh it's in my pocket.

Oh yeah, I'm gonna have to figure out how to wash my hair with the ring because I'm like now, I'm like, Tiffany, You're never gonna remember when you I need to, like wright on my hand, do not forget to take the ring off the window sill in the bathroom because I was like, I.

Should have never listened to Superman.

Now I'm on TV just flashing my bare hand like I'm available.

Please.

That's exactly what he said.

He was like, girl, bye, that's what happens when you're not man. If that were the case, everyone will be good. Yeah, you gotta put it on. You just have to like learn to do like it used to bother me when I slept too. But I'm I just I will everything I take off of my person I lose, So I'm not leaving it to chance. Although I did add it to my renter's insurance policy just in case. So if even that.

Yet, yeah, we need so I don't even think about that. All right.

So I'm super excited because I got my first sponsored opportunity for the impending wedding slash. I don't know elopement, because y'all know I'm not trying to I'm not thin to have some big old wedding. But so I want to go to Justice of the Piece like this month or next month. And but I do want to have some sort of reception, like some sort of like Sunday brunch where I can wear my dress again sometime in the spring, not because I really don't like cool weather.

Right, yes, she's really young, but so dope.

She actually just got married last year and her stuff is amazing. And so I met her at the Kotier Retreat, which is hosted by Munoluchi Bridle.

They do it every year.

I think it's their thirty year and it's a retreat for wedding professionals who service brides of color and so it's great and I was a speaker two years in a row and it's just been it was amazing.

And I met Andrea there. We became cool.

And when she saw that, I got engaged because she actually met Superman on the retreat because I brought him both times as like my guest, and so she actually Andrea actually got engaged at at the at the retreat in the Bahamas, that's where it was in twenty fifteen. She got engaged, surprise, engaged there. So it was just really beautiful and so as a result, she'said, oh my god, you're engaged, you know, let me hook you up with a dress. And I said, I mean, okay, so that's happening.

Mean, is she gonna make you one or do you get to just pick one out? I don't know.

Honestly, I don't know. I don't I think I'm gonna Honestly, I think I get to borrow one, whatever it is, because honestly, I don't necessarily want to keep some dress forever and ever and ever.

I'm not all that sentimental, as you can tell.

So she's me either, thank you. My mom's like, aren't you in a dryer bouquet? I'm like, who the mom? I had all three of your bouquets and where did that get?

Right?

So, but I'm excited because I mean, I don't obviously she's gonna fit it to my body. So because she's like, you know, we can do something for your elopement and then we can like like tailor rich for something a little bit different that same dress or something like that for your for the actual like reception slash, you know, like kind of official wedding in the spring. So I'm just excited because that's like one major thing off my off my plate.

My yeah, that's the.

Least that's that's awesome because you don't mean to tell you what a horrible experience that was, but that's awesome. So do you have to like what instagram at or something or give her a shout out? What's there's contract?

Honestly, there hasn't been it.

She just was like, I would love to, like, you know, let you borrow something where And I was like, okay, I mean I'm assuming, you know, I'm sure when I go to go try on dresses, I'll do like a whole you know thing about it.

It's on social.

Media of her idle dot com.

Yes, and remember I told you about her when you were looking for dresses and you were looking for dresses for women with curves. And I was like, well, you know, I've seen the women that she's dressed and they're all beautiful, brown, curvy women because she herself is a woman of color, although Andrew is pretty thin, but still like, she's a woman of color. So she just really understands like, Okay, this is how you're built and you're beautiful, and let's

That's what I love about her stuff.

Gotcha. Yeah, I found the perfect dress, but it just took way longer than it should have. So bless her, bless anybody like her. Smart lady.

Yeah.

So yeah, that's the like adventures of wedding hood. I think, honestly, if we do do justice of the peace. I was thinking, like just to be corny, maybe like Valentine's Day weekend or like, you know.

It's a corny why not I So I was just like it might be busy, but you know.

I know right, that's what I was thinking.

So I had to call City Hall and be like so because I was like, you know, I would love to wear a pretty dress, get my face downe put my hair up in a bun like looking super cute. So I mean, I do want pictures and stuff. I just don't want the huge fanfare.

It's it's almost it just sounds so romantic, just the two of you, you know, and a judge and you're just you know, declaring your love for each other. Do you think you're going to be nervous?

I don't know, I think so honestly. Now you just never know how you're going to react until you get there.

I'm constantly I'm in, well, this is what happened. I knew it was going to happen after the new year. I knew that everything was going to get real real because you know, the wedding is coming up first week of April, and but in my mind, April is the fourth month. So I've been thinking, I have four months. Do you know that's dumb because I only have three. You only have three months. Invitations hadn't been sent out. I just had it in my mind I was going

OKAYCAD hasn't heard of it.

Yeah, there's it's a it's it's a pretty well known art school. And there's one in Atlanta too, and a branch of it in Atlanta. But I a while back, I had it in my mind, you know, if we can't afford a real photographer, I'll just, you know, maybe we'll reach out to someone at SCAD. I put up a posting on the SCAD career website and it didn't It wasn't so hard. I just had to like submit it for approval. And I was just seeking, you know,

So she's gonna get the nuances and like, oh okay, okay, okay, I get nimbly them to speak to people and speak.

Like them, yeah, and make them comfortable and you know. And so I saw some of her work and she's done like some film and then her fiance. I talked to her and realized her fiance is a film student in Atlanta. So they are like, they offered to do all of our video for just free because we're helping them build up their portfolio, like they actually want to do it. So we're saving like thousands of dollars. And I know, and I know it's a gamble and everyone's like,

You know, alternate and polish.

Yeah that's what I mean, not so polish, so.

No, but honestly, like that's I think that that's super smart because ultimately nobody cares about your wedding video.

But you like your friends really don't care.

They really know. No one's gonna watch a six minute video with Edge Shearon in the background if all these fading in and out and hear the shoes hanging from a tree brand and hear.

A book of poems like nobody. I only think I'm looking forward to myself. I'm like, where's me there? I am okay, I don't care anymore. That's literally it. Oh well, there was something.

Oh so you know, we have to talk about your old employer and the slip that was heard around the Twitter universe and was kind of hilarious.

Congratulations on that pivot. That was like an amazing segue. Yeah, I awoke two days ago. See all everyone knows I used to work at Yahoo. Yes, and if you don't know, now you know, now you speaking.

That was a good segue because so for those of you who know Biggie what he says after that, if you don't know, now you know, there's a word after that that Yahoo's accidentally I'm not gonna say, of course the hell out no right that Yahoo put So they were supposed to say something like Donald Trump believes that a bigger navy would.

Like I don't know, it would be better.

Trump wants a bigger navy is what they should have said, and bless the heart of the social media person, but the N is right by the B on the keyboard, and they accidentally hit N and they did not read over their work and it went out to the universe.

So instead of bigger navy, just switch out an end and that's what they put out. Black Twitter had I mean, to a black Twitter's credit, they could have been like, you know, they really didn't even really drag Yahoo. What they did was they turned that they turned into a hashtag. So they turned they turned we're just gonna say bigger navy. So they turned bigger navy with an N into a hashtag and went and it was huh, last funny.

I laughed when I saw it. I had so many text when I woke up, and my two my two friends who are always like my you know, they're always like debating politics and music and TV on, we have like a group text and they were really upset. They're like, this is just you know, they should have known when checks how many editors saw this? And I was like, you guys, it was a typo like and I know that I do know the person really well. Who did the social media who to us the social media post?

It was like nice word and.

A Trump about and a tweet about Trump, And at this time in our history.

I was like this, That's why I said to give black Twitter credit. It wasn't really even like a dragging of They turned it into just this hilarious hashtag of if black people, if there was a black people maybe what what that would be like? Like you know, like just stereotypical blackness, like half the Navy can't get their hair wet.

Walking around.

I was like, honestly, look, look, look, look this is another one hashtag the Navy hashtag navy in quotes, they're sending me to Korea black moms. Well, until I get

And you know what it wasn't It wasn't meant with any intentional racism either. That's why I just like muted that group texts. I'm like, you get mad about legitimate things that are out there that are racist in the media. This was literally the world's most unfortunate typo that was not anywhere near as bad as the other media f up last week, which I want to talk about quick.

I don't know.

I don't know. Yeah, but I know what you mean.

Yeah, except it's the male symbol. Talk about getting by editors, Are you kidding? Someone had to go someone. I can just picture the graphics guy and be like, yeah, what's the women's symbol. Let's look it up real quick, and then you have to get the symbol physically, put the little women in all the different shapes of the symbol, and the whole time it's the wrong damn symbol.

Yeah, it's just funny Women's march that so many eyes can see something and not really see it.

Yeah, I think, you know, it's just like a you know, shit happens. Yeah, I've made so many mistakes as a journalist. I can't even I really can't judge at all. I I you know, I've I've literally written story, you know, a story about someone who was lying about everything he said. So I cannot. It's a difficult job, but it's still, you know, we need to do better. We always can be doing better all ways, all of the time. And that's just a reminder of it, I guess, a funny one.

So this is just one other thing. Tonight, I was like scrolling through my timeline and I realized, tonight it's the Golden Globes and apparently, according to huff Post Black Voices, it's the most racially diverse show in their seventy four years of existence.

This is like night and day from last year.

I know.

So it's like Easa Rey, there's the women from Hidden Figures.

Today. I literally went to see it today. That was my win for today was going to be like black film because twenty sixteen, if one thing it did right was black film and just film in general. There was

But so expressive Jersey.

Afterward the credits roll, people were laughing. I mean people were clapping, like and I started clapping and I was crying, and my fiance is like, what's happening?

Welcome to Jersey.

Jersey is like the Italy of the United States, you know, like Italians. Well, the first time went to Italy and I saw people speaking in real life, I said, wait.

They really do speak like that.

Like all the passion and the emotion and the you know, like all of that and that's Jersey. Just all of this passion and emotion, you know, just for you know, for whatever reason, the movies driving whatever.

So yeah, I think you're about I really feel, you know, I love it here. We we just moved in like the day before New Year's so this is our first weekend like actually in our apartment, and like the whole weekend, and I've been googling trying to like learn more about the neighborhood. And I didn't realize. Excuse me. I did realize because we went to dinner one night the first weekend we were here, and I like to look around at a restaurant and see how diverse the crowd ISCAU.

No, you're right, Like it's honestly, Jersey City is very, very very diverse. Yeah, so you're just in a great space. I mean, because it's right outside New York. They've got great restaurants, it's right.

By me, it is, so it's just great.

You know where to find me now, I.

Know, can't you hear me?

Now? Quality of life has improved. I have to say. We have a dishwasher, yes, a laundry machine. Can I get an aah? Man, I've done so many loads of laundry. And not only that, but it's our commute to work is like cut in half now, which is just improving my life in so many.

Right, if people don't realize that, it's so crazy that honestly, you can live in New York and live in Jersey and get to Midtown Way faster in Jersey depending on where you live in New York.

You know, absolutely it's it's faster. Well, It's kind of like I call it the Astoria of Jersey because I lived in a Story of Queens which is on the other side of the East River and across from Manhattan, which was the same thing. I was like five stops from Manhattan, and now I'm on the across the Hudson River on the west and I'm like two stops into Manhattan from Jersey City. And so long as the Path train knock on wood does not, you know, f up, then everything is golden. Everything is great.

Yeah, the Path Train is bay.

So I'm glad the New Year's after a good start. We haven't even talked about the Liberature Challenge yet.

I know, do you want to make that?

How have we made it?

I know, let's let's make that. Let's make that tips. How about that? We'll just do tips, credit tips.

I actually have the perfect question if you guys. Yeah, if you stick around for the question segments, it'll go right perfectly with the Literature Challenge. It's about credit.

So let's do some boosting or some braking. You want a boost, you want a break.

Well, we kind of already did my break, so I'm going to do a boost. So my break was going to be I have a boost and a break just in case I come prepared. So the break was going to be wedding planning, which is just getting you know. We got their invitations last night and I was so excited and we realized they gave us, you know, they it was a cool feature. I used minted dot com and I had all these coupon codes and I saved

My already I have a headache.

He's like, where are you so stressed? I'm like, you don't understand. I was supposed to be so simple.

I know, can it be all so simple that yeah, yeah, I haven't sang for you and ride you know you miss it? Well, I'm gonna boost.

Go ahead, I'm gonna boost getting help because I have One of my stresses used to be laundry, because I don't know for three people, super Girl is ten, Superman is you know my age thirty six, thirty seven, I don't know. I mean, I'm like, so are we changing clothes midday every day? I don't know why we have so much laundry every we so much And it just got to be so stressful because it would take me hours.

Like I in plus two. I'm the type of person when.

I get in a role or I want to keep doing work until like, you know, like if I can do a block of an hour or two, but if I'm doing laundry, you know, every thirty minutes you're changing out stuff, your folds and clothes. Anyway, laundry was like the beating of our existence, and me and Superman used to like be like, oh, it's your turn, No, it's your turn, or you haven't done laundry.

It's too much laundry, hunk.

So just just like maybe I want to say, a month ago, I started sending our laundry via my personal assistant AKA and my sister, who only comes whenever she feels like it, because that's how baby sisters do.

That's right. We didn't get an update on on your hiring your sister.

Yeah, girl, I love it though.

Okay, so she dropped off my laundry and when she picked it up, it was so nicely folded my laundry plate. So I told her call around and find the least expensive place because I'm the budget. He said, I don't play that, and thankfully so my laundry places actually end up being like right next to my clean so that's really convenient.

And you know.

I checked them under after her and it is indeed the least expensive place in my city. And I was like, I don't trust you because I was like, that's really convenient that it happens to be next door.

You sure you just didn't choose it because you don't want to do extra work. But she was right, and yeah, it was.

First of all, what I love about them is one, you know, obviously they washed their clothes well. Two, they fold them so perfectly, and they like organize them so all the towels are together, all his t shirts.

All my jeans.

I mean, because I also hate putting laundry away, but it's like a joy to put laundry away because it's so organized. Maybe I cried tears and joy when I see the laundry. I'm like, I just I just want to hug the lady, like I just want.

To say I love you.

It's just so I'm doing a brown boost for like, you know, paying for help. I thought to myself, Oh, this is crazy spending like fifty sixty bucks.

A month on laundry, but laundry takes me hours.

It's not crazy.

Yeah, it's just so Yeah, I'm just looking for other little ways, you know, to make my life a little bit easier.

So I would just want to boost to that to actually paying for help when necessary.

Oh, that's a great boost, anything to expedite life's menial tasks. Meanwhile, I'm still in the honeymoon phase with my laundry machine. We'll see how long it lasts. But it's just nice to treat my clothes right, because you don't have much control over what they do to your stuff.

You don't send them the good. We don't send them the good.

We only said, like, I still dry clean like all my good stuff and anything I'm not sure about.

We do it at home.

But most of our stuff, honestly is like regular average clothes, you know, like just kind of like I call them play clothes.

So that's fine.

Well, I actually had a quick if you don't mind doing an extra thing, I wanted to talk about this Ted talk that I read because I don't for some reason, I don't like to. I like to read the transcripts for Ted talks instead of having to watch the whole thing. I think it goes faster. But so I read one this morning and I liked it a lot, and I was going to make it a boost. So anyway, I'm stealing, I'm doing an extra boost, so I thought it was

Yes, oh, Mandy, you don't understand.

When you started talking about the giver, I was thinking to myself, if that is not me.

But this year, like I.

Finally started to learn how to also take. And I guess I don't even like to call it take. I guess I'd like to call it ask. But I was the ultimate giver, Like I would deplete myself and then you know, and then I would recharge, you.

Know, myself, and then go back and give everything away, like over and over and over.

And this year really and maybe like a little bit of last year, I finally started to say, Tiffany, you have to ask for help. You have to say, hey, you know, would you like to participate in this thing that I'm that I'm doing without having to be like give away the farm. Because I would be the type to say, can you do this project or whatever in conjunction with the budgetista in return, I'm going to give you ten times more than what you're giving me.

That that was my normal.

But I stopped doing that because I found that a lot of people wanted to work with me just to work with me, that I did not have to give away everything, you know. And so I'm learning that because it's hard, because I like as a I think I was telling my my friend Cabrel, he's like one of my confidants, and I was telling him that one of my character flaws is I always play small personally, not professionally, but for Tiffany, Like twenty sixteen, big year for the Budgetista,

What do you mean small year for Tiffany.

Meaning small year for myself, as like looking after myself, not like you know, I mean I got engaged and that, but meaning as far as doing for me, like I stopped exercising, you know, more than halfway throughout the year, I wasn't taking time for myself. I was working seven days a week, like a small year for looking after me personally, because I was taking care of.

The budget Nista and everyone else.

But at first I didn't think that, because I thought to myself, that's not true. You do a lot for you, No, No, I do a lot for my business. The Budgetista is not Tiffany, you know, And I thought, okay, you know that I had not really taken time for self care like I like to read.

I used to read Avidlea. I can't remember the last time I fully read a book. I don't have time. I don't have time. But that's a Tiffany thing. I like to walk.

When's the last time I took a walk. I don't have time because the budgetista needs this. That's a Tiffany thing. And so I found myself scaling back on things that I enjoyed as Tiffany in order to surge forward things professionally, and then also looking after those people around me. And yeah, I told myself twenty seventeen, really, for me, it's gonna be the year of living big and stop telling myself I can't do for myself. And you know, because like I said, honestly, I'm.

A natural gift. I always attracted.

Like one of the things the reasons why I life Superman so much and love him so much such is that for the first time, I'm actually with a giver. I've never been with a giver a giver. Typically, givers attract other takers and you let them take from you until you have nothing left and then you break up.

But he's a giver, and it's so weird.

At first, it was this weird tug of war like no, no you have this, No you have it, No you haven't, And it would be so weird because neither one of us knew how to concede and say I receive.

You know, it would be so weird talking about it.

No, but meaning like like you know, like it could be something like as simple as like oh, you know, i'll buy dinner.

No, i'll buy dinner. Well, I'll I'll make dinner. Well, I'll do the dishes, well, I'll do the laundry, you know.

And so it's it was this weird like tip me, allow this man to give to you, And I used to have to teach him, you know, allow me to do for you. So yeah, like that that whole I think a lot of women fall into that giver giver category.

I know that I did.

And you know, this year I told myself, like every year, I give myself a theme for the year, and my theme really for this is to live big, you know, meaning to be okay with accepting and to purposefully do for myself. Like I after the Liverature challenge, which we'll talk about later, is over, I want to go away, And I said I was gonna I said, well, you know, I don't want to be away too long because the business, and so I think I'll just go someplace domestically for

Still gonna go.

I actually have travel money saved up that I never use because typically people if I travel somewhere, they'll they'll they'll pay for me to speak.

So I'll just make that into a mini vacation.

But yeah, I just think, like it's such a hard thing sometimes to switch because you know, especially as women, we've been taught them. When you take, that's bad, that's selfish, that's you're You're not a good.

Person if you take.

And you know, good people give and you never ask and you never receive, and you should live the life of a martyr. And that's how I was living. And I was not happy. Honestly, I was not unhappy, but it was this weird gray area where I was like, Tiviny, are you happy? And I'm like, I don't h well, what does that mean? I couldn't tell you. I was like, I don't know. I feel this weird kind of like I guess I don't you know. I'm like, well, when's

I love y'all.

But that's why I started the group so you can get your questions answered there, because I don't want to kill myself in an effort to be of service that I can decide what service looks like with that guilt, you know.

Yeah, I think that I think that the key there is that you can still give while also taking for yourself. And I think that that's something that's helped me a lot in my career and at times hurt me a lot. In my career. I've definitely switched. I've got I've gone from being too giving to being too taky, and you know,

I should stand it or like put it in the things it because I'm like, oh my gosh, that is I just don't want to be like eighty years old, Like, dang, girl, when's the last time you did anything for yourself, like truly for yourself, not for yourself by way of business when I give.

You tips because I'm really good at it. Like I just bought myself Broadway tickets last night. It's like, I feel like the last couple of years, I found out what I like and what I value and what makes me happy, and I just keep doing it. And it's just like, I mean, I'm not happy, you know, blissful all the time. I'm human, but I have That's gonna sound terrible, but I mean not terrible, but I'm just

This year.

I got certified to be a Zoomba instructor. I started a new job. I it kind of blew my mind, you know, this year, and I think I and in some aspects I let some of my you know, I you know, personally, like for the fun stuff I've been doing a really good job. There's some goals that I've had that I've put on the back burner because I have been saying that I have there's you know, just like there's too much going on right now, you know, you know, can't normally have time to focus on that.

I want to I feel like we should almost like I want to check in because it's easy for me to say it, but sometimes not easy for me to do it, like checking in even with the Brown Ambition listeners, to check in to be like what did you do for yourself this week?

You know, like did you you know what's a what's a you moment?

That wasn't that on the Oprah The Making of Oprah podcasts that you turned me on too? That was really good? Like a classic Oprah thing is you know, write down a list of priorities that you have and then check your list, say where am I on this list? And like the women is almost never at the top.

Never yeah, but just checking in, like, you know, did you do anything for you?

It could just be as simple as you know, like I you know, I went for a walk or I read a book or you know whatever that looks like you know what really cracked open the door for me?

My friend I have.

I'm really grateful that one thing I'm smart enough to do is to have friends that are not like me. So, like one of my friends, he's really fancy, I mean like Fansee there's fancy, and there's Fonsee.

He is from See and.

So he's the type that like like he'll like So he's like my my my gay husband. And so Superman is always where are you going out with your gay husband? I'm like, And so when we go out, he always will be.

Like, oh, let's try this restaurant, like places that I would never go.

I go with him, you know, things that I would never do, like we do, and so I like it. In the beginning, I used to fight against it because I'm like, well, I don't really want to. I'm like Tiffany's e bury in something different than you would never do or go. And so he really has opened my eyes up to like, okay, you know, the these things are, you know, just as valuable as you know, like you can't count pennies all the time.

And honestly, it's not even then I'm all that cheap. It's not.

It's just that I always feel like I don't deserve. Not I don't deserve, but it's not that serious. I can use this and help someone else, you know. And so he asked me what my ideal car was, and I my, like ideal.

Car when I'm like super rich.

That's what I told him. Anyway, was a land Rover, a range Rover, and a range Rover. And he was like, have you ever test driveny one? And I was like, what, boy, anybody by I know, eighty thousand dollars car. That's just like, you know, the dream car you have in your head. He was like, at least test drives if you don't have to buy it, and I'm like, I don't.

I don't want to, And I don't know why I didn't want to. I was just afraid.

And so he made me go and we test drove one and I loved it.

And those things are huge. That's a Jersey girl coming out.

Yeah no, no, I drove a sport, so it's like it's much smaller than the other one.

So the sport is Yeah. So they're really cute.

And so we were talking to the lady about how much across the month and he was like, you know, because I'm thinking eighty thousand dollars, and honestly it was like maybe like nine something a month and maybe like with insurance, maybe like I don't know, thirteen thirteen, thirteen hundred dollars a month, which obviously.

I'm like, girl, anybody buying that?

But I told myself, but what if your business makes three million dollars, you know, and you take home of that three million, you take home nearly a million of that?

Would that be crazy? You know? And I thought it wouldn't, you know.

So I'm like, and that's not Honestly, that's not too far off the you know, the budget. Lisa is on tasks to be that, not this year, but definitely on track to do that. And so what it did was it made this thing that seems so out of reach reachable, like, Okay, so if your business takes in a certain amount and you your take home pays a certain amount, that's not crazy. That's like telling Oprah she can't buy a five hundred dollars short why she's a billionaire.

Yes, it's important though that you're waiting, you know. It's like, yeah, a lot of people who have range rovers can't have one of exactly.

I would never obtusly like that. I would never get it. I would definitely that that's well. The budget he sent me is always like it has to make financial sense. But what it allowed me to do is say, well, you told yourself no without even knowing what the numbers were.

That's how does that work for me?

Both ways are crazy when you buy something without knowing the numbers and putting yourself in harm's way.

But it's also silly to.

Not even ask what the numbers are, just to say, oh, yeah, I can't get it.

How do you know?

What are the numbers? And so it was just a

So is it tips time?

It is tips time? Tips time? What tips? So this is a great time to talk about the Literature Challenge. Go ahead and tell the people this is the annual Literature Challenge.

Yeah so yeah, so the people. The Liverature Challenge is something I do every year. Well, this is our third year doing it. It's a free online financial resource that I created specifically for women. And the way the resource works is that you sign up in the first three weeks of the new year. Collectively you get to work alongside a whole bunch of women working on the same thing every day, so in your inbox, we all get the same task that's related to the year's theme. This

But when we were going when we were going.

Through the task of like where he was like, oh, you know, part of sponsorship, I'd love for us to be on this day.

On this day, girl, y'all are there.

Because like, honestly, that's why I love about it, Like I love Magnified Money.

Like so it was I would say ninety.

Percent of the requests it was already there because I was like, uh, we were gonna we had you there anyway, Okay, well we had.

Got this for free.

No, But honestly, it's I mean, obviously like putting your name, you know, on the on the challenges is huge. But still I say that to say that for those of you listening Magnify Money. It's just this great website that I have loved for a long time. And what I love about it is that if you're looking to compare a financial resource or product, you go to Magnify Money, and you know that you're getting an honest comparison in an honest review.

There are some websites that compare, but companies pay them for good reviews. You do not have to worry about that at Magnified Money.

And what I really like too is that it's so easy, like you know how to say, well, I don't is it good or bad?

I don't get it. No.

Magnifying Money is like this is an F, this is an A, this is a C. So you know exactly very quickly what this financial product or services rated, and then two, you can read deeper as to.

Why they have that rating. So it's just a great fit.

And so if you have not signed up for the challenge, the good thing about the challenge is, yes, we do it collectively in January, but then after January it's over. I automated, So it's actually automated now, so you can sign up at any time throughout the whole year and do the challenge at any time with yourself or with someone else. If you go to l for Live, R for Richer, c for Credit l RC credit dot com and you can sign up, it's totally free.

It will always be free.

This is our third year of free on free and it's really my goal and my intention to help as many women, especially women of color, have the tools, resources, access and encouragement they need to live your life.

And I know we have a lot of dreamcatchers listening anyway, So shout out to you guys. Good luck.

Yeah, if you're a catcher, like, tell them what a dream catcher is.

A dream catcher is someone who participates in the Super Secret Private Literature Challenge Facebook group. Right, that's kind of the name that they've you take on. You become a dream Catcher because you're going to go catch your dreams. I don't know what is a dream.

Yeah, basically I've said Dreamcatchers, like anybody who just basically is doing the challenge or maybe you follow my brand the budget He's said, Oh, you know, you don't necessarily participate in the challenge or not on Facebook. So anybody who is working with me directly anddirectly to to really work on their finances, you are a dream Catcher. You are actively working toward your best life and your better life.

And so what I love about it, Emily, Yeah, exactly.

And what I love is that no matter where, we just launched so actually, oh I can announce it here. We just launched our official DreamCatcher chapters and by next week they'll people will be able to see exactly where they're located. So you can join the DreamCatcher chapters meet in person. So if you're like, you know what, I actually want to meet women and work together to get

And the dream Coachers are just so nice for the most part, Like they just.

Are the most nice.

Even sometimes they get a little saddy and I'm like, they're on their good behavior on the first week of the challenge.

I have to say that because you have to think to yourself, it's a group of like really passionate women, so sometimes you know they can get a little sassy, But I would say, honestly, for the most part, I would say ninety percent of the time, the dream Catchers are on their best behavior, and you know, and those that are not, I have a zero tolerce Like typically I'm super like, super nice, happy, go lucky, but we delete and ban any negativity.

You get no second chances with negativity.

But how could they be for real, I'm like, delete band, and then they'll hit me behind the scenes and be like, I am so sorry girl.

I'm like, yeah, me too.

Nope, when you're out, you're out. Well on behalf of Magnified Money. Just want to say we're I mean, I mean, I obviously it's just you know, it's the perfect my world's colliding situation. I get to be, you know, supporting Tiffany in a tangible way, which is awesome, you know, providing some of the fun little freebies you guys get during the challenge, and you know we hand wrote those

So, so what's this question that we have?

I mean, it couldn't be better. In fact, I almost wonder if Nick, because it's from someone named Nicole, I almost wonder if Nick wrote this question.

Nick is the founder of Magnified Money, I know.

Because it was Nick could not He is the king of Magnified Money, but also the king of what I call the balance transfer king, and that he is obsessed with them and that's like his favorite tool for getting out of debt. But let me go ahead and read this question from listener Nicole. So I'm a huge fan of both of you, and thank you for the work you do. I've accumulated quite a lot of credit card debt last year, but I still managed to pay more than the minimum thanks to four streams of income. Go

Hello, I mean Magnify Money.

People not sound like Nick wrote that question? I know, like, no, I can find help me with balance transfers. Yes, there is that Magnified Money dot Yeah.

Literally you go.

If you go to magnified money dot com, there's a button that says like compare on the top, and then it's to drop down and then it says balanced trans or Honestly, I can honestly say I.

Think it was two years ago.

I use this tool and I was like, Oh, I have this credit card and my interest is about to kick it, and I really want to transfer it to another card so I can pay it off interest free.

Because typically the balanced transfer card.

That you're getting will offer you, if you have good credit, no interest for six months upwards, sometimes at fifteen months I've seen.

So that means that.

When you don't pay interest on debt, that means all the money you send to it goes to the principle to what you actually owe versus what you owe plus a little something for the company that you own. That's what interest is, aka a little something for the company you own.

Right, And so so I use magnified money. I found.

I think it was like the Chase Fire card or whatever, because I also put in that I was looking for a travel card because I wanted like a card or a venture card. I think that's what I got. So anyway, I balance transferred my my balance over and I had good credit, so I think it was like a year. They gave me a year of interest free and I made sure it was a travel card, and so it was like a win on win. So yeah, magnify money,

Absolutely, But the thing she mentions as she mentions that, you know, there's a balance transfer fee and she's wondering about that. So just a couple of cautions about balance transfers, because the first thing that I like to say with balance transfers is that you can get in a cycle where it's like where you can think, Okay, well I've transferred my balance onto a zero percent interest credit card, and I'm like, hey, I'm amazing, I don't not pay

And we're not really just saying that.

Like I said, even before you know, Magnified Money became a sponsor for the child, Like, that's literally the tool that I use myself personally about two or three years ago, and I was like, oh, this is easy, done and done, and.

We're gene Chatski approved. We found out gene Chatsky mentioned us on the like the Today Show one time, and so yeah, Jean I loved.

I was just on her podcast. She has a podcast called Her Money.

I need to get around to listening to that. I love Jean's just so I just want to give her a hug or something.

And she's really nice. I met her at fin Con and that's when she invited me to come on.

She called me.

Yeah, she called me the energizer bunny of personal finance. I don't know where she got that idea from.

Well there could be worse.

No, I don't mind, but yeah, she was. She was at fin Con.

She because Fidelity, I guess, was one of the sponsors, and they had like this like, uh, Tanya and Melody who are friends of ours are financial friends.

Tanya of my fab Finance and Melody of Dear Debt.

They hosted a party for Fidelity and she was like one of like the guest guest speakers or whatever, yep, and she was super nice, super.

Approachable, miss much this year.

When I didn't go, you gotta go next year or this year?

Well, thank you Nicole or Nick. As for your question, I'm gonna ask him, I know right, like ck, did you make your smooth real smooth? If you guys have questions, we have quite a few questions that accumulated over the over the break, So we'll get to them, I promise, and if we don't, I'll send you guys an email. You can email us at brand Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com or just go to Brunambition podcast dot com

All I do is win, win, win, no matter what. You know, you missed my voice, so here I give it up.

Okay. Twenty seventeen edition of The Winds.

Should see I've actually doing a shoulder bounce, like you can actually see. You're like, yes, I.

Can hear the bounce. I can hear it. I gotta say, I'm really excited because we booked our Honda moon on Friday. I spent like all Friday evening working on this and it's actually a financial win because my goal was to pay for the flights and hopefully more with points from our credit cards, and I can say I accomplished it

Whoa, We're in Spain, Barcelona, Madrid.

Well, Spain is the shortest leg of our trip. So one of the benefits of working in Magnify Money is that our co founder Brian Karimzad, who's like just like incredibly intelligent on so many levels. But he also founded a mile a website called Milecards where he's like a travel rewards points kind of expert and anyway, he's really knowledgeable. So I was like, Brian, I really need your help. I've never booked a trip with points before. I have

So I was like a new wait wait wait wait wait wait we were on that. Say that again.

So when you book three United so we booked our trip to Italy. So we're flying from New York to Italy and then we got a free second flight from Italy to Spain in the middle free plus like twenty bucks for the taxes or whatever. Yeah, just that's the thing that they do. I don't know the why, that's the way.

It's a way.

So if I let's just say I want to go to like I don't know, I want to go to Greece, I can get a second flight free.

If you book through United using the points or whatever. As far as I know, I mean, i'll give you Brian's email address. But that's what he told me. And it's true. The little zero came up. It was a magical and I'm doing a whole I'm going to do a whole story. I was taking screenshots the whole time. I'm going to do explainer of how I did it.

So what's what's the best what's the best card to use for you to because I because United has their own card right their own or does it.

Matter they do?

But the thing about using a Chase card that I love is that you get points for everything you purchase, and those points can be transferred to United. I think with the United card you only get points on certain purchase says perhaps or the most points for flying with the United. I don't know all the particulars. That's Brian's lane, but Magnified Money has a review I believe of that cards. You can check it out. But we both use the Chase So I took out the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Yes, you did, like I need to like.

Here's one one warning is that they actually so the bonus offer for Chase Sapphire Reserve right now is one hundred thousand points plus three hundred dollars travel credit plus a bunch of other perks. But they're cutting the bonus in half beginning in like a couple of weeks from now.

It.

I'm like, honestly, I'm like online now, like, uh, I need to because you know what, like right now I have beg of America has a travel card, and honestly.

We talked about this, you're supposed to get rid of that.

I know I want to strangle them because I was at Nola and I look like a thief because I was like trying to swipe. They were like card says, it doesn't recognize.

I'm like, oh am, I mean Nola, not Nigeria.

Out like this is part of your personal care because you and I talked about that in December when I was in India and we had the whole thing about the chase and you're like, I'm gonna do it and it's been a month.

No, I'm gonna, I'm go.

And actually because I'm like, uh see, I'm the type of person all you have to tell me it's about the clothes, and I'm like, girl, let me get it.

But still, you know, I don't want to like and not just because I know you can handle it, but you know, people listening, it's not like there's always catches. You know, the interest, it's not a zero percent. Usually with new credit cards they have a zero percent interest promotion, but they don't have any of that. So if you need, if you can't afford to pay off four hundred and fifty dollars right away. Then you're gonna hit with interest because they charge the annual fee right away. So that's

No, I'm timing out because this don't make not a doubt. Like honestly, it doesn't make anense.

That's why they're stopping the offer. They did it for press and they got a ton of people interested in the car. Now they have all these new Chase customers. They got what they wanted, and now they're ending it.

No, I'm signing out because it really doesn't make any sense I have to.

It's free.

It's free money.

I mean it's free money. I mean we paid four hundred and fifty dollars, but with the three hundred dollars travel credit, we basically paid one hundred and fifty dollars annual fee. But then I got thee hundred dollars goaluntry refund, so I really only paid fifty. I mean it pays for itself, honestly, so many times over.

So if it makes sense we talked about this earlier Brown Ambition listeners, is that that when you're making these choices, like if you're impulsive or you're reserved like me, either way, the math will tell you if it makes sense for you, And for me it makes sense. I'm like applying while we're talking right now, I'm like, mm, girl, checked down, and don't.

Be don't be one of those people. Don't be one of those people who who spends money on a credit card just because they're gonna earn points, Like that's ridiculous. Yeah, I mean I'm gonna spend if you're gonna spend the money anyway. That's one thing. And it helped me too, because I have been paying for a wedding, which means my expenses has been a lot higher this year. So I was able to put things like the venue on the credit card and get points and you know that

I know you do.

You should make it your business card, like I am.

Honestly, that's when you said that.

I was like, literally, I'm gonna switch over all of my because I spend that with you know, just with business expenses. Things that like my website, my this, those things come on my card and I pay it off every month. But I'm like, why am I not earning you know, like these incredible rewards for something I'm doing anyway, Like I for me, like I don't even in my bag of America card, I don't use it like to swipe. Instead, it basically like stays home and things just get added

But America you need to get rid of them.

They're the worst. They are the worst worst.

I think I'm sorry, I'm not sorry, but yeah, it's been time and this is self love, but this is this is the year of what lived, Big B I G for T I F f an.

So yeah, I'm getting rid of them.

And actually, while we're speaking, I'm like, I don't know if you can hear the tapping that is me applying.

Okay, it's really fast.

I was shot.

Well, the Chase has the thing where they I've written about this before. If you're like a if you well you're not. I'm not either, But a lot of people were pissed off because they are there the kind of people who run up travel cards, get all, they apply for a bunch of credit cards. They have like over a dozen credit cards, and they keep applying, getting the bonus offers and then closing the cards. So Chase wised

Oh Mt Mandy, Honestly, if you don't write a black Quost blog, I'm gonna like beat you next time.

Right.

If Vandy does not write a blog post and put it on our page, we will collectively jump her, just so you know.

And we still have like over one hundred thousand points. I'm like, what are we gonna do with these? Just calm down, You're live your life girl.

You gona oh child.

I'm like, see, had I known this, I could have been in Sancorini right now taping this with that with a bad connection.

Like I can't hear you girl the ways.

So I just said Santorino. I was like, yeah, Greece, that's gonna be next. But I always had a love, you know. I. I feel like everyone has their Italy trip, but I have since I remember doing a project on Italy when I was six in sixth grade, I had to make like a project, you know, the three the three board or three flap project boards, the big presentation boards, and I did the Big Flag, and I've heard about food and like the history of Italy and I've always

That by way of a sponsorship. I'm gonna put that in our sponsorship agreement.

Next I'll let you know what that means, don't I don't care if it just means a free bread basket when I get there, I'll take anything.

I got a free bread basket. It was free though.

And you know, Enrique, forget it, we're getting married. His name is Enrique.

Everyone knows it.

Now. I'm so done having to edit out my own voicing and Thinkayrique. Uh, he's a Catholic, obviously, let's you know, Catholic, perfect combo. And he's just he wants to go see the Vaticans and we're gonna do a day in Rome and you know, just take the train to Florence and I don't know to see whatever. I'm not over planning it, but I'm really excited. So we're gonna do I think we're doing Rome and then Florence and then Cecily and then we're flying to Espanya for four days at the

And it's like, what I know, I know what my win is.

Okay, what's your one, Tiffany, You're approved?

Yes, now go spend four thousand dollars quick now, girl, Like, honestly, that's in three months.

Like that's that's that's probably a monthly. So it's wait, let me make sure. I'm like, don it.

I hope it was the right card. It's the Chase Sapphire Reserve, right, Yes, that would be such a tivioty move, like the Chase, like you know, Emeralds. You're like, girl, that is not even the right car. So yes, Maddie, see look at Mandy getting me together. See this is what brown ambition folks do for each other. We help take each other to the next level.

And you.

Can your mind sing it?

Girl? You better thing?

I then? Oh man, I'm really excited. So I can't wait to European Adventure. I'm almost like I need to knock on some wood. I've really been in my feelings about the goodness of this year, even though it you know, had its low points. But I and I and I need to start.

I need to give back.

I feel like a lot of good things, a lot of good things have been happening, and I feel like I need to pay back in some way. I'm not I haven't really found the way yet, but you will. Do you ever feel like you just like a lot of stupid good stuff's happened, and I just want to find a way to I mean, I bet I've done little I give money to little things, and you know, but just something, you know, to to give some good vibes to the universe that's been good to me and us.

I'm like, you know, you're healthy.

You know everyone that you know that I really really care about is is relatively healthy and fine.

You know.

It's just you're right that it is one of the reasons why I give back because it's you give out of gratefulness, and I don't. You know, I don't give any other way, Like I don't. There's a lot of people who ask me, can you do this?

Or can you speak for free? Or can you And when I tell them, you know, no, they'll get angry.

But I only give when I can give out of genuinely wanting to do it, because that's the energy I want to bring to the table.

So I give a lot so I don't feel guilty.

When someone says, you don't want to speak to this homeless teams for free, And I'm like, girl, I spoke to you know, three groups last week, but you would know that, And that's fine, But that's because I wanted to do that. That Like, I'm really learning to only serve when it's from the place that this is what I desire to do, not out of guilt, because I don't want to bring that energy to the table.

So when you find the right thing, it will be.

The right thing, and you're going to bring the right energy to the table and they're going to be blessed times ten because you're giving.

But then you're also giving from the right place.

Yeah, I gotta do some thinking. Maybe I'll you know, you can donate miles. I didn't realize that.

Yeah, yeah you can't.

You donate some of the miles we have left over. Yeah, I'm just so I'm excited. April cannot come. Well, actually it can come soon enough. I have a lot to do, but you know, getting off to a good start. I'm really happy with stuff. Stuff's good, Stuff's all right, can't ask for more.

Yeah, well, I'm we need to turn back on my heat.

I'm freezing. So for those of you who don't know, me and Mandy have to turn off our heat because we love you so much. So that way, the quality audio of this show sounds great where we're like, oh cold.

Yeah, you might have noticed the significance improvement in the audio from the first ten minutes. I apologize for that. We had some heating issues. Tiffany's a diva. She likes to be warm.

I don't know, it's crazy, I know, for too much.

So yeah, oh, this is a great you know, coming back because you know, like I'm not gonna lie, you know, the end of the last year, it was kind of like whoo child. But I feel like we're you know, we are We're coming back this year strong. Well we I mean we're always good, but meaning that our energy is definitely up, you know, considering you know how last year ended politically. But I feel good. I feel like this year is going to be amazing. This year is going to be a big year for Tiffany and a

This would be great. How about you tweet what's our twitter again? I haven't we haven't said it so long at the BA podcast.

At the BA podcast, how about you tell us what your theme for the year is. I think that would be great. Tweet Mandy. I would love to know, like what your theme for I feel like everybody should start the year with like some sort of like big intention and so like, you know, very Oprah esque.

I'd love to know what it is. Call me now,