Hey, hey, hey, I'm back. Sorry guys, last week I got my days confused.
Thanks for I was trying to like play it off for you, like, oh, she's just you know, being fabulous and taping. I wasn't gonna tell them that you forgot about me.
No, I honestly I was. It was I was in LA and I honestly was like, oh, it's Monday, yes, And then you texted me like hey girl. Later today, I'm like, it's just Tuesday. Oh my god. And I'm so glad that you text me, because honestly, I was about to get on a plane and you would have been like where in the world of siphany because I didn't get off until like ten, So I'd been like.
Maybe I forgive you. I forgive you.
Everyone say, Mama, I can tell I'm gonna forget my kid at school.
Listen. I forgot which way to like leave out of my own driveway today because I have a driveway now that's like a thing that you park a car on. I didn't anticipate so moving into this house this past week, and I didn't anticipate like just how disoriented I would be. The first day here, people were knocking on our door packages being delivered, so much human interaction, which is weird because you think we're so far from humans, being kind
of in the suburbs. But I have had more face to face conversations with people than I ever had in my apartment in Jersey, which is just a I don't know, but that mixed with like the new commute, I'm just like I'm adjusting. I'm in that adjusting face. You guys haven't moved in yet, have you.
No, No, we're gonna. We've been like finding somebody to abate the lead, and the asbestis has been a pain in the butt because I don't know contractor sometimes they just don't show up. You're like, Okay, yes, you're gonna come on Monday, do a walk through and give us a price. Monday comes, Tuesday comes, Whenesday come. Tech text called calm nothing. So we've only had one guy walk through and I don't know if what he's charging is
a lot or little. And so you know, our project managers like, you need at least one other person to give you, you know, a price range. And some people were like, oh, we'll just email your price, and I'm like, but you haven't even seen one person emailed us, Uh, it's looking around thirty thousand. I'm like, are you meanwhile, the guy that walked through told is twenty five hundred? What are you doing based upon what it sounds like? I'm like, sir, can you come to that house?
Well, I can tell you twenty five hundred is reasonable because we got an estimate for that much this weekend.
But it all depends like so, but are you guys that's just for the asbestos right.
Well, yes, just for asbestos, not for lead paint. But I just real quick, I was gonna do my break about this. But I think the whole advice around getting quotes like so for I've been writing about personal finance and we all been talking about get quotes. See many experts compare, compare, compare that shit is hard to do in real life. It is hard. Like it's your time, it's your energy. So I feel you one hundred percent.
I am like, we are trying to get three quotes per project and it is such a pain.
I'm not gonna lie now that you just said. I'm like, that's quote enough for me. I'm about to tell Superman like, oh yeah, so I think because because that's that's literally, what's courts for the asbestos? He said twenty five hundred. And I'm like, okay, that sounds good, but I don't I didn't. I don't have a point of reference. So
you know, that's why it was concerning. And so our project manager was like, you know, he was like, you know, every project is different because some people have a big asbestis like you know issue, some people have a little. So he's like, I can't tell you because you I don't abate asbestos, so I don't want you to get in the habit of just taking someone and then finding out that it was really a five hundred dollars job. And I'm like, this is true. Huh. So it's just
annoying because you know, that part is just hard. But you know, we're because I feel like once the asbestos and the lead is done, we will be able to to then we have to now find a contractor, which I'm not nervous about it, but I'm like, oh god, that's gonna be a task and the stuff. But at least we're not alone.
Hello, I'm here.
I had to mute it for two seconds because some of car alarm went off. Oh god, why is it louder in the burbs than in the city. It's like in my closet right now. Yeah, anyway, what's happening outside of like home ownership?
So I am not gonna lie. I mean, I guess because I wasn't watching it live. I mean I watched a lot of it, and I definitely was like, Wow, this woman is amazing. I mean she just is, you know, just the attention to detail. And I saw this posts and tell me what you think about it. Someone was like, I'm so sick of tired. I'm in this entrepreneur group on Facebook and somebody wrote, you know, you've ever seen those memes? You have the same twenty four hours that Beyonce has.
No, have you.
Ever seen that meme?
No?
Basically it's like get your life together. So it's just a funny meme that people post. And so an entrepreneur posted you, I'm so sick of those you have the same twenty four hours as Beyonce has. She posted a picture of Beyonce sitting like I guess and like, I don't know, like a session where like all of these people are like She's like, I guess, I don't know what it is, but you could tell it's a planning session.
It's maybe like four or five people around her. And she was like, you know, as an entrepreneur, I don't have a team like Beyonce. I don't have the same twenty four hours. That's not fair to say that, Like I could be getting as much done as she is, right, And I was like, I mean, my first, like, you know, at first, I mean, I understand what she was saying,
but I'm also like crimea River. It wasn't like Beyonce was born with a team, Like I think, I guess that you have the same amount of hours as Beyonce has. One it's tongue in cheek, and two I feel like you're supposed to work your way up to a team. And you know, like when I first started, it was me for the first like four years, and then I got some interns and then you know, I had like ten dollars an hour to give to some poor soul to be like my helper, and then it grew and
it grew to grow. Yeah, So I just thought, like, I'm like, I wonder what if somebody else would think about that that you have the same twenty four hours that Beyonce has.
I think that's ridiculous. I mean, it wouldn't bother me because I'm just like, oh, Beyonce's the bar I have to meet. I'm just gonna quit life then and go live on a beach because ain't gonna happen because of biology out the gate working against me. I don't have those genes or those that talent. I think you're just I think at that point you're taking stuff a little
bit too seriously. But it does speak to like social media and the pressure you feel when you see so and so doing this or having this or accomplishing X y Z, and just the pressure of all this constant, these constant visuals of our colleagues, our friends or family living their lives, you know, and highlighting the best of their lives that can make you feel inadequate that I'm all about taking a break from that. Just don't delete your Instagram account because it'll take you two months to
get it back. As I learned, you want to take a break, just move the app over.
I guess whenever I see your you post on Instagram, all in advantage's just happy to be back, Like, hey.
Guys, you know Beyonce, Like whatever, I'm not mad. I mean, Beyonce is just like she's she's just she's like, you can't compare yourself to a superstar, you know, compare yourself if you're an accountant to the account next to you. You know, if Beyonce had a nine to five job and no nanny and like, yeah, no staff, then of course she wouldn't be accomplishing that much. But she made some decisions early in her life, from like the age
of five that led her to where she is now. So, you know, five, I was playing with barbies and now I'm paying the price, and I'm okay with that exactly. This is my life I played with. I chose barbies instead of dance class and star search. So I guess that's my life now.
And I don't yet and I just yeah, like you said, I think that she was taking it really seriously. I don't know, maybe she just got pissed and also too that, you know, one, everyone doesn't want Beyonce's life like that, quite honestly, I don't want that like it's it's it seems like a lot of pressure and a lot more work than I'm willing to put in a lot of time away, you know, and not to say that life. You know, it's seems cool.
So much pressure.
Yeah, I don't want that. Like I it's enough pressure being the budgeteesa in Newark. I didn't even imagine like baby Beyonce for the world. So yeah, I'm just like.
Oh, girl, let's just jump into brown breaks. Yes? Why wait?
Why keep the people waiting?
Yes? So let's brown break by brown break. It's going to be not Facebook groups as a whole, but Facebook groups that where members take themselves entirely too seriously. You're like, girl, like I actually left all my vegan groups. I don't know anybody any group of people that is more judgmental than a vegan I'm not mean.
What either so angry?
I'm like from people who don't eat me and love animals, you really hate people like I. There's literally I was following vegan accounts. You really trying to, like, you know, figure out this who vegan lifestyle and I found that, Like it'll be like somebody will something like hey, somebody today at work said, hey, I notice you don't eat me meat, and I told her to leave me the heck alone. I'm like, girl, but they'll be like, people are so concerned about my meat they need to worry about,
like the poison they're putting in their bodies. There's just so much aggression, and I'm like, where is this coming from the vegetables you're eating? But yeah, I feel like, isn't hungry?
Yeah?
Yes, honestly, yeah, I just I yes, I'm bron breaking from angry Facebook groups, especially the vegan groups. I literally left all of them because it was just too much. I'm like, girl, just don't eat to meat. I can honestly say, nobody cares. Like I have not met anyone who was like, like, my mom is so cute. I told her I was vegan and she's like, okay, so she made me like a salad with like the weirdest elements. I'm like, mommy, what is in this salad? She's like,
I don't know. You said you don't eat meat, so I want you to. But nobody, nobody is has come for me. No one has said what are you doing with your life? No one? So I'm like, I feel like a lot of beacons are making that up that most people don't care. And I still make food for my husband and my bonus daughter, and sometimes it's meat, and sometimes I find really great things that don't have me, and they don't mind as long as it tastes good.
But yeah, definitely roundbreaking from all of that high unnecessary energy. What do you break it? What are you boosting?
I was just going on a rant to Husby earlier on the way home from work about immediately the cost of home ownership, which I anticipated obviously all the repairs and stuff. But our commute, I cannot even sugarcoat it.
Our commute is way more expensive than it's ever been because we now live in the suburbs of New York City and you pay for a different train line now, and my costs went from eighty nine dollars a month on Jersey Path train transit to per person two hundred and seventy dollars for a monthly train pass, which is just I mean, that's you know, one thing, and I have thankfully used up by transit benefit, which I it's a benefit you can sometimes get through work where you
can put pre tax dollars aside. Okay, oh okay, which is nice. So I'm saving whatever my tax rate is like twenty something percent, who knows, there's like seventeen of them now, so you're putting in pre tax dollars and then you get a debit card and you can use that card to pay for your ticket, which which is nice. So it's not like I'm feeling the hit to my credit card or my debit account because I'm just swiping
that card. It's money I've already had set aside from my paycheck, the same way you set aside money for like an FSA card flex savings account for health care needs. So but yeah, two seventy times too, that's like five hundred and I'm just.
Doing the math.
I'm like, damn, we don't Thank god, we don't have a car payment because our car is paid off, so it's not so that expense we have to kind of factor into our budget now. And then I can walk from the train when I get to the city, or I can take a city bike, which is the great bike share program that we have, but that's an additional like on no, twelve bucks a month, not that much more. But again, like my commute has gone from has basically tripled.
But then of course my husband is like, well, we get a yard, and we get this, we get that, and meda. It's just pros and cons. But yeah, I'm already thinking like, damn, man, that's like tickets to a Broadway show or half a refrigerator. I don't know, everything seems like an appliance.
Now, yeah, don't you think it that way. I totally think my friend is like my best friend in and like a group of like other couples are all going to Cuba, and she's like, you want to go? I was like, ah man, no, I got to do the bathroom. Everything is yeah, ah man, those are counters. I wish I could go everything I think of. She's like, really, I'm like, honestly, like by the time we get the flight and they she rented like a really big house and all of that. Honestly, it's gonna be probably a
few thousand dollars between the two of us. And I'm like, honestly, that's literally like the difference between the towns that I want in a towe. But you know.
What I'm what I'm really, what I'm really glad about is that I pre paid for and pre planned a couple of things. Like this week, I have two Broadway shows I'm going to because I booked them and paid for them like months ago. And I have a vacation, well a three day vacation that we're taking in May for a wedding to Puntakana, Go Maria, Dominican. You get to go to dr all the time for weddings.
It's great.
So I have that coming up, which is nice, But other than that, I'm like, oh God, what else did I pre planned I can look forward to, because yeah, I don't. I just don't want to get to a place where the house and I don't think that we will. I think we're we're both in the same page about budgeting for that kind of thing, thank god, because neither of us wants to become, like get in a situation where we're spending way too much on you know, repairs, that our entire life is just one big, like the
never ending, you know, expensive home improvement project. Like we just want to do things quickly and you know, do what we need to do to make the house what we want it and then move on with our lives, hopefully keeping aside some money for the you know, the everyday repair you know, like a little house, like a little house ready day fund, separate from our personal ready day fund, like that I want to be prepared for. But I can't live in a home improvement project for months.
I can't do it. I need to live.
Yeah, I never you know, I've never done a home improvement. That's why we were like, we're not moving until this place is mostly done, because I just can't even. I just you hear just too many horror stories and because we're literally doing so many things where we're not doing like major constructions just in the bathroom, but in the kitchen, but like I want to refinish the floors and repaint here and da da da da. And I was just like, I just can't imagine because I wanted be impossible. I
work from home largely. That's one good thing I'm excited about is like dropping the pretense of my office that I never go to.
Yeah, get rid of that that you're still paying for.
I you know. So what I decided is like I'm going to offer my sweet mate, Drina, who's also my public is like fifty bucks a month so I can still get my mail there and just be like, which is basically what I do now, and just be like, because you know, I don't want like my professional mail to come to my house and people to like show up in the middle of the night. So I'm like I just want to be like, hey, here's fifty bucks. Let me just skip my mail.
Or you can get a box. Yeah, I know that's about the same rate.
I guess, yeah probably, But it's nice to be like, hey, I have office, I'm official. Yeah, right, exactly. Man, Well, do we have any questions?
We do have some good questions. If you guys want to send us a question, hit us up at Bran and Brown Ambition Podcast. Let me do that again. If you guys have any questions, hit us up at Brown Ambition podcast dot com. Oh you did it, yeah and click ask us anything, or you can email us directly at Brand Ambition Podcast at gmail dot com. Now we have a few questions. I think we might get through these.
Some of these are simple from a few listeners. And thank you guys again for all of your amazing questions and not just your questions. You guys take the time to send so many sweet notes and Instagram comments and Twitter comments and all that, so thank you for that. If you haven't yet, definitely go to iTunes and leave us a review. Let the world know what you think, because those reviews are really important in terms of how people can find our shows on iTunes and very little
bit help. So thank you guys. Our first question, let's do an easy one first. This one comes from Yo Maida or it's either Yo Maria, which I love, or is Yo Madia. She says, Mandy, my husband and I need your financial planner desperately.
I know Yomaida. Oh my god, you chose her. She used Omiyda sweet. That's like she's like my mentee. Oh my gosh.
I don't know.
Oh, maybe this is a personal email. I'm gonna read it.
Girl.
We outed you.
Amia, So it is Eomida? Yes, okay. We view money goals two different ways. And he is tripping, so before I strangle him, help, before I strangle him help. We have home renovations and a European trip coming up, and he is on my last nerve. And that's where the email ends. I can feel the desperation, so I don't wanna.
I don't I would say here. So what I'll say is I found my financial planner through x Y Planning Network, which is a network of fee only financial planners who typically work with Generation X Generation Y individuals and couples. A lot of them specialize in couples and relationships. So
I highly recommend going through that. And what I did from there is I found three or four different financial planners and I interviewed them so I had, like a many of them do like a free consultation and you and it's all about learning about their fees and all so getting a sense of whether you like them or not. And that's how we chose the planner we went with. And I actually work with a planner. We don't use her. We don't use this planner. We were using her every month,
like monthly, for a year. And that was the year when we were playing the wedding and we were IVI was swooping jobs and figuring out what to do with equity and all this kind of stuff. So it was really important to have her for that year. And then we slowed down now to just once every six months. And she works for like we work with her remotely. She's based in Atlanta, and I haven't had any issues
with it being you know, from a different state. And I think you might even find more affordable rates if you live in a high cost state like New York City. I found that her rates were a lot more reasonable for the same amount of work. So x Y planning, and there's another. I think that's the main one I think of when I when I refer people to fee only financial planner networks. And then you have like the mother of all places to go to, which is the
National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. All right, So hopefully that was helpful to you. And yeah, and I'll ask my financial planner if she's if she doesn't mind, I'm sure she won't mind. But there's so many great ones on xby planning and everyone's different, so I don't want anyone email me be like, hey, girl, you said that she may you know, I feel you get your own, Okay. And this one's from Anonymous, So uh, this is an
interesting question. This is about debt consolidation. I like this question a lot. Anonymous says, first of all, I love the podcast, Thank you very much. I have a loan that I refinanced recently. Initially it was a car loan, So once I refinanced it, I added my credit card debt to it as well. So she's taken her auto debt and credit card debt and consolidated it into one loan with a new interest rate of four point seventy four percent. Right now, the loan balance is at ten dollars.
In addition to that loan balance, she has also said that she's managed to rack up about two thousand dollars on oither on other active credit cards. Currently, she says, I have a health credit card a little under five thousand dollars that will start charging me interest this coming November. Should I add this health credit card balance to my current consolidated loan or take the money to pay off this credit card out of my retirement account? Please help? So lots of stuff happening here.
Does the health credit card that she give the interest rate for the health credit.
Card so she's zero percent. She doesn't give what the if it's the credit card I'm thinking of, because there's the main The care Credit is one of the biggest healthcare credit cards out there, so I'll use that as an example. They often do these zero percent intro aprs for six months, twelve months, eighteen months, depending on how
much you're putting on the card. The tricky thing with care Credit is that after that period ends, not only do they start charging you an interest rate, sometimes they have a deferred interest clause, means that if you don't actually pay off every penny of that debt. They're going to actually charge you for all the interests you would have owed if they had been charging interest from the beginning. So that's a nasty surprise for a lot of people who may not realize that when they see that zero
percent interest. So I think it's good that you're thinking ahead because you know you have until December when that zero percent interest changes. But it made you need to read the fine print and see if there's a deferred interest clause as well, because if there is, you're not just worried about getting charged interest you're getting, you're worried about getting charged back interest for all this time. So
I think it's it's smart you don't. I mean, I would say, you know, continue trying to pay it down, but look to consolidate it before you get to that November mark and figure out what's like. What's really worrying me is that she's consolidated, and this can happen with a lot of people. You consolidate your debt and then you feel comfortable like, oh, I have a new loan,
it's only four percent. I'm going to go ahead and start adding, you know, racking up some debt on these other credit cards because I feel better about myself or like I feel more comfortable with my debt load, but you still have the same amount of debt. You know, maybe you bought yourself a little bit more time, and
of course you're spending less on interest. But the fact that she's already put two thousand on other credit cards, she's put a close to five thousand dollars on this health credit card already, there may be just a larger issue here. Not having enough savings obviously to cover expenses you can afford, or maybe living beyond your means a little bit.
Yeah, I would just say, like, I mean, I'm somebody who took from my retirement account, but I honestly don't recommend it because I'm like just now starting to catch up and I was scared I wasn't going to be able to. And you don't want to put yourself in the position that, you know, when it's time to retire, you don't feel like you can stop working because you just don't have enough to support yourself. So that's a short term problem to a long term like a long
term life, you know. So no, I would try to get your spending it's under control as possible. Like Mandy said, definitely pay off the the because if you have a zero percent I would not want to switch to zero to four percent until I absolutely had to exactly enough, because then you'll you're literally going to be paying extra money four percent for nothing, you know, because when you could just pay the principle directly. So yeah, I would
wait and maybe like a month before. If you're not done, then roll it on over.
And definitely read that fine print to see if you have that deferred interest clause. Yeah, thanks, and work to pay it off as soon as you can. Do whatever you can to not to not rack up more credit card debt, because yeah, some people will roll. And this is a good tip for people to know if you have. One of the questions I got recently, I did a we do a lecture at Brooklyn College a couple times
a year. I just went down there. One of the questions I got from someone was, I did a balance transfer recently and it's coming up on the time when zero percent interest rate period ends, the promotional rate ends. What should I do because I still have money left in the card. And I said, a lot of times people will do a new balance transfer. Now you can't.
You can only do that for so long because you can't transfer the same bank to the same bank, so you have to keep finding new offers, but getting ahead of it and like proactively transferring a balance to a new balance transfer offers. It's one option, but you don't want to keep chasing balance transfer offers forever. You need to eventually be aggressive about paying this debt down. Yep, and at four percent you're doing well. It's a lot better than credit cards. But take this time to really
aggressively attack it. Don't like sit back and relax. Hope I'm not coming across two judge, because I know things can happen and health care costs are insane, But just keep in mind what to watch out for anyone listening when you look at those health credit cards, especially with that deferred interest clause, because it's in there a lot of times. So watch out for that.
Because I definitely did that when I had I had to get dental work done, but I didn't have like really any insurance and they're like, oh, I don't worry. You didn't take that a loan it's zero percent interest for twelve months, And I was like, okay, and near the end that owed like, you know, a few hundred dollars whatever, And I don't know who told me. I don't know if it's the secretary. She kind of pulled me to the side, was like, girl pays this off
because if not, it all comes up. Yeah, and Ily, wait.
Go ahead, John Not to bring it back to home ownership, but I've been reading, you know, I was at home Depot just reading some of the materials they had about home improvement project financing, and I believe I saw a deferred interest clause in that as well. So it's in all these terms, all these you know, nice zero percent interest promotional loans out there, just nothing. Sometimes if it's too good to be true, it really is.
Yep.
Well, thank you for your question, Anonymous. Last question. We have time for one more question, right, all right, This comes from question This is a fun question from listener Kim. First, she has a confession to make. She says, I've been cheating on you. How dare you? With the camp with some other podcasts talking about self care and beauty routines. But she said she's come to us now because she wants to know basically we all know that self care beauty. Sorry,
I just had a hiccup. Basically, we all know that self care and beauty routines are really expensive. So Kim wanted to know, Mandy and Tiffany, how much do we spend on self care and would you be willing to talk a little bit about that on your show. I'd love to hear what some of your favorite products are and how you budget those things into your life, because she knows the struggle is real and this hair is expensive.
Yes, so I would have to say my vitia routine is pretty low maintenance. I don't really do much. I'm not gonna lie so like, I don't use like expensive stuff for my hair because I found that with locks anyway, when I had a fro, I needed a lot of products. But locks actually do better with less products.
You're so smart. Locks are way less maintenance.
Oh my goodness, when I say, it's the best thing ever happens in my life. And so the thing that costs the most with my locks is that it's actually get them retightened. So that's one hundred dollars, which I do, like I would say every other month. So you know, so I'm kind of spending like six hundred bucks a year on my hair, and I mean I use like
regular like Suave shampoo. It doesn't need much. Like I said, I don't want to get my nails done or like my feet done unless like Superman is like, honestly.
Wait you let it get to that point when the man notices, you know, because.
You know, I'm such a town boy, and he's like, babe, is that the sound of your foot on the A.
I'm like, uh, sounds like a dog.
Like with the like the cash, You're like, wait, I can start a fire. So but I will say this about so and I don't, like I really don't wear much makeup, so like I don't. I've actually stopped wearing any makeup on my skin im unless it's for like a TV or photo shoot because I found myself breaking out. And then one day I was literally looking at Superman skin and I was like, yo, your skin is like perfect and we live in the same house. What's happened?
He's like, you put all that crap on it? And I was like, you know what I do?
Also, the ovaries that we have pumpy hormones, that's not something you can remove.
I know, So like I stopped, and honestly, not that I ever had like terrible skin, but I found that my skin was like way better. So I do spend decent money on like like like lotion for my skin, Like I use like a special really moisturizing motion because my skin is dry. I spend like decent money on like face stuff for my skin just to keep it like healthy. But yeah, that's probably where I spend the most. About it, if I'm gonna say beauty money, and yeah,
I'm honestly, I'm not gonna lie. I'm pretty low maintenance and unless I'm like being the budget Nissa than it's hair, nails, eyelashes and dresses and all that kind of stuff. But me as Tiffany, I'm like, I still have the same dirty pair of trucks that from three years ago that I'm sure if I turn my back he would throw away.
Well, if you had to put a number on it, how much do you think you spend on like self care? And that can be anything from like beauty to work fitness to anything that you.
Do a year, well I'll say this.
Or a month whatever.
Well, the thing is the biggest thing I do for self care, honestly is to travel because I really enjoy that when I do, you know, get like a chance so that that's not necessarily obviously cheap. I mean, I try to find a great deal, but I enjoy traveling because other than that, it's it's taking a nap, reading or traveling, and reading is pretty inexpensive. Taking a nap is free, and travel is like, if I'm going to
splurge on something for myself, it's definitely travel. And I would say I probably spend two to five thousand dollars a year on travel. It depends because if I go on an epic trip, then it might be more, because I like up to five because you know, I'm like going to multiple countries, like I went to India one
year and then Morocco and so. But yeah, so I would say probably exactly collectively two to five thousand dollars a year on all of my self care stuff, including the gym membership that I never use.
You never use your gym membership, I was gonna see. I hate that too. So for me, I like this question because that movie Amy Schumer did and I haven't honestly seen it at all. I don't know that I
intend to. But it's called I Feel Pretty and it's about a woman who thinks that she's has like low self esteem, and then she knocks her head at a soul cycle class and she wakes up feeling super confident and beautiful, and all of a sudden, she's changed her mindset and she gets the main and the job and the everything, the friends and the beauty and the money and all that stuff. And there's been all these like hatefolk think pieces written about it because beauty standards are
just so insane. And I was and like it's almost like we've put the pressure on the woman. Oh, just change your mindset and you know it's all gonna work in your favor. But the way that the way the world works right now is you do feel pressure to look good, to like physically look good, and spend money on yourself and to do the hair, of the nails, the face, the fitness whatever, to look good, to beat some sort of standard.
And it's expensive for me.
I've always like for me, I hate in New York City. I don't know if it's this way around the country, but these like these fitness classes now are so effing expensive. When I was in Jersey, I was spending I could I spent one hundred and or no, close to two hundred dollars a month just for this fitness class that I liked, and they're all doing that now. It's like two hundred dollars to go to the like the soul site.
I don't.
I didn't do soul Cycle, but soul cycle a peer bar. These new trendy fitness classes are over two hundred dollars sometimes or they want to charge you annually, and for me, I just I just don't. I can't wrap my I can't stomach spending that much money on pain and suffering. So, which is what working out kind is. So one of the reasons I like where I live now is that I actually have an opportunity to be more active for free,
which is what I like. So I have a ten minute walk to the train, and I have I could walk fifteen minutes to my office, or I could take a bike and bike to the office. It's like today I did eight thousand steps and didn't pay a dime. Eight thousand steps and I haven't done more than like on a good day going back and forth from home to work. Before where we used to live, I was doing like twenty five hundred steps. It was pathetic. So I would have to go to the gym to actually
get some workout in. But now I feel like my life is naturally built around a little bit more activity, okay, And I think that I'm going to be watching because I have not been working out, and I'm going to see if this makes a difference, if I start seeing some results in terms of maintaining my weight, because I have put on weight the last few months that I've been focusing on work so much, which is not good.
But I'm hoping that this is just like an easy freeway free ish because like I said, girl, I'm paying more for my commute but low cost way to get more fit. And I mean I'm guilty of spending probably one hundred dollars a month, well yeah, on self care and beauty and stuff only because this hair is just so freaking high maintenance. It just needs so much product. And girl, she loves loves, loves product, and she's very moody and she doesn't get any and I go through a lot.
Yes, when your hair's out like that, I'm telling you, like by fro, people are like, oh my god, natural hair so so much easier than when you had a perm Are you kidding me? My fro was a demanding beast. It was like, no, I blush your boring product. That's more than it was so much work. I can't even imagine with your hair out. Oh my gosh, it's like a pet.
It's like having a pet. It honestly is like a freaking plant or something. It's it's a lot, but I love it. I worked hard, you know, it's it's what I'm supposed to look like. But it's just, you know, God just gave me an extra bill on the end of my you know, just gave me some extra basically, give me a hair bill of one hundred dollars a month just to keep it, maintain it.
You know, how much do you think that you spend like a year or like, yeah, a year, I would say on beauty and self care.
That's probably way more than anyone ever wanted to know about hair care. But I feel you because this stuff is not cheap, not cheap at all. So thanks Kim for your question that I'll love.
I'll do it for so many and I do want to try something quickly. If you want a little shout out on BA you know, if you head over to Instagram and you follow us, what's our Instagram.
It's uh, brown Enbition podcast, hoof almost forgotten, so difficult to remember Brown Ambition Podcast. Yes, please, I manage that account. And you guys have been so nice about responding to our posts and just you know, commenting on the shows on Instagram. So I love it. Keep doing it, follow us.
And if you so, if you if you follow us and you leave a comment, you know, we'll, you know, try to do a little shout out once a week. You'd be like, ow, I see you Maria, I see you bought a house or whatever it is. Like, we'll try to do a post then and to get some feedback from you guys because we love to see you on social as well.
That's how we want to end the show now. It's by calling you guys out on some reading your comments, leap reading your thoughts that we get on Instagram. So start commenting. I guess I should start posting more.
Get on right, and with that, we bid you do too.
I guess I'm gonna go back to my house, all these rooms.
And I will go back to uh, I don't know, just taking a nap.
I don't know.
Somebody's gotta do it.