Episode four ninety six Tips to succeed with your low by year and combat over consumption.
Welcome to the Frugal Friends podcast, where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity, and live at your life. Here your hosts Jen and Jill.
Welcome to the Frugal Friends podcast. My name is Jen, my name is Jill, and today we are motivating you and giving you some hacks and tips to continue with your low by year. Even at the beginning of the year, if you said this was going to be a no by year, or maybe you tried to do no spend January, even the no spend February that we did with our listeners and our newsletter subscribers over on the front letter, even if those did not go the way you thought
they would go first, that's normal. That you're not alone. So we want you to remotivate yourself. First quarter of the year is almost over, and let's have the other three quarters of the year really strong.
And I think, honestly, a no by year sounds pretty unrealistic, but I do really love the idea of a low by year, or just aiming at under consumption or the opposite of over consumption that we can be so sucked into when we're not thinking, we're not mindful about where our money is going, and so we're hoping that this can kind of help you with that. But first, this episode is brought to you by All in One. Like a fanny pack that doubles as a belt, or a hat that's also a hairtie, or a cup that can
be used as a plate. To what whenever you can jam like fifty desirable things into one handy dandy accessory. We're here for it. Kind of like our book Buy What you Love Without Going Broke, It's an all in one guide on how to save money, spend better, and feel confident about your finances, how to practice values based spending. It's the last thing you'll actually need to buy this
year because it's just that good. You can use it for bedtime reading, use it as your journal, wear it like a necklace, use it as a coaster and a plate. Get the all in one Buy what you Love Without Going Broke wherever books are sold.
It just got more unhinged as you went on. Started real good and then just devolved. But I didn't hate it.
Because you don't just need it for all of your finance tips. You could also just like use it for all of your accessory needs.
I will push all in one, I will push back on it's the last thing you'll need to buy this year because it is March, so I s buy it bye, good bye, one or two more things for the rest of the year. But that's just good. That's just where we differ. It's okay. We're allowed to have different opinions.
We are not the same.
Yeah, okay, So if you want to queue up a few episodes for after this, episode four forty how contentment leads to better spending with Shannon Ables is a fantastic episode, and then also episode four thirty six under Consumption Core one oh one. Again, I know the numbers are pointless, you guys keep telling me, and I keep saying them, But just search for the title of the episode and you'll find it.
Okay.
So let's get into our article today, seven low by year tips for maximum success and lasting change, and it's from the Simple Balance dot com, so.
To get into a little bit about kind of what it is why you do it, and they also reference how a no by year is much more difficult than a low by year, but it's essentially choosing to really take inventory of your spending and decrease it as much as possible. And so in order to do that, these are some of the tips that they are talking about can really set you up for understanding and implementing. And the first is that you really do have to find
your reasoning for doing a low by year. Any time that you engage in something that is a bit of a challenge, we need to know why are we going to do it? Because twelve months is a really long time to stick to anything. And you know, if you're even just hearing this concept for the first time and you're like, oh, but it's you know, halfway through the year. You can start a low by year at any time point. You choose the twelve months that it's going to happen in,
but determine what the reasoning is for it. Whether that is to just understand you're spending a little more, to decrease the amount of consumption that you're doing, or maybe
it's to help contribute towards another financial goal. We know a lot of you from the Mega survey that we did are wanting to pay down debt, and so something like a low by year can really help to free up some more cash to be able to throw towards debt or help you to max out a roth ira or pay for that vacation in full that you've been wanting to take for a really long time. But you definitely need to know why am I doing this? Like, don't just do it because we're saying like it could
be a cool thing to do. It's gonna feel really overwhelming if like you don't have it tethered to anything. So figure out like your reasoning for doing this and be able to kind of come back to that deeper reason.
Yeah, I love the story that she tells. She says last year, her close friend lost eighty five pounds. He said he's tried for years to lose the extra weight, but never the motivation never stuck until he had a blood test where he thought he was pre diabetic, so it ended up being skewed results, But for two weeks before they told him the results were skewed, he thought he was pre diabetic, and those two weeks he had intent like that gave him the motivation that actually got
his butt in gear. And so then he found out he wasn't pre diabetic, but he was then afraid of like becoming pre diabetic and so over the year lost eighty five pounds. And I think it's the same with us and our money. We can know what to do, quote unquote, why to do it, what we should be doing, but we have to have that, you know, that diagnosis moment to give us the internal motivators to stick with it. And that is the why we are talking about next is to think ahead about what you need to buy
this year. Sometimes this can be because this can do more harm than good. So I don't there is some prep that should come with doing a no by year, But for a low by year, I think it's different. I don't think you need to prepare for a low by year. And so like if you're gonna need to repair a place of you know, a pair of shoes, it's it gives it. If you were doing a no by month, you could definitely wait a full month and
not replace the shoes over that month. If you're doing a no by year, then it might kind of distort your thinking to say, Okay, I'm gonna need to replace my shoes this year, so I'll just buy them now so I won't need to replace them throughout, you know. Whenever that time comes over the year. As a runner, like I know, once I hit you know, one hundred and fifty to three hundred miles, like depending on the shoe,
I have to replace that. It is unhealthy for me to run on shoes that are worn down, right, that is a need. But with a low by year, we replace things as we need them, and that is acceptable. That's not a quote unquote failure. Even though I think on a no by year, I still wouldn't count that as a failure or an impulse purchase. And that's what we really We want to get out of the habit of finding a problem and uh just instantly solving it
with money. So I think the preparing I like show, She says, think ahead, because this is what Jill does. Jill makes a list of the things she needs so she can be aware while she's at a thrift store, searching yard sales on Facebook marketplace. And it's not things that are now an emergency situation where I have to, you know, replace it right now. If I'm running, I kind of know how many miles I'm going to run each month and kind of when I'll need to buy
new shoes. I can see that coming. So nine times out of ten, you're gonna be able to see it coming and you can prepare. But think ahead and think about, Okay, what are these things like running shoes that I know I'm going to have to replace sometimes sometime this year.
And alongside with that, Tip number three is talking about deciding on your personal low by year rules. So similar to doing a no spend challenge, where you're deciding what are the limitations and constraints. What am I still going to be able to spend on? But what am I not going to spend on? Same thing? So, considering your own lifestyle, the things that are important to you, like Jen said, will you replace things that break? Maybe a rule for you could be that you're going to choose
to spend on experiences instead of things. Will you consider limiting your eating out or takeout spending or is that something you want to keep the same. Are you going to change what you choose to do around the HU holidays at all? The author gives the example that for her, lo BI means that she's limiting the stuff she buys, not necessarily experiences, so she'll replace consumable items that run out and essential items that wear out, like running shoes
that kind of a thing she does reference. You know, she has kids, so she is going to be buying Christmas gifts and Birthday gifts, but considering ways to be able to kind of scale back and be a little bit more mindful about the spending in those different categories.
So you decide in advance what are the parameters that you want to stick to, And I think it really could be good to identify what are the areas where you are maybe spending the most, but you could rein it in and you're curious to see what kind of problem solving and creativity could happen if you say, for this year, this is what I'm going to choose to do instead instead of buying as much as I do from the target decor section or Amazon Late Night, I
am gonna choose to only spend on experiences. So not depriving yourself either, but just being curious if I put this limitation on myself, what might I learn and how might that help me financially.
Next is to declutter your social media. So the author says, I was tempted to say limit your social media, but that can be a huge source of information connection, community, and we agree with that. So one of the things I think like social media is seasonal, so I think taking each season and this isn't just like weather seasons, but if you're entering into a no by or a low by year rather, then it's time to not just declutter,
but recurate, recurate your social media. So for us, we just published by what you Love without going broken January. During the launch period, I was following a lot of journalists, a lot of book reviewers, a lot of book related things, a lot of people who could teach me and potentially
help me with our book launch launch specifically. And then once that season was over, I went through and I stopped following all of those people, not because they did anything to me, just because I wanted to see different things in my feed now. So I want to recurate for a new season. And that's definitely what you need to do in this new season. So any any influencer whose main job is to get you to buy things, fashion, skincare,
all the little things, diy crafts, all this stuff. Take out that stuff and then you can slowly start to add new people in as you discover them. That will help you with this with your motivation and ideas and creativity, for the low Bui.
I love the recognition that no decision we make needs to be permanent, like the curating your social media can EBB and flow. You can decide what's going to be important for me to be digesting and consuming when it comes to digital content right now, but I have the permission to change that in a few months from now if I choose to. So, I think that can help when we do audits like this, as knowing I'm going to make a decision now I'm trying it on for size.
I'm doing an experiment. I can always change my mind and shift up who I'm following. Okay. Number five is to create wish lists. Jen already mentioned that this is something that I do on an ongoing basis is create. I have a running list within my phone in the
notes app of things that I want to buy. So if I see something cutesy or have an idea that of something that I want to add to my kitchen that I think would make my life more efficient, kind of the things that none of it's urgent, it's not an emergency, but I think I'm gonna want this, I put it on a list. And so she's describing this too having a place to go with the desire to
spend is really helpful. Writing something down physically on a list like this can give you a bit of that dopamine release that we're looking for in the purchase, but without actually needing to spend the money. So it allows that desire to have an outlet. But it doesn't mean that we have to follow the desire all the way through. It also doesn't mean that we never get to buy that thing. We can always revisit that list and see,
is this something that I still want? If not, delete it, If it is fine, keep an eye out for it. And for me, it specifically allows me the opportunity to kind of go through the filtering that Jenna and I have really been loving of figuring out how can you get it for free? How can you get it for a deal? And so when I have it on a list and I'm able to revisit it, then I'm able to see, all right, is it at this thrift store?
Is it on Facebook? Marketplace? Can I find it on a buy nothing group as I'm scrolling and I can kind of reference back to that list I've created.
Next is to unsubscribe from store emails and delete apps, And this is another one that is curating. It's kind of like it's kind of decluttering but kind of curating. So normally we would say you don't have to unsubscribe from emails. You could just do like an unroll me or a unrolled dot E is a like a browser extension that rolls up all of your emails into one like your promotion emails into one email a day, or make a folder where all of them go to that's hidden.
But if you're doing a low by year, that is a unique scene, or if you're doing a low by season that is unique. In that case, we need to look at our spending triggers and sales. For a lot of us are spending triggers, So unsubscribing for this season from all of them, and then after the season's done, you can resubscribe to the things that are important to you and like put them in the unroll me or the hidden folder so they're there to have the sales if you want them. But this is a unique season.
So this is where I would say, and it's it's longer than a no spend challenge, right, So if we're in a thirty day no spend challenge, you don't necessarily need to take the time to unsubscribe from everything, because in thirty days it's over, and that's where the low spend is unique. It's a longer season, so it requires a little bit more curating for sustainability. So unsubscribing from
store emails yes. Deleting apps yes. Again. Once you come back, then you can just you can delete all of them and re download what you want as you want it. And I even say this for a no spend challenge, it's still helpful to delete apps even for thirty days, because I think those really can be I feel like I look at my apps on my phone screen more than I go into my email. That could be flip flopped for you. But deleting apps will keep you from
easily being able to order something online. And with the last one, she says something when the Amazon where the siren call of the buy now button is so powerful, lists are an equally powerful way to fight the temptation. Another powerful way is to delete the Amazon app off your phone. So it's not saying that you can never use Amazon the whole low bye, unless that's one of your rules. I don't think any particular retailer has to be eliminated for it to be a low by. It's
very much up to you. But keeping the Amazon app and the easy access off your phone that is helpful to succeeding. We just want to create as many barriers as possible because the technology and the success of these companies is through how easy they make it to impulse buy and how fast, like fintech companies make frictionless payment, we need to fight back by creating friction and creating barriers, creating inconvenience.
Yeah, I love the parameter for a low by year of not purchasing replacements until they're needed. I think a lot of times when it comes to store sales, that can be what happens is, oh, well I heard about a sale. I'm eventually going to need this thing. I don't write now, but I might as well take advantage
of the sale now. I'd be curious what happens for us if we don't know that the sale is happening, and we only go onto that store's website to purchase the replacement, and maybe we discover, oh, there is a sale going on, or we could look up when do we think the next sale is going to happen? Can
I wait that much longer for the replacement? But that would be an interesting, I think rule to create of not like pushing back against some of like the hoarding tendencies of collecting the thing so that you have it for a raining day, but really pushing it more to the limit and only getting it when you need it.
Yeah, when I when I need something, when I know I'm going to need to replace something, I will maybe put it in my cart or tag it or put it or like save it somewhere and for a few weeks watch to see if there are any sales.
Oh, that'll happen.
And if there are no sales, I buy it at full price without guil, like I'm not going to. I save a lot more money by not in pull buying just random things on sale and not using them because they're not as good as the thing that I really wanted. I would rather just buy the thing that I really want at full price.
Number seven, last, but not least, is come up with a list of activities to replace shopping. This one cannot be understated. We need this. This is the lifeline.
I'd say this is the most important thing because so much of our shopping comes from stress. From unhealthy, unhealthy or absent coping mechanisms, boredom and just like jumping to spending like as an activity to avoid boredom.
And we talk about it's not about deprivation, and there could be some sacrifice here, but we don't want this to feel like an unreasonable, unbearable kind of challenge to be giving ourselves, but rather embracing some of the creativity that that can happen, and finding alternative ways to cope, finding alternative ways to experience that dopamine release that we're looking for, and potentially even learning more about ourselves and finding the things that actually are even more fun than
spending money. And maybe we wouldn't have realized that if we hadn't have given ourselves this opportunity. I love some of the examples that she gives. She describes that in her home, if she's tempted to buy something new, she rearranges. I love this idea when it comes to, you know, if buying home decor is a huge one for you, In particular, creating a different kind of aesthetic with the things that you already have can really bring a nice refresh to the place. If she's tempted to buy something
for her wardrobe. She does the laundry. Now that one doesn't sound maybe like as fun that instead of buying, I'm gonna go do a chore, but it helps her to remind herself of all the clothing she does have, and you do get the reward of completing a task
having clean, where ble clothing. If she's tempted to buy a book and can't and access it right away, instead, she'll order it from the library or download a sample of it on Kindle and wait patiently for the book to come in, although I will also say if you have Libby or Hoopla, you don't even have to be patient. You could just get the book off that app either as an ebook or an audio book, and they can
also communicate with a kindle. You can send it to your Kindle from Libby or Hoopla, depending on the book. Sometimes you are going to have a weight period on it, but if you ordered a physical copy, you absolutely would be waiting at least a day or two for it to come in. Anyway, so love that.
Or if you really want it and want to keep it, run down to your local bookstore and get.
It so you could commit to walking more watching some of the shows on the streaming services you already pay for, finding a new recipe to cook, calling a friend. One of the things we talk about in our book by What You Love Without Going Broke is having congruent sized alternatives to the thing that you were doing, like the ways in which you were spending, so kind of the
small medium big sized alternatives. So if you know scrolling on your phone at night and buying things from Instagram or Amazon is kind of yourmo when it comes to impulse spending, then something you can do instead late at night, right, So like going for our run isn't going to be a great alternative if it's eleven thirty pm. Instead, maybe you've got a list of funny videos that you want to watch. There's a comedian that you enjoy following, or you journal, or you play a game on your phone,
something that's similar in size to that thing. If it's going out and shopping with a friend and you enjoy it, maybe like as an activity, then maybe it's something kind of congruent with that, where you are going out for a walk, meeting up with a friend to do that thing, or packing a picnic lunch. Something that's going to feel like, it gets you a version of what it is that you're looking for to the same size of it.
Yes, I one of my like, I just had this idea, and I want to pose this challenge. Maybe this is the challenge for April. Oh, instead of scrolling, text your friend, text a friend a meme a different friend every day, thirty friends in thirty days, thirty memes, ooh, and strike up a conversation. Sometimes they'll text back. Sometimes they won't because they're busy, you know. But sometimes you might get a meme back or GIF.
Yeah, just send them an audiogram. Those are fun.
That's scarier. It's fun though it's it could be fun.
You want next level challenge?
Okay, if you want next level challenge, But if you are like me and you're not like great at reaching out to people, I think community and relationship is a far better solution to our anxieties and our stress and all the things that we sources of stress, shopping that we have. I think that thirty memes to thirty friends in thirty days could solve all your problems. And I just thought about it like thirty seconds ago. But I'm committed to saying on the record I believe it will change your life.
In addition to your low by year, you also have an April challenge.
I'll try it.
Do you know what is not a challenge, but something we also love when people try.
It's it's the only like audio message that feels safe to me. All other audio I honestly I would never I respect people who do, but I couldn't.
That's because you're a podcaster. I know, literally only do audio cramps. It's how you make your money, it's how you hit your house.
I get it. I'm a conundrum.
Wow, the bill of the week.
That's right, it's time for the best minute of your entire week. Maybe a baby was born and his name is William. Maybe you paid off your mortgage. Maybe your car died and you're happy to not have to pay that bill anymore.
That's bills, Buffalo.
Bills, Bill clion, this is the bill of the week.
Hey, frugal friends.
My name is Ruth, and I was listening to your episode about the car and the minivan. And we have an eleven year old Toyota Corolla with fewer than one hundred thousand miles on it. But every once in a while, I started thinking, you know, oh, I would love I mean, i'd love a backup camera, but you know, I want a new car or something. And recently I started saying, Okay, I'm going to start making myself pay a car payment into an account. So now we have a car payments.
Five hundred dollars goes into a savings account every month, so that, yeah, maybe when we have the price of a new car in cash, we can go ahead and do that, or if we get in an accident, we'll have something for a down payment beyond that. But it's a little way of my saying, okay, you know what I'm preparing for that. I'm preparing for that new car, but my current car works perfect now. And uh yeah, it's a it's a bill that I'm paying to myself and hopefully that'll save future us some money.
That's it, Yep, that's it. That's how you do it.
That is how you do it. You got it. That figured it out, Ruth Rut.
Maybe Ruth Rut, thank you. Uh, And that is honestly how you do it. When you decide you want another car, then you start saving for it. And if you need a new car before you've saved all the money, you've got the down payment. Otherwise, when you hit your goal, you get to reward yourself with a new car, whether you need it or not, right or you just let it sit there and wait for your car to do. You get to choose, but if you don't have the money, you don't get to choose.
And now you have the cash to negotiate that car purchase too. You may not even need to have a car payment once you get the next thing. You are doing this in a brilliant way.
And the thing is your Toyota Corolla is never gonna die. It's never gone. It's yours forever. But if you have the money, then you can do whatever you want.
Oh, we are so can you tell the things that light us up? I love that we're lit up about her paying herself rooting.
People are walking by our office and they are distress by how lit we are.
Ruth, you're doing, You're doing the real thing, and we're so glad to hear from you. If you all are listening and you're just so inspired by Ruth, and you want to share about things that you're setting money aside for, or things that you have paid off already, or just how long your car is running. Because we're also here for that. Or your name is Bill and you've had who knows how many amounts of vehicles in your life. We want to hear about that. Re welfriendspodcast dot com
slash Bill. Leave us your bill, We're ready for it, and now it's time for.
The lightning around show you what are your exceptions in your low by year? Uh? So, I mean, I'll be honest, I've never done like an official low by year.
So.
If I I feel like my life is low by, that's the thing. Lo BI is a buzzword, but it's also just being frugal. I want to like put that out there. I might be should have put that out there at the top of the episode, but now that we've come thirty minutes in, I just want to like wrap that up by saying a low by year is a frugal living lifestyle, So what are my exceptions? There are no exceptions. When you're spending based on your values,
then your your values are not exceptions. Your values are priorities.
So yeah, it was a very very good way of getting out of answering the question.
Jill, your answer is just boring, So I wanted to have something interesting to say. But I would say that, so the things I spend on guilt free childcare, I still want to I said for years, five years at this point that childcare is my favorite money that I spend every month, and I will, yeah, continue to pay it for a few more years. Actually just like one more year. I think that's nice. Who knows, and then I might invest that money. Yeah, get back to investing. That'll be nice.
You know, I value breaks. I think if I could summarize what I am willing to spend on its opportunities to take a break.
That was not the answer I said, was She changed her answer.
But it is involved in this. So what I mean by that is.
Breaks for your car, because that is why you got a new car.
Yeah yeah, yea for safety reason, the safety versions of breaks. But I recently said to you that, yeah, I do not buy things products, tangible goods, but I will spend on food, travel activities. So for me, that's not going away. I feel like I have really understood what I enjoy spending on. That's what I'm going to be spending on. But it all kind of represents, you know, when I go out to eat, it's like a break from from being in my home, from being in the kitchen, from
needing to exert energy and time to cooking. So I will pay for food out to go to an activity or to travel is kind of like a break from the everyday charade.
That's kind of when I get takeout food, that's essentially what I am paying for. Like I will say, like I like travel and experiences too, Like I'm not a monster. I'm just at a period in my life where those things cost double or sometimes quadruple, and I can't afford that. So I'm not at a place right now where or not that I can't afford. I don't value it enough to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on babysitters and like traveling like tickets. So yeah, and I'm tired. There's
sure there's free stuff, but I'm just tired. So that's why the breaks that I pay for are typically takeout. Yeah, my mom watched the kids on Saturday, and we were so exhausted. This is so embarrassing. We were so exhausted. We didn't have a plan. We just didn't have time to think of. Oh, we'd known for like a month that my mom was going to watch the kids on this night, because she watches them once a month, and we just didn't we didn't know what we were going to do.
Wait, wasn't she going to take them to her place so you could be at home? You knew that you wanted that.
Yeah, she took them to Chuck E Cheese and then brought them home and watched them at our house. Like you know, while we were we were going to go out, oh okay, and we just didn't have a plant, so we ended up just doing chores until they said they were on their way, and then we left. We didn't know what to do, so we just got tacos and went to al D and came.
Out got groceries. Did you need groceries or was that?
Like?
No one activity to go to?
All al D closes at eight on Saturdays and we got there some fifty five. Oh right, So then we ended up getting home in enough time miraculously to put the kids to bed.
Oh no, Jen is.
My life and that is my life in a nutshell right, Oh my gosh.
You know what I can do for frugal friends to contribute to our business is like come up with date ideas.
For you guys.
Wow, you just like have a list of like you don't have to because that is the thing you got to exert energy into taking a plan you're to do.
So I think childcare is the best part of my day dropping off. And I won't say that public schools childcare, but that is also a good part of my day.
It's also education that's good.
I love our school, our elementary school. But yeah, so I would say that's mine, but yeah, I again, a low by year, I think is a concerted effort toward frugal living. I think you can view it as a more rigid kind of like a starter course, and then frugality is just a little bit more flexible. So if you don't jive with really rigid things and you want something that's a little softer, I think a low by
year can be a concerted effort toward frugality. So thank you so much for listening, and we love, love love reading your kind reviews of the podcast and the book, and this one specifically on the book. It's from Anastasia. It's five stars. She says, Buy what you Love Without Going Broke is a down to earth read that feels like a chat with friends over homemade coffee. The authors meet each reader where they are on their own personal
finance journey. This book provides a foundation that encourages its readers to assess their relationships with money and ultimately create their own roadmaps toward financial empowerment. Thank you, Anastasia.
That's so helpful and such a kind review. We're really glad to hear that you feel seen in the book and like you're chatting with a friend. That's the feedback We hear a lot about the podcast, so it's really cool to hear that that came through in the book and that kind of regardless of where you are and your financial journey, there's something for you. I think that was also a hope in giving some of the foundational principles of how to spend money well that can be
applicable at any life stage or season. So thank you so much for that beautiful review of the book. If this is a book that you have not purchased but it's sounding interesting to you, you can get by what you love without going broke anywhere that books are sold, and we so appreciate you also just tuning into this podcast and listening. If you've enjoyed the show, then please take a minute to leave us a rating and review. It really does help us, helps other listeners find us
know if it's going to be right for them. So thanks for doing.
That, absolutely, and we will see you next time. Grugle Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni.
Okay Jen. Yes, yesterday you were a chaparl.
I chaperoned the kindergarten field trip to the zoo. Yes, all the kindergarten classes went, and I actually went with my friend Kendra because our sons are in the same kindergarten class, and miss Kay knows that we're friends, so she put us in the same chaperone group at the park two. So yeah, we took. Here's this thing, there are seventeen kids in my son's kindergarten class. That seems like a lot, Yeah it does. And then there were enough chaperones that there were three adults for four kids.
And in the three adults that were in our group, we each had our kid, so then we only had one girl who was not our own, just.
A rogue, yeah, rogue child.
And so you're like, wow, that is so many adults per child. And then you get to the zoo and you get to walking around and you're like always losing one. It seems like you needed one on one attention for all the kids. And meanwhile miss Kay is walking around with seven kids by herself and she's just like, hey, chill, like this is great, And I was like, I can't what.
It's almost too many cooks in the kitchen because how do you know who's responsible for what kid?
Well, it's enough kids where you should be able to see all four in your eyesight at all time, or at least you can see, you know, one of the other chaperones. And so it didn't feel like there were too many adults. It felt like there were too many children. You were still out numbered, right right, So yeah, it was. It was very fun though. I like the moms that I was with, and the kids in our group were
very good. And we went and we saw tiger and elephants, drafts, rhinos, monkeys, all the types of monkeys, every single type of monkey.
Cool for Kay to have you there, Yes, of course, did you feel like a fly on the wall. You got to see how he interacts with his friends or do you think he behaves differently when you're around.
No, I think he I've been to his class before, so I kind of see how he interacts, but sometimes you can't always trust the words of a five year old. So they come home and they'll tell you stuff and you're like, did that really happen? Like, is Mac really copping all your goldfish? School? You have to bring three packs of goldfish? Like, is he running like a like a ring where he's taking everyone's goldfish? What's happening? And so just the way he says things, you don't know
what's really going on. So, yeah, it was fun. It's always fun to see him, to see the faces of all the kids that he talks about to meet their parents.
Yeah, well, what did you learn? Is this kid actually like taking everybody else's food? No, you get to watch it in action.
Mac is actually Kendra's son. So I know Matt like, I know him like, and he's feisty, But I don't think he's running like a goldfish redealing.
Ring right right now? Maybe not. Maybe he's just consuming it all. Maybe he's in his over consumption of goldfish here.
This is also possibility because Kai is like Mac loves goldfish, and I was like, does he is that why you asked me to put three bags in your lunch? Does he love them that much? But I think he just wants to be generous. Kai wants to be generous.
I don't think or it's all a ruse or Kai just wants to eat that many goldfish, but he's using his friends as a scapegoat.
Yeah, he's like, I don't want them, and I'm just like, then sometimes he is he does want them. I was like, you better want them. I just bought a forty five bag pack from Costco and I'm not giving them all to mac. So it's it is very fun to see all their little behaviors.
Sean, what was your favorite thing to see at the zoo?
I really like the the giraffes and the elephants are together, so you see them in the same their little serengetti type like, yeah.
That's right. Yeah, Okay I have been to the zoo before. I didn't.
Yeah, so that's really great. Penguins are really great.
Yeah, the kids get to feed the giraffes.
No, they didn't feed any uh And honestly, after an hour and a half they were all wiped. It was insane, Like hour and a half of the zoo, they're yeah, done done. Why I have this amazing picture that Kendrick actually asks somebody walking by to take for us because it was so comical. But it was oh now it's gone. It's like if you don't save something in twenty four hours, it leaves your phone. But it's all of the kids. Oh no, there it is like just passed out.
Oh my god, like they are yeah, oh I'm looking at this photo, and every single child is just like in the lap of an adult wrecked, just absolutely demolished.
That was two hours in, honestly, and we still had an hour left to be there. You think the kindergarteners are going there from ten to one three hours? How are you gonna do everything? No, that was two hours in and they were wiped and we were like, we can we go.
Now what a cute photo, I know. So yeah.
That was the zoo and it was so chaotic, so fun. One time I chaperoned a trip to SeaWorld, not for like my kids. This was before when I lived in Orlando. I had a friend who was a teacher and she needed chaperones for her. I think it was it was either like eighth grade or like young high school. I can't remember. I think it was middle school and they went to SeaWorld and they needed chaperones and that was so fun. Yeah, like chaperoning middle schoolers at SeaWorld. They're
just so chaotic. It was so good.
So when that happens, like, do you are you able to just take Kai home with you straight from there? Do they go back to school for a little bit?
Yeah? No, And I carpooled there with Kendra and another mom, and then I was going to take Kai home with me and so he came with us. And then one of the other moms her car like broke while we were there, and so we ended up taking her and her daughter back. So it was a mini van with four moms and two kids coming back. Yeah, amazing, that was fun.
Yeah, so the other moms sent their kids just back to school.
On the bus.
Yeah, yeah, you only have so much space.
It was. I gave Kai the option because he's usually really excited about the bus, and he was so tired he wanted to like just ride with me.
So the other kids, good thinking. You got that mini van.
It wasn't my mini van, it was right. Wow, I was just along for the ride. It was pleasurable for me.
Amazing. It was like a fun day. So glad you were able to do that.
Yes, it was so fun.