What To Do When You Feel Like Giving Up | Staying Motivated While Paying off Debt

This is Jill. Today, we have another listener request from our Facebook community group about what to do when you feel like giving up on your debt free journey or your savings goals, or anything to do with your financial goals when your willpowers depleted, all of that stuff, And it's an important topic that doesn't get talked about a ton, but it is the biggest of every financial goal is just maintaining it. So we're really really excited to talk

about this one. So first let's get into our sponsors. Jill, our other sponsor today is absolutely not fictitious and is kind of offended that you would say that. It's the prefrontal cortex. Oh not just responsible for your personality and will to live. It plays a major role in self control and decision making. Want to be better at those things, then you'll want a better faster, stronger prefrontal cortex. Premium upgrades to the prefrontal cortex are available through sleep, meditation

and a nutritious diet. The prefrontal cortex improve yours today. Um, that's one of my favorites. Like definitely, so yeah, good work science, so science, and we're going to get a little science with you today, but not too much like just tying tiny bit. When we're talking about tiny bit, I mean we're talking about some decision making and lessening stress and all of that stuff because that all plays

a part in increasing motivation and willpower. So well, Science will be happy our previous sponsor, science, right, we like to make our previous sponsors happy. Yes, we are all about that. So we are getting into this first article by life hack dot org and good Yes, seven things to do when you feel like giving up mm hmmm yes, which she'll this is not particularly finance related, right, You

can apply what we're talking about any area of life. However, we are tailoring this to your financial goals brugal living. Like Jen said, all these things surrounding finances. But of course any of these skills that you already do or learn more about can be implemented other aspects of life. Just like so much of what we talk about frugality and being wise with finances intersects all other aspects. So just like we can become unmotivated in our work life,

we can become unmotivated in our savings, budgeting, debt, free living. Yeah. Yeah, so I think it's a really fantastic thing to explore, and I like what this article has to say. It's it's simple. It talks about seven things that you can incorporate when you're feeling unmotivated, and the first one that they list I love. We even did an episode about this, but it's talking about going back to your why when

you're in a place of feeling unmotivated. I think an important thing to note about feeling unmotivated is that you don't want to do anything about it. Right. We're not talking about like what to do when you're on a roll. We're talking I know that I'm not motivated, but I can't bring myself to do this thing I don't want to. So yeah, it does take some effort to become motivated again,

but they need to be easy enough steps. They need to be tangible enough that you could do it even when you feel like you don't want to, and so this one is one that can just happen in your mind. Right, You don't even have to get up off the couch to do this one, to go back to your why. And and a lot of times right we start with a vision of what our why is for the debt free living, for the savings goals or whatever, but sometimes we can wind up so far away from that original idea.

So this article recommends revisiting your why every ninety days, which is another reason why budgeting on a regular basis can be so important to maintaining those goals. Hopefully you're budgeting more often than every ninety days, and so it does kind of bring you back to this why each time if that's a regular practice. So that's just a side note. But then I would also say to consider

if your why is even worthwhile. Sometimes a lack of motivation can come from not even genuinely embracing your why, or your why not being realistic or a part of your daily functioning anymore. Like your why could have previously been so you could get your dream job, but since then you got married and you've got three kids, and that's not important to you anymore. So like it also could mean develop the new why so that you can

regain motivation. What do you think about it? Yeah, so, I I mean, if you want to hear more about defining your why, especially defining it for frugality, check out our episode seventeen where we talk all about that. UM. But yeah, we just always believe that the Y is never the financial goal. The Y is never the destination. The Y is always the journey and the people who surround you on that journey, UM and all of that.

And so I think it's always worthwhile to reset and make sure that the things you're doing are beneficial and not like hindering those relationships that you're trying to do this for. Because I can also be really easy, especially like in a marriage relationship or with kids. If you're very on fire, it can be you know, one sort of damaging, and then if you're very not on like opposite of fire, like drowning, it's another kind of damaging. So like going back to your why, it's kind of

like the simplest first thing you can do. Are you using fire as in like the acronym financial independence entire earlier? You like, actually fire, you're on fire? Fire like the flame. Thank you, thanks for that clarification. Yes, what else did you like on this list? So I really loved the second one. That was probably my favorite one on this list. But like, learn to feel uncomfortable, because most of these goals are really stretching and they will really make you uncomfortable.

You're gonna have to say no to things that you really want in the moment, and it really stretches you, and sometimes you just get tired of being uncomfortable, like but always you're like, nobody wants to feel uncomfortable. It's not a pleasant state. But learning to sustain those feelings of discomfort for longer and more frequently can help them become less uncomfortable. So saying no to the Starbucks drive through so many times, eventually driving past it isn't going

to be uncomfortable. Um or you can you can move things from being acutely painful to dull discomfort, right right, Yes, that's fantastic. Physical therapists everywhere are probably like, that's fantastic. That's what I do every day. I help people, you know, reorient what pain means in their lives. So right, yeah, and I need that for our wallets. I'm not like a therapist. So I'm not saying like, sit in your pain, sitting it, but I am discomfort. If something makes you uncomfortable,

then go ahead and and try and sitting it. Yeah. I like this one. Yeah, of course to a point, right, like don't sit in starvation, don't don't in something that's not healthy for you. But yeah, that's that's different. Yeah, okay, moving on number three. Persistence. I like this one because it's just a fun word to say, right, persistent persistence. And so this is referring to understanding and having a fundamental belief that persistence will deliver results and that can

help you to keep moving moving forward. So this is consistency. This is if at first you don't succeed, try try again, you know, like that little kid's proverb. Of course, don't keep trying on something that is fundamentally not going to work or not a part of your ethos or values or skill set. But if you if you're excited about something and you want to move forward, just keep going. And that sometimes even just the act of the consistency, even when you don't feel like doing it, can help

propel motivation. So sit down and do that budget again, even though you don't want to do it, just keep doing it, Keep doing it, keep doing it. It'll form muscle memory. Yeah, definitely, And that's I mean, and that's a part of forming habits, and that's something we're going to talk about later. So number four, I love this one.

Share your goals. So when you are on the brink of giving up and you're just gonna throw down money on that cruise vacation because you are done with paying off debt, you are done with this, share your goals with someone and yeah, find an accountability buddy and see how they feel about your cruise vacation drains. They might help derail you. I'm coming to find the right accountability buddy for friends, community group. Yes, right, they are right there.

Grand accountability buddies. Um. But even on like Instagram or Facebook or wherever you're you frequent on social sharing your goals, putting them out in public, yes, it's super scary because you might fail and sharing them doesn't like decreate like, doesn't mean you're not going to fail at them. But when you share your goals, you're making that public declaration and it does help motivate you a little bit more to keep going And I also like the feature that

Facebook will have. They'll show you things that you've posted from like one year ago or two years ago. So that's another park. If you like posted on Facebook, you'll be able to see like tangible progress, right, or you'll you'll be depressed one year later when that goal has completely fall into the wayside. No, you're gonna see tangible progress or it'll either way. It will be good because it could motivate you to be like, oh, yeah, I remember that goal and here's where I went wrong, and

I'm going to do better this time persistently. Yes. I also like number five. It talks about acknowledging challenges. So this is it is straightforward as straightforward as it sounds. Recognize that they will come. Challenges are going to happen, and even having that recognition in anticipation for that will help you to weather them. It will help you to

even build resistance or resilience when they do come. So rather than thinking that it's going to be rainbows and bunnies and sunshine, that no, this is gonna be tough. I there will be times when I fail at this or this whole thing is derailed or unexpected costs come in all right. That doesn't have to knock your feet out. Expect that it's going to come. Don't don't hyper focus on the challenge leunges, but know that they're going to happen, and that can even help you during those times to

not completely lose your motivation. Yeah, I mean, have grace for yourself. You're going to not be perfect, sorry about that,

and that's yeah. Sorry. That's something that I've liked with so many of the interviews that we've done, and I think particularly the one with Alison Uh that one stands out to me where we discussed how there were times that the pause button was put on certain financial goals or almost seeing it as a road trip, that there are times when you pull over to a rest stop, or you stop for gas, or you stop for some

sight seeing. Same thing here in recognize that it is even okay that there's gonna be times when you have you add a child to your family, you buy a new home, you've got to do a renovation, you need to buy a new car, and so you're not always going to be able to do the gazelle thing budget. So yeah, I mean, all of these aspects are important

to know about it. Yeah. For some reason, we think that like a challenge accepted means that we won't have any bumps, like and we are down when we do, even if those bumps are really great, um no, they're Just put that out of your mind right now and know that the challenges, the bumps, the blocks, those are part of the road and just expect them. Yeah, and if you want to hear some good payoff stories that have some bumps, Allison from Inspired Budget and Merrily from

Easy Budget. Those are two great interviews we've done that really focus on those things. Yeah, but get back on the road. Don't let that renovation of your new home derail you forever. Like, don't don't pitch tent at the rest stop. No one wants to sleep there for months on end. Get back on the road. Oh yeah, because rest stops are hugely gross. So yeah, yeah, you don't want to stay there, but just there for the twenty minute nap. That's all that is. I have definitely taken

a nap at a rest stop parking lot. We all have, yeah, but we haven't lived there exactly. Words of wisdom, which also if you need motivation, just turn on this episode where we're telling you to get back on the road. Yes, pay attention, keep driving amen. Yes all right. Number six is get happy, So he says, we all get in a funk every now and again, totally normal. But instead of lying on the sofa and eating ice cream out of the tub and watching your favorite sitcom, get happy.

Which sometimes those things do make me happy, but like not for very long. It's like a rest stop. It can make me happy for twenty minutes, and then I have to actually do something that sparks joy in me. And that's usually not touching my clothing but hashtag Marie condo. Yes, spending some real time with friends or doing something productive, actually organizing like does make me happy because I'm one

of those people. But yeah, doing something that makes you feel happy, yeah, And he also cites thinking back to times in your life when you felt as though you were thriving or motivated or accomplished and incorporating some of those things that you remember being a part of your life. Then, whether that was a certain album you were listening to at the time, or a certain hobby you were doing at the time time or whatever, even incorporating some of those things can help get you back in a rhythm.

Of feeling motivated and accomplished and purposeful. And last but not least, on this list of seven, number seven, be proud of your accomplishments. And I think this is such a wise insightful tip here because we can often breathe right by the times when we are accomplishing something, or we have accomplished something, it's just like Okay, great, I did that, and you move right along to the next thing, like what's next, and you lose the celebration of it.

You lose the encouragement of it, the way that it is spurring you on to do more. So pause, celebrate, be proud of it, share it, Share it with us frugal friends over on the Frugal Friends community Facebook page, because it is worth doing, because that that can be your one year pop up on Facebook. Remember when you accomplish this thing, the fact that you stop to celebrate

it can help motivate you. Yes, and especially for you people out there that may have a hard time taking a compliment or maybe a people pleaser and you don't want to acknowledge your own accomplishments, or you think, heck I could do it, everybody can do it. That's it's it's whatever. No, even the smallest of accomplishments should be acknowledged and celebrated, and that will train you to celebrate the bigger accomplishments, because sometimes you do need to train

yourself to celebrate yourself. Like that's so sad, but it's it's a reality for some people. Yeah, or let us celebrate you. Just post what you've accomplished and then we'll do it for you. Yes, I have a lot of emojis, I have a lot of gifts, and I have a lot of things to say. Let's be clear, encouraging. Whenever Jen says that it means g I F S, there's no tea involved there. She's not actually sending you some

monetary gift. And for everybody who is in their head thinking it's jiffs, I say gifts on purpose because I feel like they're a little mini their gifts without the T, I just say g I F so that there's no confusion of whether I'm talking about peanut butter or like sending you a birthday present. Right, And I say gifts because then when I don't get my family a gift, I can send them a gift and be like this is what I meant. The whole time. Sorry, good job

covering your bed on that one. Speaking of butts, our next article are you excited? Are you interested? Oh? I see where you're going with this. Yes. Our next articles from zen Habits and it's get off your butt sixteen ways to get motivated when you're in a slump. That was a fantastic transition. This is why you get paid

the big bucks, right that three dollars an hour. If you're ever wondering why we always talk about getting paid three dollars an hour, it's references referencing our side Hustle episode where we realized that podcasting is like the bottom of the totem pole as far aside hustles go, and that they estimate on average people make three dollars an hour doing it. So but we we love and we work hard for every dollar of that, every penny of that. Mm hmm. Jill, what did you think of this episode?

This episode? Are It's a fantastic episode, Get off your butt, Get motivated? Um? I liked it. I don't think that I totally resonated with all sixteen of the items listed in here, but I think that there are some nuggets

worth discussing. So I think that the biggest thing is what to do to break out of the slump, like like we talked about at the beginning of the episode, when you don't feel like it, right, that's what we're talking about here, is of course, if we knew what to do or we felt like any motivated that we would do that thing. This is literally when it's like, no, I need somebody else to help me get off my butt.

So one of my favorites on here, and we've talked about it already but can't emphasize this enough, is getting support.

So it's hard to accomplish something alone. And we know this in any aspect of life, so particularly in this area of finances, if you can have a teammate or a small community or some frugal friends wink wink, you're all the more apt to be able to have others help to motivate you those times when you can't do it by yourself, to have somebody else to help remind you, help pull you up, help to celebrate the goal, the accomplishments with you. So having support, I think is a

great one for motivation, but even accomplishment of goals in general. Yeah, definitely, we won't go through this whole article, because yeah, I agreed some of them are didn't resonate with and summer redundant, but I did like number one, which is focus on one goal. So I know a lot of people will try to do a financial goal coupled with a fitness goal,

or maybe coupled with a side hustle goal. They just try to do multiple things at a time and then get overwhelmed when they're ebbing in one place and they're hittn a peak, hitting a valley, just it's all like then they hit all the valleys and all the places at the same time, and it's just very discouraging. Since I've read the One Thing by Gary Keller and j pops On, I've really been of this mindset that focusing on one goal at a time gets things done the quickest.

And I think that's the reason that Dave Ramsey's program works so well because he doesn't have you paying off debt and saving for a home and investing and figuring out savings for other things like college. He doesn't have you doing all those things at the same time, which doesn't mean doing them at the same time it's bad. You definitely do them at the same time and be successful. But for a lot of people to decrease overwhelm, doing them one at a time really makes the goal more attainable,

especially when you're starting out or feeling frustrated. There's no shame in that. Mm hmm. Yeah. And it's like you said, we're talking about when you're not feeling motivated. So there are times of motivation when we can tackle a few things at once, but when you're not feeling motivated, focus on one thing, which also is related to number eleven, which I really like, the start small, really small micro yes,

so the and again this is great advice. When motivation is gone, it's depleted, it's not there, to just start small. And this can feel trite sometimes of doing a budget isn't really doing anything, no, but it is first of all, and then it builds upon itself and it can lead to greater and greater levels of motivation. It's a start, So just start small. And we talk about this on a variety of topics, but it's included here. This could even mean get off the couch. There you go, you

accomplish that one very small thing. Now go get a piece of paper and a pencil. Now do your budget. Look at you. You've accomplished four things, aren't you so motivated? Yeah? I think we really underestimate and undervalue the concept of small steps. We think that if we're not doing it all, like go big or go home, Like, if we're not doing it all, what are we doing at all? When really the opposite is true, Like even a small step forward is better than paralyzing fear keeping you in one place.

So don't be afraid of small And if you start what you think is small and it turns out to be too big for you and you get discouraged, just reset and and start a little smaller. It's fine. Eventually you'll get to there. But sometimes your reality of what is small is not the actual reality of a small step. Another one I liked on this is number nine, So realize there's an ebb and a flow. Motivation is not a constant thing. It comes and it goes. And I think the real message here is to do things even

when you're not motivated. So motivation is great and you want to keep that. I forget who said it, but there's a quote about motivation. This is Motivation doesn't last. Um neither does showering. That's why we do it daily. That's probably totally botched, but something like that. Yeah, motivation

isn't a bad thing, but it isn't always there. It is always going to be there, so you have to maintain your momentum and stick it out even when it's not there in time for it to come back, which I think it's worth acknowledging some of the reasons that motivation may not be present, and it could be because there's a decrease in income, or there has been some extreme laps in goals or possibly I mean it's a harsh statement, but failure and it's not a bad thing.

We learn from it. But sometimes real life circumstances can take away the motivation because they're difficult to overcome and it's like, well, why even bother anymore. Sometimes motivation is just gone because it's gone and doesn't have much to

do with life circumstances. But sometimes it's because there's some actual difficult things happening in life, which I think is why it's important to come back to these starting small, celebrating accomplishments, even if they are super small that okay, you got knocked down for a bit, you stopped at a rest stop, but you started up again. Celebrate that

you started small. So and and then even knowing that these times will come, there will be times when our budget gets wiped out or something unexpected financially depletes us or whatever, that you can still get back to a place of accomplishing goals. And so to focus on that can be helpful in those times. Yeah, I agreed. And the last one that I want to point out on this list is to focus on the benefits, not just

the difficulties. So that's number fifteen on this list. So that's not to say don't acknowledge the difficulties, because that's important in this process, but focusing on the good and the why of what you're doing can help in those times of lacking the will power or desire to do anything. What are the benefits? It's similar to the why, but it's it's like elaborating upon your why the benefits. Even in the journey to the why, there's benefits in that,

So focus on that that will help. Yeah, So this can also be the things outside the why, like the actual accomplishments, and like kind of looking at what your life looks like with those accomplishments under your belt, and what you can do beyond that, And like the fact is is that you're actually not going to be able to fully comprehend what you can do once you've achieved your goals, Like you can't you can't even see everything that opens up to you until you actually get there,

and so it's hard. It's sometimes hard to wrap your mind around all the things that are all the benefits that are available because you don't even know what those are yet. Um So, just like consider that too, that even beyond the benefits you can think of right now, there are so many more you will not be able to think or come up with until you would achieve your goal. Like that, it's kind of like like mystery. I want to I want to stay motivated and do

this because there's mysterious treasures waiting for me. Yeah, I mean I only say that because it's in my own experience, Like a lot of the things that we've been able to accomplish and becoming debt free and becoming really avid savers, I could not have seen my life looking like this when I was twenty or five. I just didn't have a concept because it's not what I had seen growing up. It's not what I was seeing in the present. So

I just didn't know it was available to me. And so that's how I learned by becoming debt free and living on less than one income. So take Jem's word for it. It's good. It's good over there on that other side. It's real great over here doing it, you know, it's real great. Also, Oh, I think I know. Is it 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 build buffalo bills, Bill Clinton, this is the bill of the week. Hey, jenn and Jill, this is Katherine from Arkansas. Love your podcast. Um about the same age as you guys, and I feel like I can totally relate to the topics you talk about, and you're really helping me go down a really good path to being more frugal. My

favorite bill is my balance transfer credit card bill. My husband and I had racked up quite a bit of credit card debt before we decided we wanted to be

more frugal people. So in the process of trying to figure out how to best payoff that bill, came upon a zero percent balance transfer credit card for twenty one which we couldn't even find a personal loan for that, so we transferred our credit card debt to that zero percent balance transfer card and we made a payoff plan to pay it all off before without twenty one months is up. So we are paying off our credit card debt at zero percent interest, which I think is awesome.

So love that bill. Love you guys, keep it up. Thanks, that is awesome. Catherine. Way way to be innovative and frugal Catherine from Arkansas. So good to hear from you. Thanks for sharing that one with us. It's being frugal in some wise ways and working towards some debt payoff creatively, and it's motivating me. I'm excited. I'm excited for you. I want you to like exceed that twenty one month goal, like not exceeded in months, but like paid off quicker

than twenty one month. So I hope that you'll let us know if you do beat that goal, because I think it's also cool when you have a time limit where you're like, I have to pay it off by this day, and then you get really motivated. I think that can be like a really good motivator. If you're feeling like giving up, well, whenever it is paid off, feel free to let us know when the Frugal Friends

Facebook community group and we will celebrate with you. Yes, and if you have a bill of the week that you'd like to share with us, visit Frugal Friends podcast dot com slash bill and you can leave us a speak pipe message or on our Google voicemail. We would love to hear your bills. Yes, we always love it chills. Second favorite time of the wooo, the lightning round. So what if you have already fallen off the horse, off the wagon, whatever metaphor you want to use, you're on

the ground. Basically right now, you are on the ground. Probably you're like, I really need to get back on track. That is why you're listening to this episode. You don't just feel like giving up. You have given up again. You're on the ground, yes, and you're trying to get back on that horse, and the horse and the wagon have moved on ahead of you. I don't know where we are. We're on the organ trail. What did they do back then? Let oh, man, it's really dire, dire

circumstances around here. What we gotta do, I'll tell you, don't worry. Focus on forming habits, put them in your schedule. Just just do it again, make it, make it muscle memory. So even though you don't feel like getting up off the ground, you might be suffering from Dysenterry, do what your body is is knows what to do, and that is just stand up right. Your body knows how to stand up. Do it. Yes, habits is a really big buzzword right now too, all kinds of books and podcasts

and everything. But there's something to be said for that. I don't think it's just a buzzword because super popular. We are brain here's where the science is. Yes, yes, so our brain basically functions on our habits. We're creatures of habit and so habits can be formed, they can be improved and refined. You just have to focus on them. So if you're super interested in habit formation, you can read a book or listen to a podcast. But just know that our brains don't want to think about every

single move that we're making. They want your prefrontal cortex likes to not have to make all the decisions. It's just it wants to rely on. I believe it's your hippocampus or some other part of your brain that just goes into autopilot. And if you're a neuroscientist, yes, yes, okay. So forming these good habits of good spending habits, good time management habits, what have you, and initially putting them on your schedule so you may a habit of doing

them however frequently you want. And knowing that a habit does not form in three weeks like sometimes it takes months depending on how difficult the habit is make you take months to form a habit. So don't think like I'm doing this twenty one day challenge and I'm going to form a habit after it. No, it's just not how it works for most habits. Right, focus on forming habits. The second way to get back on track is similar to getting back your motivation or not falling off track,

is getting an accountability partner. That is so important, especially if you have already fallen off once. Then you know how easy it is to do and you'll you could do it again. So know that you're prone to that and have somebody with you that you know is going to keep you on track, and so maybe that's a spouse, but maybe it's not. Your spouse isn't always on board with doing Why we're not always on the same page

with everything always all the time. Yeah, I have to find somebody who's like actually on board and will keep you accountable and not make you feel bad when you're lying in the dirt and like laugh at you. But yeah, it's like, but hand you some hand sanitizing and toilet paper for the dissentery. Oh yes. Also set up your environment to aid in your success. So this means the people you surround yourself with, the places that you go to.

We've even talked about this before with our no Spend challenge conversation of maybe even altering your route to work if you're going to pass by too many temptations, that will derail your motivation or your budget. So make sure that you're setting yourself up for success in what it is that you want to accomplish, and don't put barriers or intentional roadblocks in your way. Those are already going

to come up, you don't. You don't have to set those up like they will happen, So do what you can to make sure you can accomplish your goals with as much ease as possible. Definitely, And our last tip for getting back on the horse and off the dysenterry is live by the mantra done is better than perfect. Put that on a bumper stick Yeah, we've got. If we were to go through our podcasts all the bumper stickers we'd we'd probably have a good pile of bumper stickers.

We possibly cover an entire bumper for sure, could you imagine, and just motivational message and you could do them. Want that instead of fixing your bumper after that fender bender you were in. That's frugal girl. Did I tell you I did that? No? I did. I got hit. I got Yeah, I got hit and I took Maybe I backed into something. Maybe that's why I didn't get it fixed. One time I got hit and I didn't take the insurance money to fix my fender. The other time, maybe

I backed into something but had a little hole. This is in a different car, and so I put a bumper sticker over it. Yes you did, Yes, I did. Oh, So maybe there's a good use for a bumper sticker. There you go. I'm on board with that good job. What was the bumper sticker? It was invisible children and bumper sticker because I had worked for them, so I got a free one. So that was that was it there, and it was fixed, and it was done and done. That better than perfect And that is the whole. That's

about it. When you when you think about your finances, whether it's paying off debt, saving investing, you don't have to do it perfectly. You just have to do it. And starting is better than doing nothing right because sometimes sometimes lacking motivation, you don't you don't even want to take the first step. But if you can bring yourself, if you can get the willpower to do it, usually once you're in it, you enjoy it more than you think you will, It goes faster than you think it will.

There's so many things that once you take that first step, the rest falls into place. Yeah, and don't don't worry about doing it wrong, because sometimes there is a wrong way to do things. But as long as you get started and you stay interested, even if you start out on the wrong path, you won't be on the wrong path for long. Um. You only stay on the wrong path if you just set it and forget it. Um, but you're listening to the Frugal Friends podcast, so you're

not that type of person. Another wagon or horse will come along and say, what are you doing here? This isn't a watering hole. Get back on your horse or your wagon and that's it. It's May and we're reading The Soul of Money by Lynn Twist for our book club. We're still doing the book club, so get in on that. Yes, and if you want to get in with a free copy of The Soul of Money, because maybe they don't have it at your library, then you can win one.

We do every month a drawing for our book club book. All you have to do to enter is leave us a review on iTunes or Stitcher, screenshot the review and send it to Frugal Friends podcast at gmail dot com, and we select one winner for every five reviews we get at the end of the month, and we will send you a used, cheap version of our book club book. It's used and it's the cheapest one we can find, So that's what you should expect if you win. Don't expect new I used book. Yes, it'll be used, but

it'll still be the book. It'll still be all the contents that you need, it'll be very good quality. I don't buy a used book that's less than very good. Okay, good to know there are standards, and there's also standards for the review. And if you want to know how you might win yourself a very good used book, here's how. Here's how it's done. You leave a five star review. I mean that's just what a good a good review looks like. I'm not telling you where five star reviews

because that's against terms of servants. I'm not telling you what you write who. I'm just telling you that when all the stars are colored in, it looks really nice. It's visually peasing. So I'm just it's informational. So this one comes from Danielle and they say funny and smart. Oh that if that is in a dynamic duo right there for what anybody would want in a podcast or a mate for life. I love Jen and Jill. I mean just the name Combo is incredible. These two make

personal finance and frugality a fun topic to discuss. Their sponsors question mark, question mark, hysterical exclamation mark. They should definitely pursue a side hustle and stand up. Thank you, Danielle. This show makes me want to start a podcast with my bestie. Thank you for the actionable tips and relatable stories. Oh my gosh, what if we had a Netflix special just about frugal comedy? We would, But I also think

that I would definitely offend people. There's plenty that Eric has to edit out, both on the podcast and in our personal lives. That's not true. That's great to know that he's editing. Appreciate now he's not. But it is funny. There'll be times when, like someone will say something, I'll be like, that would have been edited that. Yeah, I

love that. Well. If you want to hear the unedited version of our thoughts, definitely hang out with us at the Frugal Friends community on Facebook, at Frugal Friends podcast dot com, slash group and uh. If you want to hear our edited selves, then subscribed the podcast and we will be back every Friday with some more frugal goodness. Until then, we'll see you later, see yuh. Frugal Friends

is produced, edited and mixed by Eric siria Um. The Prefrontal Cortex must have been a high paying sponsor to get a circle back at the end of the show. Yes, well, for high paying sponsors, we do offer them twice as much air time. Yeah, yeah, that I got a ton of exposure, which is fantastic because usually the prefrontal cortex is like covered by hair and stuff. So where is your prefrontal cortex, Jill? And it lends like right here,

Oh well, if you have bangs, I have bangs. I have bangs which are not covered, like not down right now. I don't have my banks down right now. I gotta cut them there too long. But I'm in this weird phase where it looks like I'm trying to grow them out, but I'm not. I'm just too cheap to get another haircut that time. Of being cheap, I'm not really being frugal. I'm just like I can get to the hair dresser slash. I don't really have one. I don't even know what

that means. It is, it's it's more work and expense to keep up with bangs. I didn't realize like hair grows fast. It does, especially when you're pregnant. Did you know that. I've heard that hair is healthy when you're pregnant, Like it gets really healthy and then you lose it, you lose clumps after giving birth. I'm getting a haircut before I give birth, just so that I don't have to have anybody like touching my hair while it's falling out. Wait,

who's touching your hair? My hairdresser would be, oh, well, it's falling out. I guess yeah. I thought that this is going to be like a part of people coming over and helping you with the baby, that they'd be like stroking your head. I'm like, wait, mom, and I don't know all that that entails, but that's a new one. You can either bring me a meal, hold my baby,

or touch my hair. Are the three ways that you can help me as I'm definitely going to choose like cleaning your bathroom, but I don't want any of the other. I don't want to stroke your head, I don't want to steal your baby. I don't want to cook. I'll clean your bathroom. Thank you, you got a friend in me, Jen