WEBVTT - Butchering Your Grocery Bill #635 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.840 Welcome to How the Money. I'm Joel, I'm Matt, and 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:06.000 today we're talking how you can butcher your grocery bill. 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:28.120 And this episode is brought to you by butcher Box. 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:32.640 Just kidding, that would be way too on the nose. 0:00:33.040 --> 0:00:35.880 I don't even know what butcher box. Butcher box is. 0:00:35.920 --> 0:00:37.800 I want to say butcher blox. For some reason, I 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:39.279 don't know. I think it's an expensive way to get 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:41.839 seat delivered you. Yeah, it's like a meat delivery service. Right. 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:43.640 That would actually probably the opposite thing you want to 0:00:43.680 --> 0:00:45.840 do if you want to save money on stitch fix, 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:48.400 where they just automatically send you clothes and you're tempted 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:51.080 into keeping it. And again for some people it's it's 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:53.960 a wild splurge, but for most folks, that's not how 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:55.480 you're going to save the most money doing it right. 0:00:55.480 --> 0:00:56.760 That's right, And by the way, but we want people 0:00:56.760 --> 0:01:00.360 to take a cleaver to their monthly gross your budget, 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:02.720 especially now people just feel the pain and groceries more so, 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:05.360 we're gonna talk about give a bunch of suggestions about 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:07.640 how to like relieve that pain today, which cleavers, like 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:10.600 Chinese cleavers, are totally in. By the way, have you 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:13.440 seen kates over at our house. Oh yeah, it looks fancy. 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:14.760 I wouldn't know how to use it though. Let me 0:01:14.840 --> 0:01:16.920 just use it like a regular chef's knife. But it's 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:19.880 just another tool to add to the toolkit, right, It's 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:22.000 another tool in the arsenal when it comes to cooking. 0:01:22.520 --> 0:01:24.399 But this is going to be a great topic because 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:26.640 I'll readily admit there are some topics that I know 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:29.759 we talk about that we discuss that may not appeal 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:33.000 to everyone out there. There are certain things that we 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:35.800 discussed that aren't applicable to everybody. That is not the 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:38.560 case today. We sometimes talk about real estate investing and 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:40.880 some people be like, dude, snooze fest. I don't care, 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:42.840 I'm not going to do that, but everybody not going 0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:44.880 to be well. And we want to encourage folks to 0:01:44.880 --> 0:01:46.720 listen to those episodes because I still think that there 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:49.840 are some little nuggets of information that you are going 0:01:49.880 --> 0:01:52.400 to be able to glean from those episodes. But this 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:54.320 one is going to be a topic that is most 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:56.880 definitely applicable to everyone out there for sure. All Right, 0:01:56.920 --> 0:01:58.840 something else, it's applicable to a lot of people. That 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:00.720 a site that I've heard about Matt but I just 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:03.640 gave it a test this week because I wanted to know, Okay, 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:05.920 is this actually a good way to go about saving 0:02:05.920 --> 0:02:09.440 money on getting something shipped across the country. So there's 0:02:10.120 --> 0:02:13.120 an Instagram account I followed. They sell mid century furniture 0:02:13.520 --> 0:02:16.680 and did you buy a fancy piece of furniture? No, 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:19.080 I didn't yet, I'm thinking about it. But I was like, 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:22.480 they're in North Carolina, and I was like, I don't know. 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:24.840 I'm not gonna go pick this thing up. What's It's 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:28.000 just like a barcart. Basically, we have a space that 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:30.280 has been sitting empty since we moved in in July, 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:32.760 and I've beenactly where you're talking about and looking for 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:35.880 some sort of barkart essentially to fill that space, or 0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:38.959 like a display cabinet. But and I'm looking for something 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:41.120 that fits in with the rest of our furniture. And 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:45.080 I this, you know, seller on Instagram that I've been 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:46.919 following for years posted one and I was like, that's 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:49.440 really reasonably priced and it looks good. But I was like, 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:51.000 how can I get someone to bring it to me. 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:52.680 I'm not going to drive up there wait for too 0:02:52.720 --> 0:02:54.680 much money. Where in North Carolina? Maybe we can it's 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:58.760 a Nashville, which we should. Dude, Okay, I'd be a 0:02:58.800 --> 0:03:00.200 good Why would you not want to take it? Give 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:03.000 up that to Ashville? I guess it's actually getting it. 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:05.120 Could you fit it in your vein? Yeah? Yeah, I 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:07.360 can totally fit it into So maybe I should do that. 0:03:07.400 --> 0:03:09.200 Maybe that's maybe we'll take a road trip the best 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:10.959 way around it. But I was like, okay, what would 0:03:11.000 --> 0:03:14.079 it cost to have someone bring it here? And they mentioned, hey, 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:16.040 we've got this white Glove service reach out to them. 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:18.120 The cost is pretty expensive. It was more than the 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:19.720 cost of the item I was looking to buy. I 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:22.520 was like, ouch, no way, not interested. Not a deal now. 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:25.480 But I looked up there's a website called Shipley, and 0:03:25.600 --> 0:03:29.119 Shipley is basically putting it out for bids to all 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:31.839 the people who are are interested in moving the piece 0:03:31.840 --> 0:03:33.919 of furniture. First couple of bids were like seven hundred, 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:36.000 six hundred, five hundred, and I was like, that's still 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:39.160 really really, really really expensive. And by the end of 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:42.240 the bid, because everyone's competing against each other, the bids 0:03:42.240 --> 0:03:44.800 were in the low two's low two hundred dollars to 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:46.440 move this thing. And so I'm like, okay, cool. I 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:48.480 still haven't pounced. I haven't decided to buy this thing 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:50.840 or to have it to you hire someone to ship 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:52.960 it to bring it to me. But I was like, 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:55.440 now it's reasonable, So that's kind of cool, and they 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:57.680 have like reviews and stuff and I love it. Dude. 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:00.960 How do you spell it? Shi Ply Shipley? Yeah. So 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:05.640 it's again, not something I've actually used yet except for 0:04:05.680 --> 0:04:08.080 an attempt to get these bids. But if you're looking 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:10.640 to get something moved across country or at least just 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:14.480 even just a couple states Ober, because yeah, you're off 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:17.200 the time to go to Ashville or whatever, even though 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:19.400 you want to desperately because the beer scene is so good. 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:21.520 I think Shipley's kind of a cool site work checking 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:25.200 out very cool. Yeah, anytime there is a platform, a 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:29.600 website that facilitates a free and open, competitive marketplace like that. 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:32.800 All for that, but let's introduce the beer you and 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:35.360 I are going to enjoy during this episode. This is 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:38.479 a barrel age sour brown ale. That is I believe 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:41.120 it's called Darken. That's you know, it's written in the 0:04:41.120 --> 0:04:43.039 biggest letters I guess on the label. But this is 0:04:43.080 --> 0:04:47.080 by upland sour Ales. I assume they only make sour beers, 0:04:47.080 --> 0:04:49.240 but I'm looking forward to enjoying. I don't think we've 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:52.000 ever had a beer by these guys for so definitely 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:54.480 looking forward to this one. And stick around to the 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:56.440 end of the episode because that's when we will share 0:04:56.480 --> 0:04:58.560 our thoughts on it, for sure. But for now, let's 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:00.200 get onto the topic of hand. We're talking abo out 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:05.520 how to butcher your grocery Bill and Matt, everybody eats food. 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:08.400 That is what you need to sustain life. You gotta 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:11.159 have water, gotta have food, gotta have air, and so 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:12.840 air makes me think of the fact that we all 0:05:12.880 --> 0:05:17.039 have to breathe, right. Well, I didn't really realize this 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:19.479 until just I don't know, six months ago, until I 0:05:19.520 --> 0:05:22.200 read a new book. But I didn't realize that we 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:24.680 could all breathe better. It had just not really crossed 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.560 my mind. And then I read this book called Breath, 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:30.400 which is aptly titled to Makes Sense by James Nestor, 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:33.880 who's a journalist. He like looked into the science of breathing, 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:36.000 and he gave a bunch of tips, and it was 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:39.480 just this thoroughly fascinating excursion of something that I thought 0:05:39.560 --> 0:05:42.760 was basically mundy and boring that there just wasn't much 0:05:42.839 --> 0:05:45.200 to discuss. But a couple of his main tips from 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:47.560 that book were to breathe through your nose, not your mouth. 0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:50.120 I've heard of that one, apparently, like the conditions of 0:05:50.120 --> 0:05:52.000 your nose just make it so much better. Like you 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:55.240 get twenty percent more oxygen because of the conditioning that 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:57.760 your nose is doing versus just breathing and straight in 0:05:57.760 --> 0:06:00.160 through your mouth. Right, I'm breathing through my nose, right, 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:02.600 I see you look healthier already. The color of my 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:07.599 cheeks they're rosie. Yes, it's it's just kind of makes sense, right, Yeah, 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:10.000 I guess he goes through this your sinuses and I'm 0:06:10.040 --> 0:06:13.040 assuming it adds moisture to the air, that's right, warms 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:14.520 it up a little bit. Yeah. So there's a bunch 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:16.880 there's like a bunch of different like sciency reasons that 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:19.039 breathing through your nose is better than breathing through your mouth. 0:06:19.080 --> 0:06:21.120 And just like one other quick tip from the book, 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:22.440 if you're if you're like I'm not gonna read it, 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:25.480 give me the cliff notes. Well, fewer deeper breaths is 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:29.159 another way to breathe effectively. It's just because like that 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:32.080 it regulates your body because like you just try just 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:35.520 breathing short breath like you're having a panic. Yeah, you're 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:37.599 gonna feel bad really quickly. But if you take those 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:39.360 I think he said five and a half second in, 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:41.279 five and a half second out is kind of the 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:43.720 ideal duration of a breath. I love it. Yeah, So 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:45.720 all sorts of interesting things to something that you're like, 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:47.560 I didn't know there was much to learn on that front, dude. 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:49.680 This is like the Huberman lap, kind of stuffed into 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:51.320 Like you tell me all these things and I will 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:53.520 start doing them. Well, you're gonna like this book then 0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:55.159 the rest of my life. If you have you read it, 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:58.200 ID be into it. I think we've talked about it before, 0:06:58.360 --> 0:06:59.960 which is why I think I know some of these things, 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:01.400 or maybe I read a summary on it, but I 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:03.800 don't think i've actually picked up the actual book. Okay, 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:05.839 all right, well, maybe get the audiobook. It's it's not 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:07.960 too bad, but after like just a few tweaks, yea, 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:10.000 you might be breathing better, living better. But the same 0:07:10.000 --> 0:07:12.400 thing is true with groceries. So we've got kind of 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:16.280 a basic subject today. But something that I think seems 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:17.880 simple on the surface, maybe, but there are a lot 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:20.360 of ways to improve your grocery store habits to save 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:22.280 more money. Yeah, just like everyone out there that they've 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:24.000 got to breathe air, we all have to eat food. 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:27.080 And literally, like I was saying earlier, like everyone out 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:29.320 there has to buy groceries. This isn't one of those 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:32.440 expenses where you're thinking, oh, you know, this isn't an 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:35.480 expense that applies to me. No way, We've all got 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:39.000 to eat and we've all probably seen from personal experience, 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:42.720 like groceries are the third largest line item in the 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:46.480 average person's budget, which means this is a smart place 0:07:46.520 --> 0:07:48.960 to start working on being more efficient with your dollars. 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:52.920 And also inflation. Inflation has also taken a toll on 0:07:52.960 --> 0:07:55.880 food prices now the Labor Department, so that grocery prices 0:07:55.920 --> 0:08:00.200 went up by almost twelve percent back in December air 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.480 to a year prior. And obviously, you know inflation, it 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:06.280 is starting starting to come down. We've seen some encouraging headlines, 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:08.840 some encouraging news from the Fed. That being said, it's 0:08:08.880 --> 0:08:12.240 not happening overnight, and groceries seem to be one of 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:16.119 the stickiest sectors where inflation is hanging out, hanging around 0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:18.400 even longer. So that's just another reason for us to 0:08:18.400 --> 0:08:22.520 discuss savings techniques on the show today when it comes 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:24.320 to food and how you can save money. Yeah, I 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:27.680 saw an article about Whole Foods. They're asking their suppliers 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:30.320 to trim costs in order to drive their cost down 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:32.240 so they can kind of pass some of those onto 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:35.440 the consumer. And it makes sense, especially for one of 0:08:35.440 --> 0:08:38.400 the more expensive grocery stores like Whole Foods. They're feeling 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:40.240 the pinch in a bigger way as people are trying 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:42.920 to trim their grocery bill. Go figure, why isn't everybody 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:45.719 doing them right well? And Whole Foods is skin for 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:47.640 that nice guy discount. That's one of the things that 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:51.240 people kind of instinctively do is they trade down in 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:54.360 an environment where costs are rising rapidly, and so Whole Foods, 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:56.480 I'm sure of seeing people walk out the door, go 0:08:56.559 --> 0:08:58.920 down the street to another less expensive grocery store, and 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:01.240 so they're saying, hey, guys, can you loader these prices 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:03.160 for us, because we got to make sure our customers 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:05.559 stick around, right, keep coming, keep going in the store. Yeah, 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:07.959 their customers are going to Trader Joe's trader. Joe's customers 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:11.440 are going to Walmart. Smart customers are I don't know 0:09:11.440 --> 0:09:15.000 where going all the yeah, or at playing a garden 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:18.000 in their backyard. But enough about the negative. I think 0:09:18.000 --> 0:09:19.679 that you know, the truth is that there's there's a 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:22.160 joy that we often associate with food. Right. I can 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:25.960 still vividly remember Matt meals that I've had on a trip, 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:28.480 or even just like cooking something together with my kids 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:30.720 at home, like the communal aspect of food that we 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:34.200 can enjoy together. There's there's a clear reason that we're 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:37.520 all not just drinking soilent three times a day, like 0:09:37.640 --> 0:09:39.840 our three square meals are just you know, in some 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:43.640 sort of prepackaged through a straw, Right, I mean, because 0:09:43.840 --> 0:09:46.079 what we eat it goes beyond just nutrition and an 0:09:46.080 --> 0:09:49.840 attempt to stay alive. Like three soilents a day might 0:09:50.040 --> 0:09:53.160 get me by, but I'm gonna hate my life by 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:55.240 the end by the end of a week. And making 0:09:55.280 --> 0:09:58.319 strides with your grocery shopping and your cooking, I think 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:00.760 it could lead to two years, even a lifetime of 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:04.720 happiness you're able to experience where your meals are enjoyable 0:10:05.000 --> 0:10:07.520 and what you're paying for groceries is leading to like 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:09.920 delicious things? Did you get to enjoy with people that 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:12.200 you love? So much of life revolves around the table, right, 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:14.040 and like when you think about how how often it 0:10:14.120 --> 0:10:16.880 is that we do eat, this is something to pay 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:20.200 attention to. And also this makes me think of a 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:22.560 recent movie that was out the Menu, which I would 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:25.199 not recommend. I don't know. It wasn't that great. I 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:27.120 didn't like it either, yea all that much. I thought 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.040 I would, but I didn't. It was it was weird, 0:10:29.280 --> 0:10:31.800 I mean, and obviously like not the whole premise of 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:33.040 the show, but just the way that they did it. 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:34.760 I don't know. I don't want to sitting here in Bash. 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:38.400 My one line review was that the social commentary felt 0:10:38.440 --> 0:10:41.080 just super basic and if it had been more interesting 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:42.760 fell flat. I could have been down with the whole 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:45.480 premise didn't. Yeah, there wasn't enough depth. Ye anyway, So 0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:49.480 one maybe shining point within the movie maybe my favorite part. 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:52.480 One of the main characters. He's like a foodie and 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:54.720 he's just talking. He's kind of like waxing poetic about 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:58.080 food or specifically too about chefs, and he's talking about 0:10:58.080 --> 0:11:01.160 how so many people were up or pay a lot 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:03.720 attention to athletes, and he's like, well, and they're just 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:06.920 down there playing with a rubber ball. It's it's really dumb. 0:11:06.920 --> 0:11:11.040 Whereas chefs, they're working with the actual elements of life 0:11:11.320 --> 0:11:13.760 and he's just talking about why he's so into food 0:11:13.920 --> 0:11:16.160 and that part of that. Actually it kind of resonated 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:18.120 with me, not to the extent that it does with him. 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:20.440 Like where you are looking to, you know, drop like 0:11:20.440 --> 0:11:22.520 a you know, twelve thousand dollars on a single meal, 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:24.839 that kind of thing. But when you recognize truly how 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:27.320 central food is to our lives, there are some steps 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.640 I think that we can take in order to make 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:32.240 it more pleasurable in order, like you said, to garner 0:11:32.320 --> 0:11:34.640 some more joy from it. And one of the ways 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:36.720 that hopefully you can begin to see meals that's something 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:39.080 you know that brings you joy as opposed to just 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:41.000 seeing it as a chore is by learning how to 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:44.240 cook better. Nobody likes doing something that they're not good at. 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:46.160 But you're also going to be able to save money 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:49.400 by increasing your kitchen skills. And so if we're talking 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:52.760 about your holistic food budget, you're less likely to go 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:54.920 out to eat and you're more likely going to opt 0:11:54.960 --> 0:11:58.280 for eating in, which is going to be far less expensive, 0:11:58.320 --> 0:12:00.440 and so we would recommend for folks to find ways 0:12:00.440 --> 0:12:02.800 to increase some of those different skills that they might have. 0:12:03.120 --> 0:12:06.240 Early on, Kate and I we took some cooking classes 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:09.640 actually here in Atlanta, some affordable cooking classes, which was 0:12:09.679 --> 0:12:11.439 a It was a ton of fun. We actually did 0:12:11.440 --> 0:12:14.280 it for like a couple of dates. But also we 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:17.400 were able to formally learn some of the techniques that 0:12:17.559 --> 0:12:20.720 you would regularly put to use in a kitchen. But 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:22.960 even before that, so that was after maybe we've been 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.920 married for like a few years or something like that. Well, 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:28.720 right after we got married, we hadn't launched our business yet, 0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:30.680 and she didn't have a job, so she was just 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:33.720 hanging out at home. And this is when she watched 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:37.439 a lot of the Food Network. And no joke, she 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:42.200 literally credits watching folks cook on TV with her ability 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:44.439 to just sort of where she is now. I mean, 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:47.000 she's over the years, she's about her day guy Fiet. 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:49.720 Everybody says that back then, I think it was it 0:12:49.760 --> 0:12:51.839 was Rachel Ray and her hair looks just like his. 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:56.120 Oh my god, if she's got the shades as well. 0:12:56.200 --> 0:12:58.560 I love it, but no joke. I mean it's one 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:01.800 thing to like look up a recipe online, but like, 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:04.960 how is it that you actually execute that recipe? And 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:08.440 that's when I think, whether it be affordable cooking classes 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:10.760 or but just literally watching something on TV and seeing 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:14.320 how they cut, seeing how they blanch vegetables, just all 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:16.480 all the different techniques that you might be able to 0:13:16.480 --> 0:13:18.280 read about, but when you can see somebody doing it, 0:13:18.480 --> 0:13:20.760 I think that can oftentimes help. And now she just 0:13:21.080 --> 0:13:23.240 honestly she follows a lot of folks on social media 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:25.120 as well. I mean, just like anything in life, just 0:13:25.200 --> 0:13:27.080 learning a couple of techniques can help you enjoy the 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:29.079 thing more. Like I played disc golf, not as much 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:30.720 as i'd like to, probably three or four times a year. 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:33.280 I wish I went once a month, But it's one 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:35.079 of those things where you just learn a couple of 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:37.960 basic mechanics of throwing the disc and if you try 0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:40.280 to throw it like a frisbee and you're just annoyed, 0:13:40.600 --> 0:13:43.200 you're just angry because like I have to it takes 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.280 me twenty throws to get it to the pin. But 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:47.400 if you do, it's just certain way that he had 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.840 to do it. Learn a couple of specific techniques. You're like, okay, cool, 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:52.640 it took me four or five throws and to get 0:13:52.679 --> 0:13:54.640 to the pin instead of instead of twenty, and that 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:57.720 just makes it way more enjoyable exactly. But then regarding 0:13:57.760 --> 0:13:59.920 what to actually make, of course, you're going to want 0:13:59.960 --> 0:14:03.840 to make some inexpensive meals, and so we suggest following 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:05.839 some of the folks that we've had on the show. 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:09.880 I'm specifically thinking of Beth Mansell from Budget Bites as 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:13.200 well as Leanne Brown, she wrote the Good and Cheap Cookbook. 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:18.120 They both prioritize cooking healthy, tasty food without breaking the bank. 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:20.360 And we'll make sure to link to those interviews where 0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:22.960 we have those ladies on for sure. Yeah, and Matt, 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:26.080 I'll readily admit I'm no kitchen expert, like there's room 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:29.160 for growth for me, right, but I've grown, i would say, 0:14:29.160 --> 0:14:31.480 in my ability to cook for our family, and it's 0:14:31.960 --> 0:14:34.600 like learning those disc golf techniques. It's rewarding to kind 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:36.920 of make progress in that area. But I think one 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:38.800 thing that might help if you feel like a complete 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:42.040 kitchen novice is to check out meal delivery kits. And 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:45.400 they're not the best option for saving money on groceries, 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:47.480 and whether or not you should try one of these 0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:50.520 services really depends on how much you're currently spending on 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:52.920 when it comes to food and how good in the 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:56.320 kitchen you actually are. But services like Blue Apron, they 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:59.800 might be a smart decision, particularly for the novice home chef, 0:14:59.800 --> 0:15:02.000 and it could be like a happy medium for a 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.040 lot of people. It has been for us at different 0:15:04.080 --> 0:15:06.000 seasons in our life, depending on how busy we are, 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:09.680 and Emily really likes using these services. We don't use 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:12.320 them regularly, but when we get a discount or something, 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:14.600 we'll go back to them and test them out again. 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:17.560 And I think largely a good reason to test these 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:19.920 outis because it could be kind of like a gateway drug, 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:22.440 leading you back towards home cooking and eating out less. 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:25.200 Signing up for these kits in perpetuity is probably going 0:15:25.240 --> 0:15:26.760 to be a budgetbuster at getting three or four of 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:29.040 these every single week, but using them to get you 0:15:29.080 --> 0:15:31.400 back in the kitchen at least totally and then weaning 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:34.440 yourself back to meal planning and grocery store shopping in 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:36.480 a smart way that could be a good plan for 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:38.520 a lot of people. I think, yeah, absolutely so. This 0:15:38.560 --> 0:15:40.520 reminds me of a listener who wrote in and he 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.240 was talking about how him I think him and his wife, 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:45.720 I think they're empty nesters. But he was pointing out 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:48.640 how this was something that they did that was fun 0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:51.560 and it allowed them to do something together, but it 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:54.840 also introduced them to just some different foods, like different 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:57.640 meals that they otherwise would never have thought to pursue. 0:15:58.000 --> 0:15:59.680 Look up how to make this thing, and it's not 0:15:59.720 --> 0:16:02.240 just delivered directly to them and tells them. You know, 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:05.760 they've got all the pre measured ingredients, they've got all 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:07.680 the instructions, and all of a sudden they're eating something 0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:10.040 that they would never have otherwise eaten. It's not just 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:12.560 a friend passing on a recipe. It's literally all the 0:16:12.560 --> 0:16:14.320 pre measured stuff that goes with it. And so it 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:17.000 makes it kind of like, yeah, fun thing to attempt. 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:20.480 But again, it can be expensive if that's your go 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:23.400 to every single week. But I think it can be 0:16:23.480 --> 0:16:25.320 kind of like a paint by numbers for a lot 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:26.760 of people who are like I kinda want to get 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:29.160 into painting, that's a good place maybe to start. Well, 0:16:29.160 --> 0:16:31.520 And I love again what you said about it being fun, 0:16:32.040 --> 0:16:34.560 because we do things that are fun to us. If 0:16:34.560 --> 0:16:37.160 something is fun, it doesn't matter if it necessarily is 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:38.840 going to save you money, you will continue to do 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:41.680 that thing. And so by tricking yourself back into the 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:45.880 kitchen where you're cooking more, you're intentionally cultivating the joy 0:16:45.920 --> 0:16:49.480 of cooking. Yeah, right, Julia Child. And not to mention, 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:51.280 like you said, over time you win yourself off of 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:53.200 that and all of a sudden you have built up 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:56.040 this joy for cooking food. Yeah, And all the while 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:58.120 you're likely going to be able to save money. Now 0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.200 you just like being in the kitchen. Yes, that matters 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:03.280 a lot if it's something that you're going to continue 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:06.000 to do right, it's the it's the psychology of cooking 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:08.840 right and trigging yourself into some of the different ways, 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.040 which how many personal finance nerds to talk about the 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:13.120 psychology if the kitchen. You and I we are doing 0:17:13.119 --> 0:17:14.879 it more and more because I think we've realized how 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:18.000 important it is not to just know the steps to take, 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:21.560 but how important it is to approach something with a 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:24.159 certain mental state and based on how it is that 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:26.440 we actually live our lives. Yes, yeah, exactly. You could 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:28.760 talk about theoretically the best things to do, but if 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:31.080 that's not what people want to do. We need to 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:33.560 give practice. Practical advice is necessary. And I think this 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:35.199 is one of those things where it's like a lot 0:17:35.240 --> 0:17:36.760 of personal finance X works would be like those medal 0:17:36.840 --> 0:17:38.720 kids are way more expensive than shove to the grocery store. 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:42.040 And and it's true, like that is true. But what's 0:17:42.080 --> 0:17:43.399 going to get you back in the kitchen over the 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:45.280 long term, just like what's going to get you working 0:17:45.280 --> 0:17:47.080 out over the long term is it is it the 0:17:47.080 --> 0:17:49.680 most efficient, best three hour workout now? And so you 0:17:49.760 --> 0:17:51.720