WEBVTT - Enjoying the Holidays without Spending a Dime #290 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.159 Welcome to How the Money. I'm Joel and I am Matt's. 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:26.800 Today we're discussing enjoying the holidays without spending a dime. Yeah, Chel, 0:00:26.840 --> 0:00:29.200 there are so many different reasons for us to spend 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:32.320 less money around the holidays, and there are many different 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:35.200 ways for us to do that while still enjoying the holidays. 0:00:35.200 --> 0:00:37.640 I'm excited to talk about this episode with you. I'm 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:40.120 only sad though, that we don't have hot chocolate here. 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:43.000 I'm sad that we don't have Christmas music playing in 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:44.879 the background. Yeah, I feel like those things would be 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:46.440 help us to get in the spirit a little bit. 0:00:46.479 --> 0:00:48.200 You have a go to Christmas album, map, I feel 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:52.120 like the classic is like the Mariah Carey h Christmas album. 0:00:52.159 --> 0:00:55.160 That's my wife's favorite, is it really? But personally I'm 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:57.720 a big fan of that five volume Sufi and Stephen's 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:02.240 Christmas Album's in Hipster classic so good. It is really good. Yeah, 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:04.360 I agree. Do you have a favorite? I mean that's 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:06.040 up there for me, the Soup jan and that's kind 0:01:06.040 --> 0:01:07.360 of that's kind of what I go to a lot 0:01:07.480 --> 0:01:10.200 during the holidays. But I like some old school classics 0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:11.759 as well, some of the old carols from the old 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:17.479 hymns like Crosbie, those White Christmas soundtrack. Emily tells Alexa 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:19.759 to play like a Christmas classic station and that always 0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:22.000 works out. Well. Nice, Yeah, but yeah, we got a 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:24.480 lot to get to on on how people can enjoy 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:26.480 the holidays without spending too much money, especially as we 0:01:26.520 --> 0:01:29.440 get closer. We're less than three weeks away from Christmas now, 0:01:29.480 --> 0:01:31.320 which is it's it's hard to believe. But before we 0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:34.000 get to that, you wanted to talk about some homemade 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:36.000 stuff you're doing in your kitchen. Yeah, So in the notes, 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:37.760 I put a c V and do you even know 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:39.760 what that stands for? Now? I'm assuming it's see your 0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:42.960 up to no good? Because I didn't, because so I 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:44.399 saw it all my calendar and I was like, what 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:48.120 is strain a c V? What the heck is that? 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:50.760 And it stands for Apple Cider Vinegar And it's something 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:52.800 that Kate had stuck on the calendar. Back in the fall, 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.600 we went to an orchard, you know, an apple orchard, 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:57.400 and we picked a bunch of apples, came back with 0:01:57.440 --> 0:02:01.280 like multiple bags of apples from North Georgia, and we 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:03.080 did a little baking one day and we had a 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:06.240 bunch of course leftover. Uh, And I was getting ready 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:10.000 to toss him out. But Kate is incredibly resourceful, especially 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:12.880 in the kitchen, and she looked up this recipe man 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:15.919 to make your own apple cider vinegar, and literally all 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:20.240 it takes our apple cores, sugar and water. So you 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:22.080 take that and you you have to make sure you 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:24.200 submerge it, right, so there can't be any apple like 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:26.480 sticking up out of the water, otherwise it'll mold. But 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:28.920 then the apples in the water it starts to ferments, 0:02:28.960 --> 0:02:33.480 and you make your own naturally fermented, you know, spontaneously 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:36.800 fermented apple cider vinegar. Uh. And I am so stoked 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:39.400 to try it. We actually haven't tried any of it yet, 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:40.959 So that brings up the question is it frugal or 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:43.480 cheap to make your own fermented I don't even know 0:02:43.520 --> 0:02:46.560 what you would call it, like drink her food. I mean, 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:48.880 you know, if people are into it, that's great. I 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:51.600 think especially some people just love like your wife loves 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:54.600 being in the kitchen, she loves cooking, she loves probably 0:02:54.919 --> 0:02:57.320 straining her own apple cider vinegar right like that, that's 0:02:57.320 --> 0:02:59.000 the kind of apple chunks out of that. Yeah, she 0:02:59.000 --> 0:03:01.519 gets jazzed about the kind of stuff. Me. I'm the 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:04.760 kind of guy that doesn't as much. So yeah, for me, 0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:07.120 it would probably be cheap. I'd be trying just to 0:03:07.160 --> 0:03:09.799 save money while doing something I hated. But for other 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:12.120 people it's frugal because it's a labor of love. It's 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:14.280 something that they enjoy and at the same time they 0:03:14.280 --> 0:03:16.240 could save money doing it. So yeah, I know. Some 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:19.440 people make their own beverages, some people brew their own beer, 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:22.600 and and that's great. It's just not something I'm into. 0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:25.880 I prefer the store bought variety. I mean. My biggest 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:27.480 concern though, is the fact that this is something that 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:29.480 sat on top of our fridge in a jar like 0:03:29.720 --> 0:03:31.560 open air, you know, like she put a cloth over 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:33.240 it to keep, you know, flies and stuff from getting 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:35.760 in there. But otherwise, I think as Americans, we it's 0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:37.480 weird when we see something that sits out for that 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:39.640 long and then we think, oh, are we gonna eat that? 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:42.280 Is that something that's gonna go inside my body? And 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:44.440 so I'm a little bit nervous there. But it's no 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:46.680 different I think than kombucha, Like that's not something that 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:49.960 we've ever created ourselves or lambics. That are made in Belgium. 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:52.920 I mean, well, I trust a lambic from Belgium, where 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:56.000 there's been somebody that has done this for you know, millennia. 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:58.040 It's been in this family where they've they brewed it. 0:03:58.040 --> 0:03:59.720 It's still so interesting when you go and you tour 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:01.960 one of those Belgian breweries that has what they call 0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:04.320 it's called a cool ship and they're huger the space 0:04:04.360 --> 0:04:05.880 of a room and they put the beer in there 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:08.760 and it's open air, and there's spiders and there's every 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:11.360 things like bugs whizzing in and out. But it's it's 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:14.520 all a part of the TWA. Yeah, it's the most 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:16.720 delicious tasting beer at the end of the day. And 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:19.279 so I don't know, man, I think maybe you're gonna 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:22.320 you're TWA of your a CV is gonna be delicious. 0:04:22.360 --> 0:04:24.520 Maybe it'll be good. Yeah, So I'll post the recipe 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:26.760 if folks were interested in given this a shot, because 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:28.920 I was. I really was surprised at how few ingredients 0:04:28.960 --> 0:04:30.480 it took. But yeah, we'll make sure to put that 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:32.159 in our show notes and all that. Note, Joel, that 0:04:32.200 --> 0:04:33.880 was a good transition as we were kind of talking 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:35.800 about the beer a little bit. I did want to 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:38.560 say you are the Martha Stewart of Personal Finance podcast 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:40.600 hosts Oh you think so? I think so? Okay? Yeah, 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:44.680 does that make me the snoop Dogg? I don't know. Well. 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:46.960 On that note, let's introduce our beer for this episode. 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:50.240 We are enjoying an owl theory. This is by field 0:04:50.240 --> 0:04:53.000 Work Brewing Company. UH and Tim actually sent this one 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:55.880 our away. We actually participated in a wellness webinar that 0:04:56.040 --> 0:04:58.799 his company hosted a couple of months ago, and obviously 0:04:58.800 --> 0:05:00.880 we talked about personal finance. But I'm looking forward to 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:02.640 us both enjoying this bearer and we'll talk about it 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:04.640 at the end of the episode. Sounds good, All right, 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:06.920 Let's get onto the subject at hand. We're talking about 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:10.120 enjoying the holidays without spending a dime, and for many 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:13.200 of us, Matt, I think, our default way of thinking 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:15.760 in order to have a successful or fun holiday season, 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:18.200 we feel like we need to spend lots of money. 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:21.360 We've it's almost been ingrained in us culturally. That's how 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:23.240 we do it in America. We buy our vinegar, and 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:25.360 we also buy all of our gifts exactly, and we 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:27.560 buy more than we need. And it's like we feel 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:29.400 like we need to have just a ton of presents 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:31.520 under the tree or you know, wherever you put them 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:33.800 in your house, and they can't be homemade like you said, 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:36.800 or reasonably priced either. They kind of be expensive. They've 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:38.760 got to be kind of showy. And lots of folks 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:41.679 show that they love someone through over the top gift giving. 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:43.800 And it's even easy, I think this time of year 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:45.960 for money conscious folks like our listeners, like you and 0:05:46.000 --> 0:05:48.200 I even at times to get caught up in all 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:51.080 the spending that happens this time of year. So we 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:53.680 wanted to create this episode. Um, we wanted to talk 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:57.400 about enjoying the holidays without going overboard, because we think 0:05:57.400 --> 0:05:59.480 there are ways to do it, ways to get creative 0:05:59.640 --> 0:06:01.840 and at the same time, ways to really actually enjoy 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:04.679 the holidays more if we're a little bit more money 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:07.520 conscious over the next few weeks. Yeah, I mean, and 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:10.359 this is especially true, you know, considering the financial positions 0:06:10.480 --> 0:06:13.200 that a lot of Americans are in after this year, 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.279 after uh, you know, stimulus checks back in the spring, 0:06:16.320 --> 0:06:19.880 where we're nice, those increased unemployment benefits certainly helped, but 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:22.880 a lot of individuals are still without jobs, which means 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:27.160 their income has been severely disrupted. As of us recording 0:06:27.160 --> 0:06:30.760 this episode, initial unemployment claims are down to only seven 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:34.520 nine thousand a week, which is actually good news, but 0:06:34.600 --> 0:06:37.279 that's still way more than where we were this time 0:06:37.360 --> 0:06:39.839 last year, when it was closer to only two hundred 0:06:39.880 --> 0:06:43.200 thousand a week. Yeah, to say that that's good news 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:46.800 is scary, but it is. I guess you're right when 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:49.159 you think about where things were, you know, just a 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:51.880 handful of months back. And aside from that, the impact 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:55.400 that COVID has had on American incomes, on households and 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:58.960 what they're able to bring in financially, there's also added 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:01.120 health constraints this time a year, which means a lot 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:03.880 of families are separate from each other, or at least 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:06.880 they're social distancing during their festivities this year. So with 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:09.279 a lot of families not being together due to COVID, 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:12.600 I think maybe there's an additional temptation to make up 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:15.640 for the lack of proximity with increased amount of spending. 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:17.360 It's kind of like, um, well, it says it can't 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:19.920 be there in person, I'm gonna get you something super fancy, 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:22.120 really nice. I wish I was there. I can't be there. 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:24.480 So let's go ahead and double the Christmas budget this year, 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:27.240 thinking of you, here's a Tiffany bracelet. I don't know, 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:28.640 I don't know how you're gonna roll with Emily, right, 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:32.400 probably yeah, good for you, Joel. Right, But but this 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:35.400 is totally gonna be a budget busting approach. If people 0:07:35.400 --> 0:07:37.280 do that, if they end up spending more because they 0:07:37.280 --> 0:07:40.440 can't be nearby their family, and that's not necessarily the 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:42.160 best way to show somebody that you love them. And 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:44.240 if you spend too much, obviously it's going to lead 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:47.200 to overspending and it could lead to a debt as well. Yeah, 0:07:47.200 --> 0:07:48.960 and if you're thinking that this isn't really a problem 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:51.679 for most folks, you know, let alone you. Let's share 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:55.040 some stats on holiday debts. My favorite that's on Hoiday. 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:57.720 Let's do it man. According to Magnify Money, they every 0:07:57.760 --> 0:08:00.160 year they do a post holiday debt survey. Uh, they 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:03.200 did one of last year's spending. According to that research, 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:07.880 Americans racked up an average of one thousand dollars during 0:08:07.920 --> 0:08:10.320 the holidays. And I think one of the more interesting 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:12.560 things here is that of the consumers who took on 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:15.760 that debt, the majority didn't plan on doing, so it 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:19.040 just happened, right, And so the reason that we're talking 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:21.160 about this today is because it's not good enough to 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:23.400 just you know, hope for the best, to just cross 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:25.960 our fingers. We need to change the way that we 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:28.480 approach our holiday spending. And so that's our that's our 0:08:28.480 --> 0:08:30.840 goal for this episode. Yeah, yeah, and yeah, Matt, you 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:34.160 mentioned that people didn't have a plan, and that's it 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:35.960 just kind of happened, right that that was their excuse 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:37.640 at the end of the day when they were interviewed 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:40.720 for this survey. And we don't have a plan to 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.839 not overspend, the likelihood that we will ever spend goes 0:08:43.920 --> 0:08:47.160 up dramatically, and then this debt has potential to even 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:50.640 stick around for years, all in the name of of 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:53.920 a joyous holiday season, of having a good time during 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:56.679 the Christmas holidays, or whatever holiday you celebrate this time 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:59.880 of year. And in that same debt survey, of folks 0:08:59.920 --> 0:09:02.120 were only making the minimum payment on the cards that 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:04.720 they racked up dent on. So not only is it 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.880 going to take longer to pay for all that holiday spending, 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:10.240 but you could end up paying massive amounts on interest 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:12.480 on the holiday gifts and items you purchased. So it's 0:09:12.480 --> 0:09:14.920 not just the Tiffany bracelet, but it's a Tiffany bracelet 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:19.760 with finance with uh interest rate attached to an ouch man. 0:09:19.920 --> 0:09:22.480 And yeah, also, we wanted to mention you know that 0:09:22.520 --> 0:09:25.720 we're referring specifically to Christmas some in the course of 0:09:25.720 --> 0:09:27.840 this episode. That's because it tends to be the biggest 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:30.400 consumption driver of the holidays this time of year. But 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:32.480 when you look at the history of Christmas, it hasn't 0:09:32.520 --> 0:09:35.480 always been about scoring all the best deals and you know, 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:38.600 getting presents to the max. Uh not, you know, not 0:09:38.679 --> 0:09:40.960 that gifts haven't been a regular part of the holidays 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:43.720 for hundreds of years, but you know, the marketing hype 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:47.560 has caused us to change much of our perceptions are 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:51.280 kids expectations about what the holiday should look like. So 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:55.560 just remember that even though overspending in Christmas aren't massively 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:58.640 intertwined these days, it hasn't always been that way and 0:09:58.679 --> 0:10:00.440 it doesn't have to be that way for you and 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:03.000 you know, for your family. There are specific ways to 0:10:03.120 --> 0:10:05.880 change the trajectory of your holiday season, and we've got 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:17.280 more on that right after this break. All right, we're 0:10:17.320 --> 0:10:19.679 back from the break. We're talking about enjoying the holidays 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:22.400 without spending a dime. I don't know why we didn't 0:10:22.440 --> 0:10:24.679 say penny or nickel, Matt, dime. You don't want to 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:28.319 spend a dime? Exactly? Why did dime become the reference 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:30.400 to piece of currency when you're talking about that, I 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:32.400 don't know. Maybe because you can't buy anything these days 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:34.360 with a penny or nickel. That's true, that's true. A 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:36.400 dime maybe something. I mean, I know it costs more 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:38.400 to produce a PENNI than a penny is actually worth. 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:40.439 And I think it's almost to that point with a nickel. Yeah, 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:42.280 it's gotta be. There's gotta be. So let's get rid 0:10:42.280 --> 0:10:43.720 of the peny, let's get rid of the nickel. Let's 0:10:43.720 --> 0:10:45.600 only let's start with dimes, put chips in our risks 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:48.000 and pay with everything. That way, you could that smart 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:50.320 watching might be going in that direction, But we digress. 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:52.600 Let's get back to the topic. We're we're talking on 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:56.280 this episode about about not spending any money really when 0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:58.199 it comes to having an enjoyable holidays. And I think 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:00.599 you know it's it's our hope in this episode that 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:02.480 we're talking about what will help you to shift and 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:05.360 alter the way that you think about the holidays and 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:09.079 holiday spending, and it all starts with how intentional you're 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:12.040 being with your holiday spending and how you're approaching that 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.360 with your friends and family. And man, I think too, 0:11:14.440 --> 0:11:16.320 you know, we we did say the title of this 0:11:16.360 --> 0:11:19.600 episode enjoying the holidays without spending a dime. But it's 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:21.600 not like you and I are not spending any money 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:23.280 on gifts for the people that we love. Yeah, we're 0:11:23.280 --> 0:11:25.880 not taking it that literally. Yes, yeah, So we want 0:11:25.920 --> 0:11:27.679 you to know that too, that it's not like we're 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:30.960 saying don't spend anything on gifts for anybody. That sounds 0:11:30.960 --> 0:11:33.480 a little gritchy. Actually, well that's the thing. We're not 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:36.480 trying to be like ba humbugs here, right. We want 0:11:36.520 --> 0:11:39.079 people to get into like the spirit. We want folks 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:40.480 to have that holiday ch here, but we want them 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:43.040 to achieve that with a change in the way that 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:45.280 they're they're thinking about things, not by just throwing a 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:46.920 bunch of money at it. Yeah yeah, I mean you 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:48.640 and I were gonna spend money on our kids and 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:51.160 on our spouses and on a few close family members 0:11:51.559 --> 0:11:54.040 and and then small gifts for some friends that we 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:57.000 love to but we're gonna take more measured approach, and 0:11:57.200 --> 0:11:59.840 that's really what what we're talking about here. Yeah, one 0:11:59.840 --> 0:12:02.199 thing to note too is if you're listening to this 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:05.080 and you're thinking, Okay, this episode came a little bit 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:08.319 too late. I've already purchased way too much stuff. Maybe 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:11.080 I went notes on Black Friday. Maybe, so you know, 0:12:11.120 --> 0:12:13.920 maybe you've already gone overboard. If that's the case, you know, 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:16.800 just remember that it's not too late to make some returns. 0:12:17.240 --> 0:12:21.640 And that sounds maybe like almost anti patriotic to say, like, 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:23.960 go ahead and return this Christmas gifts, but know that 0:12:24.000 --> 0:12:27.439 you're able to rethink how you can approach gift giving 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:30.200 this year. It's the joy to give people. We you know, 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:32.240 we love things that we know that they will love. Right, 0:12:32.480 --> 0:12:35.000 But if it means buying stuff that we can't afford, 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:37.480 if it means financing those things, then it becomes a 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:40.200 financial burden and it's not worth it. You still got 0:12:40.200 --> 0:12:42.880 time to cut down on the costs of the holidays 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:46.120 by taking things back that you will potentially be paying 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:48.400 off for much of. Yeah, you don't want to be 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:51.920 a negative part of Magnifying Money's survey next year, right 0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:54.600 that you're in way too much that after the holidays, 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:56.439 don't become a statistic and it's just and it's just 0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:59.199 not worth it, like it is fun. I understand the 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:02.160 joy in the on of of spending money and buying 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:05.000 somebody the perfect gift, but again, yeah, if it leaves 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:07.800 you with months and months of regret afterwards, it's not 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:10.200 worth that moment of joy. Uh. And And that there 0:13:10.200 --> 0:13:12.960 are ways to to give gifts without spending much money 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:15.839 at all or any money. Gift giving is one of 0:13:15.880 --> 0:13:20.240 the major challenges of enjoying the holidays without spending a dime, right, 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:22.800 Challenging yourself to give gifts they don't cost any money, 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.800 challenges you to get creative. How creative can you be? 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:29.240 And giving the gift of your time, Matt and I 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:31.599 think is one really meaningful way to do this in 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:34.440 order to not spend any money, but to give quality 0:13:34.520 --> 0:13:36.719 time to someone that you love instead. Right. For For 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:39.240 some folks, this could be as simple as a one 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:41.640 on one day that you spend with a sibling doing 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:44.160 something that they love to do, or a double date 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:46.520 with you and your partner and your parents right at 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:49.319 the end of the day. Though relationships are better and 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:52.280 more important than physical gifts, until giving that gift of 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.400 time can actually be even more meaningful than giving someone 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:59.040 like an actual item that you've purchased that they would enjoy. Two. Yeah, 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:00.760 you know, along that same train of thought, you know, 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:03.079 giving a voucher or a coupon for a task er 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:05.760 chore that needs to be done is also a way 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:08.400 to to not spend any money. Specifically, think through some 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:11.040 tasks I think that you specifically are good at, you know, 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:13.360 or even chores that only you can get done. I 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:15.439 really appreciate the voucher you just gave me, Matt for 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:17.480 cleaning our toilets. I was so nice of you, as 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:21.520 you've proven that's something that you are incapable of. But 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.440 maybe this is helping a parent go through and organize 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:26.800 their photo library on their computer, right, Like, something that's 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:29.680 kind of technology related might be kind of a way 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:31.680 to think about it. Or another example I'm thinking of 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:34.560 is maybe fixing something that is broken that happens to 0:14:34.600 --> 0:14:37.680 be driving your spouse or your partner crazy. So, for instance, Joel, 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:39.680 I've got a little story for you. Kate's got this 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:43.520 fifteen inch cast iron skillet, right, I mean it's huge. 0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:46.440 We cook everything on there, and she recently got this 0:14:46.520 --> 0:14:48.080 glass lid that goes on top of it with this 0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:50.320 tiny little knob handle in the in the middle for 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:53.840 this giant fifteen inch pan. Uh, well, it's stripped out. 0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:55.320 The screw came out of it, and we were no 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:56.800 longer able to use it. So we were like, oh, 0:14:56.960 --> 0:14:59.040 we set it back, thinking maybe it was a manufactured defect. 0:14:59.040 --> 0:15:00.800 They sent us a new one a few days later, 0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:04.240 same stinking thing happened. It's just poorly designed. And so 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:07.840 instead of going through the entire return process again, I thought, 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:09.440 you know what, I bet I could make my own 0:15:09.520 --> 0:15:11.480 handle for this thing. And so I found some scrap 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:13.280 wood that we had on the basement, made some cuts, 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:15.640 sanded it OUs. It was nice and smooth, and kind 0:15:15.640 --> 0:15:17.440 of ran a screw up in there oiled it, you know. 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:19.320 So it was nice and pretty. Dude, that thing works 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:22.400 so well. Uh. And that's something that Kate she like, 0:15:22.440 --> 0:15:24.360 she couldn't have even purchased something like that, And it's 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:27.120 something I was like, I'm not a woodworker, but I 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:29.160 was handy enough to make some cuts and find a 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:32.280 way to solve a problem that made her life, I 0:15:32.320 --> 0:15:35.360 mean significantly better. In particular, when it comes to using 0:15:35.440 --> 0:15:37.480 that lid. And so in our case, that's something that 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:39.920 I was able to kind of step in and provide. 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:43.000 Literally didn't cost me anything because that's used scrap wood 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:44.600 and found some screws that we had laying around in 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:46.480 my screw drawer down in the basement down there where 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:48.440 we keep the bikes. But that's the kind of creative 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:50.520 problem solving I want to point people towards. And it 0:15:50.560 --> 0:15:53.440 didn't cost anything. They say, the best businesses are started 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:56.360 when somebody sees a pain point and they want to 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:59.560 relieve it by creating something. And maybe the best gift 0:15:59.720 --> 0:16:02.120 is own by seeing a pain point in someone that 0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:04.400 he loves life and then finding a way to help 0:16:04.440 --> 0:16:06.600 resolve that. And oftentimes you're right, I think it can 0:16:06.720 --> 0:16:09.880 be free or incredibly inexpensive. We wanted to make that happen. 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:12.440 But let's talk about another way that somebody could use 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:15.480 their time in order to give a gift. And I'm 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:17.560 thinking of maybe like parents who are wanting their attic 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:20.360 cleared out because there's so much junk in there um 0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:22.720 and and they have a hard time going through some 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:25.240 of that stuff on their own, and you could help 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:28.040 them do that. Stuff's been sitting around maybe for decades. 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:30.680 They're afraid of tossing it out because of sentimental reasons. 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:32.920 And then you, as they're growing up child, you can 0:16:32.960 --> 0:16:35.600 actually help them call their possessions. And you know what 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:37.760 I'll say too, it's going to help you on the 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:41.160 end one of these days. Or maybe it's even from 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:44.560 having to move that stuff one of these days. Yeah, 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:47.760 for sure. And maybe it's even your parents who own 0:16:47.920 --> 0:16:49.840 boxes and stuff that are keeping around in case you 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:52.640 might want it. Instead of avoiding that conversation. Maybe this 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.080 is the year that you tackle that stuff right and 0:16:55.360 --> 0:16:57.360 you decided to give some away. You find the things 0:16:57.400 --> 0:16:59.080 that you want to keep, but that gets rid of 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:01.720 a headache or your parents. Right, and this could be 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:04.119 especially helpful if all that stuff is is sitting in 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:07.399 storage costing them money. Right, I think what ten percent 0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:10.399 of households rent a sell storage facility and the average 0:17:10.440 --> 0:17:12.240 cost of that is like just under a hundred dollars 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:14.240 a month. So you could save your parents money and 0:17:14.359 --> 0:17:16.480 solve a problem in their lives just through a little 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:19.320 bit of time. Um, it doesn't actually cost you any 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:21.879 money in order to give that gift. Yeah, that's right. 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:23.520 And you know, while we're talking, we're kind of talking 0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:25.840 about coupons and vouchers, that kind of thing. Of course, 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:30.040 kids creating certificates of some special chore in there done 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:32.400 that that they could do around the house. Is that's 0:17:32.440 --> 0:17:35.040 like a classic, right and so like, as a parent, 0:17:35.119 --> 0:17:37.240 avoid going out with your kid and spending an afternoon 0:17:37.280 --> 0:17:39.960 wandering around a department store or sitting down on the 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:42.960 computer and kind of clicking through Amazon or whatnot where 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:44.879 you're helping them to like pick out a gift for 0:17:44.920 --> 0:17:46.800 your partner. You know, that might just end up being 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:49.520 a total waste of money. Instead, take a more thoughtful approach, 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:51.840 help them to create one of these coupons. You know, 0:17:51.960 --> 0:17:54.080