WEBVTT - Second Cup: When to make do and when not to

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to think through when to make do and

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<v Speaker 1>when not to. There is no point buying new things

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<v Speaker 1>when the old things work just as well. On the

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<v Speaker 1>other hand, there is no point being constantly unhappy with

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<v Speaker 1>little things either. A little contemplation might help you figure

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<v Speaker 1>out the right balance. So, as longtime listeners know, I

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<v Speaker 1>am a fairly frugal sort, I come down strongly on

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<v Speaker 1>the side of making do. I am driving a twelve

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<v Speaker 1>year old car because it still works. I find it

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<v Speaker 1>incredibly annoying when I have to buy things like new

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<v Speaker 1>socks and new underwear, because in my mind these things

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<v Speaker 1>should last forever. Now, there are some upsides to being

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<v Speaker 1>willing to make do. I can and have lived on

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<v Speaker 1>very little money when that's been necessary. I am not

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<v Speaker 1>upset by mediocre accommodations. When I'm traveling. I am generally

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<v Speaker 1>content because I am not thinking about what's wrong with

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<v Speaker 1>what I have. On the other hand, I have lived

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<v Speaker 1>with things that, it turns out, are easily solved for

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<v Speaker 1>a long time. I spent a year recording this podcast

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<v Speaker 1>while sitting on the ground in my closet. It turns

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<v Speaker 1>out that they make chairs. So the question becomes when

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<v Speaker 1>to make do and when not to make do. This

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<v Speaker 1>should somewhat be shaped by what anyone can afford. If

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<v Speaker 1>not making do means taking on debt, then it is

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<v Speaker 1>probably a bad idea. If not making do means not

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<v Speaker 1>having a robust emergency fund and being fully on track

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<v Speaker 1>for funding your retirement, then again no. But once we

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<v Speaker 1>reached the place of having some discretionary income, then I

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<v Speaker 1>think there are a few questions to ask. First, if

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<v Speaker 1>it is possible to make do, how much joy would

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<v Speaker 1>something new bring to your life? Since I am reasonably

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<v Speaker 1>happy with my car and don't derive much of my

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<v Speaker 1>self concept from my car, I don't think a new

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<v Speaker 1>car would bring me particular joy. Now that equation would

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<v Speaker 1>change a lot. If my car didn't start half the time,

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<v Speaker 1>then a new car would bring me tremendous joy, as

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<v Speaker 1>I would be less stressed and I wouldn't be late everywhere. Second.

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<v Speaker 1>Even if something would bring joy, what else could you

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<v Speaker 1>do with the money? Money is fungible, so money spent

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<v Speaker 1>on one thing is money not spent on something else,

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<v Speaker 1>and it is possible that that's something else might bring

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<v Speaker 1>even more joy. So, for instance, you might think it

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<v Speaker 1>would be fun to upgrade your kitchen, but if that

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<v Speaker 1>would cost the same as a trip to Europe, and

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<v Speaker 1>you think about it and realize you'd rather take a

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<v Speaker 1>trip to Europe, then maybe it's worth making do with

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<v Speaker 1>your counters and cabinets and enjoying your vacation instead. These

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<v Speaker 1>answers are going to be different for everyone. Maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>have no intention of traveling to Europe, so those counters

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<v Speaker 1>and cabinets would actually make you happier. Or maybe you

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<v Speaker 1>have so much cash that there is no trade off.

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<v Speaker 1>There is nothing else you would do with the cash

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<v Speaker 1>because you are already doing everything that you want to.

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<v Speaker 1>If so, have at it with the caveat that avoiding

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<v Speaker 1>waste is a good in its own right, So if

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<v Speaker 1>you are redoing your kitchen before it falls apart, it

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<v Speaker 1>is worth seeing if you can recycle or donate the materials.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe it will be possible, and maybe it won't be.

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<v Speaker 1>But on the other hand, I guess flying internationally creates

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of waste too. It's just always something to

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<v Speaker 1>keep in mind. Sometimes it's good to make do and

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes it's better not to. It is always just a

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<v Speaker 1>question of how much joy the choice would bring to you,

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<v Speaker 1>and if it would bring joy, if there is another

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<v Speaker 1>choice that might bring even more joy. Optimizing in that

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<v Speaker 1>way can help us create a good balance and spend

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<v Speaker 1>limited resources as wisely as possible. In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 1>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four then Breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>That before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts

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