WEBVTT - Friday Flight - Perpetual Quitting, A Second Hand Surge, & Debt Management Plans #522 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.040 Welcome to How the Money. I'm Joel and I am Matt, 0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:07.840 and today we're discussing perpetual quitting, secondhand surge, and debt 0:00:07.960 --> 0:00:29.560 management plans. That's right, buddy. This is our Friday flight 0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:31.520 where we're gonna talk about some of the different stories 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:34.720 we came across this week, specifically how they pertain to 0:00:34.760 --> 0:00:37.680 our finances. And I'll say, real quick, my voice sounds 0:00:37.680 --> 0:00:39.239 a little bit rough. You are under the weather. I 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:41.960 got that. I think I've just got a nasty summer cold. 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:44.640 But I will persevere and get through this episode. The 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:47.640 podcast cannot go on without you. I cannot go solo. 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:50.120 The show must go on. But I see a note 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:53.000 here about a sixteen year old driver. What's out all? Okay, 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:56.200 So my neighbor, right, my neighbor, they she just turned 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:59.240 sixteen and she got she got a new car, not 0:00:59.240 --> 0:01:02.640 not a brand new car, but a very nice out 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:06.000 East station Wagon, And oh yeah, dude, that's what I want. 0:01:07.280 --> 0:01:09.560 I love this Audi stations running the family and her 0:01:09.600 --> 0:01:11.640 parents both of her parents drive out East too, and 0:01:11.680 --> 0:01:13.720 so it's I just thought it was kind of funny 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:17.240 that as I like saw her basically getting into her 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:19.360 brain new car I was super excited for you know, 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:21.200 obviously that's a really cool thing for a sixteen really 0:01:21.200 --> 0:01:23.400 get a car. I didn't. I bought my own first car, 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:27.640 and I remember it costs so it was to feel 0:01:27.680 --> 0:01:30.759 in this Audi Wagon, even used. I'm guessing it costs 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:32.520 a little more than a few thousands. Her car is 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:34.399 nicer than the one car that we own as a family, 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:36.480 and I just think it's funny and exactly. I just 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:39.080 want to say, though, I think some people might see 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:40.920 that and they might get bummed out. For me, I 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:43.400 wear that as a badge of honor. I'm like, that's great, because, yeah, 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:46.600 it just reinforces the fact that we are spending very 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:49.600 little money on vehicles. We embraced the ugly we exactly, 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:52.800 and if you embrace it, then it puts a whole 0:01:52.800 --> 0:01:54.640 different spin on things. I think sometimes it's easy to 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:57.000 see people getting things and you're like, oh, but I 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.280 kind of want that, And if you're like, if you 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:03.080 know what you want, it makes seeing other people get things, 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:06.640 it makes it less less jealousy inducing. And so um, yeah, 0:02:06.680 --> 0:02:09.239 congrats to my sixteen year old neighbor in her new car. 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:11.880 And uh, she listened to the show I don't think so, 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:15.239 not that I know of. But yeah, it's one of 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:17.480 those things I don't need to listen to that show 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:20.560 mom and dad taking care of me. Maybe someday, though, 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:22.400 when those mom and Dad dollars run out, you'll need 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:25.919 to test. But all right, well we'll move on and 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:27.919 I get to the sampling of stories we found this week. 0:02:27.960 --> 0:02:30.640 It is our Friday flight. Let's hope Matt can make 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:32.639 it the whole way through without heeling over. Oh I 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:34.799 got this, okay, all right. The first thing, the first 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:36.720 story we want to talk about, it has to do 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:41.320 with employment, and it's about people quitting their jobs obviously, 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.359 with the Great Resignation is what it's been titled over 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:46.799 the past eighteen months, people leaving their jobs, finding new ones, 0:02:46.800 --> 0:02:50.079 getting paid more, which in a lot of respects is great. 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:53.280 But here's the thing. Folks who moved on to a 0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:58.399 new job last year are actively looking for something else again. Again. Yes, 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:00.720 they're like, got that new job, not want the new 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:02.320 new job. Like, hey, I think you're making this a 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:05.560 habit exactly. And I think this shouldn't come as a 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.959 surprise necessarily, because there are still two jobs out there 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:11.799 for every job seeker. So it's a very strong job 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:14.440 market for those who are looking for employment, and depending 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:16.440 on what position you're in, there might be headhunters reaching 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:18.480 out to you saying, hey, we got another job and 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:20.920 you get paid more. And I get how it can 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:23.520 be hard to resist. But for those folks who made 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:26.040 the switch last year, either the grass wasn't as green 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:27.760 as it looked on the other side, maybe they don't 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:30.160 like their job as much as they thought, or they're 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:32.079 looking to boost their income in a big way again. 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:34.680 And I get that impulse, but I think it's important 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:38.480 Matt to mention that increasing your income it's obviously it's 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:40.840 easier than normal given the current state of the job market, 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:43.720 but if you do this too much, it'll start to 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:47.560 have a detrimental impact on your future. Like once, maybe 0:03:47.560 --> 0:03:49.880 twice is fine, but I think if you have too 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:52.880 many jobs with less than a year on your resume, 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:56.080 future potential employers are gonna start to see that. They're 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:58.839 gonna start to look elsewhere. They're gonna be like, oh, wait, 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:01.240 is this person going to bounce again? Um if they 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:03.200 get this new job, so they're not worth the higher 0:04:03.240 --> 0:04:06.160 That's right. It is expensive to bring on and onboard 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:08.600 new employees. Yeah, and so that's something you need to 0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:10.680 think about. You know, job hopping in order to grow 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:12.880 your income can be really smart. But if you try 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:14.600 to do it three or four times, if you try 0:04:14.640 --> 0:04:17.120 to kind of make a big move on the reg 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:19.440 then this is something that ultimately, I think will come 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:21.160 back and bite you. That's right. I wonder how many 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:23.080 folks made that that switched last year and are now 0:04:23.080 --> 0:04:25.320 considering it because they saw how easy it was for 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:28.080 them to do, right with with so many interviews happening online, 0:04:28.080 --> 0:04:30.320 with the ability to work from home, it's not like 0:04:30.360 --> 0:04:32.320 you have to change your commute. I think for a 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.400 lot of folks the ability to switch jobs there are 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:36.640 fewer barriers. But I agree, I think you could overdo 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:38.960 it. It It makes me think about I never really played 0:04:38.960 --> 0:04:41.240 pinball machines, but you know, if you like, would it 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:44.320 like tilts, if you like shaking machine or something like that. Like, 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:45.640 I think you can do it a couple of times, 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:47.520 but if you overdo it, then it like locks down 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:49.839 the paddles and it's like, hey, you're trying to cheat. Yeah, 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:53.080 that is how I view job hopping. Let's talk about 0:04:53.320 --> 0:04:56.080 thrift stores, because it looks like more Americans, they actually 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:59.120 feel comfortable buying things second hand these days, as they 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:02.640 should should. Yeah, a survey from thread up reveals that 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:07.240 nine percent of Americans are willing to go all Maclamore 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:10.200 with it and score their threads from the local thrifts. 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:12.680 Real popular song for a while. Do people still listen 0:05:12.680 --> 0:05:13.920 to that? I don't think so, but it made its 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:18.520 mark within our cultural sphere. But but that is up 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:22.000 from seventy back in twenty nineteen. And I think part 0:05:22.000 --> 0:05:23.960 of the appeal for folks is that they're able to 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:26.320 buy nicer things when they opt for a second hand 0:05:26.360 --> 0:05:28.960 items over a new one. And this is a trend 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:31.680 that I like to see. Uh. I mean, how often 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:34.720 do we talk about kurb alerts here on the show. Um? Frequently, 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:37.760 we do it a lot. But we want all how 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:40.039 the money listeners to get into that mindset of being 0:05:40.160 --> 0:05:43.440 thrilled about finding something usable on the side of the road. 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:45.479 If you think about it, it's sort of like a game. 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:47.800 It's actually way more fun to buy you stuff, I 0:05:47.839 --> 0:05:49.640 think as well as sort of like you said, it's 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:52.760 that mindset shift. And if you can view your sixteen 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:56.000 year old neighbor getting a sweet audio wagon, Uh, not 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:59.320 necessarily as something that induces jealousy, and instead you see 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:04.280 your powder blue Homer Honda Odyssey Van as a badge 0:06:04.279 --> 0:06:07.760 of honor. Then it completely shifts things. Uh. And obviously 0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:10.160 that the top reason that folks were willing to buy 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:12.880 secondhand or buying used or going to thrift shops is 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:15.640 to save money. With the higher prices that we're all experiencing, 0:06:15.680 --> 0:06:18.800 folks are are switching up their purchasing habits. And I'm 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:20.680 really interested to see if this is a habit that 0:06:20.680 --> 0:06:23.760 sticks around, because you think back to the Great Depression 0:06:24.000 --> 0:06:26.200 era and like you had an entire generation of folks 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:29.880 who were impacted very dramatically by this thing and throughout 0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:33.680 their entire lives, where some would say like quite miserly, right, 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:36.680 like like an unwillingness to spend money, saving and scrimping 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:39.760 at every turn possible. I am definitely curious to see 0:06:39.760 --> 0:06:42.839 if this is something that continues, or if, when inflation 0:06:42.839 --> 0:06:46.000 resumes it's normal levels, if we basically go back to 0:06:46.080 --> 0:06:48.279 all of our previous spending habits. It's a good question. 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:51.640 The Great Depression certainly seared something in the minds and 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:55.520 memories of a lot of individuals, and understandably so. It's 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:57.920 so much so that their grandkids even talked about their 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:01.160 grandparents handled money and how they reused it block for 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:03.320 the rest of their lives. It changed the way they 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:07.000 lived for in perpetuity. And I hope for some of 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:10.080 us at least, that that, um what's going on with 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:13.400 higher prices, with inflation, that when things do combat down, 0:07:13.640 --> 0:07:16.200 that we don't necessarily forget all of the lessons that 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:18.160 we've learned during this time. R. Yeah, I hope that 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:20.520 is something that we can take away from these higher prices. Right, 0:07:20.880 --> 0:07:23.600 let's talk about vacations and disconnecting for just a second. 0:07:23.640 --> 0:07:26.240 Match Like, and when I talk about vacations, I'm actually 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:29.400 thinking about a vacation from social media. And uh, it 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:31.679 made me. I thought about this because you're gonna quit Twitter. 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:34.640 I'm not really on Twitter. I I will go on 0:07:34.640 --> 0:07:36.560 there a couple times a week and just see what 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:37.880 some of my friends are up to, But for the 0:07:37.920 --> 0:07:40.720 most part, I'm not really on social media very much. 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:43.960 But um, I guess I read this article by Cal 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:47.920 Newport and he has wrote the book Digital Minimalism. It's 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:50.240 a book we would recommend to everyone out there. Cal 0:07:50.320 --> 0:07:52.320 has written a lot of great books actually, but he 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:55.200 actually just wrote a blog post about how taking a 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:58.200 break from TikTok or Instagram or any of the social 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:02.000 media apps, well, we'll actually make you happier and less anxious. 0:08:02.240 --> 0:08:04.240 And he cited a study that was done by the 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:07.080 University of Bath about how taking just a one week 0:08:07.120 --> 0:08:11.240 break its significantly improves people's well being. And here's how 0:08:11.320 --> 0:08:13.760 cal summed it up. Matt he said that social media 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:17.000 usage hurts your mental health. That's his opinion, and I'm 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:19.560 inclined to agree with him. I think for most of 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:22.120 our listeners, taking a week long break this summer and 0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:25.600 seeing how it makes you feel and seeing maybe whether 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:28.880 it reduces your anxiety and helps you feel more connected 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:31.320 to the people around you is a good idea. I 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:33.640 think this summer is a perfect time to take seven 0:08:33.720 --> 0:08:37.000 days and just kind of experiment and see whether staying 0:08:37.040 --> 0:08:40.160 off social media for longer periods of time actually makes 0:08:40.200 --> 0:08:42.760 you feel more human. Like I said, I'm not a 0:08:42.800 --> 0:08:45.240 heavy user, but it's it does make me want to 0:08:45.240 --> 0:08:47.080 just like give it up all together for a week 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:49.319 and just kind of see the results. So maybe I'll 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:51.320 report back and let people know how it goes. Yeah, 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:52.640 I would agree as well. I think a lot of 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:54.360 us are sort of shaking our heads that like, yes, 0:08:54.400 --> 0:08:56.160 we know that this is a bad thing, but we 0:08:56.240 --> 0:08:58.720 kind of shrug it off and we may not necessarily 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.760 be willing to actually implement it into our lives. Theoretically, 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:03.319 we know it's a good thing, but we're not willing 0:09:03.360 --> 0:09:05.679 to actually put it into practice. Like I got to 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:08.240 think part of it, too, Matt, is that some of 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:11.880 us out there are addicted. Yea, truly addicted. When you 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:15.440 look at what addiction is, many people are addicted to 0:09:15.440 --> 0:09:17.640 their smartphones. They are addicted to some of these social 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:19.760 media apps, and so it's gonna be even harder to 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:22.679 kind of break not just uh, what's a habit, but 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:25.199 potentially even an addiction. Totally, yeah, I completely agree. I 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:27.679 wouldn't say I'm addicted, but I always get caught up 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:29.520 on my Instagram, like at the end of the day 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:31.520 or you know, at different points in the day, I 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:34.000 will continue to refresh until it says end of stories 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:37.200 or whatever says I guess I'm thinking about posts. But 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:39.240 the same is true when it comes to stories, and 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:41.440 there is even like there's a shorter time line when 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:42.880 it comes to stories. As well, because they're up there 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:44.000 at the top the oald of the last for twenty 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:47.600 four hours. I do feel a need to watch all 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:49.679 of them before they expire because I might miss out. 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:51.920 I have literally, by the way, never posted an Instagram 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:54.559 story fun fact about me. But I think what you 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:56.320 said is true, Like, we're not actually going to know 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:59.439 the effects of stepping away from that unless we actually try. 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:03.440 And so, with Instagram being my social media platform of choice, 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:06.680 at some point this summer, I will also commit to 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:09.079 doing a seven day I don't know if you want 0:10:09.080 --> 0:10:10.800 to call it a cleanse, but just like a fast 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:13.560 removing that from my life, because for me, it's just 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:15.840 the amount of time that it can suck out of 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:17.679 my life, right Like you're sitting there, hit and refresh 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:19.880 and then and now they started implementing some of the 0:10:19.920 --> 0:10:24.160 Explore features within the actual timeline, So before you know it, 0:10:24.200 --> 0:10:27.000 I'm watching some guys totally eat it on a skateboard, 0:10:27.440 --> 0:10:32.320 or I'm watching some homebuilders. The algorithm it's like fail 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:36.360 videos or like architectural like engineering like stuff that totally 0:10:36.360 --> 0:10:39.120 fascinates me and and sucts me in. Yeah, well that's 0:10:39.120 --> 0:10:41.560 the thing. The algorithm knows us better than we know ourselves, 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:43.480 and it sucks us in and so it's probably a 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:45.080 good idea to create some sort of hard and fast 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:47.079 rule and to create some sort of a detox from 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:49.200 time to time so that you can maybe take a 0:10:49.200 --> 0:10:52.240 better measurement of how it's impacting you and whether or 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:54.440 not you can survive without it totally. Yeah. So you know, 0:10:54.480 --> 0:10:56.600 this reminds me too that most Americans don't take all 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:59.520 of their vacation time, and so we're recommending for you 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:01.480 to take some time off social media, but take some 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:04.000 actual time off from work as well, because you don't 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:06.000 have to go somewhere expensive, you don't have to go 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:08.720 somewhere fancy, you don't even necessarily even need to leave town. 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:10.760 But just make sure that you're taking some steps to 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:13.679 remove yourself from your work where you're stepping away from 0:11:13.720 --> 0:11:15.800 the screen at least for a little bit. We do 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:18.880 believe that breaks will make us all better. Yeah, I 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:20.840 agree to take a break from social media, but also 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:23.440 take a break from work. And all right, let's talk 0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:27.440 about lawns for a second. Lawn care, because you know, 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:30.080 we don't have to remind anyone that there's a severe 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:33.559 drought occurring in large parts of the country. California is 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:35.840 in the middle of its third year of severe drought, 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:38.280 which has led to a bunch of water restrictions. The 0:11:38.320 --> 0:11:41.000 same is true in Texas, you know, where some reservoirs 0:11:41.000 --> 0:11:44.240 are apparently down to less than of capacity, which has 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:46.839 led you know, a lot of utilities to implement mandatory 0:11:46.880 --> 0:11:49.560 water use restrictions. Now, we went through this in Georgia. 0:11:49.640 --> 0:11:51.760 I don't know, it felt like a decade ago, and 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:54.000 you know, I forgot about that. That's right. We we well, 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:56.920 the governor was urging us to take shorter showers, and 0:11:56.920 --> 0:11:59.000 and so I still it's still one of the best 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:01.720 lines ever said to a shorter shower. Um. But while 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:03.760 this is a bummer, if you like having a lush, 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:06.720 green garden or lawn, you know, we're attempting to put 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:09.520 a positive spin on this because at least you're saving money. 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:10.920 You're not. It's a little water your lawn. It's all 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:13.920 about the mindset, that's right, And so the cost of utilities, 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:16.080 it's a large expense when it comes to owning a home. 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:18.480 So we're Matt and I were really open to any 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:21.400 tactic that gives you the option to cut your water Bill. 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:23.400 But here's the thing. If you don't want your lawn 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:26.880 to go brown, as everything is just dying off, maybe 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:30.360 consider going with fake grass or synthetic turf. You know, 0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:33.120 more cities and counties are allowing it across the country, 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:35.240 and we're seeing a lot more of it around our 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:37.559 neighborhood as well. Matt, my friends Steve. Our friend Steve, 0:12:37.600 --> 0:12:39.760 he just redid his house and he put turf fin 0:12:39.800 --> 0:12:42.040 instead of grass and it looks great. And the great 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:43.800 thing on top of that is no more watering, no 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.319 more mowing, no more other expensive upkeep. You don't have 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:48.160 think it out there and weed the lawn like that 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:49.840 might have used to do. So I don't know, I 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:52.640 think maybe maybe Steve's onto something. Maybe he's a starting 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:55.680 a new trend. Yeah, so there aren't all positives, of course, 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:57.840 you know, when it comes to artificial turf, because the 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:00.839 biggest downside is that the fakes off. It's a lot 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:05.120 more expensive than sod. Specifically, it's around ten times more pricey. 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:08.120 But of course that one time expense is going to 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:11.560 save you money over the years on maintenance. Uh, those 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:14.240 costs seriously add up. And we actually came across a 0:13:14.280 --> 0:13:17.120 really in depth breakdown of the two types of lawns 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:19.120 that will link to and it turns out that you 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:21.920 will be able to recoup your upfront costs after about 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.079 six years. And so this is something to consider if 0:13:25.240 --> 0:13:27.960 you like having that picture perfect lawn. Uh. It kind 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:29.840 of makes me think of like solar panels. There's an 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.520 upfront cost, but the benefit that you're going to be 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:34.040 able to read from that it pays off in the 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:36.840 long run, often times what like ten to fifteen years, 0:13:37.120 --> 0:13:39.320 and so it's even less when it comes to artificial turf. 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:41.439 But if you don't care as much about how your 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:44.520 yard looks, then you can consider letting your yard go 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:48.960 to seed. Quite literally, more Americans are considering prairie style 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:52.760 yards and are completely rethinking their laws altogether. Not only 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.679 you did that right, we did, yeah, and we did 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:59.280 it somewhat to save money, but it also allows for 0:13:59.440 --> 0:14:04.240 native plant and weeds to actually flower and bloom, which 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:06.560 is helpful for pollinators who are looking for food after 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:09.760 that you know, long and cold winter, and so from 0:14:09.760 --> 0:14:12.480 a pollinator standpoint, evidently this is the most important thing 0:14:12.520 --> 0:14:14.720 to consider in the month of May. There's there are 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:17.400 some communities around the country who started this thing called 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:20.680 no mo May, and we are actually just out of May. 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:22.400 But the fact is that is something you can still 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:26.480 continue to implement in allowing native natural grasses and other 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:29.200 things to actually blossom. But of course don't forget that 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:31.520 letting your your lawn, letting your yard go a little 0:14:31.600 --> 0:14:33.640 more natural, is going to save you money when it 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:36.760 comes to the water that it requires as well. And 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:39.040 plus I think it actually looks pretty good. Uh you 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:40.440 know there there are there are ways to make it 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:43.479 look cool as opposed to just a bunch of dandelions 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.920 like sprowning up. Well, I think to water costs have 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:49.720 gone up around the country, especially in some of the 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:53.200 biggest cities because of droughts and water shortages, and so 0:14:53.560 --> 0:14:55.080 take it like your water bill. And if part of 0:14:55.120 --> 0:14:57.800 the reason your water bill is kind of expensive is 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:00.960 because you're watering your lawn, cut it out and maybe 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:03.040 you won't only save money, but you'll your lan will 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:05.920 be more habitable for the helpful creatures out there that 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:08.400 need it exactly. Well, We've got several other stories that 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:12.520 we're gonna get to, including when higher education, when those 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:15.200 advanced degrees don't actually pay off. We'll get to that 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:26.760 story plus a few others right after this break. We 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:28.800 are back from the break, and let's get to that 0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:31.920 ludicrous headline of the week, which is, Matt, what you 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:35.360 just tease to talking about higher education and whether or 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:39.160 not it is beneficial? And so this this article comes 0:15:39.200 --> 0:15:42.560 from Business Insider, and it's titled Millennials and gen's ears 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:46.360 are getting swindled by the biggest scam in higher education? Wow, 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.480 what are we gonna uncover here? This is a good story. Yeah, well, 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:52.440 this one is specifically about master's degrees. That's what they're 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:55.920 writing about, which begs the question, our master's degrees a 0:15:55.960 --> 0:15:58.640 complete waste of time and money? Well, so much of 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:01.640 that depends on what kind of master's degree you're getting, 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:04.520 where you're going, and what's your marketability is after the fact. 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:07.400 And so stats do show that folks who get a 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:10.000 master's degree are burdened by a whole lot more debt 0:16:10.120 --> 0:16:12.720 than the average person who just comes out of school 0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:15.120 with a bachelor's degree. It's something like thirty two dollars 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:18.520 on average versus sixty dollars on average, more than double 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.120 that's right for someone who has both a bachelor and 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:23.600 a master's degree. But here's the thing. Folks with a 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.960 master's degree, they also earned about eighteen percent more than 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:30.360 someone who only has a bachelor's degree, and that isn't 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:34.240 necessarily true across the board though some of master's degree 0:16:34.240 --> 0:16:37.040 holders they don't see any meaningful increase in salary with 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:39.520 that new advanced degree in hand. That would be a 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:42.200 tough pill to swallow, Matt if you're debt just doubled 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:44.720 and it's like your paychecks stays the same. You put 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:47.080 in all that effort years of schooling in order to 0:16:47.120 --> 0:16:50.240 hopefully advance in your career um and be able to generate, 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:52.880 you know, a greater income, and if that doesn't actually 0:16:52.920 --> 0:16:54.760 come to fruition, that's got to be a bummer, that's right. Yeah, 0:16:54.760 --> 0:16:58.760 Master's degrees they can help you to meaningfully advantage, you know, 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.280 within your career or allow you to pivot towards something 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:04.040 completely completely different that you might enjoy more. But it's 0:17:04.040 --> 0:17:07.120 crucial to pursue higher education with your eyes wide open, 0:17:07.720 --> 0:17:12.080 because that advanced degree doesn't guarantee a higher salary, although 0:17:12.119 --> 0:17:15.240 it almost always is going to mean more debt. Advanced 0:17:15.280 --> 0:17:19.439 degrees in the arts, humanities, and theology evidently almost always 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:22.400 have a negative return on your investment, and so keep 0:17:22.440 --> 0:17:24.359 that in mind. Don't. Like it's one thing if you're 0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:27.919 talking about lawyers and doctors and like even dennists like 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:30.960 you're going to see a massive increase within your earning 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:33.560 potential over the over the course of a number of years. 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:35.800 But when it comes to some of these other degrees, 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:38.359 you might want to think twice. And that's this doesn't 0:17:38.359 --> 0:17:41.760 necessarily mean that it's not worth it. People pursue education 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:44.320 for more than just the ability to make more money. 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:46.840 Although here at how the money we are often going 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:50.159 to focus on the side of it. But if you 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:53.119 assume that more education is always going to equal more money, 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:55.320 that's just not true. That it is not an assumption 0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:57.440 that you want to make. Uh. And so as always 0:17:57.560 --> 0:17:59.639 we want to recommend for folks to tread lightly with 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:02.800 student loan debt, especially if it's for a degree that 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:06.000 puts you in a bigger financial hole without any real 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:09.440 promise of those future returns. Yeah. Man, that's something that 0:18:09.440 --> 0:18:11.520 that Emily and I had to discuss because she is 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:14.480 getting a master's degree right now, becoming in order to 0:18:14.480 --> 0:18:17.600 become a licensed therapist. Unfortunately, there's going to be like 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:21.600 a pretty decent payoff between between what she was making before, 0:18:21.680 --> 0:18:23.119 although you know there were a few years where she 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:24.760 wasn't working at all and what she's going to be 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:27.280 able to make as a therapist. But it also provides 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:30.080 that important level of fulfillment to to get to actually 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:32.679 do what you want to do with your life. In 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:35.000 her case, it's a very practical degree, right, It's not 0:18:35.040 --> 0:18:37.320 like she's getting a higher degree in like, like we said, 0:18:37.320 --> 0:18:39.080