Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too? With a little bit of creative frugality, I think it is possible to live below your means and buy the things that bring you joy.

What do I mean by creative frugality? It is a two-part process. Number 1, identify the things you value and stop spending money on the things you don’t. That is what today’s guest calls value-based spending. Number 2, get creative with the rest of your spending.

Let me give you an example. I have a friend that loves to try new restaurants but she hates spending money on dining out. So what did she do? She started an Instagram page where she reviews new restaurants that opened up in Austin. She reaches out to restaurants she wants to try and many of them invite her in and comp her meal. Sure it takes a little hustle but you know what that friend told me? She loves creating this content for her Instagram and she is enjoying getting to know the people who make up the restaurant scene in Austin.

I’m not advocating you do this for every one of your spending categories. I’m just saying, think outside the box and experiment a little.

This is exactly what Jill Sirianni did. While she was working to pay off $60,000 of debt on a social worker's salary, Jill knew she had to get creative. Housing cost is nearly unavoidable for everyone but Jill stepped back and asked “How could I spend less on housing but still have a home I love?”

She found an opportunity to house-sit in a friend’s log cabin while they did some extended traveling. After that, Jill did two different stints living in an RV. She saved a ton of money, and similar to my friend, she actually enjoyed it.

Now that her debt is paid off and Jill is financially well off, she bought a home in St. Petersburg FL but Jill told me she still cherishes the years she lived in the RV with her husband and it really made an impact on how she lives today.

Nowadays, Jill is doing some cool stuff co-hosting the Frugal Friends Podcast and authoring the soon-to-be-released book, Buy What You Love Without Going Broke.

It was a blast talking to Jill. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the licensed clinical social, gardener, and lover of the simple things…Jill Sirianni.

Key Takeaways:

• How to identify what you want
• Values-based spending
• Frugality vs scarcity mindset
• Limitations lead to creative problem-solving
• How to give during the holidays without breaking the bank
• Affordable housing alternatives
• The benefits of frugality outside of saving money

More of Jill:

Frugal Friends Podcast: https://www.frugalfriendspodcast.com/episodes/

Buy What You Love Without Going Broke: https://www.frugalfriendspodcast.com/pre-order-buy-what-you-love-without-going-broke/

More of The Struggle is Real:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinleepeters/

Okay, this episode was so much fun to create. This is outside my normal format but equally as informative and probably more entertaining.

In October, I attended FinCon, a conference for personal finance content creators. I know it is super nerdy of me but here you are listening to a personal finance podcast so you have no room to judge me.

This was my fourth time attending and my favorite part is all the friends I’ve made over the years. So like when any group of friends get together, we had to play a game. The only difference is since we are a bunch of podcasters, it also had to be recorded.

So in today’s episode, you are going to hear me and 3 friends play my version of Money Jeopardy. My three friends are Joel Larsgaard from How to Money, Jackie Cummings Koski from Catching Up to FI, and Justin Brown Woods from Price of Avocado Toast. These contestants will be choosing questions from 4 categories:

• Binge or Cringe - are you in or out on this personal finance topic
• History of Money - a tough money-related trivia question
• Frugal or Cheap - are you being a good steward of your money or just a cheapo
• Fill in the blank - complete this statement

You will chuckle and laugh throughout this whole conversation but you’ll also pick up tips and tricks along the way. Joel, Jackie, and Justin really crushed it. I’ve been thinking about adding some segments to the show that incorporate questions like this episode, send me an email at justin@simplepodstudios.com.

So kick back and get ready to have some fun. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Team J and fellow money nerds…Joel Larsgaard, Jackie Cummings Koski, and Justin Brown Woods.

More of Guests:

How to Money (Joel Larsgaard): https://www.howtomoney.com/

Catching Up to FI (Jackie Cummings Koski): https://catchinguptofi.com/financial-independence-podcast/

Price of Avocado Toast: https://www.priceofavocadotoast.com/podcast

More of The Struggle is Real:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinleepeters/

There are so many rules in the personal finance space. Some are helpful, others not so much.

Let's set aside the bad ones for a minute (for example, stop buying avocado toast) and discuss the helpful ones. What comes to mind? I went through this practice and wrote down a bunch in preparation for an episode with Jesse Cramer on The Best Interest.

I realized many would only be helpful for a certain group of people or at a particular time in someone's personal finance journey. One that comes to mind is to "avoid credit cards." This would be a great rule for those struggling with credit card debt. Probably not so great for everyone else.

But through this process, I did land on 5 golden rules that I think would be helpful for everyone regardless of their situation...and Jesse did the same. Of course, as two podcasters would do, we took to the mics and debated our list.

This conversation first aired on Jesse’s podcast, The Best Interest. Jesse is a good friend and has been on the show many of times. If you haven’t done so yet, go check out his podcast. He does a great job breaking down complex, financial topics and simplifying them through analogies and stories. You’ll get a taste of his style in this episode.

Key Takeaways:

• Why do you need to track your money?
• How gift cards trick you into spending more
• The best investment is in yourself
• Simple is better than complex (almost always)
• Why and how you should prepare for risk.
• Why you MUST automate your finances, as much as possible
• Think long-term, but don’t forget the present

Mentions:

The original episode on The Best Interest: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-informative-debate-the-most-important-rules/id1553180943?i=1000651974649

More of Jesse:

Blog: www.bestinterest.blog

More of The Struggle is Real:

Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/

Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/