Why'd You Buy That?: Recent Episodes
Drew Adams
Drew and Dan co-founders of Weekly, a budgeting app, talk about fun topics in personal finance while also delving into the art and science of budgeting.
You can find Weekly at
Weekly budgeting.
Today Dan, Drew, and Jessica are joined by Ilona from the podcast, Money Memories. In the first half of the episode, Dan, Drew, and Jessica talk about their Thanksgiving celebrations for 2020 and how thankfulness affects finances. In the second half of the episode, Dan and Drew talk with Ilona from The Bear and the Bull blog and the Money Memories podcast. They talk about everything from travel memories and Ilona’s earliest money memory to capitalism, marginalism, and racism in financial institutions.
Ilona has worked in finance on Wall Street and Silicon Valley. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Born in Havana, Cuba, she immigrated with her parents to the United States at the age of 5, and grew up in Louisville, KY. She is fluent in Spanish, Russian, and German, and as an avid world traveler – her current tally for countries visited stands at over 60.
If you would like to give us your input, have any comments, or questions, email us at support@weeklybudgeting.com.
Talking Points:
- Thanksgiving
- Turkey versus Chicken
- Dan’s special Jell-O and Drew’s spinach madeline
- COVID Thanksgiving plans
- The effect of gratitude on people’s spending behaviors
- Having a sense of gratitude for your life
- Things to be thankful for in 2020
- Back to the basics
- We survived this very long year
- Being an introvert during the pandemic
- Different household dynamics
- Ilona and Money Memories
- The history behind The Bear and The Bull & Money Memories
- Travel and money
- Most memorable guest stories
- Ilona’s earliest money memory
- Educating and helping first generation in personal finance
- Capitalism and marginalism
- Systemic racism in lending practices
- Ilona’s favorites:
- Advice for personal finance
- Articles and series she has written for Forbes
- Money Memories, NPR, and Ilona’s white whale
- Ilona plays “Why’d You Buy It”
Resources/Links:
Website: The Bear and the Bull
Podcast: Money Memories
Instagram: @bear.andbull
Instagram: @money_memories
Twitter: @bearandbull1
Money Memories Episode: “Demystifying the Unicorn” with BuBu
The Steele Maiden Blog
Weekly Budgeting App
On today’s episode Dan, Drew, and Jessica are joined by Yohance Harrison from Money Script Wealth. Yohance began his financial services career over twenty years ago and now finds himself living his passion as the founder and CEO of Money Script Wealth Management, PLLC. Today he’s here to talk to us about behavioral financial planning as well as his goal of increasing financial awareness, intelligence, and literacy in the black, brown, and indigeonous communities. He also plays Why’d You Buy that, and gives us one of the healthiest responses we’ve heard yet.
We also go over what Singles Day is and compare the differences in online shopping services as well as digital flash sales. Are these examples of how digital marketing and sales will go in the future? What are the odds that we’ll see a house for sale on Amazon soon?
If you would like to give us your input, have any comments, or questions, email us at support@weeklybudgeting.com.
Talking Points:
- “Shopping” Holidays
- The history of Singles Day (November 11th)
- Alibaba (the Chinese equivalent of Amazon)
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Streamed live events
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Singles Day versus Cyber Monday, Black Friday, Prime Day, and... Pi Day
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Yohance Harrison from Money Script Wealth
- What is behavioral financial planning?
- Yohance’s background and journey to being an independent
- Strategies for how to change your financial habits
- Steps and plans he makes with his clients
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Working with couples with different values
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Our views and first impressions of money
- What is a “money script?”
- Increasing financial awareness, intelligence, and literacy in minorities
- The role of money in the Black Lives Matter movement
- The Money Script podcast
- Why’d You Buy That:
Resources/Links:
Money Script Wealth
Instagram: @themoneyscript
Twitter: @themoneyscript
On this episode Dan, Drew, and Jess are joined by Lexi Cross, the cofounder of ShoesOf, a website dedicated to footwear, fashion, and the stories behind the shoes of New York. In the first section of today’s podcast, Dan, Drew, and Jess discuss "doom-scrolling" and social media as it affects the youth of America as well as our spending habits. In the second portion of the episode, they're joined by Lexi Cross to talk about how she founded Shoes Of, her favorite street style moments and the issue of sustainability in the fashion industry. Then Dan, Drew, and Jessica close out the episode with a round of Why’d You Buy That. This week’s purchases include a breakfast essential as well as two forms of fall fun.
If you would like to give us your input, have any comments, or questions, email us at support@weeklybudgeting.com.
Talking Points:
- Doom-scrolling and social media
- Dan, Jess, and Drew’s thoughts on The Social Dilemma
- Purchasing phones for middle school age kids
- The purpose of apps and what they want of you
- The responsibility that come with smartphones, social media, and plastic
- Advertising and being targeted by ads
- Cancel Culture
Lexi Cross of ShoesOf
- Stories and anecdotes since Lexi started ShoesOf
- Plastic, sustainability and fast fashion
- The Desert Island Question
Why’d You Buy That?
- Dan’s serial cereal habits
- Jess' fall foliage foray
- Drew’s price-gouged gourds
Resources/Links:
The Steele Maiden Blog
Shoesof.com
Weekly Budgeting App
In this episode Dan and Drew are joined by friend of the podcast Jessica Steele, and financial therapist and coach, Lindsay Bryan-Podvin from the Mind Money Balance. In the first half of the episode, Dan, Drew, and Jessica talk about the upcoming Halloween season, the spooky trends they've been seeing and altered plans due to COVID.
In the second half of the episode, Dan and Drew talk with Lindsay about what it means to be on a budget and the psychology behind personal finance. What has the lack of financial literacy done to our mindset? What are our emotions which we correlate to our finances? How can we change all of that?
If you would like to give us your input, have any comments, or questions, email us at support@weeklybudgeting.com.
Talking Points:
- Halloween Season
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- DIY costumes and personal Halloween practices
- Kicking off the holiday season
- How much does the average consumer spends on Halloween
- Halloween purchases
- Top Pet Costumes
- How Coronavirus has changed Halloween plans
- Lindsay Bryan-Podvin from Mind Money Balance
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- What is financial therapy?
- What does “Monday is emotional and psychology” mean?
- What is “money mindset”?
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- Abundance versus scarcity mindsets
- History, data, and your emotional viewpoint on money
- Typical money neurosis and problems with money
- What role does shame play in our financial lives?
- Tips for the emotions that come up when you have to make big financial decisions
- Financial literacy
- The psychological reasons why people fail to stick to a budget
- The Financial Anxiety Solution which highlights that there are different ways to follow a budget
- Why’d You Buy That: hygge at its finest
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- Hygge - the feeling of coziness on a dark, cold day
Resources/Links:
The Steele Maiden Blog
WeCroak
Mind Money Balance Website
Mind Money Balance Instagram
Mind Money Balance Podcast
Mind Money Balance YouTube
Mind Money Balance Email: info@mindmoneybalance.com
The Financial Anxiety Solution: A Step-by-Step Workbook to Stop Worrying about Money, Take Control of Your Finances, and Live a Happier Life, by Lindsay Bryan-Podvin
Weekly Budgeting App
In this episode Dan and Drew are joined by friend of the podcast Jessica Steele, and lifestyle blogger Alyssa Ponticello.
In the first half of the program Dan, Drew, and Jess talk about the subscription economy. It seems like you can buy a subscription (or a subscription box) for absolutely anything these days. They also play a fun “Guess this streaming service” quiz. For the second half of the show, Dan and Drew are joined by Alyssa Ponticello from the blog, Runway Chef. Her expertise focuses on life’s luxuries on a budget. From luxuries to bargains, Alyssa talks about bargain hunting. Dan, Drew, and Jessica end the episode by talking about the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and her contributions to financial equity.
If you would like to give us your input, have any comments, or questions, email us at support@weeklybudgeting.com.
Talking Points:
- Blockbuster vs Netflix, and subscription services
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- Software subscription services
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- Adobe subscription
- Subscription boxes and “ship-to-your-home” models
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- Food-based subscription services: Blue Apron
- Fashion subscription service: Nuuly, Trunk Club
- Entertainment subscription services
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- Movie, music, and other digital streaming services
- Book subscription services
- Family and household subscription services
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- Amazon Subscribe and Save,
- Dollar Shave Club,
- Farmer’s market boxes
- Printer Ink subscriptions
- Decision fatigue
- Budgeting apps are now helping people manage subscriptions
- Movie subscription quiz
- Alyssa’s financial philosophies and what fuels her blog
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- When to spend money on big purchases and when to go for the sale prices
- Her favorite luxury purchases
- Alyssa’s hierarchy of bags and prices
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- Counterfeit versus authentic bags
- Cooking experiences and cooking on a budget
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- Developing recipes
- Challenges for creatives
- Food subscriptions
- The art of being a social media influencer and blogger
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- When you know you’re onto something
- The oversaturation of social media influencers
- Best bargain resources
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- Facebook Marketplace
- The passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
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- Looking back on some of RBG’s greatest achievements for financial equity in America
Resources/Links:
The Steele Maiden Blog
The Runway Chef Blog
Twitter: @runwaychef
Instagram:
Drew and Dan talk with, friend of the podcast, Jessica Steele. In this episode, their conversation is spurned by the article, “7 Must-Have Money Conversations You Need to Have Before Getting Hitched,” which was published on the website WalletJoy. Drew and Dan also talk with Sandra Merrill and Chris Zimmermann of Swell Advisors. They discuss their trip around the world (on a budget) and the lessons they learned while on that journey. Then Drew, Dan, and Jessica round out the episode for a rousing round of “Why’d You Buy That.”
If you would like to give us your input, have any comments, or questions, email us at support@weeklybudgeting.com.
Talking Points:
- 7 Must-Have Money Conversations You Need to Have Before Getting Hitched
- Money mindsets and beliefs
- Start-up versus merger
- Financial backgrounds
- Life and financial goals
- Debts and credit history
- Spending and saving habits
- Managing money together
- Split savings/assets during divorce
- Bad ex-boyfriends stealing money
- Keeping your identity and a discretionary account
- Financial obligations
- Money mindsets and beliefs
- Sandra and Chris on their eye-opening journey
- Open communication
- Aligning financial values
- Money mindsets and life priorities
- The idea of a breadwinner versus a partnership
- Business versus personal financial mindsets
- Budgeting for a long voyage or trip
- Different ways of life and the American dream
- Sustainability
- The story behind the name Swell Advisors
- Why’d You Buy That?
- Jessica
- “When are we going to stop this? Cause we could go back to doing it ourselves.”
- Drew
- “There is seemingly no end to what they’ll advertise to the kids.”
- Dan
- “I bought a pack of wedding rings on Amazon.”
- Jessica
Resources/Links:
Wallet Joy, “7 Must-Have Money Conversations You Need to Have Before Getting Hitched” by Elyssa Kirkham
The Steele Maiden Blog
Swell Advisors
Swell Advisors, Facebook
Swell Advisors, Instagram
Weekly Budgeting App
Introduction:
Dan and Drew are back behind them mic and today they’re talking about Dan’s recent anniversary trip to Las Vegas, the coronavirus, and what it would take for him to buy a new car. Meanwhile, Drew talks about how the gambling gods got theirs after all, his adventures with home improvement, and how “easy” hanging doors can be.
Talking Points:
- Dan’s anniversary trip to Las Vegas
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- Money and Vegas
- At what point would you buy a new car?
- Coronavirus
- Gambling
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- Dan’s experience with slots
- Drew’s poker story
- Drew’s “Why’d You Buy That” for the week: Doors, et al
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- Home improvement costs
- Literati: a subscriptions service for kids books
Resources/Links:
Literati Books
Weekly Budgeting App
Quotes from this episode:
“And I decide not to bet at all unless I have a sure thing because the antes (at least the first ones) are not so big as to where they’ll knock you out.” – Drew, on poker
“I feel very rich driving an old car. I feel like I have no car payments. If something breaks it’s not a problem. We can get it fixed. If the whole car dies and I need to get a new car, it’s not the end of the world.” – Dan
“So that’s a business idea for somebody. Make doors with pre-hinge templates; they’ll fly off the shelves!” – Drew
“We’re trying to simplify budgeting so you can budget a little less and spend a little more time living life.” – Dan
Today we’re talking about giving away water (then buying it back), the coin shortage, the price of dollhouses, and anniversaries. We’ll also be talking with Jessica Steele from The Steele Maiden and her philosophies about budgeting.
Jessica Steele grew up in small town Pennsylvania before pursuing a degree in Fashion Design and moving to New York City in 2009. With a full-time career in the fashion industry, Jessica founded The Steele Maiden in 2012 while on a brief New York-hiatus (let’s call Los Angeles a fling). Along with her partner Adam, behind the camera and the scenes, she created the website to be a place which inspires readers to create fashionable adventures throughout their own cities and beyond.
Talking Points:
- Why’d You Buy That?
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- Dan’s anniversary gift
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- Budgeting for a wedding
- Toiletry Kits and gift giving
- Anniversary trips
- Emergency… water and toilet paper?
- The national coin shortage
- Selling used toys
- Jessica Steele’s budgeting tips and blog
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- Jessica’s background in fashion
- How she got started with her budget
- The shift in money-mindset
- How she budgets
- Credit card debts
- Savings Goals
- Blogging in the chaos of 2020
- Shame versus empowerment with money management
- Personal finance education
Resources/Links:
Weekly Budgeting App
The Steele Maiden blog
Instagram: @thesteelemaiden
Today we’re starting off by talking about our 4th of July festivities and what it was like lighting off fireworks at home. Then we’re going to dive back into the topic of the coronavirus and it’s continued effect (or non-effect) on our lives.
In addition, we have a question to ask our customers: Would you like an automated assistant to ask you questions and check-in with your goals on a daily basis? And would you be willing to pay for that as an add-on? If you would like to give us your input, have any comments, or questions, email us at support@weeklybudgeting.com.
Talking Points:
- 4th of July and fireworks at home
- Fireworks have gotten a lot bigger
- The Sparklers Dilemma
- The Fireworks Mob Mentality
- Coronavirus and the continued effect on our lives
- Keeping up with fitness and wellness while we’re stuck at home
- Public pools
- Summer camps
- The mystery of who is can contract coronavirus
- Theme parks and roller coasters
- The ups-and-downs of roller coaster bravery
- A theme park during a pandemic?!
- Our thoughts on coronavirus
- Why’d You Buy That?
- Noom
Dan tells what it was like to drive across the country in a pandemic. Drew shares how coronavirus has effected his dining out expenses Dan and Drew talk about Mother's Day spending and Dan tells the totally unique gift he got his wife for Mother's Day.
OUR PODCAST HAS CHANGED NAMES TO "WHY'D YOU BUY THAT?" *
We hope this change emphasizes how we want this to be a fun discussion about the motivations behind our purchases helping all of us to buy things with less guilt and more joy. The :shrug: icon hopefully reflects the confusion we all sometimes feel in sorting out our feelings about our purchases. We hope you like the name change and would love to hear any feedback you might have
Dan and Drew start off by asking "How far would you go to save $50?". Then they talk about perceptions of money as a child and how that changed when they became adults.
Dan talks about receiving the IRS stimulus and what that was like. Finally, Dan and Drew talk about whether it is worth it to pay a realtor to sell you home, even in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
In this episode, we talk about the effect social distancing has had in our families, Drew talks about the odd experience of getting takeout from Five Guys during Coronavirus (spoiler: a gun is in the story) and Dan explores pitfalls of doing shared purchases with neighbors in a segment called "How I ended up spreading pine needles in my neighbor's yard."
Why are you more likely to attend a football game in the dead of winter in a blizzard if you paid for a ticket instead of gotten it for free? It's hard to let go of things we have invested in, even if continuing with them is not in our best interest. This is the phenomenon of sunk costs.
In this week's podcast, Dan and Drew explore the psychology of sunk costs then talk about the virtues of thinking about some purchases as "experiments" so that we can more easily let go of them if they don't work out.
Then, Drew has a conversation with Chris Chapman, the founder of the Next Level Minds podcast about money lessons he learned through the years.
Thank you to:
Chris Chapman: Next Level Minds Podcast
Reference: Psychology of Sunk Costs
Arkes, Hal & Blumer, Catherine. (1985). The psychology of sunk cost. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 35. 124-140. 10.1016/0749-5978(85)90049-4.
Dan and Drew discuss the tricks used by retailers to get us to spend more. Also we ponder a great mystery of the universe, how long is too long to take something back to COSTCO? Dan provides a, um, case study. You gotta hear it.
But before we get into that piece, Dan and Drew discuss when its best to challenge your frugality mindset and spend more in areas that are providing real value in your life.
Like and subscribe!
Source articles -
MSN - https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/savemoney/20-ways-companies-trick-you-into-spending-more-money/ss-BBZmOK9
Tim Ferris - https://tim.blog/2019/12/30/where-are-you-still-using-single-ply
Ep 10 - Selling Your Old Stuff Online (Is It Worth It?), 'Why'd You Buy That' and Two Highly Requested New Features
It's 2020, and inspired by an article on CNBC, Drew and Dan discuss what things to give up in the new year to be successful. Also, Drew and Dan so a round of "Why'd You Buy That" and find out which stock if you had bought $100 of it in the year 2000 would today be worth $62,544!
Sources:
How Much
https://howmuch.net/articles/best-performing-stocks
CNBC Article
https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/30/13-things-you-should-give-up-if-you-want-to-be-successful.html
In episode 8 of the Budgeting Redefined podcast, we debate the art and science of savings for kids Christmas gifts. Then we have a fascinating interview with Nick Sky, the co-founder of Changed. Changed is an app that helps you accelerate paying off student loan debt by rounding up your bank transactions and applying the difference to the loans.
Give it a listen!
Also, you can download Changed App here -> https://gochanged.com
Photo by Dan LeFebvre on Unsplash
In this episode we discover Dan isn't too familiar with the cost of a turkey. Also, Instacart put out a survey that asked what Thanksgiving foods are people eating just because its Thanksgiving and don't really enjoy them all that much - we discuss. Finally, we share 3 cost savings ideas for hosting T-giving.
Instacart survey - https://news.instacart.com/turkey-day-expos%C3%A9-how-americans-really-feel-about-the-big-dinner-c7dbdf1146f7
Dan's Grandma Nye on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogSerovpULs&t=42s
Weekly Budgeting - Download our budget app.
Weekly is app that helps you stick to budget my making it easy to understand what you have to spend.
Drew gives Dan a quiz on how much money can be saved by eliminating phantom power and then Dan lets us all know his true feeling about printers. Bob Haegele from the Frugal Fellow drops into give a breakdown on the best and worst side hustles to make money in your spare time. Then Dan and Drew talk about all the exciting things happening with Weekly including launching out of BETA and winning a $10K micro grant from NC Idea.
Weekly Co-founder's Drew Adams Dan Seethaler are joined by Tori Levo and they talk about tips on managing back-to-school spending. Dan and Drew pull out their spending trackers and explain the reasoning about one transaction in a segment they called "Why'd you buy that?" Finally, Dan and Drew cover recent app updates: App Notifications and viewing Bank Transactions!
http://weeklybudgeting.com
For more information on Tori Levo blogging visit- https://www.facebook.com/etoria.hill/videos/10156286766764032/
In Episode 4, we talk about vacation spending. When has spending money on vacation brought more joy and when has spending money on vacation actually made the experience worse!
We talk about the interpersonal dynamics of budgeting with a spouse or partner.
We also give an app updates, some information on feature requests and some user reviews.
Find out why "In the Air Tonight" reminds Dan of summer vacation.
Thanks for listening!
Drew relays a story of trying to get the spigot on his house fixed. Dan and Drew talk about the price of kids' bikes.
Dan discusses the upgrades to the app. Dan and Drew celebrate the 100th user!
Download the app at http://weeklybudgeting.com
Join New Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/386489425308570/
Dan and Drew discuss lessons they learned about money from their fathers, what happens when you have a $2 Million dollar car that gets dinged up and have a visit with Bob Haegele the creator of the blog, the Frugal Fellow - https://www.thefrugalfellow.com/.
Finally, Dan and Drew give an update on the app and how the development is going and the development initiatives and user stats.
This episode introduces Drew and Dan, the co-founders of Weekly. Dan and Drew discuss what is broken about budgeting currently and why budgeting on a weekly basis might be the best way to create behavior change.