Financial Conversation Podcast

Today we are talking about the pros and cons of working for a traditional employer vs. running your own business. We've found that sometimes the grass isn’t always greener when you're self-employed. Quitting your job to run your own business may sound like a dream, but there are some downsides and factors to consider before you make the leap to self employment. In this episode we discuss: 1:50 – Benefits Packages 6:20 – Paid Time Off 12:20 – Setting Boundaries 17:00 – Flexible Work Hours 24:45 – Chonce's Work Experiences 34:15 – Insurance, Taxes, and Other Expenses 41:45 – Benefits of Running Your Own Business Enjoy!

In this episode, we are lamenting the fact that summer is almost over and it's time for  back to school shopping already. Yes, it’s almost that time of year once again and it can be a real nightmare for parents who have to budget and pay for clothes and school supplies for their kids. If you are dreading back to school shopping, check out the money saving tips we share in this episode with our special guest, Lauren Greutman. Lauren is a budget savvy mom of 4 kids, so we knew she’d be the perfect guest to join our conversation about saving on back to school shopping. In this episode we discuss: 1:50 – Lauren's strategy for back to school shopping 8:10 – How to use apps and price matching to save, plus how to "stack savings" 13:15 – How to tell kids no when back to school shopping 20:30 – Shopping in store vs. online 22:30 – Lauren's top 3 choices for money saving apps 30:00 – Clothing prices: boys vs. girls Related links to check out: LaurenGreutman.com Cardpool Swagbucks Flipp App Red Laser ShopSavvy

In this episode, we’re talking about what financial freedom means to us and why it’s such an important concept to think about no matter where you're at in your financial journey. In this episode we discuss: 1:10 – What financial freedom means to us 8:15 – The concept of mini retirements 15:15 – People who've achieved financial freedom and how they got there 20:15 – Obstacles that may prevent financial freedom Related links to check out: Frugal Woods Go Curry Cracker Mr. Money Mustache Afford Anything Afford Anything Real Estate Course Course FCP004 How to Practice Delayed Gratification FCP029 Minimalism and Money

We are going to be admitting and discussing our worst financial mistakes. Just because we blog about money doesn’t mean we are experts. All of us have made some money mistakes along the way, and now we are going to share our stories with you in hopes you can learn from them. In this episode we discuss: 1:10 – Kayla's Financial Mistakes 2:10 – Chonce's Financial Mistakes 6:50 – Erin's Financial Mistakes 10:15 – Why bank accounts are a pain in the neck when you move 12:30 – How to create a money safety net 14:50 – How to avoid paying fees 17:35 – Kayla's light bulb moment 18:35 – Chonce's fender bender 22:20 – Speaking of car insurance... 23:15 – Is there anything we are proud of? 26:00 – Chonce's final thoughts on making financial mistakes Related links to check out: FCP021 – Things You Always Wanted to Know About Money (But Didn’t Want to Ask) Enjoy!

This week’s episode is a combination of two of our favorite topics: minimalism and money! Minimalism has become a hot topic in recent years and we discuss things like what originally got us excited about minimalism. Minimalism and money have more to do with each other than you might think. We'll give you some examples of how minimalism and money can go hand in hand. In this episode we discuss: 1:15 – Do you start life as a minimalist or is it a learned trait during adulthood? 10:00 – Erin's "Extreme" minimalism 15:30 – Has minimalism saved you money? 21:00 – Getting rid of non-essential items 23:00 – Benefits of minimalism besides saving money 29:15 – Cleaning up digital clutter 31:40 – Do you use premium online storage or pay for a physical storage unit? Related links to check out: Becoming Minimalist - What is Minimalism? Enjoy!

Are staycations really a good way to save money? Can you even have fun on a staycation? What about how you can enjoy your city when you live in a small town? We used to think we were so over the idea of taking a staycation to save money vs. going on a real vacation. But brainstorming for this week’s episode really got most of us back on the staycation wagon. As you might have guessed, in this episode we are going to be sharing some of our favorite ideas for how you can enjoy your city this summer so you can have fun and save money. Kayla is even chiming in with some ideas to help you enjoy yourself if you live in a small town or rural area. In this episode we discuss: 1:20 – Have you ever taken a staycation? 5:15 – A good budget for a staycation 11:40 – Staycation activities for cities and small towns 21:30 – Libraries are your friend! 32:00 – Camping is Fun! Watch out for the bears! Enjoy!

This is a very special episode as we discussed a topic everyone can probably relate to: working toward achieving financial wellness. We were also joined by a special guest, Jason Vitug, from the personal finance website Phroogal, to help spread awareness about this topic and share his story. Jason is a world traveler, author, blogger, speaker, and most recently, he’s decided to travel around the country this summer visiting major cities in each state to host events for a local grassroots experiment he calls, The Road to Financial Wellness. We were pleasantly surprised when we heard about Jason’s plan to visit every major city in the nation in just 3 months and encourage a national conversation on financial well being. We’ll discuss all of that and more in this exciting episode! In this episode we discuss: 1:50 – Jason's backstory 4:30 – What Jason thinks the definition of Financial Wellness is 5:50 – Intentions of the Road to Financial Wellness Tour 10:15 – What kind of challenges Jason has faced leading the

This episode was a real treat as we were joined by a fellow entrepreneur, Matt Giovanisci. Matt is what you might call a "serial entrepreneur" who has started several successful, and not so successful, businesses over the past few years. He also loves to rap about everything from pool care, to making money, and more. We were very excited to talk with Matt about his experiences with entrepreneurship and running successful businesses. [powerpress] In this episode we discuss: 1:15 – Matt's backstory 2:10 – Matt's unyielding entrepreneurial itch 5:00 – How to validate business plans and decide on good ideas 12:15 – What do you do when a business fails? 20:30 – Do you set income goals for your businesses? 23:10 – How do your businesses earn money? 31:30 – How do you know when it's time to leave a business behind? 39:45 – Matt's favorite lifestyle aspect of being an entrepreneur 48:00 – The most beneficial skill Matt has acquired over the years 57:30 – A spotlight on Matt's upcoming projects Related Links to Chec

With college graduation having just taken place a few weeks ago, we thought we should talk about some of the money mistakes we made, and people we know have made after graduating from college. When you have just graduated college, you might think that the world is at your fingertips, and if you've just landed a full-time career job, you may feel on top of the world since you will likely be earning more money than you've ever earned before in your life. However, this doesn't mean you can spend your money foolishly. Here are some of the things we wish we had known about money when we graduated college. In this episode we discuss: 1:45 – How to do your taxes 4:30 – Paying off student loans 7:00 – Saving during college and after graduating college 11:30 – Don't overestimate or overspend your income 13:10 – Things we regret doing wrong with money 16:50 – High yield savings accounts 21:10 – How to dress to impress for less 29:45 – Building credit and using credit wisely 40:00 – Saving for retirement Related links

In this episode, we decided to tackle some more of the most popular personal finance questions from Quora. Plus, we got to tackle our first reader question! These are a few more things you might have always wanted to know about money but were a little afraid to ask.  In future episodes of Things You Always Wanted to Know About Money, we'd love to tackle some questions from our readers and listeners, so be sure to send us questions if you want us to answer them. In this episode we discuss: 1:35 – How can you budget for personal finance? 3:50 – How can you stop living paycheck to paycheck? 8:10 – Different types of budget plans 12:50 – What are some general tips to help clear up debt? 14:45 – Reader Question: How to get started saving for children's higher education 22:30 – Is it true that you can't get rich working for someone else? 27:00 – What are the best money management apps? Related links to check out: Ep.8 – Why You Don’t Have to be Uber Frugal to Succeed Ep.15 – Spring Spending Temptations Finance G

In this episode we are talking about strategies to save time and money. Because let’s face it, time is money and we could all use some more of both! So lets start putting more dollars in the bank with less time on the clock. In this episode we discuss: 1:15 – Is the phrase "Your Time is Your Money" really true? 8:50 – How to be more efficient with your time 18:15 – How to stay ahead of deadlines 23:30 – Benefits of tracking your time 35:30 – Staying sane with a busy schedule Related links to check out: How to Budget Your Time Like You Budget Your Money The 4 hour Work Week Enjoy!

In this episode, we are talking about groceries and dining out, and pros and cons of both. We are also discussing money saving tips for both options. So stock your shelves, and stow your wallets, because we are feeding you the facts. In this episode we discuss: 1:45 – What does your grocery budget look like? 3:10 – Do you track what you spend dining out? 10:35 – Balancing dining out and grocery spending 18:15 – Eating healthy and how it affects your budget 24:50 – Tips to save while dining out 44:50 – Are coupons worth it? 49:10 – Thoughts on budget changes and life changes Related links to check out: Swagbucks Groupon Zaycon Card Pool Gift Card Granny Enjoy!

In this episode, we did things a little differently. We decided to tackle some of the most popular personal finance questions from Quora. These are things you might have always wanted to know about money but were a little afraid to ask. #nojudgement In future episodes of Things You Always Wanted to Know About Money, we'd love to tackle questions from our readers, so be sure to send us questions if you want us to answer them. In this episode we discuss: 2:00 – What is the best way to start investing in your early 20's? 6:00 – Why is buying a house a good investment? 8:15 – What do finance experts thing about buying vs. renting a house? 10:30 – What are the best ways to invest money? 17:20 – Will closing old credit cards and setting up a new one hurt my credit score? 24:30 – Can you withdraw money from a credit card? Related links to check out: Ep.10 – Real Estate: Should You Rent or Buy? Afford Anything - Renting is Throwing Money Away … Right? AnnualCreditReport.com Enjoy!

On this week's episode of the Financial Conversation Podcast, the girls chat about how they've dealt with haters when it comes to their financial choices, and the strategies you can use to deal with those who aren't supportive. Hopefully it’s no secret, but everyone has haters, and there’s a proper way to deal with them. When you’re on your financial journey whether it’s paying off debt, living frugally, or starting a side business to increase your income, haters and their negativity can really throw you off. Let's find out if you hustle as hard as you hate! In this episode we discuss: 1:20 – We all have haters 2:05 – Different types of haters 7:50 – Dealing with a negative Nancy 10:20 – Dealing with actual haters 13:45 – Exploring our Financial Journeys 16:50 – The accountability buddy system 22:15 – Accountability Partners Enjoy!

  In this week's episode, we tackled a topic that we are all very passionate about because in a round about way, it brought us all together in the world of personal finance: debt! We also have a special guest joining us to talk about how she paid off her debt last year: Kara, from the blog From Frugal to Free! Find out different strategies you can use to pay off your debt and live a debt free life by listening to the episode below. In this episode we discuss: 2:45 – Kara's story: Crying in Cars 5:15 – Kara's Debt approach 7:20 – Erin's Debt approach 9:00 – Chonce's Debt approach 11:00 –Kayla's Debt approach 18:45 – Budget hacks to avoid burnout 27:15 – Tips to stay motivated 45:45 – What we think debt freedom will look like, and the reality Kara experienced Enjoy!

In this week's episode of Financial Conversation, the girls chat about their past (and current) shopping addictions, and how they've overcome them. We discussed tips and strategies to avoid or cure yourself of your shopping addictions. We also talked about the difference between a shopping addiction and a shopping habit.   In this episode we discuss: 1:15 – Shopping addictions versus shopping habits 6:10 – Have you had a shopping habit? 14:00 – Specific tips to cure shopping habits 27:45 – Chonce's Club Story (Wherein we learn that females going to clubs must wear heels) 37:00 – Replacing one addiction with another one Enjoy!

The topic in this episode of the Financial Conversation Podcast is one that you might consider a little controversial. We discussed millennials and money, including many of the stereotypes and negative connotations associated with the term "millennials," and whether or not we even identify as one. In this episode we discuss: 1:15 – What are millennials? The official definition of millennials.8:50 – Do you think you fall into any of the common stereotypes for millennials?21:30 – Resources to learn new skills without spending a fortune23:35 – Are millennials the "app generation"?30:30 – How can millennials avoid living up to negative stereotypes? Enjoy!

In this episode we discussed something that all of us have had to deal with at one time or another in our online businesses - burnout. Business burnout is a serious problem when you are a business owner, especially if you are a solopreneur, or if you are working your business as a side hustle alongside a full-time career and other life responsibilities. Here are some tips on how to recognize business burnout and how you can deal with it when you inevitably experience it in your business. In this episode we discuss: 1:50 – Business burnout stories and recognizing business burnout6:10 – Tips for dealing with business burnout22:35 – Setting boundaries with clients33:10 – Handling sickness as a business owner40:40 – Balancing personal needs and business needs52:15 – How to cut a client Enjoy!

The only bad thing about Spring making a re-appearance is that we are more tempted to spend money on certain aspects of our budgets as the weather warms up.  This seems like an issue that a lot of people have, so we thought we’d share some of our struggles and tips with you so you can hopefully keep your spring spending temptations to a minimum. In this episode we discuss: 1:50 – What are our spring temptations 6:15 – Kristi talks about gardening 11:10 – Frugal Easter 13:00 – Memorial Day cookouts 16:00 – Spending areas to avoid 18:30 – Thermostat hacks 20:50 – Saving money in the spring Enjoy!

In this episode we will be talking about one of our favorite topics - travel!  You may be wondering why we are talking about travel on our podcast about money since travel tends to be a pretty expensive interest for some people. Luckily, we’ve got some tips we’ve picked up about how to save money on travel. In this episode we discuss: 2:00 – Travel stories 7:10 – Favorite travel destinations 9:45 – Why do people think travel is so expensive 14:15 – Traveling while in debt 15:00 – You can't put your life on hold 20:45 – Unless you can enjoy all the experiences on a trip, save until you can 24:45 – Saving on places to stay 27:15 – Don't get trapped in the tourist district 37:00 – Worst travel mistakes we've made 40:45 – Airlines to avoid Enjoy!