Don’t we all want more money without more problems? Today we talk with personal finance expert Tanja Hester about value-driven spending and creating a “money mission statement” to help you reach big financial goals — whether that’s saving for a home in your ideal neighborhood, funding a major renovation, or pursuing early retirement, which Tanja has achieved herself. She shares simple ways to trim your budget, painless habits that increase savings, and why many of us have more financial freedom than we realize. We also chat about Sherry’s new holiday-decorating revelation (surprisingly inspired by Halloween rather than Christmas) and a commonly overlooked painting tool that’s a literal back-saver.
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast app, like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s New
- That photo is from a few years ago (hello unpainted brick!), but since we haven’t photographed our Halloween decorations lately, it’s the best example of the small-scale display we’ve used each year. You can even spot the crow’s bald spot, which has become more noticeable over time.
- Here’s the Instagram photo Sherry saw that inspired her to abandon the tiny accents in favor of a few larger, higher-impact pieces that could bring more joy to the kids and the family every year.
- We’ve just started pulling out our holiday decorations, but if you want a sense of our tree (we always mix handmade and personal ornaments), take a look at our 2018 Holiday House Tour. That post also shows the beach house all decked out, so it’s a fun gallery to browse.
Tanja Hester Interview
- Tanja’s book, Work Optional, tells the story of how she and her husband Mark retired early and offers practical financial guidance to help you take control of your money and meet your savings goals.
- She writes the blog Our Next Life and co-hosts the podcast The Fairer Cents, which explores how money affects women specifically.
- Tanja recommended several personal finance blogs as good starting points for further reading:
- She Picks Up Pennies — a story of how two teachers paid off debt
- Rich & Regular — practical personal finance from everyday people
- Half Banked — money management for young Millennials
- The Dumpster Dog Blog — finance education aimed at young women
- The Luxe Strategist — strategies for affording the luxuries you love
- She also shared an Apartment Therapy feature about the Los Angeles apartment she and Mark lived in before their move to Tahoe, if you’re curious about their previous space.
- If you want more podcast conversations about budgeting and easy tracking methods that lead to savings, check Episode #63. We also discussed how we paid off our mortgage in Episode #64.
We’re Digging
- Sherry took the photo above while we were priming our bathroom. I’m using an extension pole to reduce bending and reaching while painting — a small thing that makes the job much easier on your back.
- We have a telescoping metal painting extension pole that reaches from about 6 to 12 feet and is budget-friendly. If you only need to paint standard-height rooms, a fixed 6-foot wood pole is even cheaper, or a compact 3–6 foot extendable version is easy to store and very practical.
- We didn’t go deep into the plot of The Handmaid’s Tale because it’s intense and dark, but the series offers gripping suspense and strong themes. If you enjoy dramatic, thought-provoking television, it’s worth watching.
- We watched it on a streaming service with an affordable plan that includes commercials, and some seasons are also available for purchase through other video platforms.
- Now we’re debating whether to read the books, even though we’ve already seen the series.
If you’re trying to find something we mentioned in a past episode but don’t remember which notes to open, check our master list of everything we’ve been digging from past episodes. You can also see all the books we’ve recommended on our Book Club page.
Finally, a big thank you to Social Print Studio for sponsoring this episode. They offered 15% off orders with a promo code through a set date, and their holiday shipping deadline was noted for planning purposes.
Thanks for listening, everyone!
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