How to Stop Impulse Buying with the Frugal Friends

[@FrugalFriends]

Thank you for having us on! This was one of the most authentic and helpful conversations we've had recently! 💚

[@Tha_G0at]

Cas, I have been watching you for about 6 months now. You along with Robyn, Dawn and Dana have absolutely changed my life. My story is that similar to Robyns from minimal home. I got my nursing degree but was coming home miserable walking around all night picking up mess. It came to a point where I was utterly exhausted and miserable. Just like you always say, I thought something was just wrong with me. I thought to myself, why is everyone else appearing as if life is so manageable yet I can't even remember a doctors appointment, or a commitment I had made? When you told me that It's okay to get rid of things you don't use anymore, my mind literally exploded. I HAD NO IDEA THAT DECLUTTERING WAS A THING! Literally no idea! When I moved out of my moms home into mine, she had loaded up a Uhaul truck with half of her house and loaded it into my new house, and it's all been sitting down my basement, under my beds, shoved inside my closets for 6 years!!!!!!!!! I kept walking around every day feeling so heavy and stress ridden that most days I felt like I wanted to vomit from all the stress of what I needed to do. I have been shoving useless things into every crevice of my home for 6 whole years. I could not even walk into my walk in closet! When people would come over I'd have to stack everything inside the closet and pray the door would close and hope no one would try and open it, and if I forgot to grab what I needed out of it prior to the pile up, well I was screwed. I could never find anything I needed, like ever. I kept wondering why can other people put stuff nicely away so they know where stuff is at and I can't? It never occurred to me that you can't organize and have a stress free home if you have too much stuff in it. My mom and my grandmom have buried me alive inside of my home and I have been so miserable and not the mother I want to be to my kids. Cas, you have no idea what you have done for me. You have literally given me the secret key to the light at the end of the tunnel and I want to cry every single time I think about it. I am 6 months into decluttering but I had a 2 month plateu where I burnt myself out. But now I am back on the wagon. I rage cleaned yesterday and got literally 20 plus filled trash bags and 10 large bins from up out of my basement. I am still nowhere near done and I still have way more of a journey to go, but just the fact that I now know what the actual problem is so I can fix it is life changing. I get really sad when I think about my grandmom and my mom living in scarcity mindset for their entire lives and I can now see where this problem exists in my mother and it's so hard because she's just not ready to hear any of it right now. So I've just decided that I have to work on myself first and just get my life in order and then after I'm done hopefully she can see what this lifestyle has done for me and she will want to learn about it as well. I also want to thank you for being vulnerable and sharing about your past. Your story is not too far off from mine at all, and you don't realize how helpful your words are to us who need them. Please continue to get "angry" and loud in your videos and get passionate and fired up. The people who really need it, need that kick in the ass. And the people who don't like it, well they obviously don't know the depth of this pain that some people go through, and they probably need to click off and watch another video because it's just not what they need right now and that's okay. But us who need that need it desperately. Cas you don't understand what you have done for me. You have given me hope that I can find happiness and and for that I literally could never repay you. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@katieheidinger4635]

❤

[@FrugalGardenerOntario]

“Frugality is being good stewards of all of our resources” ❤

[@FrugalFriends]

💚

[@lisajoy9588]

Your thoughts on having tangible things making you feel safe is exactly the way I have always felt. I needed to hear this! Thank you!

[@tiffanypatti5022]

This is so important, especially for women. My personal theory as to why this impacts women so much is that we we're historically the primary gatherers of food and supplies for our families. Thousands of years later shopping scratches that same itch in our brains that our ancestors got gathering a harvest before winter came to kill the crops. This is something we don't talk about on a societal level. I had a boss in college who made herself a monthly Starbucks budget on a preloaded gift card. When it was spent for the month it was gone and she wouldn't reload it until the next month. I combat this by refusing to use a cart with the exception of grocery shopping. It drastically reduced the impulse buys. I have to be willing to carry something through the entire store before I spend money on it. If I'm not willing to carry something for 10 minutes I can't justify spending $20+ on something I don't need. Hope this helps!

[@starlaarts9385]

Thank you for sharing. These are good thoughts!

[@FrugalFriends]

Love this!

[@marym346]

We put stuff in the cart, and it sits for at least a week before we buy anything, unless it truly is an immediate need - and then we buy only that. It's amazing how living in a rural area can change your perception of "immediate need."

[@JillKai-k6g]

This is very similar to what’s taught in the 12 steps of AA. One of the biggest thing that I’ve learned in AA over the last several years is that it’s less about substances and more about behaviors. I have come to really believe that everyone of us is an addict. We’re all addicted to something. It’s just that some things will cost you your life, whereas others will still take your life, just in a different way. I literally wrote this as you began to talk about addiction. So weird, but perfectly timed

[@claireboeck8027]

Getting shopping under control and decluttering definitely go hand in hand.

[@jac4YouTube]

I have a great quote which I have displayed on my wall by Edwin Way Teal, "Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life and the labors of life reduce themselves"

[@ClutterbugPod]

That's a really great quote!

[@dawnjeffersramstad8401]

Just back from vacation and using this podcast as a whole house reset timer. There is a variation of the no spend challenge in the fashion sewing community I just learned about and got on board to try. Called the Whole 30 Challenge, the reset behavior is to sew 30 yards of fabric before buying more. In my case this will be 10 to 15 garments. A few of the fabrics in my stash are over 30 years old, and one my mom bought as a bride to sew my dad a shirt! The only additional rule is that if I violate the challenge my yards sewn up counter resets to 0. My husband is being my accountability partner. I don't know how this can be adapted to other arts materials management, but the founder could be a good podcast interview! Love these podcasts! ❤

[@ren8240]

Thanks Cas, this episode was sooo good. I'd never heard of "frugal friends" before! 😊

[@ClutterbugPod]

They are awesome! They offer some really great tips and advice on frugality!

[@FrugalFriends]

So glad you enjoyed!

[@debtosone2108]

I do the same thing Cass 😂 Every Monday I get myself Starbucks before work cause Monday is the hardest work day

[@carolinemalaby8690]

"Being good stewards of all our resources" GOLD

[@FrugalFriends]

💚

[@rachelvryhof8896]

Making a mistake on a no spend is a learning opportunity and offers good data... needed to hear that!

[@FrugalFriends]

Yes!

[@jac4YouTube]

I love that saying "doing a lot with a little", I used to say "a little is good, a lot is not" meaning everything in moderation.

[@ClutterbugPod]

That is also a great saying!

[@mc5366]

Yay podcast Friday with Cas!

[@RonDale-jy8et]

Cas, Thanks for this one! My first exposure to the Frugal Friends. Will DEFINATELY Listen to some others!

[@mrs_vcarter]

I did the 90 day inventory and it was SOOO helpful thanks ladies for all the helpful tips!

[@mj482]

Love just when I’m about to go for my 30 min walk and trying to figure out what to watch or listen to I see my 3 favorite people that Iisten to all the time. 🎉❤ thank you for making this video. Now my walk will not be of 30 minutes now its going to be a 50 min walk 🎉🎉

[@ClutterbugPod]

Woohoo! I hope you enjoyed the walk and the talk!

[@FrugalFriends]

💚

[@mj482]

@@ClutterbugPod Omg!!!! You just made my day never would I thought you would read my comment and let alone reply back. 🥰🥳🤗 Yes I did enjoyed my walk and specially the talk. 😊

[@elizabethwhiting9389]

Budgeting is just a way to organize your money 🙂 Declutter the things you don't want to prioritize in your budget and make space for the things you need/love. I've been using YNAB for years now and it has made my life soooo much easier. It also means that I don't have to have the internal argument about, "Ohh well, can I afford this? Should I spend money on this or put it towards my other goal?" I've already made those decisions when I do my budget (5 minutes a day!) and I know that if I have money in that category, it's ok to spend it.

[@taraamundson1140]

Very well versed Frugal Friends you had on today! I definitely will check that podcast out. They gave me a lot to think about.

[@FrugalFriends]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@granitemoss1451]

"...being good stewards of our resources." YES!!!

[@FrugalFriends]

💚

[@BrandiLaShay]

Cas the cute & cozy vibes.. I love your outfit! Cardigans are the best!! Fall is my favorite!!! 🍂😊🧡

[@ClutterbugPod]

Fall is my favourite season too! ☺🍂

[@SilverGirlAu]

Oh my goodness - this is so so so good - thank you so much! I will watch this again & again... this is key I think - some us clutter bugs are also the ones that buy it now instead of saving and living frugally... will check out the frugal friends podcast :) Cas - when you speak about your experience - I'm like 'that is so me'... very relatable!

[@FrugalFriends]

This was one of our favorite convos. Glad you enjoyed!

[@beckyhelton5860]

This is a great podcast. I agree with most of what was said here. I wish I had this information when I was raising my kids.

[@FrugalFriends]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@rebeccarc78]

I like the buyerarchy of needs. Use what you have-borrow-swap-thrift-make-buy.

[@cynthiafuller141]

Truly this is wonderful! I LOVE your podcast and listen all the time! Thank you for all that you do!!

[@ClutterbugPod]

Thank you so much for your support! :) I hope you enjoyed the podcast!

[@juliaparry-hill7509]

Wonderful discussion. Thank you for this!

[@whobeyou5342]

I'm not a Bezos fan but.... "Bezos is bad" Also "I pre-ordered your book on Amazon"

[@dehnadykeman3614]

Indeed. It followed hard upon!

[@ReneeDennis-x8h]

I caught that too 😮

[@pitecatarina]

Yes, I lol

[@freeasabutterfly9689]

This was so good thank you I will look for frugal friends podcast

[@ILikeBigCatsAndICannotLie]

All of this needs to be balanced with also not being an underspender. For those of us who grew up around cheap people (vs frugal) we were probably made to feel guilty for having any wants and sometimes needs. In other words we should be careful not to go too far in either direction. :)

[@cynthiahunter6588]

Wait, you ordered the book on Amazon? Jeff Bazzoe's platform? Where he makes money to buy yachts and rocketships?

[@ren8240]

Cas, when going to a store make a list & set a strict budget then take ONLY that amount of cash, no cards. The limited cash will make you stick to your list & budget as nobody wants to be the person who gets up to the checkout & doesn't have enough money to pay!

[@dedestaggs5093]

Invest in a food saver system and label your food, with dates, before you freeze it

[@heathereyles8909]

Does it help to know that scented candles are carcinogenic? Any artificially scented product is very bad for you. Hope that helps! 😊

[@mermeow]

I could care less about Starbucks, but my bestie is addicted. Also, the caffeine helps calm her ADHD & migraines.

[@haidagirl626]

Aloha! All this talk about starbucks, I had to stop and get a drink! 😅 But I have been going less and less! Thanks for all this info! ❤

[@FrugalFriends]

Oh no! 🤣

[@DeloresLowndes]

Starbucks knows we don't like grocery shopping, so they put a Starbucks outlet IN our grocery store.

[@MsPants1632]

It really helps the sting of grocery shopping, doesn’t it. 😉

[@TheGenflute]

Same!

[@starlaarts9385]

All of this Starbucks spending talk makes me happy to be allergic to coffee.

[@FrugalFriends]

😆 They're not sneaky about what they're doing!

[@kimberlytalbo1800]

Loved this! ❤

[@FrugalFriends]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@brooke_22328]

This was so good!

[@FrugalFriends]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@RonDale-jy8et]

After my Mom passed I'd ended up filling her room with stuff...! The other day after stewing over all of the crap on her bed, I decided to take all the comics white boxes off of the bed and was able to clear a good 50% of the remaining space... Still have the boxes, but as I had to move them to another room I ended up sleeping in Mom's room for the night (since there was a new stack of crap on my room!)At least the bed was comfortable....!

[@juanitamontefiori5097]

Ha ha I want to look Fall fresh like you - where did you buy your leaf necklace?!

[@brendakinsey8353]

I could see this approach with cleaning house !!!

[@RacheldeQuay]

Ok, so am I weird? I love going to the Hardware store, I even go by myself 👀 and I don’t like Starbucks…🤷🏼‍♀️

[@jessicakuhn9315]

Love your hair

[@janicerizzi1935]

I've been singing that anti-Bezos song for years. Screw that guy. Someone in town is probably making the same thing out of their garage and I promise you it's better quality.

[@dawnwunder6284]

Funny how it was ok to buy their book from Amazon though? Yah

[@whobeyou5342]

@@dawnwunder6284 yea- girls talks all tough $h1t about evil amazon.... but happy to take your money from amazon when you buy their book.

[@bittyblueeyes385]

It just occured to me that we seek Starbucks as a treat because we are the ones that do the task, and not getting a treat feels like we dont get recognized for that. We deserve treats!

[@s1mplebeauty]

Great interview! I learned a lot.

[@FrugalFriends]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@Cleaningfairy1970]

I wish I could talk to you. I work as a custodian. When we clear out dorm rooms in the summer, tons of things get left hehind. I try to be a good steward by donating instead of tossing things away. It goes against my grain to waste.

[@nedflndrs3680]

I recommend watching Bailey Sarian's video on the dark history of Starbucks, and reading the comments from employees of the company. It's one of many reasons I stopped purchasing from them.

[@Docinprocess2323]

When I'm stressed I crave McDonald's Diet Coke!

[@janetstraw191]

😮 I just had an ah-ha moment! The Art Deco Period, 20’s and 30’s - there was a plethora of Women’s elegant and beautiful cigarette cases!! 🤔🚬🚬🚬‼️

[@FrugalFriends]

Woah! Had no idea! So crazy!

[@janetstraw191]

@@FrugalFriends It was the new ‘cool thing’ for women!

[@traceycollins7597]

I love Cas and her clutterbug channel but I cannot get into this video. I've tried twice

[@michelevazquez4429]

Part of the issue is whether in store or online stores are VERY manipulative with their marketing. They purposely design things to get you to buy things you don’t need or more than you thought.

[@Mary23_A]

I'm not seeing the video to the podcast on Kitchen Hacks yet on KZbin, but the answer to the Starbuck's addiction can dovetail into that. For adults, I'd really suggest not having any calories at all in the morning. Thus just have black coffee, and there are really good ground coffees available that are even better than Starbucks that you could make at home, but at least getting only black coffee at Starbucks would cut out the sugar. A breakfast like a pop tart that is mostly sugar combined with that sugar-milk shake Starbucks is serving you is giving you a huge dose of sugar, which your body responds to with a dose of insulin, bringing your blood sugar back down but it is those swings that make you exhausted. And if you keep doing that for years, you'll get diabetes; which has severe consequences like blindness and amputation of feet, so you don't want that! So just have black coffee in the morning with no sweetener at all. Then for lunch do something substantial, like a veggie and meat stir fry with 1/2 cup rice (2 cups veggies like broccoli and carrots, put in pan with a little broth and steam them, then add 4 ounces meat like beef and 2 tablespoons sesame oil, then stir them until the meat is cooked). In a small rice cooker, make a small amount of rice 2 1/2 times water to rice. I have a tiny rice cooker (it is a Perfect cooker, but Dash makes one as well). Top with and Asian store-bought sauce like teriyaki or peanut sauce. So then eat in an intermittent fasting window from maybe 11AM to 7PM, and then only no-calorie tea or coffee or water beyond that. The kids can have a breakfast such as egg frittata (can be made in a lasagna pan and frozen in squares), then heat up in the microwave and have on 1/2 an English muffin.

[@darlahkelley9800]

❤Good Morning 🙏 ❤Girlfriend's ❤From Cali ❤️ 👧 ❤🎉❤

[@editname-pb4vs]

Treat yourself to delegation. Your husband can grocery shop. Your teenagers can grocery shop. Delegate.

[@MS-sr6mj]

Sad that men can't even go grocery shopping without a written invitation.

[@olderendirt]

​@@MS-sr6mjThat's untrue. My husband has done the majority since the beginning of Covid and we did it together prior to that. He's a good shopper.

[@Maryam-111]

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜God bless you beautiful kind soul 🪬☮️💜

[@blessed9321]

But what is the household income? It’s not helpful to say, I paid of x amount of debt in 2 years if we have no idea what household income is. If your household income was $300k $78k sounds very doable. If household income was $150k per year. It’s like wow you could see some cuts made.

[@FrugalFriends]

Jen and her husband made around $88K annually combined.

[@aewebbyt]

You say - “I don’t want to shop on Amazon because I don’t want to fund Bezo’s yacht.” And then the next sentence: “You can preorder our new book on Amazon.” The truth is that Amazon created a ton of value for everyone - including you, as you’re selling your book on Amazon’s platform. Let Bezos enjoy his yacht. He deserves it. There is no need to hate on Bezos or capitalism. Also, the Frugal Friends encourage S&P 500 index fund investing…. That means that they own Amazon and are encouraging others to invest in Amazon.

[@TheClutterLady]

I grew up pretty frugal and then paid off my student loans, but I can totally resonate with it being harder to know which purchase to make and which are a waste now that I do have the money to spend. And learning to not feel guilty but also to spend responsibly. Thank you for introducing me to them! I can't wait for their book. The cover is so pretty, too! 🤩🩷