Last week (Part 1) was the monthly recurring bills. This week is my half, and it's the one I've been most excited about! Part one was my husband, Grant's, territory. Insurance, escrow, internet, the subscription graveyard. One-time fixes you make once and then they just keep paying you back every month while you forget they happened. This week is completely different, because these are things I do every single week. They didn't change what I pay. They changed HOW I spend, which honestly might be the bigger deal. And the centerpiece is a system I have genuinely never explained out loud before. Here's the conflict it solves: I'm pretty sure I was born a spender. Buying things feels good to me, it hits those little dopamine receptors, and I'm not going to sit here and pretend otherwise. But groceries are an area of my life where I've chosen to be really, really disciplined. So I turned the whole thing into two games. Game one, everything goes in the cart. Game two, how low can I get this bill. Same exact actions, completely different experience. And I swear at least half the secret to enjoying your life is just tricking your brain like that. In this episode: Why I basically never walk into a grocery storeSplitting my list between Aldi and Walmart, plus a very important detail about who actually shops your Instacart orderThe two-game cart trick, explained out loud for the first time. Game one is a Toys R Us sweepstakes. Game two is brutal. I love both of them.What to do if cutting the cart feels sad (split it across two days, that's what I usually do)The $2 pickup fee that quietly outgrew the membership that replaces itThe only two times all year I paid for delivery, and why the convenience tax was absolutely worth it both timesWhat Rakuten actually is and how you can get $50 from the get goMy girl math, in which grocery cash back pays for my Instacart membership. Is that how accounting works? No! Do I believe it? Completely.Searching Rakuten backwards to decide WHERE to buy, which is my whole gift-shopping strategyA 20% cash back day at Old Navy, plus the category everybody forgets (it's hotels)Amazon Subscribe and Save, why I stubbornly refused it for years, and where it actually adds up beyond toothpasteA completely unhinged razor tangent. I've been gatekeeping this one for about a decade. 16 razor heads for twenty bucks.The Poshmark search that got me a brand new coat for half what it cost on the actual website that same dayAnd then the part I really want you to hear: where I happily overspend on purpose, and why the fancy salon and the laundry service are the entire point of all of this🍏 Here's what I actually want you to take from both episodes: none of this was about spending less. You cut hard in the places you genuinely don't care about so you can spend freely in the places you do. Personal finance is personal. I say it constantly and I mean it. Your list would look completely different from mine, and it should. 🎧 New here? Part one is the bills half. Insurance, escrow, internet, subscriptions, and the exact script for a retention phone call. It has the single most useful thing I learned all year in it. Everything I mentioned: Rakuten (free cash back, and yes I freaking love it) → www.rakuten.com/r/CHRIST281426 Sign up with this link and you get $50 once you hit the qualifying spend. That's a real number, I've gotten it, so has Grant.Dorco razors, the Pace 3 heads specifically. Buy the handle once, then just replace the cartridges.Poshmark, for the copy-the-product-title-and-paste-it-in trickInstacart and Instacart Plus, which is how I do Aldi pickupTPT Launch Lab — from nothing to your first Teachers Pay Teachers product listed and live. Code PODCAST takes it to $20. Affiliate disclosure: that Rakuten link is a referral link. You get your $50, and I get a referral bonus too, at no extra cost to you. I say it on the mic and I'll say it here. That kind of support genuinely helps cover the cost of making this show, so thank you. 💜 This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as financial advice. Please consult a qualified financial professional for guidance specific to your situation. Now go figure out what your salon is. The thing you'd spend on without flinching if you decided it was allowed. Then come tell me! I'm @christajeanjones on Instagram and that is genuinely my favorite kind of DM. If this one hit home, follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you have a minute, a rating or a quick review on Apple Podcasts helps more teachers find the show. 💜 🎧 Subscribe now for new episodes every Tuesday. 📩 Real money talk for teachers, in your inbox every Wednesday. Short, free, and everybody’s welcome. Join the Teachers With Money newsletter: https://teacherswithmoney.beehiiv.com/?utm_source=podcast Come hang: Instagram → @teacherswithmoneyInstagram (Christa) → @christajeanjonesLinkedIn → Christa JonesLet's finally start your Teachers Pay Teachers store, together! → TPT Launch LabGot a big dream or project you keep starting and never quite finishing…? The Follow-Through is my six-month 1:1 coaching for edupreneurs and educational leaders who are ready to get it DONE. Apply here: https://tally.so/r/vGkpLl This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
