Know what you're paying for

It might be worth a little extra to have a good experience

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to know what you're paying for. Don't get
hung up on the cost of something if the purchase

(00:26):
enables something you value. Just because it might be possible
to save money somehow or do things cheaper doesn't mean
that it's always the best choice. Longtime listeners know that
I tend to be frugal. My wardrobe includes a lot
of Amazon essentials, I color my own hair, I am

(00:48):
driving a thirteen year old car. I do not relish
the idea of spending money just to do so, but
I have also learned not to be so opposed to
spending money in circumstances where that is going to make
life a lot easier or enable something that I do value.

(01:09):
The key is thinking less about what I am actually
buying and more about what it is that I am
truly paying for. For instance, my family recently went to
Disney World together, which was definitely not a low cost experience.
Having shelled out all that cash, there was then the

(01:30):
question of whether to pay for the Genie Plus service.
That's the fast pass type service that lets you spend
less time in line for certain rides. Now, this was
obviously an optional expense. Not paying for it would save money,
But keeping five kids happy all day in crowded, sometimes

(01:55):
overwhelming parks is hard enough. If it was going to
be possible to skip a seventy five minute line with
my two littlest children in particular, that was going to
be a big win. I was not just paying one
of Disney's ridiculous fees. I was paying for peace and

(02:18):
the chance that a family vacation might be more enjoyable
than aggravating, and that is worth a lot. Remembering what
you are paying for can make lots of choices about
spending easier. Maybe you are craving a quiet Friday night
at home with a magazine, But the thought of paying

(02:39):
ten dollars for a single issue of a magazine from
the newsstand just rankles when you know you could pay
not much more than that for a year's subscription. But
if you are standing there at the news stand before
you hop on the train home, just let that thought go.
You are paying ten dollars dollars for Friday night entertainment,

(03:03):
and that is totally reasonable. It's a lot less than
you'd pay if you went to a movie or a show,
So just pay the ten dollars for the magazine and
enjoy your relaxing evening. Or if you're job seeking, you
might think it is wasteful to pay for your own
Zoom account. Basically, anyone you would be doing informational interviews

(03:26):
with would have a work account. They could use that
for the call. But consider this, you are asking people
to offer their time and you want to make it
as easy as possible for them to do so. Therefore,
you should be the one providing the link. You are

(03:46):
not wasting money on a service that you could theoretically
get for free. You are paying to be a gracious
host for informational interviews. That's a little more worth the money.
In deciding how to spend your money, get clear on
what you are actually paying for. Sometimes that is not

(04:07):
actually the same thing as what shows up on your
credit card statement or your Venmo account. I am sure
you have heard the phrase that a housekeeper is cheaper
than a divorce, and that is the thought process we
are getting at here. Yes, you could certainly clean your
house for less, but if that's at the cost of

(04:27):
resentment and constant household battles. Well, better to view it
as money spent on harmony, which is pretty close to priceless.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for

(04:56):
listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,
you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts
from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

(05:20):
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.