Intro:

(Music)

Dara M Wilson:

Hi, I'm Dara M Wilson.

Yasmine Khan:

And I'm Yasmine Khan.

Dara M Wilson:

And this is Money Ha Ha.

Yasmine Khan:

The podcast where smart funny friends, bring money talk out of the shame-drawer, and onto the table.

Dara M Wilson:

Each week, we discuss one of those money topics that pretty much everyone struggles with, but nobody feels comfortable talking about. And this week, we have another special guest with us. She is the host of Hysteria on Crooked Media, and she's a 'bel writer for Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as well as many other projects. It's Erin Ryan.

Erin Ryan:

Yay.

Dara M Wilson:

Woo!

Yasmine Khan:

Woo!

Erin Ryan:

Thank you guys so much for having me. Wow. That was like almost choreographed.

Dara M Wilson:

That's called fan-fare for Erin Ryan. In the key of ... and that's the extent of my knowledge.

Erin Ryan:

That was beautiful, thank you.

Dara M Wilson:

Thank you for being here.

Yasmine Khan:

Welcome. Hey Dara.

Dara M Wilson:

What's up?

Yasmine Khan:

Let's open up our mailbag, and read what our lovely listeners had to say about us. Anime girlfriend says "Thank you for the intervention of your lovely show. Age 29, and I'm finally figuring out what money is."

Dara M Wilson:

And she called us angels.

Yasmine Khan:

Titled it angels, aw. We love being your angels.

Dara M Wilson:

Holler. Hello Charlie.

Yasmine Khan:

Hmm, I don't know about that. But whatever age you're coming to us at, I think, you know, no judgment.

Dara M Wilson:

That's right.

Yasmine Khan:

We're all still figuring it out. [inaudible 00:01:33], and I'm still figuring it out.

Dara M Wilson:

Shwickity, this is on apple pie cast says "Such a delight, these girls have striked the perfect balance between good advice with practical steps, and vulnerability with a healthy side of silliness." Oh, we so silly. "They are serious about easing the shame around money." And then there is a heart emoji. I love your emojis, keep the emojis coming.

Yasmine Khan:

Yes.

Dara M Wilson:

Thank you very much Shwickity. Also, congratulations on having the best effing name ever.

Yasmine Khan:

I also ... I think we are serious about being a little bit silly about money because ...

Dara M Wilson:

That's right, we take our silliness very seriously.

Yasmine Khan:

It's important. Because you got to ease our brains, ease ourselves into the topic. And when things make me uncomfortable, I just get a little ridiculous.

Dara M Wilson:

Mm-hmm (affirmative) mm-hmm (affirmative). When it gets shcwetty. Schwetty with Schwickity. Is that inappropriate? Anyways, we got an email. I will reveal the name of the person who emailed us at the end. The subject was love your show. And the text says "Just finished listening to the Money Ha Ha podcast on Financial Privilege. What a great show. Funny, entertaining, and extremely informative. So looking forward to next week’s show, can't wait." I will also have you know this person sent me a text message that says "You got to set me up with Carl the next time I'm in town." And I was very confused, and I was like "You want to meet Carl Tart?" And he was like "No, Carl the fog." This is my father, who contacted us through our official Money Ha Ha email address. Troy Wilson, thank you very much for your email.

Yasmine Khan:

We also have a message from Ava St John. "Hate money, but love this show. Have to say, what drew me to this podcast was Dara M Wilson, because I listened to previous podcasts she has been on, and I heart her." Me too. "Otherwise, I would never listen to a podcast about money. Because I hate talking about money so, so much. But they make it fun, and inviting, and I'm actually changing how I think about money after just two episodes. It's my new favorite pod, thanks for making this." I agree. Dara is like, you know, the gem.

Dara M Wilson:

I almost didn't share this one, because it said a nice thing about me, and it made me so uncomfortable.

Yasmine Khan:

This is the emergent therapy we're doing on Dara's self-image, where I'm like just accept the compliment. I'm going to give you a hug, brace yourself.

Dara M Wilson:

A barrage of compliments. Here's a message we got through Instagram, our Instagram is @moneyhahapod, if you want to contact us. "Thank you so much for your podcast. I had recently been wanting to get a better hold of my finances, and your podcast is better for me than other so-called money gurus, who shame people for their student loan debt, etc. I suffer from anxiety, and your podcast is the perfect balance of educational. Virtual hug."

Yasmine Khan:

We hug you back.

Dara M Wilson:

Man, I've got some podcasts too, that I listen to, to try and quell my anxiety, so I'm really appreciative that we could be there for other people. I'm hugging you right now, can you feel it? It's long now, it's getting creepy.

Yasmine Khan:

Yes, we should probably wrap it up. Keep on sending us your love, and we will keep on sending it back.

Dara M Wilson:

Yeah, let's head back to the episode. How are you feeling today?

Erin Ryan:

I'm good, I did slice my thumb with a knife right before I came here. And I discovered as a result of that, that I had Band-Aids in my house. So I had to MacGyver myself a Band-Aid, made out of a paper towel, and a string that I play with cat with. But I am fine, now. I'm wearing a Band-Aid, I'm not bleeding everywhere.

Dara M Wilson:

Now you're fine.

Erin Ryan:

Yes.

Dara M Wilson:

And we'll check in on that thumb at the end of the show, and make everything's still okay.

Yasmine Khan:

Yeah, [crosstalk] like we can all see if the integrity of the Band-Aid is intact. I think we're ... can I ask a prying question?

Erin Ryan:

Yes.

Yasmine Khan:

Did you get a little alcohol on there before you put that Band-Aid on?

Erin Ryan:

I did.

Yasmine Khan:

Oh, okay. Saved that thumb. You need that thumb [crosstalk]

Erin Ryan:

I'm left-handed, so I could technically ... I could lose the right one.

Dara M Wilson:

[crosstalk] you could lose the thumb

Erin Ryan:

This is something that I'm embarrassed that I know, because I find it all to be ridiculous, but Mercury is in retro-grade right now. Which is supposed to be ...

Yasmine Khan:

That shit is for real

Erin Ryan:

See, but here's the thing. Opposite for me. Everything good in my life has happened when Mercury was in retro-grade. Like I decided to ... got offered my first job at Sunny, I signed my apartment lease, I moved here, I met my now fiancee.

Yasmine Khan:

So it's you, your the reason we all feel like ... because-

Erin Ryan:

Look, guys, you're all making small sacrifices for my benefit, just think of me as the karmic 1%.

Yasmine Khan:

Sucking it all up.

Dara M Wilson:

Sucking it all up.

Erin Ryan:

I mean, I appreciate you guys so much, so thank you.

Yasmine Khan:

Oh my god, you're so welcome.

Dara M Wilson:

She is literally running on our tears. Just fueling the engine of Erin's success, is all my nighttime crying.

Erin Ryan:

It's all tears.

Dara M Wilson:

And my daytime crying, just all the crying.

Yasmine Khan:

We're really happy for you.

Erin Ryan:

I can tell.

Dara M Wilson:

I'm doing well, thank you so much for asking. I'm wearing this new skirt, that I am ... I have to give it back, but ...

Erin Ryan:

Why do you have to give it back?

Dara M Wilson:

Because I do rent-

Erin Ryan:

You'll Rent The Runway?

Yasmine Khan:

[crosstalk] so good.

Dara M Wilson:

Yes.

Erin Ryan:

I see that too.

Dara M Wilson:

I do Rent The Runway. That's like a peek into what we will be talking about later later later in the episode, but yes, I do Rent The Runway. And I got this little skirt, and it's so nice, except it has a surprisingly high slit, and we walking down La Seneca earlier, and my leg was just like "Hey, it's me! Here I am for everyone to see!" But I would have liked to make that choice myself.

Yasmine Khan:

That skirt was just taking over. It's like I'm doing the world a favor, right now.

Erin Ryan:

I think if you're going to show ass-cheek though, LA is the city to show ass-cheek.

Dara M Wilson:

Is that true?

Erin Ryan:

I think it's like the place where people don't think of it as a very big deal. I was in yoga the other day, and there was a man wearing a full on ... and I'm not trying to disparage him at all, because he's admirable. He was wearing a full on rainbow sparkly brief. Just a small little brief.

Dara M Wilson:

Like a little panty.

Erin Ryan:

It was like a banana hammock plus. Just a little more. And he did a whole hot yoga class, and he was doing inversions, he was doing handstands. And I was two people away from him, and I couldn't stop myself from thinking "Am I going to see some surprise dong in this class?" So I think that was kind of the extreme of my LA, I'm accidentally seeing a part of somebody's body that they may not have intended to show. So like, upper thigh is so okay.

Dara M Wilson:

Totally fine. I'm just coming from the conservative Bay, where it's always cloud covered, and everybody has to wear hoods at all times.

Yasmine Khan:

Let's throw in the Castro in there, just like hands on hips. Full out there.

Dara M Wilson:

Oh, and they had to pass some laws that were like if you're going to walk around with no pants on, at least put down a little rag when you want to sit. And that's a real thing that happens. That's a real thing that happens. Gosh I miss San Francisco. I love that place so much. Yasmine, do you want to get us a little bit into what we're going to be talking about today?

Yasmine Khan:

I mean, I'm just in the world of nakedness, and showing off a little more than you would, usually. And where do you usually do that. I like to go out of town for that.

Dara M Wilson:

It feels right.

Yasmine Khan:

I like to make sure all my regular people don't see all the side-boob. So today, our topic is ... saving for vacation. Or not saving for vacation, and seeing what happens.

Dara M Wilson:

So, we're just going to move right into the no judgment zone, the no, no, no, no, no, no judgment zone. That was a good one, I like that one. They change up every week, and we never know what's going to come out of us, but ...

Erin Ryan:

Oh, what a treat for your listeners.

Dara M Wilson:

I'm sure they love it. We're in this new studio, there are musical instruments around us, I feel like the muses are moving through me.

Yasmine Khan:

[inaudible] jazzy, I'm feeling like-

Dara M Wilson:

I am showing a little bit of vacation side-boob. Like I would never wear this shirt in the Bay, but it's all happening.

Yasmine Khan:

It's beautiful.

Dara M Wilson:

And there's no judgment, because ...

Yasmine Khan:

This is the segment where we share our own experiences with our weeks topics, without judging each other.

Dara M Wilson:

Ba ba ba.

Yasmine Khan:

Okay, I have a story. Many many years ago, 10 years ago, I decided, I was in grad school, and I was going to go Europe. I wanted to go to Europe.

Dara M Wilson:

Did you backpack in Europe?

Yasmine Khan:

No. No. My back does not allow for a pack. It's just a hostel only situation, or hotel only situation. And I bought a ticked that I could not afford on a credit card ... that's why I said ideally, you are saving for a vacation, you are not always. And right before I was supposed to go to the airport, I decided "You know what? I'm going to stop, and just have a little self-care time, pop in, get my nail color changed real quick, so I feel nice and fresh for this vacation." And ... I can't believe I'm telling this story. It's the worst. You guys, I missed the flight. I missed the flight.

Dara M Wilson:

Were you getting your nails done at the airport?

Yasmine Khan:

Very close to the airport.

Dara M Wilson:

Oh, but not inside the terminal, okay.

Yasmine Khan:

Not inside the terminal.

Dara M Wilson:

Oh I see.

Yasmine Khan:

I missed the flight, it was horrible. I had to call family, and do lots of ... because all the other things were paid for, and figure out a way to still get myself on the next flight.

Dara M Wilson:

Was this on the way there, or on the way back?

Yasmine Khan:

On the way there. It was ... because it was a sunk-cost at that point. Because I'd already reserved and put money for all the things I was going to do there, and I had the flight back already.

Erin Ryan:

Oh my god.

Yasmine Khan:

It was the worst, I just cried the whole way there.

Erin Ryan:

Was this during the days before you could angrily tweet at an airplane, and get them to do shit for you?

Yasmine Khan:

Yes, this was like 10 years ago. I don't think I even knew what a tweet was. It was around, I was just like ... I'm not an early adopter. I wait until other people walk through the fire, see what it looks like.

Erin Ryan:

Because if that happened now, you could feasibly be like "Hey Delta." Or whatever. "I just missed my flight, and you're making pay $5000." Or whatever, and then somebody DMs you.

Yasmine Khan:

Like guilt them, like socially guilt them.

Erin Ryan:

Right. And that's like the only thing that works though, because people are not nice at airports.

Yasmine Khan:

No, they really weren't. And I was still early for the flight, but I wasn't like an hour and a half early. I was like 45 minutes early. And they were like "This is not early enough for an international flight young woman." And it's just ... it was the worst. I still judge myself for this.

Dara M Wilson:

No, we are in the no judgment zone.

Yasmine Khan:

I know, I know. It's really hard.

Dara M Wilson:

No judgment allowed.

Erin Ryan:

I'm empathizing with how awful that must have felt. I'm not judging you getting your nails done.

Yasmine Khan:

The thing that felt the worst, was that I had to ask other people in my family to help me. And I had to ... and because I was in a state of urgency, I put them in a state of urgency. Which is just a shitty thing to do, and I don't feel good about it.

Dara M Wilson:

I thought you had done what I did, maybe a month ago. Also decided, get a quick little polish change ... or not even polish change, because I don't really keep my nails polished. I'm raggedy, I'm a mess, this is why I am on podcast, and not visual. And I was like "Oh my tails done!" and then I went back to my gate, and then I was in the ... what do you call it? The long hallway that leads to the plane?

Erin Ryan:

The terminal?

Dara M Wilson:

No.

Erin Ryan:

The hallway, the corridor?

Dara M Wilson:

Yeah, it's a corridor.

Yasmine Khan:

The sky gate?

Dara M Wilson:

Is that what it's called?

Yasmine Khan:

I think so.

Dara M Wilson:

It has like an accordion ...

Yasmine Khan:

The thing that makes you feel like you're going to fall ... yeah, where you're going fall through to the ground.

Erin Ryan:

Oh, it's like a walkway thing, okay.

Dara M Wilson:

Great.

Yasmine Khan:

Fake floor though, where you feel like you're going to die every time.

Dara M Wilson:

I don't share that, but I hear you. I was there, and I was feeling light, and that's the worst thing when you're traveling, where you're like oh, I feel too light. I have left something somewhere. And I was so prepared. I had my little sandals with me, because I knew I was going to do this thing when I have my layover. And then I left my real shoes, and my ring, and my glasses, like my prescription glasses, all at the place. I had to come out and tell the people who were checking in for the flight, I was like "Please, I got to get ... I need to get ... I left my stuff!" And then I had to run. And these stupid Croc flip flops are not made for running. So I'm running, and my feet are going all over the place, to go get my stuff. And the ladies were just standing there, like "Yeah girl, you left everything." And then run back, and barely made the flight. But you were outside the airport, you were saying.

Yasmine Khan:

I was outside. I was at the front, but yeah.

Erin Ryan:

Oh man. That's rough.

Yasmine Khan:

Join us in the circle of shame, Erin.

Dara M Wilson:

The circle of no shame.

Yasmine Khan:

We've warmed it up for you.

Dara M Wilson:

That's right.

Erin Ryan:

Okay. Well, let me think about a no shame kind of story. So just to preface this, when I was a kid, we didn't have a lot of money, and so ... we would go on vacations, because my parents still wanted us to learn about American history. So we would go to campgrounds in Gettysburg. Like, not Disney World. We did that sort of thing, where it's like what teachers do to their kids to make them feel intellectually superior, even though we were economically less than ...

Erin Ryan:

So we used to that a lot. And so, when I was a kid, I never got to enjoy any of the finer things. I never got to upgrade, I never knew what that was like, or anything like that. And so, being at a point, finally, in my 30s, when it was a sometimes thing that I could afford, it was like, oh my stars. So I went on a big trip, because I didn't have the ability, financially, to travel when I was in my 20s, but I always really wanted to. And I love hiking, and I love mountains, and I love the idea of going somewhere where none of my ancestors had ever been. Like seeing something that nobody who led to me had seen.

Erin Ryan:

So I wanted to go to the Himalayas, in Nepal. I got it in my head that that's what I was going to do. And I spent a year and a half planning it, and saving it. It started out as this 10 day trek that I was going to do, and then it ended up becoming like a six week thing. Yeah, it was a whole thing.

Erin Ryan:

But the thing that is a little bit judgment, I still think about this. But on the flight home from Kathmandu to New York at the time, I flew business class. Which was three months rent, it was so expensive. Like I paid for it, I remember I had to call my bank, to be like guys, I'm about to charge a lot of money to my debit card. I didn't have a credit card at the time. I just was finally at a point where I had enough money in my checking account, to do ... I could not afford this, but I really wanted to do it, because I was like I just want ... I feel like that is success, is flying home business from Kathmandu.

Erin Ryan:

And so, yeah I had to call them and be like "You need to let me pay X thousand dollars for this flight through Qatar Airways. It's going to seem like a strange charge, but trust me." And the back and forth between my bank, the airline, and me, ended up taking two hours of my day, because the bank was like "Are you ... No, that's not ..." and I would call Qatar, and they'd be like "No I'm sorry, your bank wouldn't pay for it." And I'd be like "Oh you guys." And it ended up being this really embarrassing two hour exercise in being reminded you can't afford this. But at that point, I was so determined to be like "I am going to do this!" That I ended up getting through it.

Erin Ryan:

And actually on the way back from Kathmandu, it was like Kathmandu to Doha. And in Doha, they have this business lounge that is insane. It's like glittering, and there's every food you can imagine, and then they have rooms that you can rent, to sleep in. And they wake you up before your flight, if you have to connect. So I had a layover in Doha, and it was this really cool experience and stuff.

Erin Ryan:

But the thing I remember most about the flight, and the thing that has ... apart from the sort of mild shame of being I really didn't have the money to do that, and I'm very lucky that I was gainfully employed, and very lucky that I ended up working in television, where I was ... because if what was waiting for me at the other end of that trip had been unemployment, I would have been fucked. Utterly fucked.

Erin Ryan:

But they did ... the thing that I liked the most about the flight, apart from everything, was that they give you pajamas. When you're flying business class international, on Qatar Airways, relatable content. They give you pajamas. They gave me a little top, which I don't know what happened to it, but I still have the Qatar Airways sweatpants, and I wear them all the time. And they're the most comfortable sweatpants I've ever owned. So that's my no judgment zone story.

Dara M Wilson:

No judgment.

Erin Ryan:

And now I'm going to go home and swim in my bin full of money, ala Scrooge McDuck.

Dara M Wilson:

Scrooge McDuck style.

Yasmine Khan:

I love though, the part where it's just like, they were like "No, really." And you were like "No, really."

Erin Ryan:

I'm doing this. I'm doing this.

Yasmine Khan:

I am the mistress of my own destiny.

Erin Ryan:

I'm in my 30s, I live in New York. This is what I do.

Dara M Wilson:

Yeah, you wanted them to enter the no judgment zone.

Erin Ryan:

Right, but they were just like "Are you sure? Are you ..."

Dara M Wilson:

"You're not sure."

Erin Ryan:

"You have tens of thousands of dollars of student loans. This seems like a little bit of a waste." Nope, want those free pajamas guys.

Dara M Wilson:

Oh my gosh, thousand dollar pajamas.

Erin Ryan:

There you go.

Dara M Wilson:

They're worth it. So yeah, we are this week, talking about saving for vacation. Let's dig in a little bit more to some facts about this week's topic.

Yasmine Khan:

So in past episodes, we've talked about trying to think about your money in terms of spending on things you need, versus things you want. Nerd Wallet recommends doing this 50-20-30 rationing. So that's like 50% ideally should go towards needs, 30% towards wants, and then the rest towards savings. If you choose to do this, you can pull from that 30% for your vacation.

Dara M Wilson:

What Nerd Wallet recommends is, before you are about to plan your vacation, not like I usually do, which is like, I said I was going to do this thing, how am I going to make it work? Research, add up your big ticket items like airfare, hotel, transportation while you're there, costs of the things you want to do, admissions to places and events, and food and drink, and shopping, it all adds up really quickly. So put all that together, divide the total cost that you come up with, by the number of months until the vacation. And if the amount you need save per month is under 30% of your income, you're cool.

Dara M Wilson:

If it's close, or if its over, what you can do is play with some changes to your trip. Go later, so you have more time to save, make the trip shorter, plan on doing different activities, etc, etc. Lastly, consider setting up a separate saving account for your vacation saving, and setting up an auto transfer that happens every time you get paid. I think we talk about this strategy a lot, it is something that seems so simple, but works so well for people. Just actually sucking the money away, getting it out of your bank balance, so you don't think of it as something to spend. It can be especially helpful when you're trying to save for this kind of big ticket item, like vacations.

Yasmine Khan:

I think it's nice to also think about it as something ... because often with money, we think about what we need right now. And if you think about, I'm doing a favor for my future self. Have you ever been really drunk at night, and you poured a glass of water-

Dara M Wilson:

No, never. I don't know what you're talking about.

Yasmine Khan:

You poured a glass of water for like, this is for my midnight self that's going to wake up very, very much in need of this hydration. Drunk self did a nice thing, for future self. When you're sucking money away, and you get that little bit of hmm, you can do that in this case. Where you're like, I'm not using this money for me right now, I'm using for my future self, for my vacation self. So that in the moment, when you're putting it away, which is not the sexiest, most fun thing to do. You're still getting a little bit of that mental itch for like, I'm doing something nice for myself.

Erin Ryan:

I actually kind of get a rush from doing that, from putting it away. Just because I went so long without being able to do that. Now when I see an alert from my bank that's like, a deposit hit your account. I immediately open up the app, and I transfer almost ... I keep my checking account balance at a certain amount, just ... it's an arbitrary amount, but I keep it at that amount, and then I transfer everything over that to my savings account. And it sort of feels like the feeling of buying something online. It's like you get this little dopamine like, yeah. And you can see your savings account balance just go up. And it's kind of cool.

Dara M Wilson:

I love that. I think, usually in my life, I am cursing past Dara. And I'm like "Dammit past Dara, why didn't you do the things you know I needed to do, instead of being kind to future Dara?" So this is like turning that around for me, I'm planning for getting out of some debt, and then maybe there's a vacation in my future. But that's the kind of rush that I'm getting right now, where I'm looking at that number go down, I'm like yeah, you take that. Like I'm punching that debt in the face. You tell Al-Qaeda.

Yasmine Khan:

When I see my student load go down, I feel that.

Erin Ryan:

I just paid mine off. Just paid it off, like a couple months ago. I actually-

Yasmine Khan:

Congratulations.

Erin Ryan:

Thank you. I paid it off the same week that I was scheduled to give a commencement address at a college. And I did it specifically so I could be like "I just paid my student loans off!" In front of a crowd, and have them cheer for me, because that's how I felt about it.

Yasmine Khan:

That's such justice.

Dara M Wilson:

I did feel like once you said it, I wish I could pull a ripcord, and have balloons come down.

Erin Ryan:

Because it's so anticlimactic when you pay down a debt, because it's just ... you just see the balance go from whatever it was, you know, $2000 to $0, and that's it. And then three weeks later you get an email maybe, that's like "Your account balance has hit 0." I got it from my student loan place, it's like "Congratulations, you've paid your student loans off." But it's like-

Dara M Wilson:

And you're like "Where's my parade?"

Erin Ryan:

Yeah, exactly. So just like ... I would say, when you pay something down, or you pay something off, the next time you're in a single serving social interaction, "I just paid off my credit card!" Even if it's like the cashier at Barns & Noble or whatever. If they have time to chit-chat, they'll be like "Congratulations." And that will give you a little dopamine too.

Dara M Wilson:

Yeah, we should celebrate things like that. I think that we talk a lot on the show about the shame that comes with money. And sometimes ... or a lot of times, I think, you don't hear people say "Oh, I paid of this debt." Because in the back of your head, you're like "Well now I'm admitting that I had this debt to pay down." But celebrate it, and let other people know that it's possible. We need to hear your happy stories, because it's hard out here.

Yasmine Khan:

It's mired in ... all the weight.

Dara M Wilson:

All the weight.

Yasmine Khan:

Of the dollar dollar bills. And not the Scrooge McDuck kind.

Erin Ryan:

But at the same time, having obligations makes you ... you're just like a lot of people. It's not like oh, the upside is you're relatable. That's not a great thing to be relatable about, but it means you're a normal person. And when you're walking around the world, you're surrounded by other normal people, who maybe one or two of them are not going through what you're going through, but almost all the rest of them are, or have. And so they get it. It's a way to feel a little less alone, I think.

Yasmine Khan:

Anything that'll give me a semblance of normalcy, I will go for. So maybe I just need to get more debt. Just kidding, this is not financial advice.

Dara M Wilson:

But that's why I say talking about it is important, and can be empowering for you, and empowering for the people around you. So that even if you didn't talk about it when you were in the situation, it's like oh yes, I was going through that, you're going through that, we are all going through it. We are all probably not supposed to take business class flights on Qatar Airlines, but we do it.

Erin Ryan:

Hey you know what, that experience was a sort of optimistic move on my part. Not that I wanted that to be my entire future life, but-

Dara M Wilson:

But you're betting on yourself.

Erin Ryan:

Yeah, I wanted to be just be like this is me, doing something that I've always wanted to do, and it's not going to be the last time I do something that I've always wanted to do. But I just need to remind myself why I'm working. I'm working so that .... you know, there's a whole world out there, and there's a whole bunch of experiences that I haven't had yet, and I want to have. And there's nothing stopping me from having them, as long as I'm disciplined about trying to get there.

Erin Ryan:

Now the flight itself, not a disciplined move. But overall, what the trip ended up doing for me, was helping me think okay, you got this. You're a person who can do this. You can plan, you can save, you can go on a dream vacation, you can not die in the mountains. It was a really cool experience. And so, even though I couldn't necessarily afford it, I didn't go into debt for it, and it ended up being such a good thing for me. Maybe the best thing I've ever done for myself, I think. Besides getting an IUD. That was another [crosstalk 00:27:09].

Yasmine Khan:

That's actually a really good one, too.

Erin Ryan:

That's a really good one.

Yasmine Khan:

It's right up there with the Himalayas.

Erin Ryan:

It's the Himalayas of not being pregnant.

Dara M Wilson:

It's a good financial move, long term. That's thinking about future you.

Yasmine Khan:

Mental health, financial health. So many things.

Dara M Wilson:

That's right.

Yasmine Khan:

I think vacation has a little ... like this particular episode, makes me feel a little more uh, okay. As I'm an indulgent person, and because vacation is, by definition, an indulgent thing, I have to try really hard to exercise discipline.

Erin Ryan:

Are you Catholic?

Dara M Wilson:

No.

Yasmine Khan:

Oh no, my mom's Catholic.

Erin Ryan:

See, that just seems to me, to be a very Catholic ... like somebody raised alongside, or with Catholicism, like a way to think about things. Like if you experience pleasure, there has to be its commensurate pain.

Yasmine Khan:

Yeah. Well it's the same ... it actually makes perfect sense with Catholicism, because it's also like "You should be disciplined. But also check out all our gold!"

Erin Ryan:

Blessed are the poor! Bling bling!

Yasmine Khan:

Yeah, there is a bit of a back and forth, that I feel. If my husband was here, he'd be rolling his eyes so far back in his head, that he would no longer have eyes, because he's just like "You are insane. You practice no discipline." And I'm like "You have no idea how much restraint I am exercising right now, by not getting that extra add-on for this service right now." Because there's a part of my brain that just kind of turns off when I'm like "I'm on vacation!" Like yolo, whatever. And I have to really try hard.

Erin Ryan:

You know, that is ... I never quite realized it until you articulated it, but I think that I have some problems with indulgence as well. And in order to compensate for that, what I do in the run up to a big vacation is, I have that month be a lean month. And I'm not talking like food, necessarily. I'm talking about I'm not really drinking very much, if at all. I'm not ... I just came back from Italy, on a trip with my future in-laws. But the month before, we didn't drink, we barely went out, we were saving our money, sort of ... cooking-

Dara M Wilson:

Saving your energy?

Erin Ryan:

Yeah, cooking at home, getting a lot of rest, making sure that we were healthy enough to enjoy vacation fully. And in the past, I've done a similar thing, where it's like, I'm not going shopping this month, I'm not going out, I'm not bar hopping. You know, when I was younger, it was like I'll go out to one place, and if people are going to leave and go to a second location, or a third location, I'm not. I'm out. After the first location, I'm done.

Yasmine Khan:

You'd never go to a second location?

Erin Ryan:

Never [crosstalk] it's a very important lesson in life.

Dara M Wilson:

Never go to a second location. Don't let them take you there. Punch out that back taillight on the car. Don't go to a second location.

Erin Ryan:

Do not go to a second location.

Dara M Wilson:

Safety tips guys.

Erin Ryan:

But I think like, kind of dialing it back in the run up, if it's something that you've had to budget for, and that you've been planning for. Get yourself financially healthy enough, and emotionally healthy and mentally healthy, physically health enough, that you can actually enjoy what you're doing. And that will end up helping you save money too.

Yasmine Khan:

I think it's also so much ... it feels so much better to be proactive about it. Because we'll do that too, we'll be like, I'm not going out to eat this weekend, because we've got that thing coming up. Feels so much more ... Just adult, to do that, rather than on the other side of it, be like I guess we're not doing anything, because we have no more money. We just spent it all. Even though it's like, you're doing it on one side of the equation either way, but doing it ahead of time just feels cleaner.

Dara M Wilson:

Yeah, because you also don't want to end being like, ugh I need a vacation from my vacation. Because that's why I feel like I usually end up, where I'm like barely making it to vacation, and then slogging through it once I get there, because I've just finally finished everything at work. And then having to go right back to work, and be like, but I didn't really get what I needed out of this.

Erin Ryan:

The work thing is interesting too, because I think as Americans, we have a really fucked up relationship with work, and time off. And while vacations cost money, they also cost time. That a lot of times, you have to save that time up with your employer too. When I took my giant trip, my six week trip, I strategically planned it. I had my tickets booked and everything, and then I got a new job. And when I took the new job, I was like "Just so you know, I'm going to be gone for six weeks, and here are some options, I'm happy to take unpaid leave, I'm happy to keep my insurance, and file a few things." So I had the trip planned, and it was a factor into when I had a job. And if that hadn't been something that had been in play, I wouldn't have been able to do it at all.

Dara M Wilson:

Yeah, planning ahead. Which actually leads us-

Yasmine Khan:

All grown up.

Dara M Wilson:

Which actually leads us nicely into our action item. I need a song.

Yasmine Khan:

Action. Item. No. That's a bad one, lets do it over.

Dara M Wilson:

No, no, no. I love it.

Erin Ryan:

That was kind of cool.

Dara M Wilson:

Each week, we give you a simple thing you can do right away to get better at money, and this week your action item is to use Nerd Wallet's calculator to plan your vacation. They make it super easy, we'll link to it in the show notes. Another shout out for the show notes, look at the show notes, we're doing so much research, read these things that we are linking to, please. But seriously, for this one, it's all of the work you could do doing it on your own, they literally lay it out for you, and it's so easy to use. So I highly recommend using that.

Yasmine Khan:

Guess what time it is?

Dara M Wilson:

What time is it?

Yasmine Khan:

It was ...

Dara M Wilson:

... Worth it.

Yasmine Khan:

Yeah. It was worth it is a segment where Dara laughs. Where each of us shares something we spent money on in the past week, that we actually feel was worth the money. Dara, what was worth it?

Dara M Wilson:

I believe we said that you were going to start this time. Yeah, what was worth it for you, Yasmine?

Yasmine Khan:

So it's summer, going on vacation, spent some time with my family, we went to a lake. And I have nice sunglasses, and I realize these are not safe at the lake. These are not safe at the lake. And there's a part of my brain that's like ... we have a thing in my house, we like to not have too much stuff.

Dara M Wilson:

And you say we, but really you mean your husband.

Yasmine Khan:

Yeah, I mean Greg. He's German, he has a very minimalist ... it's a constant struggle. And so, I just went and bought some cheap sunglasses that were like, these are lake sunglasses. If they fall in the lake, it's fine. If they get scratched, if my niece steps on them, whatever, it's fine. It's a throwaway $10, but it's actually protecting my nice sunglasses, so it was worth it.

Dara M Wilson:

[crosstalk]

Yasmine Khan:

I bought them, I did it, it was ...

Dara M Wilson:

Abada, adidit.

Yasmine Khan:

I did it, I did it, I did it. And I used them, and it was great. And I still have them, and maybe I'll use them the next time I'm on a trip where I could lose things. I'm really good with my spatial and object reasoning at home, but when I leave town, it just goes to shit.

Dara M Wilson:

Everything goes away.

Erin Ryan:

I do that with my keys. I'll go on vacation, and I'll put my house key ... I'll be like, I'll never need these again, and I'll put them in a pocket that's just in my luggage, and then when I'm coming back, I'm like "Oh, no, where did I put them?" And I have to dig through everything.

Dara M Wilson:

I have to live in the street now.

Erin Ryan:

Right.

Yasmine Khan:

Because you're out of your routine.

Erin Ryan:

Right.

Yasmine Khan:

You don't have that little place that ... yeah. How about you? What was your it was worth it, Erin?

Erin Ryan:

So, this is ... Again, right now I'm not in a full time job, my writers room ended last month, and I'm just doing my podcast, and working on my own projects. Which means I am alone all the time, which means I'm driving myself crazy, which means I'm cooking a lot for myself. The other day, I got it in my head that I wanted to make beef carnitas. I had bought all the ingredients, and then I saw in the recipe that you need a pressure cooker. And I was like "I don't have a pressure cooker. You know what? I'm going to get an Instant Pot." So I got in my car, I drove up La Brea, to the little Target there in west Hollywood, and I bought an Instant Pot. It was like 99 bucks I think? Took it home, and made carnitas, and they were amazing! Amazing! It took like 45 minutes, what could have taken 10 hours, in a-

Yasmine Khan:

Really?

Erin Ryan:

Yeah. It was so ... it was unbelievably fast. And they were like fall apart good. They were so, so, so good. And it was a night that I was prepping for my podcast, so I'm listening to things, researching, and cooking, and thinking, and getting my thoughts in order. And my fiancé is like "Oh you cooked carnitas on the night we're not together? I see. Cool, cool." But I love the ... I am so shocked at how much I love the Instant Pot. It's like super easy to use, it's a very scary piece of equipment, but it doesn't seem scary as you're working with it. It's great.

Yasmine Khan:

People who have love it. And I'm jaw on the ground, because I, on my afore mentioned trip, made carnitas, but we did it the old-fashioned way. It took eight hours. So long.

Erin Ryan:

45 minutes.

Yasmine Khan:

Juicy, juicy meat is so worth it though.

Erin Ryan:

You have to brown them in the skillet and everything, but then you just throw them in there with some broth, and ...

Dara M Wilson:

They call it an Instant Pot for a reason.

Yasmine Khan:

They do.

Erin Ryan:

So [crosstalk]

Yasmine Khan:

Everyone who has one is like, raves about it. It's like a cult, so I'm a little bit trepidatious.

Erin Ryan:

Yeah, I mean we are going on a sex retreat later, me and my Instant Pot. You're welcome to come.

Yasmine Khan:

Oh, that's so kind of you. Dara do you want to come to my sex cult? Just kidding. I'm sure it was worth it.

Dara M Wilson:

Oh my gosh, you know I'll follow you anywhere Yasmine. My it was worth it for this week, I talked about it at the top of the show, the skirt that I'm wearing from Rent The Runway. They have a monthly box, there's a lot of rental box for normal clothes that you can use. It's on the more expensive side, so I pause it very often, unless I feel like I need something. But I was like "I'm going on this trip, I'm going to LA, I don't feel like anything fits me." And I was like, okay. I'm turning it on, I'm getting some stuff, and I'm going to feel good. And I feel good.

Yasmine Khan:

You look good.

Dara M Wilson:

Leg is out whenever it wants to be. And I didn't have any stress. So yeah, it was worth it. Please, don't look up the price.

Erin Ryan:

You know, a lot of people ... I used to do CNN and MSNBC back in New York, and if you're doing cable news all the time, almost every woman who does it uses Rent The Runway. Because you can't have like 50 dresses in jewel-tone colors in your ... it's ridiculous thing to expect anyone to have, but if you repeat your outfits, people get pissed, which is weird.

Dara M Wilson:

In 2017, I was doing a podcast that also showed a video feed, on Free Speech TV's tiny little TV station. But still, it meant that people were looking at me, 4 days a week, every week. That's when I first started doing the ... I think I was doing La Tote at the time. Or maybe another one. But I was like, I don't have enough clothes to satisfy this lifestyle.

Erin Ryan:

Yeah, but it's also so weird. Why do I need to give you the illusion that I have infinite clothes? Like why is that important?

Dara M Wilson:

There was a big thing about, with Tiffany Haddish, because over one award season, she had this white dress or something, that she kept wearing. And she was like "Yeah, because I got a nice white dress."

Yasmine Khan:

She's like "It costs almost $2000." And she got applause every time she wore it, because she was like "I'm going to recycle this piece of clothing." I think about that a lot on TV shows. I'm like where are the repeat outfits? At least it's like-

Dara M Wilson:

Where's your favorite sweater?

Yasmine Khan:

Yeah.

Erin Ryan:

Sometimes I'll see clothing that I recognize from browsing online shopping, and I'll be like why are you a teacher wearing Rag and Bone? Tell me, how are you affording this?

Dara M Wilson:

There are websites dedicated to telling you what people are wearing on certain television shows, especially the ones where ... especially the ones where fashion plays a really big part so in like ...

Yasmine Khan:

Empire?

Dara M Wilson:

`Scandal, Empire, what's her other ...

Yasmine Khan:

Mini Project does a lot there.

Dara M Wilson:

Yeah. You can go on ... because there will be times when somebody's wearing a jacket, you're just like, I got to have that jacket. Where is ... or at least, I need to see it, so I can go visit it every once in a while, because really I can't afford it. But also, she doesn't have any money in the show, how come she has it?

Erin Ryan:

Why is she wearing a Valentino coat? Did she steal it? Why isn't the show about that?

Dara M Wilson:

Where's that backstory?

Erin Ryan:

It's just about a woman, who steals really expensive clothes. She has a normal life

Dara M Wilson:

And nobody knows.

Erin Ryan:

She has a normal life.

Dara M Wilson:

Nobody knows.

Erin Ryan:

I want to see the stealing [crosstalk]

Dara M Wilson:

That's right, and I want see the threat.

Yasmine Khan:

And burns it, because you never see it again.

Erin Ryan:

Exactly.

Dara M Wilson:

She immediately throws it away. Who needs this $3000 coat. Yasmine was gesturing before, because she's got some jewelry, like you've heard of doorknocker earrings, get ready, these are literally doorknockers.

Yasmine Khan:

There's a show with Drew Barrymore, where she turns into a zombie. And as part of her ... Santa Clarita Diet and as part of them demonstrating that she's a fierce new woman, she's always wearing this big bad gold jewelry. And I love gold jewelry. It's my tone, it's that ... and she has these earrings, and one where it looks like a doorknocker.

Dara M Wilson:

It's literally a doorknocker.

Yasmine Khan:

And it's a lion, holding a doorknocker. And I went online, and went to that website, and I'm like, this is my ensemble for the whole summer. It was not expensive, it was surprisingly unexpensive. And I love it.

Dara M Wilson:

It was worth it.

Yasmine Khan:

Yeah, it was so worth it.

Dara M Wilson:

We're still in it was worth it. But I don't know what happened.

Yasmine Khan:

But I'm like, I am zombie lady all year long. I'm just going to live in that space.

Dara M Wilson:

Well, I think that's about it for us, thank you so much Erin, for being here.

Erin Ryan:

Thank you guys, this was really fun. I'm enjoying this.

Dara M Wilson:

Good, I'm glad. Let people know where they can find you, and if you have anything to plug, now's the time.

Erin Ryan:

Well this week, I'm on Love It Or Leave It, which you can find on iTunes and all that. And every Thursday, there's a new episode of Hysteria. And also, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia returns in September.

Yasmine Khan:

Yeah.

Dara M Wilson:

Cool. Thank you so much.

Erin Ryan:

Thanks.

Yasmine Khan:

Thank you. That's our show. You can catch us back here, every single Tuesday. If you like the podcast, show that support. Rate us, leave us a great review wherever you're listening to this right now, and make sure you subscribe. So you in never ever ever ever ever ever miss an episode, because we want to be near you.

Dara M Wilson:

Send us your stories, questions and ideas for future episodes, we would love to hear your lovely voice. I hope you sound like that. Here's how to send it to us. First, record a voice memo on your phone. Kick it off by telling us your first time, where you are, or you can remain anonymous. Then, share your story, or question, or comment, in around 30 seconds or so. Take that whole thing, attach it to a email, and send that email to, hi@moneyhahapod.com. That is hi@moneyhahapod.com.

Yasmine Khan:

Follow us, tweet us, @moneyhahapod on Twitter and Instagram. Dara is @darawilson on Twitter, and I am @yasminek on Instagram. Money Ha Ha is a production of the Even App, learn more at even.com

Dara M Wilson:

It's hosted by me, Dara M Wilson.

Yasmine Khan:

And me, Yasmine Khan.

Dara M Wilson:

Our executive producer is Jane Leibrock.

Yasmine Khan:

Our producers Phil Surkis.

Dara M Wilson:

Our designer is Allison Chan.

Yasmine Khan:

Our social media manager is Nicole Maltrotti.

Dara M Wilson:

Our production manager is Adejoke Adegoke. And our theme music is Money, by Antique Naked Soul. Until next week, have a nice life.

Yasmine Khan:

Until next week, have a nice life.

Intro:

(Music)

Yasmine Khan:

No, we really mean it, go have a nice life, or vacation. Be nice. See you.

Dara M Wilson:

[inaudible] we love you.