Discussing our Jan 2026 expenses and leaving Facebook скачать в хорошем качестве

Discussing our Jan 2026 expenses and leaving Facebook

Stop Lifestyle Creep: Expense Audit Wins, Cutting Amazon & Facebook, and Planning Early Retirement in France | Josh & Elliot Josh and Elliot discuss Josh hearing his own listener email quoted on the ChooseFI episode “Stop Lifestyle Creep with the Expense Audit,” where he compared finding “money leaks” to cleaning out a junk drawer. Josh shares how reviewing Q4 expenses helped uncover about $400/month in subscriptions and other leaks, and why periodic audits matter as habits slip over time. They compare January spending and savings rates: Josh reports about $4,000 in core spending plus another $4,000 travel payment for a future trip, highlighting how “lumpy” expenses can make a single month look high. Elliot shares a January savings rate of 54.2%, total spend just under $8,300 on a little over $18,000 take-home, noting a large FSA reimbursement related to children’s tuition and a $1,000+ plumbing repair. They review top spending categories like groceries and food/drink, with Josh citing $1,470 in January groceries due to inflation and choosing higher-quality food, and they discuss categorization challenges (Walmart/Target trips). The conversation shifts to reducing “shopping bucket” leaks by cutting Amazon Prime, including issues with Prime re-billing after pausing, workarounds for occasional purchases, and alternatives like local stores, libraries, and eBay for used books. Elliot explains cutting ties with Facebook as part of “cutting allegiance to the billionaires,” emphasizing group dependence, digital minimalism habits, reduced compulsive checking, and the downside of missing major life updates without social media. They also talk about Facebook Marketplace and Messenger friction, YouTube as primary entertainment and research (including content about moving to France), and end by previewing a future topic: portfolio drawdown strategies versus accumulation as Elliot approaches a potential move to France and early retirement, referencing Frank Vasquez’s drawdown research and Carl from “MR. 1500.” 00:00 ChooseFI Money Leaks 03:07 Savings Rate Math 04:04 January Spending Review 09:09 Groceries and Inflation 12:10 Amazon Prime Friction 13:30 Buying Without Amazon 16:51 eBay Book Hack 18:50 Quitting Facebook 22:12 Notifications and Attention 30:59 YouTube as Entertainment 34:01 France and Drawdown Plans 37:20 Wrap Up and Thanks Any of these products help the show. Thanks for your support! Mint Mobile - We both use ⁠Mint Mobile⁠ and save a ton on our phone plan: ⁠https://fbuy.me/vgAmz⁠ ⁠Empower⁠ is Josh’s choice for Net Worth and Budgeting Wanna create a podcast? We use ⁠Descript⁠ Looking for a new credit card? We’re big fans of ⁠Chase⁠ ⁠Buy Us a Coffee⁠ - One time donation or monthly, it’s up to you Want to save money on gas? Try ⁠Upside!⁠ Books mentioned in this episode: