She's On The Money - April Hélène-Horton on Self Love & Sustainability!

Episode Date: March 21, 2024

Prepare for takeoff, cause this episode is so uplifting! One of our FAVE friends of the show, the effervescent April Hélène-Horton aka The Bodzilla joins us today. April is a writer, public speaker, actor and model and joins Jess and Bec to talk climate care, body positivity, and generally spark joy for your Friday! As ever they also share your money wins and losses, talk broke tips. Plus this week's money dilemma is about the extra cost of plus size clothing, and our D.M is about traveling with a friend with a different budget Listen back to April on this past episode here! Acknowledgement of Country By Natarsha Bamblett aka Queen Acknowledgements. The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs.  Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708,  AFSL - 451289.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello, my name is Natasha Nabanunga-Bamblett. I'm a proud Yorta Yorta, Kernai, Wolperi and Awadjeri woman. And before we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this podcast is recorded on Awadjeri country, acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through. As this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and the storytelling of you to make a difference for today and lasting impact for tomorrow. Let's get into it. She's on the money. She's on the money.

Hello and welcome to She's on the Money, the podcast of people who want financial freedom. Today is Friday, which means it's time to get the team together and celebrate you, the incredible She's on the Money community. Today we'll be sharing our favourite money wins, we'll be helping to answer a juicy money dilemma, which this week is all about inclusive sizing and the varying prices, and we unpack something you slid into our DMs about, which this week is all about when you're travelling with a friend and you realise that your budgets may not align. This one's going to be juicy, I'm very excited for it. I know. I can't wait, Bec. And today is very exciting because we are joined by a very well

loved friend of the show. You guys have probably heard from her before. If you came to our book tour last year, I was going to say it's been longer than that. 2022, I think is when we realized. We have the beautiful April joining us. You might know us as the Bodzilla April. Hi. Hello. How are you both? Hi. I'm so excited to have you here because anyone who has listened to that episode, because we did record the podcast that you joined us for, knows that you are just such a ray of sunshine.

Oh, thank you. I think that was one of the most fun nights. We really just had the best time. It was loose. Lots of laughs on and off stage, I feel. 100%. Now, April, some of you may know her. She's a body acceptance and fat positive lady.

In addition, she is a writer. She's a podcaster. She's a public speaker. She works in corporate comms. What can't she do? She does it all, literally. I can't think of a single thing. And she is one of the funniest humans I've ever met as well.

Do you want to tell everyone a little bit about yourself? Yeah, sure, absolutely. Well, I mean, aside from all of those things, I guess I would also say I'm a mum and so that takes up, you know, a fair bit of time and that's the stuff you kind of don't see. That's really, you know, I suppose when you look at what people post online versus what is actually happening in their life, sometimes you don't have to share everything.

And so for me, yeah, being a mum is a big part of that but I get to travel a lot and spend a lot of time doing cool things like this and that's, I think that's really fun because it lets my child see that parents also have a life outside of parenting, which is a really important thing for them to see. But, yeah, so I definitely think I'll take all those titles, write a podcast, and why not? Absolutely.

I'm here. I've got headphones on. I don't think you can really argue with that. No, and she's in her money era. We were talking about this. I am in my money era. Very exciting. Before we get into it, how was everybody's week this week?

April, you go first, please. Oh, me? How was my week? Well, it's been great. So I spent the weekend in Brisbane with a bunch of my gal pals. We were at a cute little PR event for a brand that we love. Fun. Yes, a gorgeous inclusive clothing brand.

And then, yeah. What brand is that? Vagary, the label. Amazing. Owned by the beautiful Rachel. Just honestly, it's flowy, it's beautiful, I'm obsessed and also it's fun because Rachel told a story about how she has people telling her that they thought

the name was Vagary, which I mean. Not what you want to hear as a business founder. I kind of like that name. Well, I had someone slide into my DMs and say, because I'd tagged the label, and say, oh, I thought it might have been like, you know, a product for yoo-hoo-ha, I said, well, the clothes are light and flowy and made from cotton-type fabrics, so, like, it is kind of vaguely.

For yoo-ha, yeah, absolutely. Which was not where I expected any of those conversations to go. So, yeah, and then, you know, back to work midweek. And now I'm here on my day off because we love a part-time work agreement and here I am hanging out with you both. Oh, I'm so excited that you're on it. I know. Very, very fun.

What a slay. Oh, don't start Victoria with the word slay. She's not here, so someone's got to say it. Someone's got to carry the load. Did she tell you to do this? Actually, no, which is just yet more proof that we're all so perfectly matched for each other. Definitely, definitely.

How's your week been, Bec? My week has been absolutely lovely, just basking in the sometimes sun, still going to the gym, which is something that I never thought I'd stick to, but I also don't want to speak too soon because any second now I feel like I'm going to have one one-minute break that will last an entire lifetime. So I am worried about that.

But otherwise, honestly, just chilling. What about you? Yeah, same. I think just working. I've been enjoying all of the baby photos, beginning from VD, just kind of plodding along. It's getting chilly now, which is, you know, not my fave. Starting to think about planning a vacay, hopefully.

Okay. We'll see. Somewhere warm, I think, because I'm not good with the cold. Yeah. But TBC, haven't figured it out just yet. Sure, go Noosa. Yeah, my week's been good, but I've got some really good money wins to share with you guys.

Okay. If you'd like to hear them. No, thanks. I don't know. I think, yeah, maybe. Well, I'm going to do it anyway. She's such a rebel. It was a rhetorical question. My first money win this week comes from Lauren who said, money win. I finally made it to 5k in my emergency fund, which I've been struggling to get to for two years now. Money loss. We just

found out we need to contribute an extra 5k to my body corporate for an urgent repaint of the property due to flaking paint, letting moisture in. But at least I have the emergency fund for it now. Well, congratulations and sorry to hear. We'll kick up the pants when that happens. It's like, oh, exactly like that. Yeah, exactly. That's exactly what it's there for, but also very sad when you have to use it.

But now you know you can do it, so you can just do it again. Yes. Absolutely. 100%. Now I've got a money win from Maddie who said, money win. I've been using the 7-Eleven app to score $15 off of fuel through the fuel lock function. Such a shame they're restricting the discount as of this week. I don't know what that's about.

So you can, I think it's, you can look at the app and see what the fuel price is and lock it in. Yes. Which obviously you risk the biscuits because what if it goes down? True. But like any kind of thing you're locking in, interest rates, et cetera, I think sometimes you just got to go, I'm going to jump in. So then you can lock it in.

And then I don't really understand the actual process, but I did read about that because I remember there's lots of confers about fuel kind of over the last few years. So expensive. I paid like $2 something this week and I really cried. But when I used to think that it was like $1.30, I'd be like, no, wait for it to go down. Totally. I can't remember the last time.

what was $1.30? I was young enough to remember when fuel was under a dollar and they used to report it on the radio every morning and it had gone to 95 cents and everyone was in a furore. Oh my goodness. That makes it so much worse. I'm older than both of you by quite some term. You wouldn't know. You wouldn't know at all. Next, I've got a money win from Lucy who said, I got $200 worth of LSKD for $18. I found a discount code for 15% off and then another 8.5% return using Shopback, and I had approximately $130 in cash back to withdraw, which I put towards the purchase. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

I love this. I'm a Shopback girlie. Same. Yes, same. I love it. And this is, I really, I said I was in my money era the other day. I looked at the direct hotel booking website and how much it was, and then booking on booking.com through Shopback, and went like, do I actually save money if I think I'm going to get this

much back? Like I did a whole, there's maths, there's lots of equations flying around. Imagine it. Can you believe it? one of those movies where they're, like, looking at the board and there's, like, ding, ding, ding, ding. Yeah. I was going to say, was it Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush?

I don't know. It was someone. I'm sure they've all said it all. They knew who I mean. I was actually thinking Zach Galifianakis with the, you know, the. That's what I was picturing. Yes. That's me, big beard.

I've got a money win here from Steph who said her birthday is Friday. So she's been receiving all of the birthday emails and discounts and free coffees and free food from businesses which we love and a big happy birthday to you, Steph. Big happy birthday to you. Then I've got one from Mia who said, I sanded, primed and painted four pieces of dated furniture. The paint and equipment cost me about $40,

but the savings to get a new desk and coffee table and side table would have been well over $500. Amazing. And nothing going to landfill. We love. Yes, we do love that. Good for you, sis. And now that she knows she can do it, when she's over that, change it.

Exactly. I love a DIY moment. And then lastly this week, I've got a win from Kaylee who said money win. I had $115 in unpaid tolls. This one's for you, Bec. But I called them up and explained that I was on a holiday and didn't realise that they were all separate bills. I thought it was just additional letters that were being sent while I was gone

and they wiped all the admin fees so now I only have to pay $38. Oh, that's so good. A little bit of a moment for calling instead of emailing. So brave. I just, honestly, because I have so many friends who are like, oh, no, I'll just, do you know what? I'll just pay it. I was like, oh, no.

And also because I've worked on the other side being customer service, not in that particular scenario, but actually I quite like helping people. So if I have the ability to do it, why wouldn't I just be like, oh, no, don't worry. Yeah. I want to make your day. And when you're nice to customer service people, they'll be nice to you. So true. That is so true for everyone listening.

If you're mean to customer service people, they probably are going out of their way to not help you. So. Potentially. Absolutely. As someone who worked in customer service, I can neither confirm nor deny. Me too, me too, me too. Actually, I can't confirm or deny.

Zip. Did you have a money win at all this week, April, that you could share? Yes. As I said, I've said a couple of times now, I'm in my money era. This week I opened a savings account. Very exciting little online savings account moment. I have decided that I'm trying to save for a goal and so I went online and I actually had a look at a few accounts.

Of course, She's On The Money Girl means that I was like, I won't just open the first one I see. Love it. Looked at what the actual account offered in terms of, you know, the interest rate but also the terms. So whether I could put money in, take it out, because obviously I'm a flexible gal. I want to be able to do what I need to do.

And found the one that suited me best and opened it and put money in it straight away. Amazing. Well done. Good for you, babe. And I set up a direct debit so that it goes in every week. Oh, very good. With my payroll.

I was on a roll that day. Automation just makes me feel tingly. that's a word that i will associate with you forever tingly tingly but also automated but tingly now forever will be i don't know why i thought that was okay moving along have you got some broke tips i do have some broke tips so one from the community one for myself and i thought i would reserve the the third place for yourself april if you have I actually have a really fun one. Amazing.

Okay, perfect. So the first one comes from Kiara who says that adding a can of lentils and grated veggies to casserole meals, spag bol, shepherd's pie, pasta bakes, et cetera, it kind of like doubles the feed. So it's like, you know, spend like a dollar on a can of lentils, chuck it in. That kind of doubles or quadruples it in some cases. I mean, I don't want to be crazy,

but it can really extend the longevity of your food. And I think that's a great idea, especially if you're like kind of clutching at pennies and you can't afford to feed like maybe a whole family or just yourself for the week, you know? I totally love this one. I'm more of a like half mince, half red kidney beans girlie when I do Mexican.

Yes. It's also like I feel like it's good protein. Getting some veggies in there, no one notices because it's all the same colour. Hidden veg. Happy days. Hidden veg. And totally it's like the cost of the meat versus, you know, that.

And if you wanted to go the whole way, you could just do it all beans. Could do. They're delicious. So, yeah, and for vegetarian people it's like when you have someone over, you don't have to be like, oh, you've got a separate plate. It's like we're all eating a few less meat, a few more veggie. That's always good. We love that.

Yeah, that's a win-win-win-win, I would say. I like the idea of grading too. Like if you get one of those odd bunch bags of, you know, you can get like the $1 whatever at Coles where it's the misshapen carrots or something like that that you couldn't necessarily easily chop up. But if you just grade it and chuck it in. Yeah, totally. And then the poor, sad little fruits that everyone thinks are ugly.

Yeah. I really feel for them. We need a bit of fruit positivity there. Yeah, absolutely. We need an advocate for those guys. Well, that's me. I'm there with my, I've got zucchinis, carrots, and then also sometimes avocados.

I'm like, how can you, you can't judge an avocado. You can't. Then you cut it open and it's mostly seed and you're like, yeah, okay, well. I'll let you away with it this time, okay? Yeah. Ten of them for my bowl of guacamole. Totally, for one tablespoon.

Delish. And my broke tip of this week, I caught up with an old friend literally yesterday and I, it was a bit awkward because I was making a joke. I was like, who in the world still uses Groupon? And she was like, I do. I said, oh, I'm so sorry. But she really did enlighten me.

I was humbled this day because she said that you can get anything on there and so much cheaper. And I forgot that this thing existed really. But she was like, you know, she gets $10 event movie tickets instead of going and paying like sometimes $28, like someplace they have paid that much. And so my broke tip for this week is do have a browse on Groupon. I'm going to eat my words.

I'm going to say go on Groupon, have a look what's there. You might be surprised. You might find some cheap restaurant vouchers, some cheap movie tickets. Just have a browse. Have a peruse. I used to always love when I was younger the massages on there because they would usually do really cheap massages.

I haven't looked at it in about 10,000 years. I know. Because I don't live, you know, obviously I live in Canberra and so that means that for me Groupon options are slightly limited because we definitely don't have the kind of metropolitan vibes that when I lived in Sydney, I found Groupon was more useful because I had way more options. True.

So Groupon, if you're listening, expand the options in Canberra, thanks. There you go. Let us know. We'll work with you. We'll make it happen. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, that's it for me. April, I feel like maybe you have a good one and I'm very excited to hear it.

I do have a good one. So I collect the cans at home. My son is nearly seven and he told me a couple of weeks ago, Mum, I really want to go to Italy, which I was like, how do you even know that Italy exists? what are they teaching you at school? Geography? And so he said, I really want to go to Italy and throw a coin in the pond. And I was sort of like, for a second, also not knowing much about Italy going into the world. Oh, and I said, do you mean the Trevi Fountain? He

said, yes, the Trevia Fountain, because children never quite say the thing that they're trying to say. And I said, okay, well, and I kind of looked and I went, what about if we save all of these cans and then we take them to the return and earn, which I knew that he would just find that, you know, whole process really fun. Automation baby. Love it. We're back at that. Absolutely. And we'll save all your cans and then you get to keep the money. So it's your job to collect the cans from around the house where I'm always leaving them after I finish drinking them. Collect the cans and we'll take them. So we did that and we returned his first lot of cans and he got $6.50. So I've told him that it's going to take him approximately 50 years

to return enough cans to get a trip to Italy. What he doesn't know is that I'm basing that on a figure that includes airfares and accommodation for me and his dad as well. So probably only 12 and a half years if he wants to go on his own. But given that he'll only be about 19, surely he wants to take his mum with him when he's 19. First trip to Europe, mum, come on, let's go. And so hopefully, yes, that will set him on the right path

to understand about saving. I put it into his account, showed him that I'd put it in there. It was super easy. Well, it went to my PayPal and I was able to show him. I'm like, look, I'm putting that money in for you. And so that's his little fortnightly thing that he gets to do. That's so cute. I love that.

That is very sweet. And what a great way to teach financial literacy at a young age. Thank you. I must say the Italian in me is rolling at the Trevi Fountain being called the pond. You're like, it's not. That is iconic. I actually didn't know it was called that either until right now. So I'm sitting here laughing, but I'm also like, I totally get where he's coming from.

Okay, let's go for a really quick break. And on the other side, we will discuss Money Dilemma. The Money Dilemma. Welcome back, everybody. We're doing our special episode with our guest, April Haleen Horton, the Vodzilla. Let's take a listen to this week's Money Dilemma. Hi there.

Have you got a money dilemma you just can't solve? The She's On The Money team is here to help. Every week, we tackle your dilemmas, both big and small, to answer your most burning money, career and life questions. To get involved, simply head to our website and leave us a short voice recording and you might just find yourself on the show. Now let's take a listen to this week's Money Dilemma. Hey girls, for context, I'm a plus size girly, a very proud one at that. Recently, I went on a trip to Bali and noticed that the larger the size, the more expensive the item was. I tried not to

overreact, but when I asked the lady why this was the case, she said it's because they use more fabric. I know this isn't the case in Australia. In fact, I'm definitely happy with how inclusive sizing is, but the fact I had to pay more money purely for my size was a concept I find myself fixated on. I went through the same cost of living crisis last year as my friends, but every time I complain about it, I feel like my friends are dismissing it and telling me to move on. I guess my dilemma is how can I communicate the fact that this is unfair financially, but also diminishes my confidence a bit to my girlfriends. Thanks. That would be awful if you were in a situation and somebody just said, like, I just feel like it wouldn't feel nice, but I do feel like, and I'm,

you know, I am straight sized, so I can't really speak from experience, but I do feel like a lot of the time plus size clothing is priced at a higher price point. Yeah. Like I don't necessarily know it's tit for tat in the same way that, oh, I look at this dress and in a size 18, it's X in the same way that this girl experienced in Bali. But I feel like just as a general rule of thumb, often when I do see brands, they are pricier. But I don't know if that's just my perception of it. I mean, I kind of feel that as well because I don't know about you guys,

but like I used to shop at, is it City Chic? Is that what it's called? I never knew if it was Chic or Chic. I believe it's Chic, but then in brackets, except it's not. Oh my gosh, that's so embarrassing. I've been telling everyone City Chic. it doesn't they knew who you meant okay cool I hope so sorry everyone out there but I think because it kind of felt a little bit more boutique and I didn't really don't really

know how to use that word so I might be saying it incorrectly but it always felt more expensive but I feel like it was kind of like hey this is our niche and this is like we're charging more because we're allowed to because this is our niche and so I'd be like okay well I don't really have an option so it's the options it's the options thing isn't it it's like well if you don't have an option then you kind of have to but I don't know that's kind of like my experience I know that our listener is asking basically like how do we I guess like portray that or kind of explain that to people who haven't had that same experience but it's kind of like with everything like if someone hasn't had that same lived experience as you it can be hard for people to empathize and so

all I would say is just literally in this instance it is a little bit better in you know say you actually have some numbers you can actually crunch numbers and be like here is actual evidence here is actual proof that is things are more expensive for me sometimes I'm not sure if that's always a situation she did say it's a little bit easier here in australia but if you've got the receipts show them babe i like that it's like mildly aggressive but in a cute way um so my experience of this is i have never had that experience now what i would probably say is in a situation where you're in valley buying clothes is it possible you're having tailored items and that you're potentially having a conversation with a person who's literally thinking about meters of material

because you know if you go to spotlight and you need this many it's this much and if you need this many it's this much now i fully understand the emotional thing because i remember there was a brand and i won't name them but a brand that used to charge a surplus fee so it was like did they the extra small small medium like as soon as there's something to be an x involved in there one two or three x's plus twenty dollars so they're not yeah there was some ballsy nonsense they don't do it anymore which is why i'm not gonna name them yeah i'll tell you later i'm dying to know um but so they used to charge a different they were at a different price point but like actively so when you would drop down the menu it would change the price were they dropping

like if you went to excess double excess were they dropping that so they had a base price and then it went up from yes yeah it's so unfair the math is not mapping my loves no so that experience i do relate to that experience however that's not something i obviously didn't buy the thing so it's like it's not an experience that i've had i think i in defense of the situation in bali and to reassure this listener that it's not a you problem. That is probably you experiencing a person who owns a tiny little business covering their costs based on what their costs actually are and perhaps not thinking about the broader problem of this makes this person feel a certain way. And that's not great. But I think in the Australian landscape, we've got two things happening. You're totally

right, Bec, that we've got limited options. City Chic, if that is your real name, is at this point Is the chic in the room with us? Blink twice if you're in danger. And so I think they wanted to pass themselves off as boutique and I think 10 years ago when I was buying clothes from them for myself, I got a new corporate job and wanted to buy new clothes. I still have some of those items. The quality was much higher.

Peplum tops, they are forever. You're laughing but I'm not joking. It's one of the items I was like, I love this top and I don't care if other people go, it's not in fashion. Yeah, but I like it. And when I wear it, you're like, oh, that's cute. I know. And so I definitely think over time their quality has lowered,

but their prices have not. And, yes, we have more options now. You know, places like Big W and your other larger department type stores are stocking a plus range. Now, because I'm never looking at the size 8 range, I don't know if I could go like for like a white singlet top and a white singlet top from the whatever. Straight size.

The straight size range. I don't know them. I don't know if I can compare like for like. You're something like, you know, a white singlet top or a basic from the straight size range and then go to the other section of the store where the plus size stuff is because obviously they don't keep them together, wouldn't want us mixing. Oh, no. And go, oh, this is this much and there's a difference.

But the reality is that, yes, it's not just about the price point, although that's key and part of that feeling around when we're talking economically, this person's experiencing a more significant impact in a cost of living crisis. but also the fact that you're only limited because this person has the option for a white one, a black one, a brown one, a grey one, a blue one, a pink one and yellow and you get white or black.

Yeah. That's so true. And I'm kind of like, well, um... What if I want to be cute and colourful? Yeah. Never mind, I guess. And so I think there are some brands that are doing it better, some brands that are not doing it well at all.

One of the other key things, and I know I mentioned this brand earlier, Vagary is a really great brand too. They really are super inclusive. But also I know that I've got a friend, Katie, full disclosure, she is my friend. who owns Ecclestone, the label, and she released her clothing range last year. And she's been really great, like in conversations with the girlies, talking about costs and all of that

type of stuff. She's someone who I've learned a lot from about how it kind of works and about having a certain number of sizes to run before you can start. So we have lots of businesses who talk about the costs of keeping plus size clothing on their racks. And I think that the reality is that if you want to do it, you can. If they wanted to, they would. And I think for this person, our listener who's having that experience, my recommendation really would be to look for those brands that want you there and try to focus on finding clothes that you love and that you're going to have in your wardrobe for a long time because you will pay more for really great clothes that are made by brands that love all bodies and especially fat bodies. But the likelihood that

they will last longer and be pieces that you will look back on in your wardrobe over and over again, I know that it's really hard. It's not getting easier to be a fat person buying fashion because Yes, we have more options, but we still have to face, you know, we've reached the kind of end of the life cycle of the fashion body positivity season. I feel like it's going out. Everyone's saying, we mentioned this at some point, I don't remember when it was, on the show,

the Kate Moss vibe is back here. Oh, yeah. The heroin chic aesthetic is returning. Hate, hate, hate, hate. And as a person who didn't want to wear low-rise jeans the first time, it's a hard no from me. Amen. And so I think for our listener, big hugs.

It is hard. The size on the tag doesn't matter. You are entitled to want to have fashion and I think our focus really needs to change away from, I suppose, trying to fit clothes and finding clothes that fit us. If your friends can't get on board with that, get new friends. That's what I was going to say is the thing I think that I didn't mention is like the friend situation and I feel like your friend should be empathetic to your situation. I think not being able to relate to something isn't a good reason not to care about it.

A hundred percent. And it's like, as you were saying, Bec, like you have the receipts. you can literally say, here's the difference, here's the issue. You can see it visually, I guess, as you were saying, in the landscape in Australia. It's not just overseas. And if your friend is making you feel bad about that, I would say that they don't sound like a very good friend, to be honest.

Yes, agreed. One of my other things that I've been doing is, so I went on a new fashion promise, so 1 January. I don't really do resolutions, but when I moved house and I saw how many clothes I've got, and I don't know if either of you have seen on my Insta when I posted those stories. I did.

It's literally a wardrobe that was built for two adults because it's, you know, like I've got the main bedroom and it is a full walk-in room and it goes all the way, oh no, that's a window, all the way down, all the way down. I've got stuff stored at the top in the drawers and here. I have more clothes than any human person will ever need. Yeah. And so I just was like, this is actually ridiculous. And also what I got rid of that I was like, oh, I don't know if I'd love that. I've got more than 10 bags of stuff that I'm going to, I'm actually going to sell on consignment, which is exciting. Cool.

And we love, well, because I was just, you know, I thought, am I actually ever going to sell these in my own closet sale? No, I'm not. But realistically speaking, if this person who has a business doing that, the lovely Maria from the fat section in the Southern Highlands in New South Wales, I was like, babe, you take them, you sell them, give me a little chuck a few dollars my way. Because at this point it's literally zero dollars. It's worth zero to me in a bag, in my wardrobe, in my garage.

Yeah. And so I'm going to sell those, but I've also promised myself I'm not buying any new fashion. And so the only thing I'm purchasing from clothing and apparel stores is replacement basics like underwear, singlet tops, that kind of stuff, and not buying anything new for the entire year. I love that. I saw, I don't remember the exact details of where I saw it.

And so this is probably not that helpful, but I remember seeing someone posting about the amount of like water and electricity and stuff that it takes for somebody to add a new piece to their closet. Yes. And they're like, then multiply that by the fact that you're getting a new outfit for, you know every event or a new dress go out or whatever it is and then the amount of just resources that we're all taking by consuming and a lot of the time we're consuming fast fashion which I am not judging because I know that you know price point is important to people and not

everyone can afford to invest in expensive things at the moment but the the fact that like our default is I'll just go buy a ten dollar top and the the drain that that has on like our resources and the impact on our planet like we've had the hottest January on record in the history of the world and like I know that you just go oh hot weather like great I love no I don't I lay awake at night thinking about it but yeah you do you do you forget that that is actually a direct impact like when you think oh my god I'm so hot I can't I'm sweating to death that you actually look does the consumer on an individual basis have the ability to completely change this no but do we all have the ability to slightly change our behavior to make a small impact yeah and also

agree that we need to, you know, I don't think we want to be shaming people about what they're able to afford, but also really changing people's perception of views around fast fashion because the amount of resources it consumes to create the fashion, the amount of landfill, the lack of ethics in the supply chain. I do think we need to be asking ourselves not so much whether they should reconsider spending more money. That's the whole point. We're trying to save money or not, not be spending money needlessly. Do I actually need to buy this? And so that's where I landed As someone who has pieces in my wardrobe from, you know, City Chic, as I said, which they are technically fast fashion in terms of how it's produced and that kind of thing. And yes, keeping

it for a long time does increase the sustainability in the sense that it's not in landfill and I haven't bought new things to replace it. But at the same time, I just looked at my wardrobe and I thought, this is all amazing stuff. I can shop my wardrobe. And I mean, I know it's only what, four months into the year, but the amount of times I've thought I might, oh no, wait, oh no wait means that I was consuming at a rate that was totally unnecessary yeah and I think for me that's something that I I've been really happy to be able to curb and I know that that's not for everyone and some people have really great habits around that stuff yeah but I think when we're talking about consuming fashion and our ability to buy clothes that are really beautiful and that

fit us that's why I care a lot about supporting brands that care about sustainability brands that care about ethics and brands that care about fat people because all of those demographics and all of those considerations have been left out of fashion for such a long time. So I think we do have the ability to have a significant impact when it comes to the climate, which is a feminist issue because the people who are most heavily impacted by the climate crisis are women. It is our opportunity to push back brands that we know, won't name them, but you know who they are, who are literally killing the planet. If we push back against purchasing from them and we see that they're reducing in terms of their production size because they're losing money, then we can

have a genuine impact. Are plastic straws being eliminated from every cafe on the street going to change the world? Probably not. Potentially causes more problems for people with disabilities and things like that. So it's like, let's not rush to the individualist solution. Let's try to figure out how we actually can change something, genuinely, tangibly change it with a mindset change. Yeah. Do you guys follow Emma Edwards, The Broke Generation? I think I do. Yeah. She's in the finance space. She's great, but she did a wardrobe pause challenge last year, similar to she bought nothing new she gave herself a few I think you know I can replace things if they break you know hygiene things underwear stuff like that obviously all on the awkward list but like as a

whole no new fashion purchases and she tracked it throughout the year she succeeded and it was really interesting because she now I believe she does like a challenge where she helps other people do the same thing but she spoke about the psychological impact of breaking that habit kind of like what you were saying and she was saying it's so interesting like now she thought when she started that she'd get to the last day of 2023 and you know Jan first be like get me to the shops but she didn't have that desire because she had broken the psychological need to consume in that way which is really interesting because you're as you're saying like it's almost a wiring and it's changing the way that you think about things I know that she had an event to go to I

remember seeing and she sewed an outfit because she she went and she got some fabric and she made it. And I don't think she's particularly experienced sewer from what she said, but it was just really interesting to be like, there are other options to you than going out and just buying like a quick, easy solution. You know, can you shop at second hand? Can you do all of these things? So changing the mindset, I think is such a big cornerstone. And if you do still, you know, at the end of this year for you, April, if you go, oh, I do like, I want to buy something new or I want to do that. I feel like the psychology of it will have changed and you can do it more mindfully which is awesome yeah absolutely and I think also separately but related the my ability

to save money by not buying new things well put it this way my after pay is at zero queen amazing delete it well unless you cash flow which is fine I do but also that's my goal is to actually get to the point where I've built up my savings so I feel comfortable to delete it it feels like a bit of a safety net right now because like I don't totally fair yeah so my after pay is at zero and I'm able to go, oh, I'm going to save so much money, that's really great. So that mindset shift around what I value, I think also because I get a little dopamine hit from looking at my savings

account balance instead of from the order received notification. But at the same time, buying something new, I think I'm not ruling it out. I'm just, I think, taking the year off because I genuinely have so many flippant clothes. Like I don't actually need to buy anything. But also trying really hard not to push that onto other people. When someone's like, I want to buy something new,

I heard myself say, you don't need anything to this person. And then I was like, you are like one of those people who like quit smoking and coughs at people or, you know, gives up gluten and then starts telling everyone that gluten's going to kill you, which like in some people's case it might, but like just relax. Okay. So yeah, trying to not make it my whole personality, but also being really like just really sticking to that value. And I think for me, I hope to stay out the whole year and have stuck to it because I

think also I never stick to anything. So I'll just be really proud of myself being like, I did that. Are you going to document on social? I think a little bit I wanted to really get I think get into it and be able to show a tangible difference like so to be able to go oh I've actually I can tell you how much I saved based on I like data um I know I was telling you a story right before we started recording about how I used to take my I used to buy lunch at work all the time and coffees buying coffees is my my favorite activity and so I worked out that I was spending I spent $1,319 last year on coffees

and lunches and I don't even work full-time in the office yeah like what is actually happening Does that make you feel crazy? I was just like, oh, my God, that would be in my savings account if I hadn't done that. And then I had a conversation with a friend and it was payday, so you're always feeling a little loosey-goosey. And I'd gone so far, like, that whole time not buying a coffee. And she said to me, she's like, well, I'll buy you one,

because I made a joke. I was like, I didn't say I wasn't drinking coffee. I said I wasn't paying for it. Very sassy. But she said, well, I'll share your coffee because I've convinced you to come and stand in the coffee line with me. I'll buy you a coffee, which I think is nice. It's always nice to do a nice thing.

And she said, have you found it hard? I said, I do miss the ritual of coming to do it, but I've actually found it's been good. I've been drinking more water because I'm not drinking coffee. And then we had a conversation about this sort of all or nothing attitude towards stuff. And she said, well, what about if you bought a coffee like only once a fortnight, which I think she was just angling

towards the fact that we work together in the office on the day that's usually payday, which is once a fortnight. I was like, I'll see where you're going, strategic queen. And I said, well, I did the maths on my phone. I'd worked out it was $27 a week that I had wasted, spent on lunches that I could have brought and coffees that I could have not drank because really like it's decaf. It's not even, I'm not even getting caffeinated from it guys. What's the point? It's hot milk. And I worked out it'd be $182 for the whole year. Okay. If I just bought one a fortnight and I thought, okay. So it's not

a commitment that I go, oh, I can never, I've sworn off this forever. And if I do it, I have to go out the back and give myself an uppercut it's now I can go what's my limit I'm changing the way I'm doing this thing yeah so again by that same token if you've decided that you're just going to stop buying fast fashion and you're only going to invest in sustainable fashion that's a mindset shift that will over time save you money and you feel good about it so it's like hey we love that that actually was on my ins list op shopping so thank you so much sorry also I think I've pretty much talked 95% of this whole episode I apologize no I love it no this is very very thank you so much. Well, it was about money. So at least it was on topic. Absolutely. And I think

the conversation around fashion and finance and the impact, like it's very relevant to us. Like it's something that I genuinely like find so interesting. Hopefully the people listening do too. Okay, guys, are we ready for a juicy DM? Absolutely. Okay, here we go. So from one listener, they say, I'm going on a vacay with my girlfriend in brackets, Euro summer. We love that. And which is our winter, isn't it? So great. Get out of here. Escape. And as we get further into the planning, I can see we are financially going on two very different holidays. We were so keen on the idea of Europe, we kind of skipped talking about our budgets. I see. I have saved for a long time to go on this trip, but it seems like she wants hostels, whereas I want hotels are a bit

nicer. She wants to go on a train for 15 hours because it is cheap, but I'll happily spend more money to do a two-hour flight to make it more convenient. I'm keen to book fancy dinners, but she wants to spend no more than $40 on dinner. That's still kind of expensive though. So I've low-key got the ick from travelling with her now. There isn't anything wrong with the way she wants to do it. It's just not where I'm at. How do I say to her that I want to enjoy myself? And financially, we won't be the best travel buddies.

She's so keen on going together but would rather go solo and not have to compromise my trip. I want to say our listener has a very healthy perspective. I appreciate that she's not expecting her friend to come up. She's not being like, she's a tight arse. Why can't we spend $60 billion on dinner? because I think we've spoken about this before in the sense that it's okay if you want to travel differently to your friends like if you want to do it super budget and you just want the experience

you just want to see the place that is so fine if you think this is a once in a lifetime trip and I really want to spend money and I want to live it up and I that's a value to me that is also fine but I think it's not fine to expect people to change to suit you in that sense like you can't expect your friend who doesn't have a lot of money to spend a lot and if your friend who doesn't want to spend a lot of money doesn't necessarily need to expect you to spend not a lot either yeah so I think like her perspective is very healthy I think literally just say to her what you said to us like I think it's as simple as that just saying hey like I think that it looks like we want to spend different amounts which is totally fine I really want them to feel like

you're not shaming them for you know not wanting or having the money to spend because that's not a good feeling for anybody but just saying that I really want to live it up I want to spend a lot of money. It feels like maybe you want to do it more budget friendly. I think maybe we just kind of split off and do the trips the way we want to do the trips and that's totally fine. And hopefully that's the end of the conversation. I think also, and I obviously not knowing how old this person is, I don't have a good sense of where they are in terms of, is this a long friendship? Is this someone you've known your whole life or someone that you don't feel comfortable having this conversation with because you don't know them as well as, you know, your oldest friend. It is a

really important part of adult friendships learning to have hard conversations about things. And I say that as someone who has struggled but managed to have some really, really difficult conversations with friends about, you know, balancing time together when we're in the same city because we don't normally live in the same city and about doing what I want to do rather than making time to do what she'd like to be doing or that she would like to spend time with me. And I go, I actually just really want to have the night by myself, which, you know, past me would have really struggled. So I definitely relate to this. I agree that you should just have an upfront conversation about the fact that I have saved a really long time. One thing I was thinking as I was listening to this was, is the person who wants to spend less hoping that they're going to spend less still by sharing accommodation, sharing travel? And if that's the case, like, are you impacting that person's ability to go on the

trip at all if you don't share? Because if that's the case, that's still a conversation you need to have because maybe it's not Euro Summer 2024 for them. Yes. Because at the end of the day, it is your trip you've saved for. And it's exciting to share something with someone like that. I'd love the idea of going on a trip like that and being able to look back and go, oh my God, look, remember where we went to the, you know, the trivia fountain or whatever. But if you're not traveling as a couple, and so you have different wants and you haven't agreed that you're going to share accommodation, because for me, that's actually a hard no. I really don't like the idea of travelling solo with just one other person and sharing a room

because you never have any space. I travel with girlfriends quite regularly. There's a group of us, there's seven of us, and we'll often look for ways to save money by going, oh, if we share a room or a bed, depending, we can save money and we look at, you know, what's going to work better. But on our most recent trip, I was like, sorry, it's hot. We're in Brizzy. I actually don't want to share. So sorry. Well, I just know I won't have a good sleep. I won't have a good time. trip ruined what's the point and it wasn't a hard conversation because we're all really good friends but also because we had been frank and been talking about the budget up front so it wasn't a big deal but I think for this person having that conversation first assessing what's

going to be the outcome of this conversation is this person going to be upset because I might have totally ruined their whole plan to go to Europe if that's the case and you want to be able to compromise a little bit maybe you offer to do certain legs of the trip together and then you split off and then you come back so for example that 15 hours she's going to be on the train. You'd be there early. Do your thing, what you want to do. And then say, and then I will meet you. And so that person might spend one night on their own in their own accommodation, but then it's like, but then we can go, we could go to a hotel. And so you get what you want, but you compromise by saying, I'll share with you. We'll get a twin room. And that person has to just bump

up a tiny bit. And then you come down a little bit. It is about compromise, but also it's kind of not, if you don't want to go with them, maybe just make that choice. And think about if the outcome of this conversation is that I lose this friendship over this trip that's not great but is that a symptom or an is that an indication of a bigger problem that you don't feel like you can communicate your needs with your friend because then actually that's it that's an issue that's totally separate to your Europe trip either way I hope that it's a really fun trip I totally relate to being the person that wants to have the more bougie experience although I am the person with the budget so anyway that's a problem for next year when I try to go to Europe on my can money

and so I think definitely I don't think that this person should compromise on the trip of their dreams but if they can see their way to going I can find some middle ground in some parts of it that won't ruin it for me but will help this person have a great time then go with that go with what works but at the end of the day this is your dream do what you want to do yes yes I was going to say a very very similar thing but I do I often get confused by this in like the regular world where people say girlfriend I don't know someone with a literal girlfriend I'm like are you actually talking about your girlfriend or are you talking about your friend because if they're talking about their girlfriend I'm like this whole thing is like changing my you know so

it could be their girlfriend in which case I'd be like you if you've kind of planned this thing together it's kind of like meant to be a romantic thing but let's say for the sake of this dm and this conversation they're just regular friends my mind is exactly where your mind is at April and I'm thinking yeah like a nice little hybrid or just having this exact conversation with them I'm a big fan of like thinking or like kind of not reading into, but like seeing certain things that could be symptomatic, exactly as you said, April, of something bigger. So if it is, it does seem like it's a conversation that's hard to have, or it might literally ruin a friendship, that might be something that you'd have to consider as well.

I know it's separate to the travel thing, but if you're planning a trip with someone and you or your friend are not willing to compromise in any way, like you can see that you're both on different journeys and that's totally fine. no one's in the wrong here then yeah there might be if you are worried that it'll be uncomfortable or awkward or someone will be mad or I can definitely see I guess it like depends you didn't really mention like how long they've been planning it for hey so yeah but not having the conversation up front could ruin the trip so then you've wasted your money oh and there's nothing worse than being on a trip with someone and just hating your life as well like there's nothing

worse especially somewhere as expensive as Europe that would be awful yeah I think what I would actively discourage is lying to this person about totally totally so don't don't suddenly say I've decided I'm not going to go and then secretly go or don't or my sister said she wants to come so now there's no like don't don't do that yeah have a frank conversation with this person if you respect them enough to reach out and ask for advice and you know if you if you have I think the opportunity to say to them like I really respect this and you know yet maybe offering to say I want to do all of this and I know you can only afford to do this I'll meet you in Greece yeah I'll shout you a drink yeah totally I think that's a great great great idea also let's all go

to Greece. I loved Greece. Talking about going somewhere warm. I'm like, right. So what time are we leaving this time out? What did everybody else say? Yes. Also, the other thing is Euro summer is a little while away. So you still have plenty of time to make this not uncomfortable. Okay. So let's see what the community had to say. So the first question we asked was, have you had a similar experience when traveling with a friend? 46% of you said yes. And 54% of you said no. It's a pretty close split. It's a pretty good split. Next question we asked, if yes, what ended up happening, 26% of you said we traveled together and it was a disaster. Oh no.

So many people to have a terrible time. Yeah. That's a real shame. 54% of you said we both compromised to make the trip work. And 21% of you said we decided it was best we don't go together. That's interesting. And I think I'd be keen to find out from the 54%. And how did that go? Did you secretly feel yourself in the 26%? you know, I think it would be really interesting to know that. But yeah, I think that's a really good indication of what we've just said in the three viewpoints that we've kind of had it,

which is you should try to maybe compromise a little bit, but not too much. So yeah. Yes, exactly. Exactly. And the next thing we asked was if you were traveling with a friend, what's the first thing you would decide on? 58% of you said budget and then pick location based off of that. And 42% of you said location, talk budget later on, which is interesting. Chicken or egg. Chicken or egg, exactly. What would you do? What would you pick?

I actually answered this question and I'm a budget first gal, but I learned that lesson the hard way by making plans, not specifically travel plans, but in the past making a plan that was all about what I wanted to happen at the end and then reverse engineering a budget and realising I didn't have enough money. And so I think that I've learned the lesson now that talk budget because you immediately know whether you're travelling 5 kilometres,

50 kilometres or 5,000 kilometres. Totally, totally. I absolutely agree with that. It's like saying, let's go to Gimlet, which is a very expensive restaurant here in Melbourne, for those who don't know, but only having $20 on your person. And this kind of reminds me of that TikTok I saw a few months back where that guy was saying he wanted to go to a friend's birthday thing

and they were doing dinner then drinks. I didn't want to go to the dinner because the entree was like $40. So he said he'd agree and meet for drinks. And apparently it caused a big blow up with him and his friend. And so I'm kind of like, yeah, I aspire to be the person that only comes to drinks and doesn't spend $40 on an entree. But yeah, I can't help myself because I get FOMO. And so, yeah, I definitely think that talking about like comparing restaurants and other

types of experiences, what's the compromise? This person thought they were doing a great job of compromising by saying, I'll just come for drinks. But sometimes that can cause an issue too. Having the conversation is the only answer. Yeah. Have we got another question? Well, then we asked for your two cents.

So someone said, I would send this message to the girlfriend. She's understanding. She will understand, which I totally agree. And that's what you were saying, Jess, like basically say everything you said to us, but to her. Yeah. See how that goes down. someone else said be straight up they might be embarrassed otherwise which i can understand

definitely like if you're like you know your budget is a bit low it might come across as like maybe you're being shamed because you just don't have to travel which it is definitely like a delicate one because i've having been there and i feel like you know maybe the people in this room as well have been in a situation where you can't really afford things and you kind of feel you shame yourself first and to have someone else kind of come and say hey because you can't afford xyz I don't want to do this with you. It can be, you know. Yeah. I think maybe the approach is I'm worried that like, you know, I think if you want to expand a little bit on the part where they said they're worried about this certain thing, use an actual experience. I'm worried that we might go

to dinner and then I'm going to order a big meal and you're not going to want to order anything. You're going to order something small. I don't want you to have a bad time, but I really don't want to have to not have something nice because I've saved for a really long time to have this. So what I want to figure out with you is how can we maybe plan the trip that means that I can still do all the bougie things I want to do. And that maybe we meet up at the end. Like I think have a plan of what you think might work. Because if you have a sense of this person's budget, you might actually know. And if you've also got an itinerary kind of half cooked, you might know where you're planning to be and what places they're like, I really want to go

to Prague, but I don't really care about going to insert the name of another European country. They've been to Europe, can't tell. And I think that, I think actually come up with a solution. Don't go with, I don't want to. I think be clear about what you do want and then what you think the solution might be because you've identified an issue very corporate of me it's very someone else said don't ditch your friend find the compromise hostels are an amazing way to meet people that is so true but some people i would i would not do a hostel that's it i personally i love a hostel maybe we'll go together one day yeah you can experience that i just it's a safe like i know that many actually you know what when i went to the uk with cd we stayed in a hostel we

in a private room because it was five of us so like that I'm fine with but I just I get very scared in when I don't know people and so like a hostel for me doesn't work. Whereas you can imagine I'd just be rolling in hot and like hey guys hey everyone I would run the hostel by the time I'd been in a couple of days. And then lastly someone else said it's their girlfriend I'd compromise do a bit of both or stay longer and do your stuff when they're gone which I think is exactly what you're saying April and just really honestly just be open honest try and find a way to work around it, maybe create a hybrid of both holiday ideas and everyone will have a lovely time.

But just make sure you all have fun and everything is open, honest, safe, and... What are we talking about now? It feels like a conversation about something else. I mean, these rules still apply, I think, you know. They still apply everywhere. Make sure there's aftercare. Informed consent for Euro trips.

Informed consent, exactly. Enthusiastic consent, ideally. Okay, I think that's a really good place to leave it. Thank you so much, April, for joining us. I had so much fun. Yes. And if people want to find you, where can they find you? I am at the Bodzilla on Instagram.

And I guess if you find me there, you can find me anywhere. Incredible. Amazing. All right. Victoria, we'll see you guys on Monday for a Money Diary. Until then, have a lovely weekend. See you later. Bye.

The advice shared on She's on the Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN 321 649 27708 AFSL 451 289.