She's On The Money - Self(ish) storage?

Episode Date: February 22, 2024

It's not just any ordinary Friday, but the last one that Victoria will be with us for a while before she welcomes Mini into the world - CONGRATULATIONS Victoria and Steve!So help us celebrate your money wins, chat some broke tips, and we help with a Money Dilemma about what to do about bad neighbours when you own your property. Plus, have you ever looked after a friend's things while they have gone away for an extended period? How long is too long and how much stuff is a burden? You slid into our DMs this week and we had feelings! 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, Kurni, Wolperi and Awadjuri 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 Awadjuri 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 for millennials who want financial freedom. Today, my friends, it is Friday, but it is not your average Friday. Today's my last day for a little while. I'm going on maternity leave. That's exciting. Isn't it wild?

It's sad, but it's exciting. Yes, I completely agree with what Jester said. Oh, thank you. You're so supportive. And I wasn't listening at all. And I didn't hear anything. You never listened before. Why stop now?

Well, why start now? Why start now? I'm really excited, actually. Obviously, today is about getting our little team together, celebrating our community. That's my favorite thing to do. But also, we just have so much in store. We didn't want Fridays to just fall off the bandwagon because I wasn't here. We have some beautiful guests lined up that are going to take my place, not necessarily

as host, but more as like you guys get a fun friend every week, which I think will be really cool. I've pulled them out of either our She's On The Money community or my friendship circles. And I just think this is going to be the best. In fact, I'm slightly concerned that the community is going to like these more and be like, V, don't come back. It's all good. So we're having a lot of fun with your guest episodes. Can we just keep those? So if that's the case, obviously, please let us know. Kindly. Kindly. Because like, I'm itching to get back and I haven't even left. but I think that you guys are going to have the best time while I am away

having a bambini. Isn't that wild? That is so wild. It feels fake still. Like I cannot comprehend that there is an entire human being in my stomach right now. I can comprehend it at 3 a.m. when they're kicking me in the lungs but like, you know, day to day it feels very novel.

But let's get into today's episode. Miss Jessica Ricci, you have a heap of our favourite money wins. Miss Bex Syed, you've got some broke tips, three of them I believe, to share with the community, we're going to be helping to answer a juicy money dilemma, which this week is all about having bad neighbours. And we're going to unpack something that you slid into our DMs about.

This week, you asked what to do about friends who store things at your house long-term and offer no money in return. Juicy. I feel like that's a really hard one. That is so juicy. I'm so excited. That is so juicy.

But before we get there, I'm sorry, did we go to Taylor Swift on the weekend just screeching? Yes, we did. Are we over it? absolutely not over it you're i feel like a lot of people are probably like yes it's over i'm never gonna hear about it i'm sorry i got through that whole intro of the podcast with not even mentioning taylor swift he's very proud of you thank you beck's already over us no no no no i'll hear it over and over again until the day i die yeah you will yeah you will and you will take it and you

will like it that's such a way i said that and without saying like whether it's a good or a bad thing but i will hear about it it's up to you to make up your mind your choice so jessica ricci how's your week been are you still high as a kite absolutely i am it was so much fun just you know seeing everybody in one space be so excited for her biggest show and we went to the biggest show we went to the biggest show it was so exciting there's so much going on and i just like i can't like i don't have the words i know that not everybody in our community is a swifty though so we won't go on and on and on that's what our socials are for so head over there and you will see relentless amounts of content.

Bec, you didn't go to Taylor Swift because you just don't care about Taylor Swift, which is honestly a foreign concept to the other people at this table right now. How was your week? So my week has been, I should have gone before Jess because, you know, I can't say that I saw any famous people. Actually, except for you guys. I think you're technically famous.

I don't think we can. I'm definitely not. You probably are. You got stopped in public, Miss Jessica Ricci. Mostly with you. they're like hey can you or when i'm with lucy oh yes he's the most famous they're like hey i don't know your name but can you take a photo for us is that what they usually say yeah i'm still convinced that half the people in this office don't know my name but they definitely know my

dog yeah and the amount of people that i've run into in the kitchen who are like lucy's mom yeah and i'm just like yeah perfect you know i'm happy with that sure that's me i'm proud i'm a proud Lucy mum oh my it's so exciting I've been stopped like two times not stopped stopped but like people have been like wow I think I recognize you and I just want anyone everyone listening to know I want to be bothered on the street so if you see me please say hi because it makes my whole entire life anyway so it is very exciting it's so exciting but that hasn't happened to me in many a month uh and certainly not this week no my week otherwise has been very very lovely um just chill you know just cruising just like loving love seeing friends and as always and people

probably see me saying this still going to the gym I don't know if you can tell but you're getting swole am I getting swole you are thank you what about you VD I want to go back to this meeting people in public thing because I have to issue a public apology to the girl that stopped me two weeks ago at the front of Romana IGA and she was so kind and so nice and she's like oh my gosh and I was like I always meet you with the same energy because like I think it's wild that people think seeing me is wild so I was like oh my gosh hi and they're like wait what and she's like I love your podcast rah rah but I was actually standing there and I'd had a mid-morning freak out about not having my hospital bags packed so I'm walking out of IGA and I'm carrying two packets of adult

nappies, a bag full of snacks and treats and a whole heap of stuff. I think I had Ural in my bag. I was carrying a bottle of Gaviscon and this poor girl got me at my worst, literally, because I had had not just like a little bit of a like, oh, I probably should pack my household bags. I had a hysterical meltdown and my husband was like, just go to the shops and get the things that you think you need and we'll put them together. And I was like, okay, no worries. So I was red faced. I was sniffy. My hair was on top of my head because I was a little feral and I was carrying adult nappies and she was still excited to see me. So shout out to you. Also apologies for whatever you experienced in that interaction. That is so clean. I would be excited to see that version of you,

to be honest. Oh, you have before. You've been too kind not to mention it. That's true, actually. But yes, I have had a good week. Same as Jessica. But the anticipation of having a baby is, I don't know, it's starting. Arguably more exciting. Yeah. No, you know what? I'm just glad that I didn't ruin the Taylor Swift concert like so like some woman had to stop the pink concert I'm just glad that wasn't me you know wow I don't know like I'm really on the fence like some people like that would be so exciting and fun and what a good memory and I just think I would be so mortified to imagine however many hundreds of thousands of people looking at you while you're like arguably in extreme discomfort absolutely not funny was that around the time

that people were giving pink random items and someone gave their baby to pink on stage no this was literally like three weeks ago. Oh, I see. Okay. Yeah. Like wild. Anyway, let's get into the episode. Miss Jessica Ricci, what have you got when it comes to community money wins? My first money win this week comes from Holly, who said she went to the Lifeline book fair and filled a whole bag full of books for $35. She says she got about 30 different books and she used money that was in a piggy bank. So Girl Math says that they were free. She said, when I'm done with them, I will likely donate them back to Lifeline to on sale again at the next book fair. Lifeline in Canberra, which I'm assuming is where she's from,

is a 24-7 suicide, telephone crisis support centre and it's a big fundraiser that they hold every couple of months. I adore that. Good for our fellow book lovers. Great for, you know, supporting a good cause. We love to see it. Well done, Holly. Next, I've got one from Stacey who said,

My son wanted a Mr Potato Head and they are $50 plus at the shops. What? Firstly, since when was Mr Potato Head so expensive? Also, secondly, I didn't know he still existed. Inflation is wild. She said, but I found one for free on Facebook Marketplace. Her son lost most of the pieces and his interest a week later, so she's very glad that she didn't spend the $50.

Money win. Huge money win. Well, now I've got one from Renee who said, I went to Mecca to get foundation colour matched. They gave me three free sample pots of my shades so I can test it out before committing to a whole bottle. And those sample pots will last you yonks, like absolutely ages. Yeah, okay.

That's a little bit of a broke tip, actually, if it's not payday and you've got a bit too much month at the end of your money going into Mecca and being like, oh, hey, can I have a sample of XYZ? That'll last you till the end of your month. That's so true. That's so good to know. File that one away for later, Bec. Sorry, Bec.

Sorry, sorry. Next, I've got a money win from Laura who said, small win. I got my moving boxes for free off Marketplace instead of buying them. Big win. I'm getting a rental for $10 less per week than when it was advertised, which is huge. never heard of that happening. Cool. Please, for the love of God, never buy moving boxes. That industry is such a scam. Like don't buy moving boxes. You can get them for free at Bunnings. If you go into literally, I'm sure I've said this before, any retail store ever and say,

hey, can I grab some of your boxes? They'll give them to you. They want to get rid of them because they don't have anywhere to put them. I would say they don't want to have to lug them to the bin. It's the worst. So if you say, hey, can I grab some boxes? They'll probably say, yeah, come back on Tuesday. That's delivery day and you can have as many as you want. I use garbage bags. Also, I use laundry baskets a lot. Laundry baskets are great. Yes, laundry baskets.

Absolutely. I've used a lot of Kohl's bags. Yes. Literally anything that is not a moving box that you paid for. Totally. Any vessel. Any vessel will do. The palm of your hand.

Your arms. You know, whatever works. Lastly, I've got a money win from Xanthi who said, I found out my council does rebates for purchasing reusable period products. Luckily, I still had my receipts from the Christmas sales. Money win. How cool is that? I don't know what council, but check your local council website

because that is phenomenal. That's equity, my friends. Is it? Or is that equality? I don't know. Booking all those dos. Equality? Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na.

Yes, exactly. I love that. All right, Bec, what are you bringing to the table when it comes to broke tips this week? Okay, so I'm filing this Mecca one away, but also for my own life. I mean, I don't really go there, but I will start going there now. I was about to say, Bec, do you wear makeup? Is that a thing in your repertoire?

I don't, actually. I was like, you just have naturally gorgeous skin. You don't need it. That is such a good broke tip. Don't wear makeup. Don't wear makeup. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Broke tip from Bec.

Just have skin as good as me and you don't need makeup. Easy peasy. If I had her skin, I wouldn't wear makeup either. Why would you bother? That is really sweet. Thank you. And I was feeling a little bit. That wasn't even a compliment.

It's just a fact, Bec. Well, I really appreciate it. Whatever it was, I'm very grateful. Thank you so much. Thanks for the facts. So as always, there are two bro tips from the community and one from myself. So I'll start off with Natalie. I know that we've mentioned 7-Eleven coffees before,

but this one is kind of like an all-round any petrol station. So Natalie says, buy your coffee from petrol stations, $1.50 for a small almond cap. It's not the worst thing in the world. I have seen that at Coles as well, especially one on Swan Street in Richmond, if you live in Melbourne. They do, I believe it's $1.50 or $2 max for an almond coffee. Still going to be an absolute stan of the 7-Eleven coffees. Totally, because they do do soy milk.

They just have, they've nailed it. Yes, they have. Alt milk, regular milk, everything, it's all the same price and it's no more than $2 if you just want like a little coffee. I think my favourite thing about the 7-Eleven one was on Chapel Street a couple of months ago, 7-Eleven did a pop-up store of like an unbranded cafe and they basically gaslit everybody and that was my favourite thing ever because you go in

And they're like, we're doing, you know, a grand opening, free coffee. And you go in and you were like, the coffee here is elite, so good. And then on your way out, they gave you a little, like, card and you scratched it and it told you that it was 7-Eleven coffee. That is such a clever idea. It was genius. And can you believe that is $2 or $1.50? It's so cheap. It's like $5 or $6 at a cafe sometimes.

Yeah, totally. Like, I paid like $6.50. So close. What is this? This inflation is unacceptable. I know, it's really, really bad. You know, I get it, but I'm also like, gosh, that's so much money. I don't get it.

Like, as a girl who completely understands inflation, I understand the cost of living crisis, I understand everything. Like, at this point, I'm going to need the government to subsidise coffee. I wouldn't be against that. I was going to say, I don't even know who the Prime Minister is right now. Get Albanese on the phone. Yeah, who is the Prime Minister?

Hey, Albo, I've got a bone to pick with you. my coffees are a bit too expensive. And he'll be like, Victoria, I'm actually working on the cost of living crisis right now. And I'll be like, yes, but do you know it costs a dollar extra to get oat milk? Sit down, sit down now, Bo. You should put that on top of his priorities list. I'll call him. I'll call him. Once I'm done with that leave, I might pick that up. Yeah, if you could, I'm sure his number's in your phone. What else you got? Okay. Also just want to say that Natalie also says buy iced coffee from an Asian grocer. It's $2 per pack. Asian grocer is something I've been privy to, not privy to, because it has existed my whole life, but kind of been looking into

recently because it is like you know everything's a lot cheaper there greens are so fresh i was gonna say the produce is always absolutely so fresh and it's also so cheap like any time i'm getting like you know chinese broccoli or like any type of greens i will purposely go out of my way because it lasts so much longer in my fridge it's like two dollars a bunch yes yes yes definitely shop at the asian grocer okay this next one comes from katherine who says the plant jammer app or similar. It gives you recipe ideas based on what you already have in your fridge slash pantry, which is a great idea. Something I mentioned recently, but I didn't actually have an app for it. So the plant jammer app is good. If you don't want to go to the shops and you don't know what

to cook, just chuck some things in the app and it will tell you what to cook. And I think that's a really great idea. Love it. So my own one, I'm sure, you know, maybe you guys have tried this before. I'm not too sure, but so if you're wanting a little sweet treat or you're maybe hosting a dinner party or you're bringing dessert for a potluck sort of thing. You should check the kitchen at work first because they might have cinnamon scrolls. You should do that. We did happen upon some cinnamon scrolls in our work kitchen.

And guess what we did? What we did to deserve this. We liberated them. Yes. There were pancakes earlier too. I don't know if you saw. What? I think they're all gone though.

We missed those. But what I have found is if you go to Muffin Break before they close, maybe like 30 minutes-ish. Didn't know Muffin Break still existed. I know. that's the other thing too. Sorry, muffin break. They're hard to come by now, but I am sure I like, I know this for a fact, actually, they are the best muffins slash cookies I've eaten. And I have not been able to find anything as good since. I know that's a big call to make. That's a huge call

to make, but I love, love, love them. Anyway. So you go there maybe like half an hour before they're closing or just a little bit before. And they usually have like super, super cheap muffins, cookies tasty treats and loads of them too you can get like five for five dollars and and that's totally and that's enough to like take as a potluck dessert or whatever but sometimes if you're lucky if they're in a good mood they might give them to you for free I guess if it's a couple minutes before close worth a crack maybe they'll chuck an extra one in or something totally exactly so go to muffin break everyone don't forget about muffin break please I did I did and I'm glad that you've reminded me that they exist.

It sounds like we're sponsored, but honestly, like, I just love Muffin Break. If we were sponsored, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have said what I just said. Yeah, true. If we were sponsored, I'd be like, wait, are they still around? Like, Muffin Break are going to be like, yeah, thanks for the mention.

Like, next time, could it be more positive? Totally. Like, we love your stuff. Let's wrap this up really quickly and go to a little, Bec, as you could say, a muffin break because I feel like I'm going to get cancelled if I keep digging this hole any deeper. So we'll see you guys on the flip side because we're going to be talking about, one, bad neighbours, and two, this week you guys asked us about what to do about

a friend who stores things at your house long term but doesn't offer you any cash for it. Guys, don't go anywhere. Welcome back, everybody. 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. Hi, I've got a question. I've got really, really bad neighbors living in next door to my house. They're in commissioned housing. I've tried multiple things to try to

get them evicted is really a playing on my mental health and fear for my safety I bought this house but now I'm not sure if I should sell I'll probably have to sell for a loss I spent a lot of money on renovations and you know changing up this house should I just cut my losses or and sell or do I just keep trying to you know fight my neighbors and try to take them to court Thank you. Jeez Louise. Oh, that is such a good question. I have a colleague in this exact situation.

Really? We're missing so much context. I just, I feel like there's always three sides to a story. There's like their side, your side and the truth. And I'm not saying that you're not telling the truth, but like we don't have any, like why would you take them to court? Like we need some, we need the juice. Like what have they done so that we can have an opinion?

What's going on with your colleague though, Bec? So it's a very, very similar situation. My colleague just bought a, I believe it's like a little unit in like a block of units and her downstairs neighbor is like really causing her a lot of trouble. And that's sometimes she actually is as well scared for her safety, but she doesn't like, she doesn't really know what to do. And this is, and so I also, I don't know. You never know when you buy a property what the neighbors are like. Yeah, you just don't know. And I also don't know.

I don't have advice for this because I would be completely stuck. I guess a guest cell but I don't know anything so don't listen to me but no she's in the exact same situation and it's really weighing on her mental health and unfortunately it's such a tricky one because you just I don't know where you'd go from here but I'm hoping you guys have more advice because I'm being useless Jess yeah I just I just want to say I'm really sorry for our listener because buying a property is so exciting and I can only imagine the joy and the pride that you would have felt buying this house and then moving in and then to go through whatever experience you're going through. Nobody should ever, ever feel unsafe in their own home. And I

can only imagine how hard that is and how it would have ruined what should be such a fantastic, exciting time for you. So I'm really sorry that that is the case. It's just awful. I think it's hard to say because obviously if you're selling because of the location that, you know, you're not necessarily looking at the ideal timing for the market and if you purchased recently you might have to if you used any grants you might have to pay those back depending on if you're a you know a first home buyer and there's all of those I guess financial considerations but at the same time I my gut instinct which again may not be the most logical but is just your safety needs to always be your number one priority and if you're saying that you're concerned for that that makes me

concerned for you. It sounds like she's tried to go through some form of official channel. I'm assuming that's what she meant when she said that she's tried to get the neighbour evicted. And without the context of what they're doing, we can't really provide any insight into what channels you can go through. Like I'm assuming if they're doing something illegal or if they're threatening you in some way, if you haven't, speak to the police. You know, I would say maintain a chain of records. So it might feel really futile to keep reporting the same thing. But sometimes, unfortunately, the system can work in a way where you need a certain amount of proof or a certain historical record of things occurring regularly or frequently. So even if it feels like you're

getting nowhere, continue reporting to whatever the relevant body may be, whether it's, you know, if their renter is reporting it to their landlord or their property manager, if you can find that out or to the police or to whoever the, I don't know, we don't know the context, so it's hard to say where, but if you can keep making reports above and beyond all, make sure that you're safe. I would say if you haven't, maybe pop some security cameras in. I was about to say the same, like, have you got security cameras? Are you looking after your safety right now? Because like moving, it's a privilege, right? Like you've probably just spent every single cent you have on this property, you probably can't just be like, oh, I'll just go rent somewhere else. Like,

you're right, Jess. Like, what are you doing? Document, document, document. I'd be calling the cops. I'd be getting everybody involved, to be honest. Yeah. And you can get really, on the security camera thing, you can get really affordable. I know I, even when I was renting, I purchased Ring. You can get them on sale usually at Bunnings or on Amazon and you don't have to hardwire them in. So if you don't have the cash to get something installed that's really heavy duty, you can get ones that you just screw into the wall with some screws and bolts. And sometimes even just the presence of cameras can be enough to deter people from doing things that are a little bit sketchy and you can get ones that go inside your property too if that will make you feel more

secure and safe but it is you're right it's such a hard one because you don't I mean partly because we don't have the context but also because it's a rock and a hard place between your safety should be your priority but also like from a financial perspective just up and selling may or may not from a financial angle be the best choice yeah so it's so hard but I just want to say I feel very sympathetic and I'm really sorry that you're struggling with this because like the three of us are kind of struggling to come up with totally ourselves I do just want to say one quick thing though I guess if like obviously again like we don't really have context but if you I feel sorry for the listener here I also kind of feel as though the neighbors themselves if you get like

that I like maybe the feeling that they don't they don't have the I guess like means to be living anywhere else or be able to like if them getting evicted means that they become homeless or something I kind of also feel for them as well maybe they didn't have the best upbringing that's what's causing their behavior or whatever it might be you know what I mean I just want to also take a minute to acknowledge that bad neighbors also may have a bad story behind them or maybe in a tough situation and we don't actually always know and you know and I do feel really awful for people out there that had their future written for them before they were even born if that makes sense I just want to take time to acknowledge that but I also feel really bad for

you listener it's a very tricky situation saying neighbors as well actually made me think of one other thing which is if you haven't spoken to your neighbors because you're in a block speak to your neighbors because maybe they are taking steps maybe they're not taking steps sometimes if everybody bands together like that can also be very impactful like see what they're doing see if they've got any more information there's safety in numbers too so like keeping an eye on your neighbors them keeping an eye out for you it can be nice just knowing that that's there for you like your other neighbors not the bad neighbors obviously but yeah it's it's such a hard one I feel like I really don't have a good answer I don't either because there's no like perfect

outcome here I mean perfect outcome would be your neighbors move away slay but that's probably not going to happen I had terrible neighbors before I moved where I have moved to and I feel like I put that on the podcast a lot Jess like they were horrendous like we're not talking like oh I just didn't like these people they would yell and scream at us they would like literally like I had called the cops on them a number of times because it was actually so unhinged and whenever I'd tell people the stories they'd be like what like if if you're a close friend of mine you know and you've heard the horror story anyway so I so get it we ended up having the privilege of being able to move away because that was a rental but you know if you're not comfortable there I would

be looking at ways that you can leave can you rent out the property like just because you spent a lot and renovated it doesn't mean you need to dispose of that asset either like what can you do how can this work but yeah I'd go back to literally everything Jess said like document everything call the cops when anything goes wrong like protect yourself and put some cameras up take photos of everything make sure it's really well documented and if you can find out who their landlord is provide that to them and work out what next steps would be from there because that's just not fair yeah it's such a hard place and we're sorry you're going through that yeah please be safe above everything else that's all i can really say and if they are renting a little sneaky tip

that I learnt when I had bad neighbours is Google their address and it will usually come up with, you know, like the old realestate.com.au listing and it will have the real estate agent who listed it. You can call them and say, hey, do you still, you know, manage 123 Boring Street? And they'll be like, yeah, we do. And you'll go, great, I have a whole heap of stuff

that's going to be really interesting for you guys and the landlord. Like you don't even need to put me in contact with the landlord. I just want to be able to provide this information because, you know, obviously they think they're getting away with it. Yeah. Anyway, that's me throwing other people under a bus. Let's move on though, because we have a community DM, which I would be really annoyed about this. So let's read it out. Hi, she's on the money. I've got a bit of a random question. If a friend asks to leave their stuff at your house while they go on a three month

overseas holiday, should you charge them rent for keeping their stuff? To this date, they still haven't booked a return flight and they've been gone since November 2023. They stayed at my house for a couple of nights prior to their flight and I even drove them to the city to catch the Skybus to the airport. I've not received a single dollar from this person. I wouldn't say that they are a super close friend but I've known them since July last year. I am doing them a huge favour storing their stuff at my house in my spare room. Their stuff includes their bike in my garage, several helmets shoes and boots a laptop clothes cooking and groceries which are currently in my fridge and things like snacks and toilet paper that are currently sitting in my cupboards what would you

do and how would you go about asking for money if they don't come back do i have a right to sell all this stuff interesting interesting i feel like this has gone real deep real quick like you're asking if you have a right to sell this stuff but it's gone very weirdly have you had a conversation with this person? Like, why are you asking me if you have a right to sell someone's stuff before asking them when they're returning? Which, by the way, abandoned property is, I think, like a six-month rule. But you need it after you have contacted the relevant party.

Oh, I see, I see, I see. Yeah, this is a tricky one. I think personally, like, it depends, I guess, how much space this is taking up. It doesn't sound like it's taking up a whole lot of space, but it's also like if it's like a one-bedroom apartment or a share house, it could be, you know, that's a very crucial amount of space that you could be using for other things. So I totally get that. I guess my thing is if you

hadn't had a conversation ahead of time about them paying for like storage fees, I guess you'd call it, then I wouldn't expect any money. If I had this conversation ahead of time and I wasn't expecting storage fees, I wouldn't be then expecting storage fees in three, four, five months, no matter how long they took really, I guess like they're outliving their best. But I think if you had that in mind already that you were going to get storage fees, maybe there was some sort of conversation and I would like that context but totally fine that is a bit of a tricky one but I guess at this point if you hadn't discussed it I wouldn't expect it but yeah maybe maybe have a conversation yeah like did was there a conversation at the start around how long

you were holding their stuff for three months I think the listener said well so they've just hit the three month mark yeah yeah really so I feel like if anything just dropping their message and saying hey like I know when we first chatted you said about three months we've just recently you know I've got a dog or my partner's like any excuse that you can think of you don't even need an excuse I'm just wondering when you're coming to get your stuff like well yeah or if you want to be a bit softer I guess you could just say oh I really need the space so we can't hold it for too much longer when do you want to come and grab it and so then the option is either they go oh my god I can't come back and you go okay would you like me to sell it would you like to pay for a

storage facility you know here are a few different options for you but I think like you've really jumped the gun on, can I sell this stuff? Can I, you know, it sounds like you're kind of just coming to be weird. It's going to be weird. And I think like maybe you're feeling weird because they haven't communicated with you, which I totally understand. But I think like if they haven't communicated with you, let's like put our big girl pants on and we'll start the communication, which I know is our answer a lot of the time, communicate, but you'd be surprised how many things you can fix by having a simple and kind conversation. So I think just like bringing it up and being like, hey, like I know we said three months. It's been about three months. I kind of

need the space. So what's the go? Yeah. I think given the diversity of the stuff that they've left at your house, it tells me that you consented to this at the start. Like they didn't just come to your house before they went to the airport and accidentally leave some stuff. And then they're like, oh, sorry, I'll get it when I'm home. And it was a bit awkward. Like you've got a bike, you've got a laptop, you've got their shoes, you've got random things in your house that are theirs. So I'm assuming that you said, yeah, yeah, you can leave them at my house for now. what you're now telling me is that your expectations have changed, but I'm assuming you haven't communicated those expectation changes. And maybe you're a little bit frustrated

with it now because you might not have thought about charging them at the start. And then you're like, hold on, she could have put in storage and she'd have to pay for this. So I feel like you need to have a conversation about like, hey, when are you coming back? Like when you say they still haven't booked a return flight, does that mean you're in communications or are we guessing? Like have they actually, what does that mean? So I would literally just be like, hey, just wanted to check in. When are you coming home for a starter? And then they might say, oh my gosh, like we haven't booked flights, but we need to in the next week. We've been putting it off. Or they might say, oh my gosh, we're loving it. We're going to stay here another

month and a half. At which point you go, cool. What are we going to do about your stuff? Like there's stuff in my house. Do you want me to like move it to a friend's place? Or do you want me to give it to your parents? Do you want me to put it in a storage unit for you so that it's all together and safe I'm just worried about breaking it or you know whatever it is that makes you feel comfortable in having that conversation but I do I don't know what it is about this message and I'm sorry to the person who has written this in but I find it very strange that you are going from going yep cool I let them keep their stuff also should I be charging them well have a chat with them about that but also can I sell their stuff like oh I don't it escalated quickly I don't know like

Jess, if I asked to leave my bike at your place because I was travelling and it was all ridgy-didge and you were like, oh, yeah, V, you can leave it in my garage, I just would have thought it was fine because you're one of my girlfriends and my bike's just in your garage. I'm not worried that you're going to sell it. And then that just is another layer of like imagine if I came home and said, hey, Jess, can I come get my bike? And Jess is like, I sold it actually.

I'd be like, what? And Jess would be like, well, you said you'd be gone for three months and you were gone for four. I'd be like, what on earth? yeah you know what i mean like that's a bit weird sure sure you're entitled to want your space back but i think like not at the expense of dogging your friend basically i do get the slight suspicion if they've only known each other since july that maybe this other person doesn't have a lot of other close friends because i don't know like i i think that if they had other people to leave it

with they would probably go for that option over someone they they've not known for that long you know what i mean because it's a it's a big thing to trust someone with with all your stuff Because what if they sold it? What if they sold it? What if they threw it out? So that's the other thing I'm like, well, let them be. Yeah. I'm just so confused.

Why have you got their groceries in your fridge? How are they still? I think that's the one thing. I feel like you're allowed to throw out the groceries. Like, is there a half-eaten jar of pickles? Why are we holding this? Yeah. They might not be perishable, so maybe check the,

why are they in the fridge? Yeah, good question. Good question. What did everyone else say? Obviously, we asked some questions because, if anything, we need the drama. We said, do you think that you can charge rent for this? 42% said yes, but 58% of you said no.

We said, do you think it's okay to sell this stuff if the person doesn't return after a certain amount of time? 22% of you said, yeah, they abandoned the stuff there. 22% of you need to call your friend. I don't know that I would say abandoned, yeah. Seems a bit harsh. If they ghost you and it's there for, like, two years. Like if you've tried to message them several times

and they haven't, then yeah, okay, maybe. Like if you've been ghosted, absolutely different story. But you're telling me that this friend doesn't have flights booked to come home and that tells me that you've been in communication with them. So maybe I'm reading a little bit too much into it but I feel a little bit weird about it. But 78% of you said no, they trusted you to keep

their stuff safe, which I'm on that page. I agree. We said if you said yes to selling their stuff, How long do you have to have it before you sell it? 10% of you said three months and it's sold. Three months. I'm scared. But, like, what the hell?

That was the expectation your friend actually set with you. To the day. Like, it is July 6th and they, at 2pm, it's officially been three months. See you later. Like, are we watching the clock? Did your friend say you could sell the stuff after three? I'm so confused. 22% of you said six months.

I would say fair if they have fully ghosted you and you have had absolutely no communication and you have tried to reach out to them via Facebook Messenger, Instagram, text message, WhatsApp and email and you've done all of this and heard nothing back then okay sure and then 68% of you said after a year again I'm assuming if they have been ghosted not like I'm still away and the spicy bit we asked well what's your two cents and here are some of the responses Someone said, you should have worked out rent prior. If you want rent now, you need to communicate that. Agree.

This is a very surprising response. Someone said, that's something you should have discussed beforehand. I think you're the drama. Am I the drama? But like, yeah, I also think you're being the drama. I kind of agree a little bit. Someone said, the timeline should have been clearly communicated. A friend isn't just a free storage shed.

Someone said, don't offer to help a friend if you're expecting something in return. That's a good point. Sure. Yes. Sure. Yes. That's literally my thought. Like, did you offer this?

Did you say, oh, I've got a spare room. You can put it in. Yeah. Because I would not immediately expect if Jess said, oh, there, you can put in my spare room. I wouldn't be like, okay, so what's the rent on that? Like, it's just not how the communications go, right? It's all about the tone of that conversation.

Exactly. You don't go, hey, Bec, do you want to come down to my place for the weekend to be really good? And you go, yeah, I'd love that fee. And I go, yeah, so it's a hundred bucks a night. Plus cleaning. Yeah, also there's a service fee. Yeah, service fee.

Anyway, weird. So someone else said, it doesn't sound like that much stuff. I think you might be being a little bit overdramatic. Oh, gentle, gentle, gentle. All right. I'm just reading other people's comments. This is a safe space. This is a safe space.

Safe where everyone's safe. Today doesn't feel that safe. Someone said, you need to communicate with your friend and ask when they're back. Otherwise, it would be very fair of you to ask them to sort another storage option. Yeah. I think that's fair. They said, why did you bother saying yes if this is how you feel? You should have said no from the start, which I think is very fair.

Someone said, eat their groceries. Honestly, like for everyone's sake, eat their groceries. Unless they're like really, really old, in which case maybe don't. Yeah. Someone else said, a friend left his couch at my place when he moved overseas. It's now my couch. Ha ha, money win. True.

That's the other thing. Like when does it become your own property? After you've communicated. After you've communicated. Absolutely. Everything's after communication. So someone else said you're a bad person if you go and sell their things without communicating. Yeah, I've got to kind of agree with that.

Yeah. Sure. Someone said take the food, use the toilet paper. That stuff's getting lucrative. And then at least you've sort of got something out of this. Yeah, use the toilet. I reckon use the toilet paper. That's fine.

A hundred percent. I just don't know why the toilet paper's gone into storage. So true. It doesn't make sense to me. But most of the other conversations are literally communicate with your friend. Like I can't tell you how many of them are like, why haven't you asked them? Why haven't you spoken to them? Why haven't you communicated? You need to have clearer communication. So I think that's going to be the main takeaway from this is that you need to step up and have a good conversation with your friend about when they're going to come back and what your

expectations are, even if those expectations have changed. Like you can set your own boundaries. It's not up to us to say, oh, I wouldn't do that or I wouldn't do this. That's fine. But you have to communicate it. Also, if the listener is listening, please give us an update because I'm actually really, really invested. Yeah. Yeah.

Can we have photos of this stuff? We'll let you know if we get an update. Can you show us what groceries they left? I feel like it's strange. Show us the toilet paper too. I'm curious about the toilet paper. Was it like an unopened packet? Like a singular roll or something.

Maybe it was who gives a crap because that can be a little bit expensive. I get that. Yeah, it can be. All right. I think that's all we have time for today, guys, which is very sad because it is my last episode before I go on that leave. So instead of saying, we'll see you on Monday, bright and early for a money date, which we will because I've pre-recorded all of them. If you thought I was going anywhere, wrong. She's magic.

Wrong. I'm not magic. I am. Organized. No, that sounds really nice as well. I'm probably certified insane and I've pre-recorded all of them for you. So you are welcome. but have the best time.

I will be back in six or so weeks and I am so excited to share my mini with you but also, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be creeping in the Instagram. I'm going to be on Facebook. Like, I'm watching. Can't get rid of her. Have fun, guys.

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