Don't Even Bother

#9: Can I Even Afford Anything Anymore? The Cost of Living, Burnout, and Financial Reality

• Katiuscia + Megan • Episode 9

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 54:52

Why does everything feel so expensive — and why does it feel impossible to get ahead?

We're chatting about the rising cost of living, financial burnout, and the quiet stress of trying to make adult life work when prices keep climbing and paychecks don’t.

We talk housing, groceries, gas, lifestyle, astronomical pet supplies, and the emotional toll of constantly doing the math just to exist. From budgeting fatigue to the pressure of “doing everything right” and still feeling behind, this episode captures what so many people are thinking but rarely say out loud.

This isn’t a finance lecture — it’s a real conversation about affordability, expectations, and navigating modern money stress without losing your mind.

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Can I even afford anything anymore?” — you’re not alone.

00:00  Can Anyone Afford Anything Anymore?
03:20  Why the Cost of Living Feels Out of Control
07:45  Grocery Prices, Gas, and Daily Expenses
13:10  Housing Costs and Financial Pressure
18:40  Lifestyle Creep and “Keeping Up”
24:30  Budgeting Fatigue and Money Burnout
30:05  Doing Everything Right but Still Falling Behind
36:15  Emotional Stress Around Money
42:10  Expectations vs Financial Reality
48:00  How People Are Coping (or Not)
52:20  Final Thoughts on Affordability and Sanity

Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, & TikTok @dontevenbotherpod, email us at dontevenbotherpodcast@gmail.com, & share with your cool friends :)

speaker:

Don't even bother.

katiuscia:

Oh, hey now,

megan:

Hey,

katiuscia:

did you know that there are full on dog bakeries?

megan:

Oh yeah. I feel like that peaked in the early two thousands, but it's still just out of out of hand

katiuscia:

for dogs solely.

megan:

Yeah. No, I guess they were more a part of. A pet store or a regular bakery, they'd have a dog case or whatever,

katiuscia:

because even Petco has the treats for dogs. But this is full on dog bakeries where it's not cheap. You know what I mean? You're, you're paying, you're either getting a cookie or a cupcake or a whole. Cake. A whole cake, and not just a pup cake, but a whole thing. And that is expensive. So I'm just mind blown. Of course, I have to get my dogs cupcakes for their birthdays because I only have them a short time in this life. And I really make it special. I do a whole thing 'cause I'm that person, I do it. But man, oh man, I. Just finding it. There were multiples that I was calling and then I ended up going into one that was actually, I selected this time a regular cupcake. And they cupcake.

megan:

Sorry, continue. That was fantastic.

katiuscia:

And they happen to have dog. Cupcakes as well. So I thought, okay, and while I'm not a huge cupcake person all the time, again, I'm very particular, I like carrot cake, but I'm a snob about it because I make it so good a connoisseur, I guess is the right word, but. I was looking at the cupcakes 'cause I thought, okay, I'm here. I drove all this way to Timbuktu in Boise to get this cupcake for my dog that I was looking at. Cupcakes as well. They were big. They were also $5 cupcakes. What, what has happened?

megan:

You can get a a whole individual pie at Albertson's for $4 for 3 99. I don't want a $5 cupcake. That's absurd. Highway robbery. That's a lot of money. All dog products are highway robbery.

speaker:

Oh, dog products. Yes,

katiuscia:

there, there's nothing that we ever buy for our dogs that we think, you know what? I think I got a really good deal on that. Or, you know what? That makes sense. No, none of it makes sense for the dogs, not the toys, not the food. The food is astronomical. My girls are on a diet that costs more than me to feed. It costs more to feed them than it does to feed an adult human woman.

megan:

Well, it doesn't cost that much to feed you. Me. It probably costs more to feed your dogs than it does feed me.

katiuscia:

Probably say

megan:

that.

katiuscia:

Okay?

megan:

Yeah, it dog food is astronomical every time. I buy dog food and I do not buy bougie dog food. I'm not buying bottom shelf like attaboy, but I am not buying top shelf dog food. What's the

katiuscia:

most expensive? Is it Royal Canaan? Is that the most, would

megan:

you say? More than likely. There are a lot that I don't look at. I have very strong opinions about dog food. And who owns dog food companies? Spoiler alert, it's BlackRock. And so there are a lot watching a dog food commercial with me is like watching an Army movie with a vet, a veteran. It's ridiculous. I will come undone because your dogs are so far removed from wolves. It's not even funny. The eugenics we've done to dogs, they're not wolves, they're not wild dogs, and dogs are not obligate carnivores. So they need other things than just meat in their diets. And so a lot of the dog food commercials that basically portray this Yorkie as a former wolf, get a grip. Dude, I can't. I cannot. But when I buy dog food, I turn into my dad. Sorry dad, but I turned into my dad a 70 something year old man just going, why

speaker:

the hell is this so expensive?

megan:

Back in my day, you could get a 50 pound bag of dog food for $45 and now nope, no chance. Even at Costco, there's no chance you can't get a 30 pound bag of dog food. That's a decent brand for less than 80 bucks.

katiuscia:

Oh, my girls, I buy 20 pound 'cause that's the biggest that I can get in their food. And the list price is always 115 bucks. So I wait typically. Then there's the deals of a pickup in store. You get 10% off, or it's on sale. It tends to be on sale a lot. We're still talking about a hundred dollars bag of dog food for three dogs who eat twice a day. I probably go through it, I mean at least one a month at least, because there are three of 'em. Even though they're small, it is just the craziest thing to me. And I think the most interesting thing is that probably when we grew up, there wasn't this affection to dogs as there is now. I mean, you had the people who loved their dogs, who knew, but they weren't

megan:

seen as children who

katiuscia:

right. Also, but I'm saying that's when you just, oh yeah. We grew up with a dog. The family dog was outside the dog. This, maybe it slept in the garage and he cat poop. Maybe he had a doghouse outside. I'm just saying. Yeah, they've never been, it's really been this movement over the past, I'd say 25 years that's really brought them in on a larger scale.'cause there were the people who, of course, who had that already with their dogs. But now. Because it's so family oriented, brought in, seen as a child. It is very, what a business talk about it. It's

megan:

a massive marketing opportunity.

katiuscia:

Talk about a cult of the dog food businesses because everything is so expensive. So I find it ironic that my dogs with the dog allergies. My dogs are fine, except my Mexico rescue who has a chicken allergy, which I find is the most random thing because that girl literally came from the streets where she was probably eating rats. So you come here, but

megan:

not chickens.

katiuscia:

You come here and you get bougie and now she has this high, high life. I mean,

megan:

well. So maybe you should be feeding her rats.

katiuscia:

No, she is on

megan:

a, you go get those at the pet store too. She's, they're a lot cheaper than your food.

katiuscia:

She's on a good beef grain-free diet with the other two, but it is just insane. And then she's also happens to be my pickiest eater. So not only do you come already with an allergy, but now you're also gonna be picky. This is how I feel about people with dietary restrictions that they impose on everybody. I understand that you prefer to eat one way, and I respect that, but I don't feel everything has to accommodate you. There's a million different dietary restrictions, so me, for example, I tend to eat low to no carb. I tend to eat high fat. More carnivore, I'd say is ideal for me. That's how I feel the best. And yet when I'm in Italy, I will take down a pastry shop instantaneously and have not only no guilt, but I will have no pain, no issues. And that's a whole other topic, but I don't ever impose my dietary restrictions on other people. And it just drives me wild that, so I digress because we're talking about the dogs. But these damn allergies with the dogs. And then of course the beef is more expensive than the chicken. You know what I mean? Yeah, of course. It's gonna be $30 more. It's beef.

megan:

Yeah. Outside of diabetes. As a former veterinary professional, I'm gonna tell you that allergies is probably the most frustrating ailment for owners and vet med staff. Because it's so difficult to get dialed in. Food allergies, environmental allergies, a food trial, prescription foods, all of it. It's, and usually a food allergy goes hand in hand with an environmental allergy. So even if you have one dialed in, you might not even be aware of the other one. And it just feels, it takes forever to get that really under control.

katiuscia:

I think I noticed it with Little Mexico Lily because. She, it was all the signs were pointing to the allergy and she was on a chicken food, so it was the paws and everything, the skin, there was just so many different things. But now I have to ask, because you were in vet medicine, what in your own personal dog ownership experience life, right? What was the most wild thing? That your dog did that ended up in the vet. What was the, the problem that caught that cost you the most money? That's what it is. The problem that cost you the most money. What was it?

megan:

Well, we did have a bird dog who was allergic to poultry.

katiuscia:

Oh.

megan:

And so that was, that was a huge joke. What? Let's see, a bird. Lots of foreign bodies, because again, I don't have smart dogs. I had an Aussie. Who thought he could take down a bicyclist from across a major intersection and got taken out by a minivan. So that was probably the most expensive thing, and that was the last smart dog I had. And from now on, we just stick with them dogs and not, I also have very strong opinions on dog breeds, but I'm talking. German short hairs and rottweilers. Those are my, those are my a number one. I also just like a dog. Just a dog, dog. So I don't want, like a hand Dog is a different level of smart slash stupid.'cause they're, they're nearly impossible to train. I want a dumb but trainable dog, which is the German short hair and a Rottweiler. They're the best.

katiuscia:

Dumb but trainable.

megan:

Dumb but trainable. That's the best kind of dog. Okay.'cause they're not gonna outsmart you. I am trying to think. Not really very many in my own personal ownership, but definitely as a vet tech, we've taken grill brush pieces out of dog stomachs.

katiuscia:

Oh,

megan:

those metal grill brushes. So if you need a good grill, cleaner brush recommendation, I'll, I'll hook you up. You holler at me. But yeah, a lot of. Underwear eating, diaper eating. We did have a dog who would, he had seizures and so he would all of a sudden just get really nauseated and then just eat anything he could find. And so he would eat the hems of princess dresses and he ate a corner of the sheets, lots of hair ties. So, uh, we've had to induce a lot of vomiting. Around our house for things like that. Diapers is the grossest for sure. Not at our house, but in the hospital. I saw that a lot. And there's always, every, if you, every vet tech you ever meet will tell you the story of the dog who ate panties, and then you always give the owner the foreign body that you pulled out of the dog. And there's always the story of you give, the wife comes to pick up the dog. From this foreign body surgery and you hand her this baggie with a pair of panties in it and they're not her panties.

katiuscia:

Oh,

megan:

that's like classic story. Everybody knows that story.

katiuscia:

Oh geez. I didn't know that.

megan:

Oh yeah. Every vet, every vet tech knows that story.

katiuscia:

That's nuts.

megan:

That's urban legend in VetMed.

katiuscia:

Wow. That's crazy.

megan:

And it probably has happened on more than one occasion. Oh,

katiuscia:

I'm sure.

megan:

The, the German short hair that my parents had. When they were, I don't know, for probably before I was born, ate pantyhose a lot. Panties, pantyhose.'cause you know, it's the eighties, so everybody had the pantyhose, but

katiuscia:

that if you had a run in your pantyhose, you would put a little bit of clear nail polish on it. Yeah,

megan:

dude. Hairspray clear nail polish.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

Now if I had to wear pantyhose, I would burn this whole place down to the ground.

katiuscia:

Yeah. Pantyhose. I can't, I can't even imagine. So my dog. When I got Lily, when I got her from the rescue, she was at a Mexico rescue, and then she was being transported to a rescue in Hebrew City, a partner rescue. So I drove down and I got her and I brought her home. We drove home, and I think it was the next day or later that night, I realized she had been spayed because they have to be spayed to come into the states. Her spay wound looked like it wasn't healing. And so I remember taking her to the vet the next day anyway, to have her checked out and make sure that I, of course she had like eria and all of the tick-borne things because she just came from Mexico. So she was, we were medicating her up, but he gave her a shot. I remember some antibiotic to help it heal. And then it was on, I think it was 4th of July or the day before the 4th of July, and I had just had her maybe five days. And her wound reopened. It was healing. A couple days it reopened. I had to take her back in after 4th of July and he had to put her under, re-sit the wound and reseal it out.

megan:

Oh, excellent.

katiuscia:

Gnarly. Yeah. Which is not what you want with a rescue that I'm like, really? You already ching and now you're allergic to chicken and costing me extra. I mean, I love her. She's probably one of the coolest dogs. She was outside this morning in an ambulance. Was going either through the main street or through the neighborhood, and she just sat there and started howling at the ambulance sirens. It was amazing.

megan:

That's

katiuscia:

awesome. But dog stuff is so, so crazy expensive. And so yes, she cost me money. But I remember this was maybe a month before Thanksgiving, a couple years ago. My now mama, so my Cava P, she has a really sensitive stomach. I don't know why. It's just. She eats, leaves, she, we had bark outside at the time. We've since gotten rid of all of it and put rock because she was eating the bark, so she would get gastritis stuff a lot. And she had this issue and I remember bringing her to the vet early in the morning. She was vomiting bile, I think for two days or something. And I kept in contact with the vet, when do I need to bring her in? My vet's amazing. I didn't wanna take her to an emergency vet because I didn't. No, they don't know her. I've never been there. I would rather just stick with my own vet. So he was keeping in contact with me and I remember I, I took her in 'cause she wasn't eating. It was the bile, all of this. And they hooked her up to fluids and they kept her basically hooked up there for a whole day. She was maybe a year and a half, maybe a year and a half and a whole day. This was November, so it was a couple weeks before Thanksgiving and she was fine. I got her later that night. So they gave her fluids, they gave her everything. They, we have prescription food, all the things fine. A couple days later, this girl, I left her out. Yeah, she was about a year and a half. I left her out in the living area and she had those toys that, not hard plastic, but that rubber. You know what I mean? Almost like a tether rubber. Okay. Okay. I left her for maybe 10, maybe 12 minutes, and I came out and there was that little toy on top of a little tether, on top of a bar stool, and it was gone. And that little brat ate that toy, and I was very concerned because she had just been hooked up. She's still recovering. This is a couple days later. This is a week of Thanksgiving. So I'm also stressed. Do I need to take her to the vet? Do we need to give her stuff to induce vomiting? What do we need to do? I'm freaking out. And the vet said, pretty much, you just have to wait until it all passes. So then you have to play almost in your mind. Every time she goes potty, you have to mentally put this puzzle together because I remember it was orange and blue, this piece, and I was just, you cost me so much money. And then the fact that she did it, that right after we got her out of costing us so much money for her gastritis, I was like, girl, no, but everything you get for those dogs, man, everything. And then there's some super just crazy stuff.

megan:

Oh yeah, I was. Anytime I go to the pet store, anytime I go to any store, let's be honest, I like to look at the clearance section. And I was at the pet store recently with the puppy looking at clearance things and they make a dog sleeping bag. What a dog sleep? A dog sleeping bag. Why? And I was upset because again, I turned into my dad. What dog needs a freaking sleeping bag? I have gone camping. I've gone camping with dogs. They either can sleep in the tent with you. Some dogs just sleep outside the tent. Some dogs sleep in the tent. Some I sleep in my sleeping bag. I don't care. But you don't need your own freaking sleeping bag. And guess how much it was on clearance For? On clearance?

katiuscia:

On clearance. Oh gosh.

megan:

I don't know. 74 98.

katiuscia:

Stop it right now.

megan:

Nope. Clearance. I almost started yelling in the store. Can you believe this shit?

katiuscia:

That is insane.

megan:

Yeah. And I mean, it made me feel a little bit better that there were at least five or six of on the clearance rack, so they had not sold, but how many did they order? How many? Who is buying these? If you are buy, I'm gonna just. I'm gonna go ahead and say, if you're buying a sleeping bag for your dog, please don't go camping or go camping. Not in my state. I don't want, I don't wanna be near you. I'm not camping with people who buy a sleeping bag for their dog. No. Pass hard. Pass.

katiuscia:

A sleeping bag for a dog is wild.

megan:

Yeah,

katiuscia:

I feel, but then again, you know that there's people who are buying it, so that's why they make this stuff. They don't make it for shits and gigs. They make it because someone is actually,

megan:

yeah,

katiuscia:

there is a market for it. Kind of like there's someone for everyone. There is a market for everything.

megan:

I think more, less of there's someone for everyone and more of, if you can convince a bunch of women in a cult that this heinous cult leader is hot enough to bone him while he's boning everybody else

katiuscia:

gross,

megan:

then you can convince somebody that they need a dog's sleeping bag. I think it's more along those lines, not just straight up brainwashing

katiuscia:

maybe, but there is a market, there's a market for everything, so. So insane. But even toys, this is why I love places like Home Goods and TJ Maxx because they have dog pet sections and they've got great toys, and then with dogs, they ruin 'em. Anyway,

megan:

my dog just likes water bottles.

katiuscia:

Oh, water bottles were great. When, when Gracie had the puppies, it was water bottles and red solo cups that I would just throw on the floor.

megan:

Oh,

katiuscia:

yeah. And they would just run, it's the noise. It's the everything, the crinkle.

megan:

These new chincy water bottles, though they don't last long, so I now we're doing like a whole orange juice or lemonade bottle. That thick plastic, that's where it's at. That'll last a good long time. Nice.

katiuscia:

Because they, they'll bite through the other ones.

megan:

Those little

katiuscia:

shark teeth.

megan:

Oh, he'll shred 'em.

katiuscia:

Is your puppy losing teeth

megan:

yet? Not yet. I look every day and I annoy him every day. Getting all up in his mouth and in his ears and 'cause once you're a vet tech, you're always a vet tech.

katiuscia:

That's true.

megan:

So I'm messing with them constantly.

katiuscia:

Two of the girls had their teeth cleaned at the vet a couple weeks ago. And since then I've just been brushing their teeth every night. They never let me.

megan:

You're so good.

katiuscia:

But now I'm doing it and I'm making it this fun thing. They really like their toothpaste and it's, it's a mint. What's that brand? It's not rbs. A Verbeck? Yeah. So it's EC and I have the little finger brush and the puppy loves it. The puppy's always loved it. She's just has such a small little mouth. And then her mom has not always loved it, but she loves the. Toothpaste.

megan:

Okay.

katiuscia:

So I think, you know what, if we do this at night before bed, like I would for myself or my child,

megan:

oh, I barely ever even brushed my children's teeth.

katiuscia:

Oh. I'm like,

megan:

you got thumbs. Brush your own teeth.

katiuscia:

I am doing it. It's because to have them come out of the vet and it's,

megan:

I have never once brushed my dog's teeth.

katiuscia:

Oh gosh.

megan:

But I do give 'em. Especially formulated shoes to chew on.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

To help keep their teeth clean. So my last dog who was 11 or 12 years old had only ever had one dental cleaning in her life, so

katiuscia:

Oh, okay.

megan:

But again, big dogs don't have the dental problems that little dogs do. Eugenics.

katiuscia:

Yeah. It's crazy. Do you, do you give your dogs yak chews also?

megan:

No.' katiuscia: cause those are for their teeth as well. Mm. My vet friends in Italy, they always say that yaks are the best because. I think our society and the marketplace gets so caught up on the greenies and all that other shit. Oh, greenies are garbage.

katiuscia:

That's just filled. I'm sorry

megan:

greenies. Don't sue me

katiuscia:

if you, your pill

megan:

pockets are amazing.

katiuscia:

They're pretty good. The dogs love the pill pockets. Oh,

megan:

if I could go back in time and invent something, it would be pill pockets.

katiuscia:

I forgot about pill pockets because Lily won't as allergy friendly and, uh, stubborn as she is. She also. Shockingly doesn't, she knows now that peanut butter is a trick. Mm-hmm. To get, so I gotta work on that. And their medicine is chew. I give them chewies for their medicine and she's still very picky. But yeah, I'm glad that they're okay with brushing of the teeth at this point. It's never gonna be as good because I can't get these back ones that much.'cause the.

megan:

Well, and you brush your teeth every day and you still go to the dentist and get your teeth cleaned.

katiuscia:

I brush my teeth an absurd amount of times.

megan:

Yeah, you

katiuscia:

do. I'm

megan:

But you still go to the dentist to get your teeth cleaned?

katiuscia:

I'm, uh, yes I do.

megan:

So even if you're brushing your dog's teeth every day, they're still gonna need to go get their teeth cleaned.

katiuscia:

I know. I used to have this guy in San Diego that would do a non anesthesia dental cleaning. And

megan:

On your dogs?

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

Oh,

katiuscia:

it was game changing. And then he moved to Tennessee and then I moved here and I've reached out to him. Daniel, if you ever hear this, I've reached out to him and I say, I will find you people if you come out to Idaho.'cause he was also then coming back to California for maybe a week or two at a time after he had moved to take care of the clients. So I thought, I, I can get you the clients if you come out here because no, not everybody wants to put their dog under all the time. It's not, I don't think long term. As you add that up is good for a dog anyway, to be put under that many times, especially as they get older. But this was amazing. He would come in, it would take him 45 minutes. Those teeth would be pristine, pristine, back front, all of it. And he just had this. Dog whispering magic man way of getting the dogs to just zone out and take it and not freak out. There was no stress. It was maybe he

megan:

should be our cult leader.

katiuscia:

Holy hell, Daniel. He was great. I'm gonna try to reach out to him again. I just saw a card, but that, okay, so now I'm gonna try to mitigate what I can on my end, but man, they're so expensive. Everything. I love them though. I wouldn't trade them for anything, but it's just, and you know it's, I work to make sure my dogs obviously have a better diet than I do.'cause I'm all cheese stick and almond with the occasional, if I go out I'm definitely going to get a $24 salad, but that's 'cause I don't wanna spend a hundred in buying all the ingredients that it would take to make that $24 salad.

megan:

Yeah, for sure.

katiuscia:

Everything just. Costs so much money. And I think that's the biggest thing is like, can we even afford anything anymore? Because no,

megan:

we can't.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

Well, yeah.'cause if, if you wanna make a, and I'm not talking about a romaine and ranch and shredded carrot salad, like a good salad. If you buy all the ingredients for that, then you're gonna have to eat that salad every meal of every day. In a hurry so that it doesn't go bad. And then to get your money's worth out of it, and then you're not gonna want to eat that salad again for a year.'cause you just ate it for three straight weeks.

katiuscia:

Yeah, you don't want it,

megan:

you want it once. But so if you go to the, if you go to a restaurant or the salad bar, love a good salad bar, um, you're gonna pay an exorbitant amount of money. But also, do you need a salad that's like as big as your purse? I feel like a lot of those salads are getting bigger and bigger and it's a little out of hand.

katiuscia:

I feel it's actually going the opposite way.

megan:

Oh, okay.

katiuscia:

There was a chapter in our lives where maybe it's when I was in college that I really got into the whole salad thing also, because you're going out with your friends like, but it's something that you wouldn't even eat all of it and you would take it and you wouldn't dress it. Well, it's hard to, yeah, it's

megan:

hard to take a

katiuscia:

salad to go. Yeah. You wouldn't dress it. You would have the dressing on the side. But Cheesecake Factory, for example, was near my college. And so we would go to Cheesecake Factory a lot, and those salads were massive. There used to be a restaurant back in the day called Claim Jumper. I don't Oh,

megan:

claim Jumper

katiuscia:

was sold. Okay.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

Did you have you I don't think we had one here,

megan:

but I lived in Arizona.

katiuscia:

But In Arizona, yeah.

megan:

Think we had one there.

katiuscia:

Claim Jumper was, that was probably the beginning of the massive amounts of the

megan:

five pound salad.

katiuscia:

Yeah. Claim jumper. So lately what I'm realizing is that. I can finish my salad, no problem.

megan:

Oh,

katiuscia:

and it's stacked. If I go to a certain restaurant that I know I really want that salad and I'm already craving it'cause I'm talking about it, but I already had it this week and I don't wanna spend another $24. It's so good though. It's a loaded veggie salad. So again, I'm not gonna take the time to buy all the veggies and grill them, please. No. And then to add chicken, but there's goat cheese and avocado and it's so delicious. But I can eat it all and it doesn't, it's not overwhelming as not too much food. So I do feel maybe it's also the rest, whatever restaurant, dependent on the restaurant, if it's. A little more upscale. They're now charging more, but they're also limiting what you're getting. Whereas, mm-hmm. A normal restaurant, an average, a chain, a chain restaurant mm-hmm. Would probably just give you

megan:

five pound salad. A five pound

katiuscia:

salad.

megan:

Well, 'cause it makes sense that Cheesecake Factory, that their salads are huge because their menu is like a Harry Potter book. Like nobody needs that many choices.

katiuscia:

It's not only that, my thing for Cheesecake Factory that I, that I began to realize as I got older was. It. How much waste goes into this? Because there's no way that people are coming into that restaurant every day and ordering every item.

megan:

Oh yeah.

katiuscia:

There's no way.

megan:

No.

katiuscia:

So it has to be a lot of hybrid things. But then even then, where's the end of that? Where do you wanna stop that?'cause it just seems a bit excessive. I can't get through that. I go straight to the salads If I ever go to Cheesecake Factory. And that's it.

megan:

I don't remember the last time I went to a Cheesecake Factory.

katiuscia:

It's been a while.' megan: cause we all cheesecake in general. It does. So that's just not my jam. I think I was there a few years ago, but wild. So the salads, everything's a lot. But that's the world we live in. Everything is so expensive

megan:

now. See, and this makes me wanna sit down with my dad because, and I've done it before and said, is this. As bad as it was in the seventies. There were some hard times in the seventies economically, and, but I feel like everything is exponentially more expensive. It's not just normal inflation, it's just out of hand.

katiuscia:

Who knew that we would get to a point? We're a greeting card. That's pretty basic.

megan:

Don't even get me started on greeting cards.

katiuscia:

Would cost 7 95?

megan:

No,

katiuscia:

maybe because it has a pop out, but then you have to pay extra to mail it. Big greeting cards is really overtaking. We got big insurance, big greeting cards. Big pharma, big pharma, big food, big milk. I mean all of

megan:

big dog food.

katiuscia:

Big dog food. Greeting cards have gotten out of control.

megan:

Greeting cards is a racket. I'm gonna go on record right now and say, no, don't get me a greeting card. Do not get me a greeting card. If you wanna spend $5 on my birthday, you bring me a coffee. Do not get me a greeting card.'cause I will look at it and if it has more than two sentences of writing in it, I will throw it away. I am not reading that there might be two people in the whole world. They could get me a greeting card with lots of writing on it that I would read, but that's about it. Pass. I don't want a greeting card.

katiuscia:

There are so many. I would prefer just a plain, little note card where I have the ability to write. I do send note cards a lot.

megan:

Sure

katiuscia:

I have those and they're plain, and I write a message in 'em. So I keep always cards from my mom 'cause my mom has beautiful words and beautiful writing. And those are things that I'll always wanna remember.

megan:

Oh sure. I had a work mom. Her name was Cindy, and we would always pass around cards for birthdays and every, you know, happy birthday. Love Megan. And she would take up the entire back of the card with just the most gut wrenching, heartfelt, amazing thing that you never even knew that you needed to hear. And so I still have cards from her because she passed, and that was devastating. I will keep those forever for sure.

katiuscia:

I feel like the people who have the gift with words when I'm writing, I have a gift of words. I can do it. It's beautiful. I love it. And that's why I love writing personalized note cards to people, but I get to write a whole thing of it, two sides of that folded card. So that's a nice thing. But gosh, when I go look at cards for my mom, my mom's birthday is so close to Mother's Day that typically I'll get her one card. And it's fallen on the same day before. Mm-hmm. But I'll either get her a birthday card or a Mother's Day card, and then the other card, I'll get her something cute and sassy from the dogs.

megan:

Yeah. My

katiuscia:

stepmom. Happy birthday, grandma.

megan:

My stepmom's birthday is really close to Mother's Day too, and we'll get her two cards. But yeah, we try to make one of them sweet and one of them funny.

katiuscia:

Yeah.

megan:

But yeah, I think. Not even a foldable one, just a little note card that says, Hey, I was thinking of you would mean more to me than a five or $6 greeting card. Or even just send me. Something funny on the internet.

katiuscia:

One of my good friends will always send me really unhinged greeting cards and those I like. Those are funny. Oh

megan:

yeah. My,

katiuscia:

yeah. Those are the ones that you would get maybe back in the day at Spencer's Gifts or something. Just throw it back Random. Yeah. Yeah. Random, inappropriate. Those send me all day long. Yeah. Like those are hilarious. But it's the, it's the words. It's also who's writing this. Mm-hmm. It's then that. Jumps to, should we maybe get a job for a greeting card company and start designing? Let's reach out to Minted and Hallmark, because Papyrus $10 cards for,

megan:

yeah, no, I don't need all that. Vellum. Calm down. Yeah, with the Vellum, no. My very best oldest friend, not oldest, my longest friend in the whole wide world, she and I, our birthdays are only 11 days apart, and so she and I don't send each other birthday cards in April. I will find a birthday card when I'm buying birthday cards for other people and think it's hilarious and just send it to her. So it could be tomorrow, it could be whenever. And we just do that randomly because that's more,'cause then it's just a fun surprise in the mail. Yeah. Rather than just an obligatory birthday card.

katiuscia:

Yeah. But if I am gonna get a birthday card, it better be funny.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

So yeah, it's gotta be funny. Unless it's from my mom and then it's. And for my mom, and I love that. Sure. But I want the unhinged, the worst of the, the most inappropriate. Those are the ones I need. I wanna be able to, go ahead.

megan:

No. Now I need to know if there are still Spencer's birthday cards out there. I would like to find those. Let's find those.

katiuscia:

Is Spencer still around?

megan:

I don't know. I, I also would like to bring back them all.

katiuscia:

Yeah, the mall was fun. Remember the, it was the lava lamps at Spencer's, right? They sold the lava lamps.

megan:

What didn't they sell at Spencer?

katiuscia:

I know that's true.

megan:

They kept the lava lamps up front.

katiuscia:

Yeah, they were so cool. I had a lava lamp

megan:

by Think the far they're back into the store you went, the more devious it became.

katiuscia:

That was a cool store. I'm gonna Google it right now.

megan:

Okay? Yeah. You let us know 'cause

katiuscia:

I'm gonna see, because what else did Spencers have?

megan:

We could have a cult field trip to Spencers.

katiuscia:

Holy smokes. Spencer's gifts. Oh my gosh. Hold on, dude, I, I would like the images, please. Oh, there is,

megan:

Spencer's still exists.

katiuscia:

I wonder if it's the same. Oh, this is great. So I'm on the images. There's one in the mall.

megan:

In the mall here

katiuscia:

in Milwaukee. Boise Town Street Center. Yes. And how we knew that this is it.'cause I was just questioning if it's actually legit. I know the camera won't see it, but

megan:

I remember when they opened the Boise Town Center, it was a big deal.

katiuscia:

There's a sign here that says, bitches be tripping. Okay. Maybe I pushed one. Oh my gosh. Let's go to Spencer's Gifts.

megan:

Yeah, dude.

katiuscia:

I don't think it's called gifts anymore, but it's just called Spencer's. Wow. I'm so excited. Let's go find some greeting cards. Field trip. Let's go load up. We'll get coffee and inappropriate greeting cards.

megan:

I know exactly who I'm sending an inappropriate greeting card to.

katiuscia:

This is amazing. I'm so excited right now. I love that. Okay. That makes me so happy. Okay, so other things though that I've been realizing lately, aside from the greeting, big greeting card taking over, it's really just anything.

megan:

Oh, it's everything

katiuscia:

and everything. Yeah.

megan:

And especially. If you are trying to consciously, intentionally, sorry for all the dumb ass buzzwords, but if you're trying to intentionally live your life and eat not garbage, the grocery store, you may as well just ransom your kid. It's so expensive.

katiuscia:

On that note, I came up with a little list. I came up with a little list of shit that costs too much. Okay. Is the title of this list

megan:

I love it.

katiuscia:

Number one, cheese.

megan:

Oh yeah.

katiuscia:

I paid $11 for 10 slices of Havarti at the Albertsons Deli.

megan:

Stop it.

katiuscia:

I don't wanna talk about it, but I I am telling you, not Havarti, I'm stating it.

megan:

That makes me sad though.

katiuscia:

And I had it very thinly sliced. I did not want sandwich cut because I don't eat sandwiches. I wanted it thin enough, but not paper to shred apart, not tissue paper.$11. Okay. A couple years ago when this inflation thing really started. Thanks a lot Biden. I paid $16 for 10 slices of Turkey, $16 and that's, deli items are not really something that you can say. I changed my mind. Forget it. Yeah, and I'm pretty sure I gotta just left it. Okay. Next $6. Americanos.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

No matter where you go, it's pretty much five to $6,

megan:

but $6 fancy coffee is one thing, but in Americano it's just coffee and water. It's in a grip

katiuscia:

and it would be $6 if I put sugar free vanilla in it, which I typically do'cause that's my standard. It's my huge, and $6 just seems a little astronomical for it. Okay. Single lemons at the grocery store. 79 cents at Albertsons. This is why I love WinCo because they're 33 cents. Oh,

megan:

for sure.

katiuscia:

Okay. Body wash. Body wash is crazy expensive. Any kind of dry cleaning or

megan:

dry cleaning is appalling.

katiuscia:

It's gotten out of control,

megan:

I remember. And I don't get a lot of things dry clean, but I was just talking to my friend Carly about that the other day, and she and her husband travel all the time. That's their whole job, their whole lives. And so they're constantly going to laundromats and dry cleaners. And it was $17 for a pair of jeans. Yeah, to be washed and starched.

katiuscia:

Dry cleaners

megan:

appalling.

katiuscia:

I've, I've been quoted before. It depends. Now every location is different. Every store is different, right? Who's running it? But I've been quoted in certain cities here, $60 to la It's not dry cleaning it, it's laundering a down comforter.$60 for it. That's a lot of money.

megan:

That's a

katiuscia:

lot. At another place where I typically, usually take it, it's 35 or 40. Yeah. Way better. Still ridiculous, but way better Toilet paper. All paper products for that matter. Kleenex and paper towels.

megan:

I don't really look at the price of toilet paper because I'm just buying it. I buy the Costco brand of toilet paper, period. End of discussion. There's no choice. I'm buying that.

katiuscia:

Well, no, you have to buy it, but

megan:

I'm just, and so I don't look at how much it costs'cause I don't need to know.

katiuscia:

Okay, if you don't need to know, but I'm just in as a generalized statement of things that got way more expensive as we're adulting. Adulting is the biggest fricking scam. It is so expensive. Nobody is just growing up and living their best life. No, you have to have money. Whoever says. Money doesn't buy you. Happiness is rich and a liar. Mm-hmm. Because money buys you every convenience where you don't have to worry and stress. And what do most people get divorced over? What do most people stress out in their life over money? It's number one root of yes, evil, but also problems. So if I had money that I didn't need to worry about the price of toilet paper or only get it. When I like the red Charmin at Costco, not the blue Charmin. It's too poofy.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

Okay. And when you roll it, it blows dust everywhere, but the red one is the ultra strong and I like it. And it

megan:

was just on sale. I will say, shout out to the person who would buy me Costco packs of toilet paper for gifts when I was in college, for birthdays for Christmas. That was MVP status right there.

katiuscia:

That's nice.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

That's what we all needed. That's what you need. I, I, I don't need a gift. Just help me fund my, help me fund my life. Nail polish.

megan:

Okay.

katiuscia:

Nail polish is crazy expensive.

megan:

Well, yeah. It used to be 99 cents and now you can't even get a bottle of wet and wild for less than 3 99.

katiuscia:

Yeah. There's certain brands like OPI that are 10

megan:

OPI and SE

katiuscia:

who think

megan:

a lot of themselves.

katiuscia:

Mm-hmm. Well, I have a,

megan:

again, don't sue me, but

katiuscia:

I have a site and it's really great and if you ever need to buy OPI, that's where I buy all my OPI and it's like 5 99. I really love it. So I'm happy to share that site.

megan:

I got my, I got my maid in the USA 99, 90 8% dry nail polish that I use.

katiuscia:

I still have to get this. So plug

megan:

this. It's amazing' katiuscia: cause It's called Color Street. It's the freaking best thing going. It is an MLM, but. It's not a gross MLM, and you can just order direct off the website and it's the bomb. I love it so much.

katiuscia:

Yeah, I feel like I need to get it. I feel like it would be good to have whenever I travel or do anything like that. Peanut butter. Yeah, peanut butter is ridiculous. I also like the organic peanut butter, so it's gonna be more, but I don't want a bunch of extra shit in my peanut butter.

megan:

Okay. So that's a hill I'm gonna die on. I don't want a bunch of extra shit in my peanut butter either, but. Peanut butter, I have to stir, and it's still, gloppy just sends me into a rage. So I just want shitty peanut butter, but I don't want it to be $19. I just want,

katiuscia:

do you want

megan:

Skippy Skippy's made in China? Dude. No. J

katiuscia:

what?

megan:

Jiff is made in the USA.

katiuscia:

Wait. I'm sorry. I think that's what I meant. So I didn't know Skippy was made in China, though. Yeah, but Jif used to have, years ago fall flavors of peanut butter. No.

megan:

What?

katiuscia:

No. Don't. It was so good. It was so good. Good.

megan:

Like pumpkin spice, peanut butter.

katiuscia:

It wasn't pumpkin, it was a maple and it didn't come in a jar. It came in almost a, you know, those country crock the butter.

megan:

Okay. Tub.

katiuscia:

It looks like that little tub and it was just, and it was fluffy. It was whipped.

megan:

Oh,

katiuscia:

it so good. Interesting. It was probably. Extreme garbage, of course, but that was right when I was finishing competing. So I was just getting back on peanut butter and doing peanut butter toast, and it was so good.

megan:

I love peanut butter, but I don't want drippy peanut butter. So if you can get me some peanut butter that's not loaded with palm oil that I don't have to stir all the time and that won't run off my toast or my apple, then I'm in. But otherwise, you

katiuscia:

have to put it in the fridge.

megan:

No. Get the fuck outta here with that. I'm not doing that. I refuse. So I will stick to, you can pry my gif from my cold, dead hands. Do

katiuscia:

you like almond butter or just peanut butter?

megan:

Not really. Just peanut butter.

katiuscia:

Okay. Uh, beef jerky.

megan:

Oh, it's exorbitant

katiuscia:

beef jerky

megan:

here to find me out in some farmer's pasture someday just chewing on a cow. It has gotten. Out of control. It's wild how expensive beef jerk is. Beef jerky used to be like a truck stop snack.

katiuscia:

Beef jerky was never even a thing until somebody made it a bougie thing.

megan:

And

katiuscia:

then we all love it.

megan:

And I have a kid who, that's about the only protein you can get in her between school and extracurricular activities,

katiuscia:

beef jerky.

megan:

And so I gotta buy her a family sized pack of beef jerky for $20 twice a week. It's appalling. It makes me upset.

katiuscia:

Oh. That's nuts. So Costco was carrying, there's a really excellent brand. I don't know if I had told you about it 'cause I was so pumped that I saw it at Costco. I founded it at Natural Product Expo a few years ago. The company is called Strive and they do bill to, and then they do air dried beef. So super thin, very lean. And they had this, I found it at Costco a couple months ago. Big bag. 17, 18 bucks and it's called Vaios, is the that offshoot of their brand.

megan:

I'm glad you said that. I'm too white to say that.

katiuscia:

Vaca Dios and it's delicious. And I think it was, I don't know. So it was the air dried beef. I forgot what the flavor was, but I just went into Costco the other day and I was looking for it because I bought it and I ate it really quickly.

speaker:

Mm-hmm.

katiuscia:

Too quickly for normal. I shouldn't have eaten it that quickly. And then I refuse. I go on this kick where I say, no, absolutely not. I don't need it. Just eat real, eat meat, eat chicken, eat eggs, whatever. Don't buy it again. And I didn't buy it. And I just went into Costco and I really wanted it. And it's a deleted item now. Oh, now they don't have it

megan:

sad.

katiuscia:

And so I am gonna have to write the company and say. Can you get it back in Costco?

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

Or for the next time, maybe I'm in another state. If I go back to California and to San Diego, check the Costcos there and see if they have it. But because Costco also eliminates things based on demographic of where they are, who's buying, et cetera. So same way, San Diego doesn't get all the winter shit that we get here. Mm-hmm. Maybe they like their carne seka more than us and their vacca Dios, and I really want it, so I'm gonna look for it. The other beautiful thing about Costco in California is that you can buy liquor there. Okay? Which I am very pro. I don't wanna go to a state run liquor store for everything. I wanna be anywhere and get my liquor if I have to.

megan:

I will say, I believe, I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I believe that our state run liquor stores, the nice thing is, is that it's the same price no matter where you are.

katiuscia:

Yes, that's

megan:

true. So I will say that for our state run liquor stores, although I am sad, we have a tiny little standoff liquor store in our tiny little town in the Merc, in the Mercantile. And they're getting kind of pushed out and it makes me sad 'cause I used to love buying liquor there.

katiuscia:

Oh. Because big liquor just came down the street.

megan:

Freaking big liquor.

katiuscia:

Yeah. But I like big, I like, I like big liquor. It's

megan:

great. My 12-year-old in my brain cannot handle big liquor, so let's move on.

katiuscia:

Oh, I didn't even th I mean, you, you're really the 12-year-old in your brain anyways. You can't beat going into Costco in San Diego and getting a handle. Tito's vodka for 29.99.

megan:

Okay.

katiuscia:

You can't beat it. And then it, the holidays they have, that's the only place I feel like I can afford liquor anymore is at a Costco in California at Christmas. But. I really love the

megan:

beach. I love Costco. I'm a big fan of Costco.

katiuscia:

Costco's the best.

megan:

Costco came in Clutch in college also because we would all find that one kid whose parents let them go to Costco or go to college with a Costco card. And then you all roll in there on a Saturday morning, morning-ish, and you hit all the samples.

katiuscia:

So good.

megan:

And then you all switch hoodies and jackets, and you hit all the samples again. And then you can go and get your slice of pizza or your hot dog and a soda for a dollar 50. I will riot The day they change that,

katiuscia:

I don't think they ever will

megan:

because a hot dog and a soda for a dollar 50, like again, I'm trying to be healthy. But a co, you cannot beat a Costco hotdog and a soda that's, uh, right up there to me with, when I go to a hockey game, I want nachos. I go to a baseball game. I want a hot dog and a beer. If I go to Costco, I want a hot dog and a soda. And when I was really in high school up until my grandpa died, that's what we would do for dates. He and I would just go to Costco and have a hot dog in a soda. We wouldn't even go shopping. We'd just go,

katiuscia:

I love that.

megan:

Sit at Costco and have a hot dog and a salad.

katiuscia:

A hotdog and a soda.

megan:

So I could have Elon level money and I would still be down with the Costco hotdog and soda.

katiuscia:

I, I just love Costco in general for everything. I really don't think they'll ever change that dollar 50 policy. I think that's in it for life. Did you see that? If you're an executive member, you can go into Costco early now?

megan:

Oh, yeah.

katiuscia:

I just, I saw that recently and I thought, oh, I didn't even know that was a perk of my membership.

megan:

Oh,

katiuscia:

my favorite thing to do. So it's a huge win for me. If I could walk in and outta Costco under $50. Under a hundred.

megan:

Oh yeah.

katiuscia:

But I go so frequently

megan:

Sure.

katiuscia:

That. I'm really just running in. I ran in the other week for batteries. I needed to change my smoke detector batteries, so I just ran in for that. But I bought something else and I ended up right under $40. My win of Costco is not only under a certain price point, even though maybe I went there five times that week. It's walking in and not getting a cart. On Saturdays or Sundays or busy times, I never wanna get a cart. I wanna frogger in the middle of everybody and just slide in and get my shit and leave because I cannot stand, especially the weekends when families go into Costco and they leave their cart parked in one area of the aisle or in the middle of the aisle and they're walking around the aisle,

megan:

no.

katiuscia:

Or the kids are running everywhere. Don't. Except

megan:

straight to jail.

katiuscia:

Straight to jail. I just need, I need a little bit of order and I need to be able to look at these aisles. And find what I don't need, but I'm going to buy anyway. Do you understand?

megan:

Oh yeah. My Costco win is if I don't want to hit someone with my cart.

katiuscia:

Hmm.

megan:

So I don't go on the weekends. That's not unless I have an accomplice.'cause then you got one person to run the cart and stay out of the way and the other person to go in the aisles and grab the things and bring 'em back to the cart.

katiuscia:

A good tip for weekends is probably to also go right before closing.

megan:

Why are you telling people that,

katiuscia:

oh, that's

megan:

a secret.

katiuscia:

Just don't go at all. It's always busy and it's always terrible.

megan:

It is. Especially around here. It's bonkers.

katiuscia:

I think we're getting another one though.

megan:

Oh, okay.

katiuscia:

Which will be fun.

megan:

That should be fun.

katiuscia:

I mean,

megan:

but just like everything that happens in this valley, it'll be five years too late.

katiuscia:

That's true.

megan:

And it'll still be crowded,

katiuscia:

but WinCo is still amazing.

megan:

WinCo iss the best. Mm-hmm. In my opinion. There are some things. That I cannot find at WinCo, so I still have to go other places. But WinCo win CO's produce is top notch.

katiuscia:

I just, I love WinCo. I think it's easy. They get things sometimes that other places don't in terms of produce. Sometimes they'll have persimmons and no one else will have them.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

And anything else I'm looking for, but, oh, another thing that I would like to add to my final list was $3 for an avocado.

megan:

Ew.

katiuscia:

$3 and they're not even that great. No. You know what I mean? Yeah. So I don't know where maybe in the transport and the time it takes, so it's just, I realized that you, budgeting is hard for anything because you literally can't afford anything.

megan:

Anything

katiuscia:

medical.

megan:

Oh, don't even, it's ridiculous.

katiuscia:

Car maintenance, everything.

megan:

Well, and even used cars. I bought my first car for$6,000 and now, I mean, you can't get a pickup for less than probably $40,000. It's, it's obscene.

katiuscia:

Ugh, I don't like it. So we will also accept donations of coffee and, and cars. Toilet paper, coffee and toilet paper.

megan:

Office supplies,

katiuscia:

bars, office supplies.

megan:

I'm just gonna keep saying cars.

katiuscia:

Cars.

megan:

I have very strong opinions about cars though, so I don't know.

katiuscia:

Okay.

megan:

I'd sell it. I'd sell it though. I get what I want.

katiuscia:

Dog food, really anything. Any kind of donations.

megan:

Yeah.

katiuscia:

I would love to know what other people are finding that they really can't afford anymore, that they were able to and now they can't. What are the big things that other people are feeling? I would love, love to know. Eggs. Eggs, for sure.

megan:

One one of these days I'm just gonna have my towanda moment and I'm just gonna give the big middle finger to my HOA and I'm going to have chickens. I am terrified of birds. But I could kick a chicken, so that's fine if I Chicken

katiuscia:

will scratch you.

megan:

Oh, I know.

katiuscia:

Okay.

megan:

There's a good, solid reason why, why I'm afraid of birds.

katiuscia:

Okay.

megan:

My grandpa had a rooster growing up. Cheap. Cheap. There's not a cousin in this family that doesn't have a scar from that dang rooster, but I will have chickens. I already know what kind of ch I don't remember.'cause I don't retain things, but I know who I'm gonna get 'em from. I know she knows what kind they are and I'm getting chickens'cause I cannot continue to pay 'cause I don't want just shitty light yellow eggs.

katiuscia:

You want vital farm.

megan:

I want actual good eggs that taste better and 'cause it's to the point where if I crack open an egg and it's hell yellow, I get the ick and then I don't want to eat it. But I've paid so much money that I can't not eat it. So I have to really psych myself up to eat that Ick. So now I want a good solid, a good egg. And then we were buying eggs from other people and sometimes you get a surprise gross egg. And I just, I want my own. I just, so that's someday I'm just gonna have a complete mental breakdown and build a chicken coop in my backyard.

katiuscia:

Alright, so in the future we'll be getting our eggs from Megan, everybody. And you can put in requests and orders. And just make sure that you're following along on all the platforms. Absolutely. And to find out when she has said farm going and, yeah.

megan:

So where are we on all the platforms? What's our name?

katiuscia:

Uh, don't even bother Pod.

megan:

And what's our email?

katiuscia:

That's on the Instagram and the YouTube, and then just wherever you get your podcast. And then our emails Don't even bother. podcast@gmail.com,

megan:

okay?

katiuscia:

Mm-hmm.

megan:

Well, as always, have a good day to everyone, except those people who go 10 under the speed limit for seemingly no reason at all.

katiuscia:

Ah, just don't drive. Just get an Uber.

megan:

Bye.