This Is A Weird Time

Home gym equipment that took a month to arrive, $200 kettles, 'cosy clothes' and other stuff we can't mention in an iTunes episode summary: this week we're talking regrettable iso purchases! Also: Katie's moving house because she's run out of things to buy for her current home.

*CW: This episode discusses eating disorders and body image.* It's never been more important to keep your brain happy. In this episode, Katie and Josie speak to psychologist and founder of The Indigo Project, Mary Hoang, about the mental health struggles we're all facing right now and what you can do to stay sane. The two also get super real about their own mental health struggles during COVID-19 and Josie simply can't stop speaking about Gilmore Girls. 'COVID-19 isolation creating a 'perfect storm' for people at risk of eating disorders, experts say': https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-14/coronavirus-isolation-dangerous-for-eating-disorder-sufferers/12145044?fbclid=IwAR3QG68uOXoymDBBqsLwfyAb6gxAgcOzrpuqgMkFTtjfRLJw6KPkkvJ5Pr0 'All The Ways I Failed At Self-Improvement': https://www.thecut.com/2020/04/personal-project-failed-hobbies.html 'Gilmore Girls is slyly smart about class and how isolating money can be': https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/12/1/13786732/gilmore-girls-netflix-year-life-class-money

We're no experts, but you don't need one to tell you that our beloved pubs, cafes, restaurants and shops are doing it tough right now. So how can we best support them... when our own finances are kinda iffy? To find out what small businesses are dealing with right now we talk to Beth Wicks, the owner of Katie's favourite second hand clothes shop, Swop. Also: the wild world of "disaster capitalism", big business being trash and Reformation making face masks (with a thigh-high slit).

Stress baking, Alison Roman recipes, zero waste. If there's one thing about iso that's common across the board, it's that we're all cooking lots more. This ep, Katie and Josie speak to self-taught cook and author of 'Tin Can Magic', Jess Dennison, about her frugal cooking hacks and zero waste mantra. Plus, the two chat about the decline of celebrity influence and influencer influence.

Apparently "Shakespeare wrote King Lear during the plague," which, pfft. Katie and Josie talk about the crazy capitalist lie that everyone should be using their COVID-19 isolation to do something 'worthy' and 'productive'. As a counter argument, maybe just cut yourself some slack and watch all of Vanderpump Rules instead? The two also discuss the privilege of staying at home and the surprising celebrities who have shown themselves as class allies.

Katie and Josie had a whole plan for how season two was gonna go. Safe to say, this wasn't it! In this mini-ep, they talk about how fast things are changing with COVID-19, whether they'll be spending more money in isolation and, well, if they should even keep podcasting in this time of doom.

'Tis the season to blow up your finances! Katie and Josie discuss the terrifying realities of Christmas, how much you're meant to spend on gifts and who you're meant to give them to. Plus! A breakdown of Katie's spending for the year, the money lessons of HBO's 'Succession' and why ethical fashion can be dubious. Articles we talked about in this ep: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-and-off-the-avenue/virtue-and-vanity-at-reformation http://amp.abc.net.au/article/11564478

In the epilogue to season one, Katie and Josie discuss the perks and pitfalls of financial transparency. Plus, a chat about the lotto and feeling guilty for treating yourself. Articles we talked about in this week's ep: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/smarter-living/wirecutter/money-diaries-benefits-drawbacks.html https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jan/29/can-you-really-save-for-a-deposit-by-ditching-coffee-and-avocado-toast-i-tried-to-find-out https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/dec/18/what-i-learned-after-my-money-diary-went-viral https://theoutline.com/post/7737/abolish-state-lotteries?zd=1&zi=nq4ymwvo https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/mar/21/money-dysmorphia-cant-let-myself-have-nice-things

Katie and Josie break down what turns frugal (good) into stingy (bad). Plus, they discuss the actual hellscape that is the FIRE community, the phenomenon of shibal biyong and their respective tax returns. Money content: THE BATSHIT LENGTHS THESE GUYS GO TO RETIRE BY AGE 40: https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/financial-independence-early-retirement-fire-community?fbclid=IwAR1nZxaGUm2S0rkD7KPki8fbkQMJXLtmijCtbN7xer7PNRvo3PUDGc_ynXA Why Young Koreans Love to Splurge: https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/07/04/why-young-koreans-love-to-splurge-shibal-biyong-millennial-fuck-it-expense/

How are things different if you're a woman dating another woman? In the second part of our episode on dating, we chat to Junkee's Music Editor Jules LeFevre about the intricacies of queer dating. Plus, Belle Delphine, unpaid labour and Katie's outrageous money nay confession.