Orlando Unplugged: Life In Living Color

Unplugging Cost Our Take on Orlando's Cost of Living

June 04, 2024 Dustin & Ashley Season 1 Episode 21
Unplugging Cost Our Take on Orlando's Cost of Living
Orlando Unplugged: Life In Living Color
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Orlando Unplugged: Life In Living Color
Unplugging Cost Our Take on Orlando's Cost of Living
Jun 04, 2024 Season 1 Episode 21
Dustin & Ashley

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Ever wondered how to thrive in one of the most vibrant LGBTQ+ communities while managing the high cost of living? We break down the financials, from housing to transportation, debunking the myths and hidden expenses that come with life in this high-demand area. You'll get the lowdown on average rents, why it's crucial to earn over $60,000 annually or find roommates fast, and personal stories from us about navigating these financial waters. Whether you're eyeing a studio in the city center or a three-bedroom on the outskirts, we pull back the curtain on what it truly takes to settle in Orlando. Plus, we dive into the unique financial struggles of theme park employees and share our own tales of budgeting for life's unexpected turns.

http://www.orlandounpluggedpodcast.com

Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Send us a Text Message.

Ever wondered how to thrive in one of the most vibrant LGBTQ+ communities while managing the high cost of living? We break down the financials, from housing to transportation, debunking the myths and hidden expenses that come with life in this high-demand area. You'll get the lowdown on average rents, why it's crucial to earn over $60,000 annually or find roommates fast, and personal stories from us about navigating these financial waters. Whether you're eyeing a studio in the city center or a three-bedroom on the outskirts, we pull back the curtain on what it truly takes to settle in Orlando. Plus, we dive into the unique financial struggles of theme park employees and share our own tales of budgeting for life's unexpected turns.

http://www.orlandounpluggedpodcast.com

Speaker 1:

contains information about universal becoming social media account holders. You're listening to orlando unplugged, celebrating life in living color with dustin and ashley. Grab a cocktail or a mocktail and let's get Unplugged. Orlando. What's up Unplugged, fam? I'm Dustin.

Speaker 2:

And I'm Ashley.

Speaker 1:

Oh, that was so quiet.

Speaker 2:

I know it was kind of nice. Listen, it's a chill Sunday. We're having a vibey Sunday. We just came back from eating our body weight and sushi. We did a cute little Aldi's run. Bruce needed cat food.

Speaker 1:

You just derailed that intro hard.

Speaker 2:

What did I do? You want to do it again?

Speaker 1:

What's up Unplugged? Fam, I'm Dustin.

Speaker 2:

And I'm Ashley.

Speaker 1:

And you're listening to Orlando Unplugged Podcast, episode 21. 21.

Speaker 2:

21. Hey, you know who's going to be 21 next week.

Speaker 1:

Who, julia? Oh yeah, it's Julia's 21st birthday next week. That is exciting.

Speaker 2:

Well, I guess it's this week, it's Wednesday.

Speaker 1:

I guess we'll have to update everyone on how Julia's drinking around the world goes.

Speaker 2:

I cannot wait. I've always wanted to see that girl drunk and I cannot wait to do it, I think wait, I've always wanted to see that girl drunk and I cannot wait to do it.

Speaker 1:

I think it'll be fun. I'm so excited. Well, guys, welcome back to this week's episode. As we told you last week, this week we're going to be diving into a little bit of what it means to unplug the cost of living here in the great Sunshine State, and more specifically, orlando, florida.

Speaker 2:

I Specifically Orlando, florida. I promise this will not be a super boring episode filled with a whole bunch of numbers and a whole bunch of things that you really don't care about.

Speaker 1:

Even though it is full of that, and that's the whole purpose of this episode.

Speaker 2:

Okay, on my side of things, I promise not to make it a boring episode for you.

Speaker 1:

You hate me.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I do. Do you know what today is? Well, I guess yesterday.

Speaker 1:

What is it?

Speaker 2:

It's National Ally Awareness Month.

Speaker 1:

I don't think our listeners are going to agree to that statement. Listen I think more appropriately. It is officially Pride Month. Yes, it is, even though you live in your own little Imogen, heartstopper world.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I do, because you are an ally, I am an ally. Did you tell everybody what, what you got on on pride month, on the very first?

Speaker 1:

uh, a big long text message from you that I never responded to. Yes, you did. Oh, yeah, I said imogen because it's all about me.

Speaker 2:

And do you know, like every single place I've been since the first, I have been to a theme park since the first and I've seen, obviously, all of their pride, merch and everything is all out and about and everything, and I can't tell you how many Snapchats I sent you yesterday.

Speaker 1:

I would like to remind everyone that during this month, you can give all of your money to these corporations that blindly and fakely say that they support the lgbtq plus community, or you can donate your money directly to me, a homosexual, and I promise you I will put that money to far more good use than all these other places, because I will use it to, um, fix the air conditioner in my car, which is still not fixed, amongst other things.

Speaker 2:

Yes, but don't worry, I'll do all the representing for you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I can't wait. I'm getting all the things because I've never had an excuse to so. Now I have a full excuse.

Speaker 1:

See, and this is where I feel bad for you, because I'm just not, I don't care that this month you are I just july 1st, you can go back to being your little.

Speaker 2:

I don't want the world to know that's fine like I will support it either way I didn't say I don't want the world to know.

Speaker 1:

I just live my life. I know.

Speaker 2:

But from june 1 until june 30th. You are going to be the most pride obsessed person, right along with me, and I hope you realize that because I'm going to, I'm going to rock them, I'm going to wear the ears that disney world just set out. And the universal, every universal is love, or love is universal. Is that what it is? I think it is it.

Speaker 1:

Universal is love or love is universal I'm gonna buy all of the things well, while that is great, and we absolutely love that, we just want to make sure that all of our listeners know that here at Orlando, unplugged, we believe in celebrating love, acceptance and the beautiful diversity of all humans.

Speaker 2:

We really do.

Speaker 1:

So this month, we stand with our members of the LGBTQ plus community, honoring the courage and strength it takes to be yourself every single day, and something that we're planning on doing. We're still working on logistics of everything, yes, um, but we, as of right now, we do have one special guest speaker that we're hoping to bring to you in the next week or two. Therefore, I don't have an update on exactly what next week's episode is going to be, because it's going to depend on schedules, um, but we do plan to hopefully have at least one, two, if not um one, every week this month a member from the lgbtq plus community yes um, to discuss uh topics on how, just just how that interacts with whatever topic it is that we're talking about yeah, or just about them, about their life.

Speaker 2:

Maybe we'll have a coming out story, or we'll, you know, talk about what it's like to to to live in this world in this day and age and and be a member of that community.

Speaker 1:

So who knows, you guys might see geo again oh, he's the guy he's the gayest person I know in orlando, so he would.

Speaker 2:

He would very much agree with you, I think, on that statement I think so I can't wait. I'm so excited because and you know what's going to be great is every single time we're gonna have one of those. I'm gonna rock like my rainbow colors and I can't wait because I am an ally this month maybe about you I'm an ally, but it's about me, because I am an ally I'm not homophobic.

Speaker 1:

I'm an ally, I'm an ally?

Speaker 2:

listen, I am not.

Speaker 1:

I am very much an ally if you guys have not seen heart stopper, it is on Netflix.

Speaker 2:

I highly recommend you should totally go watch it.

Speaker 1:

It's very, very good. First season's great Second season is out now.

Speaker 2:

Makes me cry.

Speaker 1:

It doesn't get. It's not like dark or vulgar, but it gets a little more real. Ashley's yet to learn. She hasn't seen the whole season yet, so she's going to find out soon.

Speaker 2:

But you'll get to see my twin and season three comes out october 3rd, right before my birthday. So I'm excited for that. But yeah, um, oh I. I am really excited, though, because I do think that when we cover a couple episodes that we are going to have to cover universal's city walks newest okay, so I don't want to say newest restaurant, because red coconut club has been around for a while, but every season, red coconut club also a bar, not a club it's called red or it's a bar, not a restaurant.

Speaker 1:

You call it a restaurant.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I'm sorry, um, they, every season they change their, their theming to it, and do you know what they have done?

Speaker 1:

I was just there yesterday.

Speaker 2:

I saw it, but I don't remember what it's called red coconut pride that's right I can't wait so, and it's got exclusive merch and exclusive cocktails and it's like it's all decorated and everything. So I will be sure to add all of that to our social media a real and slight somber note.

Speaker 1:

Um, I haven't like looked into this, I've only seen it as I've scrolled through things. But apparently, like the fbi and the counterterrorism thing is saying that isis is claiming that they plan to do something this june, um, so stay vigilant out there, friends be safe, be proud, be who you are, but keep your eyes peeled for that weird person in the corner, because people are weird I mean, you could just have a weird person in a red group.

Speaker 2:

I don't know if they're going to be a part of those things, but there could be a weirder person. Keep an eye for the weirder people.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the weirders. The weirders, Because I mean Ashley is clearly the weird person in our friend group.

Speaker 2:

No.

Speaker 1:

You definitely are.

Speaker 2:

I'm an ally, not weird, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Okay. Well, now that the Gay Agenda.

Speaker 2:

I love the Gay Agenda.

Speaker 1:

Let's move on to your absolute favorite topic and show that we have done so far about unplugging our finances, Ashley.

Speaker 2:

Woo, you ready.

Speaker 1:

Let's do it.

Speaker 2:

All right all right.

Speaker 1:

So today, what we're going to be doing is we're going to be focusing and talking a little. Oh hello.

Speaker 2:

It's my dryer it was like.

Speaker 1:

it was like go. Today we're going to be discussing a little bit about our personal finances and the average cost of living for the state of Florida and, more specifically, when we have the information here in the Orlando area. Specifically, when we have the information here in the Orlando area.

Speaker 2:

I think the whole purpose of this episode is to get people that are thinking about moving to this area. Hey, this is your how-to guide of exactly how much you're looking at it being while you live here.

Speaker 1:

And I will say right now if you're planning on moving to Orlando, Florida, by yourself, I hope you make greater than $60,000 a year.

Speaker 2:

Or you find really good friends very fast yeah, that was like you to be honest, that was so.

Speaker 1:

I've wanted to live here since I 2014, um, and I've just not had an opportunity that lined up well and I had friends that had space like free space for me to slide in. I finally found that and that was the only way that I made it down here.

Speaker 2:

That's crazy um.

Speaker 1:

So technically, the cost of living in florida is slightly higher than the national average. So according to the world population review, florida ranks as the 22nd highest state when it comes to the cost of living.

Speaker 1:

According to unbiasedcom, with a fifty thousand dollar yearly income, you can live well in florida that was some air quotes there that was uh, especially in affordable areas like so I didn't know this uh prior to today, but apparently winter heaven, winter haven, gainesville and jacksonville are the more cheaper places to live and obviously as you get closer to the coast it's going to skyrocket in price.

Speaker 2:

Oh, absolutely. I also feel like when you get closer to theme park, villas Theme park villas, so you mean city centers. Like Orlando, like Tampa. Yeah, those two places are going to be actually a lot more Well those are more metropolitan areas, so there's a lot more going on.

Speaker 1:

Obviously, the city center in Sanford is not going to be as expensive as the city center in Orlando.

Speaker 2:

Correct.

Speaker 1:

And Sanford is what? 10 miles north, it's just right down the road, Something like that yeah, you want to talk about housing costs.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, why not?

Speaker 1:

Let's do it.

Speaker 2:

So the average housing cost breaks it down to. We broke it down pretty aggressively here. So the average rent is steady, from apartment to single family home rentals. A studio, one bedroom apartment in the city center runs about $1,900 per month for a total of $22,800 a year.

Speaker 1:

That makes me sick. That's disgusting is what it is.

Speaker 2:

A studio, one-bedroom apartment outside the Sydney Center will run residents about $1,700, totaling $20,400 a year. That's even more disgusting to me.

Speaker 1:

And to put that into perspective, if you make like $18 an hour, you can't even afford to live outside. You're only making like $30,000 a year. So that's almost your entire.

Speaker 2:

Paycheck.

Speaker 1:

So the cost of these units, these apartments, are typically so high you can't afford that on a single person salary.

Speaker 2:

No.

Speaker 1:

So if you're moving to Orlando, you either have to have a dual income household or you have to have roommates, like you and I both have.

Speaker 2:

Correct. Now most three-bedroom apartments in the city center will run about $3,112, totaling about $37,344 a year. Now the same apartment outside of the city is going to run about $2,600 a month, which is going to average about $31,200. So, depending on whether or not you live in the city or outside the city, you're still looking at a ridiculously high amount for a three bedroom with some roommates or with a dual income household. Now our average utilities for these places, on average, are going to give you about water being about $33, your gas being about $105, electric being about $144, and streaming and internet services being about $76. Now, this does not include phone bills, groceries, if you have pets, any sort of car insurance.

Speaker 2:

This is just strictly living. That's the average that they're giving you if you are typically living in a city center or an outside city adjacent.

Speaker 1:

Yeah now I don't know anybody that has a 33 water bill, but me either.

Speaker 2:

I don't have you ever, ever had a 33 water bill um in like 2011 2012 I didn't.

Speaker 1:

I've never had a 33 water bill yeah, I lived when I uh had, when I lived in my, like my trailer, my childhood home, it was uh. For a while it was just me, and then I had a couple of different roommates over times, um, but back then if the water bill was 40 or higher, it was considered high. Now, that being said, I lived in a rural community in east tennessee, which is very different from living in a city, where you also have sewer and all of those things, like I lived on septic back then so it, we didn't pay sewer bills and all these I say, ah, like I really have an idea of what that means.

Speaker 2:

But I'm just gonna go with ah that's so cool.

Speaker 1:

So what is your?

Speaker 2:

what is your for you? What does it look like for you right now?

Speaker 1:

so for me, I made a deal with some friends. Uh, I have friends that have a four-bedroom home hi friends um in they. It's a rental. They don't own it um, but it's a, it's a house yeah, it is a house.

Speaker 1:

It is a standalone single-family home, um on the outskirts of orlando, so it is what I would call a lower class community, um, I mean, we have great neighbors and everything. Like no one in our like, directly adjacent to us, like there's no trashy houses, we're like within the next few houses, but the neighborhood that we do live in is a little on the trashier side, but that's fine because I grew up as white trash, so that's okay. I'm kidding, kind of I always joke. One side of my family was upper middle class. The other half of my family lived in poverty.

Speaker 2:

That's a big mood.

Speaker 1:

And it really was Well, to be honest, in my opinion, it made me understand money more and it made me really appreciate what I had, because I got to see both sides of the spectrum and a lot of my friends lived in bad poverty in my hometown, um, so I've seen both sides of that world and for a brief period I was considered upper middle class, uh, last year, when I had a really nice job, um, but yeah, so I pay the agreement that I made with them. I had to move down here. No job lined up was, uh, $633 for my rent and then utilities on top of that. So right now I'm paying anywhere from $750 to $800 a month in total for everything, um, but I don't know what the full rent is for the home and I don't know what my other two roommates pay. I have no clue. I just know the agreement that I made with them I love that for you, yeah and I get, I have, technically, I have two rooms.

Speaker 1:

I have my room and then I have, uh, one of the empty rooms that I have set up an office in, um, but yeah, so for you, you're on the opposite end of the spectrum from me, so what is it like where you? I've always been on the opposite end of the spectrum from me.

Speaker 2:

So what is it like where you live? I've always been on the opposite end of the spectrum, though, from a lot of people.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to not say the joke about the spectrum you're on, but continue You're an ass.

Speaker 2:

So I kind of want to start though a little, to kind of combat what you were saying. Though you grew up seeing both sides of everything, right, you grew up seeing both sides of everything, right, I grew up being my parents had, I mean, I don't want to say like we were well off, but we were okay. And then when I was a freshman in high school, we were really okay. Like we would take multiple vacations, we would do multiple things. Um, my parents had there was three vehicles in our driveway at all times. Like my dad had a sports car, like my parents were very well off. Both my parents worked by the time I was a freshman. So, and my dad made bank. So I went from like watching my mom as a in elementary school and middle school clip coupons to like, hey, we can shop at the bougie grocery store, okay, Okay, that's kind of cool.

Speaker 1:

We going to the Walmart today, we ain't going to no.

Speaker 2:

No, no, no, it was like we were in from like Grocery store outlet.

Speaker 1:

United Grocery Outlet.

Speaker 2:

Going to like the commissary on base to being like we could shop at Kroger, we could shop at like Whole Foods, okay, okay.

Speaker 1:

So now tell me what you tell me, tell me about your house.

Speaker 2:

So I live in a three bedroom house.

Speaker 1:

I have apartment, my house.

Speaker 2:

I, I live in a I'm sorry, I got in a text message from from the little brother, I apologize Um, I live in a three bedroom apartment. Um, I have technically on our lease it is just myself and one other person, so we split our costs technically three ways because there's three of us that live here. Um, so for my cost alone, just for me, um, I'm looking at, I look at between about nine hundred dollars to a thousand dollars, and that includes my rent, that includes my and it includes my water bill. Our utilities is the same way and then our wi-fi is included in that. Between 900 and a thousand is that's typically what each of us pay for. However, my situation is a little different because I live with my little brother lives with me, so I cover most of the time, I cover a good chunk of his cost, and if I don't, then the iconic shan helps out in that situation a little bit shout out to love her, and where is your apartments located?

Speaker 2:

I'm um. We're what is called the city. What is it city adjacent is that?

Speaker 1:

what city center adjacent?

Speaker 2:

city center adjacent. Um, we literally live. I have no issue with this. I like where I live and most people know where I live anyway, so I don't care if the world knows. I live literally right behind universal, like I could walk. I do all of my roommates walk to to work and I I run through universal because I run every day. Um, but like no you, there's, there's complete access from my house to the theme park.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so you are. You technically live in the middle of the tourist destination of Orlando. I literally do.

Speaker 2:

I literally do Like there is tourists everywhere. We could.

Speaker 1:

If we wanted to, we could walk to the grocery store and walk to all these places I very much could.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we don't, oh God no.

Speaker 1:

I walk to all these places very much. Good, yeah, we don't, oh god, no, I mean, I walk to the theme park, don't get me wrong, but that's probably about as far as I walk. We walk if we ever stay at universal resorts.

Speaker 2:

We walk, so we don't have to pay to park our cars there, yes, I do that. Um, there's also times where, like, if I'm meeting friends at city, walk for like a drink or something I'll walk to to the park. I mean, yes, it's only like a seven dollar uber, but I'm like seven dollar uber or seventeen dollar cocktail.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, now I will say I will say this um without either of us going into details on our personal incomes you make more than I do I do we do know that. So, um, I technically fall into this next little portion, which is, uh, something I find interesting. So, so the median income for Orlando residents is about $35,000, which is just $2,916 a month, which, when compared to the $22,800 a year in rent for a studio apartment, that only leaves about $12,200 remaining for all cost utilities transportation, groceries, entertainment, health care, anything else that you do buying clothes, and that's why, like this next portion, you'll understand.

Speaker 1:

So, if I'm paying, you know about that much which I'm not I'm paying a little bit less than that.

Speaker 2:

Well, I'm paying but I think that Wait, wait, Before we get into this portion. Can we pause for just a second here?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, what's up?

Speaker 2:

That's crazy to me. Like I'm looking at that cost, like I mean, my brother falls into that category there and I'm just like, how are kids nowadays after they graduate high school and if they most of the kids that live in our that work for theme parks, they don't go to college right away. They'll take a year off, like my brother did, and he works for a theme park. How are they supposed to afford to do this? Not all of them have big sisters who make a decent amount of money.

Speaker 1:

This is why we are seeing historical numbers of adults that are still living with their parents.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1:

Because here's the thing, and I'll say this, I'll preface have I ever paid my lent, rent, rent, your lent, my lent, have I ever?

Speaker 2:

paid my rent late. No, um, within 30 days. Yes, there have been times. Oh, I said no. I thought you wanted me to answer for you I'm. I'm 30 years old you've, you guys have been yeah we, everybody has.

Speaker 1:

You either forget to pay it or you just don't get paid until the following Friday and you're five days late.

Speaker 2:

We've also had a situation where, like my, credit card information got stolen.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So we couldn't pay rent because we're waiting for my new card.

Speaker 1:

Every time that that has ever happened to me, I've always spoken with my landlord and my leasing office, and it's usually paid within five to 10 days of it being considered overdue Correct. Therefore, not once in my entire life has it been reported on my credit score that I have missed a payment for rent that.

Speaker 1:

I have been evicted from a home because I never have been. But tell me how $22,800 a year is what I would have to pay for rent. That's crazy. But a bank will look at me dead in the face and say you don't make enough money for a $800 a month mortgage even though you've been paying more than double in rent.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, know, in most places. I know when, when zach and I applied for for our apartment complex we had to make, I think it was like 3.5 times, the, our, our, our, and what is it called our rent?

Speaker 1:

you're, yeah, and if you don't mind me, asking what was when, you, when, it, when it was advertised before they tacked on all the extra crap. Yeah, do you remember what they said? The, the, the rent was for this three bedroom. I want to say it was thirty seven hundred dollars, I think so thirty seven hundred dollars for three bedrooms that are about 12 feet, and we didn't know correct.

Speaker 2:

We didn't know that it was included, like all the rest of the things, like that wasn't. Like we weren't aware that trash valley wasn't part of that. We weren't aware that, like, our parking was included in that or that like, um, our water was attached to that like or that, all the amenities and amenities, and because see most places it would be.

Speaker 1:

This is what it was. It would be three thousand dollars plus eight dollars for trash, plus three dollars a month for pest control, plus fifty dollars a month for pool and gym access, plus this and usually that's all tacked on after the fact, correct um?

Speaker 2:

but 3.5 times $3,700. Do you know what that is?

Speaker 1:

how about?

Speaker 2:

that's almost 1,300 $13,000 between Zach and I. We had to make $13,000 a month in order to to qualify, because it's 3.5 times. So this place was listed at $3,700. That's not, and you multiply that by 3.5, right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but that math is not math-ing, because you guys don't make that much money a month. That's a lot of fucking money. Excuse my language, but three. That might that seem. I don't know, but yeah, I I do.

Speaker 2:

It's ridiculous. I do see what you're saying. My thing is is like the average, that's nine three, three thousand plus is that six?

Speaker 1:

thousand times three is nine yeah, but even still but I'm going. The average theme park employee makes eighteen dollars an hour yeah, I think universal and disney start around 18 an hour these.

Speaker 2:

Okay, what about these kids at like fun spot or sea world? I know sea world only pays them. I think it's 16 how are they?

Speaker 1:

okay, well first off, no one's moving to orlando, florida, to work at sea world I mean, there are people though that do they want to. I guarantee they're not going to be front.

Speaker 1:

You know frontline positions, those are going to be higher positions, sad though yeah but that is unfortunately that's it's awful so yeah, but let's talk about transportation costs oh yeah um, unfortunately I did not think to look at what public transportation in orlando is. I didn't think about that until literally this exact moment I will tell you that you can ride the iDrive trolley for $6 a day.

Speaker 2:

I know you can ride the bus for $1.25 away.

Speaker 1:

Per ride. No, no, no.

Speaker 2:

Like per stop.

Speaker 1:

What do they do Make you get off and get back on and put your money back in?

Speaker 2:

No, you swipe your card and you tell them where you're going and they charge you for that. I don. And you tell them where you're going and they charge you for that. I don't think that's how that works.

Speaker 1:

It's usually you just board and pay and then yeah, and then that's how long you pay for, how long you're on until you get off. I have never heard of a city doing that. Before you pay to get on the bus and then you get off the bus at your destination yeah, but I've never heard of per stop no, like, like if you get off and you get back on okay, okay, okay, okay. That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

Gotcha okay, like if you stop at like 12 different stops. You're paying for 12 different stops the.

Speaker 1:

So here in orlando the average gas prices tend to hover about three dollars and 50 cents, but obviously they do fluctuate around world events um the pandemic hurricane season which we are officially in. There's no hurricanes going on right now, so gas prices aren't inflated, not yet. However, just as any part of the country does, you can see spikes in prices for any given time, any given reason, but for the most part regular unleaded gas runs about $350. Now I have to put the top level. I always have to put premium. My car is a european car and when I bought the car they were like. They were very clear. They were like premium only do not put regular gas in this car. So I never have and I probably never will. But that means I'm paying usually four dollars and 43 cents a gallon for my gas, but I'm only spending an average about 30 per week because I only had to fill up my car once. Did you have a thought?

Speaker 2:

no, okay, you're good keep going now.

Speaker 1:

Here's where it gets more fun. So keep in mind I have already paid my rent of about six, six, thirty three to eight hundred dollars, and on top of that, I purchased a vehicle at the end of the pandemic, when interest rates were ridiculously high. I didn't have the best credit in the world, um, so my monthly car payment is about 415 a month. Um, and here's the kicker this is, what really bothers me is my car has depreciated in value. I bought it in 2022. It's now 2024. And my car has depreciated in value by 76%.

Speaker 2:

So it went down. Is that what depreciate means?

Speaker 1:

Yes, which I mean?

Speaker 2:

I mean that is standard in vehicles, but Don't they say that your car automatically depreciates, Like if you buy a new car it automatically depreciates the minute you take it off the lot?

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah, the second. You leave the lot lot, it depreciates in value by like thousands of dollars that's so weird to me.

Speaker 2:

It's so weird to me that like you can buy a house, put work in it and your car, your house value will go up, but like you drive a vehicle, you buy a vehicle.

Speaker 1:

The longer you have a car, the more wear and it's.

Speaker 2:

Houses and cars are very, very different I know well, one moves and one stays sedentary yeah, um, but here's the thing that uh that is upsetting to me is it's decreased in value to pretty much next to nothing.

Speaker 1:

Like if I wanted to trade this car in, I would be so upside down on my loan because it has depreciated in value so much, very, very sad, especially because cars are so expensive to buy yeah, and I paid more than what it's worth, and I'm still paying a lot more than what it's worth.

Speaker 1:

I love that for you so I think the thing that bothers me the most about how much is depreciated in value is car insurance. Yep, so because I have a lien on my car and I'm paying it off, I have to have full coverage insurance, and the state of florida requires um your insurance to have a minimum of ten thousand dollars of personal injury protections and ten thousand dollars in uh property damage liability. So in order to get that and to get uninsured motorists, which is very much needed in the state of florida, yes, it is and and loan lease payoff, which is something else that I have.

Speaker 1:

I'm paying about $159.62 per month, so a total of $792.57 every six months for my terms, and that is through Progressive, which I've been able to. I had it when I moved to Florida. I left Progressive for a little while. I had some issues with the current insurance company that I had, so I jumped back over to Progressive recently and I like Progressive. I think they're great.

Speaker 2:

Isn't that Flo? Yes, I love Flo.

Speaker 1:

Yes, she's the reason I got Progressive in the first place.

Speaker 2:

She's so cute.

Speaker 1:

That name your own price tool, which doesn't really work because you don't get to name your own price. You get to tell it what you want and then it gives you a very exuberant price. So that's about what it runs for me to run my car. So we're, you know, we're talking a little over $500 a month. So guess what? I've paid $600 for my rent, $600 to $700 to $800. Now another $500 for my car. We're well over $1,000 right there. Car, we're well over $1,000 right there, and that's more than I make in a single paycheck in two weeks. So these, my rent is on one paycheck, my car is on the other and it doesn't leave a whole lot of money for things in between. But we'll talk about that. What is your transportation like? Actually, because your transportation is much, much different than mine.

Speaker 2:

It's very different, because I hate talking about this topic so much because I get, I get so much, I get so much backlash for it like I am I mean, I don't think you should get any backlash if it's what you want to do I get a lot of it, though, to be honest with you, because I you're living in a New York state of mind.

Speaker 2:

I am almost 28 years old and I don't talk about this, I don't tell people this, but I've decided this is the year that I'm going to be open and honest about things.

Speaker 1:

Girl, there's nothing shameful about it. Just tell the people how you get around. I don't drive.

Speaker 2:

I don't drive.

Speaker 1:

You used to drive. You have driven. It's not like you can't drive, you just choose not to.

Speaker 2:

Kind of that story is kind of true.

Speaker 1:

OK, well, any who, let's talk about what you do. Do.

Speaker 2:

I lift an Uber everywhere I go, so, but I don't, I don't Uber, I don't, I don't like Ubers. I feel an Uber knows this and I have absolutely no problem talking about this. I, um I feel an uber knows this and I have absolutely no problem talking about this. I feel incredibly unsafe in an uber than I do in a lift.

Speaker 2:

I've had more issues in ubers with creepy drivers people dropping off at the wrong spot, not knowing where they're going, more than I have ever had driving in a lift, and I have been lifting it for on and off for about five years now I, whenever I would come down here on my vacations before I moved lift always.

Speaker 1:

And when guests, when guests come up to me where I work and ask me how to get to the airport, I always say you can Uber, lift. My personal recommendation is lift. It's what I do, it's what I love Lift, if you're listening if you want to sponsor someone, you can totally sponsor Orlando unplugged podcast.

Speaker 2:

Sponsor Ashley because, I literally give you all my money. Um, no, I, I, I lift everywhere I live from my house to work, from work back home. I also lift if I have to go to the grocery store, if I'm going to meet friends at a theme park, um, and I'm not, I mean, obviously, like I live with people who drive.

Speaker 1:

I also have your private chauffeur. I do who's your private chauffeur? You?

Speaker 2:

but I also feel your gas tank for private chauffeuring me you do and if it's not you, then I have other people that that pick me up from places all the time. So no, it's, it's fine. I, to be honest with you, I prefer it honestly like. I have seen way too many people get into car accidents. I mean, my best friend got into one two years ago. I have seen way too You've gotten into accidents before. I've seen Girl we got in an accident and we weren't even in the car. Correct, got a hit and run.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we did. I just don't. I don't feel. Listen to the Universal Staycation episode to hear all about those details. Yeah, I don't, I don't. I've never been comfortable driving a vehicle. It freaks me out. I get really, really really nasty panic attacks when I get behind a vehicle. So I'm perfectly fine not driving a vehicle.

Speaker 1:

What would you say, like just ballpark, what?

Speaker 2:

do you think?

Speaker 1:

you spend a month on Ubering.

Speaker 2:

So if I specifically there's been times where I won't go, like I'll pick a month and I won't go anywhere other than just to work just to kind of save some extra costs. So if I'm going specifically just from my house to the office, I run anywhere between about 15 to 20 dollars per ride. Now that's from my house to the office is an average of 15 to 20. And then from my office to my house another 15 to 20. So I rack on. If we're going about $40 a day, I roughly work anywhere between I don't know five to six days, so let's go five, just to be on the safe side. I'm looking at a week of about $200 a week. I spend an Uber cost just to go from my house to the office.

Speaker 1:

So you're spending about $800. So in all reality here I'm cheaper than you are. Actually I'm the same cost no in all reality we're about the same cost because I've got $4.15 plus $1.59 plus $30 a week.

Speaker 2:

And that's only if I'm going to and from my office, Like if I have to run to Target or if I have to run to the grocery store, or I mean if I have to get cat food, or if I'm going to Disney World. I mean a trip from my house to Disney World.

Speaker 2:

I mean a trip from my house to Disney World is roughly I'm so sorry um, anywhere between 25 to 40 dollars. It just depends on, like, the time of day, the season, um. So I'm also though I do have to preference this, though, because I am a Lyft member, so I pay 10 a month and I get discounts off of my rides, so I get if, especially like if I take I think it's like three rides a day they tack on like 15% off gotcha, so but I have to hit those three rides in order to do that, and I don't average a three ride, so I don't always get that discount and, to be honest, since I've moved down here in November, um like I don't see you u Ubering, unless it's to and from work.

Speaker 2:

Because a lot of times when you do the grocery, shopping.

Speaker 1:

You're going with your roommates.

Speaker 2:

Or I get my stuff delivered.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, or your stuff's delivered, or I mean, you and I are fairly inseparable at this point.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we go a lot of places together.

Speaker 1:

So we're usually. It's mostly, mostly just for work for you. I know there was a case the other day like you started out your day in an uber, but then you ended your day by me picking you up at the store and then we went places together and, yeah, I think the most I've ever ubered or, I'm sorry, ever lifted I can't, I don't know why I say I.

Speaker 2:

even when I lift I say uber, um, the most I've ever lifted was when we first moved down and I I was through like interviews like crazy. So I was literally Ubering for our lifting from one job interview to the next, to the next, to the next, to the next and I think I did like six rides in a day.

Speaker 1:

Now let me ask you this, because I know a couple of weeks ago you had said, yeah, you were debating getting a vehicle next year, are you? Still debating that, or do you think you're gonna stick with what you have?

Speaker 2:

I think I go through phases you know where I'm just like, hey, I think this is what I'm I want to do. I think the ultimate goal is to to obviously go back to to driving a vehicle. At this point I have to retake all of those certifications because I haven't driven a vehicle in that long, so I have to redo all of that stuff. So that, to me, is what's kind of stopping me from doing that, because that is giving me the most anxiety ever.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, now I will say in Orlando we do have multiple means of transportation, oh, 110% Public transportation. Um, in orlando they we do have, uh, multiple means of transportation, public transportation.

Speaker 2:

My favorite that we've not participated in yet because we just don't in the area that we are, are the bike share and scooter share programs, where you can rent the bikes and scooters yeah, I think if there's ever a moment that, like we move out of our apartment complex and we move to somewhere, that's like I don't want to say more city adjacent, like more city adjacent, but like more in that city, city area, where that's more of a thing. I mean, I've had friends of mine that have lived in like downtown Orlando and that's how they get to and from work and from their house is they rent a scooter right outside their neighborhood.

Speaker 1:

I know I've toyed with the idea of getting an electric bike, but I just don't live close enough currently. I mean, I only live 12 miles, but it's 12 miles from a shady part of town correct and it's like I don't want to be on a bike at one o'clock in the morning driving through that area yeah um, now, I know, like some of the places that you guys have looked at recently, I've been like, hey, that would be like a nice biking place, like it's super easy.

Speaker 1:

It's down really nice roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, all the nine yards um. So I hope that at some point I'm in a place in Orlando that I can bike around, because I'd love to save on gas.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think there's an idea that that could be the thing, and I also am a firm believer. I mean you and I've had this conversation before that I don't feel like you need to live here oh, excuse me, the coffee's coming for me. I don't feel like you need to live here and have to have a vehicle Like. We've had this argument a couple of times. I have done this for so long now that this isn't like. This has become part of my custom, and this was before. Obviously, you know we have tiptoed around the fact that I do make money.

Speaker 1:

So when it comes to money, I also make money before the money was being made do you make money in your room? I do you just print it all out yourself? Yep, why are you not sharing?

Speaker 2:

because it's I am listen, bruce gets all my money. That's. She's the ringleader what is this? The aristocats you got it to your animal. You got it. Are you gonna make me the butler?

Speaker 1:

you're the chauffeur listen when I die that's who's gonna get it countryside that's who's gonna get it?

Speaker 2:

um no, I I've been doing this for so long that it's part of like. I think that there's a comfortability level there that, like, I don't have to rely on. Like, if that, that that's to me more of it, because, with you, if your car breaks down, what are you gonna do? Okay, yeah, now you're gonna start lifting and ubering everywhere, right, cool, that's not a budget that you are comfortable with.

Speaker 2:

Like, that's not something you've already budgeted for that's why you gotta be like dave ramsey and have that emergency fund prepared that I do not have see, for me that's already in my budget, like I'd allocate already an amount of money that I know was going to automatically go to to my transportation, so like. And if it's something that like hey, all of our friends are meeting at universal or all of our friends are meeting at disney world, I'm like, hey who's giving me a ride?

Speaker 2:

or hey, I will fill up your gas tank. I will throw ten dollars to your gas tank and be like which.

Speaker 1:

You do a lot because you're like I want to go here and I go, I don't have money for gas, and you go. I feel like a gas tank.

Speaker 2:

And I do, and then we go there, and then you can't say anything because it's true. Your gas tank is brought to you in part by now, money being printed by Bruce. You're welcome.

Speaker 1:

From transportation, let's move on to everyone's absolute favorite, favorite groceries.

Speaker 2:

This is even worse for you and I.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, this is not a fun one.

Speaker 2:

No, this is also another one of those situations that we are going to defer here big time too, so according to unbiasedcom, florida is the fifth highest spending on groceries per week.

Speaker 1:

That's crazy With a household spending an average of $287, which I know that is not, which I know that is not right. There's no way in the world families of four mom, dad, dad, dad, mom mom and two kids are spending 287 dollars for three meals a day plus snacks, that's, that would be a total of 1148 dollars a month on groceries I'm going to to talk about my family here for a second.

Speaker 2:

So I grew up in a five-person household. It was me, my mom and dad and my brother and sister and my mom would go grocery shopping twice a month, on the first and the 15th, because that's when my dad would get paid. On the very first of the month to the 15th that's a two-week span my parents would drop down six hundred dollars in groceries for five people yeah, so there's no way that's possible, and that was that was the early to mid 2000s correct we're living in the world of inflation, and that was with my mommy and daddy making some bank

Speaker 2:

yeah, and we were still buying like meyer brand potato chips kids so for me it's a little different.

Speaker 1:

groceries for me over the years have been slightly complicated, because I am one person, correct, and shopping for one person is hard. Because you buy a pound of ground meat, I make a pot of spaghetti. It goes bad before I can eat it all. But at the same time I, as everyone knows, I have had issues with my diet and health, issues that have made it hard for me at times to try to figure out, because I cannot eat the diet your brother eats. I cannot eat frozen Tostinos, pizzas and corn dogs and hot dogs and frozen waffles every day. It literally kills me. But at the same time, if I'm going out and I'm buying all these fresh ingredients, they're going bad before I can use them in a one household. And several times I've looked at my roommates and been like hey, I'm gonna make this, do you want some? Tristan, occasionally, will eat what I cook because he will. Krista, however, is either vegan or vegetarian. I think she's vegetarian, pretty sure it's vegetarian, not vegan. So she won't even eat chicken, like nada.

Speaker 1:

So, again, I am pretty tight on what it is that I want to cook and what it is I want to make so for me, just by myself and I usually buy my staples. I, for the most part, I get the same stuff from week to week and I just eat the same meals. Um, I spend an usually a hundred dollars or less for one to two weeks of food. Now, if I make it to one week and I'm out of something, I will occasionally go like just to Trader Joe's and grab a few things. Or I go to Aldi's and grab a few things. I stay away from Publix and Walmart's because they are so expensive and I can go to Aldi's and spend $100 and that'll easily equate to $200 at Walmart. What about you and I want to hear just you, not your household, because I know you guys do a lot of your shopping together yeah, so I will preference, like I'll give you both.

Speaker 2:

how about that? So when it comes to to our situation here, I got I've said it once and I'll I probably will say it for the rest of my life I got very lucky with my roommates, like my one roommate is my younger brother and my other roommate is my best friend, so-.

Speaker 1:

And then your other we'll call them honorary roommate Is my best friend's girlfriend, so love her.

Speaker 2:

What a girl's girl. But like the four of us tend to split our grocery bills all the time. So when we go grocery shopping, we go grocery shopping together and everybody kind of goes. So when we go grocery shopping, we go grocery shopping together and everybody kind of goes. Okay, who's dropping in their card in?

Speaker 1:

all right, cool, everybody venmo this person everybody cash up this person or whatever except for you don't use venmo, because your account got hacked and you never fixed it correct or a cash app.

Speaker 2:

I'm a big fan of both, um. So when it comes to that, we do kind of split our costs there. However, when it comes to there's times, though, I have this horrible, horrible personality trait for myself where I will see something and be like oh my god, this is my new obsession, girl, math. It is where, like when you decided that you wanted to to gluten-free it for a minute, I am very much diagnosed with celiac disease and I was like all right, all right, cool, I'll do this with you.

Speaker 2:

And then I started eating gluten free. And then I was like, when I got sick with my kidney, I decided to cut out all red meat. So I mean, I haven't had red meat since December. So, thank you very much. But, like then, I'm dabbling around going full vegan. And then I went, like, alcohol free I wasn't drinking for like some odd times. So my grocery bill jumps up and down because I go through phases where I want to try new things and do new things. So I also am one of those people that, when it comes to, I absolutely refuse to starve, like I will not pay my rent in order to eat food, so I will.

Speaker 2:

that sounds really bad. I pay my bills, guys, I swear to God. But like I will. There's always food in my house, Like. And if there's not food in my house, then I am going to the grocery store and putting myself in a negative or pulling for my savings to to pay for public groceries in my house. So I, on average, we're looking at anywhere between $300 a week or $300 about every two weeks that we throw to the grocery store.

Speaker 1:

So about $600 a month.

Speaker 2:

Correct.

Speaker 1:

Which is still less than what the average person is what they're saying is the average. Now that being said, we are both of our households. We are not households that make a full breakfast.

Speaker 2:

Make a full lunch, a full dinner? No, I also. We are on our own for breakfast.

Speaker 1:

We are mostly on our own for lunches, unless, like, we're doing a podcast meeting or everyone's off and we're together it's also.

Speaker 2:

I'm also one of those people, though, that lives off of a cup of coffee, and I could have like maybe one meal and a couple snacks a day, and I'd be perfectly content did you know?

Speaker 1:

I've read that humans were designed to be grazers.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

So we're supposed to graze. So, like in the mornings, for me, I'm usually a cup of coffee which I make at home. Um, cause, screw paying for Starbucks in this world, um, and then I will. Occasionally, some mornings, I wake up and I feel hungry, and most mornings I wake up and the thought of food makes me want to punch someone first thing in the morning. So I'll do like maybe a bagel or scrambled eggs, or I, I just do something, you know, a little, a little light, um, but then I'm usually starving by lunchtime and it never fails that if I'm at work like, my lunch is not until like three in the afternoon or later. Um, so I'll grab like a rice, crispy treat or something extra.

Speaker 1:

I usually spend at work anywhere from three to ten dollars a day. Um, because I don't take food with me, because I don't have. I work at two different locations. I cannot have food at either of them. I'm, you know, I don't have a desk, like you don't have an office, so I don't have like a snack drawer, the ability to have a snack at my desk. If I want, I have to be out of my work area, yeah, so it's just easy for me to grab a drink or a rice krispie treat from the concession stand that we have in our area and just grab it, and that's usually, you know, one to three dollars.

Speaker 1:

Um, so I'll do that occasionally for snacks and stuff too, but I I don't even consider that when I go through my monthly budget, because it's just like less than ten dollars a month see for me I.

Speaker 2:

I'm always one of those people that like if breakfast, like if you, if you say that I'm at the house and you make breakfast, cool, I'll take it with me and bring it to the office, but like other than that at my office there's a Starbucks at my office, so I will, and this is gonna sound. I don't know if this is gonna to sound bad, but, like, as the boss of the restaurants that are there, I don't have to pay for those things.

Speaker 1:

It's a perk of the job it is.

Speaker 2:

It's a very big perk, so like I can have 1200 cups of coffee a day if I wanted to and I wouldn't have to pay the Starbucks ridiculous cost that we pay. However, with that being said, that is not something I do every day. So, like yes, I have a cup of coffee every single day, but I don't have a Starbucks Frappuccino. I will have our drip coffee yeah no, I'm not having those. I have a drip coffee with oat milk.

Speaker 1:

One thing I did forget to say out of the two jobs that I have, one job you can buy a lunch or a meal that's going to be anywhere from five to $8. But my other job, they feed all the employees because at this company they've stated that they did a whole thing when I first started, but they were like. You know, it's scientifically proven that you work better on a full stomach, correct? So here at this company we choose to feed you guys and give you a full meal while you're on the clock to ensure that you can provide the best customer service that anybody is going to get in Orlando, because we don't want you to have to worry about getting through an eight hour or longer work shift while you're hungry.

Speaker 2:

Once upon a time I worked for a company that had that kind of similar concept. They would let their employees eat the food. But you know why they let the employees eat the food? To prevent theft. Listen, you're not going, gonna sneak a piece of chicken in the freezer, because I just gave you chicken with your whole people yeah but I also it was. It was fun because we would do a lot of family dinners like that, um, but when I worked at starbucks through when the we were allowed to have unlimited beverages.

Speaker 1:

If you work at a corporate starbucks, not a franchise, you could have unlimited beverages during your work shift, as long as you marked it out love it, the pandemic hit and then they started to say you can have one free drink and one free meal every single day, whether you worked or not, if you were a starbucks employee. Because they realized a lot of starbucks employees would only eat when they were at work in bigger cities.

Speaker 1:

After the pandemic was over, starbucks said you know what? You guys have enjoyed this so much for every work shift that you work at a corporate starbucks. Now you get one free beverage and one free food item and it can be a breakfast sandwich, a lunch sandwich, it can be a protein pack that they have in the fridges love it one free meal a day, so shout out to starbucks there.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, okay, where was I?

Speaker 2:

okay so we do. I do a cup of coffee in the morning at the office and then I will do like a meal. It's either I'm if I do a meal, it's coming, potentially comes from one of the restaurants, or it's coming from like. I'll have something delivered, so I'll get like like or a lot of the times, um, I have we go out of office to get lunch, so, but like, I have a very good relationship with my boss and the two of us will go and get lunch, but I have a very good relationship with my boss and the two of us will go and get lunch outside of the office.

Speaker 2:

And that's covered by the company we work for. But that's not an everyday thing. But it's kind of one of those situations where it just kind of depends on the day. But then I will come home and make something light before I go to bed, but that also just kind of depends on the day. But there's days that, like when I'm off, I will maybe have a meal a day and call it good.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I feel the same. Do you want to talk about entertainment? I?

Speaker 2:

would love to talk about entertainment, do you?

Speaker 1:

want to do, you want to do it. Oh yeah, you want me to start the florida average you want to start it yeah, I will happily do that. I'll wait for you to pull up your notes.

Speaker 2:

They're up my face just didn't adjust because I've got headphones on. It was like you're not you. So the average. According to safeboundmovingcom, the average monthly cost for entertainment in Florida is $161.17. This includes the cost of going to the movies, dining out and other leisurely activities. That's it. Leisurely activities, that's it. That's it. That's think about this is for one individual, I know, and I'm thinking of this, though, and I'm just like that's not. I mean, it's probably close, but I don't think it's it's fully accurate, because, in order to do, I know, as somebody who had, at one point, had three, I had all three major theme parks annual passes I had disney, universal and sea world.

Speaker 2:

Disney averaged between 50 to 60 bucks, universal was between 50 to 60 bucks and sea world, I think, was between 20 and 30 dollars so well, we also.

Speaker 1:

We have to consider this is that is, the 161 is for the state of Florida, not necessarily Orlando in general. So I think that we fall here in Orlando in a special little district because you can work for the parks and get into one for free. And then I know, like if you work for Universal Studios, you get into SeaWorld for free, you get into Universal for free, but you also get into SeaWorld and Busch Gardens in Tampa for free.

Speaker 2:

Correct, and it's the same way if you work for sea world. If you work for sea world, you could get into universal for free but you do not get benefits, so that's a whole nother thing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, work for those so, um, but yeah, so for us, we well, both of us, for just us. In general, we pay about 52 a month individually for our theme park passes, correct, um?

Speaker 2:

but see you, and I defer though, because we defer here just a tad bit you mean differ?

Speaker 1:

yeah, defer differ differ doesn't defer and differ mean two different things I don't know yeah, defer is to like. Well, I guess not.

Speaker 2:

Anywho, continue, we are different here with this because I have an annual pass to universal that you have to pay up front. So my family, my dad, was military, so I cover I I the military freedom pass. I have the middle, thank you, and it is 200. It covers the whole year. No, nothing crazy, but you have to pay that right away. So it's not a payment process, so that's a cost that I don't have to cover monthly, but it's a cost If I want that that I have to cover January one, so, and that's nice $200 where.

Speaker 1:

And then for Disney, you have you and Rob you pay for both of the passes Cause. That's a gift that you give to your brother for his birthday.

Speaker 2:

I did.

Speaker 1:

So do you both have the pirate pass?

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so yeah, do you both have the pirate pass? Yes, okay, so, yeah. So with disney there's a four-scale system. You've got the pixie pass, the pirate pass, the something and the incredipass I think it's the sorcerer's pass. So, yeah, so, and it depends like you get your benefits level, your blackout dates, um we chose to we started to get the pixie pass, but that had the most blackout dates and you cannot go on weekends at all, correct? So we decided to get the pirate pass.

Speaker 2:

It has the least amount of blackout dates that we, but it's still the blackout dates that, for the jobs that we work, we weren't going to those places anyways, because we're at the office.

Speaker 1:

It's like, uh, between thanksgiving and christmas we're pretty much blacked out.

Speaker 1:

Yep um, which is fine because we're living at an office that doesn't allow us to have the time off for that anyways like two days before and two days after fourth of july we're blacked out like we're blacked out two weeks in the middle of summer and I'm like I don't want to go to the theme park, which is fine but I also kind of like the fact that we can go on saturdays and sundays too, because a lot of people are like, oh my god, it's gonna be so busy on saturdays.

Speaker 1:

I'm like, but we don't go until like six o'clock anyways, sundays are kind of our day, but um, so I pay about 52 a month for my pass, and here's, here's my thing. I want to preface this. I say later here in this podcast that I do live paycheck to paycheck. I do. Did I need a disney pass? No, I did not depends on who you ask. I did not.

Speaker 1:

However, I and you know this for me because you constantly ask me to go out with you guys to go places and do things, and I always say no. I prefer to just go home after work and hang out by myself and do my own thing. But I wanted more than anything, moving to Orlando, being able to go to Universal and Disney and all of these places. It's what I wanted to do. I go to Disney and unless there's something special like the Tomorrowland backpack or what was the other thing I bought- you can't say the cup.

Speaker 2:

I bought that for you.

Speaker 1:

No, it was something else in the past, but there are things that I'll specifically save up to buy, like the Tomorrowland backpack. When I go to Disney, we're usually buying one bottle of Coke.

Speaker 2:

Disney we're usually buying one bottle of coke, maybe a popcorn or or a mickey mickey shaped ice cream. We don't always eat at the park honey well, yeah, you, you wouldn't say you talk about you we don't always go and eat and buy, buy beverages.

Speaker 1:

No, now, occasionally we do, like you and I. We have once a month that we go out, we go to a different resort and we go to the bar, we have a drink, maybe an appetizer we go to one resort because we like their cocktails. We go, we go to the grand flow and we go. What? What's the? Enchanted rose we go to the enchanted rose and we have a drink and we gossip and we catch up, but we do that once a month now, that being said, I wanted to spend 52 a month for this pass because it is my decompression space.

Speaker 1:

It's where I go for my entertainment. I don't go to the movie theaters, I don't go to bars all the time. I know we talk about STP, but when I go to STP I spend less than $20. This is my place. I can go here and I can have all the fun I want at four different theme parks. I can ride roller coasters, I can watch shows, I can have all the fun I want at four different theme parks. I can ride roller coasters, I can watch shows, I can interact with characters. All of this and it doesn't cost me anything extra than my monthly payment. Correct, so that is totally fine by me.

Speaker 1:

Outside of that, I have streaming services, because I spend all of my time at home. I have Netflix, I have HBO Max and then during Black Friday I got the Hulu and Disney bundle for less than $7. So I spend in total about $30 a month for streaming and I spend usually around $60 or less, maybe 100 depending on the month or if, like, we have friends in from out of town and we go somewhere special. Um, so I spent about 142 dollars there, and that doesn't include my phone bill, which I'm gonna. It's not entertainment, but I'm gonna go ahead and throw that in an entertainment um.

Speaker 1:

I'm paying about 120 a month right now, but that's because I have my cell phone that I am in the process of paying off. I think I've got one or two more payments left on it, and I did get an iPad about a year ago for work purposes, from when I worked at Frightworks. I needed an iPad to do some work, but I wanted to have my own, so I bought it as well on a payment plan. Both of those devices are about to be paid off, so my bill is going to drop below $100. But it's round about that right now. What about you? What's your entertainment world look like?

Speaker 2:

It's complicated because I cover costs of that younger brother of mine at times. So with our Disney passes I do have the pirate pass, so I cover both costs. So, yes, it is specifically $52 just for myself. However, I do cover the younger brother of mine, so I look at about $100. It's roughly about a little bit over $100 for our passes together and I cover both of those. I don't have to cover my.

Speaker 2:

Universal Pass, because obviously it was already a one-paid thing. So that's not a cost, it's not a fee I have to worry about anymore. I don't pay for parking, so I don't have to worry about anymore. Yeah, I don't pay for parking, so I don't have to worry about any of that, because when I go to Universal, I walk or we go after six o'clock. I also don't.

Speaker 1:

When we go to the theme parks, though, Our reel of you and Rob in DreamWorks Land Preview has over a thousand plays.

Speaker 2:

I love that.

Speaker 1:

Sorry, just had to share that exciting news.

Speaker 2:

That's because it's a good reel. Thank you. Our social media is popping.

Speaker 1:

Be sure you guys follow us at Orlando. Underscore UnpluggedPod on Instagram. I'm dead.

Speaker 2:

So I also when we go to the theme park, though it's a little different than when you and I go to the theme park, when Rob and I go to the theme park. When rob and I go to a theme park, it's a whole day experience like yeah we, yes, we'll probably eat breakfast at the house or we'll, like I'll get a coffee, coffee at the house, but like it's an entire day experience.

Speaker 2:

So we're at least getting a meal and a snack while we're going out now I'm not saying we're sitting down at like the fancy restaurants and we're we're eating at like uh, why can you think of a fancy restaurant at a theme park right now? Or at disney? World, the cantina we're not eating at any of those places. We're sitting at like um tamarland terrace and getting a cheeseburger or um, like we, rob and I. We were just there about two weeks ago and we sat in the tar land terrace and um let's be honest, we always get casey's corner when we go yeah, I really do.

Speaker 2:

I eat corn dogs, french fries and a diet coke, like that's what. Actually, if it's not cool, lately it's been that vegan hot dog, so I do like that thing. Um, but yeah, like I don't, I don't really, I'm not saying that, like I ball out every single time we go to disney world but. I definitely spend a little bit more money when I go to Disney because of the fact that I'm not just covering myself as a cost yeah um, or there's days that like if we're going, we'll plan to go to Epcot and Epcot goes through their festivals quite often.

Speaker 2:

So a lot of the times I'm hitting up a couple festivals, um booths and we're trying the new foods and things like that. So, um, yes, when you know the two of us go off and when you and I go off and we do our once a month thing, it is a little bit more of the the I don't want to say like the splurging side, but it's a little bougier. You know, a cocktail at the enchanted rose runs anywhere between 15 to 20 22.

Speaker 1:

So which we also. A lot of times we'll use girl money.

Speaker 2:

Correct that money that, that cash money, baby, um, which isn't something that like I consider. This isn't a. I'm not budgeting for this. This is it's. That's fun things to do. You know, like, obviously I'm making sure my lights are turned on before we go and have girl money, you know, and get a cocktail here and there, but like I, I also am one of those people that will. My entertainment isn't going to the movies and going to bars. My entertainment is going to a new restaurant that to me is cooler, or it's.

Speaker 2:

I'm trying a new dish to make at the house. So I'm going to go to Trader Joe's and I'm going to spend a little bit more on something else instead of doing that. Or I'll hit up Whole Foods and get, or like when you and I are together, and we'll do a lunch for the podcast. We're going to Kura and I'll cover that. Or we're going to to Publix and we're grabbing don't hit on Publix sushi, guys, it's pretty good. We'll go up and hit that and we'll do that for lunch or something like that.

Speaker 2:

So this isn't something though. My entertainment is not something I do every day. It's like I'll say I'll go to Vivo and get like dinner and do that, but it also to me. My eating out, obviously, is a little bit more than you, so I average probably between 100 to $150 a month for my eating out costs. My park passes, obviously, are a little bit more expensive. I do not have an annual pass, as of right now, to sea world, um, I just have an annual pass to disney world and my my past is to universal. My streaming services are a lot more expensive than yours, though, because I do pay for my family's streaming services so um.

Speaker 2:

I share streaming service with my mom and my sister back up in michigan um so I have.

Speaker 1:

As Netflix said when online streaming became a thing, password sharing is love.

Speaker 2:

Correct, so I have Netflix, hbo, hulu, disney+, espn I have. Amazon Prime, and I'm missing one more. Oh, I have YouTube TV as well, so I have all of those that's a lot.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's quite a bit. So, um, my streaming services are between 75 to 100, and that does not include the fact that every once in a while and I say every once in a while about twice a week that little brother of mine has to buy a movie, and it's not. He doesn't rent a movie, he buys a movie and he knows big sis's credit card is attached to it. So he'll be like ashley, guess what we now own? Like what do we own?

Speaker 2:

it's like you have all these streaming services did you have to buy I'm like is it transformers 2 on hbo that you could just watch? Yeah, but it could go away yeah, that is very true.

Speaker 1:

Okay, uh, do you get? Do you have anything else?

Speaker 2:

I don't I also have to add in a cost that you do not have, though I have a cat, rip I used to have a cat.

Speaker 2:

You have a cat, your Bruce's uncle Dusty it's fine. But so my cost? I don't know where that would fall into, but my cost is a little bit more expensive, obviously because I have a cat. I have Bruce has insurance, so I pay $30 a month for Bruce's pet insurance. Um, her cat food runs me about $60 a month, cause it's about $20 a bag and that lasts me about two weeks. Um, obviously, her water is free, her filter for her filtration system.

Speaker 1:

That would be about $40 a month.

Speaker 2:

if it's $20 a week, Well it depends on the weekend, depends on how many people are feeding her, okay, okay, um, she has a water fountain and the filtration that's in there costs me, um, about 15 for the filters that are in there, and then her cat litter runs me between 11 to 15 bucks, depending on if it's on sale that week. Um, and I change that out about every two weeks. Yeah, um, so yeah, and then you know, when she got sick because she didn't like her water fountain, that I originally bought and had a uti, that was a fun cost I wasn't planning to pay for yeah so it just kind of depends.

Speaker 2:

But I do have to pay an additional uh cost for my apartment complex, though, because I do have a cat.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, you pay pet. I pay pet rent, which, for the record, it's out there. There's protests, there's pledges. Go sign those freaking things and ban pet rent. That is ridiculous.

Speaker 2:

It's so ridiculous, because I'm telling you You're gonna make us pay a non-refundable pet deposit and then also pay rent for the pet Stupid. I think it's ridiculous because I'm telling you there is. I have a cat that is cleaner than most humans. I know. That's all I have to say to that, Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Now, is that all your entertainment cost?

Speaker 2:

No, because my phone bill, though, is a whole situation.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2:

So I run about $250 for my phone bill a month.

Speaker 1:

Is it just you on your plan?

Speaker 2:

Me and two watches.

Speaker 1:

Dang girl Mm-hmm. That's sad, but are you also paying for the devices, or are you just paying for the service on the devices?

Speaker 2:

Just the service. Okay, just the damn service. It's $250.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean it's about $ 20 a month per line that you have, and if you have an apple watch that uses cellular data, I do, that is I used to have that. I paid my watch off and I shut the service off because I was like I don't use my watch as a phone enough because you can't hear anything. I had it I used to be an event coordinator and I'd leave my phone everywhere yeah, so it was great.

Speaker 1:

my clients could call me a convention center. I could never hear my clients and I would have like the watch up to my ear trying to hear them, and then you have to pull it down in front of your face.

Speaker 2:

Well, see, I run with, if that's the case, because I do a lot of my job is a good chunk of it is on my phone.

Speaker 2:

My email contacts situation is is linked to my cell phone, so, but you also get a stipend from work in your salary, do you? Not very small stipend. Thank you, company. I work for um, but uh, when it comes to to my phone, I leave my phone everywhere. I lose my phone constantly. Every single person in my entire house is aware of this, but I put my my. I pay for my watch because I will have my airpods on me at all times yeah so my airpods connect to my watch.

Speaker 2:

So if somebody calls me and my phone is gosh knows where, I can plug in an airpod and I'm good to go.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I can still hear you uh, now, a good thing that I want to talk about, about florida. It's not in our notes, so I'll just read it off right here. Um, so, as you know, florida is home to hurricanes yes, they are, they are. Lots of hurricanes and right now, while we are actually recording this, we are in the middle of a sales tax holiday. It is the first Florida disaster preparedness sales tax holiday, which runs from June 1st to June 14th.

Speaker 2:

I love it.

Speaker 1:

And during this time, qualifying items related to disaster preparedness are exempt from sales tax. Items related to disaster preparedness are exempt from sales tax, so items like flashlights and lanterns that are 40 or less reusable, ice costing 20 or less, radios 50 or less, tarps and ground anchors, or like tie down kits costing 100 or less, coolers, portable power banks costing 60 or less, batteries and fuel tanks costing 50 or50 or less, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide totaling $70 or less, or generators costing $3,000 or less, and there's a full list of eligible items that you can actually participate in this, and they're going to have another sales tax holiday running August 24th through September 6th.

Speaker 2:

And this means what honey?

Speaker 1:

This means we're preparing for hurricanes.

Speaker 2:

No, this means if you purchase any of those products, you don't have to pay the sales tax on it. Oh well, yeah, it's a sales tax holiday yes, but you forgot to tell them what that means.

Speaker 1:

Oh well, where I come from when we live.

Speaker 2:

People understand that, but up in Michigan people don't know what that means.

Speaker 1:

Tennessee understands it because we have a sales tax holiday at the beginning of every school year season right no it's just the beginning of every school year oh, really yeah so um clothing, technology and school supplies are all tax free for a weekend well, let me just like run up there real quick what's well. What's sad is the line at the Apple Store will be two hours long, because any person can walk in there and buy a Mac computer and not pay sales tax on it.

Speaker 2:

I'm about to do that so even though it is designed for. Tennesseans.

Speaker 1:

Well, it's designed for students.

Speaker 2:

What do you guys call yourselves out there? Are you Tennesseans? Is that what it is?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, like Floridians, Tennesseans.

Speaker 2:

Michiganders.

Speaker 1:

That's what michigan people are let's talk about the most adulting thing in this whole topic, but yes, and it's the, the grossest one, that always takes everyone a hard time to understand, and it's health care, yep. So this is what I found interesting. So, according to forbes, which we all know is very reliable, um, it is. Florida has the highest average premium for residents, with family health coverage through an employer, costing seven thousand two hundred and fifty eight dollars annually.

Speaker 1:

And you want to know why that's disgusting my friend edward in the uk pays zero dollars a year for his health insurance I know um so a single employee.

Speaker 2:

Do you need people to live with you?

Speaker 1:

well, he's moving to the us. He's getting married soon september 11th he'll be an american citizen oh boy um, so a single employee.

Speaker 1:

Now, keep in mind that a lot of times your employers pay in on one half um, so a single employee. They're gonna. Their cost is going to be about two thousand six hundred and forty dollars a year. That is going to be about um a hundred and ten dollars, I think. Is that weekly? Yeah, I think I'm. I think. I think I meant bi-weekly, probably weekly every two, because most people get a paycheck every two weeks. Um, and then for two adults with no children, the cost is six thousand two hundred and ninety six dollars a year, which is 262 every two weeks that's crazy it's sad, but here's an even crazier part.

Speaker 1:

Tell me I pay 60 and 78 cents every two weeks out of my paycheck. My employer pays over 200 every two weeks for my insurance.

Speaker 1:

Love that for you, but with that. So I'm paying about $1,400 and a half $1,458.72 annually. And then I have health care through Anthem. I have dental coverage through Cigna. I have vision insurance through Vision Orlando or Viz Orlando. I have basic life insurance. So if I were to die, my beneficiary will receive a minimum. I think it's $25,000. Thank you, you're not, I'm sorry. And then I also have basic accidental death and dismemberment, which is going to be a year's worth of my salary.

Speaker 1:

Love that, and then there is an employee assistance program that my company has where I can get assistance through my company and through the company of the insurance for other various things and needs I love that for you what about you?

Speaker 2:

I pay about 71 dollars bi-weekly, um I think the the actual total is 71 dollars and 15 cents um I'm looking at an annual cost of about $1,900. I have health and dental through Aetna. My vision is through anything Like I have the ability to go anywhere but, I, don't know what it's called Like I don't know who the main provider is to that. And then I have what's through my company. I have what's called uh, I, I got to opt into a couple things um so did I.

Speaker 1:

I chose to not opt into what you are about to talk.

Speaker 2:

I opted into this because, as somebody who has, who had a pretty nasty thing happen to me at the end of last year, I didn't know what that was going to look like for me. So I was kind of like, hey, let's just do it, just to be on the safe side. So I have what's called critical illness insurance. So that means that if I get hurt, if something happens, if I'm in the hospital for a period of time, I don't lose pay. And then my company has what's called the self-add employee assistance program. So whatever I put into it, they match it.

Speaker 2:

So a health savings account essentially basically yeah, so something were to happen, um I get, I have money put in there, um I also I don't know if we were supposed to did you, did you? I don't have. I have, uh, life insurance, but not through my, my job, I have my own life insurance.

Speaker 1:

Gotcha, I've had life insurance since that daddy of mine I had, I used to have life insurance like I had an additional policy insurance. Since that daddy of mine I had, I used to have life insurance like I had an additional policy outside of the basic life that I have um and that was, and I had it because I didn't want my family to have to like struggle if anything were to happen to me yeah and then I was told they were like you know, when you, if you die, like your next of kin is not responsible for your debts or your car and I?

Speaker 1:

I didn't. I honestly to god, I did not know that I thought that I thought that they would go for your family, because you watch movies and stuff as a kid and that's yeah sorry, says she's serious um.

Speaker 1:

But when I found that out I was like, oh well, I don't need an additional. If I get twenty five thousand dollars, that's going to cover my funeral. I don't't need an additional $100,000. And while you know if, if I ever get married or I'm living with a significant other, I will take out $100,000 life insurance policy, because if something happens to me, I want that $25,000 to pay for my funeral costs or expenses or whatever. But then I want them to have money to at least pay for their housing for a year if we're renting, or to figure out what they want to do and give them that time if they need to take off time from work to grieve. They don't have to worry about paying bills. But that's not a thing that I have right now see, that's what, what I.

Speaker 2:

I have to go back and fix it, but that's what I had. I have, I have actively, I have life insurance that has somebody getting it as a beneficiary. So, um, but it was something that I had outside of the company after, outside of this, I have it a third party or whatever because when my dad passed away, um, obviously the military was a big chunk and played a big factor in like all of his funeral costs and everything like that. But then it was something that, like, I wanted I needed something to like distract my head with for a minute. So I deep dived into that so hard that, like, I was like, oh, the average funeral costs this much money. Okay, great, no matter what.

Speaker 2:

Like, in a lot of companies, don't always give you really good life insurance. So I was like, don't always give you really good life insurance. So I was like I don't need somebody who, at the time, the situation with our finances were very different. So I was like I don't, I don't know. This was an unexpected death, my dad. What happens if I run? I lock myself in a freezer and freeze to death? Like that could happen, oh my gosh. So I was like this is it, my, this company I'm working for, oh my God, they're're not gonna be able to cover any of these things, and I freaked out really bad. So I was like, nope, I have a life insurance policy that is ridiculously high, but it's specifically because I don't. I wasn't. Nobody was anticipating my dad dying the way he died, or at the fact that he was going to die like that.

Speaker 2:

So I was like nope, I want to be prepared, just in case when it comes to your, but now I'm going to change it and bruce is going to get all my money.

Speaker 1:

Listen, there's a lady that did that when it comes to your health insurance yes when you go to a doctor's visit yes you go to the doctor's office. Um, I'm sure most insurance places you're preventative so, like your yearly physical, that's automatically covered, correct? If you get sick, say you get strep or whatever, you go to the doctor's office. Yeah, are you paying? A certain percentage, or are you paying a copay?

Speaker 1:

I pay a copay, you pay copay yeah, I'm pretty sure I selected the copay option. I have two. There were two different options and I don't remember which one I selected right now, which is bad, but I'm pretty sure I have the copay one so my basics are covered.

Speaker 2:

So like that physical, that exam, that, anything like that, and that's covered for both your dental and for my medical. So those two things so like you have to have a yearly dentist work done yeah and then you check up, check up, thank you. And then you have a yearly doctor's checkup you're cleaning and your physical and then when it comes to the physical, this includes my physical would include, like any blood work that had to get done as well, so that includes.

Speaker 2:

Correct Any of those kinds of things that's included that I pay nothing for. If I need to have, like if I go to the dentist office and I need to have a root canal cavity filled, I need to get adult braces. If something happens like that, I pay a copay or I pay like if something like if it's an extreme thing if I have to get a teeth pulled or braces.

Speaker 1:

I have to pay, you pay a certain percentage.

Speaker 2:

A have to get a teeth pulled or braces, I have to pay a certain percentage. But if it's or I can pay, if it's a regular appointment outside of my annual appointment, I pay a co-pay yeah when it comes to the doctor's office. That one's a whole annoying situation because if I have to have any surgery, that's when I would pop into. That's why I opted for my critical illness coverage because, that critical illness coverage covers that entire thing, so I don't have to cover any of that.

Speaker 1:

If.

Speaker 2:

I have to go to a specific doctor. So like if I get referred to like I struggle with a really nasty knee that doesn't like me at times. So like if I get referred to a knee doctor I will pay a copay to be seen, but the critical illness covers the surgery if I have to have it.

Speaker 1:

Interesting, yeah, so here is our call to action to you guys this week. We want to know from you guys, when it comes to health insurance, what do you prefer. Do you prefer having a copay or do you prefer the out of pocket up to your premium for the year? Don't forget click that link just below the description or just above the description in the show notes. Text us and let us know your opinion. What kind of health insurance do you like and what kind of health insurance do you not like?

Speaker 2:

what is your eye insurance like, though that's the one I want to. I want to know. What does that look like?

Speaker 1:

I don't know I'd have to go look at it. Oh, I don't, I don't go, I love my eye.

Speaker 2:

well, as somebody who is very blind, I love my eye insurance because you what eye insurance does is it covers I. It's ridiculously cheap too the breakdown and you have to do. You get to go to the eye place, get your eyes checked, get your eyes seen, and you get a new pair of glasses and I walk away spending maybe 200 bucks.

Speaker 1:

Well see, I don't really have eye problems as much. I can't see I got it because I want to go get checked, but I've still never been. I should go.

Speaker 2:

I love my eye doctor.

Speaker 1:

But checked but I've. I've still never been. I should go. I love my eye doctor but, guys, that that is pretty much it. That is how we made a not so fun topic topic and told you about our lives and let you know I told you I was gonna let dustin make it boring yeah, now, at the end of the day, it is hard to calculate.

Speaker 1:

Each household is going to be different, each person is different you may have plenty of other variables in your life that are going to affect how much your cost of living is going to be, no matter where you are in the world, whether you're from Knoxville, tennessee, you're from where? In Michigan?

Speaker 2:

I'm a comb Right outside Detroit. Let's just say Detroit.

Speaker 1:

Detroit, michigan, orlando, florida. It is really, really hard to calculate that. You know, in full transparency with everyone. You know I've talked about it several times on the show when I moved down here, I did not have a job for over a month. It was three weeks before I got the job, another two weeks before paychecks started rolling in. So I have been living paycheck to paycheck down here. I saw a decrease of 48% in my yearly salary when I moved to Florida. Now, that being said, I would not change it for the world.

Speaker 2:

I'm in the city that I want to be in.

Speaker 1:

Well, if I was back home in Tennessee and I had to remake this decision, knowing exactly what I know now, I'd make the same decision to be down here, because if I wasn't down here, I wouldn't know you.

Speaker 2:

We wouldn't be besties.

Speaker 1:

And that decision to be down here, because if I wasn't down here I wouldn't know you. We wouldn't be besties, and I've been fortunate, though. I took that leap of faith and I already had some friends down here. I have met a whole nother slew of people that I know always have my back. I know that if you got, if I fall into a problem, I know that I can call on Ashley. I know that Ashley will call on Shan why am I not surprised?

Speaker 2:

this is gonna get brought up. Listen my mother's.

Speaker 1:

Like I already said, that I'm in the will for providing child care assistance for both of her children and making sure that you two, don't because you're old it is um.

Speaker 1:

But that being said, you know I've learned a way to make it work again, and I am, and I know that there are, as Dolly says, brighter days ahead and there is a silver lining out there. That being said, I'm not like poor. If someone does want to Venmo, or cash at me $2,000 to fix the air conditioner in my car, or cash at me, uh, two thousand dollars to fix the air conditioner in my car.

Speaker 2:

That would be greatly appreciated. Listen, we'll put your cash app and your venmo account in our next social media posting for everybody let's do it I'm dead what do you got to say, ashley?

Speaker 2:

I don't know, dude. You know I I this was my life currently was not in a situation I ever anticipated being in um, so I had some pretty big of a balance. You know, like I didn't expect to be back to Florida, I didn't expect to be doing this, especially not just being back. But I don't want to say like by myself, because obviously I'm not doing it alone. My mother does, you know the iconic Shanda's help as much as she can. But I'm also a situation where I was given an opportunity and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have.

Speaker 2:

That allows me to kind of cover some things. If I need to, I'm able to bail out that brother. If worse comes to worse, I'm able to bail you out if you need it. I'm also one of those people, though that's very. I've watched my family go through a moment where there wasn't money. I've watched my family go through a moment where there was a ton of it. So I understand what the value of a dollar looks like, but I also understand what it's like to spend money like a big girl, because I've got big girl money.

Speaker 1:

Ooh, big girl money.

Speaker 2:

Bruce, she be printing it off, dude. It's one of those situations, though, where I am grateful that I'm able to do those things, because for a period there, people had to help me and had to to pull it out. So I like to say that, you know, I put good karma, was put into the world when people help me, so it's my job to put it back in the world and help other people. So, yes, as much as I have a weird situation and a situation I never anticipated having, I am beyond grateful for the fact that that the situation that I'm in is one that I'm not struggle bussing as hard as I could have, but it also is a pretty big give and take.

Speaker 2:

You know, yes, I have big girl money, but I am very much addicted to my job. I'm in a full relationship with my job. So, as much as everybody's like, oh, this is so great, she can cover two bills and she can cover dinner and pay for dinner for a couple friends. Yes, but dinner at a couple friends. How many times did I pick up any a phone call or an email or a text message and and do all those things?

Speaker 1:

so we won't get into that.

Speaker 2:

It it has its moments, it has its give or takes. But listen, I'm just a girl living my diabolical lies out here. Just a girl. So yeah, I'm doing great hey hey I love it.

Speaker 1:

Well, guys, thanks for joining us this week. Uh, like we said, we look forward to coming back to you guys throughout this month with some very special guests, with us in the studio.

Speaker 2:

I can't wait. I'm ready to tell them that I am an ally for them.

Speaker 1:

I'm an ally, An ally. So guys, don't forget. You can follow us on all of our forms of social media if you head on over to orlandounplugpodcastcom.

Speaker 2:

That's going to be Instagram, twitter, facebook. You can find all of those links on our website at wwworlandounplugpodcastcom, at wwworlandounpluggedpodcastcom. But be sure, listen, our stuff has been popping off lately.

Speaker 1:

It has been.

Speaker 2:

Yes, we've got some photos. We've got some things. We've got some behind-the-scenes photos of stuff, so be sure to check all of that out. You can also like Dustin and I talked about last episode and this episode. You can text us now.

Speaker 1:

Yes, do it, it's so cool.

Speaker 2:

Oh my God, we love it. So, whatever. So, whatever platform you're listening to us on, so if it's spotify, apple, amazon, any sort of platform, um, even if you're listening through us through buzzsproutcom, you can just hit that text us button. That's right on there. Text the show. Text the show. Let us know your thoughts, let us know if this was a boring episode and destin needs to do better at coming up with a better topic.

Speaker 1:

No, they're supposed to let us know which type of health insurance they like.

Speaker 2:

Or that too, but, as always, please make sure that you're sharing this podcast with your friends, oh, no, ma'am, two weeks in a row you've done this.

Speaker 1:

Okay, what do you want me to say first? All right, guys, until next week, stay safe, stay educated.

Speaker 2:

I'm so sorry. Be sure to share this with your friends, your family and, of course, your favorite bartender.

Orlando Unplugged Celebrates LGBTQ+ Community
Cost of Living in Orlando, Florida
Rent, Housing, Transportation, and Finances
Transportation Costs and Preferences
Transportation and Grocery Shopping Expenses
Eating Habits and Work Perks
Entertainment Costs in Florida
Monthly Entertainment and Pet Costs
Florida Sales Tax Holidays and Health
Eye Insurance and Financial Health

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