That Time We Did A Radio Interview


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Jo and Jo

All decked out at a wedding this past weekend

A couple of weeks ago, Johnny and I were contacted by BYU Radio for an interview. It sounded like a fun opportunity, so we drove to their studio one morning (which happened to be a short commute away) and had our very first radio interview. I wish I’d thought to take a picture of Johnny and me with huge headphones on, speaking into a mic, but some things are probably better left undocumented.

After the interview, I thought of a few jokes I’d made that probably fell a little flat, and Johnny said he thought he’d rambled a bit. But since the interview was prerecorded, they were able to make us sound more smooth than we probably were. Hooray! So if your ears have 19 minutes to spare sometime today, we’ve included the interview below.

If you don’t see a player above, click here to listen.

Lastly, here’s the intro they posted about us. Enjoy!!

Joanna and Johnny were newly-graduated, newly-wed and on the verge of having their first child when they birthed a brainchild:  A blog about their personal finance. “It’s probably the single most boring topic you could start a blog about,” jokes Johnny. “But money affects every single person. And to us, it made such a big difference on our quality of life to pay such close attention to our finances for the blog.”

They started their married life in debt: Johnny bought Joanna a ring, for starters. And Joanna had student loans. Dave Ramsey’s book “The Total Money Makeover” inspired them to get out of debt in 18 months and start anew, all of which they documented on their blog. “People know debt’s a bad thing, but psychologically it really does drain on a relationship and your psyche,” says Johnny.  “That’s a lot of the reason we enjoy writing about it – to help people realize they have control of their finances,” adds Joanna.

Johnny says, “The point of the blog is to say, ‘A guy with an advertising background and a girl with an editing background – who are really bad at math – are going through the steps and learning from their mistakes. No one should feel like they have to have an education in finance to begin saving for retirement or investing. If me and Joanna can figure this out, we have total faith that almost anyone else can figure this out as well.”And making their finances to public is a good motivator to stay on track, they note.

Here are a few tips from Johnny and Joanna:

  • Track your spending daily – not at the end of the week or the month. Track it daily.
  • Plan your meals in advance and take that list to the grocery store. It limits waste and keeps our grocery budget in check.
  • Don’t buy anything on the spur of the moment. Research it. Sleep on it. Look for coupons and discounts.
  • Get on the phone and negotiate for a better deal on your TV and internet service.
  • Don’t compare your financial situation to someone else. “You never know what their reality is. They might be deeply in debt.”
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8 Comments

  • Reply Retired by 40 July 9, 2014 at 10:55 am

    Great interview and congratulations! I’ve never gone back and read all of the old posts, but if I can find the time, I just might now!

    • Reply Joanna July 9, 2014 at 5:17 pm

      Thanks! It was a fun experience!

  • Reply Janelle July 10, 2014 at 9:36 am

    Loved the interview, thanks for sharing.

    • Reply Joanna July 10, 2014 at 12:14 pm

      Thanks, Janelle!!

  • Reply Melanie July 11, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    Decorate pillows can reasonably exceed the amount of heads that may lay on them. I’m with you, Joanna! 😉

    • Reply Joanna July 14, 2014 at 1:32 am

      Haha, thanks Melanie! Pillows FTW!

  • Reply Christy S. July 12, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    Congratulations! What a milestone. Really shows if you stay dedicated and passionate, the hard work pays off.

    • Reply Joanna July 14, 2014 at 1:32 am

      Thanks Christy! 🙂

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