Introducing "What We Spend" (Sponsored by Audacy)
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Hey, everyone, it's Rima. Here on Make Me Smart, we break down the business and economic news of the day and what it means in our everyday lives. But when you peel back the layers, you hit something even more personal, which is our relationship with money. I am excited to introduce a new podcast that gets at the emotional side of money that we think you'll enjoy. It's from our sponsor, Odyssey, and it's called What We Spend.

In each episode, host Courtney Harrell talks with one person as they document a full week of their lives and all the ways money has factored into it. People from all over the country, all walks of life, share the ways they make money, the ways they spend it, and all the thoughts and emotions they have along the way. The conversations are intimate, thoughtful, often fun, sometimes emotional, and they're all very real.

I hope you all enjoy it. And as you listen, be sure to search for What We Spend wherever you listen to your podcasts. How big is the, like, margin between what you make and your regular bills every month? How much wiggle do you have? Like, no wiggle room. Do you know how much money you spend in a week? Like, if you were to add it all up, the little treats, the cost of groceries these days, those unexpected car repairs, the new pair of shoes you really don't need...

It adds up, right? It adds up for everyone. We just don't usually talk about it. But imagine if we did. Imagine if you could ask someone anything you wanted about their finances. How much do you make? Who paid for that fancy dinner you went to the other night? What did your house actually cost? How would you describe your relationship with money? Consuming. Oh. I would describe it as all-consuming, yeah. Yeah.

On every episode of the show, a different guest will open up their wallets, open up their lives, really, and tell us all about their finances. For one week, they will tell us everything they spend their money on. So I spent tonight $42.06, which is crazy. My son slammed like $6 for the blueberries in five minutes.

This is a show about all the ways money comes into our lives and then leaves again.

which of course we all have a lot of feelings about. I am stressed about being 30 years old and only making $35,000. I'm also stressed that I found love, but I cannot afford marriage or children. What I need is a car. What I want is to buy myself Mary J. Blige tickets. Because whatever you are buying, or not buying, or saving, or spending, at the end of the day, money is always about more than your balance. I'm the child of immigrants and I'm

I will do whatever it takes to take care of myself at all times. At some point in my checking account, I had like $15,000. And I was like, damn, maybe I'll be a venture capitalist now. I really want these things. I want to own a house. I want to have a child. I'm Courtney Harrell. But this morning, I really wanted a coffee. And this is what we spend. Thanks for listening. That was what we spend from our sponsor, Odyssey. It's available now wherever you get your podcasts.