Hey Girlies,
Why is it that the time of year you most want to relax, curl up on the couch, and sip hot chocolate while reading a cozy mystery is also one of the craziest times of year?
Is this just us, or is this pretty universal?
If you’re in the same boat, you may be stressing over holiday gifts and cards, trying to wrap up work projects for 2025, and doing a year-end financial review — all while wondering when you’re going to watch Home Alone for the 27th time.
It can be a lot.
We certainly don’t have all the answers, but maybe this holiday gifting episode can relieve some of your shopping stress. 🎁
And maybe this New Year Financial Checklist can guide you through a little EOY money reset. 💰
And maybe you can whip up a steaming mug of cocoa to help you power through those work projects during these last weeks of the year. ☕ *We’ll certainly be doing this.
We hope these tips help you sail smoothly through these last few weeks of the year and into a lovely lil’ holiday break. But before you fully disconnect (and we hope you do!), we’ve got some fun things headed your way:
Today we’re bringing you a conversation with travel and credit card expert Caroline Lupini, who’s been a digital nomad for more than a decade.
Tomorrow we’re going LIVE! We’re joining our friend Taylor Nelsen, AKA The Financial Planner, to talk about money in the media. (See more details in the Resource Roundup below).
Next week we’ll do a deep dive into Health Savings Accounts (If you think tax savings are fun — and who doesn’t ?— this will be a very good time 🤓).
As always, we’re so glad you’re here — and we hope you’re finding the time to enjoy this magical, crazy season. ❄️
On the pod 🎧
Caroline Lupini is the managing editor of travel and credit cards at Forbes Advisor — and for as long as we’ve followed her on LinkedIn, we’ve wanted to pick her brain.
Having lived and worked abroad since 2014, traveling to more than 120 countries, Caroline’s learned a thing or two about how to create a lifestyle of exploration.
One thing we loved about our conversation with Caroline is how approachable she makes travel feel. She’s a big travel hacker, yes, but she doesn’t claim you have to be a big points-and-miles strategist to make it as a digital nomad.
Instead, she offers practical, beginner-friendly tips you can incorporate at any budget or skill level.
Here’s a bit of what we cover in this episode:
Caroline’s shifting perception of the affordability of travel (it doesn’t have to be expensive)
Where to travel to live on less than $10 a day
The surprising financial safety net that comes with being a digital nomad
How working in an uncertain industry is affecting Caroline’s outlook
How Caroline finds community without having a permanent home
Even if you’re not interested in the digital nomad lifestyle, there are financial and mindset tips in here for anyone who wants to balance a fulfilling career with a life they love.
More of a reader? Check out the full episode breakdown on our blog.
🎤 Mic drop moment:
“After I graduated from university, I did my first trip to Southeast Asia. And so that’s the first time that I really experienced super budget travel. And on that trip, I was staying in hostels that cost less than $5 a night. I was spending $3 to $5 a day just eating street food, like trying to keep it as cheap as possible.
And so that’s when I was like, oh, wow. A little bit of money can go a really long way if you travel to the right destinations and seek out the least expensive options. And you can still have a really nice time while doing that. ”
Resource roundup 📚
If you’re available tomorrow (Thursday) at 12 p.m. Eastern, you can catch us live on Substack with our friend Taylor Nelsen, AFC (The Financial Planner on Substack). We’ll be chatting about financial media, how we personally consume and sift through financial content, and a little BTS of the making of The Finance Girlies. Hope to see you on Substack!
If anyone else wants to spruce up their charming (read: old) rental home without spending a lot of money, don’t sleep on the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. If you’ve never been, it’s kind of like a thrift store version of Home Depot + HomeGoods. I (Emily) went the other day and got some bathroom hardware, drawer pulls, and a smart thermostat — all for under $30!
Here’s an interesting thought exercise, courtesy of our friend The Frugal Girl and the book Happy Money by Ken Honda (definitely adding this to our TBR). In essence: If you think of your financial dreams as a container, the smaller your container, the less it takes to fill it up. (Follow-up thought: How do you balance “enough” when you also want to dream big? Let us know if you’ve figured that out. 🤪)
Catchup corner 💬
What we’ve been up to:
E: Moving! (Hopefully I’ll be done talking about this soon, lol.) We’re getting settled in our new place ~25 minutes and a world away from where we’ve spent the last 5 years. It’s a refreshing change and a reminder that getting out of my comfort zone is usually a good thing.
C: Visiting family! This past weekend, I flew to Georgia to visit my dad, siblings, and nephews (and even got to squeeze in a visit with my childhood friend). It was such a good reminder that you don’t need to take a whole week off to go spend time with someone you love. Sometimes, even a quick Friday-Monday trip can do the trick. Plus, I had enough Delta SkyMiles to cover my ticket. 🎉
What we’ve been cooking:
E: This Ina Garten recipe for lemon chicken breasts — it’s super simple but delicious and versatile. I made green beans tossed in pesto for a side and served everything over farro (springy, I know, but it’s what I had on hand).
C: A few weeks ago, I hosted a craft night at my place with two friends. One was vegetarian, so I made this potato vegetable soup from Salt & Lavender (one of my fave recipe blogs). It felt like a cozy chicken pot pie soup (minus the meat).
How we’ve been staying cozy:
E: Rugs, rugs, and more rugs. The new abode is carpet-free—yay, but also, I’ve never needed so many rugs! Luckily, I’ve managed to find a couple reasonably priced options and also scored another (never-before-opened!) on Facebook Marketplace.
C: Lots of good lighting for when it gets dark! In addition to getting a Christmas tree (see my “money moment” below), I just replaced some of my old lightbulbs with these Philips Hue ones. For my fellow lighting nerds: my current bulbs only went up to 2200k on the color temperature range, which felt too white/bright at night. The Hue bulbs go from 2200k to 6500k (much more calming), and I can adjust the brightness from 0% to 100%.
Money moment:
E: I’m not gonna lie, spending money on this move has been a huge mental hurdle. Yes, we budgeted and saved ahead of time, and yes, this move is totally worth it. But it still stings to think about how much we could have saved by staying put. 🤔
C: I feel like I went a lil’ wild buying things in November that I felt like I needed but didn’t budget for (like a Christmas tree and some winter boots and house slippers for these sub-zero Minnesota days 🥶). I was able to pay myself a slightly larger paycheck from my biz bank account to cover it. But I’m trying to lay low in December and focus on free/low-cost gifts instead of buying anything else. (Ex: I’ve been crocheting all my family/friends lil’ Christmas tree ornaments with yarn I already have.)
Money tip of the week 💸
This week’s tip comes straight from this week’s podcast guest, Caroline Lupini.
Got international travel on the horizon in 2026? Start getting financially ready now with these three quick steps:
Start tracking flights to a few different destinations around where you want to travel. Get an idea of how much a flight will cost so you can build that into your budget. Track prices on Google Flights to a few different airports you’d be willing to fly into. Remember, it could be cheaper to fly into a different city than the one you’re visiting, and take a cheap domestic flight to get to your final destination.
Get a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. These fees can tack on a 3% charge to every purchase, which can add up fast. First, check the credit cards you already have to see if they waive foreign transaction fees. If not, look into getting a new card before your trip — many “travel” cards don’t charge for foreign transactions.
Get a debit card with no ATM fees. To avoid carrying around a lot of cash during your trip (or paying extra fees at the ATM), get a debit card that reimburses ATM fees. This will allow you to get cash whenever you need it without worrying about racking up ATM charges. Caroline’s pick is the Charles Schwab Investor Checking account.
That’s it for this week, girlies. Hope to see you tomorrow for our Substack Live! Stay warm out there, and talk soon.
Love ya, bye!
Emily + Cassidy
