Christmas gift guide, summer reading list & our money lessons from 2023 [Money & Chill]

What’s on Owen & Kate’s summer reading list?

⚠️ Warning: This is not a serious episode, but we have a whole back catalogue for that.

In this episode, Kate, Owen and our producer Monique, share our Christmas gift guide, summer reading list & our top money lessons from 2023.

Money & Chill is a monthly segment on The Australian Finance Podcast featuring Kate, Owen and our producer Monique. We chat about the personal finance and investing news, hacks & lessons, we discover during the month, along with Rask and community updates.

📚 Enjoyed this episode? You’ll love Kate’s book, Buying Happiness, which you can order on Booktopia or Amazon.

Our Summer reading/listening/watching

Owen: The Alchemist, Clear Thinking, Farnham Street Blog on ‘how to remember what you read’, Kate’s book Buying Happiness, Same As Ever (ordered by not read)

Mon: Dr Who special

Kate: Same As Ever (Morgan’s new book), Ted Lasso (if you haven’t already watched), Lessons in Chemistry (lots of recs)

Our Christmas gift guide

• One good present instead of 5 cheap presents 
• A Rask Core membership – use ‘afp’ for 75% of the joining fee
• Book a class on Class Bento
• Give them a voucher for their favourite cafe or restaurant
• Invite them over for a home-cooked meal
• Nice pair of socks!
• Meowy Christmas card
• A good quality umbrella
• Books: The Ulysses Contract, Buying Happiness, The Psychology of Money, Money School, Clear Thinking, Atomic Habits, Mind Over Money, Strong Money Australia, How To Decide
• A free course on Rask education
• Food hampers
• A sponge – change someone’s life!
• Coupon code “Raskxmas” for Major Street
• Feel the sand under your toes or the leaves under your hands
• A customised list of Spotify or Apple podcast episodes

Kate, Owen & Monique’s Money Lessons from 2023

Mon: Being organised and thinking in advance usually means saving money (buying birthday/Christmas gifts when there are sales, booking holidays/flights a few months in advance). I’ve got a ‘present shelf’ at home that I add to when I buy gifts throughout the year.

Kate: In a rising cost of living environment, it’s more important than ever to keep on top of your bills (especially subscription-style ones) and be ruthless about cutting or hunting for a better deal. My water provider double-charged me this month!

Owen: Long–term thinking is boring, and you need it when you least expect it, save money even when you don’t have to (lifestyle inflation), habits before goals, fees don’t really matter that much (e.g. people hunting for cheap brokerage accounts, fees for advice, etc.), the happiness trap / hedonic, set reminders to review when you purchase a subscription, being motivated by money is good — provided it’s seen as the enabler, not the end goal itself.