A Thought For Your Pennies

Sqeaky shares that one weird trick that will get you a raise. Leverage. Not like in the mafia, but real leverage that's always worked for him contract to contract. Shawna shares more tried and true things you need to check off to get a raise. We also cover the scams that is payday advance - banned in a lot of states with good reason. But! There are scammy elements to them that pop up everywhere, so take a listen to save money!

Credits: Hosts - Shawna and Sqeaky, Music - Allison Tartalia, Producer - Cole John, Writer - Carl Weinschenk, Marketing - Ricardo Gutiérrez

Links: 

Indeed: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-get-a-raise *

Robert Half https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en/insights/career-development/how-to-ask-for-raise-and-get-it **

The Cut

https://www.thecut.com/article/how-to-ask-for-a-raise.html ***

The Estrin Report 

https://www.estrinreport.com/how-to-blow-your-chances-of-getting-a-raise/ ****

Harvard Business Review

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-get-a-raise *****

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/payday-loans.asp

thammer.org/states-where-payday-loans-are-illegal/

https://www.riograndecu.org/payday-loan-scams 

https://www.ncsl.org/financial-services/payday-lending-state-statutes

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/how-payday-loans-work/

https://www.aura.com/learn/payday-loan-scams

https://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumers/scams_schemes_frauds/dangerous_or_predatory_loans

https://www.noffcu.org/articles/article/2024/10/beware-payday-loan-scams 

https://www.riograndecu.org/payday-loan-scams 

https://www.alliedwallet.com/blog/blog-posts/recognizing-payday-loan-scams-and-protecting-yourself-from-fraud/

https://blog.mscu.net/pay-day-loan-scams

https://www.alliedwallet.com/blog/blog-posts/recognizing-payday-loan-scams-and-protecting-yourself-from-fraud/

Shawna and Sqeaky don't mess around talking about how real expensive menopause can be - and how it really doesn't have to be. Plus! They cover the scams of vaginal lasers and other silly things. 

Credits: Hosts - Shawna and Sqeaky, Producer - Cole John, Writer & Music - Allison Tartalia, Marketing - Ricardo Gutiérrez

Sources Cited:

Johns Hopkins Medicine: 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/introduction-to-menopause:

Mayo Clinic:

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-does-menopause-cause-brain-fog/

OSF Healthcare: https://www.osfhealthcare.org/blog/menopause-supplements-should-women-take-them/

Healthline:

https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/menopause-and-dry-eyes

https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/menopause-itching

https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/joint-pain-menopause

The Independent:

https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/fashion/menopause-oestrogen-perimenopause-greek-amazon-b2676570.html

NIH National Library of Medicine:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5929427/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18460167/

National Health Service - UK

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/things-you-can-do/

https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt/alternatives-to-hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt/lifestyle-changes-to-make-if-youre-unable-to-take-hrt/

Everyday Health:

https://www.everydayhealth.com/womens-health/menopause-scams-to-watch-out-for/

American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists:

https://www.acog.org/womens-health/experts-and-stories/the-latest/menopause-misinformation-is-everywhere-heres-how-to-detect-it 

GoodRx  https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/menopause/treatments-and-supplements

Her Money https://hermoney.com/enjoy/wellness/the-true-cost-of-menopause-and-finding-menopause-relief-podcast-461/

NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/05/01/1248525256/hormones-menopause-hormone-therapy-hot-flashes

There are ways to save on rent that Shawna and Sqeaky cover that you may not have thought of before. Plus, we go over scams and roommate drama so you don't have to find out first hand. Before you find your next place to rent or put out an ad for a roommate, check out this episode for ways to save money - with a humorous attitude.

Credits: Hosts Shawna & Sqeaky, Producer Cole John, Writer Syb de Clark, Music Allison Tartalia, Marketing Ricardo Gutiérrez

What was your first cell phone? What do you do about cell phones with your kids? Shawna and Sqeaky go over some great ideas and ways to save money when it comes to your family and your cell phone - both plans and hardware. Plus, they go over the most common phone scams and surprising ways that you can avoid these scams. Make sure you give it a listen and save money when it comes to your phone!

Credits: Hosts Shawna & Sqeaky, Producer Cole John, Marketing Ricardo Gutiérrez, Music Allison Tartalia, Editor Josh Rockley, Writer Carl Weinshenck

To celebrate that we are now live on the You of Tubes, Shawna and Sqeaky made an episode covering the Federal Trade Commission's top scams of 2024. How else would you celebrate? There are more than a few surprises in this episode about scams - listen to stay savvy to scams you may not have known about!

Credits: Music by Allison Tartalia, Hosts Shawna & Sqeaky, Producer Cole John, Marketing Ricardo Gutiérrez

It's a new season because you can now check out our beautiful faces up on youtube. Sqeaky took the long trek from Nebraska to Colorado to set up Shawna's studio for the podcast, and we go over the equipment you'll need to set up your own podcast --- without spending TOO MUCH MONEY!

A fun way to learn about the costs of decent podcasting, thanks for tuning in to A Thought For Your Pennies!

Credits: Hosts Shawna and Sqeaky; Producer Cole John; Audio Editor Igor Stroev; Video Editor Amy Fan; Music Allison Tartalia; Marketing Ricardo Gutiérrez

Potty training kids (or maybe you remember being potty trained?) is tough, and Shawna shares stories of how her kids either told her she was wrong or how she told them the toilet was the fate for all children. Then after a few laughs, we get into bathroom remodels, with Sqeaky about how he saved (which turns into romance advice??) and Shawna bringing you the scams you want to avoid when dealing with contractors in the bathroom. 

Credits: Hosts - Shawna & Sqeaky; Producer - Cole John; Audio Editor - Igor Stroev, Marketing - Ricardo Gutiérrez, Music - Allison Tartalia

Sources:

Shawna shares why falling down the stairs is a special indignity, the time she should have broken her foot on a drunk blob run, and Sqeaky shares how his knife hand didn't quite hold up. We dig into the intersection of social media and personal finance, discussing the prevalence of scams, the potential for saving money through social media, and how to identify trustworthy financial influencers. Then we emphasize the importance of consumer awareness and provide insights into navigating the complex landscape of financial products and advice available online.

your rich bff, broke black girl, her first 100k <- all insta accounts Shawna likes and follows for financial advice. 

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2025/03/top-scams-2024 Great resource and interesting perspective about scams last year. 

Credits: Hosts - Shawna & Sqeaky, Producer - Cole John, Marketing - Ricardo Gutiérrez, Music - Allison Tartalia

Shawna and Sqeaky get into some hijinx from their youth with roommate/brother Stephen - the funny part of the episode we couldn't fit into our regular segment.

Credits: Hosts - Shawna & Sqeaky; Producer - Cole John; Marketing - Ricardo Gutiérrez, Music - Allison Tartalia

You could say this podcast exists becuase of one legend in HVAC, Stephen. That's right, Sqeaky's roommate and Shawna's brother brings his 25 years of experience to geek out on the wild world of HVAC and how you can save money and avoid scams.

Credits: Hosts - Shawna & Sqeaky, Producer - Cole John; Marketing - Ricardo Gutiérrez, Music - Allison Tartalia