November 25, 2025

AAR25 - How to Make Smart Purchasing Decisions

47 minutes

You can download Evan’s free monthly budgeting spreadsheet here:
https://einvestingforbeginners.com/budget/

In this episode of At Any Rate, Evan Raidt and Andrew Sather dig into how to make smart spending decisions without living like a hermit or constantly feeling guilty every time you buy something.

They push back on the extreme “never spend money” advice that goes viral online, talk about how both of them have swung between over‑frugality and overspending, and explain why the real goal is a sustainable middle ground you can actually live with.

You’ll hear how to make sure a purchase truly fits your budget, why automation and separate accounts (or “vaults”) make life easier, and how to avoid lifestyle creep and sneaky “buy now, pay later” or monthly‑payment traps.

Topics Covered:

Why extreme “never spend money” advice backfires

How guilt and anxiety can wreck your spending decisions

What it actually means for a purchase to fit your budget

Using automation and separate accounts/vaults to simplify money

Planning for annual/irregular expenses (holidays, birthdays, clothes

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro and “have you ever bought anything?”

01:00 Extreme frugality trends and why they’re not sustainable

04:30 Swinging from super‑frugal to overspending (and back)

11:30 What it means for a purchase to truly fit your budget

15:00 Automation, separate accounts, and “vaults” for big goals

19:00 Lifestyle creep, furniture financing, and Amazon payment plans

28:30 Making sure you can still afford your needs after a purchase

36:00 Planning for holidays, birthdays, and other irregular costs

40:00 Willpower vs. systems, and final takeaways

Resources Mentioned:

Free monthly budgeting spreadsheet:⁠https://einvestingforbeginners.com/budget/⁠

Have questions or want to share how you handle big purchases? Email Evan at [email protected] or comment below—your stories and questions help shape future episodes.

Remember, financial freedom is built one smart move at a time. Keep it simple, keep it steady, and at any rate, we’ll see you next time.

Timestamps are generated by artificial intelligence, and are not 100% accurate depending on the platform used for listening.

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