February has a reputation problem—but it also brings one of America’s most fascinating seasonal markets: Girl Scout Cookie season.

In this episode of Money Well Studio, Jennifer and Julie unwrap the surprisingly rich economics behind Girl Scout cookies—from their humble home-baked origins to a billion-dollar fundraising machine. We dig into how cookie sales teach real-world financial skills like goal-setting, pricing, rejection management, and teamwork—long before most kids ever open a bank account.

Along the way, we talk scarcity marketing (hello, limited-time Thin Mints), how cookie revenue actually gets distributed, why the Girl Scout model prioritizes collective success over individual profit, and why critics often miss the deeper value of the program.

Whether you were a former Girl Scout, a parent bracing for cookie booths, or just someone who loves behavioral economics wrapped in chocolate, this episode will make you see those iconic boxes very differently.

And yes—we pair it with a Thin Mint–inspired cocktail… plus a deeply unserious non-alcoholic option called Milk. 🥛

• February may be bleak—but Girl Scout Cookie Season saves it.

• What started as home-baked goods became a billion-dollar seasonal economy.

• Cookie sales teach negotiation, resilience, goal-setting, and confidence.

• Most cookie revenue stays local, funding troop activities and community projects.

• Scarcity marketing is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

• The Girl Scout model values collective success over individual profit.

• Volunteers are the invisible backbone of the entire system.

• Selling cookies builds social capital, not just sales numbers.

• Common critiques often overlook the program’s educational impact.

• The real rewards were symbolic—and that’s the point.

• “Scarcity marketing at its finest.”

• “You learn how to hear no over and over—and keep going.”

• “The rewards were symbolic, not monetary… and somehow that mattered more.”

00:00 February Blues & Cookie Season Salvation
02:53 The Economics of Girl Scouts
05:25 A Brief History of the Girl Scouts
07:59 From Bake Sales to Big Business
08:33 Where the Cookie Money Really Goes
13:02 How the Cookie Production System Works
15:27 Scarcity Marketing & Behavioral Economics
17:34 The Life Lessons Hidden in a Cookie Booth

(Thin Mints® is a registered trademark of the Girl Scouts of the USA. This cocktail is an homage, not an official product.)

Ingredients

• 3/4 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream

• 1 ½ oz green crème de menthe

• 3 oz clear crème de cacao

• 3 oz vanilla vodka

Instructions

1. Chill two martini glasses in the freezer for 20–30 minutes.

2. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice.

3. Add Bailey’s, crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and vanilla vodka.

4. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds.

5. Strain into chilled glasses.

6. Garnish with a Thin Mint® cookie (for science).

Ingredients

• Milk

• Ice

Instructions

1. Add ice to a glass.

2. Pour milk over ice.

3. Reflect on your life choices.

4. Enjoy responsibly.

Pairs beautifully with cookie season, childhood memories, and zero regrets.

We came in with plans.
January had intentions.
And then… life punched us in the face.

In this episode of Money Well Studio, Jennifer and Julie do a candid, funny, and refreshingly honest check-in on their New Year’s resolutions—from Dry January experiments to decluttering dreams that didn’t quite survive the holidays.

We unpack where Dry January actually came from (spoiler: it was never meant to be punitive), why so many resolutions fail by mid-month, and how mindfulness—not perfection—might be the missing ingredient. Along the way, we talk openly about social drinking norms, habit replacement (because you can’t just stop doing something), and the importance of building routines that still leave room for enjoyment.

Whether you’re fully dry, mostly mindful, or just wondering why you were drinking “because it was Tuesday,” this episode is your permission slip to reset gently.

Today’s Cocktail: The Nanus

This is a non-alcoholic remix of last episode’s cocktail, offered in two equally valid versions.

The Nanus (Pomegranate Reset)

For when you want ritual, flavor, and ceremony—without the booze.

Ingredients
Pomegranate juice
A touch of simple syrup
Ice
Lemon twist
Club soda (optional)

Instructions
Add pomegranate juice, simple syrup, and ice to a shaker.
Shake it up—confidently, like someone who meant to make a resolution.
Strain into a glass over fresh ice.
Top with club soda if you’re feeling festive.
Finish with a lemon twist, because presentation still matters.

The Nanus (Tap Water Edition)

For when the pause matters more than the performance.

Ingredients
Water
Ice (optional, but dramatic)
Lemon twist (if you’re feeling theatrical)

Instructions
Pour water into a glass.
Add ice if you’d like to feel involved.
Garnish with a lemon twist if you want to pretend this was intentional.
Sip mindfully. You’re doing great.

What We Talk About

Why New Year’s resolutions feel great… until they don’t
The surprisingly practical origins of Dry January
Social habits vs. personal intention
Why habit replacement matters more than willpower
How to create changes you actually enjoy

Memorable Sound Bites

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
“It started as a very normal, very human experiment.”
“I was drinking because it was Tuesday.”

Episode Chapters

00:00 New Year, New Goals: A Reality Check
04:57 The Origins of Dry January
09:28 The Social Dynamics of Drinking
14:10 Mindful Drinking and Habit Formation
19:00 Reflections, Resets and What Comes Nex

What do New Year’s resolutions really have in common with January gym memberships—and why do so many fail by February?

In this episode of Money Well Studio, Julie and Jennifer reframe New Year’s resolutions through the god of Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, endings, and thresholds. Rather than treating resolutions as rigid goals, they explore them as rituals—moments to pause, reflect, and design better systems for the year ahead.

The conversation traces the history of resolutions from ancient Babylon through Roman traditions, connects modern January optimism to the booming fitness industry, and unpacks why motivation alone rarely sticks. Using personal finance as a lens, they argue that failed resolutions are often a design problem, not a discipline problem—and that sustainable financial habits are built through small, repeatable systems aligned with real life.

Cocktail: The Janus

This episode’s drink is The Janus, a cocktail built in two layers—just like the god himself.

The bottom layer is darker and richer, representing the past year and the lessons we’re carrying forward.
The top layer is light, bright, and bubbly, symbolizing optimism, fresh starts, and the year ahead.

The Past (Bottom Layer)

• 1 oz aged rum or bourbon

• ½ oz pomegranate liqueur
  (or pomegranate juice with a touch of simple syrup)

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

The Future (Top Layer)

• 1 oz prosecco or champagne

• ½ oz elderflower liqueur (St-Germain works beautifully)
  or Grand Marnier

• Lemon twist (for aroma and brightness)

1. In a shaker with ice, gently stir the Past ingredients.

2. Strain into a coupe or champagne flute.

3. Slowly top with prosecco.

4. Carefully float the elderflower liqueur on top (pour over the back of a spoon).

5. Garnish with a lemon twist or a few pomegranate arils.

What would Janus do? He’d look both ways — and sip thoughtfully.

Julie and Jennifer unwrap the holiday classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation to find some surprisingly timeless financial lessons—most of them learned the hard way, courtesy of Cousin Eddie. With his RV parked in the driveway and his “Jelly of the Month Club” dreams, Eddie is the ultimate cautionary tale for what not to do with money during the holidays.

Cocktail: The Burnt Toupee

🍫 Ingredients

• 4 oz rich hot chocolate (whole-milk or dairy-free, your choice)

• 1 oz bourbon or dark rum

• ½ oz crème de cacao or coffee liqueur

• ½ oz heavy cream or Irish cream (optional for decadence)

• Pinch sea salt

Garnish:

• Fresh rosemary sprig (for the burning tree)

• Small toasted marshmallow or lightly scorched cotton-candy puff (for the “toupee”)

• Cocoa powder or grated chocolate for dusting

Instructions

1. Make the base. Combine hot chocolate, bourbon, and crème de cacao in a mug or heat-proof glass. Stir well.

2. Prepare the “tree.” Light the rosemary sprig until it begins to smoke, blow it out, and rest it across the rim. (It will scent the drink like pine.)

3. Add the “toupee.” Toast a marshmallow until golden-brown or slightly singed. Skewer it and rest it over the mug, or perch it on the edge so it looks like it’s “wearing” the drink. For spectacle, you can sprinkle a drop of overproof rum on the marshmallow, light it briefly, then blow it out.

4. Dust with cocoa and serve while the smoke curls upward.

Keywords: Christmas, financial planning, Cousin Eddie, holiday budgeting, economic lessons, family traditions, holiday chaos, financial freedom, Christmas cocktails, holiday memories

Jennifer and Julie throw it back to the pastel-soaked, synth-scored world of Miami Vice, where Crockett and Tubbs fought crime in linen suits and speedboats. In this episode, they unpack how the glossy fantasies of the 1980s shaped our modern obsession with image, luxury, and comparison. They draw a straight line from the flamingo-pink excess of Miami Vice to the filtered perfection of Instagram, showing how both eras sell the same seductive myth: that wealth equals worth.

🍹 Featured Cocktail – The Mojito

Ingredients (serves one):

• 2 oz white rum (traditionally Havana Club or another light Cuban rum)

• ¾ oz fresh lime juice (about ½ lime)

• 2 tsp white sugar (or ½ oz simple syrup)

• 6–8 fresh mint leaves

• Soda water (club soda or sparkling water)

• Crushed ice

Directions:

1. Muddle mint, sugar, and lime juice gently in a tall glass—release the oils, don’t shred the leaves.

2. Add rum and stir to dissolve sugar.

3. Fill with ice.

4. Top with soda water and stir lightly.

5. Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel.

In this festive edition of Money Well Studio, Julie and Jennifer unwrap the surprising relationship between joy and economics, while calling out Santa Claus for being the benevolent dictator that he is.  From the frenzy of Black Friday to the quiet sentiment of a handwritten note, they explore how our seasonal spending both fuels the global economy and tests our personal finances.   

Cocktail : The Sid - Egg Nog Deluxe

This family favorite Egg Nog recipe is close to George’s original and is from the kitchen of our neighbor Sid.  The original recipe can serve an Army so I cut it down quite a bit.

Ingredients

3 eggs – separated

½ cup sugar

1 cup whole milk

1  ½ cup heavy cream

½ cup bourbon

¼ cup rum

½ cup cognac

Fresh grated nutmeg

Instructions

Beat egg yolks until think and pale (it does take a while), then gradually add the sugar.  Whisk in milk and a cup of the cream. Add in the booze stirring constantly.

Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into the mixture.

Whip remaining cream until stiff and fold into the mixture.

Sprinkle grated nutmeg on top and enjoy!  It’s stronger than you think so enjoy responsibly!

In this episode, Jennifer and Julie guide listeners through the essential steps and responsibilities that come with homeownership after closing. They discuss the importance of security measures, updating addresses, managing mortgage payments, and understanding home maintenance. The conversation also covers navigating post-closing paperwork, avoiding junk mail scams, and being aware of property taxes. With a mix of practical advice and light-hearted banter, the hosts emphasize the importance of being proactive and organized as new homeowners.

La Belle Demenage Cocktail
 -2 oz gin -1/2 a lime -0.5 ounce of St. Germain  -Tonic water

Fill a glass with ice then pour in the gin, lime, St. Germain, and tonic water. Stir 15-20 times and enjoy.

keywords

homeownership, post-closing,mortgage management, home maintenance, property taxes,

Tick-tock, it’s time to mess with your clocks! In this episode of Money Well Studio, Jennifer Lowry and Julie Black dive head-first into the wild world of Daylight Saving Time—that twice-a-year ritual that leaves us all wondering why we’re so tired and late and sometimes early for brunch.

From its quirky historical beginnings to its debated economic and social ripple effects, they unpack how we got here, who’s still arguing about it, and whether it’s time (pun intended) to finally ditch the switch. Expect sharp insights, global time-travel detours, and plenty of laughs along the way as they explore what “saving daylight” really costs.

And as always, there is a cocktail to match the episode.

Cocktail: The Arbitrary Nature of Time

1 oz rye whiskey

1 oz maraschino liqueur

1 oz Cointreau

2 big ice cubes

Orange wheel - to represent a clock

Bourbon cherry

 Pour the liqueurs in a mixing glass with one big ice cube and stir until chilled.

Pour the chilled beverage into a rocks glass with the other big ice cube, garnish with the orange wheel and cherry.  Enjoy responsibily!

Keywords: Daylight Saving Time, history, economics, productivity, timekeeping, global perspectives, humor, societal impact, future of time

In this episode of the Home Buying series, hosts Julie Black and Jennifer Lowry are joined by Charles Runnels, realtor with Compass Real Estate to discuss the emotional journey of house hunting, the importance of negotiation, and how to build a wish list that aligns with your lifestyle and budget. They cover essential topics such as the home inspection process, understanding contracts and escrow, and the closing process. The conversation emphasizes the need for introspection and realistic expectations when searching for a home, as well as the significance of building rapport with other agents during negotiations.

Takeaways

•          House hunting is an emotional rollercoaster.

•          Understanding your lifestyle needs is crucial.

•          Negotiation is key in real estate transactions.

•          Building a wish list helps clarify your priorities.

The Negotiator Cocktail

2.5 oz Rye Whiskey

3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth

2 dashes Angostura

Stir ingredients with ice to dilute, then strain into a coupe and garnish with a brandied cherry.

Keywords

#home buying, negotiation, real estate,wish list, inspection, escrow, closing process, lifestyle, mortgage, first-time buyers

We are breaking in from our regular Home Buying Series to bring you a topical topic on the Federal Reserve.

In this episode of Money Well Studio, hosts Jennifer and Julie explore the Federal Reserve's role in the economy, discussing its structure, functions, and the impact of its decisions on interest rates and mortgage rates. They explain the complexities of the Fed funds rate, the relationship between Fed actions and market expectations, and how inflation and employment play into the Fed's balancing act. The conversation is light-hearted yet informative, making economic concepts accessible to listeners.