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StitcherSorry, not sorry—we’re done falling for the societal pressure trap. We’re getting the bag and living that rich girl vibe. In this episode, Katie from Money with Katie joins us to break down the industries profiting off our insecurities, how to navigate negotiation as a woman, and how to give your budget a full-on Hot Girl Detox.
Even though we think that we value those things, we really don’t and our life isn’t any poorer without them.
Sponsors:
- Our Annual Finance Planner. We released a budget planner a few months ago and realized to just make a separate finance planner for your whole year. Planning out the activities you want to do with your family, activities you want to do that involve self-care, travels, travel rewards, credit cards and their benefits, all that. Just planning things for your finances in one spreadsheet. If you want to check out all tabs that are available go to frugalfriendspodcast.com/planner and it can be very beneficial for you.
Katie Gatti Tassin is the face and voice of the financial media brand Money with Katie, which she founded in 2020. She’s the host of The Money with Katie Show and author of Rich Girl Nation. Her work focuses on the intersection where our economic, political, and cultural context meets the practical money advice that everyone needs to thrive.
All Things About Hot Girl Detox
During Katie’s early 20s, she had a horrifying realization that she was basically working a whole month every year just to stay pretty. It is then when she came up with the phrase Hot Girl Detox which comes from the Hot Girl Hamster Wheel—that nonstop cycle of spending to keep up with what’s seen as “acceptable” feminine beauty.
To do it: write down all your beauty and self-care expenses, rank them in order, and slowly start dropping the ones you don’t really need. Not only do you save money but you also get your time back. Most women who’ve done this say their life didn’t really change, and they actually felt more empowered for stepping away from all the beauty pressure.
Financial Challenges that Women Face in Reality
Katie presents two coexisting realities: while the core principles of personal finance and investing applies to everyone, the financial system is largely structured around male experiences. Women often encounter additional challenges, such as societal pressure from the beauty industry and reduced access to negotiation opportunities.
Over time, the gender wage gap tends to widen. Although the issue cannot be solved immediately, women are not without agency. She emphasized that even though we can’t fix it overnight, we still have power to make informed choices and take action.
Counterintuitive Strategies that Actually Works
Katie agrees that women’s approach to negotiation needs to be a bit different and sometimes counterintuitive. So she suggests two things: first, once you make your ask, stop talking and allow the uncomfortable silence to work in your favor. Second, perception is reality, so the best time to build your case is long before the actual negotiation.
To do this, you need to establish your perceived value and understand your market rate within the company. That means sharing your wins as they happen, so people are aware of your accomplishments. And also doing a little extra yard (not a mile), like a small step beyond what’s expected, to stand out.
First Mindsetshifts or Action to Take
Katie highlights that knowledge is power. She boldly recognized the need to move away from the mindset that making financial decisions comes naturally. Nothing about managing money or thriving under capitalism is instinctive—it’s something we must learn. But she doesn’t see this as a weakness. Instead, she views it as a powerful insight, encouraging women to be unapologetic about learning, confident in their ability, and clear that they are the best person to make decisions about their own money.
What’s a recent life experience that made you feel like a rich girl?
- Katie: When she had a talk at 92nd St. in NYC!
- Jill: When she allowed herself to invest in a style theory.
- Jen: They got in a TV segment and the anchors said they were her daughter’s fav!
Get more from Katie
Website: www.moneywithkatie.com/rich-girl-nation
Instagram: @moneywithkatie
Bill of The Week
Thanks Katie for sharing your unapologetic $15k investment into a custom website for your biz!
Thanks so Much for Listening!
Thanks so much for listening. We love love love reading your kind reviews of our book Buy What You Love Without Going Broke and we especially loved this one from:
✰✰✰✰✰
This book was entertaining and easy to digest! I’ve been a Frugal Friends podcast listener for years now, and I still learned new concepts with this book. Jen and Jill offer tangible tips and a call to action at the end of every chapter. I love their simple approach to managing spending and building a life that aligns with your values, while still offering grace for our humanity. An easy read that I’ll be revisiting on a regular basis!
If you want to check out our monthly challenge community head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/club to see what challenge we have coming up next.
And keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to reviews@frugalfriendspodcast.com. And don’t forget to share your favorite quote from the episode by using the hashtag #FrugalFriendsNote. 
