# Why "Being Normal" Is The Most Expensive Thing You Can Choose

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/making-cents-6998736/why-being-normal-is-the-most-expensive-thing-you-can-choose
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/making-cents-6998736/why-being-normal-is-the-most-expensive-thing-you-can-choose.md
Podcast: [Making Cents](https://stenobird.com/podcast/making-cents-6998736)
Published: 2026-06-24T17:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.francescook.co.nz/making-cents
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/17cc4b4d-2d2f-4971-a4dc-9998f2ad2964.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/making-cents-6998736/episodes/why-being-normal-is-the-most-expensive-thing-you-can-choose
Duration seconds: 1704

## Resource

Being weird with money is the smartest thing you can do, to get financial freedom. Most of us are following the same money playbook, and it’s not working. Around 30% of New Zealanders don't have $1,000 in savings, and over 60% couldn't cover a real emergency. Frances Cook, financial journalist and host of Making Cents, shares exactly how embracing "weird" money habits helped her build financial freedom, and how you can do the same. In this episode: Why the standard approach to money keeps so many of us stuck, and what to do instead The hedonic treadmill: the psychology trick that's draining your wallet How to figure out what actually makes you happy (it's probably cheaper than you think) The secondhand challenge that changed Frances's finances Why a cheaper daily life and big one-off experiences beats an expensive lifestyle every time How to stop spending on what other people want, and start spending on what YOU want Follow me everywhere! Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz TikTok / https://www.tiktok.com/@francescooknz Join the Money Memo newsletter for a free weekly money tip in your inbox each week https://www.francescook.co.nz/subscribe Become a confident sharemarket investor by signing up to the Market Memo newsletter https://www.francescook.co.nz/invest #MakingCents #FrancesCook #MakingCentsPodcast #InvestingPodcast #MoneyPodcast #FinancialFreedom Production and video editing by Lana Byrne Audio engineering by Tash Chittock Filmed by Fanaticals

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## Transcript

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