The Case for Frugal Hedonism w/ Annie Raser-Rowland #1097

How to Money

iHeartPodcasts

Education, Investing, Business

4.6 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jumbo shrimp. Open secret. Bittersweet. We call these oxymorons - ideas that shouldn't work together, yet somehow do. Most people put 'frugality' and 'hedonism' in that same category, assuming you can't have a blast while saving a buck. But our guest today, Annie Raser-Rowland, is here to shatter that myth. An Australian horticulturalist and author, Annie argues that true pleasure isn't bought, instead it’s found in the more sensual and free moments we overlook when we're too busy working to pay for things we don't need. Today, we’re exploring how to live an excellent, joy-filled life that doesn't require a massive income or a single dreaded coupon. We specifically touch on:

Spending a quarter of the typical person
Why Annie believes that experiences provide more joy than material possessions
How community and interdependence enrich our lives
Setting long-term goals can motivate frugal habits
Literary figures and role models can inspire us to live more fulfilling lives
Advertising influences our spending habits negatively
And plenty more!

Want more How To Money in your life? Here are some additional ways to get ahead with your personal finances:

Annie: The Art of Frugal Hedonism is the book, and learn more about Annie and what she’s up to at her site.
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Money Gears: knowing what to do with your money is crucial to your personal finance journey.
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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.3	Guaranteed Human.
0:04.0	Welcome to How to Money.
0:05.7	I'm Joel.
0:06.1	And today I'm talking about the case for frugal hedonism with Annie Raja Rowland. All right.
0:31.5	Little Giant.
0:33.6	Open secret.
0:34.6	Bitter sweet.
0:35.7	These are all examples of oxymorons. And so many people would hear the title of this episode, they'd be like, frugality, hedonism. Those follow the same pattern. Those are also oxymorons. But my guest today, Annie Razia Rowland, she would beg to differ. She says they fit like peas in a pod. And so Annie firmly believes that you can live an excellent life without
0:56.0	spending gobs of money. And in fact, you might find more pleasure. You might get quite a bit of
1:00.3	joy out of your everyday existence if you elect to take the frugal hedonist path. And it doesn't
1:06.4	involve the dreaded act of couponing. So Annie, I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for joining me today. Hey, I'm happy to be here. And anybody can tell who's listening for the first two seconds. You're not American. I'm so excited to be talking with an Aussie. Yes, sorry, I could have to dig that one up. Gidey. I'm happy to be here. And the scheduling was super interesting for this one because, you know,
1:29.1	you're usually sleeping when I'm working and vice versa.
1:31.9	Yeah.
1:32.4	But, okay, first question out of the gate is what do you like to splurge on?
1:36.5	What's your craft beer equivalent?
1:37.5	You're trying to do smart stuff with your money,
1:39.4	but obviously there's things that are worth splurgeon on in the here and now.
1:42.7	100%.
1:43.7	Definitely experiences of possessions.
1:49.5	Taking point, last weekends, my partner and I went on a tour of the underground aquifers
1:58.4	underneath the kind of historic town that I live in where you get in
	...

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