Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
Hi! I’m Josh Elledge, the Chief Executive Angel of SavingsAngel.com and welcome to the SavingsAngel show! I’m podcasting to you on a chilly afternoon in Orlando, Florida.
I am an extremely busy consumer expert, money-saving advocate, syndicated newspaper columnist, and the guy that turns digital entrepreneurs into media celebrities with UpMyInfluence.com. I love what I do and can’t wait to get going on today’s episode.
In order to help you save more, earn more and live more abundantly on today’s show I’ll be covering:
- How to Shop Frugally for Home Office Gear
- Saving The Environment (and Your Wallet) With Dropps
- Christmas Celebration at SeaWorld Orlando
LINKS FROM THE PODCAST:
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How to Shop Frugally for Home Office Gear
Many of us began working from home when the pandemic started. Most of us thought it was a temporary situation, and some even went back to the office over the summer. However, there are many still working from home with positions that became fully remote as the pandemic progressed.
Are you still working on your couch, at the kitchen table, or even in bed? You’re probably considering making the transition to an official home office. I've been working from home since 2001. I’m, personally, a fan – although I understand you may be feeling cramped – or still a bit unsettled.
If you ask for my prediction, I’d say working from home is just the reality for most of us for the foreseeable future. So… get fully set up for a great work from home environment if you aren’t already. Here are a few ways to create a comfortable home office space on a budget!
Find Deals On Furniture
Office furniture, if you have the space for it, can really change your work-from-home environment. Studies show that working in bed or even on the couch can have detrimental mental health effects. These studies also show that working in a dedicated space designed to accommodate your remote job increases productivity and improves your mood. You deserve an environment which will increase your productivity and overall well-being.
Tech Deals
Consider upgrading your tech with open box deals at the electronics store. Instead of replacing your whole computer, you might look at upgrading specific parts to give more life to your device. You may be amazed what upgrading your RAM, processor, video card, or moving to a solid state hard drive can do.
Odds and Ends
Need some other odds and ends to make your office area perfect? Check out Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, or look for local notices for closing offices who are having an estate sale of sorts on their office items. If you’re a big Zoom user like I am, you may consider buying a green screen or simple backdrop to your office to add a splash of color to your decor with some plants.
At the end of the day, how you set up your home office is totally up to your preference (and wallet!) As 2020 progresses, we are seeing more and more companies transitioning work roles to be permanently and fully remote. Consider this if you’re still working from home and are unsure about when you’ll be returning to your brick-and-mortar workplace. It may be wise to invest in a home workspace – it just might become your permanent office!
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Saving The Environment (and Your Wallet) With Dropps
We can’t really avoid paying for the essentials. We all spend money on soap, toothpaste, dishwasher, and washer detergent, the list goes on. But here’s the thing; do we need to spend that much on the essentials? Is there a way to save money on some of these essentials without sacrificing quality? Good news SavingsAngel friends, there is!
What am I talking about here? It’s Dropps. At only 19 to 20 cents per load, you save yourself cash and you’re being more environmentally sustainable. Dropps has designed so many types of detergents and they’ve got over ten thousand 5-star reviews online, including my own review! Their cleaning formulas are made of powerful plant-based ingredients and they offer completely customized cleaning solutions. They’re super easy and simple to order — you can subscribe and save even more if you use their auto-ship option. The best part? It comes straight to your door through free, carbon-neutral shipping.
Dropps is awesome, let me tell you. You know how every time you go to do your dishes, you have to scrub them before you load them? I mean, even using the leading brand’s dishwasher pods, a little bit of dried pasta sauce can come back out of a clean dishwasher if you didn’t scrub it all out before you loaded your dishes.
Guess what? With Dropps, no more of that. A simple rinse is all any plate or bowl needs — no more steel wool or scouring pads! I’m serious, Mrs. SavingsAngel and I were so excited when we popped open our dishwasher and the Dropps dishwasher pods had really cleaned that much off of our dishes. (Man, you know life’s good when you get excited about clean dishes!) Those dishes were sparkling — and I mean it, I didn’t use my scouring pad once before loading my dishes.
Dropps has forever changed how I wash all my laundry and dishes. They have products for virtually every need; they have stain and odor-fighting laundry detergent pods, laundry pods designed to protect sensitive skin, the famed dishwasher pods I just talked about, even wool dryer balls designed to sustainably replace disposable dryer sheets (I LOVE these), and more!
- Their dishwasher pods clean and shines glassware better than the leading brands, and they’re less expensive.
- Dropps laundry pods are actually designed for sensitive skin — they’re safe and gentle for those with skin allergies or conditions like eczema or psoriasis.
- They can also help prevent skin rashes, redness, and irritation, as well as prevent build-up from allergens like dust mites, pollen, mold, and pet dander.
- Their stain and odor focused laundry pods are made with a gentle, plant-based formula for washing natural fibers & delicate items like intimates, wool, and cashmere. Plus, they allow you to wash expensive dry clean only items at home (and as your SavingsAngel, I love that type of bonus!)
- They keep your fabrics smelling wonderfully fresh and clean as you use them. The best part is that they can remove the toughest stains — things like mud, dirt, pizza, pasta, coffee, or even chocolate.
Dropps delivers powerful cleaning from nature, with plant and mineral-based formulas, to your door in low waste cardboard packaging – instead of plastic containers that end up in our oceans and landfills. Sign up for auto-shipments to save big (you can pause, skip, or cancel anytime). Visit Dropps dot com slash SAVINGS ANGEL and use code SAVINGSANGEL for 25 percent off your first order. www.Dropps.com/SAVINGSANGEL
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Christmas Celebration at SeaWorld Orlando
Listen to this episode to hear more about SeaWorld Orlando's Christmas Celebration!
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Transcription of Today's Episode
Hey there again, I'm Josh Elledge, Chief Executive Angel at savings Angel calm and welcome to the savings Angel show. Now I'm podcasting to you on a very chilly afternoon in Orlando, Florida. It's
Oh, it is — let me check my temperature — 60 degrees, I'm just messing with you. Hey, it was down to 39 this morning. So I mean, that's cold. Definitely, definitely hoodie weather for sure. Now I'm an extremely busy consumer expert, money-saving advocate, syndicated newspaper columnist and that guy that, well, what do I do over at UpMyInfluence.com, I work with business owners, and I help them get their dream ideal clients. We do that through podcasting. I'm a big fan of using podcasting to do good things in the world. And I love what I do, and can't wait to get going on today's episode. So in order to help you save more, earn more, and live more abundantly on today's show, I'm going to be covering how to shop frugally for home office gear, listen, if you have a loved one that's working from home now, let's hook them up. Let's — I think this would make a really great Christmas gift to accentuate their home working environment. Also, speaking of the environment, we're going to be talking about saving the environment and your wallet, when it comes to doing laundry when it comes to doing the dishes, etc. And then finally, I've got an interview from SeaWorld in Orlando, all about their big Christmas Celebration, all about how you can go to SeaWorld and do it safely. Keep your social distancing, that sort of thing. And all the fun stuff that they have going on over there. I was on-site with my son and I will be reporting live (not live.) There will be a live recording from me out at SeaWorld in Orlando all that and more. So let's get going.
Now, many of us began working from home when the pandemic started. I mean, I've been working from home for over 20 years now. It's kind of what I do. But most of us thought it was a temporary situation for those of you who were like, oh, okay, well, this will be fun. And you thought maybe it only last a few weeks or a couple of months or so. And now you're still from home. And some employers have said, “Hey, we're not going back.” So there are many still working from home, even for those who did go back into the office. And they've — their positions are now fully remote. As the pandemic has kind of meandered its way around. And so if you're still working on your couch, at the kitchen table, in bed, on the bed, you know, maybe you're considering making the transition to an official home office? Well, again, I've been working from home since — well, let's see officially 2001. Yeah, so almost 20 years, and I'm personally a fan, although I understand you may be feeling cramped or still a bit unsettled.
Now, if you ask for my prediction, I'd say working from home is just going to be the reality for the foreseeable future. And I think for many occupations, it is the new reality. It's just the way that we're going to do things. I think, you know, we've all gotten used to it, but we'll see. But listen, my job is to help you get fully set up with a great work from home environment. I've been doing this a long time, I got a lot of ideas. So if you're not set up already, here we go. I'm going to help you with a few ways to create a comfortable home office space on a budget. And I've got some great tips here. And we'll start by finding great deals on furniture. Now office furniture, if you have the space for it, can really change your work from home environment. Studies show that working in bad or even on the couch can have detrimental mental health effects. Now, these studies also show that working in a dedicated space designed to accommodate your remote job increases productivity and improves your mood. My wife, in fact, is a family therapist. You can find her on the web at jennyelledge.com. That's Jenny with a ‘y', jennyelledge.com and you can see what she does. She works with great couples. She's an amazingly talented therapist. But she does that all over zoom now and for a while she was kind of set up in our bedroom. And she noticed that as she was sleeping and dreaming she was having way too many dreams about work. And so she made the conscious decision to say, “Okay, well guess we're out I should not be doing my work in the bedroom.” And I don't know, maybe this is happening to you too. But I definitely, I see why that would be the case that you don't want to work in your sleep environment, keep sleep for sleeping, right. And everything else, you know, work-wise is to find a different place for that you deserve an environment, which will increase your productivity and overall well-being, and in this case, your sleep. So, you know, to, again, to get great deals, what are some of the things that you should do? Well, you should definitely be checking Craigslist, you should definitely be checking Facebook marketplace, you should be looking for used office stores, where they sell used office equipment and supplies and furniture, you can get great deals there, you know, obviously, you're gonna be shopping around, if you are going to buy something new, you can do that. But listen, I think there's a huge opportunity for those employers who've decided now I think we're just going to shut down the conventional office or cut it in half or something like that. They've got all these office furniture that you should be able to find, if you do some shopping around. Another thing you could do is just post on your social media, you say, “Listen, I'm looking for a desk, if any – has anyone has one – that they're looking to upgrade, they're looking to downsize, you know, get rid of sell whatever, I'm in the market.” And then you could just field what comes in, you know, based on what you find, uh, you know, if you have a great store, obviously, in terms of furniture, I don't, I mean, if you want to go fancy and go to the furniture store, you can all of our office furniture comes from IKEA, which we have one here in Orlando. So, you know, again, generally can get some pretty good deals and on some more modern designs.
Alright, so let's talk about tech deals, you could consider upgrading your tech with open box deals at the electronic store, Best Buy, and other places, if you can find them. Again, go back to – with — be careful. But you know, certainly Craigslist and other electronics resellers refurbished. You know, instead of replacing your whole computer, I'm a big fan of this, if you use a PC desktop, you might look at upgrading specific parts. Mac, you can do that as well, you know, you might want to, for me, it's upgrading PCs are generally pretty easy. Compared to – sometimes Mac's can be – Yeah, they're a little bit more stapled together. So you may decide to just go into your local, you know, fix it place to do something like that. I for – I do most of my work or a vast majority of my work I do on a Mac Mini, I just went to the local fixed place it was to upgrade the memory in there, rather than going to the Apple Store, save some money there but still had that level of expertise, it kind of exceeded my own comfort level — helped out with that. So that's an option. I'm always a big fan of the same thing for buying cars, too. Is there any upgrade you can make to your car that could suffice for now? So you don't have to buy a new car, right or a new car. I'm a big fan of trying to make good with the old by small upgrades. Now you may be amazed at what upgrading your RAM, your processor, your video card, or moving — Listen, if you're using a solid-state hard drive, I can tell you right now, if you have an old school hard drive, get a solid-state one, that's going to make a huge, huge update. And so that's an option. I was talking about some odds and ends. Anything else to make your office area perfect. Again, check out Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, look for local notices on closing offices that are having estate sales. There's actually an app and it's called, I think it's just estatesales.net. And you could look there as well. They'll have office items. If you're a big zoom user like I am, you may consider buying a green screen or simple backdrop for your office. Look I got a look behind me. What is it? Yeah, it's a brick background. I bought it on Amazon. I think it was $28 put it on the wall behind me. And now it looks like I'm at a conventional office. It's — and it's fabric it just I –it's it's literally just thumb tacked to the wall. And that can make a huge difference and you might not even -you know if you can't put it on a wall. Maybe you want might want to hang it. Again, you can get on these, the hanging things. I don't know what you'd call it, you know some sort of a frame that you can hang a backdrop on as well. And looks fantastic. I personally – Listen, I do a lot of video for UpMyInfluence where I spend, I spend most of my working day doing stuff that UpMyInfluence, and I am on zoom. I don't I'm, I think it's about 25-30 hours a week. So I'm into this, I am personally not a big fan of a green screen. And putting in a fake background, I think that the simple backdrop looks a lot better, it's much more authentic. You know, also, I'd highly recommend, when you do that, add a plant, it adds a lot to it, just get a little side table, get yourself a fake plant or a real plant, and put that in there really adds a lot. Now, at the end of the day, how you set up your home office is totally up to your preference and wallet. Now, as we get into 2021, we're just seeing more and more companies transitioning work roles to be permanently and fully remote. Consider this, if you're still working from home, and you're unsure about when you'll be returning to your brick and mortar workplace, it may be wise to invest in a home workspace and make sure that you have great mental health. Like, again, look around your office space, like what are you looking at, you know, again, put pictures of family put, you know, things that make you happy? Can you reposition the desk so that you can see out the window. You know, if you're going to be there for hours at a time, it's really important that we create this space so that you are just going to feel happy in because it just might become your permanent office for years to come. And again, being happy and feeling that joy and that peace throughout the day is absolutely part of living abundantly.
Now, we really can't avoid paying for the essentials we spend money on so toothpaste, dishwasher washing detergent, the list goes on, right? These are the consumables This is SavingsAngel, this has been my thing, helping consumers save money. That's where we really started was, you know, just on the things you're buying on a regular base on a regular basis, like how can you just save money on that stuff, because you don't want to overspend on that you really want to invest in more profit for manufacturers and retailers. I'm not really into that. So again, I love finding great deals on essentials. But you know, I also like having really great quality. You know, I don't like washing my clothes or dishes in, you know, in a chemical bath that's just cheap, and it's just not going to work. Well. I look at you know, I've talked about these guys before. I'm a huge fan of Dropps. I've tested. I listen, I've been using these guys for years. I'm a big fan. I'm so grateful that I connected with them a while back because this stuff works. It's 19 to 20 cents per load, which is totally reasonable. You save yourself some cash and you're being — this is important. I'm going to get into this environmentally sustainable based on what this stuff is made of. A. They have over 10,000 5 star reviews, including my own review, right, you'll find mine, their cleaning formulas are made of powerful plant-based ingredients, not something out of a mad scientist's lab. They've got customized cleaning solutions that are simple to order, Subscribe and Save. That's why I do — I do the auto-ship, comes straight to your door. And again, you're not lugging around these big plastic containers, everything that they ship in everything that comes in, it's all carbon neutral. It's all safe — much safer for the environment. It's awesome. So now let's talk about dishes because Mrs. SavingsAngel and I — that's where we're really, really picky about — I highly, highly recommend. I've tried a lot of stuff. Listen, their dishwashing stuff is solid. Like I used to have to scrub the dishes when we tried the cheaper dishwashing soap — Dropps is fine. You don't have to — you don't have to scrub your dishes to eat. It's like it seems so ridiculous, right? It's like okay, this plate is actually perfectly clean now well then I don't have to put it in the dishwasher. It like negates, so I want a dishwasher to do its job and Dropps takes care of that. No more steel water scouring pads. So, now Dropps has again forever changed how I wash all my laundry and dishes. The products for virtually every need. They got stain formulas, they've got odor-fighting formulas, that's what I use for all my workout stuff. For the laundry pods they've got sensitive skin pods that you can get. And then of course the famed dishwasher pods they just talked about. Now. The other cool thing now tell you experiment with this one, right? I just am of the belief while the dryer sheets, I think that that's absolutely an area experiment with this, particularly if you have any skin issues, try something other than conventional dryer sheets that are really laden in a lot of chemicals. Dropps has these wool dryer balls that use they work totally fine. So the dishwasher pods again, they clean and shine glassware better than the leading brands less expensive. They've got formulas designed especially for sensitive skin, you got eczema, you got psoriasis, um, give this a shot, especially with this 25% off coupon use just use the code SavingsAngel all one word, lots of Savings one Angel that's me. Also, you can go to dropps.com/savingsangel and just use that code and you get 25% off your first order. Make sure to get the dryer balls and give that a shot. I also again definitely recommend the dishwasher one I think that would be good to put in your first order just get like a little variety pack and just try this stuff. And then if it makes sense then you know again the auto-ship is that's what we use and that's super helpful. So again, yeah, especially like again if you're anyone in your family has like skin rashes, redness, irritation. You know if you're concerned about like dust mites, pollen, mold, pet dander this stuff is like really well formulated for it. And so even if you know they've got formulas as well for like intimates wool cashmere or the sensitive stuff, because it's all plant-based too. It's just a lot safer to work with. And again, it does a really great job of like keeping everything kind of fresh and cleans smells fresh and clean. And it smells fresh and clean. In-kind of like more of a natural way I guess. And yeah, and it absolutely does the job on stains as well I have not had an issue yet. So again, Dropps, powerful cleaning from nature, plant and mineral based formulas only to your door in low waste carbon packaging. So cardboard packaging so you can feel good that you're not loading up the landfills with tons of these big clunky plastic containers that end up in landfills and oceans and stuff. So again, auto-shipment totally up to you, but definitely try the 25% off with this coupon code just go to dropps.com. That's dropps.com/savingsangel, 25% off your first order, I believe is the biggest discount that I have found on the web. Just use that code SavingsAngel all one word, lots of savings, one Angel that's me and you get 25% off your first order. Thank you so much to drops for sponsoring this segment.
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Josh:
Alright, we are with Matt Ashman and we are at SeaWorld Orlando, where this is the kind of the kickoff to the Christmas Celebration. And I should say that right now we're all dawning Christmas cheer and masks.
Life air – this air Yeah, we're keeping safe. And so, you know, the first thing I think a lot of people want to know is, is you know, what does SeaWorld do to make sure that families kids family, you know, everyone's staying safe and, and still able to enjoy all the celebration?
Matt:
Well, that's first and foremost, like our number one thing right now is we want people to sort of come here, have a good time, be able to share memories, make those memories, all while being safe and feeling like they're safe here. So obviously we are limiting capacity into the parks. We were usingthe reservation systems that we know the capacity the part that we can cut that off at any time. Yeah, we are requiring masks to be worn. Yeah, at all times. No matter where you are in the park. If you're eating or drinking, we ask that you do go off to the side. You could take those off to do that. But masks are on at all times, social distancing, keeping six feet in your party and others and washing and sanitizing those hands frequently. Yeah, we definitely – we have had to sanitize sanitizing stations throughout the park. Yeah. And we have announced this playing all day long to remind everybody of those things at our say at our stages and stadiums. We have every other row closed. We are asking people to sit six feet from each other. So really doing a bang-up job trying to get everyone apart from each other and unsafe.
Josh:
Now all that said with all the safety precautions that are required, you know, share, if you wouldn't mind maybe sharing some of the, you know, kind of an overview of everything that SeaWorld Orlando has to offer. When it comes to the Christmas Celebration.
Matt:
There is a lot yeah, let me take a big breath on this one. Yeah. First and foremost, we have our decor. We have over 3 million lights. So you want to come out here and just enjoy an ambiance. There's plenty of opportunities. There's tree wraps, there's beautiful garland, it's — it's all over.
Josh:
So yeah, for someone who hasn't been to SeaWorld Orlando – 3 million lights, it really is beautiful, spectacular.
Matt:
It is. And as the night goes on, you see more and more of that more as unveiled kind of as the day goes on. It's really a sight to be seen. So on top of that, we also have a ton of food and drink opportunities throughout the park. So we have Christmas themed food, holiday-themed food, a bunch of drinks, whether it be a hot toddy or specialty hot cocoa, whatever your flavor is, you can find it here. And then the real capper is our shows. So we have live shows from the Winter Wonderland. And I show a new retelling of — “It's a Wonderful Night” is a new show at Nautilus theater, we have an experience in our Sesame Street land called “Happy Holidays from Sesame Street.” And for the first time ever, we have public ice skating here at the Bayside Stadium. And we also have our Sealine Christmas Show that happens daily throughout the year as well, not just this season as well.
Josh:
Yeah. And so I should say as well, of course, all the shows, you know, again, you're required to have social distancing, so you can still enjoy the performance.
Matt:
And know that you're not up and crowded with people, other people around — Exactly, and most of our venues are outdoors. So there's that nice added element to it. Those stadiums that we do have -our stages that we have are indoors, we're really limiting capacity in there and destiny out people.
Josh:
One of my favorite places to hang out is the Sesame Street area. It's really just – if you've never experienced the Sesame Street area here at SeaWorld Orlando, it really is a gem it's just– so it's just such a fun place to be. Because it's so immersive. You've got the characters, and there's events going on. And there's the rides are all really, really fun. And so for parents of younger children, of course, we talked about Sesame Street, but what are some other things that you know that just parents of young children? Oh, my gosh, you're just gonna have the greatest time here.
Matt:
Yeah, and then do so safely. Yep. Yeah, like you said, Sesame Street is a great place. It is immersive. It is if you're a fan of those characters, they are they're super represented. And we love that area. We also obviously a neighbor animal experiences are great for kids to come and learn about from a very, very young age. There's a lot of education stuff that's out there for them to be able to, you know, get on board with it. Start learning, learning young. And we also have Rudolph here during Christmas. So we have our Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer movie that plays throughout the day at Seaport Theater. And then when the pathway opens on Christmas Day, it's at five o'clock. Yeah, you have the opportunity to meet Rudolph and Bumble a better Rudolph realm and Ross Christmas Town.
Josh:
So that's what I was going to talk about. So right here where we are right now this is — you called it the Christmas pathway. And so it's a whole section of the park that's just dedicated to Christmas.
Matt:
It is. So when that five o'clock, when this opens, there's food, there's drink, there's atmosphere entertainment, we have musical acts, we have comedy actors, there's a bunch of stuff going on. And that leads right into the show that starts at 6:30.
Josh:
Fantastic answers. Okay, so my SavingsAngel fans, definitely want to know, okay, do I — Are there any deals going on? Where do I buy? How do I get the best prices? That sort of thing?
Matt:
I'm so glad you asked. Because right now we have our Black Friday deal going on Black Friday. Oh, it is right now it's three months free off of an annual pass. And you can save over 60% off on tickets. So there's some great deals going on you check out our website for those, go to seaworld.com/orlando. And all the Black Friday deals are on there.
Josh:
I love it. Matt Ashman, SeaWorld Orlando to my live stream people watching right now. Hey, and thank you so much, Matt. I really appreciate it.
Matt:
Thank you guys.
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Now, if you've enjoyed hearing everything on this podcast, please share this episode with a friend. I love what I do. I'm honored to be of service. I love helping folks save money,live more abundantly, you know, help find ways to increase their financial well being. And you know, listen, people need this information. You and I together can change lives. I'm going to keep on serving. I'm going to keep on bringing the value, keep it bring keep on bringing the information. But I need you I don't do any paid advertising for this. At this point. SavingAngel is just honestly, it's a gift from my heart. I love doing this. I don't make a ton of money doing this. It's really for me, it's an act of service at this point. And I love doing what I do. So if you could please just help me out. Just take a screenshot post on the Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, sure, send it in a text, put a little snapshot Snapchat, do a little tick-tock dance, whatever you want to do. Wherever you hang out with most, help me out please. And let's do some great, let's do some good in the world. And as always, if you have any specific questions, anything you'd like to hear me talk about, drop me a comment and our podcast feedback over at savingsangel.com. If you like any of these topics, I'm talking about, guess what? For 12-13 years now, we've been writing content at savingsangel.com. So just use our search box and you can find — you will get articles on saving money in every single area of life. If you want to call me, give me a call right now, 407-205-9250 and leave me a message, I'll answer your question right you're back with your permission, might even share your question or story with others on this show and with that, my friend, have a wonderful week full of saving more, earning more, and living more abundantly. And thank you for listening.
