Money date No. 21: Air travel enshittification makes me want to boycott everything

And a book about our health care system that should be required reading

Writing this from the Detroit airport on my way to Salt Lake City for ACES 2025. And boy, do we need to talk about the enshittification of air travel! I, honestly, don’t have the energy for a full dive into this industry, but would love to hear your stories of the indignities perpetrated by airlines and the businesses that exploit travelers trapped in airports.

15 years ago, I was dead broke and flew red eyes on Spirit Airlines. Today, I ~splurge~ for mid-day flights on Delta — and somehow the experience is getting worse? And — are airport restaurants all trash now? That snuck up on me.

But I’m spending my time in the air reading Timothy Faust’s Health Justice Now about how we got to the mess that is health care (finance) in America and how we can fix it. An enlightening, accessible overview if you find yourself confused and wanting a sliver of hope.

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💡 Inspired by a Healthy Rich contributor, a money date is an exercise I crafted for You Don’t Need a Budget. Subscribers can follow along in a private space after the paywall, and I encourage you to steal my questions to guide your own reflections!

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Buy You Don’t Need a Budget!

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What’s the most joyful thing you did with money this week?

I booked my first editorial team training on writing about money through a budget-free lens! I’m excited to talk to people who talk to people about money and make a tiny dent in the budget culture that pervades personal finance media. (If you’re a personal finance journalist or advisor, let’s talk about how I could help your team!)