Episode 197

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Published on:

20th May 2026

What Our Wedding Taught Us About Money | E197 Gaby Deimeke

Weddings are one of the most emotionally charged financial decisions you’ll ever make.

You’re spending a large amount of money in a short period of time, making dozens of decisions — all while balancing your own priorities, your partner’s preferences, and outside expectations.

And after getting married in February, I realized something:

This wasn’t just a wedding…it was a real-life experiment in how we spend money.

In this episode, my wife Gaby joins me to break it all down — from how we decided what mattered, to exactly how much we spent, to what we’d do differently.

We share the full breakdown, the moments that were 100% worth it, and the things that, honestly, didn’t matter as much as we thought.

If you’ve ever struggled with spending money without second-guessing it, whether it’s a wedding, a house, or a big life decision, this episode will help you think about it more clearly.

Key Takeaways:

  1. How to decide what actually matters before spending money
  2. A real wedding cost breakdown and where the money went
  3. What expenses were truly worth it (and what weren’t)
  4. How social pressure can influence your spending decisions
  5. The tradeoffs between saving money and reducing stress
  6. Why optimization can sometimes make the experience worse
  7. How to make big financial decisions with less regret


Other Episodes You’ll Love:

4 Rules That Will Help You Spend Money Without Stress & Regret | E188

Shifting Away from a “Save-Only” Mindset | E175 Matt & Yana - CoastFI Couple

When You and Your Partner See Money Differently | E162 Brian Page


Guest Summary:

Gaby is Justin’s wife and partner in building a thoughtful, FI-minded life. While Justin tends to approach money from a more analytical perspective, Gaby brings a creative and experience-driven lens — making her the perfect counterbalance when it comes to making meaningful spending decisions. Together, they navigate how to align priorities, communicate through tradeoffs, and spend money in ways that genuinely enhance their lives. When she’s not bothering Justin, she’s often traveling and taking photos. See what she is up to on her website.


Connect With Justin

Email me at Justin@FIMinded.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.


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About the Podcast

FI Minded - Financial Independence Without the Extremes
Achieve Financial Independence & Have Fun Doing It
Pursuing financial freedom, a work-optional lifestyle, or early retirement often leads to the same questions: “one more year,” “do I have enough?” “what does life actually look like after this?”

FI Minded helps you think like someone who’s already financially independent so you can make smarter decisions about how you work, spend, and live.

From Coast FI and Slow FI to lifestyle design, career transitions, healthcare, and self-employment, each episode explores the real decisions behind building a flexible, work-optional life…without burnout, over-optimization, or missing out along the way.

We cover:
* Smarter ways to reach financial independence (without burnout)
* Designing a flexible, work-optional lifestyle
* Coast FI, Slow FI, and enjoying your time along the way
* What life actually looks like after FI (and how to prepare for it)
* The tradeoffs behind big money decisions

Make progress toward financial independence while actually living your life.

Some of our past guests include Carl Jensen (1500 Days), Jeremy Schneider (Personal Finance Club), Nick Loper (Side Hustle Show), Andrew Giancola (The Personal Finance Podcast), Jordan Grumet (Earn & Invest), Rachael Camp (Work Optional), Jillian Johnsrud (Retire Often), Sean Mullaney (FI Tax Guy), Jill Sirianni (Frugal Friends), Jackie Cummings-Koski (Catching Up to FI), Joel Larsgaard (How to Money), Cody Garrett (Measure Twice), Jesse Cramer (Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors), Jess (The Fioneers), Chris Hutchins (All The Hacks), Diania Merriam (EconoMe), Andy Hill (Marriage Kids Money), Fritz Gilbert (Retirement Manifesto), and and others helping you rethink how to approach financial independence.
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