Podcasts.  I’ve listened to them for years, but never on my phone.  It never occurred to me that there might be an app for that… and that I might have put that app in a folder labeled Useless.  🙂

Side note: If you don’t have a folder on your phone labeled Useless, you’re missing out.  It’s the perfect way to take out your aggression on something that truly doesn’t have feelings.

About 6 months ago I was trying to listen to Dave Ramsey’s podcast online and was frustrated with the website.  Josh looked at me like I’d just crawled out from under a rock and showed me how I can have them automatically download everyday.  If you’re living under the same rock I was, you should definitely check it out!  Tons of free information right at your fingertips, on demand!

Since then, I’ve listened to at least one podcast every single day.  The most common time is when I’m in the car.  My phone can connect to our car stereo and it is the best thing ever.  I also love to listen while I’m getting ready in the morning or cleaning house.  It’s exactly like listening to talk radio, except I get to choose when and what I want to hear.

My Current Favorite Podcasts:

• The Dave Ramsey Show: 3 hours each weekday full of financial talk.  It’s no secret we’re big fans of Dave and his no-nonsense approach to money.  He teaches how to be financially responsible without all the gimmicks– just reasonable, reliable information.
• Newspring Church: Perry Noble is another no-nonsense kind of guy.  We were a part of Newspring Church when we lived in South Carolina and still enjoy listening to him teach.
• Serial: A fellow wedding photog recommended this one to me.  I was disinterested at first, and then I was hooked.  Hard.  I flew through the whole season in less than two weeks.  It’s investigating a 15 year old murder case where the man who was convicted has always maintained that he is innocent, and many of his friends agree.  Wildly interesting and captivating.  I’m totally not the murder or crime investigating type, but this show had me hooked!  Two others to check out are also Detective and Criminal.

There’s no question that my top three are wildly different, but I bounce between them based on my mood and availability.  One keeps me in check financially, the other spiritually, and the third is just for fun.

After discovering the Podcast app, I was determined to find one for audiobooks.  If I’m going to be in the car for several hours, this is my first choice.  Audible.com is perfect!  It tells you how long each book is, and you even get to listen to an audio sample, which is great to make sure that the readers voice is pleasing.  Often, the writer is also the reader of the audiobook, which is fantastic because then you hear all the vocal inflection s/he truly intended.

I used to think all audiobooks were fiction.  I’m not sure why I had that impression, but it seems like almost every book has an audio counterpart these days.  From business growth to finances to child rearing, there are tons of topics covered, making it hard to pick just one to start!

What are your favorite podcasts?  Books?