Podcast Summary: Are You Garbage? – "Running Up the Tab! w/ Kevin Ryan & H. Foley"

Release Date: February 19, 2026
Hosts: Kevin Ryan & H. Foley

Overview

In this lively, banter-filled "family episode," hosts H. Foley and Kevin Ryan return to their roots: just the two best friends riffing on what it means to be "garbage." Without a guest, they dive into the everyday, blue-collar details that define true “garbage” status—covering such topics as keeping Christmas lights up year-round, handy household work (or lack thereof), bad cleaning habits, running up tabs at bars, curbside pickups, and more. The episode blends hilarious confessions, Philly-centric references, and a string of listener “garbage” questions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Classic Garbage, Classic Banter

• Kevin and Foley begin with mutual roastings about kitchen skills and lack of preparedness.
• They oscillate between lighthearted jabs and confessions about their own "trashiness."
• Quote [01:02]:
  • Kevin to Foley: “Why don’t you try watching an elliptical, will you?”

2. Group Chats, Deadlines & Friendship Gripes

• Foley teases Kevin for being absent in work group chats, accusing him of having a secret second job. Kevin retorts about enforcing "business hours.”
• Foley confesses to missing deadlines due to a stomach bug, Kevin accuses him of disappearing for days.

3. Homeownership Woes: Christmas Lights & Curb Appeal

• Main confession: Kevin admits he's still running his Christmas lights well into February because he lacks curb appeal and outdoor lighting ([08:06]).
  • “Middle of February... kitschy outside Christmas lights still on the house and still on a timer that turn on every night.”
• Foley and Kevin debate the acceptability of leaving up lights if they’re white, draw parallels to local establishments leaving lights year-round, and compare curb appeal tactics from their Philly upbringing.

4. Household Nostalgia: Childhood Homes, Moving, and Parental Habits

• Discussion of Kevin’s mom moving from the family house after 30+ years ([07:32]).
• Arguments about who keeps a cleaner, classier home, with Foley poking at Kevin’s exterior and Kevin returning fire regarding mice at Foley's mom's place.

5. Handyman (Or Not) Realities

• Both admit to being less-than-handy. Kevin references having Christmas lights perpetually up, and Foley confesses to hiring (and then losing track of) cheap labor for things like mice removal ([13:41]).
• Anecdotes about blue-collar family life: parents and siblings installing makeshift kitchen sinks, missing outlet covers, etc.

6. Bar Tab & Party Etiquette

• Listener “garbage” question: Is it trashy to run up a drunken friend’s open bar tab after they leave?
  • Both agree it's fair game among friends ([48:33]):
    • “If you have that relationship with them… 100%.”
  • Kevin shares a story about saving a buddy from jail and taking some cab fare from his wallet as “interest” ([49:48]).
  • Discussion about changing tab etiquette: opening/closing tabs is now much more common than back in their cash-centric college days.

7. Curbside Pickups & Societal Decline

• The hosts lament the shift toward curbside grocery and restaurant pickups ([54:07]):
  • Foley gripes, “You don’t get to eat a fucking steak and potatoes in your car... put on a pair of pants, a pair of shoes, and you go in...," expressing nostalgia for a world where you had to "earn" a decent meal.
  • They question whether and how much to tip the curbside workers, agreeing that able-bodied folks could just go in themselves.

8. Do-It-Yourself Solutions & Trashy Hacks

• The ultimate in “garbage” home hacks:
  • Using random household items (butter knives, scissors, bobby pins) as screwdrivers or to pick locks ([26:22]).
  • Scotchgard debate: unclear on what it is, but recalling failed attempts to keep sneakers clean with sprays.
  • Love for classic, heavy-duty cleaning products like SOS pads, Windex, and Pledge—“We were pro-chemicals and pro-plastic in the '90s…” ([32:26]).

9. Laundry, Cleaning, and Stain Rituals

• Foley’s “true classics” T-shirts: cycles through dozens due to constant staining, reveals "trashy" washing habits ([34:01]).
• "It's not the stain itself… once that shit dries, sets in the fibers, and you're fucked." – Foley ([34:49])

10. Household Leftovers, Freezing, and Air Fryer Innovations

• Foley details his garbage-y method of cooking frozen Shepherd’s Pie in an air fryer with a bowl, hoping it works—“Blew my brains off. Didn’t know you could do that. Great.” ([58:00])
• Discussion of rolling the dice with expiry dates and food safety ([56:28]).

11. White Reebok “Kensington Cruisers”

• Anecdote about getting roasted for showing up in new white Reeboks, only to have them labeled as “Kensington Cruisers”—the de facto shoe for Philly's roughest neighborhood ([38:23]).

12. Classic Listener Questions & Trashy Confessions

• Bringing your own sheets to hotels (“travel sheets”) to avoid cheap sheets—hosts are surprisingly supportive of this move, calling it cozy and a sign of some class ([62:47]).
• Washing one dish out of a pile just for instant use: trashy but common.
• Sitting in the back of a two-door car – both hosts admit this is now a rare, even terrifying, occurrence as plus-size adults ([43:48]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Old school renegade. But we could be bought. Somebody make an offer. Somebody open up the fucking check." – Kevin ([02:15])
• "It's a nice home on the inside, with love and family." – Foley defending his home's lack of curb appeal ([08:32])
• "I gotta be honest with you, because the rest—I don't have a lot of outside light to begin with. I need a little bit of what they call in the business 'curb appeal.' Because at night it looks like a crack house." – Kevin ([08:20])
• "That guy's fucking down in margaritas, stepping on pipe pops, whatever it's called." – Foley on the missing Christmas lights installer ([61:55])
• "You don't get to eat a fucking steak and potatoes in your car. That's a job, right there. Put on a pair of pants, shoes…" – Foley railing against curbside pickup ([55:20])
• "Yeah, now get out of here. Then I haven't heard from this guy—so I might just—Wonka lives there." – Kevin, about letting things slide at home ([13:09])
• "It's not the stain itself… once that shit dries, sets in the fibers, and you're fucked." – Foley ([34:49])
• "If you have that relationship with them... 100%." – On running up a friend's open tab ([48:39])
• "You could be making bombs or cooking meth or something." – Foley, on what his house looks like from the outside ([08:45])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–03:30: Comedy intros, banter, group chat complaints
• 04:00–06:30: Deadlines, friendship, absenteeism in work chats
• 06:33–09:30: Holiday lights up months after Christmas, curb appeal woes
• 10:04–14:41: Homeownership, mice, and making fun of each other’s houses
• 18:06–19:00: Story of losing contractor, failed house repairs
• 26:22–28:00: "Garbage" home tool improvisation (scissors as screwdrivers, etc.)
• 34:01–35:13: Foley’s T-shirt laundry confession and stain stories
• 38:23–39:08: “Kensington Cruisers” and Philly shoe culture
• 43:48–47:33: Fear of riding in/crawling out of two-door cars
• 48:33–51:32: Running up tabs on drunk friend's credit card
• 54:07–56:28: Curbside pickup and decline of “dining society”
• 57:00–59:33: Air fryer hacks with frozen Shepherd’s Pie
• 62:47–64:13: Travel sheets at hotels—a surprisingly classy move

Tone & Style

True to the “Are You Garbage?” brand, the episode is filled with rapid-fire, Philadelphia-style ribbing, self-deprecating anecdotes, and a constant thread of nostalgia for blue-collar, working-class life. Both hosts are brutally honest (and often surprisingly practical) about trashy habits—turning them into both badges of honor and punchlines.

Conclusion

The episode captures what fans love about “Are You Garbage?”—authentic “trash” stories, a raucous look at working-class life, and the comfort that comes from knowing you’re not alone in your bad habits. Whether discussing the ethics of running up a friend’s open bar tab, or justifying why their Christmas lights are still up, Foley and Kevin continually prove: we’re all just a little bit garbage.

Recommended for: Anyone who grew up working class, loves self-mocking comedy, or has ever used a butter knife as a screwdriver.