I Asked People at Dollywood How Much Debt They Have

Summary

Podcast Summary: “I Asked People at Dollywood How Much Debt They Have”

Host: George Kamel (Ramsey Network)
Date: April 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

George Kamel takes to Dollywood, America’s “friendliest theme park,” to ask regular park-goers a simple but revealing question: “How much debt do you currently have, including or excluding mortgages?” The episode is a mix of candid street interviews and playful but pointed commentary on Americans’ financial habits, with a focus on car loans, credit card usage, and the reality of debt during vacation season. The tone is energetic, humorous, and at times slightly snarky, in keeping with George’s Ramsey-inspired mission to bust money myths and demystify personal finance.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Prevalence and Attitude Toward Consumer Debt

• Debt for Cars and Vacations

  • Multiple interviewees admit to substantial car loans and credit card debt, with vacations often being partially funded by credit.
  • One couple admits, “Probably part of this trip,” went on their credit card. (00:36)
  • Another park-goer rationalizes a $16,000 car loan, admitting he would "never go into debt for a vacation because once that is over, value is zero," but acknowledges cars also depreciate and “I regret it.” (03:58, 04:10)

• Spectator Approach to Ramsey Principles

  • Some self-identified Ramsey fans are "spectators" of the plan, not full participants. They acknowledge knowing better, but struggle with execution.
  • Memorable exchange:
    • George: “You’re not actively participating, but you’re a bystander... a spectator?”
      Car Owner 1: “This is gonna make us go back on the train.” (01:04)
  • Playful commitments and bets around cutting up credit cards take center stage in some conversations. (01:50–02:10)

2. Debt Payoff Strategies… or Lack Thereof

• Vague or Deferred Plans

  • Many respond with uncertainty or long timelines for debt payoff.
    • Car Owner 3: “I want to pay [the car off] by the end of this year, but that probably won’t happen… probably the end of 2027.” (02:41)

• Extra Payments and Bonuses

  • Some make small efforts toward early payoff, e.g., “We pay more than the [minimum] every month, and once a year I get an annual raise or bonus, and put about half of that toward it.” (03:02)

• Excuses Around Low-Interest Debt

  • A recurring rationalization: “We got such a good interest rate that it was one of those things…” (07:41)

3. Financial Structures & Family Money Management

• Unusual Household Financial Arrangements

  • In one family, the non-working spouse receives a “salary” from her husband and maintains separate accounts for herself, her retirement, and family expenses.
    • Car Owner 2: “He pays to stay at home. Like, I have a job. He treats it as a job. And so I get a salary and that’s what I live off of.” (06:05)
  • “He does everything, everything else” (06:38) for bills, while she covers anything kid-related.

• Strong Savers and Retirement Planners

  • One woman has nearly $750,000 in retirement accounts from 16 years of diligently maxing out her contributions from age 22.
    • “I started that as soon as I got a job. At 22, I maxed out.” (08:44)

• Investment vs. Consumption

  • George highlights the opportunity cost of car payments using investment calculators.
    • “If you had invested that 600 bucks a month instead [of a car loan], how much would that be?” Result: $455,621 over 20 years at a 10% return. (10:44–11:01)

4. Debt-Free Champions

• Teachers with No Consumer Debt

  • Several interviewees, especially teachers, report zero consumer debt and even mortgage-free living due to years of calculated financial moves.
    • “We just built a home [debt free],” said one couple (14:46), explaining how they snowballed proceeds from previous homes over five years.

• Generational Money Values

  • Many attribute their debt-free stance to values learned from their parents or running family businesses.
    • “I’ve been around money and learning about money since I was a little kid.” (14:05)

• Creative Saving on Vacation

  • A couple boasts about getting Dollywood tickets free through friends’ passholder perks:
    • George: “This is how the rich get richer.” (16:08)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Credit Cards:
  “It’s like I only do one drug.” — George Kamel (01:59)
• On Debt Repayment:
  “Once we get home, it’s a problem for future me.” — Car Owner 1 (01:47)
• On Car Loans and Regrets:
  “You never want to go into debt for anything that goes down in value... I regret it.” — Car Owner 3 (03:58, 04:10)
• On Spousal Salary:
  “He pays to stay at home. Like, I have a job. He treats it as a job. And so I get a salary and that’s what I live off of.” — Car Owner 2 (06:05)
• On Early Retirement Prep:
  “I started that as soon as I got a job. At 22, I maxed out [retirement contributions].” — Car Owner 2 (08:44)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–02:10: First family discusses $20K car debt, $5K credit card debt, and their relationship to the Ramsey method.
• 02:17–05:17: Car Owner 3 shares his $16K car loan and philosophy around car/vacation debt; admits some regret.
• 05:24–09:19: Married couple discusses a $30K Lexus loan, unique “spousal salary” arrangement, and strong retirement account.
• 12:50–13:33: Teacher from Dallas details a debt-free (except for mortgage) approach and how they cash flowed the entire Dollywood trip.
• 14:46–16:27: Another teacher couple explains their journey to zero debt and owning their home outright through sequential property builds.

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Closing Takeaways

• A Surprising Number of Debt-Free Families:
  George expresses hope after discovering how many people at Dollywood have avoided consumer debt, contrasting this with common American trends.

• Debt Rationalizations vs. Discipline:
  The episode spotlights how easy it is to rationalize “good” debt, but also how discipline and generational habits lead to freedom.

• Compound Growth vs. Depreciation:
  A recurring lesson: investing what would have been a car payment creates transformative financial outcomes versus sinking it into a depreciating asset.

• Empowering Everyday Millionaires:
  The most inspiring stories come from everyday people—many of them teachers—who quietly build wealth through diligence, saving, and living below their means.

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In the Words of George Kamel…

“I gotta say, it kind of felt like debt free Dollywood today. So many people I ran into were like, yeah, I don’t have debt. That’s not how I roll. I cash flowed this trip. I don’t have a car loan, nothing. And that was very, very encouraging.” (16:29)

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Useful for anyone considering:

• How “everyday millionaires” handle their finances
• The real-life breakdown of vacation and car debt in America
• Practical strategies for debt payoff, household arrangements, and the power of early, consistent investment

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Bottom line: Whether you’re a debt-free enthusiast or struggling spectator, the episode is packed with revealing, relatable stories and sharp financial wisdom—all delivered with George’s signature pop-culture wit and no-nonsense advice.

Transcript

[George]

57% of American households plan to use a credit card to pay for vacations. So today I'm at Dollywood, friendliest theme park in America, to make friends the only way I know how, which is to ask people how much debt they have. So before we get to it, shout out to delete me for sponsoring the shenanigans. Let's go. Okay, the question of the day. How much debt do you currently have, including the house? No mortgage, just a consumer debt.

[Car Owner 1]

Oh, 20,000, I think.

[George]

Okay, break that down for us.

[Car Owner 1]

Mostly car and then a little bit on credit card. Like 5,000, doll.

[George]

Okay. What did you spend the money on on the credit card?

[Car Owner 1]

Probably part of this trip.

[George]

We're gonna be paying for this trip for months.

[Car Owner 1]

No, no, no. Well, we're recouping.

[Car Owner 2]

We recouping.

[Car Owner 1]

Look, we. We do this thing where we get off track and we have to get back.

[George]

We're standing below a roller coaster, and

[Car Owner 1]

we know we're Ramsey Solution fans, and we always do that.

[George]

Oh, you are fans.

[Car Owner 2]

Bad.

[Car Owner 1]

Yeah.

[George]

You're not. You're not actively participating, but you're a bystander going. A spectator.

[Car Owner 1]

This is gonna make us go back on the train.

[George]

Listen, if this is serendipitously gonna help you get out of debt, it was worth it.

[Car Owner 1]

Yeah.

[George]

Okay, what's left on the car loan?

[Car Owner 1]

I think we had 20.

[George]

Okay, so 20 on the car, and then how much in credit card that.

[Car Owner 1]

It's like five.

[George]

Okay, so about 25 total. What kind of car is this?

[Car Owner 1]

GMC Yukon.

[George]

You're hauling the family in that thing. What year is it?

[Car Owner 1]

20. 21.

[George]

Okay, so pretty new.

[Car Owner 1]

Yeah.

[George]

Did you buy it used, or do you buy it new? A couple years ago.

[Car Owner 1]

It was two years. A year and a half used when we got it.

[George]

Okay, and what's your plan to pay off all this debt?

[Car Owner 1]

So saving and budgeting more and being more intentional about where we spend our

[George]

money after we spend all the money on the trip?

[Car Owner 1]

Yeah, yeah.

[George]

Like, once we get home, it's a problem for future me.

[Car Owner 1]

Yes.

[George]

Okay. Will you commit to cutting up the credit cards when you get home?

[Car Owner 1]

Yes. We only have one.

[George]

All it takes is one.

[Car Owner 1]

I know it is.

[Car Owner 2]

I know.

[George]

It's like I only do one drug.

[Car Owner 1]

It's true.

[George]

How about this? If you don't cut up the cards,

[Car Owner 1]

the president's laughing at me.

[George]

If you don't cut up the cards when you get home, all the kids get social media.

[Car Owner 1]

Oh, yeah.

[Car Owner 2]

No.

[Car Owner 1]

Yeah.

[George]

Okay. Is that a deal?

[Car Owner 1]

It's fair.

[George]

All right. You heard it. Here. First question of the day. How much debt do you currently have? All consumer debt.

[Car Owner 3]

So mortgage.

[George]

No mortgage.

[Car Owner 3]

No mortgage.

[George]

Take that one out.

[Car Owner 3]

Okay, so taking out the mortgage, just the 16,000. We own the car.

[George]

Sixteen grand a car. What kind of car car is this?

[Car Owner 3]

It's a 2022 Toyota Highlander.

[George]

Oh, that's a nice car. What was the original balance of the loan?

[Car Owner 3]

20,000.

[George]

Okay, so you paid off four grand. And how many years have you had this loan?

[Car Owner 3]

Right at one year.

[George]

One year.

[Car Owner 3]

Okay.

[George]

What's your plan to pay it off?

[Car Owner 3]

I want to pay it off by the end of this year, but that probably won't happen. Probably the end of 2027. Yeah.

[George]

So almost two years to pay off 16 grand. That's about eight grand a year. And you paid off four grand in the last year. So you have to increase the amount you're paying. Are you currently doing that?

[Car Owner 3]

So the monthly payment that we have, that they charge us, we pay more than that every month.

[George]

Okay. You put in a little extra.

[Car Owner 3]

Yep. And then once a year I get an annual raise or bonus or something and then we'll put about half of that, two thirds of that. It's usually five or six thousand dollars toward that.

[George]

Okay, what's the monthly minimum payment?

[Car Owner 3]

The monthly minimum payment is $387 a month.

[George]

387. Okay. How many years is the loan for?

[Car Owner 3]

It's a five year loan. Interest rate like 6%.

[George]

All right. And your plan is to maybe hopefully sort of pay it off in the next two years? Yes, that's an ironclad plan. Do you have an extra like thousand bucks a month of margin right now in your budget?

[Car Owner 3]

Yes, but my wife goes through it.

[George]

How much did this Dollywood trip cost?

[Car Owner 3]

This Dollywood trip between the hotel. So we were here all week for spring break and so the whole trip

[George]

altogether, what's it going to cost you

[Car Owner 3]

whole trip all together? About probably 1500 bucks.

[George]

1500? Yep.

[Car Owner 3]

Okay, so me, her, my little three year old.

[George]

That's sweet. That's a fun trip. How do you feel about going to debt for a vacation versus a car?

[Car Owner 3]

You never want to go into debt for anything that goes down in value. So I would say never go into debt for a vacation because once that is over, value is zero. Right. Nothing left.

[George]

Don't cars go down in value?

[Car Owner 3]

They do very quickly.

[George]

Didn't you do that?

[Car Owner 3]

I did do that. You said never and I regret it.

[George]

Do as I say, not as I do is the mantra today.

[Car Owner 3]

But we're having really a lot of Problems with our last car.

[George]

Okay, so you had to get a fancier car.

[Car Owner 3]

So it was probably too fancy of

[George]

a car, but it was a car

[Car Owner 3]

we knew it was going to last for the family. Toyota, you know, Toyota. And my wife drives it around and you know, you know, my little three year old is the most important thing. And leaving him on the side of the road. The last car we had was a. Was a Honda Pilot.

[George]

Oh, is that not a good car?

[Car Owner 3]

It was a good car. It just broke down on us a couple times and left her on the side of the road and I didn't want to do that anymore to her.

[George]

And it's a 2022 Highlander?

[Car Owner 3]

Yes. The Highlander's 2022.

[George]

Could you have purchased like a 2018 in cash that would have been just as reliable?

[Car Owner 3]

Well, we bought it from my wife's parents, so they gave us a pretty decent deal on it.

[George]

So they didn't give you the loan though? You got a loan separately?

[Car Owner 3]

We had to get the loan separately through the bank, but they gave us a pretty good price for the car.

[George]

But they kind of discounted what it's really worth.

[Car Owner 3]

Yeah, yeah, Slightly.

[George]

All right.

[Car Owner 3]

They would say significantly. I would say slightly.

[George]

Wow. Differing opinions there. All right, well, best of luck with the debt payoff.

[Car Owner 3]

Yeah, appreciate it.

[George]

All right, question of the day. How much debt do you currently have, not including your mortgage car payment?

[Car Owner 2]

That's all I have.

[George]

You have one car loan? That's it?

[Car Owner 2]

Yes, because we paid off one. So we have one car payment, one to go.

[George]

What's left on the car loan?

[Car Owner 2]

I don't actually know, but I'm going to go with like 30.

[George]

30 grand. What kind of car is this?

[Car Owner 2]

So Lexus newer? Yes. Like the GX550 I think is what it's called.

[George]

Yeah, that's fancy. What year is it?

[Car Owner 2]

This 25, 26.

[George]

Oh, so you just got it?

[Car Owner 2]

Yeah, I just got it.

[George]

Wow. And this is the car you drive?

[Car Owner 2]

Yes.

[George]

Wow. Okay. What's the payment on it? Do you know? No. No clue. Who's handling this? Who knows this information?

[Car Owner 2]

I told her I was like my husband.

[George]

Okay, so he sort of like handles the finances.

[Teacher Spouse 1]

Yeah.

[George]

How involved are you?

[Car Owner 2]

I get a. Sounds terrible. I don't work. I quit working four, five years ago. And ever since then he moves over a certain amount and this is gonna sound terrible, but he pay to stay at home. Like I have, I have a job. He treats me as a job. It treats it as a job. And so I get a salary and that's what I live off of. And so that you guys have like

[George]

separate accounts for this. How does it work?

[Car Owner 2]

We have separate accounts. He. He has. I have mine and my retirement and my everything, and then he has his and his retirement and everything.

[George]

What about bills? How do you guys split that?

[Car Owner 2]

I do everything for the kids and then he does everything, everything else.

[George]

But when we.

[Car Owner 2]

When I worked, we pretty much I took everything, house and everything. His money was all savings.

[George]

Oh.

[Car Owner 2]

And so then when I quit, it moved over.

[George]

So there's no joint account?

[Car Owner 2]

No, we have a joint savings account, I guess, but we don't touch it.

[George]

Okay, so he's covering like household bills and you're covering anything kid related in your account?

[Car Owner 2]

Yes, that comes out of mine.

[George]

Out of the salary he pays you to stay at home?

[Car Owner 2]

Yes.

[George]

Wow, that's fascinating.

[Car Owner 2]

It's very interesting.

[George]

I haven't heard that setup yet. Okay, what's the game plan to pay off this car loan? Whose job is that?

[Car Owner 2]

His.

[George]

Wow. Was it his decision?

[Car Owner 2]

Yes.

[George]

Who picked out the car?

[Car Owner 2]

I drove a car for 14 years, and so it was an old Suburban. And so he was like, you can have a new car.

[George]

You just.

[Car Owner 2]

You deserve it.

[George]

So the shiny new car now over 14 years, was that car paid off? Oh, yeah. Okay. But you didn't want to like, save up and pay for the car. Could you have paid for this car in cash, this new one?

[Car Owner 2]

Yes, but we got such a good interest rate that it was one of those things too.

[George]

What's the interest rate? Do you remember what's a good interest rate?

[Car Owner 2]

Telling you. I don't like. I just remember him going, it's a great interest rate. We'll just pay it off.

[Car Owner 1]

That's all I remember.

[George]

And you have no timeline to do that, but you're like, he's got.

[Car Owner 2]

It was a five. I do know it was a five year loan.

[George]

So over the next five years you'll pay some interest, but you're fine with that to hang on to your money?

[Car Owner 2]

Yes.

[George]

Do you know how much you guys have in retirement?

[Car Owner 2]

I know that I personally have just under. I'd say 750, almost.

[George]

Wow.

[Car Owner 2]

Yeah, Something like that.

[George]

That's amazing.

[Car Owner 1]

Yes.

[George]

So you guys are what we would call everyday millionaires.

[Car Owner 2]

I don't know if that's the word that I would say.

[George]

What would you say?

[Car Owner 2]

I don't know. I would say that we're middle.

[George]

You'd say you're middle class?

[Car Owner 3]

High middle.

[George]

Okay, well, you guys are young. To have that much in retirement is impressive.

[Car Owner 2]

I had a Decent job. I saved. I maxed out every single year in my retirement.

[George]

Wow.

[Car Owner 2]

So I started that as soon as I got a job. At 22, I maxed out.

[George]

So at 22, you were maxing out retirement for how many years was that?

[Car Owner 2]

I quit working at 38, 39.

[George]

So about 16 years of maxing out retirement. And you got three quarters of a million dollars in that one account.

[Car Owner 2]

Yes.

[George]

That's impressive.

[Car Owner 2]

And I also invested it. So it wasn't just.

[George]

Yeah, it wasn't in savings.

[Car Owner 2]

It wasn't in savings. It was.

[George]

You got to invest for compound growth to do the heavy lifting. So you basically front loaded it, and now for the next 20, 30 years, it's just growing without you touching it.

[Car Owner 2]

Yes, I'm hoping.

[George]

Way to go. Yeah. It's gotta be if you get invested wisely.

[Car Owner 2]

Exactly.

[George]

Unless you're in a bunch of bonds.

[Car Owner 2]

No. Well, unless my husband is not doing his job.

[George]

Don't screw it up, man. Don't screw it up. That's fantastic. All right, we're gonna play a fun little game.

[Car Owner 1]

Okay.

[George]

Guess how much your car payment is. Best guess.

[Car Owner 2]

I'm gonna say 600. Ish.

[George]

Okay. 600amonth. I want to plug that into an investment calculator. Because you said your husband's like, hey, as long as the interest rate is low on the car loan, I'll take the loan. But what about if you had been investing that extra 600 bucks a month instead? Okay, that's feasible.

[Car Owner 1]

Okay.

[George]

Because you guys had the cash to pay for something. Right? Now, can I ask. You can give me your husband's age.

[Car Owner 2]

He is 44.

[George]

43.

[Car Owner 2]

44.

[George]

When does he plan on working until, do you know?

[Car Owner 2]

In his 70s, probably.

[Car Owner 3]

Wow.

[George]

This guy's just going to keep going.

[Car Owner 1]

Oh, yeah.

[George]

He's not going to stop. Okay.

[Car Owner 2]

I wouldn't want him to.

[George]

Well, let's say 44.

[Car Owner 2]

What did they say I married you for? Sickness and health, not for lunch.

[George]

Oh, I've never heard that.

[Car Owner 2]

Yeah. Don't come home for lunch.

[George]

Why didn't you want him to come home?

[Car Owner 3]

Because.

[Car Owner 1]

Why not?

[George]

I don't know. I didn't know I couldn't go home for lunch.

[Car Owner 2]

Makes the heart grow fonder.

[George]

Oh, I see.

[Car Owner 2]

Yeah.

[George]

You're like, when you get home, I want to be excited to see you.

[Car Owner 2]

Yeah.

[George]

And not like, hey, what are you doing here?

[Car Owner 2]

Just here. Because I mean, like, I. Yeah.

[George]

You're like, get out of my office. Which is the home.

[Car Owner 2]

Yes. You interrupt my day.

[George]

I love it. Don't interrupt me at work.

[Car Owner 1]

Yes.

[George]

Okay, let's go 44 to 64.

[Car Owner 1]

Okay.

[George]

All right. Is that fair?

[Car Owner 2]

Yeah.

[George]

We're gonna say you start with nothing in that investment account. We're starting from scratch. Let's say it's for the kids.

[Car Owner 1]

Okay.

[George]

All right. We're doing this for the kids. 600 bucks a month. I'm gonna go 10. Rate of return. Because you're investing it.

[Car Owner 2]

I mean.

[George]

Okay, that's fair. All right. Hit, calculate. How much is it?

[Car Owner 2]

4, 5, 5. 4 5, 5, 6, 2, 1.

[George]

That's a lot of money.

[Car Owner 2]

A lot of money.

[George]

Instead of putting it into a depreciating asset, if you put it into an

[Car Owner 2]

appreciating asset for that many years, I would just do it for the five years until the car is paid.

[George]

Well, most people, what they do is they then go get another payment. You know what I mean?

[Car Owner 2]

We hold on to our cars forever.

[George]

You're going to drive it into the ground?

[Car Owner 2]

Oh, that's what I do.

[George]

Okay, so maybe when it's paid off, what do you do with that extra money? What will he do?

[Car Owner 2]

Well, he'll put it into, like, he'll just roll it over into savings or into investments. But for now, I mean, but that would just be our five minute, five year. And then you would roll it over.

[George]

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[Teacher Spouse 2]

What do you got?

[George]

How much debt do you currently have? None.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

I've got a mortgage on my home. Probably $380,000 owed on that. But that's the only debt that we have.

[George]

No consumer debt? No. No credit cards, no car loans, no medical debt.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Nothing's paid off. Wow.

[George]

Was that a value that you've had for a long time to stay debt free?

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Yes. We've always been pretty conservative with our money, so just saving and then trying not to rack up debt.

[George]

Yeah. Wow. That means you probably cash flowed this Dollywood trip, I imagine.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.

[George]

Wow. What does a trip to Dollywood cost in today's America?

[Teacher Spouse 2]

A couple thousand dollars.

[George]

Yeah, it's like Disney level, Right? How is that possible?

[Teacher Spouse 2]

I know, it. It's expensive, but it's fine and the kids love it.

[George]

So where are you guys from?

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Dallas area.

[George]

Okay. So it's a. It's a flight to get here.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

We drove.

[George]

Oh, that's. That's a long drive.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Yeah, yeah.

[George]

So you got the drive, the gas, which is now pretty expensive.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Right.

[George]

You get the lodging, the tickets, the souvenirs.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Right.

[George]

The food.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Right. Yeah, it's pretty expensive, but it's good to get the kids out and let them see some new territories.

[George]

Worth it for the memories.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Yeah, exactly.

[George]

That's amazing. Did you ever have a consumer debt? Did you pay it off and stay out? You just have stayed out your whole adult life.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Right, right, right. Wow.

[George]

Was this something you learned from your parents?

[Car Owner 3]

Yes.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

I mean, they've always had small businesses and things like that, so. I've been around money and learning about money since I was a little kid.

[George]

So I've always been really conservative and just common sense. Don't spend more than you got. Put money away in savings. Save up for the things you want.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Right? That's right.

[George]

That's impressive. Well, your calm, cool demeanor, I think is partially due to the fact that you're debt free. Would you agree?

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Yes. It definitely keeps the pressure off of

[George]

you when you don't have no stress. Just bald eagles screeching for freedom out here. I love it. Well, it's great talking with you.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Yeah, absolutely.

[George]

All right, question of the day. How much debt do you currently have? None. Zero. Zero. No consumer debt. Do you even have a mortgage? No mortgage, but you own a home free and clear.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Yeah. On two acres. We just built a home.

[George]

Congratulations. Okay, how did you do all of this? Did you ever have debt?

[Teacher Spouse 1]

Oh, yeah, we did.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

We had a lot.

[Teacher Spouse 1]

We did, we did. And we, we managed our money, we took our savings, we built a house, we sold it. Then we took that money and built a house and sold it.

[George]

We did it right away and then

[Teacher Spouse 1]

took all of that money and used it to build our home.

[Car Owner 3]

Wow.

[George]

So you just snowballed it over time and you just kept on living on less than you made.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Took about five years.

[George]

Yeah. So am I looking at an everyday millionaire right here? Are you guys close to that threshold? I don't. If you count three quarters, three quarters of a millionaire, the house for sure counts.

[Teacher Spouse 1]

Yeah.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Oh, well, yeah, that's probably over 750.

[George]

That'll do it. Plus your retirement accounts and all that.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Yeah.

[George]

That's amazing.

[Teacher Spouse 1]

Yeah.

[George]

Right.

[Teacher Spouse 1]

About a million.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Yeah. We're just teachers.

[Teacher Spouse 1]

Yeah.

[George]

That's the number one career or number three. We got engineers, accountants, teachers in our millionaire study. Over 10,000. So you guys are right there. I'm so proud of you guys. Congratulations.

[Car Owner 3]

Yeah.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

And it's definitely, definitely free.

[George]

I'm going to assume you paid cash for this Dollywood trip.

[Teacher Spouse 1]

Yes, we got in free.

[George]

We got in free. Actually, our friends are passholders and so they gave us their free tickets. This is how the rich get richer. This is how you would do it for sure.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

We got in free because they are pass holders and we paid 50% off our daughter's ticket. So all three of us are here for 50 bucks.

[George]

I paid full price price to get in here like a schmuck. Oh, well, you guys deserve it. You're an awesome couple. Congratulations on the success. Enjoy your Dollywood trip.

[Teacher Spouse 2]

Thank you. Thanks for talking to us.

[George]

I gotta say, it kind of felt like debt free Dollywood today. So many people I ran into were like, yeah, I don't have debt. That's not how I roll. I cash flowed this trip. I don't have a car loan, nothing. And that was very, very encouraging. I don't know if that's because we're in the south and there's just a lot more fiscally conservative people here. But it was really inspiring. And yes, there was a bunch of people who had debt and they were a little too nonchalant about it and I wish they'd be more chalant. They're going, well, I got a low interest rate. Well, I'll pay it off one day. I'll keep my student loans until I'm dead. It's fine. And I just think you're gonna have a better life with more peace and more retirement if you can get rid of your debt faster. So if you enjoyed this video, you're gonna love the time I went to Disney to ask people the same question. Let me tell you, the mouse house did not disappoint. So check it out right here, coming up next. Or use the link in the description. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.