How Matt and Abby Went From Broke College Kids to “Unplanned” Influencers

Summary

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Smart Money Happy Hour – Episode Summary

Podcast: Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel
Episode: How Matt and Abby Went From Broke College Kids to “Unplanned” Influencers
Date: September 25, 2025
Guests: Matt and Abby Howard (Unplanned Podcast, YouTube)

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Episode Overview

In this lively, relational episode, Rachel and George welcome Matt and Abby—creators of the Unplanned Podcast—for an open conversation about their journey from broke, freshly-married college kids to wildly popular digital creators and influencers. The duo shares their humble beginnings, their debt-free philosophy rooted in Ramsey principles, financial quirks as spouses, the gritty realities of online fame, and how success has influenced their marriage, money habits, and outlook on life. The episode’s tone is upbeat, honest, and often humorous, blending practical money wisdom, personal anecdotes, and a peek behind the curtain of the “influencer” lifestyle.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Matt and Abby’s Origin Story

• [01:31] Abby: "We are high school sweethearts that got married during college, and when the pandemic happened, we lost our jobs, started just having a lot of time on our hands and making videos together."
• The couple’s initial TikTok success was thanks to dance videos, leveraging their musical theater background.
• Their digital footprint is now in the millions, and they regularly discuss real life, marriage, and family on social platforms.

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2. Ramsey Roots and Financial Foundations

• [03:26] Matt shares his early exposure to Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover:
  • “When I decided I wanted to marry Abby in college, ...I needed to make money. …I did all that because I was reading Dave's book.”
  • Focused on building an emergency fund, paying cash for essentials—including a car—and keeping rent low.
• Abby: “We never actually went into debt for school. …You can actually get paid to go to college” ([06:23–06:49]), referencing how scholarships and grants as a married couple meant they left college debt-free.

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3. Reflections on Humble Beginnings & Habits

• [05:34] Abby: “Even then I didn’t feel like I wanted for anything…We were just so happy to be together and to have our independence.”
• Their frugal habits, established young, have stuck—even as their income has grown.
• Matt: “It is nice not having debt…it feels really good to go to sleep at night with that.” ([07:22])

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4. Money Personalities & Relationship Dynamics

• The hosts run a "Money Personalities" quiz with Matt and Abby:
  • Spender vs. Saver: Both see themselves as savers but admit to making different types of purchases—Abby with small frequent buys, Matt with larger investments ([08:50–09:47]).
  • Quality vs. Quantity: Matt leans toward quality, Abby toward quantity—especially with clothes ([11:06–11:19]).
  • Motivation: Matt values safety and freedom ("to be in charge of my time"), Abby enjoys spending money on experiences ([11:42–11:52]).
  • Abundance vs. Scarcity Mindset: Both admit to a “scarcity” mindset, remaining cautious ([12:10–12:13]).
  • Giving: Matt is a planned, analytic giver; Abby is more spontaneous (“Who’s ringing a bell? You got my donation?”—[13:02]).

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5. Combining Finances Young

• Matt and Abby combined finances before they were even engaged:
  • “We combined our finances before we were even married, which probably wasn’t a good idea.” ([16:14])
  • Their low stakes (limited income, joint car/job) made it a natural decision.
  • They find splitting bills or keeping money separate “confusing” and not worth the hassle ([18:02–18:26]).

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6. Crash Course: Life as Influencers

• Going Viral:
  • Matt: “I was posting weekly videos for almost a year, but nobody watched them… We made a YouTube video about viral TikTok dances…That’s what got us into TikTok. It was a whole accident, really.” ([19:48–20:46])
• Common Misconceptions about Online Fame:
  • Abby: “Audience size doesn’t really tell you much about what they make. …Follower count is not going to tell you how much people make.” ([21:21–22:15])
  • Abby illustrates this with a story about her grandfather finding a “crazy net worth” online (“That’s not even close.”).
  • Matt: “There’s a lot more work behind it than people would realize. ...A lot of those [viral] videos I was spending, you know, 20, 30, 40 hours editing. …People don’t see the late nights…till 5am.” ([22:39–23:49])
  • Abby explains that sponsored content isn’t instant or purely passive income (“Most of them are free. They aren’t making anything on them.”).

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7. Kids, College, and the Future

• Both value flexibility for their sons, planning to financially support their choices—whether it’s college, a trade, or entrepreneurship ([24:45–25:28]).
• Abby expresses “mama bear” worries about her kids entering the social media space due to public exposure: “At least as an adult, making that choice…” ([25:28–25:48])

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8. Money Issues in Marriage

• For years, Matt and Abby “prided” themselves on not fighting about money.
• The first time conflict arose was in home buying:
  • Abby: “We both had very different visions for what we wanted…That was the first time we’re not seeing eye to eye, money wise.” ([26:49–27:12])
  • Ultimately they compromised, with Abby joking she “did pretty well for myself” ([27:29]).

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9. Rental Property Realities

• Matt was initially excited for rental and Airbnb properties, but:
  • “I realized how much more of a time...it sucks away your time...So I kind of realized, you know, we’re just going to keep investing into ETFs…let it grow in the background and not have to manage all these rentals.” ([28:36–29:24])
  • Abby and Matt share “nightmare” stories: “blood on beds,” green pools, and “money pit” properties ([29:37–29:54]).

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10. Financial Planning: Past, Present, and Future

• Matt automates investing with regular contributions, monitors only occasionally ([32:22–32:43]).
• They never kept a strict formal budget—frugality and low spending made that easier.
• Matt: “There was a time Chipotle was a splurge…Now, any time I want a burrito, I get one. With guac.” ([34:24–34:39])
• Their basic approach: “Budget in my head”—percentages, careful with big purchases, always keep giving a priority ([37:43–38:15]).

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11. Major Lessons Learned

Each host and guest shares their biggest financial lesson of the last five years ([41:00–44:52]):

• Abby: “What people spend is not an indicator of what they make.”
• Matt: “Money can’t fix all your problems… I work less now than I have in years…You can’t put a price tag on that [family time].”
• George: “The goal post is always moving. You have to learn to be content and present…Chasing more never ends.”
• Rachel: “The more creative and free something is, the better experience…The most memorable things are low-cost and spontaneous—being present with family.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Early Frugality:
  • “Our rent was only $650 a month…At first I thought we actually couldn’t live there because it was low income housing. …then I looked at the numbers and I was like, oh, we’re poor.” –Matt ([04:41])
• On Money Mindsets:
  • “I want to do things [with money].” –Abby, on valuing experiences over safety/status ([11:42])
  • “We just bought the house…Abby did pretty well for herself.” –Matt and Abby, on home buying compromise ([27:22–27:30])
• On the Myth of Passive Influencer Income:
  • “You don’t see all the hard work…editing through the night till 5am” –Matt ([23:39])
  • “You also don’t get paid for every video you post!” –Abby ([24:12])
• On Upbringing and Financial Habits:
  • “If I spend a dollar on ice cream a week…now we’re over $100, and like $100 for a college kid is a lot of money.” –Matt ([33:46])
  • “We weren’t even a movie theater popcorn family.” –Matt ([35:33])
  • “He wasn’t like–he was just kind of, like, proud of me.” –Abby, on buying Chipotle with chips ([34:49])
• On Work-Life Balance:
  • “I've just found so much joy in being a dad…you can’t put a price tag on that.” –Matt ([43:32])
• On “Guilty as Charged” Habits:
  • “Matt has alarms going off all day long.” –Abby ([51:02])
  • “He can never come up with something for this stuff…It’s called being a good husband.” –George & Matt ([54:23–54:27])

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Time-Stamped Highlights

| Timestamp | Segment / Quote |
|-----------|----------------| | [01:31] | Matt & Abby’s backstory: high school sweethearts, pandemic job loss, TikTok dances go viral | | [03:26] | Matt’s Dave Ramsey journey; focus on emergency fund | | [06:23] | “We never went into debt for school…You can actually get paid [via grants/scholarships]” | | [08:50] | Money personalities quiz: spender vs. saver, nerd vs. free spirit | | [13:02] | Giving habits: “Charity Navigator…that’s my brain, you know?” (Matt) | | [19:48] | Long road to “overnight” internet fame | | [21:21] | “Audience size doesn’t tell you what they make” –Abby | | [22:39] | “People don’t see the late nights” –Matt | | [26:49] | First real money disagreement: buying a house | | [28:36] | The grind vs. “passive” rental income | | [32:22] | Automatic investing as a future plan | | [34:24] | “Anytime I want a Chipotle burrito…I get one. With guac.” –Matt | | [41:00] | Biggest financial lesson of the past five years roundtable |

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Conclusion & Final Thoughts

This episode is a candid, often hilarious exploration of managing money, marriage, and unexpected opportunity. Matt and Abby’s story underscores the value of frugality, honest communication, and contentment, even as life circumstances change. They bust myths about influencer wealth, share practical investment habits, and affirm that authentic relationships and presence trump flashy status every time.

Where to Find Matt and Abby:

• The Unplanned Podcast
• YouTube: Matt and Abby
• TikTok: @matt_and_abby

"The most valuable things we do as a family have little to do with spending money, and a lot to do with being present." – Rachel Cruze ([46:10])

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Transcript

[A]

Matt and Abby from the Unplanned podcast are here. And, oh, boy, do we have a wonderful show planned for you today.

[B]

I think I'm more than savor.

[C]

Could you actually put a couple shots in this drink right now? We are going to live like no one else, so we can live like no one else.

[A]

Let's go.

[C]

And it freaking work, baby.

[D]

Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

[A]

I'm George Camel.

[C]

I'm Matt.

[B]

And I'm Abby.

[D]

And this is SM Money Happy Hour.

[C]

Cheers.

[D]

Well, this is the show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. So everything from pop culture, current events, and money.

[A]

And before we get to the riveting conversation, which I know will happen, we got to talk about what we're sipping on. This is a Moscow Mule mocktail. A mocktail Mule, if you will. And we're going to give you the rating and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode, so stick around for that.

[D]

Guys, welcome.

[C]

Thank you for having us.

[D]

You know, we don't have many guests on this specific podcast. We're trying to get more and more, but y' all are our first, I think.

[A]

Non Ramsey guests, non Rams.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

What?

[C]

In a way.

[D]

I know.

[C]

Wow.

[D]

So I'm so glad y' all are here.

[B]

This is so cool.

[A]

So make it go well.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

We will try our best.

[D]

Fantastic. No, it's going to be so great. Okay. Yeah. I'm so pumped for. I'm sure a lot of our audience knows who you guys are, but for those who don't, kind of give us a little backstory. Who are you all about? What are you guys?

[C]

Oh, man.

[B]

Well, we are high school sweethearts that got married during college, and when the pandemic happened, we lost our jobs, started just having a lot of time on our hands and making videos together. And it.

[C]

Oh, yeah. And for whatever reason it was TikTok dances of. Yeah.

[D]

Funny enough, that was the beginning.

[C]

TikTok dances were what took off for us. And I think it's because we met doing musical theater in high school, and people just wanted to see us dance on TikTok. I don't get it. But, yeah, it worked.

[B]

It launched what we do now, which is just social media, get to work together, and we have two awesome kids, and we just talk about marriage, family, real life.

[D]

It's just so great what we do, but it's mostly on social media and podcasts and YouTube and all the things. So all the platforms, you guys are there talking about life.

[A]

I'm Scared to dance on TikTok. So I'm scared I'll go viral and it'll be my new career path. That's why I haven't done it.

[C]

Oh, man. It's funny. You. You go back, I'll look at our old videos, and I'm like, man, there's some. There's some cringy dance videos I've. We. We posted in the past. So it's kind of scary sometimes to look back.

[B]

I don't look back.

[A]

They stuck around, I guess people watch and go, I could do better than that.

[C]

Probably. That's probably why we got so many views. Are like, how is this guy so bad at dancing? You're like, I don't know, but you.

[A]

Do it with a smile. You guys have an infectious joy about you that I think is contagious. And people just. You bring them in. You bring. It's very welcoming.

[D]

Yeah. And you're being very humble. But you guys really explod, like, from a digital standpoint. Right? I mean, like, social. All of it, like. Cause your whole footprint overall is what I don't. Even between, like, TikTok and everything, I think.

[C]

Yeah. Somewhere in the millions of followers or whatever.

[D]

It's a lot. Yes. I know. It's amazing. You're having fun doing it.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

It's so fun. I'm like, the biggest perk of this job is that we get to work together and like, to have this flexibility and get to meet really awesome people like y'.

[D]

All.

[B]

It's. I can't even believe it's what we do.

[D]

Yeah. That's so great.

[A]

So sweet.

[D]

I love it.

[A]

Well, what is your Ramsey connection? Like, when did you guys first hear about Ramsey? Did one of you tell the other?

[C]

Okay, so here. This is my Ramsey story. So when I decided I wanted to marry Abby in college, I just basically told everyone, like, freshman in college. I walked in, everyone knew that I was the crazy freshman that, like, was going to marry his girlfriend. And first. First week of school, I went and applied for, like, 10 different jobs. I needed a job. I needed to make money. Cause I wanted to marry her. And I did all that because I was reading Dave's book. I was. I was reading. Um, I guess it was the extreme Total money makeover. Yeah, total money makeover. Um, and so followed the. Followed the steps. Really focused on saving every. Every penny. And so a big part of why we were able to fully do social media when the pandemic hit and we lost our jobs as college students was we had a pretty established like, emergency fund so that we didn't have to rush and go get new jobs to help pay our bills as, as newlyweds.

[D]

It was like your safety net.

[C]

It was our safety net. We took a chance on the, on, you know, YouTube, TikTok, all that, and it works. So I, I'm so thankful that I read Dave's book because it really taught me. It was like the, the ground floor of, like, what I learned of just like the basics of all money, you know?

[A]

So did you avoid, like, the crippling debt that comes with adulthood?

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, like, in college, we both, we ended up buying a car together. Cash. We always, like, paid for things. Cash. We found one of the cheapest apartments we could live in just to save money. Our. Our rent was only 650amonth. @ first I thought we actually couldn't live there because it was low income housing. And I was like, well, I guess we're not. I was like, I didn't consider myself low income, but then I looked at the numbers and I was like, oh, we're poor. So. So they, they let us live there. Yeah, they let us live there. And yeah, it just like, it was so helpful through all that. Wow.

[D]

So good. Okay. Do you feel like those humble beginnings have, like, helped ground you guys from, like, the success you've had from today? Like, when you look back or you're like, oh my gosh, I'm so glad we started where we were financially. Like, having to figure it out and kind of scrape together do all this to now, like, you guys, I'm sure, are enjoying like, a level of success, right?

[B]

Totally. But even then I didn't feel like I wanted for anything. Like, I wasn't really like, oh my gosh, like, this is. We're putting in the work now, but hopefully one day, like, I feel like we were just like, so happy to just be together and to like, have our independence because we literally just went from living with our parents to like one or two years of school. Then we were married and, like, living on our own. Like, everything was just like Disney new and exciting. Yeah, it was.

[D]

Really. Yeah. You're like, in the present.

[B]

Totally. But I think that beginning definitely established a discipline that has still stuck with us. Like, we still have certain habits that we just will never probably step away from.

[C]

Yeah. And I think also I think we did dodge a bullet because we never took on, you know, we never did, like, the whole debt thing. We just stayed out of. We never actually went into debt for school. So we paid for Our debt, loans even. No student loans at all.

[B]

I don't know if you should say this, but you can actually get paid to go to college.

[C]

Oh, we actually were getting paid because we had enough scholarships.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

100% to pay us to go to school.

[D]

Yes. I had friends like that. They would go to the. Is it Embarcer's office. What's the.

[A]

Yeah, Bursar's.

[D]

Bursar's office.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

She would get a kind of. I was like, what word is that?

[D]

And she would literally get a check.

[B]

We didn't know it was a thing. We got a grant because we were married. So we were no longer filing with our parents. With our parents. And we had scholarships.

[D]

So.

[B]

So yes, this. Don't take this as advice.

[A]

Money hack.

[B]

Definitely don't get married just for this. But it was like a wonderful surprise. We were like, oh. And so. Yeah, that's great.

[D]

That's amazing.

[A]

So was this attractive to you, Abby, that this man was trying to be fiscally responsible while still, of course, like, what, what was in you that you were like, I gotta get a job and make money for her, like.

[D]

Cause we meet, we only talk to 45 year olds that don't even have that like gumption.

[B]

I actually still wonder to this day, like, what in 18 year old Matt like wanted to step up to the plate like this.

[C]

I think it was just in my brain. I was wrong thinking this, but I thought if I can make enough money it would solve literally all my problems. So I worked very, very hard and it works. But turns out not all my problems are solved. But it is, it is nice not having debt. I mean, I mean we have mortgages on, we have some rental properties. But like, you know, it's, it's nice to not have student loans. It's nice to not have a car payment and it just, it feels really good to go to sleep at night with that. So I feel, I feel super thankful. And I'm so thankful to be married to Abby because she is so frugal. She's so good with money. I feel like, I want to say, I've heard Dave is more like this where I, I'll work really, really hard and, and, and you know, be a penny pincher when we have to. But also there's like, there's some nice things I like to splurge on. Like. Yeah, when we, when we got to a place where we could afford it, I wanted to get a Tesla. And so we did. Abby's very frugal and she'll go buy her clothes at a thrift store. You know, like, she's just. She's very good with money. So I'm very blessed.

[D]

That's great. You work together as a team. Well, it seems like, especially in the financial space. I love it.

[B]

Thank you.

[D]

Okay, so we're gonna do a little quick quiz, if you will, on your money personalities.

[A]

There's no right answers.

[D]

Just honestly, George, if you wanna chime in for you, but I think the audience knows.

[A]

I think your answer.

[D]

Yeah, they've had plenty of me. Okay. And I may explain. I can explain these too. If you're like, wait, what? Okay, so between the two of you, which one is the spender? Which one is the saver?

[B]

I want to know Matt's answer.

[C]

That's so tricky. I think it just. It just depends on the season. I think last year it was probably. You were probably the spender last year.

[D]

Rapid fire, Matt. Rapid fire. I'm going to say natural. Natural. Who's just more to like, enjoy spending? Who's naturally?

[C]

I'm going to say. Oh, I'll say Abby. Sorry.

[B]

That I'm a spender.

[C]

Maybe.

[D]

Okay. It's not bad.

[B]

Sure. Okay.

[D]

So you say, do you agree or do you think you're more the saver? You can disagree.

[B]

I think I'm more the saver.

[A]

Two one wheels.

[B]

Let me just re expose you right now.

[A]

Wait, that means you have two wheels.

[B]

He has two wheels.

[C]

Do you know what a one wheel is? No. It's like a boosted board. So it's like an electric skateboard, but there's only one wheel.

[D]

Have them here.

[B]

Yes, I got the answer. I'm more likely to make smaller purchases than he is. He's way more likely to make bigger purchases.

[D]

Yes, that's fair. Okay, that's fair.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

So I guess I'm more of the spinner because it's gonna happen more frequently. Yeah.

[D]

Okay, that's good.

[C]

Okay, let me say it like this. So, like, I. I think the reason I said that was because we bought a house last year, but we already had. We were already in a new house before that. So I was team, like, don't move. And then I can get that A house is very expensive, obviously. So that's why I said Abby was expensive.

[B]

Okay, that's fair.

[D]

That's fair.

[A]

I bought a one wheel, but you bought a house.

[B]

That's true.

[C]

That's true, that's true.

[D]

All right.

[A]

No, that's good. All right, all right, Next one. This is kind of tied to it. Who's the nerd and who's the free spirit nerd? Yeah, he, like, knows the spreadsheet, who's tracking it and who's just vibing.

[B]

I'm vibing.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

All right.

[B]

I'm kind of scared about it, but.

[C]

I'm sure my vibe's a little ab's a party. She's funny, she's fun to be around. You're a funny friend. I'm glad I'm married to you cuz you, like, make me laugh so much. So. You're hilarious.

[D]

Okay, if you were to spend money, would you spend it on experiences or actual things?

[B]

Experiences.

[D]

Both experiences.

[C]

Unless it's an investment. Like, if it's like, oh, what, like, physical thing are we getting? Like, if I'm going to buy a physical thing, I want it to be something that can create, like, revenue. Create, like, make me money, you know? Okay, like the one like, real estate.

[B]

He starts renting that thing out.

[A]

No, Airbnb, my one wheel.

[B]

We way lean towards experiences.

[D]

Love it. All right. Are you more of a quality person or quantity?

[C]

Quality. I'm gonna say quality.

[B]

Yeah, I guess I'd be maybe more quantity.

[D]

Okay, me too.

[A]

That's the right truth.

[D]

I like how options. I'm like, I don't need very expensive clothes, but I want a lot of.

[B]

A lot of options. That's how I feel. Especially with clothes.

[D]

Yes. Just the shoes. Okay. If you want to win with money, do you want to win because you want safety, you want to feel like we're secure, or do you want to win for status? And status sounds bad here, but meaning, like, we want to do things. We, like, want to buy a Tesla, we want to take our family on big trips, and we want to win because we want to do things with our money. Or do you want to win because you want safety and security? The motivation of it.

[B]

I want to do things.

[C]

I feel like, yeah, I'm going to say this. Safety. To be in charge of my time, not having somebody else telling me when I have to do everything.

[D]

Yes. So good. Love it.

[A]

Financial independence. That's what it's about. Okay, how about this one? Are you an abundance person or a scarcity person?

[C]

I don't know how to answer that.

[A]

What's your mindset around money? Like, is like, we gotta save. That's kind of scarcity. Or is it? Hey there.

[D]

We'll find it.

[A]

We'll find more money. It's fine. What's the attitude?

[B]

Scarcity, probably.

[C]

Scarcity? Yeah.

[D]

More cautious around it.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. This guy, we just like, got really serious there for A second. I'm like, wow, this is very serious. Talking about our finances right now.

[A]

Financial therapy.

[C]

You actually put a couple shots in the street right now. Is that okay? Thank you.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Can we change this mocktail to a cocktail?

[D]

Okay, last one. When you're giving, are you more of a spontaneous giver? Like, you see something or hear something and you're like, yes, absolutely. Or are you more planned out? Like, I want to investigate the organization. I want to be more diligent.

[C]

Okay, that's me.

[B]

Charity navigator. Is that what it is?

[C]

I need to. I want to be more spontaneous. Like, I want to be the guy that just, like, hands 20 bucks to the homeless person on the street. Because, like, first of all, I never have cash on me. But, like, it's all like, oh, percentages. I want to make sure that we're doing this percentage of our overall revenue and then give it to the charity that's going to use it the best. Totally. That's my brain, you know?

[D]

Yeah, you're a plan.

[B]

Me, I'm like, who's ringing a bell? Like, you got my donation?

[D]

Totally.

[A]

Does the Girl Scouts count as a donation?

[B]

As a donation. But I will always buy.

[C]

And Abby bought every single Girl Scout cookie that the Girl Scouts were selling us. One day at her, she was like, on the list.

[A]

What, you cleared them out or you get one of each?

[B]

Did I.

[C]

You got. Did we get. Did we buy everything they have or just one?

[B]

I bought a good amount.

[C]

We had cookies for about six months.

[A]

Can I ask, is this for personal consumption?

[B]

I didn't really eat them. I don't love them. It's just like, the little kids.

[A]

That's how I know you're a good person.

[D]

That's really sweet, George. Like, will, like, kick him off his.

[A]

No, I would buy them and then resell them at a table next to them and undercut them a little bit, you guys, just to teach them a lesson. You gotta teach him a lesson.

[B]

That's how life works, kids.

[D]

This is commerce.

[A]

No, this is capitalism.

[B]

You guys are bad. Because they were camped outside of the grocery store that I go to for, like, a good season every time. I was like, gotta get another box.

[C]

Wait, I didn't know that happened. But that's. I'm cool for that. Like, that. I love that. I love giving money to kids.

[D]

You know, we love the kids.

[C]

If you're a door to door salesman trying to sell us on, like, a new security system, I'm like, like, go away. But if you're a kid coming to my door, I'm gonna. We're gonna buy from you.

[B]

There's some young entrepreneurs in our neighborhood. There's a kid that will put a flag out for every holiday in your yard for you. It's like a service our high school.

[A]

Like an American flag?

[B]

It depends.

[D]

Does he do it himself?

[B]

I think so.

[A]

Someone's like, hey, it's Kwanzaa. We'll put a flag out there.

[B]

Take your trash out to the curb.

[D]

That's amazing. We had a teenager car detail in the neighborhood.

[B]

Oh, that's great. That's good.

[D]

I gave him, like, a solid B plus, but I was happy to, like, go, man.

[A]

Tell me something I would want to trade my time for. You know what I mean? That makes sense.

[D]

Yes. I love that.

[A]

I love that.

[D]

Okay, so funny, Rachel.

[A]

You know, people are always commenting, where'd you get your outfit? Link it. Don't gatekeep. And what do you tell them?

[D]

I mean, there's a lot of places to buy some comfy things in, but my favorite place in the outfit I'm wearing today is from Cozy Earth. Yeah, I got that.

[A]

Quite the outfit.

[D]

The massive. Massive. And then they call it the cuddle blanket. And it is. It. It. It is like, I just want to sleep.

[A]

It looks like an extinct woolly mammoth.

[D]

I just want to rub my cheek on it because it's so soft. It is so great. But all Cozy Earth products, they're incredible. Like, their quality is just phenomenal.

[A]

Yeah. Everything from their blankets to their loungewear to the bedding.

[D]

Yes.

[A]

Incredible. And a lot of their materials are made from premium viscose from bamboo, which keeps you comfortably cool all night long. So even under that amazing blanket, you can stay warm and cool at the same time.

[D]

Yes. It's incredible. I don't know if this is bamboo, though, George. I think this is fur.

[A]

I think it's mammoth is the only description.

[D]

Yes. No, but it is. Cozy Earth products are incredible, you guys. And we have a great discount for you guys.

[A]

40% off when you use the promo code smart money at checkout or go to cozyearth.com/smart money. I'm feeling uncosy looking at you. I need my own blanket.

[D]

I'm gonna go night now.

[A]

Night night, Rachel. Go night night. You go check it out. We'll link it in the description if you want to get the deal. Okay. Thanks for playing that game.

[C]

Of course.

[A]

Had to get vulnerable real quick there. So you guys got married fairly young. How did the money side of that go? Like, did you guys combine finances? Was it awkward? Was it seamless?

[C]

We combined our finances before we were even married, which probably wasn't a good idea.

[A]

Wow.

[D]

Hey, they're all trusted. They're 19.

[A]

Joint checking account during engagement. Is that when you did it?

[C]

It might have been before engagement, actually, yeah.

[D]

How long were you engaged for?

[C]

A year.

[B]

A little over a year.

[C]

Okay.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

So you guys were just very trusting. What was the purpose and motive behind that?

[B]

There wasn't much to go around, so we were like, what's. Oh, it's because we bought a car together. So we had to get a job, but we had to have a car. So we shared. We found a place that would hire the two of us, which was kind of a hard sell because they're like, you get me and him.

[A]

I was like, we kind of go.

[B]

Together because we have a car together. But we both got to work, but.

[C]

Luckily it was a pizza restaurant that was opening up, so they needed a lot of servers. And we were like, well, we could be two servers. That's better than one. Right? And so they hired us, and then oftentimes we could do shifts together. So we like to drive together in carpool, save gas money.

[A]

I'm picturing you guys showing up at the table together. Like, I'm Matt. And I'm Abby, and we'll take your order.

[B]

Actually, our customers would be like, you see that guy over there? I was like, I think. I think he likes you. They'd be like, you should. And I'm like, you think? Like, I may or may not know him.

[A]

They love being a part of this, like, romantic adventure. Yeah.

[B]

I was like, he's pretty cute.

[C]

Now that you say that. I remember having, like. I have a vivid memory of, like, looking over at you and seeing you in your, like, little Bella Sino T shirt and being like, that girl is hot. I'm so glad. I'm so glad she's going to be my wife.

[B]

Apron.

[C]

Yeah. The little fella seat as.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. But that's actually really what sparked. We were like, if we could ever work together someday, like, this is so fun. Like, we love, like, spending the most time together. I don't know.

[D]

Does it shock you guys when couples, like, don't combine their finances? Like, knowing how you all have done it, are you, like, 100%? How are you doing it? Like, on your own? Like, you're like. Like, you're paying these bills. They're paying, you know?

[B]

Yeah. It seems logistically confusing, but I can see where it's like, if I had my own, like, career before, it was easy because it was so low stakes at that point.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

We were just like, you know, working part time jobs in school. But if I was, like, really proud of, like, this money that I had earned on my own and saved, I feel like that I could see being a lot more challenging.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

But we do have friends that, like, one person plays a mortgage. One person pays this bill, One person pays this.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

It seems so confusing. I'm like, how do you not miss something or, like, totally.

[A]

Or get resentful because, like, well, the mortgage is more than groceries. This didn't feel fair. And so there's. It just builds up.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Have you guys ever Venmoed each other?

[C]

Never ever.

[B]

I actually don't even have a Venmo.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

I'm like, please, Venmo, Matt. Because I don't know, I don't have one.

[A]

Are you like, off the grid in that regard? Outside of content creation?

[B]

Yeah, like off the grid on, like, financial stuff? Yeah, yeah, surely.

[A]

So he handles it.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You're making sure, like, utilities get paid.

[C]

Yeah. But we did have one issue once, because now everything's up on autopay, right? Well, I set everything up on autopay, but one of them, for whatever reason, it didn't go through. So this happened like two or three years ago. Our water got shut off for a day. So I had a call. Like, I'm like, oh, shoot. It was. It was ridiculous. I made a TikTok about it. It was. It was so funny.

[B]

But you're so irresponsible.

[C]

Yeah, they thought. They thought that we were like bankrupt or something because our water got shut off. But I just.

[B]

It was on auto, but then it got off autopay or something like that.

[D]

And didn't catch it. And so. Yeah, the water gets shut off.

[C]

Exactly.

[D]

That's so funny. Okay, so speaking of TikTok, you guys, as you're starting your career, as you were saying, like, you're making these dances, all of it, and how fast do you feel like everything kind of took off? Do you feel like it. Did it feel like overnight? Or did you feel like you just woke up? You're like, oh, my gosh, I can't believe this is our life. Or was it kind of a slower progression?

[C]

Yeah, I think it's both, in a way. And let me explain, because when we got married, Abby had been watching, like, different couples on YouTube vlog, and I grew up making videos for fun. It was. I did a video for every school project. I was a part of the TV crew at my high School this thing called MHS tv. And so when she told me that she was watching people vlog their life, I'm like, babe, like, I love making video. Like, I love to. I love all that. We should, like, try that ourselves. So I. I was posting weekly videos for almost a year, but nobody watched them. And I was hoping to maybe, like, make a little bit of a, like, side hustle, you know, money on. On the side. And I. And. And nothing was working. So I was, like, pretty defeated. But then we made a YouTube video about us trying to viral TikTok trends and viral dances, because that was like a trend on YouTube at that time. And that's what got us into TikTok. It was a whole accident, really.

[D]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So nobody cared about your personal life early on. Nobody did just dance, monkey dance.

[C]

Exactly. Nobody cared about our personal life. But then what's funny is when the dances took off and we started, like, posting clips of our personal life and teasing the vlogs on YouTube and they kind of like, cross promoted, who's the.

[A]

Man behind the dance moves now? We want to know. I love that. So what's a common misconception about making money from digital creation from the Internet? Because a lot of people are listening out there watching Gen Zers kids, this is their hope, is that they become Matt and Abby one day. So what are some of the misconceptions? What's been surprising or rewarding to you guys?

[B]

Yeah, certainly audience size doesn't really tell you much about what they make. I feel like that can be a really common misconception.

[A]

So, like, the vanity metrics of a subscriber count, or like, you have 100,000 followers, you must make amazing money.

[B]

Yes. And then you can even look up, like, any creator and be like, net worth. That number is probably not even close. I remember my grandpa has since passed, but I remember this day. He pulls me aside. Abby, come here. He's like, I saw something on Google. And he's like. And then he, like, shows his phone to me and it said, like, this crazy number for, like, Matt and Abby net worth. I was like, pablo, I'm very grateful for where we're at. I was like, that's not even close. Like, that is, like, literally not even close. Because they have these, like, weird conversion charts for, like, subscribers and followers to, like, somehow they arrive at a number.

[A]

Like, bad AI math is coming up.

[B]

I don't know how they're coming up with.

[D]

And you feel like it's usually overshot way.

[B]

In our case, it was.

[D]

Yes, yes.

[B]

And I think it's way overshot. Or for some people it's maybe under, who knows? But I'm just saying follower count is not going to tell you how much people make so good. Yeah, I think that's a major misconception. I was like, that's sweet that my papa was looking up my network.

[D]

I know, I love that.

[A]

What about the misconception that like, this is sort of passive income, like upload a video, boom, that pays your bills for the month.

[C]

Not. Not true. Obviously. Here's. Okay, let me first say this though. We are so grateful for like the life we have and getting to make videos on the Internet. Like, we're so grateful. But, but I will, I will say it. There's a lot more work behind it than people would realize. Like, you know, I'm guilty of this too. I see people all the time that I'm like, oh man, I wish I could have their life. But you don't see all the hard work they did to get there. And for a lot of our, you know, you go to our YouTube channel, you look at some of our more viral videos. I'm speaking long form because we have had some short form videos that went crazy viral and we don't really know why they did so well. But the long form ones, like a lot of those videos I was spending, you know, 20, 30, 40 hours editing. One video I spent over 100 hours editing. And you just. People don't see the late nights and me literally editing through the night till 5am to make sure the timing is right and that the way the story is told is the way that I. That I think is like fun and entertaining and represents us. But it is. I do love getting to do what we do because I've started up vlogging again. We had to take a break with starting our podcast and Abby and I were watching our YouTube vlog a couple weeks ago and she was like, man, like, this is fun. I love like seeing this highlight reel of all the fun stuff we're doing. So it's, it's a blast.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

One more misconception too is like, you'll hear like, so and so made X amount of money for doing a 30 second video.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And you're like, they didn't actually. They made that for making that 30 second video and all the other videos they did to build their audience that's going to watch that 30 second video. I think that's where it can get reduced, where it's like, yes, but no, like, that wouldn't be Worth that if they didn't make all those other videos and all these free videos in between. You also don't get paid for every video you post. I think some people think, like, for every single Instagram post, they make X amount of money. It's like, no, most of them are free. Like, they. They aren't.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

They're making anything on them. So I think that's also a misconception.

[D]

Totally. For your kids, your boys, would you want them going into this space, like, as a career?

[C]

I want them to do.

[D]

Oh, we gotta know.

[C]

So I would be fine with it, but I want them to, like, fully understand the full scope of what it is. And so I hope they can kind of like watch us and learn from us, but I'm gonna support them in whatever it is they want to do.

[D]

Sure. Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Love it. So good.

[A]

How are you guys looking at college for them? Have you already started thinking about that? You're like, yeah, by that time it's not going to be a thing. Or are you like, we're going to put money away in college savings?

[C]

I think it's. It's more of that thing of putting money away and for them to be flexible. If it's them starting their own business, if they want to go to college, cool. But I think for a lot of degree paths, like, I've heard of people getting degrees in social media, and I'm.

[A]

Like, they have degrees in social media.

[C]

I know. And I'm like, I. I don't need it.

[B]

The girl who did my bracelet had has it. Getting a degree in social media.

[C]

And I don't want to speak. I'm sure they're all wonderful people. I'm sure there's some good information there. But us and everybody that we know that does this for their job just figured it out.

[D]

Totally.

[A]

So I love it.

[B]

I would be so proud of, literally, if they even went into a trade, I'd be like, I think that's awesome. I could get behind literally anything they want to do. At this point, I would be hesitant with social media because I'm a mama bear. Like, I'm like, like my child. I'm sure it's hard for my mom, and I know it's hard exposed to.

[D]

The world for anyone to say anything. Yeah, whatever.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. At least as an adult making that.

[D]

Choice, especially your personal life. We can hide behind money. George, of our, like, topic. Topic of money. We can, like, hide behind that. We'll do some personal stuff.

[A]

But I'm not like, personally vlogging my life yeah.

[B]

So that is really.

[D]

I mean, it's a different step. Like, that's a big deal.

[C]

It was weird. Like about probably a year ago, the switch happened in my brain where I went from like, this is so cool. I can vlog my life all the time and like, show everybody what I'm doing. And then eventually I'm like, I have absolutely no privacy at all. So it's just been like, it's just been fun, like discovering what that looks like again, you know?

[D]

Yes, yes, for sure. No, I'm sure that reality has to hit when you get settled into like a pattern of life and you look up like, oh, gosh, this is what we're doing. Like, this is it. Yeah, that totally makes sense. Okay. Is there an issue around money or a subject around money that you guys kind of work through through marriage? We're here to kind of keeps coming up.

[A]

We are here tonight.

[B]

No, we're not.

[D]

Kind of like, no, we are not worth the risk.

[B]

We actually prided ourselves for a long time. For years. We were like, people fight about money. We don't fight about money. We're like, that was something. We don't really have any.

[C]

Yeah, never.

[B]

And then it came into buying houses and we both had like, very different visions for what we wanted in the house, like, location wise. Like, what needs. We saw what was a need and what was a one. What were priorities. And that was the first time we were like, this really is a money issue. It's really like, yeah, it's. It's more complicated than that. But like, this is the first time we're having, like, we're not seeing eye to eye, money wise.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

And that was really uncomfortable. We're like, I think that was the first time we were like, oh my gosh, we're fighting about money. I hate this.

[D]

This is a fun one.

[A]

Did you find some middle ground? Was there just compromise?

[B]

Yes.

[C]

We just bought the house. We just.

[B]

No, there was compromise. There was compromise.

[A]

Who won is what I'm saying.

[B]

I did pretty well for myself.

[A]

Okay. Like, if this was a court of law, we would be like, oh, Abby came out ahead on that one.

[D]

What did you want? What were a couple of things that you're like, I want this. Was it like, like neighborhood or whatever? And you're like, I want land. Like, what was the.

[C]

Like, it's so tricky, right?

[B]

He's like, what we have is great. And I'm like, I want to be in area.

[D]

Okay. From the current situation.

[C]

And it's so tricky too, cuz the. The Area like the, the actual neighborhood that we were in was wonderful and the house itself was wonderful, but we were almost just isolated from everyone. Cuz we were tucked away near a. Not a safe area of town, but our neighborhood was safe. But then to get to the family friendly areas of town, we're always driving like 25 minutes. Yeah, you just have to drive a while. And so that was, you know, I didn't deal with that headache as much because I would stay home and work.

[B]

I'm like, you're always home.

[D]

You don't have to deal with this. Totally.

[C]

But yeah, but it all, it all worked out and we're very happy. Really? Yeah, we're very happy with our house.

[D]

Yeah, you get flags in the yard.

[B]

I mean it's.

[C]

And we turned our house that we used to live in into a rental property.

[D]

So that's okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So did you guys agree on getting into the rental property game?

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Is that one person's idea?

[C]

I mean, initially the, the whole plan that I had was to own a bunch of just like rentals, like short term rentals, because I know those can be very lucrative and I thought that'd be a wise way to go. But we kind of dipped our feet into an Airbnb and I realized how much more of a time, you know, it sucks away your time. Right. And it was less time I had for my family, less time for our business. And. And so I kind of realized, you know, we're just going to keep investing into ETFs, stay diversified that way and that way we can just like forget that that money exists and let it grow in the background and not have to manage all these rentals. You know, I didn't want to deal with that.

[A]

Wow, that's very wise to go. Like I'm going to move it into just investments in the market and let that create truly passive income. Instead of dealing with people destroying a house.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

And cleaning it up, is there like a terrible situation? Like were you guys the ones that like did the. Went in and like did the cleaning and everything or did you have a management company or. And was there like a bad. Oh, what's like the worst story?

[B]

There's so pool turn green Blood on beds.

[C]

Here's the thing.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Better than Blood in the Pool, I guess.

[C]

And the house. You know that movie.

[D]

I don't know. I think you somehow worse.

[C]

You know the movie Money Pit. Have you heard like, have you heard of that movie Money Pit?

[A]

I don't think so.

[C]

This house is a money pit. Basically. We actually still own it, but we need to figure out. We're like, do we try to. I'm like, do I make a whole YouTube series on trying to make our Airbnb profitable? Do I sell it because it's just kind of a headache, you know?

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Or just make it Airbnb nightmares and you basically screen people who are going to destroy the house and then that becomes a profit center.

[B]

Our friends have an Airbnb and crazy things can happen in their Airbnb.

[C]

Yeah. Wild.

[A]

Thank you for dispelling the things unspeakable.

[B]

I don't know what your content is unspeakable. I know.

[D]

Can I tell you, this is like one of my bougie goals in life. So bougie. But if I were to ever have a second home, I think I would wanna, like, own it free and clear, where I wouldn't have to rent it out because of that. Like, I'm like, if you went down to, like, up to your mountain house, I don't know, somewhere that you, like.

[B]

Feel like is your place and there's blood everywhere. You know what I mean?

[D]

Like, I know they clean it up, like, but that would be.

[B]

It doesn't feel like ours at all.

[D]

But that would be like. Yeah, that would be like my bougie goal.

[A]

That's Dave Ramsey's stance too, is he says, hey, if I have vacation property, I'm not renting it out. I want it to be for me.

[D]

Dave can do that.

[A]

He said rentals for rental, vacations for vacation. But a lot of people get starry eyed. They go, well, it'll make sense because we can make money off of it and we can use it. And so it sounds good in theory.

[D]

You almost have to, like, yeah, like, emotionally unplug from it to be like, it's not really art. Like, we are going in, we can stay there for free, but yet, like, other people have lived there. I don't know. That's my bougie goal.

[A]

I respect that.

[D]

Thank you. Thank you.

[A]

Green light.

[D]

So Matt and Abby are for sure, like, Internet famous, right? I mean, like, they have done such a great job with their platform, but also with the Internet, it can be great because you can watch, you know, Matt Navi, but you can also get scammed. And we don't want that. That's why Delete Me is an incredible service that goes in and removes your information from online data brokers because those data brokers will take your data and sell it to companies and that puts you at risk for scams and fraud.

[A]

Yes. And this is just some AI service. These are real data privacy experts behind the scenes all year long scouring the Internet for your information so they can remove it to help protect you. And so we want to make sure our users. Listeners. Viewers are protecting themselves online. And so Delete Me is giving you guys a really sweet deal. 20% off their annual plans. When you go to join delete me.com smart money or click the link in the description below. Stay safe out there, people. Okay, so much of Yalls life has been unplanned. But what are some ways you are planning for the future financially now?

[C]

Great question. Something that I started doing just in the past year was rather than manually putting money into our investment accounts, I just forget about it. I don't check it. I might look at it once every other month, but I just have an automatic withdrawal going in and just automatically money's being invested every month.

[A]

Preach.

[C]

That's what we do. So love that.

[A]

It sounds like he's got it figured out.

[B]

Oh, yes, he has it all figured out. Financially. He's like, this is how much we're gonna give and this is how much we're gonna.

[A]

Is there a spreadsheet? Are you guys doing a budget? What's going on here?

[C]

You know, it's funny. We always so in high school, not high school. We did meet in high school. I don't know. We met in middle school and then started dating high school. But at the time that we got married, we were so frugal that we didn't really have an official budget because we just. Our spending was really low.

[B]

Just don't do it.

[C]

Yeah, we would go out to. To get ice cream with friends because just like.

[B]

Have you ever heard of Brahms? No Brahms.

[C]

It's in southern Missouri. I think they're in Texas.

[D]

We got one head shake.

[B]

It's like a D dairy place. Like, they also have like a little grocery store. They have really cheap ice cream too. Like, I'm talking about, like, it was a dollar or something. And we were like, we're just. We're pretty full. Like, we. We just.

[C]

We wouldn't buy it because we didn't.

[B]

Even have a budget for it because we were like, this is just.

[C]

Well, it wasn't about the budget. It was just like, the reality is if I spend a dollar on ice cream a week, and then that's 52 weeks in the year. And then there's two of us now we're over a hundred dollars and like $100 for a college is a lot of money. And we're trying to get married, so just. Yeah, the math wasn't math. And I'm like, we are going to live like no one else, so we can live like no one else. And it freaking work, baby.

[A]

So is that guy still inside? The guy who's crunching the numbers on the dollar? Ice cream?

[B]

You guys, if I want to buy bottled water, I'm literally, like, side eyeing him. I'm like, I'm gonna buy this. I get it. Because I know in his brain, he's like, why would you ever pay for water? Like, and like. And I'm just like, please don't say anything.

[C]

So, like, luxuries that. I think the stuff that means a lot to me is, like, anytime that I want a chipotle burrito, I get a chipotle burrito. Like, it could be. It could be every day now. And in college.

[A]

With guac.

[C]

With guac, dude. He gets guac now.

[D]

It's such a big deal.

[C]

And steak and guac.

[A]

I did that. Stay humble out here, man.

[B]

Come on. I was like, that's extreme.

[C]

But that's.

[A]

He can't get a bottle.

[C]

No, no, no.

[B]

I got chips. And he was like, you got chips?

[A]

He's like, we'll never financially recover from this.

[B]

He wasn't like. He was just kind of, like, proud of me. Like, he was like.

[C]

No. It feels amazing, though, because, like, there was a time where, like, like, buying Chipotle was like, we did not do that, you know, at all.

[D]

It's a big deal.

[A]

We have Chipotle at home.

[C]

Exactly.

[A]

And now you're out there living.

[B]

I know. We don't really get drinks at restaurants.

[D]

That was Winston. I remember y'. All. I mean, it was probably. We were five or six years in, and the. The man wouldn't order anything but water.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

I was like, please, like, just have a glass of, like, enjoy. Please enjoy. And he's like, I could buy a whole bottle of wine.

[B]

Like, that's what he said.

[D]

Wouldn't do it. Now he's turned the corner, and he's living the good life with me.

[A]

This begs the question, were you guys an appetizer and dessert family growing up?

[C]

No.

[A]

Or was it an entree and water situation?

[C]

We weren't even a movie theater. Popcorn.

[B]

They weren't even eating out family, like.

[C]

Because when I took Abby on a date to the theaters, she was like, we're just going to, like, eat, like, not eat anything and watch a movie. Like, that's freaking weird.

[B]

I was kind of surprised there was no popcorn.

[A]

So you had. Your upbringing was a little more like, let's go out.

[B]

Yes. You went out to eat. We certainly did. And that was like, my parents, like, that was their fun thing to do. We lived in a small town. We didn't, like, get. That was, like, the activity.

[A]

Like, what was the restaurant, what was the go to?

[B]

Applebee's was good.

[D]

Yes. Do you have an Olive Garden?

[B]

Nope, we did not. We did have TGI Fridays, and it was like a bougie time.

[D]

His appetizers were great.

[B]

I remember getting so mad at my little brother, though, because he would order ribs at TJ Fridays as, like, a 7 year old. He's like, I'll get a half rack and a lemonade. I was like, like, blake, this is so extravagant. Like, my parents didn't really put restrictions on what we ordered.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

But in my head, in my own head, I was like, I'm gonna get the cheapest thing. I don't know why.

[D]

Oh, interesting. It's a scarcity mentality.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Even from, like, a little kid.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I would be like, get water. Like, I was like, stop. My parents weren't telling him to do that.

[C]

My brothers and I would put the sweetener packets in our waters because we're like, hey, this. It's like our own soda, you know, like, this is kind of cool.

[A]

Just sweet water is what you're drinking.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. You put, like, the sugar packets or the sweet and low.

[A]

At least have some lemon in there.

[C]

I know.

[B]

Sometimes the lemon wedge.

[D]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Wow.

[D]

So good.

[A]

Look at you. Now that's impressive.

[D]

I know. Well done, you guys.

[A]

So current day, what does money look like for you guys now that you're out of that phase of life? Like, are you talking about, hey, here's what's coming in this month. Here's what our big expenditures are. Or are you just vibing?

[B]

We really should have more conversations about it. In my head, I'm like, the more I know, the more it stresses me out. But I know it wouldn't be. It shouldn't be that way. Like, I think the more I know about it, the more it should be like, okay, we're gonna make it happen. Like, I don't know why.

[A]

If anybody convince you that a budget is permission to spend, it's Rachel Cruz.

[D]

She can do it.

[A]

We're gonna get you there.

[D]

No, but I get it. Like, being oblivious.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Almost just feels better sometimes. So I get that. No, that makes sense, I think.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

It's less scary than you probably think. Yeah.

[C]

I would say it's more so, like, we budge. Like, at least the way I do it is I, like, budget in my head, so I'm like, okay, like, percentage of overall revenue. Like, a Chipotle burrito is not that much, so we're good there. If it's a larger purchase, though, you're like, okay, you know, this. This is expensive. Like, you can't. If you're gonna make a. Make a big purchase. Yeah, you can't make many of those. Like, maybe it's just like a once a year thing.

[D]

Right, right.

[C]

So you have to be wise with that and also make sure that you have enough left in your. Left in the bank to give. Because we. We're always wanting to make that a big part of what we do as well.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah, I love that.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Okay, so for your life today, if you guys, like, if everything went away, you're like, anonymous. Tomorrow, what would you be doing?

[B]

I told Matt that in my 30s or 40s, I'm going to be a real estate agent.

[A]

Oh, nice.

[D]

I can see that.

[B]

Houses. Like, I love, like, I just, like, look at listings around us all the time, wherever we go. I love looking at listings. But more than that, I love, like, being, like, with people and, like, talking about, like, what do you need? Like, what. What do you envision for your future? Like, in this house? Like, you're gonna host. You need to have a good guest space. Like, what do you need in the backyard? I, like, love all of that and I loved every part of, like, the house searching process. So I know there's definitely not glamorous sides to it, but.

[D]

No, you would be good, though.

[C]

Abby would.

[D]

Yeah, you would do really well.

[B]

I think it'd be really fun.

[D]

That's fun.

[B]

I like, came out to our family. I was like, my next career, guys. Everyone ready? Encore.

[D]

Career.

[A]

Yeah. At 32, I'm retired.

[B]

They were like, thank God she's not doing this anymore.

[C]

I think when we realized that, though, we did a brand deal with this travel company and they wanted us to do a tour of the house. So naturally, like, Abby's, you know, so good on camera. I'm like, babe, I'll just record you. You just give it to her and she does this tour of the house. I'm like, babe, you're really good.

[B]

I don't even know what you're talking about.

[C]

Remember the wander house in Bannon, Oregon, when you did that first house tour?

[B]

That's funny.

[C]

You're just a natural.

[B]

Thank you. What are you gonna do?

[C]

What are you gonna do if this all went away. I probably, like, day job would be something in financial planning. Probably.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Because I think that'd be. That. That's, like, what I was going to school for, but, like, passion project, which would be if. If it would have worked, assuming this didn't happen, would be Swinging Entertainment. So maybe music just have, you know, doing something with film or television.

[A]

I don't know. Professional dancer.

[C]

Potentially have to work on my skills.

[D]

You guys were in the, like, theater world. You said that's how you met. Hey, do you want your boys to do it? Like, do you love. I don't have kids in that world, but my middle. I feel like, could.

[B]

Okay.

[D]

And I kind of. They did, like, a camp this summer on a Broadway camp. It was so sweet, and I loved it. I'm like, I think I could be a theater mom.

[A]

Did she thrive? Oh, in that environment?

[D]

Oh, yeah. It's on video, and it's funny. I was like, oh, my gosh, girl. But would y' all want to be theater parents?

[B]

I would love it. I would love any. I'm like, wherever. I can't. I keep trying to put interest on them, like, oh, he's into such and such. And I'm like, it's just me, like, just so excited to see what they're gonna become.

[D]

Totally.

[B]

But I'm like, I'm putting this on you right now. I'm like, let's just follow. Follow where they go. So. Yeah, I would love it.

[D]

So fun.

[B]

I bet every performance.

[D]

Oh, cheers.

[B]

That's how my family was. They went to every show. Not even just, like, every show I was in, but every performance of every.

[D]

Show they went to every single one. Like, the matinee and then, like, the. Like.

[B]

Oh, yeah, they were there.

[D]

Good for them.

[B]

That's how special.

[D]

I think it's so fun. Okay, so as we kind of wrap up some takeaways. There's been. There's been a lot. You guys, thank you all so much for, like, all the input about your lives and stuff. I feel like it's always really interesting to hear from people. So there's one question we're all four are gonna answer. Uh.

[A]

Oh.

[D]

You ready, George? Okay. What's the biggest financial lesson that you've learned in the last five years? So. Oh, that's 2020. So we're going back. Like, let's go. Like, did we go Covid?

[A]

Like, think of COVID Oh, boy. Yeah.

[D]

I guess timeline wise, that's what it was. That's been five years.

[A]

That's just math. That's the Math.

[D]

That's the math. That's the math.

[A]

And how long you guys been married? How many?

[D]

Six. Pandemic.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Okay.

[A]

Nothing six years creates a bond like that.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Biggest financial lesson.

[D]

Yeah. Biggest lesson you've learned?

[B]

This isn't really on track because I don't really partake in finances as much. But as far as, like, money goes, like, a lesson I've noticed is that what people spend is not an indicator of what they make. And, like, no, I think that's, like, a lot. So I'm like, some of the people that have the flashiest things, I must be like, they are rolling in it. And then the more you kind of like, crack beneath the surface purpose, you're like, no, they actually have a lot less than what this person has who's living a much more humble lifestyle.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Well done. Well said.

[B]

That has surprised me because we've met some very, like, affluent people.

[D]

Sure. Yeah.

[B]

And I'm like, I don't think the rest of the world has any idea, like, what's going on.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

And vice versa.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Making, like, snap judgments of, like, what you assume.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

It's so true.

[B]

Like, they have this car and I'm like, I don't know. I don't know what's going on. I don't believe it. Yeah.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't believe it.

[D]

I don't believe it.

[A]

Never assume the Internet is telling you the truth.

[D]

It is true.

[A]

That's a good life lesson.

[D]

That is good.

[C]

Yeah. And I think. I think for me, it was probably, money can't fix all your problems. I think, like, there was a point in time where I essentially just got to, like, a really low point and not to get, like, too deep and stuff, but it was just. It was like, wow, I've been more successful than I ever thought I would at this age. And. And yet I'm like, yeah, things are tough. And it's just. It's like coming back from that, it's been like, really eye opening just to fully spend time with my family. I actually work less now than I've worked in years. Like, for a while I was working like 80 hours a week just with all the editing and stuff. But I've just found so much joy in being a dad and hopping in the pool with the boys every day at 5 o' clock and just like, teaching my son how to swim. Yeah. And like, that. You can't put a price tag on that.

[D]

Totally. I know Jim Carrey has a quote. He said, I. I wish every person could become rich and famous so they could know it's not the answer 100% because. Yeah, it's like this belief for some reason that like these things are going to like satisfy.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Like somehow. Yeah. Like you're saying like solve everything and then if you get it, you're like, nope, there are still issues and it's still me, you know, like, yeah, it's good.

[A]

Mine will be that the biggest financial lesson is that the goal post is always moving. So you have to learn to be content and to be present. Because I've met with and interviewed a lot of people who are doing very well financially. And I always go, it sort of made me ask the question and then what? Yeah, well, I want to have this many property. I want to have this net worth. And then what? And there's really no answer other than just an endless chase. It feels very ecclesiastical and very emo. But that kind of gave me perspective to be okay with my current situation, my current goals, and not always want to chase more because as you hit it, you go, well, yeah, we hit this network, but now we want to go for this. And there's an unhealthy chasing there that I think the people who are the most grounded, they're just present, they're here. They don't care about the next goal and the next goal post.

[C]

Totally.

[A]

They're still driven, they have goals, but it's not the end all, be all. So that's the lesson I've learned as I've been chasing for the last five or 10 years. It just feels good to just let go and be okay with where I'm at and be present.

[C]

That's really good.

[D]

Let's say let go and let God.

[A]

Let go and like God, there it is. I didn't want to get too biblical because that's I think Proverbs second opinions.

[D]

Is that really from proverbs? No, no, it's not in that.

[A]

Like a.

[B]

Like a.

[A]

Could be in the message. Haven't checked.

[D]

In the message version. I would say for me it's a.

[B]

Little bit along the.

[D]

It's kind of the same token, a little bit of what you guys have said. But I think the more creative and free something is, the better experience I have. So like I can go and like buy like a really great vacation and it's awesome and so like nice hotel, all of it. But it's like the quirky parts of life that like you kind of have to like be creative or think through or something spontaneous happens that you weren't planning. But it wasn't expensive. Like those create more memories for me than like the big thing. So like with our family. Cause we were talking about it earlier, like even like the, like riding bikes in the high school parking lot. Like, you know, like these like quirky things that my kids like latch onto especially. They're not like the big extravagant stuff. It's like these like random little things that they want to do, like dance parties around the pool or whatever. Like, like that's all they're wanting to do. But I'm like, oh yeah, this, it takes more effort usually from me versus like paying someone to do something. I'm like, oh, it's like me being involved and it usually doesn't cost a lot. So that's where I find more recently. It's probably because the kids, but I don't know, it's more enjoyable.

[C]

Isn't that funny how kids operate that way? I mean, they, they can't tell that like a three or four year old is not going to care if you spent, you know, 20 bucks on their birthday party or, you know, a thousand dollars. It makes no difference really. Like they just want to know that you're there and you love them and you're gonna like, be physically present and mentally present.

[D]

Yes. Yes. It's so true. It is so true. Yes.

[A]

Beautiful.

[D]

Love it. Y' all too good. I'm excited to tell you guys about our new sponsor, Fairwinds. So Fairwinds is a credit union, not a bank, which I love because that means they're putting people over profit. And for most banks that you put your money with, financial institutions, you're just an account number. Like they don't, they don't know you. They don't really care about you, the nickel and dime you to death with stuff. But Fairwinds has people as like their priority. And I love that. I feel like that's how we are with Ramsey. We want people to be taken care of. And we love that Fairwinds now is one of our sponsors because they do that with you and your money.

[A]

Yes. We always tell people, avoid these gigantic corporation banks that are out there to fee you to death. Instead, join a local credit union. In this case, this one's national, so you can join from anywhere. And here's the best part. They exist to serve their members, not make a profit. So their earnings are returned to the members in the form of lower fees, better rates and dividends. So be sure to check them out. You can go to Fairwinds.org Ramsey to join today. And remember, people over profits that's what you want out of your bank.

[D]

All right, before we get to our guilty as charged segments, let's give a rating for the drink and George and let us know what's in it.

[A]

Okay, this is the Moscow Mule mocktail. Who finished first? I'm gonna go with Matt on this one.

[D]

Matt.

[C]

Maybe I did. Yeah.

[A]

Downed it.

[D]

I might be next. Then Abby, then George.

[A]

All right. It was really good. I'm gonna give this mocktail a 10 out of 10. I cannot improve upon it. That's how I view it. If I was gonna make this myself at home with no alcohol, it's gonna have to be this good.

[C]

Wow.

[D]

I'm gonna go eight out of ten. It was a. It was, like, a hint too limey for me.

[A]

That's what I love about it. I've always complained with mocktails, they're not punchy enough.

[D]

Okay. This was a punchy one. It's like when you drank it, it was like, wow, it's great. Yes.

[B]

10 out of 10.

[C]

I'm going to go eight as well. Yeah. I thought it was wonderful, but I want to say I've had a better one before.

[B]

You like sweet.

[C]

Not. Not. But it was great, though.

[B]

It was.

[C]

Nothing wrong with it.

[D]

Totally.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

I love it.

[A]

I'll bring you a Capri sun next time.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Wait, who made them? Now I feel bad.

[D]

No, we always. No, we've given our mocktails and we.

[A]

Hey, come on out, Mia.

[D]

No, we've given them a zero.

[A]

I've given a negative one out of ten.

[C]

Oh, my gosh.

[D]

Sometimes negative.

[C]

Oh, my goodness.

[A]

So just know that honesty is the best policy around here. Their feelings aren't hurt, all right?

[C]

They have no feelings.

[D]

It's just ingredients.

[A]

They were given a recipe, and they make it. You know what I mean?

[C]

Yeah. Okay, so, like, when your wife. If your wife cooks you a meal, do you have the same flaws? We don't do right now.

[A]

We do not do ratings at home.

[B]

Doubt the same mindset.

[A]

I just.

[C]

It won't eat in silence. It's just the recipe, right?

[D]

It's just the recipe.

[A]

If I love it, I eat in silence. If I hate it, I eat in silence.

[B]

Oh, wait, I have a story for you.

[D]

You.

[B]

I one time made dinner. I come downstairs, the next morning in the trash can was door dashed. Chick fil A.

[A]

I said, does that count as cheating?

[B]

It kind of felt like cheating. I was like, I saw something in the trash where he's like.

[C]

It just sounded good.

[B]

No, you did not eat your dinner, though. I was like, I'll never make that again.

[D]

Not doing that one.

[A]

Can't blame that on a child when they're two. Nice try.

[D]

Winston will always say, I wouldn't make this again. Okay, good to know.

[A]

That's a nice. That's the nicest thing he could say.

[B]

No, I. We make our kids say that. We're like, thanks. What do we. What does Griffin say? It's not my favorite. He's allowed to say, it's not my favorite.

[A]

That's like a Southern dis. It's not my favorite. Well, you want to know how much this drink cost to make it home?

[D]

Yes.

[A]

155.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

1950S pricing right there. It's got ginger beer, which again is non alcoholic. It's just like a spicier version of ginger ale. It's got sparkling water and lime juice. That's about as simple as it gets.

[C]

Oh, my goodness.

[D]

Yeah, easy enough.

[A]

Get the recipe in the show notes. If that wasn't simple enough, give it a try this weekend. Give it to the kids. It's safe.

[C]

They can drink it, Mark.

[A]

Safe for homeschoolers on this drink.

[C]

Here we go.

[A]

We're having a good time.

[D]

All right, now it's time for Guilty as charged. And this is where we ask each other a guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. So here it is. You right guys ready? Is there a harmless habit your spouse has that makes you unreasonably angry?

[A]

So many to choose from.

[D]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Matt has alarms going off all day long.

[D]

Oh, that's a good one.

[B]

Okay. For what? This morning I was like, turn all those off. I could see like four on.

[A]

Or is it just for waking up?

[B]

No, to get out the door to like, to. I don't even know. He doesn't even know what they're for. Like, it goes off and he's like, like I see him thinking. Doesn't label it. And he doesn't turn. If he can't find his phone. It's just going off in the house.

[A]

What alarm. What alarm sound do you use on the phone?

[C]

Just like the da da da da da. The really loud, annoying.

[A]

The most jarring one.

[C]

The most jarring one.

[B]

And the offshoot of this habit is he loses his AirPods constantly. And then he'll just do that. Ding, ding ding ding, ding, ding ding ding ding. D forever. I hate, like, little sounds like that.

[D]

It's just constant.

[B]

It's just so many. I'm like, get it under control.

[C]

I. I've got adhd so it like, it kind of helps keep me on track if I have alarm set.

[D]

Yes.

[C]

Cuz I'm like, why is this alarm going? I'm like, oh, the conference call. And then I like hop on my computer, you know, so it's just make sure that I don't miss things on my calendar.

[A]

Hey, keep it going. We got all day for this.

[B]

He has a very heavy foot. So we have a two story happy.

[C]

This could be a whole hour long episode.

[B]

Literally. Give me the mic. Okay, here.

[D]

Here's my time to shine. We don't want to talk about finances.

[A]

I yield my time to Abby.

[B]

Spend so much time with him. Okay, so our bedroom is directly below our kitchen and living room. I can literally just sit there and I'm like, it's like Matt's foot. It's like dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. Like just everyone in the house can hear where Matt is at all times because his heel is just so.

[C]

Wait, did you say this? That our son got that from me too?

[B]

And then our son does it too. Like he's like.

[C]

And I got it from my mom. My mom has that heavy foot too. So it's just like trickling down maybe.

[A]

I was like, it was like a generational DNA thing.

[C]

Yeah. Just walking on her heels, you know?

[D]

That is so funny.

[B]

Oh my God. Like everyone's like, what's happening? Like, that's just Matt.

[D]

What's happening?

[B]

He just probably went pee or something.

[C]

Hey. I will say the alarms though were. I want to say in a way to take care of you because I know you wanted to get McDonald's before our recording this morning. So then I was like, okay, I need to. If we're gonna. It's a 40 minute drive. So then we have to leave at least 10 minutes before that and then we can schedule it. And it worked out. We got McDonald's.

[B]

Four alarms later, we made it.

[D]

We got it in.

[B]

Ding, ding.

[D]

You know, I'll do with Alexa and I'll do a random number just cause it makes me feel better. But I'm like, Alexa, set an alarm for. Oh no, people's. Alexa's gonna go off. You're mad at me. Okay, set an alarm for eight minutes and I'll like clean the kitchen just for eight minutes. And when the alarm goes off, I'm done. But it like makes me feel like that's 10. But like it makes me feel like I can do. Or I clean my closet. My closet gets.

[B]

It's a hack.

[A]

That's really smart.

[D]

It's so Terrible. But I'm like, like, just six minutes. Just for six minutes, and I can do it. And then regardless of if it's clean or not, I get to leave.

[C]

Wait, why six? Why not five?

[D]

Exactly. That's it. Because you got to go off. You can't do, like, random number. Yeah, you got to do a random number because it feels better.

[C]

Mine is always five. I'm like, if I can just start for five minutes, sometimes it'll, like, make me, like, actually have fun doing the task that I didn't want to do. And so that's what I do sometimes.

[D]

I know. Before Alexa, I would do our microwave timer. Y'. All, Winston, like, this would be Winston's. He would laugh. I would, like, go on our microwave and set a timer for, like, eight minutes and be like, when that alarm goes off.

[A]

I didn't even know you could do that without turning on the microwave.

[B]

Oh, sure.

[A]

Monster uses her microwave as a timer.

[D]

Before Alexa, I would. All the time. Wow. All the time.

[A]

That's a good one. Matt. It's your time to shine.

[B]

He can never come up with something for this stuff.

[C]

Wait, it's like.

[A]

It's called being a good husband.

[C]

Drives us crazy. I can't. I don't. I don't have a good one. I don't know what to say.

[A]

Harmless habit that makes you unreasonably angry.

[D]

Firewater, Bottled water. Do you drink it all? Sometimes. I got.

[B]

If I buy bottled water.

[C]

Oh. Oh. This kind of ties into it. So, like, I feel like Abby is so good at cooking. Like, she's a chef. Like, she's so talented. So I really like her food. I think it's really good. So I'll compliment her food a lot, but if it's a time that I don't say a compliment, I feel like I. I get worried. I'm like, crap. I can't say it's bad, so then I don't know what to do because I feel like you're onto me. You know that I don't like the dinner.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm like, say it right now.

[A]

So she corners you.

[C]

Yeah. She's like, you don't like it? And I'm like, no. The chick fil A that I got was. Has nothing to do with this at all.

[D]

I love it.

[B]

I can't read him like a book.

[C]

That was a really bad one. But I'm sure there's. There's something.

[A]

She's perfect. We get it.

[B]

I got lots of good.

[D]

No, Winston's for me would be driving. He's so he can be so inconsistent. He either drives like a grandpa and he like, literally will pull out of our driveway, like, go, go. Just go.

[B]

Ah. Or he speeds and gets so close.

[D]

To people, like, with their tail. And I'm like, I'm a gasper. Like, I'm like a. Oh, my God.

[B]

I grabbed the ceiling.

[D]

Cause you're so close. Yeah. Oh, yeah, it was. I saw this. It's not gonna be funny, but I saw this Instagram and he sent it to me. We were both dying laughing. So it's like a car. So they have one dog driving, and the other one is like the Chihuahua. Have you seen? It's like crying. It looks like this really sad Chihuahua. And it says above it when I see brake lights. But my husband has already given me the do you want to drive? Speech, so I can't say anything. And he's like crying the passeng. See, I was like, that's like me.

[A]

That's relatable content.

[D]

That's how I feel. That's literally how I feel. Cuz I'm always like. I'm either like, speed up, speed up. I made him get a ticket. Did you know that? Winston. On our second date, y'. All. Cuz I told him he could drive faster on the interstate. He did. He got pulled over and got a ticket.

[A]

That's delicious.

[D]

So all the driving with Winston. Trust me.

[B]

No. He certainly gets annoyed when I make comments when he drives. This actually happened last night from the airport.

[D]

I do it all the time. And parking spots. I always see a parking spot. I'm like, park there, there. Go there, go there.

[A]

Hey, note to anybody watching. Gasping never helps.

[D]

I know.

[C]

I always get lost at the airport. I actually got lost at the National Airport and the Phoenix Airport. Even with my. With the navigation too. Like, it's just. There's so many ways to go. You're like, crap. And then you miss the turn. Yeah. And then I get stuck.

[D]

It's hard.

[C]

Yeah. So that did happen.

[A]

All right, I'll go quick here. Laundry. My wife will leave the clothes in the dryer just sitting there. Who knows how long. Could have been days.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Now all my clothes are wrinkled.

[D]

Clean and dry, though.

[A]

It's clean and dry. But now wrinkled. It's all kerfuffled with the other clothing. So now I have to re dry it. I throw a few ice cubes in there. Re dry it to get the wrinkles out.

[C]

Is that a thing?

[A]

That's a hat. That's the hack. Ice cubes and laundry. If it's been Sitting.

[D]

I have heard that.

[A]

So that's my daily task is ice cubes in the dryer for whatever's been sitting there.

[C]

I knew you could do that with rice. Like, if you want to. If your Chinese food is a day old, you throw some ice in the rice and microwave it. I didn't know about the laundry thing. That's cool.

[A]

Blessed to be a blessing. Here we go.

[B]

And shout out to Whitney, products are wrinkle free.

[A]

Thank you.

[C]

Wow. Yeah.

[B]

Holy cow, Chris.

[A]

Straight from the dry cleaner. No, but here's the thing. She doesn't take it out of the dryer because that means she has to fold it. And she hates folding more than anything.

[D]

I appreciate that.

[A]

So therefore, she's gonna wait for me to re dry it and fold it.

[D]

You know what?

[A]

Case closed.

[C]

Honestly, that's pretty smart.

[D]

Good for you, Whitney.

[C]

I'm proud of her. How are you guys?

[D]

Team Whitney. I think it's great.

[A]

All right.

[C]

I think that's good for be a better husband. Thank you.

[A]

I get that a lot.

[C]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

That was fun. Thanks for playing.

[D]

So make sure to DM us your guilty as charged questions and maybe we'll use one on a future episode. All right, Matt and Abby, thank y' all so much.

[A]

Thank you.

[D]

So great. Okay, where can everyone find you?

[B]

Yeah, Matt and Abby, Unplanned podcast.

[C]

Yeah, the unplanned podcast. That's our show. And we also have our YouTube channel, Matt and Abby, as well as our TikTok. So.

[D]

Well, thank you guys again, so much.

[B]

No, thank you. Seriously, it was an honor.

[D]

So fun. And if you guys enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out our episode baby Q and A essentials and honest advice from me and George. That's coming up next. We'll put a link down below and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all new episode of Smart Money Happy hour.

[A]

Cheers, guys.

[D]

Cheers, everyone. Y'. All. Thank you, guys.

[B]

Thank you.