Luxury vs. Dupe (Can You Spot the Difference?)

Summary

Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel

Episode: Luxury vs. Dupe (Can You Spot the Difference?)

Date: August 6, 2026
Host: Ramsey Network

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Overview

Rachel Cruze and George Kamel dive into the rise of "dupe culture": finding budget-friendly alternatives (“dupes”) for luxury items. Through friendly banter, taste tests, and personal stories, they examine where dupes make sense—and when “the real deal” is still worth it. The episode explores perceptions of quality, the psychology behind brands, memorable dupe wins (and fails), and practical tips for smarter shopping, all with plenty of laughs and nostalgia.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Setting the Tone

• [00:05–01:23]
  • Rachel and George set the scene: dupe culture is everywhere—from clothes and makeup to food and medicine.
  • Rachel: "I love a dupe. I don't need designer shoes... Most of the time, give me the dupe."
  • The episode will feature competitions to see if they can spot the difference between luxury products and their dupes.

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2. What Is 'Dupe Culture'?

• [01:23–02:30]
  • George describes it as a major trend, especially among younger generations seeking to save money without sacrificing style.
  • Rachel notes, "You can give me something that's maybe a little less quality, but I'm gonna be paying a fraction of the price."

---

3. Designer vs. Dupe Competition

1. Fashion

• [02:50–04:45] – [Fashion Challenge Video]
  • Public is shown two almost-identical outfits—one £3,616, the other £267.
  • Rachel and George successfully guess which is the luxury piece, using clues like fabric texture and stitching.
  • Memorable Quote:
    Rachel [04:37]: "If you're that close, you're a creep. And if your friends care about that, get new friends."
• Discussion: The differences are often minimal; major savings are possible.

2. Makeup

• [04:46–07:12] – [Makeup Challenge]
  • Half-face “dupe” vs. high-end (Chanel, YSL). Rachel and George can't correctly identify which is which—the drugstore dupe is nearly indistinguishable.
  • Memorable Quote:
    George [07:26]: "You think in your mind Urban Decay is luxury. No, it's just the same company, different marketing."
  • Insight: Most makeup brands are owned by a few conglomerates; packaging and marketing drive perception more than formula.

3. Viral Influencer Pajamas

• [08:14–10:33]
  • A TikTok-popular robe: £22 dupe vs. £110 original. The visual difference is hard to spot.
  • Conversation diverges into whether European accents make any product seem fancier!
  • Rachel notes, "The quality—I'm gonna be honest—you'll have a quality difference," highlighting material lists as a shopping hack.

4. Medicine—The Ultimate Dupe

• [10:46–13:41]
  • Debate: branded vs. generic pharmaceuticals.
  • Rachel admits to a brand bias, George always goes generic.
  • Rachel: "Can I trust them? I don't know why I can trust Tylenol, but I can't trust Acetaminophen... Wow."
  • They reminisce about dupe strategies of the '90s (burnt CDs, fake IDs, Chinatown designer knock-offs), noting how "dupes" are more sophisticated today.

5. Dupe Wins

• [15:02–17:28]
  • Amazon is called the “dupe kingdom” (athleisure, home goods, etc.).
  • George mentions using reverse image search to find high-end-looking furniture for a fraction of the price.

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4. The Kirkland (Costco) Effect

• [18:38–23:12]
  • Kirkland Signature products are often as good or better than their name-brand counterparts, sometimes compelling name brands to drop prices to compete.
  • Rachel: "I think Kirkland is classy. With one exception, everything I've tried is great, except maybe the batteries."

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5. When Dupes Don't Cut It

• [23:14–24:25]
  • Rachel is adamant: some items shouldn’t be duped—namely, Cozy Earth robes/pajamas ("Can't be replicated. Worth the price.").
  • Discussion: Service and warranties (like a 100-night trial at Cozy Earth) are often the true premium.

---

6. Food Taste Test: Name Brand vs. Generic

[24:25–33:44]

Multiple rounds where Rachel and George blindly taste-test pairs of popular grocery staples:

• Frosted Flakes ([25:31]): Both immediately recognize the thinner, distinctly flavored real thing.
• Lay's Potato Chips ([27:04]): Name brand wins on crunch, salt, quality.
• Reese’s Cups vs. Trader Joe’s PB Cups ([28:26–29:50]): Split decision—Rachel prefers classic Reese’s, George likes dark chocolate TJ’s dupe.
• Swedish Fish vs. Smart Sweets ([30:01–31:43]): Both prefer the (healthier) dupe, though it costs more; real Swedish Fish are tough to chew.
• Cherry Coke vs. Olipop ([31:53–33:14]): They notice the higher price for "healthier" Olipop but appreciate its flavor; Rachel: "I'm not mad at the syrupiness [of Coke], but Olipop is good."

Quote:
George [33:44]: "The less ingredients, the more you charge. That's how it works in America."

7. Dupe Dealbreakers & Shopping Strategies

• [34:01–35:36]
  • Some categories (e.g., mustard, ranch dressing) have irreplaceable brand tastes.
  • Tip: Compare price/unit or ounce; sometimes store brand is a great deal, sometimes not.

8. When You Shouldn't Dupe: Money & Financial Strategies

• [35:36–36:43]
  • Rachel: "When it comes to financial advice... don't try to have shortcuts. Shortcuts usually don't take you where you want to go financially."
  • George plugs his book Breaking Free From Broke: “If you follow the trends, you’ll fall for the traps.”

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9. Guilty as Charged – Audience Q&A Round

• [39:06–42:43]
  • Have you ever bought a dupe that backfired?
    • George: Tried to gift his wife a Walmart dupe of a designer Louis Vuitton purse. Total fail—immediate return!
    • Rachel: Accidentally fell for a scam site selling "Tory Burch" flats—received terrible quality, chemical-smelling, unwearable knock-offs.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rachel (On social pressure to buy luxury):
  [04:40] "If your friends care about that, get new friends. Let's be honest."
• George:
  [07:26] "You think Urban Decay is luxury. No, it's just the same company, different marketing."
• Rachel (About duping brands):
  [13:08] "We, like, did burnt CDs and fake IDs. Not that I ever did..."
• Rachel (About Cozy Earth):
  [23:15] "It can't be replicated—worth the price for sure."
• George (Generic medicines):
  [11:22] "100% [I buy generic]."
• On financial products:
  [36:32] George: "If you follow the trends, you’ll fall for the traps…”
  [37:11] “That’s one way to spot a dupe. If they just popped up out of nowhere, that’s when your spidey senses should go off."
• On taste tests:
  [26:24] Rachel: "You know what? It took me back to when I'm, like, 5 years old with a bowl of Frosted Flakes."
• On failed dupes:
  [39:58] George (about Walmart purse): "It was like I got catfished. The leather looked terrible." [41:49] Rachel (about dupe shoes): "It smelled terrible. The shoe was like a brick. It wasn't even like a real shoe."

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [00:05] – Introduction, show premise, dupe culture basics
• [02:50] – First competition: Spot the luxury outfit
• [04:46] – Makeup challenge: High-end vs. drugstore
• [07:26] – Who owns all these makeup brands? Insight into conglomerates
• [08:14] – The viral influencer pajama dupe challenge
• [10:46] – Medicine: Is generic really the same?
• [13:41] – '90s & early 2000s dupe nostalgia (burnt CDs, Chinatown fakes)
• [15:02] – Amazon & reverse image searching for home decor dupes
• [18:38] – Kirkland’s impact on name brands & funny battery debate
• [23:14] – Cozy Earth: When the name brand is worth it
• [24:25] – Food dupe taste tests: Frosted Flakes, Lay’s, Reese’s, Swedish Fish, Olipop
• [33:44] – The "healthier" dupe conundrum (better ingredients, higher price)
• [36:32] – Don’t go cheap on financial products/advice
• [39:06] – Guilty as Charged: Epic dupe FAIL stories

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Episode Conclusion

Rachel and George conclude that dupe culture can be a huge money saver in the right context, but sometimes the original is worth it for taste, quality, or service. Financially, taking reputable strategies—not shortcuts—is crucial. For everything else? Experiment, compare, and don’t be fooled by marketing—unless you really love that bumblebee on your Honey Nut Cheerios.

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Recommended Next Episode:

"Financial Experts Rank the Worst Spending Habits"

Don’t miss it—subscribe for future Smart Money Happy Hour episodes!

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[A]

Taste tests, trends, friendly competition. Today we're breaking down dupe culture. But don't worry, as always, this episode is the real deal. Is that true? Emilio's in the room. I wanna just get verification.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. I need my husband to come in.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. You hold it up to the light.

[B]

Uh huh. Ooh. Hey, guys, I'm rachel cruz.

[A]

I'm george camel and this is sm money happy hour.

[B]

All right. Oh, all right. 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 content at hand, let's talk about what we're sipping on. This is a strawberry kiwi smash, as evidenced by the.

[B]

And it looks happy.

[A]

A garnished kiwi. I've never seen that. I never thought about doing that. Are you a kiwi fan?

[B]

I don't know if I'm eating a strawberry.

[A]

What did you just eat?

[B]

A big old hunk of strawberry.

[A]

Strawberry is in it. Stick around for the end. You're gonna wanna know our rating and we're gonna reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode. All right, Today we're camping out in dupe city. Population us. There you go. Can you explain George culture? Cause people out there, especially the men, that's a great.

[B]

This is like a dream come true of an episode for me. Do you know that?

[A]

Because you love a dupe.

[B]

I love a dupe.

[A]

You know, you love the fake out.

[B]

I don't need. I don't need designer shoes. I don't need. I don't need name brand clothes and stuff, you know, like, I can appreciate something nice, but every now and then I'm like. Or most of the time it's like, yeah, give me the dupe. And so we're going to, though, start this episode and end this episode, George, in a little competition.

[A]

Why does everything have to be a competition?

[B]

It's the best. Cause I win. I like to win. All I do is win.

[A]

But then I just let you win, which takes out all the fun things.

[B]

Stop. Come on, play the. Play the game. Play.

[A]

All right, I'll play. So dupe culture is big and we're all about, you know, smart spending around here, saving money where you can. And I think dupe culture is one of the better trends to come out of the more recent generations.

[B]

I think that's fair because it's saying, hey, I don't, I don't need the name brand thing. Yeah, you can Give me things that's maybe a little less quality, but I'm going to be paying a fraction of the price.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And I'm good with that.

[A]

And this is across all categories. Makeup, clothing, food.

[B]

Yes. Through it all.

[A]

Name it. There's a generic brand for it, including medicine. Take that, big pharma. We're coming after you today. All right, so we're going to do a guess the dupe food challenge later on. But first we're going to try to spot the designer outfit versus the dupe version. And we're going to do a couple rounds of this because Rachel will demand that there's a clear winner. Can't just be one and done.

[B]

No, no, no. We're going to go. We're going to go three rounds on this one. Okay, so you got video number one. George, you got to.

[A]

All right, here's our first dupe video, courtesy of producer Jenna and see what she whipped up for us.

[B]

The way your wrist is angled, I'm trying real hard. Oh, okay, here we go. One of our outfits cost £3,616, and the other cost £267. And we're asking the public to guess which one is more expensive.

[A]

I watch these online and I'm always

[B]

like, if I was ever that, I would know. That looks more expensive to me. That stitching.

[A]

Maybe not. I don't know.

[B]

Oh, that feels quite expensive, that one. Not so much. The stitching on this. This looks really quite nicely done. I'm actually going to say this one.

[A]

Now which one is more expensive?

[B]

I'm going to say the outfit on the left.

[A]

Like the more purple versus the more pink.

[B]

I don't know. I don't. I'm not sure.

[A]

Like more of a lavender.

[B]

Let me just. The one on the left. Yep. I think that one's more expensive.

[A]

I agree.

[B]

You do?

[A]

Okay, I could tell. Does the material look like higher end suede or something?

[B]

That's what it feels like. Okay. All right, here's the reveal. You're incorrect. You're incorrect. You are correct. Annie is more expensive today. Her outfit's over £3,000. We were right. We were right, George.

[A]

We were right. Okay, so I'm zooming in here.

[B]

Way to spot texture of outfits.

[A]

And there was something about the design that just looked like a little different. Not your run of the mill.

[B]

They do look similar, I'll give them that.

[A]

£3,600. That's crazy.

[B]

So much.

[A]

36, £16. I know it's fairly close, but let's just see. That's 4800 doll USD.

[B]

$4800.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Good night. Versus what?

[A]

Like she said 200 something, which is probably like 300 bucks USD somewhere.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

That's crazy. So what I'm learning is nobody cares who's walking down the street going, oh, wow, stitching.

[B]

Let me look at the stitching.

[A]

Look at the stitching on that. If you're that close, you're a creep.

[B]

And if your friends care about that, get new friends. Let's be honest. Wow.

[A]

So we were right.

[B]

All right, the next one, George, is she did. This lady did her makeup. Half of her face is drugstore makeup.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So think like just generic. L' Oreal Maybelline. Yeah, yeah. The other side, like ysl Chanel. Like, very nice.

[A]

Oh, higher end.

[B]

Designer. Designer makeup.

[A]

So not necessarily generic brand, but just a lower tier brand.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

That you'd get at like a CVS or a Walgreens.

[B]

Okay. It looks very similar. I mean, she did a fabulous job.

[A]

Is she a makeup artist or are all women makeup artists? I. I mean, it's like a Subway sandwich artist. Like, I've made a sandwich.

[B]

I mean, it literally looks the same.

[A]

I'm not seeing much. The only thing I'm noticing different is a little slightly different color.

[B]

Yeah. A little more pink versus orange hues. I'm with you. But her lips are literally this the same.

[A]

Oh, the lips too. I didn't think about that. There's some wizardry here.

[B]

Okay, I'm with you, George. The only left, Right.

[A]

Which one is drugstore? Which one is high end?

[B]

I'm going to say drugstore's left. High ends. Right.

[A]

I'll go with you on that.

[B]

Okay, so high end is on the left side, drugstore is on the right. What?

[A]

For real?

[B]

We got it wrong.

[A]

You're not joshing me.

[B]

Nope. We got. I was looking at mascara too. Is any of them a little clumpier than the other? Yeah, her middle eyelashes on the bottom. A little clumpier on the right. So that may be drugstore. You see, they're together a little bit.

[A]

I wasn't looking for the clumps.

[B]

Okay. All right. You know what, though? Dupe caught it, got us off guard.

[A]

What are your feelings on dupe for makeup?

[B]

I'm great with it.

[A]

Do you have your go to brands or are you like. No, I know this one. How do you even get into it all influencers? Cause how do you know what's.

[B]

My foundation came from Instagram. I kept seeing this brand. It's like ilm something Something I don't even know.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But it's called Wake up like this. And I thought that's a great marketing foundation name. But I love it. It's the one I've used. And then I.

[A]

It's supposed to look more natural.

[B]

And I do wear Mac, like, up for camera because it's been around for freaking, like, ever. And it does show the best on camera. But all my mascara is, like, thrive. I'll do drugstore mascara. Yeah, I'm not like a. I'm not.

[A]

You don't have a Legion style now.

[B]

NARS is great, too.

[A]

Oh, I've heard of nars.

[B]

That's middle of the road. I would say you're not quite like, on the Chanel level. There's. But NARS is nice.

[A]

I like NARS because it always sounds Australian. Nars.

[B]

Nars. Nars.

[A]

R. Nars. I like that.

[B]

So, yeah, I'm a middle of the road gal, I think is what I would say about all that.

[A]

Well, I found out some fun facts here. L' Oreal owns Maybelline, Nyx, Urban Decay, Lancome, ysl, and IT Cosmetics.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So you think in your mind.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The whole Urban Decay is luxury. No, it's just the same company, different marketing.

[B]

Different marketing.

[A]

That's crazy. Estee Lauder. Is that how I say it?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I don't want to offend Estee.

[B]

No.

[A]

You guys owns Bobby Brown, Mac, Clinique, Smashbox, and Tom Ford Beauty. That's wild. So a lot of these brands are made in the same factory, same packaging as what you can find in your local drugstore. That's pretty wild.

[B]

And under just this, that same umbrella. So you think about the marketing, you think about it all, and it's all coming from.

[A]

It's all a scam.

[B]

One ownership, for sure. I mean, each of those brands are run individually, too.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But the mothership of it all, they own it all.

[A]

So if you see two, it's like a false choice in the store. That's what bothers me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You think you have a choice. You don't.

[B]

It's all the same. Yeah. You don't know all the.

[A]

Which product from PNG do you want today?

[B]

That's right.

[A]

All right, this next one, it's apparently a viral robe pajama pattern sold by a European influencer, Matilda D. I don't know what DJ E R F sounds, but it sounds very Norwegian. I don't know. Finish maybe.

[B]

But it's priced over $100 and remains sold out online for literally years until

[A]

cheaper brands Learn how to copy the design. Let's check it out.

[B]

Guess the dupe for one or number two on the bottom is probably.

[A]

Okay, check it out. Take a good look. Take a gander. Which one is the dupe?

[B]

I mean, from the way the pictures are, you would think the first number one is the real. And the second. Cause it's like lifestyle. But I'm gonna switch it. I'm gonna say number two is the real.

[A]

You think it's a ruse?

[B]

Yep. I think they're. I think they're. They're pulling a fast one on us, George. I'm going say number two is the real one.

[A]

All right, I'll go. Number one's the real one. Just to be different.

[B]

That's what the obvious says.

[A]

Just to be different.

[B]

I. I think probably the original and that one's the dupe. So you think number one is the dupe? Probably. Am I wrong? You're correct. How much do you think each of them are? Oh, my God. It's going to be something horrific. I'm going to say what I want them to be. Yeah. Yeah. I want that one to be like 40 and that one to be like 20. Max. The dupe is 22 pounds, and the

[A]

real one is 110 pounds.

[B]

All right.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

$100 difference. I love her accent.

[A]

I think just if you're European, you get a pass. Like, everything's more interesting.

[B]

Classy. You just sound classy.

[A]

It's not fair. Can you imagine if I had a British accent?

[B]

What if you were just talking to me in smart money, Instant Riz.

[A]

If I had a classy British. Not a. Not a. You know, some British accents. Rough.

[B]

Yeah. No, but the classy. The Kate Middleton one. Yeah, she's just.

[A]

That's the accent you went with. That's. The example was dainty.

[B]

So, so dainty. So dainty. Yeah. So elegant. Love it, Love it.

[A]

We love an elegant.

[B]

I know. Okay.

[A]

All right.

[B]

So that's. That's the point, though, that you can. Now the quality. I'm gonna be honest. You'll have a quality difference.

[A]

Hard to tell just based on the look.

[B]

Yeah. Now, some dupes, like, if you look at Lululemon, like yoga pants and that kind of thing, some ones on Amazon have very much the same percentage of material. Similar, too. So, like, sometimes it's not always. Sometimes you will get more quality. Sometimes not always.

[A]

Which. That's a hack. If you see the ingredient list, you see the material it's made of, check both.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And see if it's Close.

[B]

Okay, now, you mentioned this earlier, but

[A]

medicine, this one is the biggest scam of all time.

[B]

Generic versus name brand. And I am a name brander.

[A]

I don't know why in your head it's better. What's Tylenol?

[B]

Advil.

[A]

Working.

[B]

I'm buying Tylenol and Advil.

[A]

Be honest. Because you're scared that it says acetaminophen.

[B]

Acetaminophen.

[A]

You're scared to grab that box. It's just too big of a word.

[B]

It would have been. Well, I'm just like, can I trust them? I don't know why I can trust Tylenol, but I can't trust that I don't know that brand. Wow.

[A]

So you think Advil technically has higher quality ibuprofen?

[B]

I do. It's what my subconscious says. Well, stick with what you know, Rachel. Stick with what you know. Do you go off brand for medicine?

[A]

100%?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, sometimes I'm trying to think if there's one, like, I know the name brand is slightly better.

[B]

Okay, well, what would that be? No.

[A]

Benadryl for sure. Go generic brand.

[B]

Oh, man. Really?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Makes me so nervous. Neosporin.

[A]

It's just an antihistamine. Neosporin is no better than a different brand to me.

[B]

Okay. All right. Because those are my go to now. Band Aid brand or off brand?

[A]

Oh, you know what? I only own Band Aid brand, but I don't think it's on purpose.

[B]

Just happens. They just have market share.

[A]

I bought band aids 17 years ago. Still have them.

[B]

Does Mia not go through bandaids? My kids went through.

[A]

Not for fun. Like, injury based.

[B]

Yeah. And just, like, they just would put Band Aids on. Like, we went through so many Band Aids.

[A]

Wow. Is that true? Amelia's in the room. I want to just get verification.

[B]

Yeah, my sister used it for her stuffed animal, who, like, when it ripped. And then I had this, like, glass elephant thing that I got from Hobby Lobby, and it's Leg Brook, so I used a Band aid to put it back in. Wow. Okay. So we use it like tape. It's basically what we do in our house.

[A]

I was like, how injured are your children getting on a regular basis? You ever see kids, though, that are constantly covered in Band Aids and you're like, are they hurting you?

[B]

No. I think that means you're being a child and you're outside and playing and not playing video games.

[A]

People can get hurt playing video games. Carpal tunnel is a real condition right here.

[B]

It's a real thing. It's a real thing. Okay. Yeah, the medicine thing. I know.

[A]

But, yeah. Growing up, I feel like in the house, we had name brand Advil.

[B]

Yes. Growing up. Yeah.

[A]

And then as time went on, I think generic brands.

[B]

Because the 90s, the dupe thing wasn't big in the 90s.

[A]

It was a different time.

[B]

It was. I mean, we, like, did burnt CDs and fake IDs. Not that I ever did.

[A]

You didn't do either of those?

[B]

No.

[A]

If I had to guess, you didn't know how to burn a CD.

[B]

I. Oh, no. I burn CDs all the time. And I got so many viruses on our home computer because of it. Cause I downloaded limewire.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And oh, my gosh, it'd be like, virus. And dad would be so mad at us. He's like, stop putting viruses on our computer. And I'm like, sorry. I just wanted to listen to Vitamin C graduation song again. You know what I mean? Illegal.

[A]

That was a bop. Well, the longer the file name, the more you're like, this is probably a virus. They just kept adding to the file name.

[B]

No, but, like, Linkin Park, I don't know. I go through probably all the bands that I like illegally downloaded. Wow. I know. It's so bad.

[A]

How did we all just do that and never have any ethical issue with it was because we were like, this is. The entire industry is in my head.

[B]

I'm like, they. I bought so many Mariah Carey CDs that I deserve, like, some.

[A]

You deserve to rip it.

[B]

Some free songs. Yeah.

[A]

That's fair.

[B]

Not good, though, people. Not good. And I also did Chinatown fake designer purses, too.

[A]

Oh, yeah. That's become high school and, like, high school intentionally. They want to have the Chinatown experience.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I've heard it's an event.

[B]

Yeah. You go like, behind.

[A]

Like, you go into a van, and they take you down some stairs, and

[B]

you're like, I did that? Yes, yes.

[A]

And that was back when I was a fake bag.

[B]

That was like 20 years ago. And my mom was like, all right, it's a good deal. Let's go. That's my mom.

[A]

That's amazing.

[B]

Full on. Yep. RIP ripped it. So sad.

[A]

All right. I needed a whole episode. Me and Sharon, New York City, Chinatown, fake bag experience.

[B]

I know.

[A]

She's haggling in a basement.

[B]

That was more of our stuff. It's like, you just. I don't know. It wasn't as classy as the dupes today.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I would say. Don't you think?

[A]

Yeah, I think we've. We've come a Long way in the dupe world. And I think there's more ethics now involved.

[B]

Yes, for sure.

[A]

Wow. Do you have any iconic dupe wins in your own life things? You're like, man, I got this. It's not the name brand, but it does the job as good, if not better.

[B]

But it's great.

[A]

H. I think Amazon has conquered that. Cuz every brand I get on Amazon, it's a name I cannot pronounce.

[B]

Yes. Yeah, it's a lot of. I'd say a lot of my athleisure and stuff is Amazon. And I feel like they are probably knocking off some lulu, some aloe, if you will.

[A]

I did this yesterday. I was looking for a spray mop, like a little, you know, almost like a Swiffer. And instead of going with that brand, Swiffer o Cedar, I just found a generic one that was cheaper.

[B]

That was great. There you go.

[A]

And it shipped the same day. You know, that's. I don't know how they do it. Where is it coming from?

[B]

We don't know.

[A]

They have all of these items in a single warehouse. That's crazy.

[B]

That's all. Isn't that wild to think that I need this random shirt that's in this crazy blue color and I like shirt. Be there. And at three o'.

[A]

Clock. Do you ever feel bad when they deliver it and you see them like you have an interaction with the delivery guy and I'm like, I'm sorry.

[B]

I'm so sorry.

[A]

I know. Because it's his fourth time coming by that day.

[B]

You feel bad.

[A]

It was like they're stacked on the front porch. But I apologize once. And he said, oh, don't apologize. I'm employed, thanks to you.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I went, you know what? You should be thanking me. I take it back.

[B]

I take it back. You're welcome. You're welcome.

[A]

That's good. Well, someone on our team in the content meeting for this episode, they reverse Image Searched an $1,800 set of leather chairs, found them for 600 bucks. A version of them for 600 bucks at home Depot.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Half off.

[A]

Yeah. Over. I mean, a third. That's pretty crazy.

[B]

Amazing. Oh, yeah.

[A]

And I've done this with furniture in our own house is. I'll do the reverse image search. I will find one. Whitney has this amazing thing. You probably experienced this too. Whatever the thing she finds, she doesn't know the price, but she happens to find the most expensive version of that thing.

[B]

The lamp or the. Or the rug.

[A]

So then my job is to Find a dupe that will satisfy.

[B]

That will look like it.

[A]

Yeah. Her taste.

[B]

You know what? That's fair.

[A]

It's a fun game. So we did find that World Market had some chairs for a living room that were just like the ones that we saw that were 10 times the

[B]

cost of somewhere else.

[A]

Yeah. Couple hundred bucks at World Market. Thousands.

[B]

And you found them because you searched. You did the reverse image.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So you knew it was at World Market. Well done, George. Man said, I need to call you more.

[A]

That would be a fun game. You call me, I'll help you find the dupe.

[B]

I know. Why don't I do this more?

[A]

Does Winston enjoy that or not really?

[B]

Yeah. He likes finding cheaper. Yes, I'd say cheaper items. And he's okay with it too. He's like, oh, yeah, this is great.

[A]

He's a. He's a man of simplicity.

[B]

Yeah, he likes a little. Likes to save the pennies, if you know what I mean. Well, you know the fact that you're on the Internet so much, George, looking at those dual images, you got to make sure. Got to make sure that your information is protected. And that's why delete me so big for today and 2020.

[A]

It gives me confidence when I'm online, entering all those forms, buying stuff. Because they scour all these data broker sites who somehow have your information, who are about to package it and sell it to scammers and spammers. They remove it and they do that all year long behind the scenes. Team of real people, real data privacy

[B]

experts going in there doing it all.

[A]

It's not just like AI doing its best. Real people are doing this. You can even submit your own if you find it somewh you can just send them the link and a real person handles it and sends you updates. It's great. They have a customer report they'll send you every couple months, showing you where they removed it, how much time they saved you. And it just gives me a little more peace when I'm on the Internet, which is always.

[B]

So you can get 20% off an annual plan. If you go to joindeleteme.com smartmoney we will leave a link. So make sure to click on it and yeah, get this asap.

[A]

You guys enjoy taking control of your privacy.

[B]

So important.

[A]

All right. So people love to throw shade on my, my Kirkland way of life, if you will.

[B]

Do they?

[A]

Yeah. I don't know why.

[B]

You know, I was on the show with Dave hosting Ramsey show last week, he meant. And we were talking about at funerals Someone called about a funeral. Dave was like, costco has. Has caskets. And I said, did you learn that from George Camel? Because you. You're making an impact, George.

[A]

I taught Dave Ramsay something.

[B]

Whether you like it or not, you're making an impact.

[A]

Do you think Dave would ever buy a Costco casket?

[B]

No, I don't think so.

[A]

Does he have specific, like, wishes for that? I know you guys have the annual family planning meetings.

[B]

Yeah. You know, for the funeral itself. Not really. Isn't that funny? Everything else is taken care of but that.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah. He's very much the mindset of, we'll be dead anyway, who cares? Kind of feeling, you know what I mean?

[A]

Sure.

[B]

He's like.

[A]

He's like, who cares who's on the invite list?

[B]

Yeah, like, who? I mean, I'll be gone, you know?

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Like, he doesn't care about that as much.

[A]

I just thought. I know. He likes you know, to have as much control as he can control the controllables. And who's on the invite list for the funeral? What the food is, what the music is, who's doing the eulogy.

[B]

I know. Not as picky.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah. Well, have you had. Do you have that stuff written out? I haven't even thought about it.

[A]

I haven't written out explicitly, but I think about it a lot. It's all up here, really?

[B]

Well, get it out before that shuts down.

[A]

Well, people have ideas and go, ooh, that's a good idea. I want to do that.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

Okay. I like it color themed.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Celebration Alive.

[A]

What does that mean?

[B]

Everybody wear blue and black or something? I don't know. And it's like, everyone's color coordinated. Isn't that kind of fun?

[A]

Okay. Are you thinking of the Backstreet Boys album?

[B]

Yeah, that is Backstreet Boys album.

[A]

Blue and black and blue.

[B]

I'm literally so in my subconscious at my funeral.

[A]

Also, traditionally, people tend to wear black and blue.

[B]

What is their.

[A]

No, they wear dark colors at funerals.

[B]

That sounds like a bruise. Black and blue.

[A]

They have a different album.

[B]

The album is blue and black. Blue and black.

[A]

Someone Google it. I thought it was black and blue. That just sounds better.

[B]

Black and blue.

[A]

Who's right?

[B]

I got it. I got my phone. Right.

[A]

Who's right?

[B]

Black and blue.

[A]

Neither of us

[B]

black and blue. Okay. Man, it just. That black and blue, that just feels like. Like a bruise. I don't know why that feels not great. It is. Looky here.

[A]

All right, I know my backstory.

[B]

Hey, will you please have everyone wear

[A]

those colors at yours.

[B]

Yeah. Kind of like a blue and white, though.

[A]

Why are you putting me in charge?

[B]

I don't. I don't know.

[A]

Why am I responsible?

[B]

I'll text my husband.

[A]

I'm gonna be busy grieving your loss. I can't also plan it. I'm too close. Okay.

[B]

Okay. But we're putting you in a. In a Kirkland casket, George.

[A]

Appreciate that.

[B]

We know that. We know that for sure. Yeah. But as of August 2025, Kirkland generated 90 billion in annual sales across their groceries, household goods, clothing, electronics. With total sales around 270 billion. The brand accounts for about a third of Costco's total sales.

[A]

I wonder how much of that. I think Kirkland is classy.

[B]

I think it's great.

[A]

I've rarely. There's with one exception. Everything I've tried from Kirkland Signature is great.

[B]

I think I'm going to say the same. Or I think it might be more Amazon, not Kirkland, but batteries.

[A]

Oh, well, for a while, Duracell was making Costco's batteries.

[B]

You don't get as great of a. Of a time.

[A]

You've noticed?

[B]

Yes, I think, but maybe I'm thinking Amazon battery.

[A]

You don't seem like the kind of person who's like tracking battery usage. No offense.

[B]

I know. I just feel like when we put them in remotes and stuff, I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is like you have to change it.

[A]

And it's always like the Kirkland battery.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow.

[A]

I imagine Winston's the battery changer in the house.

[B]

Hey, I know how to change batteries, George.

[A]

It's not a matter of knowing how.

[B]

Do you think I am that helpless that if I'm home and the remote didn't work and I'm like, oh my gosh, I need my husband to come in, change my batteries plus and minus. What does this mean?

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

I guess I have to wait for my husband to come. I can change batteries.

[A]

George, again, it's not that you're.

[B]

I even have screwdrivers.

[A]

It's not that you're a damsel in distress. It's just that you'd be like, nah, I'm not gonna watch TV right now. Winston can deal with it.

[B]

Work ethic is basically what he's questioning my effort level.

[A]

That is strong. Here's what. Can I give you a fun fact about Kirkland, though? When Kirkland, which is Costco's in house brand, they drop a version of a high end product. Sometimes the original product Then has to drop its prices to stay competitive because it's so popular. Think about it. Costco comes out with their own version of Lulu's. Well, The Lulu's are 70. Costco selling it for 35. So Lulu goes, all right, we got to drop the price down to 45 or 50 and just to stay competitive

[B]

because they feel it obviously.

[A]

So Costco is doing the Lord's work is what I'm trying to say.

[B]

Now one thing, I will not get a dupe of cozy earth 100%.

[A]

It can't be replicated.

[B]

No, you got to get the real thing because it feels so great. I'm thinking about the pajamas, my robes. I got two robes from Cozy Earth, by the way.

[A]

Oh yes. You got the kimono.

[B]

Did like a bamboo kimono. And then I did like a big terry cloth one that I wore this morning. It's wonderful. I love it. Our sheets, I mean, so the athleisure wear, all of it.

[A]

The bath towels, use that today.

[B]

Oh, not great. The bath sheets even bigger.

[A]

Oh, that's the one. I have.

[B]

So good.

[A]

I mean I'm a small guy so it's not hard to like cover me total in it. But I'm, I'm cocooned.

[B]

Cocooned with that beach with that sheet. Yes. But yeah, Cozy Earth is amazing and their products really are quality and it is worth the price for sure.

[A]

Well, the other thing we didn't talk about with dupes is sometimes the name brand just has better service. They stand by their products. And this goes for Cozy Earth for sure. It's a risk free purchase. You get 100 night sleep trial with their bedding, 10 year warranty. That's pretty impressive.

[B]

Amazing. Absolutely incredible. Yeah.

[A]

Whether it's for you or someone you love, give the gift of everyday luxury. Go to cozyearth.com smart money and you can get up to 20% off.

[B]

All right, next up, George, grocery edition.

[A]

Now we're talking.

[B]

One hill that I would die on is Honey Nut Cheerios.

[A]

They have a hill not going.

[B]

Yeah, that little bumblebee.

[A]

You will not buy generic brand honey nutrition.

[B]

That is my. That, that is where I draw the line when it comes to cereal. You can tell a difference.

[A]

Well, I've, I've bought some like healthy dupes that are clearly trying to be Honey Nut Cheerios.

[B]

Definitely not.

[A]

Can I drop the name of one brand that I just tried? I think it's called Seven Sundays. They make a lot of like sort of healthier cereals.

[B]

So magical.

[A]

And it was the most flavorless, tough little cheerio I've ever experienced.

[B]

So terrible.

[A]

Why even eat?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I lost my appetite.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I had to pour honey on top of it.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. You had, like, edible.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm so sorry.

[A]

Where's the honey? They were just nut Cheerios. Where's the honey?

[B]

Where's the honey? Okay, so our team put together a lot of food that we're going to taste test. George. If we can find the dupe. So the name brand versus the generic brand. If we can tell a difference.

[A]

Okay. I'm excited about this. Another competition.

[B]

All right, so first up, those. Yeah. Frosted Flakes.

[A]

We're trying to figure out which one is the real Frosted Flakes.

[B]

Mm. Oh, my gosh. These are so good. I haven't had Frosted Flakes in years. Okay, very good.

[A]

Not bad. Okay, now let's test the other one out.

[B]

Next up.

[A]

Oh, That's Frosted Flakes. 1,000%.

[B]

Wait, really?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I was gonna say opposite, George. These are so thin.

[A]

That's why I think Frosted Flakes are thinner than you Remember the crunch on them. That one had a tougher crunch.

[B]

Very different texture. Flavor. Very similar.

[A]

You know what I realized? Frosted Flakes kind of taste like a Rice Krispie treat.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna go with my gut, George, on this one. I may be different than you.

[A]

All right, you're thinking the first one.

[B]

I think the first one is the

[A]

real Tony the Tiger man.

[B]

Maybe you are right. Maybe they are thinner.

[A]

You don't have to agree with me.

[B]

You're such an influencer. Okay, I'm going with you. I do think. Okay, I think first one, number two

[A]

is the real frosted.

[B]

Number two is real frosted. Correct. Oh, my gosh. You know what? I. You know, it took me back to when I'm, like, 5 years old with a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

And you can just chew them so fat, like, and they go soggy pretty quick.

[A]

Yes. You got to go fast.

[B]

So I did context clues. Yep. All right.

[A]

Wow. With ice cold milk. Oh, let's go.

[B]

So we have more Frosted Flakes in our life. Yeah.

[A]

Can you. Do you have a tiny amount of milk you can pour into these?

[B]

Just a little. Have a little, sir. Okay.

[A]

We're doing pretty good.

[B]

Yep. All right, next up, we're going to do lays potato chips.

[A]

Here we go. Lay's potato chip. We got the ridged edition, which is a good one.

[B]

Yeah, I love potato chip, too.

[A]

Something is wildly off about this. A little stale, but aren't they a New bag.

[B]

They're new.

[A]

How are they?

[B]

I know, but they just. The texture's a little stale.

[A]

Agreed.

[B]

It's a little extra. The crunch is not as deep as I want it to be.

[A]

I don't think it's stale. I just think it's a texture crunch to it.

[B]

Yeah, but the. The texture is stale. Ish.

[A]

All right, next one.

[B]

All right, Crunch.

[A]

This is like anti ASMR right now. If you're listening at home, you got to watch this one. It's at least a little more enjoyable.

[B]

Yeah, sorry. Sorry, everyone.

[A]

Two is real.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I also noticed a little more salt content on the second one.

[B]

Yeah. Frosted flakes. You go either way. I wouldn't skip out on the potato chip. You got to go real.

[A]

Oh, way to go.

[B]

Lays lay's nose.

[A]

Way to make a brand. But I love a chip. Were you a lay's family growing up? Were you? Classic yellow bag lays.

[B]

Yeah. Then I also love the baked ones now.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

So good.

[A]

I like the barbecue ones and the salt and vinegar.

[B]

You need some.

[A]

Some salt and Vinnies.

[B]

I miss Vicky's salt. And salt and vinegar.

[A]

Those really hit amazing. I. I do like kettle cooked.

[B]

All right, next up, we're going to go sweet here. We're going to go Reese's cups versus Trader Joe's peanut butter cups.

[A]

Okay. Can I tell annoying person is the person says, you know it's not Reese's, right? It's Reese's.

[B]

Wait, what?

[A]

Yeah, Reese's Pieces. Not Reese's Pieces.

[B]

Reese's Pieces. Reese's Pieces. Reese's.

[A]

But then every time I say, can you hand me the old Reese's?

[B]

I like Reese's.

[A]

Reese's.

[B]

I'm keeping my pronunciation, but it is looking at it. I know.

[A]

We know.

[B]

Are we mad about it? We're not mad about it, though.

[A]

Well, I think the dupe is dark chocolate, to be fair, which I prefer anyways.

[B]

Can I say the Trader Joe's? These are two die for, I think.

[A]

Are these the Trader Joe's ones?

[B]

Yeah, the dark ones are.

[A]

Okay. Because I can already tell.

[B]

But that's awesome. And it's got this. You see this on top? A little.

[A]

Oh, you're right.

[B]

It's not smooth.

[A]

All right.

[B]

See, I don't like sugar.

[A]

That's really good.

[B]

I don't like sugar as much as salt.

[A]

Oh, you're salty.

[B]

I think I prefer, though, just a standard Reese's cup.

[A]

Well, milk chocolate tends to be a little softer. I'm curious how it'll hold up.

[B]

Oh, oh.

[A]

Five second Rule face down here. It's fine.

[B]

Oh, wow. It's so good. I'm going milk chocolate. I'm going Reese's. Reese's. Sorry, Trader Joe's, but all right.

[A]

That for sure was the Reese's.

[B]

Which one do you like better?

[A]

I want dark.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It's a little gummier. Like it's stuck to my teeth more.

[B]

And now isn't it great?

[A]

That's how you get cavities.

[B]

Add a toothbrush and use your electric toothbrush.

[A]

Wow. Okay, so we're three for three so far.

[B]

Yep. All right, next up is sweetest fish versus Smart sweets.

[A]

Oh, this one's gonna be an easy tell. I wanna hold both up just for comparison here. Oh, yeah.

[B]

You can really tell I am not a sweetest.

[A]

You hold it up to the light.

[B]

Uh huh. Ooh. Oh, shoot. It says it on it. George, we just cheated.

[A]

They. Why would they put the name on?

[B]

They put the name on the candy.

[A]

So proud of their brand.

[B]

I will say Swedish fish is like,

[A]

these are difficult to eat.

[B]

Oh, I don't like this kind of stuff.

[A]

Oh, she's spitting it out.

[B]

No, sweet. I just took a bite. It's like a gummy bear.

[A]

It's so difficult.

[B]

I'm not a modest sweet fisherman.

[A]

All right, try the dupe.

[B]

It's like wax, just. I can't even spit that out. It's all disintegrated in my mouth.

[A]

I much prefer the dupe, though.

[B]

I kind of like the dupe better. Wow.

[A]

It's got a sharp, sweet sweetness to it.

[B]

Look at you. Ready for this?

[A]

You're going for it.

[B]

Going for another bite. Uh huh.

[A]

Entire bag. Entire bag is 3 grams of sugar. But also those bags have like 98% fiber, so be careful.

[B]

You're just saying words. I'm not like knowing.

[A]

Have you ever looked at the back just to see. Mostly for protein or calories, I'm guessing no less so for sodium fiber.

[B]

If I'm like going for protein and I'm eating something that's not like chicken breast, I need it to tell me on the front. 20 grams of protein, 40 grams. I'm like, there we go. I don't need to be.

[A]

Wow. So you have eat protein bars that

[B]

or like shakes like Fair Life or something? Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

All right, so we know which one is which and we actually like the dupe better. So there you go.

[A]

I like the dupe better.

[B]

Save. Save your fiber.

[A]

Forgot how difficult Swedish fish are to just chew.

[B]

That was terrible. Like to the point that I spit it out. Okay. Last but not least. Oh, we got a little drinky drink. We got a little cherry ollipop O. This will be fun in a Cherry Coke. I love a cherry Coke.

[A]

You love a cherry Coke.

[B]

Moment cannot wait. Okay. All right. I think I know just by the color. Is that bad? Okay, here we go. Take a little sippy sip.

[A]

Which tells you something about the name brand Cherry Coke. What the heck is in it?

[B]

All right. I took a sip of the dark one.

[A]

It's not great.

[B]

Okay. I know.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And for what it is.

[A]

Say it.

[B]

I appreciate a lollipop for what it is. Ollipop.

[A]

Oh, yeah. I was like, we're not gonna go.

[B]

I mean, I'm assuming. Ollipop. Cherry Coke. Yeah.

[A]

100.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Now this dupe is more expensive. Let me call that out. Lollipop is a healthy luxury tier.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

They know their worth. They're charging, you know, two bucks a can out here.

[B]

Coke, though. I'm not mad at the syrupiness. It's thick.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which I'm not mad.

[A]

When I moved to the South, I found out about diet sodas.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And then I started drinking diet Dr. Pepper.

[B]

What do you mean you moved to the south and found out about diet?

[A]

Well, in Boston, we didn't have, like. I never. I didn't grow up drinking diet sodas. I think it was bigger in the South.

[B]

Oh, really?

[A]

Yeah. We had Fresco, which is technically a diet soda.

[B]

Oh, I love a fresco.

[A]

We had Fresca and V8s at the Camel House, and we were living large.

[B]

You were living big.

[A]

Yeah, but I just think the diet ones don't have the syrupiness. And I appreciate that. I think Olipop has the better flavor. I consistency.

[B]

I kind of do, too.

[A]

All right, Go Olipop.

[B]

Yeah. More expensive, though. But save your money on the Swedish fish.

[A]

Again, smart sweets. Wildly more expensive than Swedish fish, but you get.

[B]

They are.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, shoot. Never mind. We're making the people spend more money.

[A]

George, here's the thing.

[B]

Ollipops.

[A]

And we live in a very health forward culture, and so you got to know what you're putting in your body. Look at the ingredients list and go for the lower sugar cleaner. That's just where we are in today's society, you know? So I appreciate it. They got to charge more for that.

[B]

I'm mad at it.

[A]

The less ingredients, the more you charge. That's just kind of how it works in America. You notice that?

[B]

Isn't that funny?

[A]

Yeah. The most processed foods have 48 ingredients, 100%.

[B]

Which not ideal.

[A]

Definitely not. But you know, science will study our bodies to figure out what happened.

[B]

Well, you know, we saw the positive and negatives of the dupes, you know?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like some of them, it's like, yeah.

[A]

I'm not anti name brand, but I'm always curious, hey, is there a generic brand where I can save money and still get the same exact result?

[B]

Yes, yes.

[A]

That's the thing to think through.

[B]

Any horror stories that you heard?

[A]

Horror, dupe stories. I mean, it's tough to say in the food world where it's just like, you try one, you're like, oh, that was rough. You know?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Whatever it is, the store brand version of that thing does not hold up. That's where I think it happens the most. And so food. I do think if you love that brand, you can always try the generic brand. You'll probably come running back for that name brand, you know, and love.

[B]

Now, it's like a mustard, for instance. You're like, nope, that has a specific taste. That's what I like. A ranch dressing. You know what I mean? Like, there are certain.

[A]

Yeah. Are you a Hidden Valley girl?

[B]

I am. I'm not as picky with ranch. I do find homemade ranch, though. That's a game changer.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

You can taste.

[A]

I didn't know you could make it at home.

[B]

Oh, yeah. Homemade ranch. I mean, I don't.

[A]

The disconcerting thing is you taste it

[B]

and you're like, this is so good. And they're always like, yeah, we make it in house. And you're like, I can tell. I can tell.

[A]

I want to know what the heck is in ranch.

[B]

Now you got some dill in there. You got. I think it's mayonnaise based ranch. Okay. Buttermilk. I don't know. I'm making up ingredients now.

[A]

Sure, there's buttermilk. That's a flavor of ranch.

[B]

Maybe that's why. Maybe that's why I said, I'll go for it.

[A]

But it is always interesting to see the marketing when you walk into a store, where's the name brand, place? Do they have the whole end cap? Is the generic brand sort of tucked away?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Compare the prices. Go like, what's the price per unit or per ounce? And if it's wildly different, it's worth checking out the generic brand at least to try it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Give it a go.

[B]

But also, I would say dupes when it comes to financial advice, George. I wouldn't go the dupe route.

[A]

You gotta go the real deal.

[B]

I'd go the tried and true route when it Comes to your money. So yeah, don't try to have shortcuts. Think, oh, I'll just do this cheaper here and it's fine. Like make sure that what you're doing with your money, especially your habits, those are building blocks for your life. And so any shortcuts usually don't take you where you want to go financially. So think about your long term investing, living on a budget, living on less than you make. It's kind of the old school way of living with money overall, the way to do it. And you talk a lot about it in your book Breaking free from broke.

[A]

Oh yeah. Well, I, I say in the book if you follow the trends, you'll fall for the traps. And I talk about the marketing and how it affects us psychologically. I have a whole chapter called spending a self control where I walk through all of that. So check it out. We'll drop a link in the description to breaking free from broke so that you're confident in your purchases next time you go out.

[B]

Yeah. So you know what you're doing. Yeah, yeah. And also where you keep your money, you don't want that to be a dupe either. And some of these banks are just like sketchy banks. Just sketchy banks. Not good. The flavor not good.

[A]

Well, sometimes you go like, oh, they have a high apy in their savings account, but I've never even heard of them. You're like, well, if it's just a sketchy thing you saw online, maybe don't put your money there.

[B]

Don't do that. Yes. But putting your money with someone you trust like Fairwinds credit union is worth it. So Fairwinds is amazing. You can open up a smart bundle. So you have a no fee checking account, up to 10 high yield savings accounts and the debt as normal be weird blue Ramsey debit card, which I love.

[A]

I love it. And they've been around for decades. That's one way to spot a dupe. If they just popped up out of nowhere, that's when your spidey senses should go off. So these are good people. They want you to win with money. They're huge fans of us here at Ramsey. They want their own team to become debt free and the product is wonderful. So go check out that smart bundle. Just go to fairwinds.org Ramsey Yep.

[B]

So make sure to check it out. We love it and use it and so it is worth it. So again, fairwinds.org Ramsey all right, before we spill the tea on our guilty charge segment, George, let's share the details.

[A]

This was a strawberry kiwi smash. I'm trying to figure out a rating. That feels fair here.

[B]

I know, y'. All. I might be a three on this one. I'm sorry.

[A]

Yeah, I might go, too. I might go, too.

[B]

I can't.

[A]

I'm not trying to dog the person who made the drink because they're in the room. No, but you know what? I'm not getting flavor out of it.

[B]

It's.

[A]

It's too light. I want a little more punch.

[B]

Can I say a smash? I don't need food in my mouth when I'm drinking. Getting some strawberry mush and I'm like, not what I want.

[A]

A muddled strawberry isn't what I want.

[B]

No, not what again. Not the person, not the muddler.

[A]

She doesn't like.

[B]

I'm just.

[A]

I'm gonna call it floaters.

[B]

The ingredients also.

[A]

Is there a bug in there? No. It might be a spectral kiwi.

[B]

Oh, that's a seed.

[A]

I thought it was a bug.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

It's just a seed from the kiwi fruit fly.

[B]

Fruit fly and seaweed. Or fruit fly and kiwi seed.

[A]

Taste the season.

[B]

Similar. Seaweed kiwi seed.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, here's what's in it. Vodka, kiwi strawberries, lime juice, simple syrup, club soda.

[B]

I mean, that sounds good.

[A]

In theory. It should be good.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We're going low, but I think it needs a little bit more punch with the fruit and maybe a little bit

[B]

sweeter and maybe strained.

[A]

It almost tastes like a mocktail.

[B]

Yes. Yes.

[A]

I'm not really getting much of any of the ingredients, so it comes out to A$32. If you want to make it at home and perfect it. Let us know what the new recipe is. We'll try it on a future episode. How's that?

[B]

Love it. Love it.

[A]

Get the recipe in the show notes.

[B]

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. All right, George, have you ever bought a dupe that totally backfired?

[A]

Oh, man. Oh, the most famous one was for my wife. She wants a designer purse. Yeah, she's wanted one for years. Sure, we'll eventually pull the trigger, but in the meantime. Yeah, I went, hey, I found this one at Walmart, and it's a dupe. It's clearly a dupe. They're not trying to fake it. But it looks just like the Louis Vuitton purse, like the white and brown checker, you know? That one. What is called.

[B]

You probably know the name. No, I don't, but I know what you're talking about.

[A]

And it was like, that is. That's it. You could have fooled me.

[B]

Did it look so cheap when it arrived?

[A]

Arrived? It was like I got catfished.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

It was so clearly fake. The leather looked terrible. Obviously, it wasn't real leather. The stitching was off, and it was an immediate return.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

So I had to go back to Walmart, go to the customer service desk, say, here.

[B]

Tried to get this dupe, but it won't. Can't. Can't pull it against Whitney.

[A]

She's gonna be like, nope, Whitney's no fool.

[B]

She knows. She knows.

[A]

Now I have to get her a real designer purse one day.

[B]

Yeah, okay. So I bought. Which I didn't know it was a dupe. So this may not be a true. This may not fit the story for the guilty's charge. But back. This would have been, man, 2011. I'm gonna say when Tory Burch, if you remember.

[A]

Oh, Tory.

[B]

When Tory Burch had her flat ballerina shoes with the big silver Tory Burch symbol on the front on the top. Those were like, really big, like, 2011ish. Well, they. I mean, those were like, what, 150, $200? I guess. I don't know. I can't remember. But, like, they're. They're nice shoes. Maybe even more. But I was like, oh, my gosh. I. Yeah, I couldn't. I wasn't going to spend that kind of money. And so I found online, it was like, sale, and I was like, oh, my gosh. So maybe it's more of a scam story. But I clicked on it, and I bought, like, six pairs for 100 bucks or something. I thought I got a deal of a lifetime. I mean, this is unbelievable. They take forever. It took, like, three or four months to get to me. Now, listen, I don't mean to be putting what. I don't. I'm not trying to offend anybody.

[A]

Don't offend the scammers.

[B]

But the label was all in Chinese.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

On the package. On my box. And this is before Amazon. Like, this is before you ordered stuff from China, like, on Amazon, where you knew, like, oh, yeah, this is totally. This is before all that world, y'.

[A]

All. You're used to seeing, like, the name brand on there.

[B]

Yes. And I thought it was gonna be a beautiful box. You know, when you buy, like, something

[A]

brand like that, the packaging, that's what you're paying for.

[B]

Well, So I open it and I will say it smelled terrible.

[A]

A chemical smell.

[B]

It had like a smell to it. And then the shoe, like you could hit it was like a brick. It wasn't even like a real shoe anyways. I guess that's more of a scam. But that was terrible. So I had to throw them away. And I was like, I can't even wear these. Terrible. I know.

[A]

Did you contact me?

[B]

It was sad. I think I tried, but I think the email address was like all these, like, letters and stuff. You know what I mean?

[A]

So, yeah, I want to know what website this was.

[B]

Yeah, but I think it was said like, sale Tory Burch. I think, look at me getting a good deal ad. I don't remember. This was like over 10 years ago, 15 years ago. But anyways, that was. That was a bad dupe.

[A]

I'm so sorry.

[B]

Not good. It's fine. I remember it.

[A]

That's trauma.

[B]

It was. They were like, not real shoes. I was like, this is so bad. So wrong.

[A]

Bless it.

[B]

Yeah. So maybe, I don't know. But that was unintentional duping.

[A]

But sometimes you dupe yourself. That's the truth.

[B]

Wow. Well, if you have a guilty as charge question for us, make sure to DM us at Rachel Cruz and at George Camel. We love them, we see them, we screenshot them and send them to our producer, Jenna. So we appreciate you. Now, if you love this episode, you're going to love our episode. Financial experts rank the worst spending habits. We will link it for you and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.