Reacting to People Justifying Their Outrageous Spending Habits

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel
Episode Title: Reacting to People Justifying Their Outrageous Spending Habits
Date: February 19, 2026
Network: Ramsey Network

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Episode Overview

This lighthearted, candid episode invites listeners to join Rachel Cruze and George Kamel at the “happy hour you wish your friends were having.” The duo, both money experts, dive into the world of spending justifications—reacting to online confessions and viral videos that reveal how people rationalize their most outrageous purchases. They explore common “splurges,” poke fun at themselves, and discuss judgment, envy, and financial values, all while maintaining a balance between genuine advice and pure entertainment.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Universal Urge to Justify and Judge (00:05–02:30)

• Opening Vibe: The hosts acknowledge that everyone has both judged others’ spending and justified their own. Mutual confession kicks off the show: “If you ever justified an outrageous purchase or judged others for that, you're in the right place.” – George (00:05)
• Judgment is Free—But Fun: “It costs you $0 to mind your own business.” – George (01:36)
  Yet, both admit: it’s tempting and sometimes fun to judge.

2. Honest Confessions: Where Rachel and George Splurge (02:36–07:10)

• Rachel’s Indulgences:
  • Airport valet parking ("overpriced", but “my favorite thing”) (02:49)
  • Expensive shampoo: “I'm on camera a lot.” (03:36)
• George’s Guilty Pleasures:
  • Pricey haircuts and major spending on his dogs—“How much I spent on my dogs in 2025, people would go, I haven't spent that on myself in the last five years.” (04:11)
  • Dog surgery and rehab: “Blue had a disc explode in his spine…now he's been in rehab for the last several months.” (04:35)
    • Rachel gives the classic tough-love take: “If a dog has to be in a wheelchair, put the dog down.” (05:05)
• Humorous Debate: Rachel would “draw the line” at dogs in wheelchairs, but George would do anything for his fur kids.

3. What Do They Judge Others For? (07:13–09:04)

• Travel Sports for Kids: Rachel finds super-intensive youth travel teams for young kids “crazy.”
• Private School: George questions parents who opt for private school when good public options exist: “I think it's an egregious move unless you have really good reason.” (08:13)

4. Reacting to Internet Justifications for Spending (10:05–34:51)

a. Perfume Addiction (10:16–14:43)

• Perfume Influencer lists every occasion as a reason to buy a new perfume: “Did I break up with somebody? Yes...buy a new perfume!” (10:33)
• Rachel and George reflect on how consumer culture turns every mood into a spending excuse.
  • Standout Quote: “Every emotion I have is a reason to buy this.” – George (14:11)
  • Rachel adds: “The flex is, I can afford the whole car, right?” (26:24) [context: car payments, but fits perfume mentality]
• Sensible Note: Rachel rotates through three bottles; can’t relate to buying 50 a year.
• George’s zinger: “She should spend some of that on therapy, which could avoid some of the perfume spending!” (14:15)

b. Travel Sports Parental Justification (15:43–23:32)

• Youth Sports Parent breaks down the high cost of “travel ball” and rationalizes every dollar; Rachel and George point out how the system pressures parents.
  • Rachel: “So much of youth sports now is a big business.” (18:53)
  • The hosts debate the societal (and parental) pressure, with Rachel advocating for well-rounded, family-focused upbringings: “Don’t make it your entire personality.” (23:18)

c. Luxury Car Payment (24:58–27:49)

• Woman brags about her $1,300/month car payment for a vision-board car.
  • George: “Oh, you should have left it in your vision board.” (25:59)
  • Rachel: “That’s a whole mortgage. Another fair [point].” (25:59)
• Financial reality check: If she invested $1,300/month for 30 years, she’d have $3.6M at an 11% return (27:17)

d. NYC Apartment Splurge (27:51–31:27)

• Roommate defends $6,000/month for a flexed one-bedroom with a Manhattan view.
  • George jokes about “the capital of the world” (29:15)
  • The hosts (surprisingly) condone the spending if it fits the person’s dreams and means.
  • Rachel: “If anything, you may be saving on rent this way versus your own place.” (31:02)

e. Disney Adult, “Mouse Life” (31:32–34:51)

• Disney fan reasons annual, even multiple trips, haven’t let her “do everything at Disney yet.”
  • George: “She fell for the gamification where an app tells you…there’s more to explore.” (32:22)
  • The spending is only a red flag if it derails other financial goals.

f. $30 Yeti Mug ‘Cost per Use’ Justification (36:12–40:41)

• Rationalizing expensive, high-quality items by dividing the price by frequency of use; Rachel and George agree when value is real, the math can make sense: “The cost per use is actually really, really, really low.” – Yeti Mug User (36:27)

g. Wedding Budget ‘Compromise’ (40:48–43:37)

• Satirical take: “I'm compromising on my budget.” (41:15)
• George: “I know I'm doing something dumb, but I don’t care.” (42:34)
• Rachel: “It’s so easy to…have not put a boundary up when you need to.” (42:41)

5. Values, Context, and the Limits of Judgment (45:16–47:27)

• Rachel and George debate when it’s fair to judge and emphasize the need for context:
  • “Income matters a lot...location, cost of living…are you single or married?” (45:43)
  • “There's no bad purchases if you’re doing it in cash, you can afford it, and it’s not a big part of your world.” – George (46:31)
• Rachel: “It really doesn’t benefit you at all to look at someone else’s financial world.” (46:37)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• George (01:36): “It costs you $0 to mind your own business.”
• Rachel (05:05): “If a dog has to be in a wheelchair, put the dog down.”
• George (14:11): “Every emotion I have is a reason to buy this.”
• George (25:59): “Oh, you should have left it in your vision board.”
• Rachel (27:17): “If she invested $1,300 a month…she would have more than $3.6 million.”
• Rachel (23:18): “Don’t make [youth sports] your entire personality.”
• George (46:31): “There’s no bad purchases if you’re doing it in cash, you can afford it, and it’s not a big part of your world.”
• Rachel (46:37): “It really doesn’t benefit you at all to look at someone else’s financial world...None of that comparison helps.”

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Highlighted Timestamps

• 00:05–02:30: Judgment and the urge to compare
• 02:36–07:10: Hosts confess their own spending “splurges”
• 10:16–14:43: Perfume addiction justification (Perfume Influencer)
• 15:43–23:32: Youth travel sports breakdown and critique
• 24:58–27:49: Outrageous car payment
• 27:51–31:27: Manhattan rent – is location worth the splurge?
• 31:32–34:51: Disney adult—gamification of experience
• 36:12–40:41: $30 Yeti mug—cost per use rationale
• 40:48–43:37: Wedding budget “compromise” satire
• 45:16–47:27: Big-picture advice on judgment, values, and context

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Tone, Style & Final Takeaways

Rachel and George keep the conversation fun, judgmental in a tongue-in-cheek way, and honest about modern financial temptations. They balance:

• Relatability: Candid about their own indulgences and embarrassing purchases.
• Nuance: Urge listeners not to judge too quickly—context (income, location, stage of life) is crucial.
• Empowerment: “Don’t envy—set actual steps to get there instead of being jealous.” (47:03)

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Overall Message

Spending justifications are universal; no one is immune from splurging or judging. While it’s easy to poke fun, real financial health is about aligning spending with your values, living within your means, and remembering that context matters. Don’t compare, but do learn from others—and enjoy a little entertainment along the way.

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For recipes, further discussion, and episode links, check the show notes.

Transcript

[George Kamel]

We listen and we definitely judge. If you ever justified an outrageous purchase or judged others for that, you're in the right place.

[Rachel Cruze]

I think that dog is in pain.

[George Kamel]

I do.

[Rachel Cruze]

I think that dog is in pain.

[George Kamel]

I'll give you one that is also controversial. Private school. I think it's an egregious move, if

[Rachel Cruze]

anything, fractions of pennies when you think about the girl math we talked about earlier, because you open your garage at

[George Kamel]

least once a day, maybe twice. Yeah, things get crazy.

[Rachel Cruze]

Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

[George Kamel]

I'm George Camel, and this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers, George. Cheers. Mmm.

[Rachel Cruze]

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

[George Kamel]

And today we are sipping on the Reddish Maroon Manhattan that is named after our mixologist, Michael Reddish. We've got a special cocktail today for a special guy. More on that later. Stick around till the end. We're gonna review it, give you our rating, and the recipe will be in the show notes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay, George. I feel like One of our MOs is that we always tell people, like, put the blinders on. Just do what's best for you and your family. Don't be looking at other people. That's none of your business. You know, don't judge. You know, look at yourself and your family. But, you know, sometimes there is, I don't know, reason to judge. Would you agree that's true?

[George Kamel]

Well, speaking of Reddish, he says this quote, it costs you $0 to mind your own business.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, there you go.

[George Kamel]

I think about that often. I've not taken that advice. I would much rather pay to judge than to not judge. And it be free.

[Rachel Cruze]

Right?

[George Kamel]

You know what I mean?

[Rachel Cruze]

100%.

[George Kamel]

It's worth the cost to me.

[Rachel Cruze]

Worth the cost.

[George Kamel]

But it is fun. And every now and then, you. You know, you do look around. Everyone's done this where they look at a friend or something on Instagram or someone driving a car, and they go, can they really afford that?

[Perfume Influencer]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

You see the friends with the keys for the house, and they're like, can they really afford that? Did mom and dad help out? We all have these questions.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes, 100%.

[George Kamel]

You're great at the talking through the teeth. That's a special move for me.

[Rachel Cruze]

Well, I usually am. Like, you don't know the story. You don't know what's really going behind.

[George Kamel]

You know, we want the drama, you

[Rachel Cruze]

know, like, all of it. But yet debt wouldn't exist if Everyone could just pay for everything. So there is something to be said.

[George Kamel]

Sometimes the conspiracy theory is correct. They can't afford that. They are deeply.

[Rachel Cruze]

I think we can say out loud that America, we love our stuff. Sometimes we don't have the money for it.

[George Kamel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

So.

[George Kamel]

But as always, while we judge, we are happy to call ourselves out. So let's go first. What would people say about you when they look at your spending? What is something you splurge on that someone else could never justify? They think it's so dumb and outrageous.

[Rachel Cruze]

So crazy. I always use this one because I do think it's overpriced. People probably think it's stupid. Valet parking at the airport. Oh, it's my favorite thing.

[George Kamel]

That is true. Why would you pay. Which they just upped the price. Ask me how I know. Because I went to the garage.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

I just couldn't stomach it. Right.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, you parked in the garage.

[George Kamel]

I went to the garage.

[Rachel Cruze]

I was like, well, valet parking in Nashville's airport is technically in the garage. It's just on the bottom floor.

[George Kamel]

That is true.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

And someone else goes and parks for you. And to be fair, I don't know that I'll do it again. I circled for 15 minutes, and I was like, I might miss my flight. I could not find a spot. And then finally, I'll suck it up and go a mile away and walk.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, man.

[George Kamel]

I was like, Rachel would be just tisking me right now.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay. That is one thing. I am that. And maybe my shampoo. Like, I just spend a nice money on shampoo. Like, I don't. I don't go drugstore shampoo.

[George Kamel]

You're. You're on camera a lot.

[Rachel Cruze]

Well, thank you for the justification.

[George Kamel]

And if you use the drugstore shampoo, they're like, why does her hair look so dry? Look at that. She can't afford a better shampoo. So either way, you're gonna get roasted.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's true. That's true. Yeah. So, yeah, there's probably some elements that I spend money on that people are like, that's crazy. How about you?

[George Kamel]

Almost everything. I mean, you name it. Haircuts. Wildly outrageous.

[Rachel Cruze]

We love. We love George's expensive haircuts.

[George Kamel]

How much I spent on my dogs in 2025, people would go, I haven't spent that on myself in the last five years.

[Rachel Cruze]

Put together.

[George Kamel]

Yeah. Yes, yes. So those things. Anything.

[Rachel Cruze]

Dogs is a good one for you, I would say. How is. How is. How is Sweet Olive doing?

[George Kamel]

Oh, olive is. Is okay. It's blue. Oh, it's blue. Cheese.

[Rachel Cruze]

Sorry. All of them.

[George Kamel]

Blue, let me catch you guys up real quick. Recap.

[Rachel Cruze]

Wow.

[George Kamel]

Blue had a disc explode in his spine in 2025, and we end a surgery to try to remedy it, and now he's been in rehab for the last several months.

[Rachel Cruze]

George, tell everyone what are a couple of the things that he's doing in rehab?

[George Kamel]

Rachel, can I show you a little video that I got sent today? Just a little update.

[Rachel Cruze]

If we can pause and go back to when Rachel made a comment about a dog in a wheelchair and how I said it's not dog. Like, I mean, the dog can't.

[George Kamel]

No, no, no. Say what you said.

[Rachel Cruze]

Live a dog life.

[George Kamel]

If a dog has to be in a wheelchair, put the dog down.

[Rachel Cruze]

Did I say it that bluntly? You seen these, though? Dogs that are in many wheelchairs. And that's. I draw the line. I'm sorry. You've had a great life. That is a terrible life.

[George Kamel]

What if they could have a totally normal life?

[Rachel Cruze]

You are dreaming of running fields and you're, like, in a wheelchair. No, I can't.

[George Kamel]

I can't. Why can't they just be on a sidewalk? Why do they gotta be going through a field?

[Rachel Cruze]

Cause I actually have a real dog, George, that likes to run and hunt.

[George Kamel]

Wow. No, I'd. 100% I'd get a wheelchair for my dog.

[Rachel Cruze]

You would?

[George Kamel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Did I say that bluntly?

[George Kamel]

I think you did. I think John Deloney supported your sentiment. And look at the video I got sent today.

[Rachel Cruze]

Look at George's dog.

[George Kamel]

Ready for this?

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

No.

[George Kamel]

No. Tell it to his face. Tell him to his face. He doesn't deserve to live. Rachel. Go ahead, George. He can hear you. George, tell me that dog is miserable.

[Rachel Cruze]

I think that dog is in pain.

[George Kamel]

I do.

[Rachel Cruze]

I think that dog is in pain. And I think you are selfishly keeping it alive for yourself and your own. Enjoy. You can't handle.

[George Kamel]

Let me just tell you, the rehab people. The rehab people were very impressed.

[Rachel Cruze]

I bet they were. They were all clapping.

[George Kamel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, man, George.

[George Kamel]

Well, God forbid we have a little joy in our life. So, anyways, has your dog done acupuncture? Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Has your dog done underwater treadmill therapy?

[George Kamel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay.

[George Kamel]

Anything else?

[Rachel Cruze]

No. It's just great. That's all I'm saying. And did you just have a newborn baby, George?

[George Kamel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

And are you stressed in life?

[George Kamel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Is there a lot going on?

[George Kamel]

Yes. What are you, my therapist? I can't afford therapy from Rachel Cruz.

[Rachel Cruze]

I'm just kidding. I'm so happy for.

[George Kamel]

But, yeah. If I just top of mind. Dogs and hair would be the two that people balk at. B A L K. We don't use that word enough. And I think we should bring it back.

[Rachel Cruze]

I do love dogs, by the way.

[George Kamel]

She is a dog lover, but she would put it down the moment it is in physical distress.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, my gosh.

[George Kamel]

Okay, so let's move on.

[Rachel Cruze]

Let's do it the other way around.

[George Kamel]

What's that?

[Rachel Cruze]

Things that we see people buy that we think are ridiculous.

[George Kamel]

General themes that you would say. Rachel Cruz thinks this is a waste.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

Okay, go.

[Rachel Cruze]

I'm gonna say it. And it's so controversial. And it's not. Again, we don't judge. It's a judgment thing. But the. Okay, the category is travel sports. Okay. Big category. Because there's much. I'm in this.

[George Kamel]

There's levels.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes, it is the highest, craziest level for the youngest kid, age wise. You know what I'm saying? Like, there's a part if they're still in high school doing it, that's making more sense. But when it's the 6 and 7 year old doing the absolute most of, like, everything. I mean, insane. I'm like, that feels crazy to me. Okay, it does, yeah. At that point. So I feel like I justified it a lot just to temper everyone watching.

[George Kamel]

That's a good one. That's a good one. I'll give you one that is also controversial. Private school. Now, not in every case, but I think private school, when you have adequate quality public schools that you've already paid for with your taxpaying dollars, I think it's an egregious move unless you have really good reason. Like, if your kid is just not doing well for whatever reason and you think they do better in this, that's no judgment there. But it's the like, well, my kid has to go to a private school. I can't put them in that public school with the peasants. Yes, they have that vibe.

[Rachel Cruze]

You know what? We're on your fence. I mean, our kids are public school. So I would. I tend to.

[George Kamel]

And I know people are watching and they go, why put my. My school. We did a book burning. Hey, whatever. That's fine. You have your reasons. I'm just saying, for you, I wouldn't do it unless my child does not thrive in the public education system.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay, There you go. Okay, well, what's fun on this episode is that the team has pulled together some videos from the Internet and it is people's extreme spending and it's their confessions. Like, we hear it and they're putting

[George Kamel]

it on the Internet for all of us to judge. Like, I think they're kind of wanting us to be like, maybe so.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah, maybe so. And like. And again, we usually are a judgment free zone, but this episode, we just felt a little feisty, and we just thought, let's see some examples of stuff that we're all like, okay.

[George Kamel]

That we can all agree.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's crazy.

[George Kamel]

That's wild.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's wild. That's wild.

[George Kamel]

We need to call it out.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah. Can you just say it out loud? Yeah. Okay. Okay, let's.

[George Kamel]

Let's check it out. All right, we're about to get to the first video. And let me just call out. There's no need to be a comments warrior and shame us for judging. We're all just having a good time. It's fun and games, and these people willingly put this content on the Internet for all of us to consume and comment on. I'm just gonna put that out there. But you can let us know your thoughts and confessions in the comments. We'd love to hear that as well.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah. And we love to be affirmed. So if you agree with everything George and I say, just be like, oh, my gosh. I agree, you guys.

[George Kamel]

I need constant affirmation. Thank you.

[Rachel Cruze]

All right, all right, first one, George.

[Perfume Influencer]

As a perfume addict, here are some ways I justify purchasing my perfumes. I mean, we might as well keep this trend going, because I really like to make fun of myself because I'm ridiculous. I just got paid. Of course I'm going to buy a new perfume. Going on a first date? Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

I'm going to buy a new perfume.

[Perfume Influencer]

Did I break up with somebody? Yes. So now I'm sad. So I'm going to buy a new perfume, but I also have to declutter the perfume that I had with that person because I don't want that scent memory anymore.

[Rachel Cruze]

Bye.

[Perfume Influencer]

I'm going on vacation. Of course I have to buy some new perfumes, and while I'm on vacation, I have to buy some perfumes of that place. So when I come home from my vacation, I remember it through that perfume. Am I bored?

[Rachel Cruze]

I want to see her perfume collection.

[Perfume Influencer]

Perfume. Am I depressed? Anxious, angry, uncomfortable, in a weird mood? I'm probably going to buy a perfume, and then I'm going to be anxious and depressed that I bought the perfumes because I feel guilty and ashamed for buying so many perfumes. I'm just going to go ahead and declutter. Declutter half of my perfume collection to justify the fact that I'm going to buy more perfumes. Is there a season change? You know, it's, you know, it has to happen.

[George Kamel]

Where's the new season?

[Perfume Influencer]

Is it my birthday? Well, the whole month is my birthday, so it's just a whole month of perfume shopping. Any special event that's going to happen, probably going to buy a new perfume.

[George Kamel]

No way.

[Perfume Influencer]

And I'm definitely going to be influenced by people on Tik Tok, especially new perfume drops by Kiali Fleur.

[George Kamel]

She looks dead serious.

[Perfume Influencer]

I'm also going to become hyper fixated on a particular note. And so then I will definitely have to seek out perfumes with those notes and buy those. I also will have perfumes scattered in carts all throughout the Internet and then when they go on sale, I'll buy them. Or if I find a discount coupon,

[Rachel Cruze]

I want to see her first.

[Perfume Influencer]

Being a little less, I will definitely buy them. I will also be on Facebook.

[Rachel Cruze]

I do genuinely think it's like somebody

[Perfume Influencer]

will be selling something. It will pique my interest. And because it's free shipping and no tax, I'll probably buy it. So there you have it. Some ridiculous ways I justify.

[George Kamel]

She probably gets 50 a year.

[Rachel Cruze]

That is so interesting.

[George Kamel]

Wow, that was a lot.

[Rachel Cruze]

Because I think what's hard is I'm like, I could go through. I mean it takes me. I have.

[George Kamel]

Okay. I love her. Her bio. Dairy free diva and perfume lover.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay.

[George Kamel]

As a gluten free gladiator. I'm with you, sis. I'm kind of all over the place. Okay. I'll agree with that. Gen X perfume girl. That's her link tree.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

Okay.

[George Kamel]

So she. This is her thing.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

She's like a perfume influencer.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's what it sounds like.

[George Kamel]

And I don't know those existed.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah. Because I mean to go through a bot. Do you recall?

[George Kamel]

Yeah. But very light and sometimes not. I do like the natural one because my wife is somewhat crunchy.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay.

[George Kamel]

And I'm holding babies, you know, so it's all that. We're in that phase.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay.

[George Kamel]

Okay. But I love. There's a dusty slay. One of my favorite comedians, and he has a thing about. He's like, I used to wear a cologne, but people would always be like, who's wearing cologne? Nobody wants that.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's funny. But perfume, I was gonna say a

[George Kamel]

little goes a long way.

[Rachel Cruze]

Well, and I do perfume every. I mean, I will. But it's like one, two. I mean it's like one or two sprays.

[George Kamel]

How many perfume bottles?

[Rachel Cruze]

That's what I'm thinking. I'm Like, I think I have, like, three that I rotate through.

[George Kamel]

Okay, that sounds really good.

[Rachel Cruze]

And it takes me a long time to get through them.

[George Kamel]

Yeah, they last, like, a year. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Eas. That's why I'm very interested in all of it. And I'm picky. I'm like, I don't think I would, like. She named so many that she.

[George Kamel]

Well, and I'm guessing she's buying nice perfume, which can be hundreds of dollars. It is.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah. For sure. 100%, yes. Now, one thing I did do, which is kind of what she said, that I was like, oh, someone said this. They said, get a different perfume per pregnancy so you can remember that scent. Because scent is one of, like, you're triggering a.

[George Kamel]

Well, that's one per pregnancy.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes. That's the max total of three or four or five. Yes. I did three different. One through my pregnancies. And I thought it was such a great idea because, like, yeah, you can. But I still smell the scents. I'm like, oh, my gosh. I, like, remember.

[George Kamel]

It's weird. It's fun.

[Rachel Cruze]

But again, that's three, you know?

[George Kamel]

Well, this is. Every emotion I have is a reason to buy this.

[Rachel Cruze]

I'm a buy. I know.

[George Kamel]

I think she should spend some of that on therapy, which could avoid some of the perfume spending. That's just one man's thing.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, my gosh. All right. We're going to say it's a little cray cray, little crazy.

[George Kamel]

Yeah. I don't need to be attracting bee communities. And especially if you are in a workplace. Tone it down.

[Rachel Cruze]

Well, we don't know how much she's putting quantity on herself.

[George Kamel]

One spray goes a long way. That's what I say.

[Rachel Cruze]

What's the whole. What's the. What's the saying? Winston says it. That you want to. Oh, you want to be discovered, not announced.

[George Kamel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

I'm discovering a great sense I'm not being announced in the room. When you walk in the room and everyone's like, whoa, wow.

[George Kamel]

Too much.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

All right.

[New York Apartment Renter]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

The Abercrombie cologne.

[George Kamel]

Remember walking in, like, early 2000s into an Abram.

[Rachel Cruze]

It was dark.

[George Kamel]

It was like club music.

[Rachel Cruze]

Terrible.

[George Kamel]

Immediately, like, spray Hollister.

[Rachel Cruze]

Hollister was worse. I even think, like, it was darker. I remember being like, I have to, like, how do you buy clothes in there? We all know. Well, you don't know.

[George Kamel]

I didn't darken the door of a Hollister. You didn't? No, not my. I wasn't that. That guy. Oh, man. I was a little too Skateboarder. I was a little too like wannabe surf culture. What?

[Perfume Influencer]

Top culture.

[Rachel Cruze]

What were you, what was it? Pacsun.

[George Kamel]

A little pacsun was thrown in there.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay. Throw mix in a little pac sun.

[George Kamel]

Yeah, that was more my speed.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I gotcha.

[George Kamel]

Little less shirtless, little more shirted. Yeah, that's how I prefer.

[Rachel Cruze]

Little less surfboard, more skateboard.

[George Kamel]

Exactly.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay.

[George Kamel]

All right, let's moving on. Let's roast the men.

[Youth Sports Parent]

Hear it all. The time travel ball is a big money grab. So let's do the math and find out. For this example, I'll be using my youngest child's 9U baseball team. This year's team fee was eleven hundred dollars. The eleven hundred bucks, you got seven tournaments, a twelve game battle season, which is like league for travel kids. During the week, uniforms, two sets of uniforms and a helmet. Four one hour private one on one lessons with a professional trainer and the use of the world class facility that he gets to play in in the winter and practice in in the winter and so on and so forth. So let's break this down. Eleven hundred dollars, 11 players on the team, that's $12,100. You have seven tournaments. I'm going to use a conservative number and say each of Those tournaments cost 400 bucks. I know some of the perfect game tournaments cost like 600 for entry fees, but we'll be conservative and say 400 per tournament, seven tournaments, that's $2800. You got a 12 game battle season that cost the team 1100 for entry. You have uniforms, like I said, two sets and a helmet. We're gonna call it 200 bucks for the uniforms, the pants, the socks, the helmet, 200 bucks a kid. And then the four hour or the four one hour private lessons, the one on one lessons. If you were to get these lessons at our facility outside of being on a team, they'd be 75 for the hour. Get four of them, that's 300 bucks. So we'll call it 300 bucks a kid, that's three, 300 bucks. And then the use of the facility for practices and games and such in the winter. If you add all Those up, the seven tournaments at 2800 bucks, the 12 game battle season at 1100. The uniforms and the helmet at 200 per kid, 2200 bucks. The four one hour lessons, that's 3300 bucks. And then the facility use is the facility use, you get $9,300. Now there's $12,100 total. And there's $9,300 that are put into the team. That leaves you with a $2,800 discrepancy. You take that $2,800 discrepancy and you divide it by 11 kids. $254.54. Now, the facility that we get to use during the winter and throughout the season, world class, 60,000 square feet, a gigantic full length baseball field, a smaller practice field, seven batting cages, three, three pitching lanes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Is he justifying beautiful?

[Youth Sports Parent]

And it gets plenty of use. You take that beautiful facility that we get to use and I got to pay $250 for us to be able to use that facility year round practices and get hitting in and get pitching.

[Rachel Cruze]

I see what you're saying.

[Youth Sports Parent]

I'm going to do that because other teams are renting gyms.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay. So he's basically saying to use a nice facility, it's only going to cost this much.

[Youth Sports Parent]

Even though we pay to have facility like that. All of this, all these costs are just the cost of tournaments.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know.

[George Kamel]

Battle games, uniforms, gracious facilities, full time job for the parent.

[Youth Sports Parent]

All the time that they're spending with practices throughout the year, Once a month in the deep winter months.

[Rachel Cruze]

A couple of months, yeah. Here's my thing is so much of youth sports now is like a big business. Like they're doing it for the money. They go into these.

[George Kamel]

Someone's making money off of this a lot of ways just to cover the cost that no one's making a sense.

[Rachel Cruze]

No, they are making so much money, whether it is baseball, at every turn

[George Kamel]

someone's making some money. The facility, the company making the uniforms, like everyone has to make a profit to stay in business.

[Rachel Cruze]

Totally 100%. But these leagues and everything, man. So I don't know. This is a hard one for me because I think what's difficult is, or I feel like what we've heard parents say that we know is either the kid loves it. So like they love it. What do you do? And then I've heard Dr. John Deloney say, like, well, my kid loves ice cream, but I'm not gonna let them eat ice cream for every meal. Like you, as you as a parent,

[George Kamel]

you still set the tone at the mountain.

[Rachel Cruze]

Where do you set the tone of the mountain?

[George Kamel]

Yep. Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

And then the other end is like, okay, if they, if they're not in all these amazing leagues at 8, 9 years old, they're not gonna make the middle school team at school because every other kid is doing these, you know, these types of leagues. And if they don't make the middle school team, then they're definitely not going to make the high school team. And if they don't do high school

[George Kamel]

sports, they're going to pressure exist when drugs can die. No. Has it gotten worse because of social media?

[Rachel Cruze]

I don't know why it's gotten worse, but we never had. I mean, like, I knew one or two girls that did travel soccer in like high school and that was it. But like, that's the norm now. Like, if you don't put your kid, at least in our area, in a travel type sport, competitive league.

[George Kamel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Outside of rec, by fourth, fifth grade, it's over. That's what it feels.

[George Kamel]

You got nothing to brag about as a parent.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know. And again, we didn't do like, we do rec leagues because we don't have time. I'm like, I don't have time to do all this.

[George Kamel]

Even if you have the money, it doesn't mean that it's worth the time and energy to put into it.

[Rachel Cruze]

Well, and then the other hard thing you hear again from people that are ahead of me in parenting is once they hit high school, like, they get to be like sophomores and juniors and they're kind of like, I don't really want to play more. I just want to go to football games and like, hang out with my friends, you know, and then they're done. So you're like, okay. I don't know. I guess you'd have to.

[George Kamel]

What was that all for? We had some fun memories.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah. So again, as they get older, for some reason, I can justify it more for them, but it's like the elementary school, even early middle, I'm like, just like, it's just, it's wild.

[George Kamel]

Well, if you take who's playing travel sports and then who's gonna get like a college scholarship?

[Rachel Cruze]

Volleyball is the other big one.

[George Kamel]

Oh, yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Very competitive now. And all the girls are now doing volleyball.

[Perfume Influencer]

Like it's.

[Rachel Cruze]

And they're getting cut. And these teams are intense. Like, you can't like, wear nail polish. Like there are these intense volleyball leagues in the fifth grade. Like, it's crazy.

[George Kamel]

That is so wild.

[Rachel Cruze]

Isn't that wild?

[George Kamel]

I want to see the stats. Like, how many of those continue through high school? How many go to college? How many get a scholarship for that in college? How many then continue after college? How many go, you know, semi pro? How many go pro? The numbers would dwindle down to where

[Rachel Cruze]

you're like, oh, 100%.

[George Kamel]

It's the lottery to assume your kid is going to do something yes, but

[Rachel Cruze]

I don't think the parents do it for a professional outcome. I think it's an the moment outcome.

[George Kamel]

Like, is it a keeping up with the Joneses?

[Rachel Cruze]

Well, because you don't want your kid to be left out. And I've thought about that. Like, one of my kids loves soccer, and I'm like, and we're not doing travel again. Not saying I will never, ever.

[George Kamel]

But she's like, well, all my friends are doing travel.

[Rachel Cruze]

Well, it's not even friend thing. But she's like, I won't make the middle school team. Because every girl, 60 girls try out

[George Kamel]

for a team that is heartbreaking, and

[Rachel Cruze]

you get 12 spots. They're definitely probably not going to pick a girl that hasn't been that competitive. You know what I mean? Like, so that's brutal for a child. They do. I know. So it's more of that. They don't want to be left out. They don't want, like.

[George Kamel]

And to be fair, to feel like

[Rachel Cruze]

they're, like, missing out.

[George Kamel]

Yeah. This exists outside of sports, too. So it's not dogging on sports. This happens in band. If you're in music. Like, this can happen in travel, cheerleading. Like, you're traveling the country to do these things.

[Rachel Cruze]

So here's my parenting philosophy. My oldest is 10 years old. This could change next year, I think. I want, well, roundedness. Like, I want beach vacation. I want to go on vacation. That's the other thing. Spring break, they're all done. All your vacations are done, Zo. With sports, because you're traveling.

[George Kamel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

So I want. I want family time. I want adventure. I can't believe I'm about to say it, but I am. Like, I need something like. Like, y' all need to be a little outdoorsy. You know what I mean? Go on a hike, unlike your mom. Take a hike, you know, but, like, do something there. Or, like, for Charles especially, I'm like, go hunting with dad. Like, like, have weekends to go. Like, go do things other than one thing in life. And that's what worries me is, like, this one lane that that's all they know and they don't get these, like, experiences elsewhere.

[George Kamel]

I'm with you on that team. Sports are great. I learned a lot being on a team. Wonderful.

[Rachel Cruze]

Absolutely.

[George Kamel]

Absolutely. But don't make it.

[Rachel Cruze]

Your entire personality and our wrecked leagues have been amazing. Like, we've loved, like, the teams we've been a part of.

[George Kamel]

Shout out to the rec leagues.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know.

[George Kamel]

That was good.

[Rachel Cruze]

Keep it up, ymca. Keep it up.

[George Kamel]

We see you. We love you, we respect you.

[Rachel Cruze]

We appreciate you. And if you choose to do travel sports, we love you.

[George Kamel]

Yep.

[Rachel Cruze]

Because all my friends do, so it's great.

[George Kamel]

Well, I'll tell you.

[Rachel Cruze]

I do. All my friends.

[George Kamel]

I'll tell you, Rachel, one service that costs way less than a bottle of perfume, way less than travel sports, a delete me plan.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, yes.

[George Kamel]

That's adding some real value to your life.

[Rachel Cruze]

It is. That's protecting you in a lot of ways. Because it is amazing when they go and they remove, like, your address that you lived at eight years ago, you know, and it's still out there floating around the Internet, like, that's crazy. So removing that information from your address, your phone number, your kids names, all of it off of data broker websites, like, thank you, that's huge. And amen.

[George Kamel]

And to bring back the sports reference, you're playing defense here. You know, everyone's all about the offense. You forget about the defense. That's how they win the game.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's right. Look at your sports analogy. Be on the defending side.

[George Kamel]

Appreciate that. So check it out. They'll send you a customer report every few months showing you exactly where they removed your personal info from, how much time they've saved you. And because you're a listener of this show, you get a really sweet discount. 20% off their annual plans. When you go to JoinDeleteMe.com smartmoney or just click the link in the description to make it easy on yourselves.

[Rachel Cruze]

All right, George, what's up next? Oh, we had a car payment. Okay. Doesn't feel as controversial on this show. We're getting into parenting and private schools. Getting nervous over here.

[George Kamel]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Is that number, correct. Me paying $1,300 car payment justifying it? Because I've had this car on my Pinterest vision board for five years.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, stop it.

[George Kamel]

And then the caption. Just girly things.

[Perfume Influencer]

Just

[Rachel Cruze]

so to me, like, that's. I don't know why the whole, like, I have a nice luxury car and here's my car payment isn't a flex to me. Because there's a part of me that

[George Kamel]

I'm like, yeah, but is that what she's wanting? Is she wanting us to be upset about it? To drive engagement? Because this has 127,000 likes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, really?

[George Kamel]

700 comments? Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

No, I bet they're all positive, right? They're probably all like, go, girl. Do you think?

[George Kamel]

I hope not. Oh, these videos make me realize I'm really not that bad with money. Okay, top comment, 20,000 likes on that comment.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay, there you go.

[George Kamel]

I'm genuinely confused. If you say, for a long time, why is your monthly payment still 1300 bucks a month? Fair point. 1300 as a whole mortgage. Another fair.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes. Okay.

[George Kamel]

Oh, you should have left. Left it in your vision board. Oh, no, that's strong.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, my God.

[George Kamel]

That's good.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah, I think the, like. I don't know, the flex, to me, it's almost like there was a Real Housewives episode I remember, of Orange county, and one of the boyfriends bought the girl a car, but she had a car payment. She had to pay.

[George Kamel]

Like, so he bought it for her in her name to pay for it, I guess.

[Rachel Cruze]

I think so. Like, she, like, had a car. So, like, to me, I'm like, that's not a flex. Like, the flex is, I can afford the whole car, right?

[George Kamel]

Yeah. And the flex is I don't need to make a video about it.

[Rachel Cruze]

No, that's true, too. Put it out on the Internet.

[George Kamel]

Yikes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, my gosh. Car payments.

[George Kamel]

Remember, you are the only person that knows what kind of car you drive, unless you're posting about it on Instagram or your neighbor sees it in the driveway. But how often do you think about other people's cars? Never.

[Rachel Cruze]

No.

[George Kamel]

If you're a healthy person.

[Rachel Cruze]

And the other thing is, too, I'm like, It gives you, like, an ego boost for a second, right? For a little bit, maybe a few months, and then it goes away and you're gonna be on to the next thing. Like, it's just not. I don't know. It's just. It's not the thing that's going to last a long time with that feeling that you're probably wanting.

[George Kamel]

Yeah. And people can justify. They can justify payments so easily. They go, well, I'm in it a lot. Well, I need something reliable and safe. Well, I need these nicer features, really. Gotta have the heated steering wheel, heating steering wheels.

[Rachel Cruze]

I love it. So here's what's crazy. If she invested $1,300 a month in retirement for over 30 years, so 35 to 65, she would have more than $3.6 million with an 11% rate of return.

[George Kamel]

So she kept driving cars she paid for in cash. She's saving on the side, you know, upgrading over time in cash, and instead invested that amount. That is so wild to think about.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yep.

[George Kamel]

And that's just using our Ramsey investment calculator. It's totally free. If you want to play around with the compound interest there to see the potential, we'll leave A link in the description for you to do that. I love playing around with that. It's a fun tool.

[Rachel Cruze]

Wild. All right, next up.

[George Kamel]

Goodness gracious.

[New York Apartment Renter]

Okay, round two.

[Perfume Influencer]

Here we go.

[New York Apartment Renter]

My roommates and I spend $6,000 on a one bedroom apartment that we flex into multiple rooms in Manhattan. Is it small? I mean, by New York standards, it's actually maybe bigger. Is it small by anyone else standards? Yes, it's a one bedroom apartment. We live on the water with a beautiful view of Freedom Tower in Manhattan. That is, like, stuff that people dream of, that. These are my dreams that I've had. And when I was unhappy in the beginning of college, when I was going through bad times, like, living in my own apartment in New York City with a beautiful skyline view was literally my dream. That's okay if it's not your dream. Some people want a big house on a farm, and that's totally fine. Some people want a house in the suburbs right away. Totally fine. But what people who don't want to live in big cities maybe don't understand is that you're not paying for the small amount of space. I'm not paying. We're not paying $6,000 because we love this small, little space. We're paying that money to be where we are because location, location is everything. So being in Manhattan in the capital of the world is going to pay the most dividends for our career, for opportunities, for networking, for meeting people. That is why people move to New York City. And that's okay if you don't want to. That's okay if it's not for everyone. But I mean, for me, it is absolutely perfect.

[Rachel Cruze]

Wow. Man. I want to see the whole apartment.

[George Kamel]

Yeah. I. I just can't get over the fact you said that it's the capital of the world.

[Rachel Cruze]

World.

[George Kamel]

I didn't know the world had a capital. But you know what?

[Rachel Cruze]

But people that live in New York City believe that they are the capital of the world.

[George Kamel]

I think the education system needs an overhaul. They taught her at some point, New York City, capital of the world. All right, so she's justifying this. So she's paying $2,000 for her share to live in, like, a flex space in this one bedroom, which. That's what I want to see. The view. Gorgeous. I'm sure. I want to see, like. Are you guys on, like, sleeping?

[Rachel Cruze]

That's what I want. I know. I'm like, is it coming down like a cruise ship? Like a bed out of the, Like a Murphy bed? Sit. I want to see it.

[George Kamel]

Why? I Would just, I guess, share a king.

[Rachel Cruze]

So my.

[George Kamel]

Make it a slumber party. I mean, how do you. Can you fit three twins in there? Are they bunk bedding? Is it a triple bunk?

[Rachel Cruze]

That's what I want to see. Okay. But $2,000 for that little space a

[George Kamel]

month, which is a lot for rent for anyone. They must have really good jobs. Yes, one would assume. Or there's a trust fund.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

No shame. But there's. Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

But $2,000 they could do that on,

[George Kamel]

like, if they're making. They've got to be making, like, six

[Rachel Cruze]

figures in a New York. Yeah. And in New York, take home. Let's hope that that's the case.

[George Kamel]

Let's assume they're all making six figures. They're making over $100,000 in a fancy Manhattan job.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yep. Yep. Which I would assume.

[George Kamel]

Okay, she does have a point. This is not everyone's dream. Some people go, oh, I would hate to live in New York City. That's fine. Some people go, I would hate to live in Ankeny, Iowa.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

That's fine, too. You know what I mean? Like, everyone thinks where they live is awesome. If they enjoy living.

[Rachel Cruze]

Sure, sure.

[George Kamel]

And they wouldn't live anywhere else.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yep. Yep.

[George Kamel]

And she's young, she's single.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know a part of me, I'm

[George Kamel]

like, good for you.

[Rachel Cruze]

Good for you.

[George Kamel]

I actually don't shame her for this. As long as she's not in crippling debt making terrible things.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's right.

[George Kamel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Because if anything, if it's your dream to be there and you've got a good job, you actually may be saving money on rent to do it this way versus your own place. And you're being stupid, you know, from like a ratio perspective. So, yeah.

[George Kamel]

If you bought a place in Manhattan.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

You. Your mortgage payment would be $8,000.

[Rachel Cruze]

Right, right, right. So, okay. Not too bad, George.

[George Kamel]

We had one that wasn't egregious.

[Rachel Cruze]

Absolutely horrible.

[George Kamel]

Okay, that's a win for me.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes. All right, next up, this is a Disney one.

[George Kamel]

I hope so.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

Oh, Nicole, you go to Disney too much. Oh, my gosh. Nicole, why don't you go visit somewhere else? Nicole, don't you want to see anything new? Oh, my gosh. Why? It's Disney again. Aren't you sick and tired of it?

[Rachel Cruze]

No, I'm not.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

Do you know why? This is why I just went through. It's like, mouse life. It's this app that you can go and, like, you cross off, like, all these different things that you've done, and you can Keep track of different things. I've only done 38% of Disney World.

[Rachel Cruze]

38%.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

And for someone who's been going since they've been like five, and we used to go every year as a kid, but now that I have like adult money, I go like six or seven times a year. And the fact that I've still only have hit 38%. Cheers me.

[Perfume Influencer]

Cheers to you.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

Cheers to. I'm about to go book a Walt Disney World trip or two. Wow.

[George Kamel]

That's funny.

[Rachel Cruze]

That is funny.

[George Kamel]

I like her energy, I like her personality.

[Rachel Cruze]

She's fun.

[George Kamel]

And she fell for the gamification where an app tells you, well, you haven't done. There's so much more to explore.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

That's brilliant marketing.

[Rachel Cruze]

100%. Cause you're missing out on something, so you gotta go back to fulfill it.

[George Kamel]

She's gonna do every kiddie ride there is as an adult just to fulfill this market.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh my gosh. Okay. Yeah, the Disney conversation is funny because we love Disney World. I'm happy about it. But last time you went, didn't you do like a man on the street? And there's so many people that just.

[George Kamel]

Oh, yes. If you're wondering, how do people afford this? They can't. They're just adding it. Put it on my tab. They're already 100 grand in debt. What's 105?

[Rachel Cruze]

That's right. That's right. No big deal.

[George Kamel]

We'll pay for it later.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yep. We'll figure it out.

[George Kamel]

Now there's, I'm sure, a subset of people who paid cash. They saved up, worked really hard, and this is a trip of a lifetime.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

Also a lot of people who have, you know, $50,000 in car loans and 80,000 in student loan debt and they're just swiping a credit card and they're like, well, we'll get some points for it. Y. I talk to people like that. So I don't know her state.

[Rachel Cruze]

I hope you're going seven times. If she's having to like fly somewhere,

[George Kamel]

let's assume she's going for a few days each. It might be like 1500 to 2 grand. Yeah. A trip at least.

[Rachel Cruze]

And seven times a year.

[George Kamel]

Yeah. So maybe 15, 20 grand. That's a lot of take home pay to spend on Disney.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yep. I'm gonna say that's a lot of money.

[George Kamel]

It is a lot.

[Rachel Cruze]

Especially compared to probably what she's. I don't know what she's making. That's the other hard part. Some of this is, is she making $400,000 or 30?

[George Kamel]

Because there's a big difference.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's right. That's right.

[George Kamel]

In affordability here.

[Rachel Cruze]

But she looks young, and so you would think, like, oh, my gosh.

[George Kamel]

And I always want to go like, who are they? And so I always click their profile. Oh, look, she runs a runner. Yeah, she. She has like 4,000 followers. So she's not an influencer by any stretch. But this post took off, obviously.

[Rachel Cruze]

Funny. Yes.

[George Kamel]

So it's not like she's making. I'm like, she's not making $100,000 from TikTok.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

You know, she probably has a normal job.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah, right.

[George Kamel]

A fun video and people engaged with it. So I have no problem with it. If this is what you want to spend your money on and you're not derailing other financial goals and you've got a sinking fund you're paying cash for for these trips, good on you. And a lot of these people are young, single girls. They're living their life. You know, they don't have families they're abandoning. They're not. Not putting money in a college fund for the kids. She's living her life.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

What else is she gonna spend money on?

[Perfume Influencer]

Yep.

[Rachel Cruze]

Just as long as she can afford it.

[George Kamel]

I can't believe I'm defending a Disney adult.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know. This is amazing. Look at you.

[George Kamel]

What has happened?

[Rachel Cruze]

Look at you.

[George Kamel]

Who am I becoming?

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, my gosh. But the gamification thing is real. But you're right. You can spend money on whatever you want and a place where, you know, I would spend my money. Cozy Earth.

[George Kamel]

Oh, now that. That's worth it. I need to gamify that to where it's like you've only experienced 2% of cozy Earth.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know. You were like, whitney, look, I gotta buy more. I need more.

[George Kamel]

I gotta buy more joggers.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah. My mom actually had a Cozy Earth like, pants and a shirt matching set on vacation. And she said, I want one of these in a different color because she like, loves it so much. So I was like, uh huh. You should buy it.

[George Kamel]

And Sharon has great taste. So if she likes it, I know it's great though.

[Rachel Cruze]

But like, even I wore the joggers yesterday on a walk and it's like there's just something about the material that's just amazing.

[George Kamel]

I got the socks on right now. Let me tell you. I feel like a million bucks.

[Rachel Cruze]

Love it, love it, love it.

[George Kamel]

It's great. So they have all the things. Home, bedding, men, women, they've got it all. And They've got a sweet discount for our Smart Money Happy Hour listeners. Just go to cozyearth.com smart money to get 20% off and use code Smart Money at checkout and let them know in the post purchase survey that you heard about this. You heard about Cozy Earth on Smart Money Happy Hour. That means the world. We'll drop a link in the description as well.

[Rachel Cruze]

All right. Okay, let's go to the next one.

[George Kamel]

These are fun. I'm enjoying. This is really a good time.

[Rachel Cruze]

Making us off a better.

[George Kamel]

When your job is like watching Tik Tok, this is a pretty cool.

[Rachel Cruze]

This is pretty good.

[George Kamel]

Not going to lie.

[Yeti Mug User]

You would have told me a few years ago that I purchased a $30 mug. I would have said, somebody, somebody come get me. Because I'm not well. If I'm spending $30 on a mug, I'm not well. Okay, but here's the thing. This is the infamous Yeti mug. $30. When the Dollar Tree has $1 mugs,

[Rachel Cruze]

I bought a $30 one.

[Yeti Mug User]

Okay. Whenever I'm shopping and I'm gonna justify like a more expensive purchase, I use what's called the cost per use or cost per wear method. When it's closed, basically what you do is you take the cost of the item and then you figure out how much you think you're gonna use it to calculate how much it costs you to use it per time that you actually use it. I've probably used this like over a hundred times because it is the best coffee mug and genuinely keeps your coffee hot for so, so long that the cost per use is actually really, really, really low. But if I bought this fancy schmancy $30 mug and then I didn't really use it that much, the cost per use is going to be really high. Next time you want to actually like, treat yourself something nice like treat yourself, but just be smart about it. Calculate how much is it going to cost me to actually use this item and is that actually worth it?

[George Kamel]

That's smart. Now the title is how to justify expensive purchases. I'm not going to label a $30 mug in general as an expensive case. Now, it's a lot for a mug,

[Rachel Cruze]

but yeah, but for the yeti that genuinely technology wise in that mug, it does keep it.

[George Kamel]

It's actually, it stays too hot. Sometimes I gotta take the cap off

[Rachel Cruze]

and sometimes I'll put ice water in mine and the neck the next next

[George Kamel]

night the ice is still.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes, ice over 24 hours. I'm telling you, it is like. And then we got yeti cooler. We had a Yeti cooler. That ice will stay all weekend. It's crazy. I mean, it's pretty wild.

[George Kamel]

So you know what I got from Costco for Whitney for Christmas?

[Rachel Cruze]

What?

[George Kamel]

Because she's a mom who can never drink coffee because she's always busy running around. Is the mug where you can set the temperature on the mug?

[Perfume Influencer]

Okay.

[Rachel Cruze]

How do we feel about that? Do we feel like there's technology inside that is active and like. I'm surprised. Crunchy.

[George Kamel]

Mf.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah, crunchy. Whitney would have like a battery.

[George Kamel]

Well, don't tell her now. She's gonna freak out. Don't listen to this portion of the episode. Whitney.

[Rachel Cruze]

We love you, Whitney.

[George Kamel]

It's great. I've used it so far.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay.

[George Kamel]

And it's been amazing.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay.

[George Kamel]

Because I can't stand when coffee gets too cold. And you know, so you can set it at like. I like it at 132 degrees.

[Rachel Cruze]

Are you ready for this? Jordan just remembered this. You're gonna be so proud of me.

[George Kamel]

It's about time. I was proud of you. Okay. What is it?

[Rachel Cruze]

Speaking of coffee and it was a Winston purchase. Winston bought it. Guess what Winston bought me for Christmas this year?

[George Kamel]

A coffee maker.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

And it's not a Keurig.

[Rachel Cruze]

No.

[George Kamel]

Is it. Can I guess what it is? We.

[Rachel Cruze]

He took the Keurig to the dump. It's over 10 years old, y'. All. And I still have my K cups. It's gone. It is gone.

[George Kamel]

Put the K cups on the neighborhoods. I know.

[Rachel Cruze]

I was like, I have. I have Green Mountain K cups if anyone needs.

[George Kamel]

Can I guess what he got?

[Rachel Cruze]

He went, he'd be on this thing.

[George Kamel]

So he did the research, I'm sure on the coffee maker. Is it a brand? I would know.

[Rachel Cruze]

And yes. And he's experienced this brand multiple places.

[George Kamel]

Is it a Jura? Yes. Final answer.

[Rachel Cruze]

Are you so proud?

[George Kamel]

I'm very proud. That's a beautiful high end super automatic coffee machine.

[Rachel Cruze]

Very nice. Yes.

[George Kamel]

And.

[Rachel Cruze]

And he said he's done with the Keurig. He said, I think we're. I think we can step up, taste

[George Kamel]

the goodness that is real coffee.

[Rachel Cruze]

Do you know what he got me? So he got me that.

[George Kamel]

He got you. And then he got me a bean grinder.

[Rachel Cruze]

No, we have that for his pour overs. A new. This is my old woman thing. I have a heating pad that I have in my bed that I turn on. It's honestly his. I didn't even know this his from college. So this is like a 20 year old and it's plastic oh. And he's always like, I just feel like you're gonna, like, burn the house down.

[George Kamel]

Like, yeah, that's a.

[Rachel Cruze]

And he's like, rachel, you're pretty low maintenance. That's what he said.

[Yeti Mug User]

He's like.

[Rachel Cruze]

So he upgraded the heating pad and my coffee maker. I feel like I'm living on cloud nine.

[George Kamel]

What a hero.

[Rachel Cruze]

In my room. I know.

[George Kamel]

And selfishly, that benefits him. He gets great coffee and he doesn't have to worry about a house fire.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's it. I think he did it for himself.

[George Kamel]

Husbandry.

[Rachel Cruze]

So the justifying the purchase. I would be curious if we make like four cups a day out of that thing, how many years would it take?

[George Kamel]

When will you break even? When will you roi.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

We just upgraded Whitney's coffee machine. That was. You did?

[Rachel Cruze]

What'd you do?

[George Kamel]

We got an Aiden fellow is what it's called.

[Youth Sports Parent]

Wow.

[George Kamel]

And it's like, it looks really beautiful. So she. She wanted something aesthetic.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay. For the kitchen, she wanted, like a pretty.

[George Kamel]

So we went aesthetic with it. And it's really not. You can use an app, you know, schedule it and all that. But it's supposed to mimic, like a pour over. You can really dial in, you know, the bloom and the temperatures. Like, you can get nerdy with it, or you can just make coffee, like normal.

[Rachel Cruze]

Do what you gotta do. It's just really pretty good for you.

[George Kamel]

So there we go.

[Rachel Cruze]

Anyways. What a. What a purchase. Okay.

[George Kamel]

You can justify any purchase. That's the lesson. We got one more.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yep.

[George Kamel]

Okay.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

So I'm planning a wedding. And the thing that I've realized with wedding planning, which I kind of knew also before I started, is that you do have to compromise, unfortunately. Like, there's just no way to kind of have everything you want and, like, be within your budget. So, like, unfortunately, there are things that you have to compromise and, like, give up. For me, I'm compromising on my budget.

[George Kamel]

What?

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

I'm compromising on the fact that if I. I'm gonna have to spend more than I probably wanted in order to have what I want. Compromise. Right.

[George Kamel]

She understands what that means.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

Joking to spend a certain amount of money, but it looks like I'm gonna have to. And that's just how compromise works.

[George Kamel]

Yeah. This is satire, but I can tell she means it.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

Before my fiance sees this and has a literal panic attack. I'm joking.

[George Kamel]

Okay. The good news is they're not married yet and it's not too late.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, my gosh.

[George Kamel]

Run.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's funny. That's funny, though. If I have to compromise something, I have to compromise. Yeah.

[George Kamel]

My chaotic digital diet. She's 25, 20, 26 bride. She wants to make that clear. And she lives in Boston. Thank you for that tidbit.

[Rachel Cruze]

Good for her and her caption.

[George Kamel]

Who else's budget has magically increased? Lmao. We're still doing lmao. We're still doing the skull emoji.

[Youth Sports Parent]

Wow.

[George Kamel]

Okay.

[Rachel Cruze]

We're still there.

[George Kamel]

Yeah. I personally didn't care for her energy on this one. Not someone that I would want to be in proximity to.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, my gosh, George.

[George Kamel]

That's just me being on the other girls. Hey, I said I liked her vibe.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah, you liked the vibe.

[George Kamel]

Didn't like her vibe. Little entitlement. Little. I know I'm doing something dumb, but I don't care.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

Because,

[Rachel Cruze]

yes, I think she was joking. But I think it does show, though, that it's so easy to like, have not put a boundary up when you need to. Right where you do feel like, I don't want to. I want to do everything I want to do. So I'm going to just do it regardless of the money.

[George Kamel]

Well. And don't compromise on the budget. Now, if she's actually doing a budget, I'm proud of her. And if she's not, she needs to check out everydollar. We'll drop a link in the description. Super easy budgeting tool. There's no compromise. You just make a plan for your money and then you stick to it and you can move. There's compromise and hey, I'm going to move money from this category to this one. But the goal is I didn't spend more than I made.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

That simple.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes. If you have the money, you can buy it. If you don't have the money, you say no.

[George Kamel]

What a concept.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes. She feels very like, you know, I'm

[George Kamel]

worried about what her wedding is going to cost. Now she has in the caption, compromising for your wedding budget tips. So maybe this is just satire to get some engagement.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[George Kamel]

And she's actually very.

[Rachel Cruze]

But I do think that that mindset is for a lot of people have that mindset though. So she's probably just saying out loud what a lot of people already think and do.

[George Kamel]

But yeah, that's true.

[Rachel Cruze]

Now one thing you should not compromise on though, George, is where you're banking because where you put your hard earned money for your checking account or even a high yield savings account, you know, to have a banking institution or a credit union that aligns with your values. I Didn't realize how important it was, honestly. Because there was a little bit of this flipping, like just go bank.

[George Kamel]

You know, too many people are they have their bank by default. Well, it's the bank I've had since I was 16 and so I'm just gonna stick with it. And you don't know that it's being eaten up by fees. They don't have your best interests at heart. They're constantly peddling more marketing to get you into debt. And that's why where you bank matters. And that's why we love Fairwinds Credit Union. Cause they're the good guys in the banking world.

[Rachel Cruze]

And then you wanna make sure that you sign up for the Smart bundle because it includes the no fee checking, the Beweird debit card, which I love, and then the high yield savings account. And it's all. And it's so easy to use. And that's the other thing is, is when we signed up for it, George, we even put the banks that we were banking at like into it too to transfer the stuff. And it's so easy. Like it was quick.

[Disney Enthusiast / Bride]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

And I love that my high Yield Savings is connected to checking. So if I have an emergency, I could move the money over instantly versus needing to wait a day or two or three business days for that money to get in there. So it gives me peace of mind too that I could access that money in a pinch. And if you go to their website, go to their app, you're gonna be like, this feels like Ramsey. They want people to become debt free, which is so wild for a bank. So check it out. You can go to fairwinds.org Ramsey to sign up for that Smart bundle and partner with a bank that's going to help you win with money in 2026. We'll drop a link in the description as well.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay, George. So the takeaway, I think it reminds me still as we watch these videos, like there's still more questions like to just make a judgment call on like one 30 second video you see. Right. I think a lot of times it's like, I think some of it we can. I'm gonna say the $1,300 car payment. I think that can be a quick judgment from us. That's fine.

[George Kamel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

But a lot of the other ones it's like, okay, give me more of the situation. What's going on? Income matters a lot. I really do think that where you are financially is a big deal.

[George Kamel]

And location, cost of living in your home.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah, there's a lot yeah, there's a lot of.

[George Kamel]

Are you single or married?

[Rachel Cruze]

Cause some of these are values conversations. Even the travel, sports thing. I'll go back to it. Right. It may not be like, our thing is a value, but maybe people, I don't know, they love it. If they can afford it, that's where they want to spend their money. Like, that's great. Like, that's so.

[George Kamel]

I don't know.

[Rachel Cruze]

Some of it's a. It's a values conversation. Everyone's value's gonna be different. But I think from the financial perspective, just making sure that, like, okay, let's get the. Let's get all the information before we make the judgment call. That's why I love the Ramsey show, because we actually are talking to the person.

[George Kamel]

We get the context from it.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

Because you might say, can I spend $100,000 on a car? Or like, well, what's your net worth? What's your income?

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

And they go, Well, I make $4 million. And we're like, buy the car.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes, that's right.

[George Kamel]

But if they go, I make $40,000, we're like, do not buy this car.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah, that's right.

[George Kamel]

So the context matters. There's no bad purchases. If you're doing it in cash, you can afford it, and it's not a big part of your world.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's right.

[George Kamel]

Yes. So it's a good thing to remember you don't live their financial life, and it really doesn't benefit you at all to look at someone else's financial world. Because if they're doing better than you, well, now you're envious. If they're doing worse than you, well, now there's judgment of, like, I'm better than them.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

And so none of that comparison helps.

[Rachel Cruze]

No. It's always just a little fun to be a little judgmental every now and then. You know it is.

[George Kamel]

But it's also.

[Rachel Cruze]

It's only for the entertainment, which is toxic. Traits this episode.

[George Kamel]

So here's the deal. If you find yourself constantly saying, must be nice to other people's lifestyles, consider taking some actual steps to get there instead of being jealous. Go. Okay, what did they do if they earned this the hard way? What can I do to get there? If that's really a thing that I value, a thing that I want. So check out the get started assessment. It'll help you look at your life and your money and set some tactical goals, some next steps to get you there. We'll leave a link in the description for you to take that.

[Rachel Cruze]

All right. Before we spill the tea on our guilty as charged segment, George, what were we sipping on?

[George Kamel]

Okay, so this was the Reddish Maroon Manhattan. The reason reddish is in front of it is because this is kind of a custom recipe that our mixologist, Michael Redish came up with. And it's one of my favorite, favorite drinks now. And the reason it's different is. You've heard of the Manhattan?

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes.

[George Kamel]

Which is made with vermouth.

[Perfume Influencer]

I love a Manhattan.

[George Kamel]

You've heard of black Manhattan, which is made with amaro? Well, Michael decided why not both?

[Rachel Cruze]

He mixed it all together.

[George Kamel]

He said yes. And so the Reddish maroon Manhattan was born. And it's a way to honor him for his service on this show for three years. He made us wonderful cocktails. Yes. And he's retired as the mixologist. He's still working at Ramsey. Everything's great, but he has a lot on his plate. And now it's the producer's job.

[Rachel Cruze]

We cut the picture.

[George Kamel]

We were the first thing to come off the plate.

[Rachel Cruze]

He said, I can't do this anymore.

[George Kamel]

So the producers made this. Is that right? I think they did a fabulous job. I did give them his recipe verbatim, so.

[Rachel Cruze]

Worked well.

[George Kamel]

Hard to screw up, but okay.

[Rachel Cruze]

We need to make it again. George. I hate to be this person. I lie. Can I just be foolish?

[George Kamel]

Explain to the audience why your drink is so.

[Rachel Cruze]

I will randomly go through, like, periods where I'm like, I'm not gonna drink for three weeks and just kind of like, you know, I'm in one of those moments right now.

[George Kamel]

I know you went dry this month.

[Rachel Cruze]

So I. At the beginning of the episode, do you see it? I pretended like I stepped in. I didn't. I didn't do it.

[George Kamel]

What an actress you are.

[Rachel Cruze]

Let's play that skirt.

[George Kamel]

Cheers. Mmm.

[Rachel Cruze]

I love. I love a Manhattan.

[George Kamel]

Eagle eyed viewers might notice the drink is still full.

[Rachel Cruze]

I'm gonna have to give this to someone. But I love a Manhattan.

[George Kamel]

You couldn't even just.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know sometimes if I have, like, my thing that I'm doing, I gotta, like, stick to it.

[George Kamel]

Wow. The discipline is impressive.

[Rachel Cruze]

Like the no dessert. If I go through, I don't know, like, I do those, like, things through life. Just a little cleanse every now and then. Of course.

[George Kamel]

Maybe you shouldn't have signed up for a show called Smart Money Happy Hour is all I'm saying.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know. I'm very. I'm actually really sad about it. Manhattan is.

[George Kamel]

I'm gonna vote for both of us and say this is a 10 out of 10 drink. And if you disagree, you hate your grandmother. That's how strongly I feel about this drink. It is one of the all time best bourbon cocktails you could make that is out there. So if you enjoy Manhattan's, you're going to love this. It comes out to $4.35.

[Rachel Cruze]

It's got expensive.

[George Kamel]

Well, you know, Michael is a man of taste.

[Rachel Cruze]

He's high class. High class.

[George Kamel]

So it's got the bourbon, it's got the vermouth, it's got amaro, and then it's got some black walnut bitters and chocolate bitters.

[Rachel Cruze]

Beautiful.

[George Kamel]

So pick your poison. Make it at home. $4. Well worth the money. You'd pay 20 bucks for this at a nice cocktail bar, for sure. So get the recipe in the show notes. I can't believe we're giving this recipe out. This feels like grandma's special recipe that

[Rachel Cruze]

we can't really thank you, Michael, though.

[George Kamel]

So, yeah, shout out to Michael for a wonderful three years of making us cocktails. We appreciate it. Give it a try this weekend in honor of our friend Michael Reddish.

[Rachel Cruze]

All right, now it's time for guilty as charged. And this is the segment where we ask each other guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a

[George Kamel]

sip or take a fake sip. It's up to you.

[Rachel Cruze]

I'll smell it. All right. Question is, are you guilty of. Of shamelessly hanging on to an overpriced subscription?

[George Kamel]

Ooh, that's a good one. When we're talking about stupid things we spend money on.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

You got one?

[Rachel Cruze]

I got one.

[George Kamel]

Okay.

[Rachel Cruze]

Should I smell the cocktail?

[George Kamel]

Just smell it out of random. Yeah, I think the fumes might get you, like, second hand.

[Rachel Cruze]

I mean, this is so good. I'm gonna give this to will after. Will, this can be yours for today.

[George Kamel]

All right. You know, he's on the clock still. He's got another three hours of work today, but sure, just go sip on it.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay. I pay $80 a year for the Marco polo premium app. Wow. Do you know what Marco.

[George Kamel]

What was the brushing of the hair?

[Rachel Cruze]

Do you know what marco polo is?

[George Kamel]

Marco polo is. It's like facetime but recorded. So you can talk to friends and send, like, walkie talkie video messages.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes, that's it. That's a great way of putting it. Walkie talkie. Well done. Yeah, I like that.

[George Kamel]

Because you can't always, like, facetime with a friend when they can facetime.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's right. That's right. So it's just like a video. Yeah. And it's better than, like, a text or a voice message sometimes, because you can, like, see their face, but it can be.

[George Kamel]

And you can make it nine minutes long versus a text.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay, so that's my point. So with the premium version, you can 2x the person. Now, some of my friends, I can't even 2x because they talk fast. And that's like, probably like me.

[George Kamel]

Hashtag Christy Wright.

[New York Apartment Renter]

You gotta.

[George Kamel]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Christy's a fast talker. 1.5. Like, 1.5. We got her. Some other ones for sure. 2x for sure.

[George Kamel]

And then you're like, all right, come on, girl, get it out.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah. But they just talk, and as they're processing what they're think. Right? Did you feel that speed?

[George Kamel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

So they just talk, and as they're processing what they're thinking, I'm like, I got you, I got you. I got you. I got you, I got you.

[George Kamel]

Can I give you a hot take?

[Rachel Cruze]

And I love it.

[George Kamel]

Don't put that on video. Just wait until you've processed the thought, then share it. I know that's a wild concept, but

[Rachel Cruze]

my friends, I feel like they're not just, like, they're not filler. Filler friends where nothing is being said. But what's hard is, like, we talk about therapy sessions and lifestyle.

[George Kamel]

It gets deeper because it's on video and you can really share.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh, yeah. And we're like, okay, so this and this. And then you want to get back to them. So sometimes it is a little bit hard because you can't get that ping pong, not walkie talkie, ping pong, back and forth, you know, Wait, does it

[George Kamel]

ever hurt if they don't respond and you've just shared something really vulnerable?

[Rachel Cruze]

Sometimes it'll be a day or two, and then they come back and they will say, hey, I know you just shared that. I'm so sorry. Like, we acknowledge it to each other

[George Kamel]

because as a man, sometimes you'd be like, I'm deleting the app.

[Rachel Cruze]

You do. You do. You put your heart out there. But sometimes people are busy, you know? And I have thought, what if this gets leaked?

[George Kamel]

Like, oh, she's sharing vulnerable things.

[Rachel Cruze]

Like, what if, like, our, like, yeah,

[George Kamel]

hacker, you know, Marco Polo videos. Release Rachel Chat.

[Rachel Cruze]

There's been one season of life. I did tell my friend, delete it. I was like, after y' all watch each one, delete it. Like. Cause I don't want it on the Internet if it gets leaked because it's personal stuff.

[George Kamel]

It's good content. That's the content we need. Does Winston use it?

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay. So Winston started using it and he got the free version and I told him, you need to upgrade to premium, babe. Like you need to upgrade.

[George Kamel]

Yeah. Guys notoriously talk too slow. I can't stand talking too slow.

[Rachel Cruze]

He only has these two friends. It's this one group that, that's mostly who they, who he talks to. And I was like, yeah. So I think we made to the family plan.

[George Kamel]

Oh my gosh, that is wild.

[Rachel Cruze]

You need a 2x. You got to be a 2x er because you got to. We got to be efficient and it's

[George Kamel]

smart of them to charge for that. And it's good marketing.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know. You know they reached out to me one time on Instagram because I tagged them or something.

[George Kamel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

In the Marco Polo Instagram app, like messaged me and I was like, they

[George Kamel]

need to just give it to you for free. I felt, so this is free promotion. Dave's going to be mad that you were like, why did you just like lift their whole brand? You just got 100 people to go get premium right now.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know. It's worth it. It's worth it. Thank you for your ministry. Marco Polo.

[George Kamel]

Wow. Okay.

[Rachel Cruze]

Do you have anything that's crazy?

[George Kamel]

Yeah. Mine's much nerdier and less exciting and doesn't involve social interaction. But MyQ is an app connected to your garage doors. So your garage door automatically open when you get within 50ft of your garage. Which is very nice, very helpful. And so when I got my new Tesla, for some reason it would not work for free anymore. The garage would not open without a subscription. So something updated in the hardware where they wanted to charge me monthly. But then they were like, hey, you can get a 10 year subscription for a fraction of the cost. You'll save a whole lot of money. And the saver in me said, well

[Rachel Cruze]

that's smart because you're going to be using it for 10 years.

[George Kamel]

I'll have a garage for the next 10 years barring something terrible happening. So I thought I'll just pay for the 10. And it was like, like $250 for 10 years.

[Rachel Cruze]

And I was like, that's not terrible though.

[George Kamel]

So. But it was a one time fee and I'm like 10 years from now for sure I'll be in my mid-40s going, oh yeah, I gotta re up on my.

[Rachel Cruze]

I mean that's garage subscription. If anything. Fractions of pennies. When you think about the girl math we talked about earlier.

[George Kamel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Because you open your garage at least once a day.

[George Kamel]

Maybe twice.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yeah.

[George Kamel]

Things get crazy. Yeah. If you're leaving twice I leave, I gotta come back.

[Rachel Cruze]

That's right. Yes.

[George Kamel]

So it is really nice. Don't have to like think when you just pull up on your street, the garage magically opens.

[Rachel Cruze]

Good.

[George Kamel]

And it's a. It's a real blessing in my life.

[Rachel Cruze]

Look at you.

[George Kamel]

So. Yeah. Both guilty. I will take the sip on behalf of both of us. Since you are a better person than me.

[Rachel Cruze]

No, I'm just a disciplined person. In this few weeks of my life.

[George Kamel]

Now I'm undisputed.

[Rachel Cruze]

I'm going to be back on the train.

[George Kamel]

Now I'm undisciplined.

[Rachel Cruze]

No, you're great.

[George Kamel]

I just don't. I don't make commitments like that, you know?

[Rachel Cruze]

And sometimes I fall.

[George Kamel]

Mrs. I don't have resolutions. Goals are. Are silly.

[Rachel Cruze]

I know. But I'll do it randomly. And then when I'm in it, I usually don't last as long as I think I will.

[George Kamel]

Is it a health thing?

[Rachel Cruze]

I'm gonna probably. No, it's a cleansing thing. Like I'm doing like a tea at night. I'm doing a bunch of water. No alcohol. It's like a. Yeah, kind of like a cleanse.

[George Kamel]

Not doctor ordered.

[Rachel Cruze]

No, no, no, no.

[George Kamel]

You know when they ask you in the physical, like how many drinks you

[Rachel Cruze]

have per week, like how many smart. How many happy. Yeah.

[George Kamel]

I was like, well, I gotta drink for work purposes. Legally. Three times a weekend.

[Perfume Influencer]

What do we.

[George Kamel]

I said two to three a week. Week. That was my number. He seemed to believe me. Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Just take it. I bet those doctors, if you say you drink, I bet they. I bet they 2x it in their mind. Like if. What people actually say about that.

[George Kamel]

Okay. If you're a doctor, let me know in the comments what you secretly do in your mind.

[Rachel Cruze]

Yes. When people say I drink.

[George Kamel]

But hey ran the blood work. I'm a specimen.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh. What kind of blood work did you do?

[George Kamel]

I did all of it. Yes. And he said, literally, he said, everything's perfect. In fact, I would maybe introduce more carbs if you can. Your triglycerides are impressively low. So much so maybe eat more carbs. I went. Okay. Loud and clear, doc. Loud and clear.

[Rachel Cruze]

Good for you.

[George Kamel]

So I will not be working out this year. I will not be moving my body. I don't. I'm gonna keep doing exactly what I'm doing.

[Yeti Mug User]

I don't know what I'm doing.

[Rachel Cruze]

Cause it is perfect.

[George Kamel]

Staying way too anxious just on my phone and enjoying a cocktail.

[Rachel Cruze]

You know what that's the good life. Oh man. Well, if you have a guilty charge question for us, make sure to DM us. Rachelcruise oregocamell we love to see him. Cause we see him, we don't get enough. Thank them.

[George Kamel]

You might think we get just so

[Rachel Cruze]

many dms, we start to not get as creative. So help us. Help us out.

[George Kamel]

And don't go with the like. Have you ever returned an item? Be a little more creative. Don't make it weird.

[Rachel Cruze]

Go a little unhinged.

[George Kamel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

And if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to leave a review and check out the episode we settled you'd heated money arguments. That's the next episode. We'll link it for you and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.