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George
Today, we're talking about the dumbest things that people spend money on. And let me tell you, there was no shortage of content here.
Rachel
There was a lot.
George
Everyone's got their thing. You know, some people, it's their coffee and their lattes. And this time, we're gonna roast each other for the things that we spend money on that are dumb.
Rachel
Hold on, let me, like, prepare my sensitive soul. Hey, guys, I'm Rachel.
George
I'm George.
Rachel
And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers.
George
Cheers. A very delicate clink today because this drink is very. It's doing the most.
Rachel
Oh, it's delicious. 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. What are we. What are we sipping on?
George
We are sipping on a sparkling pear mocktail. And I can tell you right now, this is. This might be one of the top three we've had.
Rachel
It's really good.
George
It's unstoppable. It's a force to be reckoned with.
Rachel
Delicious.
George
So stick around till the end. We're give you the rating and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode.
Rachel
Yes. So I'll just say this. As we were prepping for this episode, we were like, okay, let's list off a couple of things that, you know, we think are just dumb in general, and we might.
George
We might step on some toes here. Can we say that?
Rachel
Yeah. We kind of hurt some feelings. We could. I know, but we went kind of high level. So, like, we'll give them, like, our, like, I don't know, high level view of some dumb things. And then it started to get a little personal. George.
George
Oh, wow. Like, we're gonna roast each other at the end.
Rachel
Yeah, well, yeah. And then the list after this one is like, oh, no. Like, you've done that or I've done that. I don't know. And then at the end, a total roast of each other because there's stuff that George spends money on that I think is.
George
Was this episode just so smart, made to be a personal attack on me? Because I am here for it and ready to defend my honor?
Rachel
Okay, what are the high level that you and I agree on that we're.
George
Like you and I, and almost all of the financial space agrees that new cars are one of the dumbest things you can spend money on. And people justify it all the time because they're like, rachel, I want a reliable, safe car for my family. Why do they sound like that? I don't know that's the accent, but they do.
Rachel
Yeah. New cars.
George
Why do we hate new cars?
Rachel
Well, because they lose so much value pretty much immediately, like once you drive it off the lot.
George
10% right there.
Rachel
Yeah. And then over the last year, it's like 20%. I mean, it just, it is something that costs a lot, right. In a new car these days, George. 50,000. I'm like, and what's wild, totally normal.
George
For a 50,000 new cars.
Rachel
Yes. And cars that are not even that like glamorous or crazy. That's how high they've gotten in price.
George
Yeah.
Rachel
So again, you could buy a $40,000 brand new car.
George
We're not even talking like luxury cars.
Rachel
No. Yeah. Just. Yeah. So all that to say let someone else take the hit and just buy a two year old car or, you know, older. I think it's great.
George
Yeah. People here, will you buy a used car in cash? And they go, oh my gosh, they want me to buy a $2,000 beater car from 19. 1992. No, there's a, there's a gap between 2025 car and 1992.
Rachel
That's right.
George
So buy a five year old car. Two year old, 10, 17.
Rachel
You know what I mean? Like, they're still great, they're still great cars. Now once you have a million dollar net worth, then if you have the money, you can buy a new car. And we say that because you can take the hit financially.
George
It's not a big part of your.
Rachel
Financial work going into debt for a new car and paying interest on something that is going so far down in value so quickly, it's not worth it. Go buy a two year old car. And I will say this till the day is long, George. If I am at a stoplight and a car pulls up next to me, name a car, George.
George
Go, ooh, Kia Sorento.
Rachel
I don't see that Kia Sorento. And I'm not like, ooh, that's a 2025. What a brand new Kia Sorento.
George
Sorry, I shouldn't have chosen a cultured name. It's a lot for you right now.
Rachel
Oh my gosh, no. Or I, I wouldn't even know if it's a 2022, a 2021, a 20, 20, 2019, 2018.
George
No one knows but you. Honestly, the older the car, the more respect I have. I'm like, dang. Like we saw an old Lexus suv, like one of their G X or.
Rachel
One of those are cool.
George
And they were like, it was like older, boxy SUV. It looked like it was from the late 90s.
Rachel
Can I tell you one of my favorite older SUVs that I get that same feeling is the Land Cruiser. Do the Land Cruiser that used to be like super high and boxy, I think those are the. I think those are some of the coolest SUVs. Now. The brand new Lexus has that look now, George.
George
Oh, you feel like it's gone downhill.
Rachel
Well, it's just really fun when you see like an old Land Cruiser. And I just think they're like the coolest SUV cars.
George
And cars, I mean, it's like airplanes.
Rachel
Which I think they're probably still expensive. And some of them do hold their value.
George
Maintain your cars. Get a pre purchase inspection. We're not asking you to buy a lemon that's gonna have $20,000 in repairs the first year. That's what's in everyone's mind. Yes, but just pay cash. Save up over time, Buy what you can afford, Upgrade over time as you can afford it, and your life will be so much better and you'll be.
Rachel
Able to build wealth for sure. Okay, let's talk about insurances, because we get, you know, you're like, get this one and this one and this one and this one. There's only certain kinds of insurances that you actually need. And there are certain insurances in the same category that are more expensive than others. So you want to be smart in this area because that could actually save you a lot.
George
Yeah, some people have the right insurance, but they have not enough coverage or too much coverage that they're paying for that they don't need. Some people have stupid kinds of insurance that they were sold by a good salesperson and they need to cut it out of their life. And so auto insurance is one that people can save money on. Home insurance is another one you can save money on. And I helped a friend recently save $80 a month plus get better coverage just by just by reshopping with an independent broker. So not going with your. You know, I've had state farms since college from my old roommate. It's time to reshop with an independent broker. So jump on ramseysolutions.com and reshop your coverage. You can also go to ramseysolutions.com checkup and we'll help you figure out, do you have the right coverage? Do you have too much? Not enough. Find the Goldilocks level and pay the best price. That's all I'm asking.
Rachel
Good for you, George.
George
That's all I'm asking.
Rachel
Not all heroes wear capes and, you.
George
Know, it's one of the best ways to save in your budget without having to quote, sacrifice.
Rachel
That's actually very true. Very true. All right, next I'm going to say it. Warranties.
George
Oh, people love their warranties.
Rachel
I know. And every time they get offered, it's like this. I don't know. My dad always used to say this. And maybe it was just ingrained. It's like one of those, like, childhood things you have in your head, but it's called trauma. We bought a new washer and dryer, and, like, do you want a warranty? And I'm literally like, well, is it a crappy product? And they're like, no, it's great. And I was like, okay, then why do I need a warranty? Like, it is ingrained in me. Like, if you buy something new that is nice, a new electronic, like, it shouldn't break, and if it breaks, then why are you selling me that?
George
Oh, yeah. And they'll do this for especially cars, appliances.
Rachel
Yeah.
George
You see the little tiny things?
Rachel
Now I will say, I can hear people saying it, and I'm like, you know what? I could actually get on board. I don't have it, but I could see it. Is the phone actually more Back in the day. Now they've built them like a freaking tank. I feel like our phones don't break anymore. Do you remember the iPhones used to shatter all the time? Like, you would break. I mean, they've now really done well.
George
You could drop it on a pillow and it would somehow shatter.
Rachel
Yeah, it used to shatter all the time. So I did know people that were like, oh, yeah, we get a warranty for that. And that one. I'm like, okay. I could see. But nowadays they're so strong and durable. I don't know.
George
Yeah, I don't think it's worth it. So the key is the amount you would have spent on the warranty. Put that amount away, you know, every single month in a sinking fund in your savings account, and you become the warranty, and chances are you're never going to need it.
Rachel
Right? Totally. Totally.
George
That's the truth. And now they add it to everything. You'll buy, like, a $30 lamp on Amazon. And it's like, do you want a $15 warranty? I'm like, I'll just buy another lamp. I'm good.
Rachel
I'm fine. I'm fine. All right, next, Lottery tickets. Oh, these are tough.
George
This one's tough. Because, number one, it's a predatory industry in general. When you look at what zip codes are buying lottery tickets? It's usually lower income zip codes.
Rachel
Totally. Well, and it's sad because it's like a hope stealer. It's like one of these things that they dangle out a carrot knowing no one's gonna win.
George
They're destitute.
Rachel
But they're gonna take your money for an option and we're gonna take your money, but we're still gonna do this and, and market to you and make you somehow believe that you're gonna be the winner. And people spend their harder hard earned money on this stuff.
George
And yeah, they're like, well, someone's gotta win. That's always the thing.
Rachel
I know. So.
George
And the odds of winning ready for this mega Millions jackpot? The odds are 1 in 302 million. No, thank you.
Rachel
Oh my gosh.
George
By the way, that's basically one out of every person in America.
Rachel
That's right. Totally.
George
Think about that.
Rachel
A hundred. Yeah, 100%. So 28% of Americans in the lowest income bracket play the lotto once a week. And it adds up to $412 a year on lottery tickets. So it's tough. So listen, if you ever do something like gambling or the lottery or sports betting or crypto, like these things that are high risk, high risk and they don't have a long term payoff, only do those things when you financially are in a good spot. And you could literally put that money right in front of you, light it on fire, and it would be fine like that. That's the emotional state you need to be in with your money in order to do these things.
George
I would say this. If any of those are a habit in your life, then you need to cut it out of your life immediately. There is an addiction there. You're hoping for something that's never going to happen. And you can do much better financially by changing those habits for sure.
Rachel
All right, next is a whole life insurance. George.
George
Oh, my goodness. This is one of the most common get on the Ramsey Show. People calling in saying, I have a whole life insurance policy. I'm paying $300 a month. And I was sold this by, you know, my 24 year old college roommate.
Rachel
My parents had it for me.
George
My parents bought it for me.
Rachel
Yes. And I've had it since I was four, whatever it is. Yeah.
George
And people think the problem with whole. So we, we like life insurance, but you should only get term life insurance, whole life insurance or permanent life insurance. They try to do two things at once, insurance and investing. They say, well, Rachel, there's A cash value account that will build up over time and it becomes a great way to, you know, you can use this money tax free and borrow against it. And it's this wealth hack that the wealthy use. These are all sales tactics that the salespeople use to scam you. Never mix insurance and investing. Buy your insurance cheap, term life is a fraction of the cost. Cheap, and invest the difference and you'll be far, far better off.
Rachel
All right, the other one, George. Crypto.
George
Oh, boy.
Rachel
I feel like this is your. Like this is a lie.
George
I became like the anti crypto boy. And I'm really not mad at crypto.
Rachel
Like, people think, here's my thing about crypto. From what I've seen and what I've like, experienced, I think there will be a day in 10 years that it's like, okay, this could be a legitimate.
George
Thing, a normal part of your portfolio.
Rachel
I do think it could get there. I really do. But we don't know. That's my problem. The track record is so terrible. It's full of scams and fraud. Yeah. I mean, it's just not a great clean industry to build wealth right now.
George
And it's not investing. It's speculative. You're betting on crypto. You're essentially gambling. And while bitcoin is the one, it's the poster child. It's like, well, George, bitcoin, okay, One out of thousands of of cryptocurrencies ended up staying here, working, taking off, having a high return. It's still volatile. It could, we don't know. It's. It could crash at any moment because it's not based on anything.
Rachel
Yes. You know what I do like about it though is it's like freestanding from the government.
George
That's the part that I can get behind.
Rachel
I know, I like that. I'm like, I don't need a federal bank to it.
George
It's going to be like marijuana. At some point, it just becomes regulated by the government and it loses the luster.
Rachel
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
George
When there's money to be made, the government will get involved and say, hey, you need to pay taxes on that. And so I don't buy that. It's going to be unregulated forever. It's already.
Rachel
That's a good.
George
Eventually it'll be like in your 401k to choose, like a cryptocurrency mutual fund with a funny.
Rachel
So we'll see when that day times, we'll talk about it.
George
But right, but right now it's a lot of just hype. And you're just putting money in and there's a much higher chance you will lose it than you will gaining 110x. And there's a lot of get rich quick mentality out there, for sure.
Rachel
You know what's not a stupid purchase, George?
George
What's that?
Rachel
Cozy Earth.
George
You can't make a stupid purchase with Cozy Earth.
Rachel
Like you could buy anything and it wouldn't be stupid.
George
No regrets.
Rachel
No. I'm telling you, Cozy Earth can go beach, can go mountains, you can take it anywhere because it is the most incredible quality products out there, you guys, from their clothes to their bedding. I mean, the blankets, the sheets, everything about it, it's just. It is fantastic.
George
And can we just say with. With Mother's Day on the horizon, I think it's worth mentioning. Nice, George, for the woman who has it all. Or you don't know what she wants. Here's what she wants. She wants Cozy Earth.
Rachel
She does. She wants some joggers and pajamas from Cozy Earth. That's what I'm telling you.
George
She wants to feel bougie. She wants quality items.
Rachel
And she.
George
You know what? She's probably not gonna say it out loud. It feels like too much to even ask.
Rachel
She may not. Well, that's nice of her.
George
I know Rachel will be like, here's what I want. Here's a list of things I want from Cozy Earth.
Rachel
Cozy Earth pajamas.
George
Maybe she wants temperature regulating bedding. Maybe some ultra soft PJs. Yeah, you can't go wrong.
Rachel
You can't go wrong. It is fantastic stuff, you guys. Seriously. The quality of it, the softness of the material. The bamboo stuff. Get the bamboo stuff. Like, it's just.
George
And to celebrate, moms everywhere. This weekend only, May 2nd through the 4th, cozy earth is giving our listeners a special promo. Buy one, get one free bamboo PJs.
Rachel
No, that's what I just said. The bamboo PJ. Oh, my.
George
I think Rachel's gonna take advantage of this on this. So here's the promo code. Smart Money Bogo. B, O, G O. Smart money Bogo. One word to take advantage of this Bogo offer. Remember, moms deserve the best. And I won't tell. Hey, if. If you get it for someone who's not a mom, I'm not gonna. My lips are sealed.
Rachel
Oh, that's right. You don't have to be a mom to use the promo code.
George
But I'll tell you this much. I think Whitney's gonna get two PJs for Mother's Day.
Rachel
You know what? I'm gonna put the Taylor Swift ERAS T shirt aside and introduce some new cozy earth pajamas.
George
I love it. Go check it out. We'll drop a link in the show notes. Be sure to use promo code. Smart money. Bogo.
Rachel
Fantastic. All right, George, I think we should one up each other on this next list.
George
That's the baseline. We all agree those are dumb things that people waste money on. These are a little more controversial, a little more personal, a little more subjective.
Rachel
Okay, I'm gonna say things that I don't. Yeah, I'm like, eh, concerts and live entertainment.
George
Except for Taylor Swift caveat.
Rachel
Yeah. I'm not a big, like, concert music person.
George
What about the people who say, rachel, this is experienced.
Rachel
Oh, shoot, now I'm backtracking Broadway.
George
Oh, why is that worth it over a concert ticket?
Rachel
Because you're seeing like, acting and singing.
George
Wow. So it's the acting that you're really there for.
Rachel
I don't know. Yeah, A live, like, theatrical is more interesting to me.
George
That's fair.
Rachel
Yeah. And then do you know what else I bought? Oh, shoot. I'm backtracking now. I said I wouldn't spend money on live entertainment and it was fantastic. So in Nashville, the Nashville Symphony at the Schermerhorn downtown, they will play Christmas movies. And the B in the symphony plays along with the music of the movie.
George
I've seen this. Like Home Alone is playing on the screen, but they are doing the.
Rachel
So I bought tickets for our family and we're. Yeah. And we did Home Alone.
George
Oh, nice.
Rachel
I know.
George
Was it life changing?
Rachel
It was great.
George
Are you watching the whole movie as is with the dialogue?
Rachel
Yeah, yeah. So you're there like with popcorn. It's like you're watching the movie, but then when the music comes on, it is like a live symphony.
George
The band is playing over it.
Rachel
Yeah.
George
Oh, wow. That's impressive.
Rachel
Really cool. Really, really cool.
George
So what is the.
Rachel
Okay, so maybe I can get into some live entertainment. I thought it was.
George
Yeah, I do think it is because of the fees and like, you gotta pay for the. The parking or travel if you're gonna go see some.
Rachel
It's expensive. It's expensive.
George
The food and beverage, the whole. You know, you're gonna go out to dinner, you're gonna get dolled up, maybe buy an outfit. So you're talking. This could be hundreds, if not a thousand or more for some of these experiences. And I do think the fees have made it less feasible like that. Less feasible for a lot of Americans to experience.
Rachel
Okay, what's your. What's yours?
George
That you think is, oh, dumbest waste of money. And I know this one I'm gonna get some hate for, but I think wine at restaurants just feels like a scam. Okay, it's like $12 for the glass, but I could go to Costco and buy the whole bottle for 18.
Rachel
Yes.
George
You know what I mean? So I. I get that it's part of the experience of dining. I feel the same way about just, like, a pour of liquor. Like, if you're gonna get a neat bourbon at a restaurant, I'm like, you're gonna pay $12 for a buffalo Trace neat. So I only will pay for drinks at restaurants that I could not make easily at home.
Rachel
Yes. I'm with you.
George
If someone just poured it, I'm like, I could have done that and saved a lot of money. Because you're also paying tax and tip on top of that.
Rachel
Yes, you are, totally.
George
So unless someone else is paying or it's a special occasion, generally not going to do those things. But a craft cocktail, I. I feel like is worth it for some reason.
Rachel
Yeah.
George
Like, I'm not going to spend the time to make this mocktail.
Rachel
That's right. That's right.
George
It's simply too fancy.
Rachel
Just so beautiful. So beautiful.
George
How about you?
Rachel
Okay. I think it's silly. Is, like, the dairy alternatives. Like, just get the milk, you know?
George
Wow, hurtful.
Rachel
Just get the milk, George.
George
No, no, no, that's fine. What if you're lactose intolerant?
Rachel
You have, like, an issue, like, with your body.
George
I don't think anyone's like, man, I just love to pay 10 times more for pistachio milk.
Rachel
I do think, though, people gotten too bougie with their milks.
George
Have you tried some of these milks?
Rachel
No, but, like, a nut is supposed to be a nut. Like, stop trying to, like.
George
Wow. Who are you to tell nuts what they can be?
Rachel
Keep it in.
George
Never limit a nut. All right, Let the nut dream. How are they milking it? I have questions.
Rachel
Okay, let's talk about, like, cauliflower. Like, stop trying to use cauliflower on everything and making it all this stuff. Like, it's just cauliflower. If you do it right, it's gone too much. Y'all, like, let's just back it down. Let's just back it down.
George
I had a cauliflower dip that was exquisite, and it was basically not cauliflower. I was like, okay, if you. It's like butter and cheese it up enough to not make a cauliflower, I will and buy. But doing a Cauliflower steak. I feel like is offensive to cows to just grill a flat piece of cauliflower and be like, we have a cauliflower steak for you this evening. No, rude.
Rachel
We're not doing that.
George
Here's another one. Name brand, over the counter drugs, giant waste of money.
Rachel
Oh, shoot.
George
I do name brand because you love Advil versus ibuprofen.
Rachel
Feels safe to me.
George
You love Tylenol versus acetaminophen.
Rachel
Yeah. Because I don't know these words. Like, the words you're saying after some of these.
George
Okay. Right next to the Tylenol, there's, like, the generic brand.
Rachel
I know. I don't feel like it's as good. I don't know why. I don't know why. I just. I. It just makes me.
George
It's literally the same ingredient. You can look at the box on it.
Rachel
It says the ingredients trust.
George
Look at the milligrams.
Rachel
Yeah.
George
Look at the Red 40. They add in for no reason and you'll find out it's the same product. But I do think.
Rachel
I know.
George
The price difference is pretty massive when you look at name brand versus generic brand.
Rachel
Walgreens. I'm going to do a price check.
George
Ask the pharmacist. Say, hey, what is the generic alternative to this?
Rachel
Okay, I'm going to one up that to. Oh, kids protein shakes. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
George
Are your kids getting ripped?
Rachel
What are they doing a brand at Costco and my mom has them at her house, so my kids are like, we want it, y'all. I am not lying. It is. They're $42 for a case of these. Of these, like, green and white protein kid shakes where we buy. Oh, Fair life. Fair life.
George
Yep.
Rachel
Fraction of the price compared to these. And my kids just drink Fair Life. Like, why would you.
George
What's so special about the kids protein?
Rachel
I don't know. I don't read ingredients, George. It's just too expensive and it's silly and stupid. And I swear it's because it says kids protein that parents like, oh, my gosh, this is good for my kids.
George
It's healthier for kids. Okay. Another thing I think dumbest things people waste money on is overpriced coffee and lattes.
Rachel
Yeah, I agree with that. Little treats, just go to your. Just go to Keurig.
George
So here's what I do. If you want caffeine, just get a black drip coffee or even an iced coffee. Those are the cheapest options when you're at any coffee shop in America. You start to add dairy for some reason, they Go, ho ho. We got to charge you three times for that. So that's just how it goes. I just don't do it unless it's absolutely necessary that I have a latte instead of a drip coffee.
Rachel
Okay, my, my last one for this list. George. Children's birthday parties.
George
Oh, how do we just make it a national law?
Rachel
I mean, genuinely. Now, listen, I will give my asterisks here if you have the money and this is like your creative outlet because some people just love throwing parties. They just like. This is like their love language. If that's it, I get like, you know, I'm not. No, it's fine. I just think it is crazy. Well, we spend on a 2, 3, 4 year old's birthday party. They don't know, they don't care.
George
And it adds up.
Rachel
Oh my gosh, the balloon arches. I mean, everything, it's like a wedding.
George
Reception now because now it's like we gotta get the food. We're catering food in. It's a whole situation.
Rachel
Yeah, I mean, the birthday cakes themselves are like wedding cakes. I mean, like, it, it is wild.
George
Have you ever done a balloon arch? Those should be abolished.
Rachel
No, I've not, I've not.
George
I've noticed we did one for our daughter's one year old party. She will never remember it. The photos will reveal. Yeah, but they did like a DIY balloon arch to save money and it, it took all day. I mean, it was like, clear the calendar. We got to do a balloon arch.
Rachel
I'm gonna say it. I'm gonna say it.
George
Say it.
Rachel
Judge me. It's like, it's like it's trying to take something that's childlike and like a little bit like, oh, it's just balloons and trying to make it fancy. I would rather you take something. I'd rather you take that money and apply it to good food that people can enjoy versus trying to like. It's just a little like, it does nothing. It does, it does nothing. Nothing for me. Balloon arches. I just hear. I just see. Expensive is going to be taken down in just a few seconds and. Or took all day.
George
Yep.
Rachel
I just don't think they're that cute. I don't know. I'm going to say it.
George
All right, you said it. A lot of feelings are hurt out there. Some people have unfollowed you.
Rachel
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
George
You cannot be canceled. Don't hate me.
Rachel
I'm going to just say it out loud.
George
Well, you know, following this path, I think we can say that weddings are one of the Things that people waste a lot of money on.
Rachel
Oh, shoot.
George
One of the dumbest things we flex on is just. You just go crazy. You go, well, sure. Get the donut wall. Yeah, we got to have the donut wall. What are we doing without the donut?
Rachel
Yeah.
George
We got to get the nicest flowers in the land that will die instantly. We got to get the videographer that is award winning. To film this wedding that we'll never watch. By the way, how many times have you watched your wedding?
Rachel
Twice, maybe. And mine's on dvd.
George
That's impressive. I would not even know how to play that dvd.
Rachel
Yeah, ours is on DVD discs with a case.
George
Do you want me to help you digitize it?
Rachel
Sure. Yeah.
George
Get you a little MP4, be able to play it on your. On your computer, Maybe even upload it unlisted to YouTube or something. So you guys have the link ready to go.
Rachel
Yeah, but that wasn't even, like. Like, filming your wedding in a cool way. Like, just came, like, it was, like, very.
George
Oh, that's right. When you guys got married, it was like, you're lucky to just have a static camera caption Capture.
Rachel
It was 2009. So, like, it was not. I. Yeah.
George
Camera quality wasn't there quite yet.
Rachel
A little cheesy. Like. It was a little cheesy.
George
Yeah.
Rachel
You know, it's not. It was not, like, artistic and cool like it is today.
George
When we got married in 2018, it was. We got a hip videographer.
Rachel
Okay. Yeah.
George
I mean, we had drone shots, the whole nine yards. It was amazing.
Rachel
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm not ragging on our video. I mean, it was fine, but it just was not. It's not what it was today. That's fair, if you will. But I will say, if I ever. If I was, like, an adult getting married right now, and if you had the budget for it, I would spend every penny of the budget. I would throw the biggest, most fun wedding ever. Ever. And I don't think I would regret it.
George
Here's all you need.
Rachel
If you had the money and you were. And you had the budget.
George
Oh, yeah.
Rachel
And it was like, yep, here's what we're gonna spend. I mean, I would.
George
What would you do?
Rachel
I'm not one of these. That would be like, oh, my gosh, we should, like, just. I would not elope. I wouldn't be like, let's just go to the courthouse. Or like, let's just have, like, four.
George
You love a party.
Rachel
Yes.
George
What are the three things you need? What are the three? If you Were like, okay, three things we're gonna spend money on. Great. Band.
Rachel
Band. You know, I'm going cheap on this one. I wouldn't do, like, an open bar and maybe drinks, because that gets real expensive.
George
It does.
Rachel
I'd have some good food and a great dress. There we go. Oh, wow.
George
Okay.
Rachel
That's it. That's all I need.
George
Look good, eat good, good music, dance.
Rachel
Yes.
George
I feel like the new thing is silent disco. You get a good dj. Like, we. We had a Halloween party, and we didn't. But I went to one with a friend, and they. They had a silent disco thing.
Rachel
Was it fun?
George
And he ran all the music from laptops on playlists, and that was like, that's all you need. That's.
Rachel
That's what I. Yeah, but I would.
George
That's a good one. I'm gonna one up all of these with my top one, I think.
Rachel
Okay.
George
And it's just vices. These are bad habits we're talking about. Smoking and vaping and zinning. The things, the little addictions we have that we need to get through the day. Now, to be fair, everyone's got their thing. You know, Some people, it's their coffee and their lattes. But these ones, to me are, like, publicly, I'm like, I don't want to smell your, like, chemical cotton candy cloud that I got to walk through now.
Rachel
Do people vape still all over. Oh, really?
George
And if you go to, like, you know, some big cities, the entire city just smells of, like, a chemical vape smell.
Rachel
So funny. It's so funny that cigarettes are, like, not the thing. It's the vaping.
George
And I'll be honest. I've made a lot of dumb purchases, but there's some that I feel like I will never have regrets about. And one of those is my delete me subscription.
Rachel
Yes.
George
It's the best.
Rachel
It's amazing. Okay. You always brag about how much time they've saved you.
George
86.5 hours. Who's counting?
Rachel
I'm at, like, 60 hours right now. I just got my report, because this company, you guys, goes in and removes your information from online. You know, data broker websites, all this stuff, because our information's out there. Like home addresses, like. Like the address that Winston and I lived in, our very first address in Knoxville after we got married, I found online somewhere. It's so messy, so crazy. So I was like, I need delete me. Because it removes all that information, and it saves you so much time and money.
George
Absolutely. And so if you want to take control of Your privacy online. Go check out Delete me. They're giving our listeners on Smart Money Happy hour. Sweet discount 20 off the annual plans go to JoinDeleteMe.com smart money or click the link in the description.
Rachel
It is worth your online safety. You guys, it's 20. 25. We need to do this.
George
Get with it.
Rachel
Yes. Protect it by using delete me because again, you will not regret it. It is not a stupid purchase.
George
Do it this time. We're gonna roast each other for the things that we spend money on that are done.
Rachel
Are you gonna go first?
George
I'll go first. I'm gonna say, hold on.
Rachel
Let me, like, prepare my sensitive soul to like.
George
These are not personal. We're still friends.
Rachel
Okay, go.
George
It's in the budget. We're paying cash. Birthed out of our values. Relax, personal trainer. You know what to do.
Rachel
Really?
George
Like, what are they showing you that.
Rachel
Is like, oh, this morning, George, It's a move that you're like. I never would have thought of that.
George
They showed you a new move. They're coming up with new moves.
Rachel
Every circuit she does for us. I'm not kidding you. We may have repeated, like, one or two things. It is something is a movement is new all the time. It's called muscle confusion. And you do something new every night. Yeah. Like today, like, I'm not kidding you.
George
What's the move today that you learned that you're like, I did not know the body could do this.
Rachel
Okay, so she had us laying on the ground with dumbbells.
George
Okay.
Rachel
Or like free weights. And your elbow, so your. This arm is resting on the ground. And then you push up and come up in a crunch with one leg. Both legs are straight up together. And then you sit, and then you. And then you alternate for 12. And I'm like, I don't think I.
George
Could even do that.
Rachel
I don't know.
George
Like, that's.
Rachel
But it's that stuff. It's like, I never would have picked up on that.
George
You just sold me. I think I need to hire you.
Rachel
It's a. Yeah, it's great.
George
I take it back, Rachel. Smartest thing you've ever spent money on.
Rachel
Okay, this is fun game. I'll convince you. Of all the things you think are dumb, I'll convince you you're smart. What's the next one?
George
Next up, guilty of this too. Bottled water.
Rachel
Oh, shoot.
George
That's an addiction.
Rachel
It's a. It's a convenience, and it's so cheap.
George
Can you tell us the name of the. Your bottled water?
Rachel
Kirkland's signature water.
George
Oh, you're a purified gal.
Rachel
Wow.
George
No, no.
Rachel
Hey, I mean, I'm on.
George
No, no. No judgment, but what does that mean, extra judgment? I thought you'd at least be a spring water gal.
Rachel
Oh, no, I go just Costco because it's like three or four dollars for an entire case of water.
George
That's fair.
Rachel
And to have it at my nightstand, like, it's just. It's an easy. In my car, I put. Throw them in my car.
George
Do you have, like a purified water at the house you can put in a glass?
Rachel
We do have, like a filter thing under the sink when we turn on our sink water.
George
Yeah, yeah. Is that not good enough?
Rachel
But here's the thing. I want to throw it in my purse. I want to have it in my car. Like, I want to travel with such bottle.
George
Okay.
Rachel
And it needs to be closed.
George
It is convenient, I'll give you that.
Rachel
Okay.
George
All right, forget the Stanley then. Next up on my list, cable. You have, like, legitimate old school. You have like a dish on the. On the roof. What are we talking here?
Rachel
No, Comcast.
George
Okay.
Rachel
And I have my DVR set for the shows that I like.
George
DVR shows still?
Rachel
Yeah. Wow.
George
What shows, can you. Can I ask? Might be too personal.
Rachel
No, it's okay.
George
What are you DVRing these days?
Rachel
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Real Housewives of the O.C.
George
Okay.
Rachel
Dancing with the Stars.
George
Okay.
Rachel
And that's it.
George
Right now, those are the ones that's must watch television for you. Out of all those things that could be happening that you're like, gotta see dancing with.
Rachel
And my question is, which I get. I mean, I know there's other. I know I need to switch it. We need to cancel it. We've been talking about it for years.
George
One last one.
Rachel
Okay.
George
Scalp massages. I heard a rumor. I know that you got a scalp massage.
Rachel
I did this. I've done it once and I might do it again. It may be like a twice a year thing for me because it was so expensive. It was so expensive.
George
What are we talking here? If I wanted to get a good scalp massage locally.
Rachel
So the thing, I got it off Instagram and I really thought I got scammed at first, like, shoot. But it's these. It's these, like, head massage spas that are opening, and when you watch the video, it's like one of those videos that you watch on Instagram and you're like, you almost. It relaxes you because it's like this, like, sprayer and they have the Scalp massager. And they, like, do all this. It's like one of those videos that, like, you relax and you kind of want to pee. You know that feeling where, like, you.
George
See the water and you're like, oh, my gosh, I like it.
Rachel
So relaxed. Now I have to pee a little bit. It's that feeling.
George
I feel like that's not as relatable as you think it is because there's water.
Rachel
They have this. They literally have this, like, rounded half circled with, like, water that's coming down like this over your head. Could you imagine sitting there? It's warm water. It's going. It's going like. It's like water.
George
Isn't that a shower of this?
Rachel
Yeah.
George
I'm confused. Can you imagine warm water just pouring down the back of your head?
Rachel
They take these tools and they sit there and massage your scalp, and then they'll massage your neck. And it's like warm. And like, warm water. I mean, it is. It's. It was wonderful.
George
Was it exactly like the video when you got it?
Rachel
Yeah, it really was. And my girl was so nice. Like, she was so great.
George
This is local?
Rachel
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a little sketchy because it's in one of those, like.
George
Is it next to, like, a subway and a Boost mobile?
Rachel
No, no, no, no. It's not one of those. It's not my reflexology place. This is different. But you know those. Those buildings that have, like, the separate rooms that are like salons with separate rooms. Yes, it's one of those. So you walk in and there's like a nail person.
George
I went to one of those, and.
Rachel
Then this one has all curtains on it because they want to black it out to make it like a very relaxing.
George
Cause it's like a five by five room. They're trying to make it feel like a spa.
Rachel
Yeah, Yeah.
George
I did that this week with an IV drip therapy. Have you ever done one of those? This is new. Okay. I guess this is the time to start my roast.
Rachel
I'm about to start your roast. What?
George
I was under the weather, and so I went to get an IV drip.
Rachel
Did it work?
George
I think so. Partially. Placebo. Partially. The fact that they just hydrated you straight to the main vein. I don't know.
Rachel
Oh, my gosh.
George
What do they put in it? Hydration plus vitamins.
Rachel
Okay. Hey. All right.
George
You know, and I come to your house. They can. That one's far more expensive. I go to them.
Rachel
Okay.
George
And it's like 120, 150 bucks.
Rachel
Oh, my gosh. Go get a SC massage.
George
I think you sit there for an hour and then they put the needle in your vein like you're, you know, drawn blood. And you just sit there and it just. You know. Yeah, I felt great after, honestly.
Rachel
Okay.
George
Much better.
Rachel
Good for you.
George
So, I mean, cuz I had to come to work and do this show, which is exhausting.
Rachel
Oh, my gosh.
George
But yeah, not something I do regularly. It's like. That's like once or twice a year.
Rachel
I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go quick. Ready?
George
All right.
Rachel
Doggy daycare.
George
Hurtful but true. It's twice a week to get their energy out because they don't do that during the day. They're just at home. And I don't want them crazy at night.
Rachel
A pet ramp.
George
That one is necessary medically for my obese French bulldog. The vet said she is obese.
Rachel
I believe it.
George
Yes. And so she cannot. It's really bad for their spine and hips.
Rachel
What's the other?
George
Olive and blue. Blue's very athletic. Olive needs. She can't jump off things. It will, like, destroy her physically.
Rachel
Exactly. Yep. Two haircuts a month.
George
I think it's obvious that we have to protect the temple, but you. Yes. Is it more than what Whitney spends for her haircuts? Yes, but you know, I'm on camera every day. I gotta keep up with you and your fancy hairdoes.
Rachel
Oh, my gosh. Bougie gym memberships.
George
This one. Proud to say I canceled.
Rachel
You did. That's right. You did say that.
George
But while I had it. It was a dumb thing to spend money on, but I liked knowing I had it.
Rachel
Yeah.
George
It's like owning guns. That's what I imagine. Gun owner. It's like I like knowing it's there in case of emergency. Yeah. That's how I view the gym.
Rachel
The gym membership. Just. Just in case.
George
No different than gun owners.
Rachel
Toilet bowl lights.
George
That one I can vouch for is a life changing $10 purchase.
Rachel
I'm not gonna lie. You gave that to me for Christmas.
George
Did you use it?
Rachel
Not yet, but I will.
George
No longer will you be stumbling through the night, flipping lights on, flippantly, waking up the whole family.
Rachel
All right, my last one. Cameras everywhere. How is it, George? You just pay a lot of money for all that stuff?
George
Well, you know, to be fair, the mem. The actual subscription to get access to the camera footage from the five cameras. It's like five bucks a month. The cameras themselves, you know, you're paying up front a few hundred bucks for, you know, the cameras. But I think it's worth it to.
Rachel
Have security because here's my thing. Someone breaks in, steals your stuff, but they have a mask on. What's the camera gonna do?
George
Well, it's less for the break ins. It's more to watch the dogs.
Rachel
Okay.
George
But number two, I almost nabbed a kid who I thought gave my dog marijuana. So that's the real. That was the biggest benefit. Eboo, one of our producers was actually at the house when this happened. She witnessed the interaction.
Rachel
Who got, who which dog?
George
Blue got medical. Like he got. He got high. Brought him to. Like we brought him to the emergency vet. Rachel Whitney brought him to the vet. Vet says, hey, I don't know how to explain this to you. Your dog has a high marijuana toxicity. And I'm going, we don't have marijuana laying. Like, there's no marijuana in the house. So I looked at the camera footage. Lo and behold, he was in the backyard sniffing around something.
Rachel
Do you have a marijuana plant back there?
George
No. Then I checked the footage four days prior. Saw some teenage kids.
Rachel
No.
George
Walking behind her dog. They must have on their way back home, they must have dropped something in the yard.
Rachel
Oh, no.
George
To before, you know, get rid of the evidence before they go back to the buddy's house and my dog goes over and gets into it. I don't know what it was.
Rachel
Is this the obese one?
George
No.
Rachel
Okay.
George
It's very athletic one. So he survived.
Rachel
Okay.
George
They gave him some charcoal pills or something. I don't know.
Rachel
Oh, yeah.
George
Anyways, I ended up sleuthing, finding out who those kids were, got in touch with parents.
Rachel
Wow, Nancy Drew, way to do it.
George
They show up at my door with the dads going, hey, heard you accused our kids of doing drugs. And I was like, I'm just trying to figure out how my dog almost died. Like you got.
Rachel
Your dog was high.
George
Medically, Whitney was perturbed that I started this whole thing. Our neighbors have not talked to us since. Oh, no, Joanne. And we plan on moving. That's the story of why I have cameras everywhere. You better believe I let him know. Oh, we got cameras. That's how I found out.
Rachel
That's how I saw come by. You wanna see the footage?
George
Come through again, son. See if I don't catch you, son. All right, we're done.
Rachel
I think we're done.
George
Yeah.
Rachel
Those are all silly purchases. Silly, silly purchases.
George
A lot of shade has been thrown, but here, here's the spark notes. We'll take it for most of the stuff. Just live your Life. Okay? If it's actually a good habit and it's in the budget, you're paying cash, you're not doing it to impress anyone, you're not trying to compare, then go for it. Yeah, that's my take.
Rachel
I love it. I love it. All right, before we get to guilty as charge, George, what are we. What did we sip on? It was a great mocktail.
George
This is. You ready for it? Sparkling pear mocktail.
Rachel
I loved it.
George
Probably a top three mocktail for me costs a $79 per glass. I'm gonna go 10 out of 10.
Rachel
I might too. 10 out of 10 for me.
George
You might. And then you did.
Rachel
That's right. That's a correct. Yeah.
George
That was a very quick decision. I might and I will. It's got spice pear syrup, which involves pears, mulling, spices, cinnamon sticks, ground ginger, vanilla extract, maple syrup. That feels like a lot of work. Can I just say fancy? That's what you did. She made it this morning. Thank you, ibu. So the spice pear syrup is what really brings it all together. Then it's got sparkling apple juice. You can sub for sparkling wine if you want a cocktail. It's a great way to do it.
Rachel
Yeah.
George
And that's it. It's really just sparkling apple juice. Plus the pear syrup.
Rachel
So good. I love it.
George
Recipes in the show notes. Give it a try this weekend.
Rachel
All right, George, it is time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where our producer, Kelly, gives us a new guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip.
George
Have you ever categorized something different in.
Rachel
Your budget so that it fits within the amount?
George
Like, you know, you just shoved it.
Rachel
Over here every too much every month. Same every month.
George
You know, I spent too much here. So we're just gonna shove that over.
Rachel
The old miscellaneous category.
George
Is that your secret life hack or.
Rachel
Somehow I justify it for the kids, where I'm like, it's everything. Oh, my gosh. I got this new sweater. But it's, like, gonna make me feel really great, which is gonna be very nice. And that it's gonna make me, like, be nicer to the kids, be a better mom. And that should go in Amelia's category.
George
What a wild train of thought.
Rachel
I will, like, take it wherever I can to justify.
George
Does everything end with I'm a great mom? Is that really the goal? If I can just get to why I'm a great mom for buying this.
Rachel
I'm just being so great. Yeah.
George
Wow.
Rachel
How about you? But I'm a justifier to the. To The. To the max.
George
Yeah, I can justify it, but with, like, more logic and math, I'm like, well, you know, our sinking funds really are doing fine. I can just not do the sinking funds this month and we'll just make that purchase.
Rachel
Yeah. Yeah.
George
Especially if I feel like it was a necessity for our life. Like Whitney's now in her workout mom era.
Rachel
Yeah.
George
And her AirPods were, like, dying. So I just went ahead and bought her new AirPod Pros.
Rachel
Nice.
George
Yeah.
Rachel
Goodness. Yes.
George
And so I was like, well, that wasn't in the budget for, like, we didn't know we were going to purchase AirPods.
Rachel
Sure.
George
But it's, you know, 150 bucks. I was like, all right, I'll move some sinking funds around. Move some miscellaneous.
Rachel
Yeah.
George
I'll cut my spending fun money down. Sacrificial husband, and we'll make it happen.
Rachel
We'll figure it out. I love it. All right. Guilty.
George
It happens.
Rachel
Obviously, we're not ashamed by it.
George
Yeah. I want to. I want to free everyone listening and watching that this stuff happens. Life happens. The key is, are you prepared for it? Can you adjust, and are you living.
Rachel
On less than you make? We're not. Yeah, there's a lot. Well, thank you guys so much for listening and watching. If you want to subscribe, share this episode with a friend. Give us a little, like, you know, all the things. Give us some love.
George
And if you want to judge, keep moving. Keep it. We did enough of that today.
Rachel
That's right. So we'll see you guys next Thursday on an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.
Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel Episode Summary: The DUMBEST Things People Actually Spend Money On! Release Date: May 1, 2025
In this engaging episode of Smart Money Happy Hour, hosts Rachel Cruze and George Kamel dive into a candid discussion about the most ill-advised purchases that people commonly make. With their trademark blend of expertise, humor, and personal anecdotes, they explore various categories of unnecessary spending, offering listeners both entertainment and financial wisdom.
The episode kicks off with George introducing the central theme:
George [00:05]: "Today, we're talking about the dumbest things that people spend money on. And let me tell you, there was no shortage of content here."
Rachel echoes his enthusiasm, setting the stage for a lighthearted yet informative session.
The hosts unanimously agree that purchasing new cars is one of the most imprudent financial decisions:
George [01:54]: "Like you and I, and almost all of the financial space agrees that new cars are one of the dumbest things you can spend money on."
Rachel adds, emphasizing the rapid depreciation:
Rachel [02:14]: "They lose so much value pretty much immediately, like once you drive it off the lot."
They advocate for buying used cars to avoid significant value loss:
Rachel [03:10]: "Buy a two year old car or, you know, older. I think it's great."
Shifting to insurance, George highlights the importance of appropriate coverage:
George [05:18]: "Some people have the right insurance, but they have not enough coverage or too much coverage that they're paying for that they don't need."
Rachel concurs, advising listeners to reassess their insurance needs:
Rachel [05:00]: "Able to build wealth for sure."
They promote reshooting insurance coverage through independent brokers to optimize costs.
The duo critiques the prevalent obsession with extended warranties:
Rachel [06:20]: "It's like one of those childhood things...if you buy something new that is nice, a new electronic, like, it shouldn't break."
George advises:
George [07:40]: "Put that amount away... and you become the warranty."
Addressing the lottery as a financial drain, they point out its predatory nature:
George [08:04]: "The odds of winning the mega Millions jackpot... the odds are 1 in 302 million."
Rachel emphasizes the disproportionate spending in lower-income areas:
Rachel [08:24]: "28% of Americans in the lowest income bracket play the lotto once a week."
They caution against viewing lottery spending as a legitimate financial strategy.
George dismantles the allure of whole life insurance policies:
George [09:34]: "Never mix insurance and investing. Buy your insurance cheap, term life is a fraction of the cost and invest the difference."
Rachel shares her personal experience with long-term policies inherited from her parents.
The conversation takes a critical stance on crypto investments:
George [10:28]: "It's speculative. You're betting on crypto. You're essentially gambling."
Rachel reflects on its potential future legitimacy but underscores current uncertainties:
Rachel [10:44]: "The track record is so terrible. It's full of scams and fraud."
Cozy Earth Products: Defended by Rachel as a worthwhile luxury purchase, especially for gifting.
Rachel [12:09]: "You can't make a stupid purchase with Cozy Earth."
Bottled Water, Cable Subscriptions, and Gourmet Coffees: Both hosts criticize the unnecessary premiums paid for convenience and brand names, advocating for more economical alternatives like filtered tap water and generic products.
In a playful segment, Rachel and George roast each other's spending habits, highlighting purchases like personal trainers, bottled water, and scalp massages. This exchange serves to humanize their financial advice, showing that even experts occasionally make questionable financial choices.
Rachel [26:42]: "Doggy daycare... a pet ramp for my obese French bulldog."
George [33:20]: "Toilet bowl lights. A life-changing $10 purchase."
The hosts participate in a game where they admit to justifying certain purchases by categorizing them under broader budget headings.
George [38:09]: "Like, you just shoved it over here every too much every month."
Rachel [38:14]: "I'm just being so great. Yeah."
This segment underscores the subtle ways people rationalize unnecessary spending.
Wrapping up the episode, Rachel and George rate the episode's featured mocktail, the Sparkling Pear Mocktail. They commend its flavor and complexity, providing the recipe details for listeners to try at home.
George [37:11]: "Probably a top three mocktail for me... 10 out of 10."
Rachel [37:22]: "So good. I love it."
They conclude by summarizing their key takeaways:
George [36:45]: "Live your Life. If it's actually a good habit and it's in the budget, you're paying cash... go for it."
On New Cars Depreciation:
Rachel [02:20]: "It is not worth it. Go buy a two year old car."
On Lottery Odds:
George [08:37]: "The odds are 1 in 302 million. No, thank you."
On Whole Life Insurance:
George [09:34]: "Never mix insurance and investing."
On Cryptocurrency Speculation:
Rachel [10:44]: "The track record is so terrible. It's full of scams and fraud."
This episode of Smart Money Happy Hour serves as a compelling reminder to scrutinize our spending habits and make informed financial decisions. Through honest dialogue and relatable anecdotes, Rachel Cruze and George Kamel empower listeners to identify and eliminate wasteful expenditures, fostering a path toward financial well-being.