We’re Here to Judge Your Guilty Pleasures (With Love)

Summary

Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel Episode: We’re Here to Judge Your Guilty Pleasures (With Love)
Release Date: June 5, 2025

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Introduction and Theme

In this engaging episode of Smart Money Happy Hour, hosted by Rachel Cruze and George Kamel, the dynamic duo delves deep into the world of guilty pleasure purchases that often derail personal finances. The conversation sets a friendly yet introspective tone, inviting listeners to reflect on their spending habits while enjoying a virtual happy hour atmosphere.

Defining Guilty Pleasures, Vices, and Addictions

Rachel and George begin by distinguishing between guilty pleasures, vices, and addictions, laying the groundwork for their discussion:

• Guilty Pleasures: "It's like fun. It's a little embarrassing. Not really hurting anyone. Not cramping your budget." (02:33)

• Vices: "Feels like it is, morally it's a little darker. Unacceptable. It's sort of like a more shameful thing society." (02:53)

• Addictions: "It's like this is out of your control? Seemingly." (03:18)

This clear differentiation helps listeners categorize their own spending behaviors.

Personal Guilty Pleasure Purchases

Rachel Cruze’s Guilty Pleasures

Rachel shares her indulgences with gusto:

• Manicures and Pedicures: "I like getting my nails done and pedicure like every three weeks." (03:43)

• Sonic Treats: "Mozzarella sticks from Sonic... diet cherry limeade if I'm feeling real crazy." (04:07)

• Cozy Earth Purchases: "This is an old person purchase, but it was worth every penny because it's my jam." (28:16)

George Kamel’s Guilty Pleasures

George reveals his own spending habits:

• Expensive Coffee and Cocktails: "Mine, definitely expensive coffee... more like, at a coffee shop or an expensive cocktail." (05:30)

• YouTube Premium Subscription: "I feel like is not any streaming service." (06:11)

• Specialty Dog Food: "Mine is about $65 per bag." (12:00)

Listener Submissions and Ratings

The hosts introduce a segment where they review and rate listener-submitted guilty pleasures as either "Innocent" or "Guilty" using a paddle system:

• Rating System Explanation: "Green is like... acceptable." (07:39)

Specific Guilty Pleasures and Ratings

1. McDonald's Diet Coke Runs

   • Details: "$89 for a large fountain drink... $689 per year."
   • Rating: Innocent (07:53)
   • Quote: "It's acceptable... People love it." – George (08:00)

2. Specialty Dog Food

   • Details: "$75 a month on Zen Nicotine Pouches vs. $65 per bag."
   • Rating: Acceptable (12:35)
   • Quote: "It's reasonable... nothing shocking." – Rachel (13:04)

3. Zen Nicotine Pouches

   • Details: "$250 to $300 a month."
   • Rating: Guilty (13:57)
   • Quote: "That's like a 10 a day... I hope you have people in your house like, are you okay?" – George (15:50)

4. Thrifting

   • Details: "Scratching a creative itch... Dinosaur World disaster story."
   • Rating: Innocent (20:07)
   • Quote: "It's a hobby... sometimes it's a fun thing." – George (20:21)

5. Pints of Jenny's Ice Cream

   • Details: Luxury ice cream purchase.
   • Rating: Innocent (22:26)
   • Quote: "Life is too short to eat whatever." – George (23:16)

6. Concerts

   • Details: "Once in a lifetime experience... $600 for nosebleeds."
   • Rating: Guilty (24:06)
   • Quote: "Spending $150 once a month for these experiences is not helping anyone's budget." – George (24:44)

7. Hair and Nail Appointments

   • Details: "$200 to $500 for haircuts and $100 to $200 for manicures."
   • Rating: Halfway/Guilty (31:35)
   • Quote: "It's in the self-care category, not the business expense." – Rachel (33:14)

8. Hookah Bars

   • Details: "$465 a month spent at hookah bars."
   • Rating: Guilty (33:50)
   • Quote: "I just scraped the pennies off, and I went, I don't think I'm cut out to be a server." – George (35:24)

9. Movie Theater Popcorn and Airport Snacks

   • Details: Overpriced snacks leading to frequent indulgence.
   • Rating: Guilty (35:50)
   • Quote: "It's the principle for me... you know how much this exact thing costs somewhere else." – George (36:12)

Conclusions and Takeaways

Rachel and George emphasize the importance of self-awareness and accountability in managing guilty pleasures:

• Check Your Heart: "Make sure all of this is not coming from, like, a bad place." – Rachel (36:32)

• Budgeting and Planning: "Every dollar has freed me as the frugal guy who doesn't want to spend." – George (38:07)

• Accountability Partners: "Having good people in your life who will speak truth and say... 'Are you okay?'" – Rachel & George (37:03)

They advocate for balancing indulgences with financial responsibilities, ensuring that these pleasures do not hinder debt repayment or wealth-building efforts.

Additional Segments

Drink Recipe: The King's Shilling

The hosts share a detailed recipe for their featured cocktail:

• Ingredients:
  • Bourbon aged rum
  • Coffee liqueur
  • Pineapple syrup
  • Angostura bitters
  • Orange twist
• Cost Breakdown: "$3.54 per drink." (38:23)
• Rating: "I'm going nine out of ten." – Rachel (38:49)
• Quote: "It's a nice balance... highly recommend making it if you're of age." – George (39:01)

Guilty as Charged Segment

A playful exchange where Rachel and George ask each other about past attempts to curb guilty pleasures:

• Rachel on Amazon Spending:
  "I feel like I went through a season of trying not to buy things on Amazon because I was so quick to buy stuff. And I'm back." (39:29)

• George on Expensive Coffee:
  "An A cinnamon oat milk cortado... it's $4.95." (40:00)

• Interactive Element:
  "Have you ever cut back on a guilty pleasure spending tendency and then circled back later?" (39:22)

Final Thoughts

Rachel and George wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to reflect on their spending habits, prioritize budgeting, and seek support from loved ones to maintain financial health while still enjoying life's pleasures.

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Notable Quotes:

• George Kamel: "Every dollar has freed me as the frugal guy who doesn't want to spend." (38:07)

• Rachel Cruze: "It's great. All right, before we spill the tea in our Guilty as Charged segments, let's talk about the drink." (38:07)

• George Kamel: "If you are debt free with an emergency fund you're in what we would call baby steps." (18:08)

• Rachel Cruze: "That's the principle for me. It's like, I know how much this exact thing costs somewhere else, but because I'm in this environment, they're charging me four times more." (36:12)

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Connect with Smart Money Happy Hour:

• Subscribe: YouTube Channel
• Follow on Instagram: @SmartMoneyHappyHour
• Discounts and Promotions: Use promo codes mentioned during the episode for exclusive savings.

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting Rachel and George's candid discussions on managing guilty pleasures within a financial framework. Through personal anecdotes, listener interactions, and practical advice, the episode offers valuable insights for anyone looking to balance enjoyment with financial responsibility.

Transcript

[George Camel]

In today's show, we're talking about guilty pleasure purchases that are keeping you broke. I think it eats away at my soul too much.

[Rachel Cruz]

Does it?

[George Camel]

I'd rather bring my own.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know I did that for a long time. I think it's gonna be one of these things that Rachel, like, I get the itch for like, three weeks before.

[George Camel]

And I just impulsively go, we'll get into it.

[Rachel Cruz]

Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

[George Camel]

I'm George Camel, and this is SM.

[Rachel Cruz]

Smart Money Happy Hour. All right, 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 Camel]

And before we get to the content, we got to talk about what we're sipping on Rachel today. It's the king's shilling.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, a shilling.

[George Camel]

And I do love this.

[Rachel Cruz]

Is that like a type of money?

[George Camel]

I think shilling is an old timey coin, like a medieval situation shilling.

[Rachel Cruz]

It's giving shillings, please. It's giving ever after. Little Drew Barrymore.

[George Camel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes.

[George Camel]

You know what? I just watched finally the Princess Bride.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, finally.

[George Camel]

Want to throw that in there? A little tidbit for the listeners.

[Rachel Cruz]

Little medieval.

[George Camel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruz]

There. What you think?

[George Camel]

I thought it was better than it deserved. It held up. It was good.

[Rachel Cruz]

Held up.

[George Camel]

I enjoyed it.

[Rachel Cruz]

I haven't seen that in years. I haven't seen the Princess Bride in.

[George Camel]

Years, but that's what it reminded me of.

[Rachel Cruz]

It's good. I like it. I like Ever after. I'm. I'm going Drew Barrymore.

[George Camel]

But if you want to know our.

[Rachel Cruz]

They love a pebble in their shoe.

[George Camel]

I've never seen this.

[Rachel Cruz]

You haven't? It's my favorite quote.

[George Camel]

Is that a Drew quote?

[Rachel Cruz]

No, it's. The stepmother says it to her. She's like, will you ever love me? It's like, who would love a pebble in her shoe?

[George Camel]

Terrible sadness and weirdly, the best accent I've heard from you.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh.

[George Camel]

On this show.

[Rachel Cruz]

Thanks. All right, here we go.

[George Camel]

Well, hey, if you want to know our rating, we're going to reveal that and the cost per drink at the end of the episode. So stick around for more on the king's shilling.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes. All right. This episode reminds me of a top favorite we've done, George. What's that Was the little treats episode. The, like, the little treat vibe, you know? But this one, you know, we're going to go a little bit. A little bit more serious, if you will, because a little treat's a little bit like Small impulsive purchase.

[George Camel]

Yeah. But this seemingly harmless.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. Cuz what's. There's like little treats. Guilty pleasures. They're kind of different.

[George Camel]

Yeah. And then you can even stair step into like is this a vice?

[Rachel Cruz]

Or even deeper and addictive. What would you say? What's the definitions?

[George Camel]

The guilty pleasure is. It's like fun. It's a little embarrassing. Not really hurting anyone. Not cramping your budget.

[Rachel Cruz]

The fact you love Britney Spears is a little guilty.

[George Camel]

Why did that. Why did that have to come up? She follows me on Twitter. Do I need to remind you? And I did check. She still follows me.

[Rachel Cruz]

I forgot.

[George Camel]

Don't know why.

[Rachel Cruz]

Did you ever say free Britney to her? Ever?

[George Camel]

I DM'd her and asked her to be on the show. Ghosted. So hurtful. And then you've got a vice. A vice. Feels like it is. Morally it's a little darker. Unacceptable. It's sort of like a more shameful thing society.

[Rachel Cruz]

It's very darker than like a guilty pleasure advice. Like. And it's probably going to be hurt a little bit. Hurt someone, hurt you. We don't know.

[George Camel]

And then an addiction is more like this is. That's out of your control? Seemingly.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes. It's the ass that feels like, I need this.

[George Camel]

I can't live without this.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes. Not good. Yes.

[George Camel]

We'll get into some of that as well. There's a few on this list.

[Rachel Cruz]

They go a little light though. Let's go. Let's make it fun.

[George Camel]

We're going to keep it light hearted for you. Right. That's the last thing we need. We got a lot going on in America today. It's the last bastion of hope.

[Rachel Cruz]

There's a lot happening. So we're going to keep this fun. What a party.

[George Camel]

What are some of your guilty pleasure purchases? Vices, if you will.

[Rachel Cruz]

Guilty pleasures. I'm going to go manicure. Does that work?

[George Camel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruz]

I like getting my nails done and pedicure like every three weeks.

[George Camel]

Every three weeks.

[Rachel Cruz]

And I want sparkle this time. My girls, I always ask my girls what to get and they'll be like, get blue or get. They're always like, give me a nail color. And I went sparkling.

[George Camel]

You ever liked Charles Pick?

[Rachel Cruz]

No. He didn't really care.

[George Camel]

All right.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. He did say he likes my nails though.

[George Camel]

That's sweet.

[Rachel Cruz]

Mozzarella sticks from Sonic. So specific with a diet cherry limeade if I'm feeling like real crazy.

[George Camel]

So someone's gonna order something for Rachel at Sonic.

[Rachel Cruz]

You got me a dietary limeade and mozzarella sticks.

[George Camel]

You Win. Hey, Winston, are you watching, bud? Take notes, man.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. I do like my water in bottles. Microplastics. I know. Recycling. I know. Environment. I know. I. I love. I love a water bottle by my bed.

[George Camel]

Ever drinked?

[Rachel Cruz]

And in my car and in my purse, I have water bottles everywhere.

[George Camel]

Half love them, half drinking.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes. Drinking. Yes. Yeah. Water bottles. That'd be. And if you go, like, so, like, if it's a.

[George Camel]

Like a Fiji, even better.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, my God.

[George Camel]

I stand by.

[Rachel Cruz]

I feel so rich.

[George Camel]

Can I tell you this is embarrassing, but fun. I keep a pack of Fijis in my garage.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay.

[George Camel]

Only for when we have special guests, so we're not allowed to drink.

[Rachel Cruz]

If Winston I ever came over for dinner.

[George Camel]

Yes. I would have some Fijis in the fridge, ready to go. Or if we have guests that stay over, family included, Fiji's.

[Rachel Cruz]

You know, that's actually a great host.

[George Camel]

That's like a. I. I thank you.

[Rachel Cruz]

I commend that. I like that.

[George Camel]

I don't know why. It just feels like it elevates the experience.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, oh.

[George Camel]

Sometimes water is a little Pellegrino in the fridge.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. See, I'll pop a Pellegrino or a topo with no big deal. But Fiji feels like a different level.

[George Camel]

Yep.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. What's yours? What's your guilty pleasure?

[George Camel]

Mine, definitely expensive coffee would be, you know, more like, at a coffee shop or an expensive cocktail. Like, I'm a sucker.

[Rachel Cruz]

I am, too.

[George Camel]

Like, hey, this bourbon was fat washed with this other thing. And we then smoke it with the Old Fashioned. I'm like, all right. I'm a sucker.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. The Ramsay Cruz. George.

[George Camel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruz]

Did you get the smoked Old Fashioned on the Ramsay Cruz?

[George Camel]

There was a Oaxacan old Fashioned mezcal, and they would light the orange peel on fire. It would add a little bit of smoke.

[Rachel Cruz]

And so, yes, it was a whole presentation. And I love couple on the cruise bought Winston and I it because they said it was their famous. Their. Their favorite drink of the cruise. But that's what I think about is, like, the smoke. It's a really cool presentation, though, which is fun.

[George Camel]

Yeah. Another one that I feel like is not talked about Enough is a YouTube Premium subscription, so I don't have to ever watch an ad.

[Rachel Cruz]

No way. You have that.

[George Camel]

I would rather have that than any streaming service.

[Rachel Cruz]

Wait, what?

[George Camel]

Because I watch a lot of YouTube. Like, my. The shows. They upload clips. This show.

[Rachel Cruz]

Do you watch this show a lot, George?

[George Camel]

I wouldn't say a lot, but sometimes if there's a funny moment, someone's like, hey, you guys did a thing. I don't even remember.

[Rachel Cruz]

You know what I used to do? I wouldn't even buy music subscriptions. I never. I hadn't. I didn't. I just got Spotify in the last year. Like, I didn't buy music, so I would go on YouTube and look up the song I wanted to hear and play it through my car.

[George Camel]

That's embarrassing. You are the youngest living Boomer I know.

[Rachel Cruz]

That's what I would do.

[George Camel]

Very Boomer thing to do.

[Rachel Cruz]

That's what I would do.

[George Camel]

You also pull up your Pandora, man.

[Rachel Cruz]

I had Pandora for a long time.

[George Camel]

What happened to Pandora? No one's like, anthrax, what happened to it? No one's talking about it, because where.

[Rachel Cruz]

Do you get your music? Spotify.

[George Camel]

Spotify, Okay.

[Rachel Cruz]

I do that too. And I buy the subscription. I'm so bougie. And drink my Fiji water.

[George Camel]

I'm really proud of you.

[Rachel Cruz]

Mm.

[George Camel]

That's fun. We all have our vices. I think mine are more innocent, you know, Nothing that would shock anybody.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. Yeah, that's fair.

[George Camel]

But I like what I like.

[Rachel Cruz]

It's good.

[George Camel]

Water bottles included.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. All right, well, we went to the socials and polled some of you all out there on your guilty pleasures, and we got some. You know, we got some that ran the gamut, if you will.

[George Camel]

Yeah. Some of you chose transparency over dignity, and I applaud that. So we're gonna read each one, and we're gonna rate it as innocent or guilty, I guess, with these paddles. So this is guilty. Okay.

[Rachel Cruz]

So we're saying, like, not good. You got to quit that. Or green is like.

[George Camel]

This one is acceptable.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay.

[George Camel]

In Rachel and George's eyes.

[Rachel Cruz]

All right, I can't wait.

[George Camel]

All right, here we go. What's the first one?

[Rachel Cruz]

McDonald's Diet Coke runs. So a $89 for a large fountain drink, a Mickey D's. And if you did that one per day, $689 per year going to the Diet Coke.

[George Camel]

All right.

[Rachel Cruz]

And can I tell you, I have a few friends. This is theirs. And they swear by McDonald's over every other fast food it is.

[George Camel]

They have the best Diet Coke.

[Rachel Cruz]

And I actually passed one of my friends because in our area in Cold springs, Shalotsky's, a McDonald's share an intersection. So I was in the Shalotsky's drive.

[George Camel]

Through, and you could see your friend.

[Rachel Cruz]

In the McDonald's while I was leaving it. And then she's coming in. I knew exactly what she was doing. I texted. I was like, I See you getting your Mickey D's. She gets it every day. It's her thing. Yes.

[George Camel]

So we actually know someone who does this?

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

Was this her response?

[Rachel Cruz]

I don't think she listens to the show, so, no.

[George Camel]

Well, hurtful. What kind of friend are you?

[Rachel Cruz]

I think it's.

[George Camel]

But anyways, I'm gonna give this one a shocking green.

[Rachel Cruz]

I'm going innocent, too.

[George Camel]

It's acceptable.

[Rachel Cruz]

People love it.

[George Camel]

It's innocent, and it's great. You could do worse is all I'm saying.

[Rachel Cruz]

For sure.

[George Camel]

Now, do you like Diet Coke?

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes, I do. I'm not a big soda person, but if I were to drink a soda, it's Diet Coke.

[George Camel]

What is the what?

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, my. Guilty pleasure one, though. You ready for this? When I get Firehouse subs only Firehouse. I don't know why. A diet Dr. Pepper.

[George Camel]

I knew it.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know. Feeling crazy.

[George Camel]

The old ddp.

[Rachel Cruz]

Do you like. Do you do soda?

[George Camel]

I. I don't drink it a lot, but when I do a diet Dr. Pepper hits, it's really good. But what is the chokehold that Diet Coke has on women?

[Rachel Cruz]

I don't know. Because regular coke, now that I go back to regular Coke, it is too sweet for me. I taste it and it's too rich.

[George Camel]

You prefer the aspartame?

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes.

[George Camel]

That's class. I like the fake sweet over the real one, but no, it is very. It's almost syrupy. How sweet? Regular Coke?

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes. And if you haven't had it in a long time and you have it, you really do. Can. You can taste the difference now.

[George Camel]

Mexican Coke, glass bottle. Change your family tree. I would do that. The Mexican Coke from the glass bottle, it's got to be Mexican Coke.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

It tastes different. I stand by that. I don't know if they leave the cocaine in there from the olden days. I don't know. I don't know if we can air that, but kids, they used to do it, so look it up.

[Rachel Cruz]

Is that true, though? Is that an urban legend?

[George Camel]

I'm choosing to believe it's true.

[Rachel Cruz]

All right, I'll go. All right, next. Are you ready for this one?

[George Camel]

All right.

[Rachel Cruz]

Boy, oh, boy. I am a sucker for watches. So, $7,000 to a large price. Not this person specifically, but one of the nicer. Rolex is $270,000.

[George Camel]

Wow.

[Rachel Cruz]

Man, you gotta watch. Oh, well, I do have one.

[George Camel]

We've shared my story.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, my gosh.

[George Camel]

I'm not a watch guy.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, my gosh.

[George Camel]

My apple watch. And I own this watch, which was, again, inherited.

[Rachel Cruz]

From which actually is cool.

[George Camel]

I. I applaud that, but no, I would you spend that level of money on, let's say, jewelry, because it may not be a watch for you.

[Rachel Cruz]

See, I don't even know how much stuff costs. I mean, genuinely, I don't know. The only thing I could see being like, oh, God, that's a lot of money.

[George Camel]

Diamond earrings would be what.

[Rachel Cruz]

Where I'm like, okay, that could be worth is like, a nice pair of real diamond earrings.

[George Camel]

A tennis bracelet. I don't know why they call it tennis, but I imagine no one wears it while playing tennis.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay, I can, but I have one from Amazon that looks great. So I think I would have a hard time buying.

[George Camel]

It's about looks for you over the actual quality.

[Rachel Cruz]

What? Does that sound unique?

[George Camel]

I think it says, you really don't. You want to look rich. You don't need to, like, make people believe it.

[Rachel Cruz]

There is something I have thought about recently. My girls passing down jewelry to them. There's something my mom, like, she's talked about this. Sharon will talk about when she dies, what we're all getting. She, like, tells us that often. Often, but enough that we're like, okay, mom, like, we got it. She's like, but when I die, don't sell my Jordan. She always says that you all get, like, keep it.

[George Camel]

Don't, like, pawn it off.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. There is something about having an heirloom to pass down to your girls that I'm like, that would be. That would be great. So, like, I don't know.

[George Camel]

You're changing my mind on this. I think I'm gonna lean green on this one. If done responsibly with cash.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

You're not trying to impress anyone. You do it because you love it.

[Rachel Cruz]

I agree. I agree. Okay.

[George Camel]

All right. Specialty dog food was the next one that was submitted.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, wow.

[George Camel]

This person that submitted this pays 75 bucks a month to feed their Pomeranian.

[Rachel Cruz]

My gosh.

[George Camel]

I imagine that Pomeranian is about the size of a. I don't know, like a gerbil. Now, as a person who pays.

[Rachel Cruz]

I don't even know what we pay for dog food. Let me look it up.

[George Camel]

I know every dollar, how much we.

[Rachel Cruz]

Pay, and if you don't have every dollar, you should get it. It's the best budgeting app out there.

[George Camel]

I'm going to say this one's acceptable as well.

[Rachel Cruz]

How much do you pay for dog food?

[George Camel]

Mine is about $65 per bag.

[Rachel Cruz]

Good night, George.

[George Camel]

And that gets us by for maybe close to a few weeks.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay.

[George Camel]

I get Two bags delivered every month. I know that.

[Rachel Cruz]

Two bags every well for.

[George Camel]

So it's 130 bucks. There's two dogs. So 65 bucks per dog. Let's call it that.

[Rachel Cruz]

This one is $83.

[George Camel]

Okay.

[Rachel Cruz]

But I think it's. I think it's every other month.

[George Camel]

So for one dog.

[Rachel Cruz]

For one dog.

[George Camel]

That's reasonable.

[Rachel Cruz]

Is that fine?

[George Camel]

Yeah. We have to get the, like, the hypoallergenic food for the dogs because French bulldogs are born broken, as you know. So I don't know this person's life. I'm gonna give this one a green light. It's time. Rachel, you froze.

[Rachel Cruz]

Can I go here?

[George Camel]

Oh, you're in the middle on this one.

[Rachel Cruz]

I'm in the middle.

[George Camel]

You're judging the dog owners a little bit.

[Rachel Cruz]

There's a part of me that I'm like, all right, just get him like a. Go to petsmart. Get a bag of dog food.

[George Camel]

You know, but don't you think that the quality of the food affects the health of the dog?

[Rachel Cruz]

I mean, are we splitting hairs here?

[George Camel]

Literally? I don't think so. Dog hairs?

[Rachel Cruz]

No, I think it's fine. Fine. Whatever.

[George Camel]

All right, I convinced her.

[Rachel Cruz]

All right, next. Ready? Zen. This person spends 250 to 300amonth.

[George Camel]

Okay, so these for those that don't know, because I had to learn. These are the little nicotine pouches.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes.

[George Camel]

And they.

[Rachel Cruz]

There's no tobacco in one brand. Pure nicotine.

[George Camel]

Yeah. There's like a brand called on Alp. I don't know the other brands. There's a couple, maybe. Anyone?

[Rachel Cruz]

Little pouches.

[George Camel]

Little pouches that give you a little buzz. And I think they're like five bucks a tin.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. So we've talked to people that use these on a regular basis. I know you're shocked. It's not. George and myself. We do not use Zen.

[George Camel]

Above the influence, baby. Your boy went to dare. We do pass the flying colors.

[Rachel Cruz]

We went through dare, but they're. They're cheap. So I'm like, yeah, they're like five bucks. So most people spend like 20 bucks. So the fact this person.

[George Camel]

250 bucks a month to 300.

[Rachel Cruz]

That means they are.

[George Camel]

That's like a 10 a day.

[Rachel Cruz]

A 10 a day, which is like.

[George Camel]

Wait, a 10 a day. Five times 30. It's 150 bucks.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, my gosh. They're going through two a day. That can't make sense. I don't believe those numbers. That's hard.

[George Camel]

This feels crazy.

[Rachel Cruz]

It feels crazy. I know.

[George Camel]

Now, maybe if they're Getting the higher milligrams. But I think at that point you'd have a heart attack.

[Rachel Cruz]

I'm gonna do this for $250 for Zen. Okay. I'm not mad at Zen users, but do like, try $50 a month, right?

[George Camel]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruz]

200 to 350. That means you have a lot of nicotine. And I don't know if that's good for you.

[George Camel]

Yeah. I'm not a scientist. I don't know the research on this, like pure nicotine versus others.

[Rachel Cruz]

They say it's much better.

[George Camel]

They say it's a lot better.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes. The health people say, is it better.

[George Camel]

To avoid it all together? Probably.

[Rachel Cruz]

Probably like one man's take for our livers.

[George Camel]

Yeah. Because we have. Much better to avoid it.

[Rachel Cruz]

Sometimes you just gotta live, though, you know? You gotta enjoy life.

[George Camel]

Sure.

[Rachel Cruz]

You know why?

[George Camel]

I think that's the tagline for Zen.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know.

[George Camel]

Sometimes just gotta. What makes Whatever gets you through the day.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know. Yep. So did you put your rate? What'd you say?

[George Camel]

I said no. I just. I don't get it.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know.

[George Camel]

I don't get this one.

[Rachel Cruz]

I agree. You know what I. What I do get though?

[George Camel]

What?

[Rachel Cruz]

Removing your information online.

[George Camel]

Now that is a vice I can get behind.

[Rachel Cruz]

I will get behind that vice. Cuz, man, when you get that email from Delete Me George, are you just like a little bit like, oh, man, it's kind of your guilty pleasure.

[George Camel]

It gives me a buzz.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know. Zen or Delete me reports, George.

[George Camel]

No one thought we could make the connection, but Rachel Cruz did it always will. She's a savant. So here's what Delete Me does. Go in, they find and remove your info from all these data broker sites across the Internet, thousands of them. And they send you a report showing you exactly where they removed your info, how much time they saved you. And I sleep better for it.

[Rachel Cruz]

I'm at 66 hours.

[George Camel]

Wow. 86.5.

[Rachel Cruz]

Good for you.

[George Camel]

Not to brag, but I'm just further ahead. You are a little.

[Rachel Cruz]

You started earlier than me.

[George Camel]

But it really is an incredible service to take control of your online privacy, to avoid all these phishing scams and spam emails you're getting out there. They'll help prevent all of that.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. And they do what? They say. They're going to delete you from the Internet. Delete me? Please delete me. Yeah. And they go in and they do it.

[George Camel]

And we got a discount for our Smart Money happy hour fans out there. Yeah. Go to join delete me dot com. Smart money and you'll get 20% off their annual plans. Or click the link in the description.

[Rachel Cruz]

Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

[George Camel]

Easy.

[Rachel Cruz]

All right. Eating out during my lunch break at work. $15 for a work lunch. $300 per month.

[George Camel]

This is a tough one for you.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know. Can I say this? I'm gonna go red. Even though I'm an eating out person, I love eating out. But I think lunch, maybe this is a personal preference. Lunch is one that you can swing. I mean, maybe like once a week or something, but every day. Some salt and vinegar. This is what I had today. Salt and vinegar chips.

[George Camel]

Yo. S&VS.

[Rachel Cruz]

Carrots and ranch. And a pimento cheese sandwich.

[George Camel]

A little pimento cheese sandwich.

[Rachel Cruz]

I love a pimento cheese.

[George Camel]

Some salt and Vinnies.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. And it's. You know, when you break it down, it is so much cheaper to eat at home or bring your lunch. It really is. Now, every now and then, I'm all about, like, going out. For sure. Like, you don't want that. Every day I get that. But every day, George, to go out to eat, It's a lot. It's expensive.

[George Camel]

Very expensive. Figure it out. Brown bag it especially.

[Rachel Cruz]

300Amonth'S a lot.

[George Camel]

That is a lot. And here's the thing. If you are debt free with an emergency fund you're investing, you're in what we would call baby steps. Four plus.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

If you want to eat out once in a while and it's in the budget, that's fine. But I still think it's a. A bad habit to do every single thing.

[Rachel Cruz]

I agree. That's what I'm with you.

[George Camel]

Go eat out somewhere. Now we have a.

[Rachel Cruz]

Which this says a lot about me because, again, I'm the eating out friends.

[George Camel]

I know. And I want to go halfway because.

[Rachel Cruz]

I'm the eating out friends. But I do think, like, it's excessive.

[George Camel]

We have a cafeteria at Ramsay that is subsidized, so our meals cost, like, five bucks.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

So generally, I will eat at the office in the cafeteria.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[George Camel]

But it's not 15 bucks.

[Rachel Cruz]

That's the thing.

[George Camel]

I know a day, and it's in the budget, so I generally spend $100.

[Rachel Cruz]

Go to Panera, you're paying an arm and a leg.

[George Camel]

It's insane.

[Rachel Cruz]

I mean, seriously, I'm like, how much things are costing these days?

[George Camel]

Even fast food?

[Rachel Cruz]

It's wild. I know. Not fun. Not fun.

[George Camel]

You guys have really.

[Rachel Cruz]

All right, next.

[George Camel]

Done. Rachel Cruz cigarettes.

[Rachel Cruz]

$11 a pack. I can't.

[George Camel]

I don't understand. I mean, I get that. It's addictive. And so people have a hard time getting off of this one. But you're not getting a pass from old Georgie boy.

[Rachel Cruz]

He went through Dare.

[George Camel]

I went through. Now, as I drink this, I don't think this is dare approved.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

Cigarettes is a tough one, because I imagine people have been addicted to cigarettes for a long time. This one falls under the addiction category.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay, that's fair. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[George Camel]

So if you're gonna get off, I.

[Rachel Cruz]

Mean, if you're like, randomly, you know, once a year, have a say, I don't know. Or something. Right, sure.

[George Camel]

That's different. That's not a vice. That's not an addiction.

[Rachel Cruz]

That's right.

[George Camel]

But I still think as a habit, not great.

[Rachel Cruz]

I agree.

[George Camel]

Switch to Zen. I can't believe I'm saying that, but at least it's better than whatever toxins they're putting in that.

[Rachel Cruz]

That's fair. All right, next is thrifting. You tell yourself, hey, I'm gonna just kind of scratch that creative itch in a sustainable budget, friendly way. But then you go and you run out of room for all those 1970s baskets and ceramic vases. Yeah, thrifting is tough.

[George Camel]

Well, thrifting, because it makes you feel like you're doing the right thing by not buying brand new, you're reducing, reusing, recycling. And so this one, I'm gonna give it a pass. If done as a hobby. This. I'm gonna look at this like a hobby.

[Rachel Cruz]

No, you're hurting anyone.

[George Camel]

They want to decorate their home.

[Rachel Cruz]

Or yourself.

[George Camel]

Wear thrifted clothing, you know?

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, because some people, it's a fun thing. We went to the fairgrounds for Dinosaur World, which ended up being a disaster last year. And you went up, coming up on a year, I think it was last year, we went.

[George Camel]

What? What's going on?

[Rachel Cruz]

That was one of the biggest scams I've ever been a part of, and it was not good.

[George Camel]

What did you think was going to happen at Dinosaur World at the fairgrounds?

[Rachel Cruz]

It was so bad, George, you'll never know. At one point, there was a grown man. A grown man dressed up as a dinosaur.

[George Camel]

Like in a human sized costume.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes, but you could see his legs. And then he had a trainer next to him dressed up in like a safari outfit, giving dinosaur commands.

[George Camel]

And he like, sit. Yes.

[Rachel Cruz]

And the dinosaur's name was Diego. He's like, who's ready for Diego? And everyone was like, we are. Diego comes out and he's like, diego sits. And the dinosaur sits. And then he said, diego, turn around.

[George Camel]

And he's just following orders from his trainer for about three minutes.

[Rachel Cruz]

They're like, say bye to Diego and the dinosaur leaves. And that was the show.

[George Camel]

Did you get your money back?

[Rachel Cruz]

No.

[George Camel]

This is like fyre fest for children.

[Rachel Cruz]

I'm not kidding. And I felt like I needed to give a community service to tell people, don't do this.

[George Camel]

Don't stand at the door and say, I wouldn't do it, guys.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. The reason I'm telling you all this, I don't know how I got off on Diego the dinosaur, but at the fairgrounds, there was a split. Are you going to Dinosaur World or are you going to the antique show?

[George Camel]

The thrifting should have gone to the antique show. I think I should have much better use of time.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. So.

[George Camel]

And money.

[Rachel Cruz]

Dinosaur world.

[George Camel]

No big thumbs down.

[Rachel Cruz]

Thrifting. Sure.

[George Camel]

Yeah. Now, I think there are people who are obsessed, who spend too much money, and they can justify it by saying, well, it's thrifted. It's not retail price. I'm doing a good thing. So those people, if it is an addiction, stop that. Easy, guys. I solved it. All right, next up. This one hits home for me. This one was submitted. Pints of Jenny's ice cream. Is that a guilty pleasure? Is it a vice?

[Rachel Cruz]

Guilty pleasure? I'm okay with it, but that's not mine at all. I am not a.

[George Camel]

You're not an ice cream person.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, actually, I think ice cream. I got hated on for this because I said things I was dropping in, like, 2022 or something. I gave a list a few years ago of, like, things not to buy in 2022, and I said, like, expensive ice cream because I think it's kind of stupid.

[George Camel]

Wow.

[Rachel Cruz]

So maybe I should go. Maybe my heart's gonna turn to my thing.

[George Camel]

L take from Rachel. Finally, I'm the good guy for once. I'm the hero. Telling you, buy good ice cream. Life is too short to eat. Whatever.

[Rachel Cruz]

It's so. I mean, you go out.

[George Camel]

Tasteless ice cream is out there.

[Rachel Cruz]

It's not tasteless. Go get. Go get purity Rachel.

[George Camel]

Get some class. Borrow some if you need to.

[Rachel Cruz]

Listen, give me a Keurig cup of coffee and Purity ice cream.

[George Camel]

If Keurig made ice cream, you would be the target demo 100. So it tastes like ice cream. It's cold and it has milk.

[Rachel Cruz]

Fine. It's fine.

[George Camel]

It's disgusting.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay.

[George Camel]

And I know this for a fact. Your parents, Dave and Sharon Ramsey, love Jenny's ice cream.

[Rachel Cruz]

They do.

[George Camel]

And that's why I know they're good Quality people. And if I bring home a pint of Jenny's ice cream, I'm a hero in my house.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. Yeah, that. I know.

[George Camel]

Little gooey butter cake.

[Rachel Cruz]

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

[George Camel]

Just one of the all time best flavors. All right, we'll get there. But this one.

[Rachel Cruz]

All right, concerts. You ready? Concerts. Once in a lifetime experience. Who cares if it's $600 for the nosebleeds?

[George Camel]

I got to go.

[Rachel Cruz]

I got to go green.

[George Camel]

This one's not as. Not that innocent, really. Yeah.

[Rachel Cruz]

And I'm not even a music person.

[George Camel]

Well, think about it. You go to one concert a month, and they're nice, decent tickets. 100 bucks, let's say, for the whole experience.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

Maybe 150 when you. Because you got to go get dinner and you got to get an outfit and, you know, I know the girls do it. I'm no dummy.

[Rachel Cruz]

Do you know what brings you joy is experiences, George.

[George Camel]

I know. And I love a good concert.

[Rachel Cruz]

Live and enjoy.

[George Camel]

But I'm saying spending 150 bucks once a month, twice a month for these experiences, I just feel like is not helping anyone's budget.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. So I don't have enough music people in life that I love to do something twice a month in the music arena. Mine's like once every.

[George Camel]

Yeah, you went to Taylor Swift twice.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, it's the only concert I can do in a long time.

[George Camel]

But you made up for it because it cost a pretty penny.

[Rachel Cruz]

It did cost a pretty penny, but we did it. And it was so fun. It was so great.

[George Camel]

And can I tell you, most of the shows I go to are free or very cheap.

[Rachel Cruz]

Really?

[George Camel]

I'll leave you the hack. This is too local. But there's a site called Do More Stuff and they work with local cities. And so Nashville has one. It's seven bucks a month, and they send you tickets to things happening. You get a pair of tickets.

[Rachel Cruz]

Hey, but are people good if it's free like that? I mean, probably in Nashville.

[George Camel]

Yeah, some of them.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

Yeah. I will admit, a lot of them are like, I don't know who these people are. Playing in a hotel on a Tuesday.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, hey, do you want to know a concert I really want to go to?

[George Camel]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruz]

And it's going to cost more than 600. Are you gonna fly there? No, but I. I think it's going to be one of these things that Rachel, like, I get the itch for like three weeks before, and I just impulsively go. We're into it.

[George Camel]

All right. Where Who?

[Rachel Cruz]

The Backstreet Boys at the Sphere in Vegas.

[George Camel]

Worth it. Is that a th000 bucks? My heart says, but do you know.

[Rachel Cruz]

I was invited to an insync concert by Kelly Jones in the fourth grade, and I couldn't go.

[George Camel]

And then I so busy doing as a fourth grader.

[Rachel Cruz]

Family reunion. But I love my family, the Sweet Reedies. We're on the cruise ship. You know, we're still.

[George Camel]

Sure.

[Rachel Cruz]

I do love my family. I do love my family. But y' all.

[George Camel]

So now you have this chip on your shoulder.

[Rachel Cruz]

I never went to a boy. I never went to a boy band concert. And that was like, in the prime of, like, I was in the perfect age group to do it as a kid. Never did. And they are coming back, George.

[George Camel]

Wow. Well, I think this is your new vice. Impulsively spending a thousand bucks on Sphere tickets.

[Rachel Cruz]

I might.

[George Camel]

I hope it's good.

[Rachel Cruz]

And you know what? I'm not. I'm not mad about it.

[George Camel]

You heard it here first. The. It's a once in a lifetime experience. I push. That's what I push back against.

[Rachel Cruz]

Well, this is true because the Backstreet Boys are, like, in their 40s. Like, they're. They're gonna be done.

[George Camel]

Was it once in a lifetime and are they in their prime, or is this gonna be like karaoke? Jury's out.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know. I thought about that. I did see them dance the other day.

[George Camel]

How was that? I've seen some clips. You know, I was like, good for them. You know, when your first thought is good for them, it's not a good sign.

[Rachel Cruz]

I. It did make me feel old because producer Kelly over here is going to probably get mad that I'm going to use this example. So Kelly's at an age group where New Kids on the Block was the thing. It was. New Kids on the Block was a thing. I was too young for New Kids on the Block. I was right on the edge, like, a little bit, but not really. And they all would talk about, like, New Kids on the Block. And I remember thinking Mark, like, 10 years ago, you know, a few people at the office, they were all talking about him. And I would look and be like, man, they just look old. Like, I don't know. And now Kelly, we've switched, and now I'm your age. When I was, like, questioning you. And now the Backstreet Boys are that to me. And I'm like, oh, shoot. You know, man.

[George Camel]

Wow.

[Rachel Cruz]

That's.

[George Camel]

Deep Thoughts with Rachel Cruz. It's a new segment on Smart Money Happy Hour. That nobody asked.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. Okay. So I'll spend a thousand dollars for the Backstreet Boys. And I'll also spend a thousand dollars on cozyearth.com.

[George Camel]

There we go. Now that's a quality purchase. That's the gift that keeps on giving.

[Rachel Cruz]

And can I tell you, I got some new stuff from them Obsessed.

[George Camel]

You enjoying it?

[Rachel Cruz]

Are you ready? This is.

[George Camel]

What are the items?

[Rachel Cruz]

This is a. This is an old person purchase, but it was worth every penny because it's my jam.

[George Camel]

Do they sell adult diapers?

[Rachel Cruz]

A nightgown.

[George Camel]

Oh, there we go, y' all.

[Rachel Cruz]

A short sleeve night all day night gown.

[George Camel]

It's a one piece situation.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes.

[George Camel]

Is it like silky?

[Rachel Cruz]

Fantastic. Yes. Long. Oh, it's so comfortable.

[George Camel]

Do you need a little hat to go with it?

[Rachel Cruz]

I should, I should.

[George Camel]

Little cap.

[Rachel Cruz]

I should.

[George Camel]

But it is a candle you hold throughout the house as you walk.

[Rachel Cruz]

Now that we're entering the summer months, it's perfect. Like, honestly. So that. And then I got a pair of like Capri. Like not joggers because they are. They're not fitted at the bottom. I don't know. Whatever. They are fantastic. A ribbed short sleeve shirt. Loved it. I mean, seriously, all my new stuff I've gotten from them for summer. It's incredible.

[George Camel]

I love it. And a lot of people ask Rachel, where'd you get that? Well, this stuff you're wearing at home, so they don't see it here. But if you want to know where she got it, it's Cozy Earth.

[Rachel Cruz]

So great.

[George Camel]

I just got my mom a pair of a short sleeve PJ set. Got Whitney a pair of the long sleeve PJ set. They're in heaven. Silky heaven. So go check it out. They're giving our listeners up to 40 off when you use the promo code smart money. Or go to cozyearth.com smart money. You can also click the link in the description below and you can be bougie on a budget.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. Because their bed sheets are like one of our favorites. Right. Yours too. And we had sick kids last week and they're all up. They, they come in the bed a lot and they're just like on there. And I had to wash those Cozy Earth sheets like two or three times.

[George Camel]

Oh, boy.

[Rachel Cruz]

And you know, and they came out so, so perfect. Like, they were great. But I was like, I do not want. I like, wanted to protect.

[George Camel]

Get off my bed.

[Rachel Cruz]

I want to protect Cozy Earth from germs. I feel like, protective like a cheap.

[George Camel]

Sheet down over it so the kids don't get the nice One dirty.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, it's a. It's kind of how you feel. That's how you know it was so nice. So great. So great.

[George Camel]

All right, next up we've got sports betting slash gambling.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

So this one was submitted. The quote is, I have a friend whose husband wasted his entire trust fund on sports betting and a Vegas trip with the boys without telling her. That's like three strikes.

[Rachel Cruz]

That's terrible. I'm going to go completely right on this because this is like the number one growing addiction right now, especially among men in America. Yes. Is sports betting so not worthy.

[George Camel]

All I see zero upside. I'm just like, if you want to enjoy a game, enjoy the game. That's fine with your friends, but don't put money on it and add stress to it.

[Rachel Cruz]

Well, I've always said this to my if I'm going to gamble, I'm like, I want to be part of the experience. Like craps. Right. Like if I go to Vegas and see the Backstreet Boys, I probably will play a game of craps. But if I'm going to lose money, which is just discretionary. Right. Like it's fine. But if I'm going to do it, I'm like, I want to be part of it. I want to be part of doing it. But watching men on the TV playing sports that you can't control at all.

[George Camel]

Or women there, you can bet on.

[Rachel Cruz]

The wnba, you can.

[George Camel]

And people do it. People are watching games that are happening at 3am yes. Across the world just because they put money on it. So it's only helping the people broadcasting these events and the sports teams. But it's not helping your personal finances.

[Rachel Cruz]

No, not at all.

[George Camel]

Red flag for me. Next up, this is you, Rachel.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, I know.

[George Camel]

This is all you.

[Rachel Cruz]

This is the ladies. Are you ready? Hair and nail appointments.

[George Camel]

Yeah, I feel like you should cover this one cuz I'm scared to get roasted by the ladies.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know. Well, highlights and a haircut in Nashville can cost anywhere from 200 to $500. A gel manicure and pedicure, 100 to $200.

[George Camel]

Wow. So that adds up. Especially if you're doing this now. Haircuts, highlights are not monthly.

[Rachel Cruz]

No, I do mine every eight weeks.

[George Camel]

Okay.

[Rachel Cruz]

But as the grays come in, George, I may a little cut in color start up it. I don't know. I don't know. As I get older.

[George Camel]

You fooled me.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, thanks. Just it's recent. Recent. Little chop, if you will.

[George Camel]

And then how often do you get a mani pedi?

[Rachel Cruz]

Every Three weeks.

[George Camel]

Three weeks. Okay. I'm gonna call that about 15 to 20 a year.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know. And it's $72 for my nails.

[George Camel]

That sounds about right.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. Yeah. But I do.

[George Camel]

Can you vouch for this?

[Rachel Cruz]

And that's what? Tip? That's with tip and everything? Like, I'm. I know. But hey, I think it's 60 bucks.

[George Camel]

In your field of work. It makes sense. You're on camera a lot. You're doing media, you're traveling, you're doing events for the average lady. Is it still three weeks?

[Rachel Cruz]

That's so funny. I don't even think about that at all.

[George Camel]

I think it's still three weeks.

[Rachel Cruz]

It's more me as a woman. Not a camera woman, just a woman.

[George Camel]

Well, I just thought, I get my hair cut every two weeks. If I wasn't on camera all the time, I'd probably go a little shaggier.

[Rachel Cruz]

See, that's so funny. I don't think about that at all.

[George Camel]

You don't think about others at all? No shock there.

[Rachel Cruz]

No, I don't think about, like my. Yeah, I don't think about my upkeep because of my job. It's more for Rachel. It's more for me.

[George Camel]

Self care. Yeah, it's in the self care category.

[Rachel Cruz]

100%.

[George Camel]

Not the business expense category.

[Rachel Cruz]

Go here.

[George Camel]

Yeah, this one I'm halfway on. I think there's a limit to me. And I think some ladies, it's like their. Their time to get away. But I do think it is busting the budget for some of y' all.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, sure.

[George Camel]

Things you can do at home. I know it's not the same to get the Amazon kit and don't give yourself a haircut.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes, we can tell.

[George Camel]

Yes, we can tell. Flow be out.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay, next. I can't believe this one came up. I have not heard of someone doing this since college. A hookah. So this person spends $465 a month at hookah bars.

[George Camel]

That's not okay, y' all.

[Rachel Cruz]

I mean, genuinely, I didn't know that's a thing. Is it a thing still? Hookah people are doing hookah still. Okay. We don't know. Oh, okay.

[George Camel]

Everyone's like, well, I used to work at a hookah bar slash restaurant in Mobile, Alabama.

[Rachel Cruz]

No, you didn't.

[George Camel]

And guess the only people I got to work with was the hookah people, not the people eating sitting down.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, you did the hookah bar.

[George Camel]

And I remember, I got.

[Rachel Cruz]

Can I even ask what isn't a hookah?

[George Camel]

It's just a. It's a way to.

[Rachel Cruz]

Is it tobacco?

[George Camel]

It's tobacco, and it coals. And so the tobacco gets lit with the coals.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

And it uses water to produce a vapor.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay.

[George Camel]

And then it's got a little long stem pipe that comes out of it. And so it's a very social thing. You pass it around, and you have a nice time. It's very light. It's not like. Don't think, like, cigarettes or pipe tobacco even. It's much lighter than that. And they have, like, fruit flavors and.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. I think it's gone down since COVID.

[George Camel]

Because you got to share, I imagine.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah.

[George Camel]

And here's the other thing. Like, the hookah bars that I've seen are not always in, like, the best parts of town, so it's not helping the hookah industry.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay.

[George Camel]

If you will. But, you know, it's still. Of my people being a middle Eastern guy, like, a lot of people growing up would. Would do hookah, but I have not seen it done in recent history. Maybe it's because I'm a southern guy now. But, you know, I still think 500 bucks a month on any bar experience.

[Rachel Cruz]

That feels like a lot.

[George Camel]

And, you know, I'm getting red flag.

[Rachel Cruz]

Because, yeah, I'm going red.

[George Camel]

I got tipped in pennies once after I served these guys with their hookah for a few hours.

[Rachel Cruz]

And did you, like, refill the hookah?

[George Camel]

You have to bring, like, new coals and things like that and make sure they have their drinks and whatever else they want. But it was very upsetting. I'll never forget it.

[Rachel Cruz]

And in pennies, like, in a little plastic bag.

[George Camel]

Nope, just pennies on the table outside. And I was like, this was my tip. And I just scraped the pennies off, and I went, I don't think I'm cut out to be a server. And I think I did a decent job. I don't think I upset them.

[Rachel Cruz]

Sure, sure.

[George Camel]

Very upsetting.

[Rachel Cruz]

That is very sad.

[George Camel]

Last one.

[Rachel Cruz]

Movie theater popcorn and airport snacks.

[George Camel]

Oh.

[Rachel Cruz]

Now, as a. I've gotten guiltier as I've gotten older on this one.

[George Camel]

You'll do the movie theater popcorn.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah. And the snacks.

[George Camel]

I think it'll eat away at my soul. Too much on airport snacks. Movies. I'd rather bring my own.

[Rachel Cruz]

I know. I did that for a long time.

[George Camel]

And then you grew up.

[Rachel Cruz]

I grew up.

[George Camel]

Then you went, just put it in the budget.

[Rachel Cruz]

I did.

[George Camel]

It's the principle for me. It's like, I know how much this exact thing costs somewhere else, but because I'm in this environment, they're charging me four times more.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, but for a Coke slushie and a bag of popcorn while you're watching a movie, it's different. It's just good. I don't know. It's good. I'm going green. Going green.

[George Camel]

Good for you.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay, so out of this episode, George, you know, I think most importantly, check your heart, make sure all of this is not coming from, like, a bad place. Right. That it's like every now and then it's harmless and it's fine. If it's in the budget and you have the money and it's like you're choosing to spend it, that's. That's your. That's your vice. That's your thing.

[George Camel]

I like that. And I think a lot of this comes down to accountability. Having good people in your life who will speak truth and say, hey, listen, I've been noticing, Rachel, you've been spending.

[Rachel Cruz]

Stop it.

[George Camel]

A lot of time.

[Rachel Cruz]

If I had a friend that was like, listen, Rachel, that in this case.

[George Camel]

Would be your husband.

[Rachel Cruz]

That popcorn at the movies. Really, I'm really worried about you.

[George Camel]

But if it was a daily habit.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, I'm going to go the 500 Zen guy. I hope you have people in your house like, are you okay?

[George Camel]

Let's start there.

[Rachel Cruz]

Are you okay?

[George Camel]

Start with the hookah guy and we'll work our way down to Rachel's nail care. But I do think having a spouse helps. Sometimes it's frustrating because if you have a friend, you spend this much on nails and you spend this much on power tools or whatever. The thing is, we all have our things, right. And it's okay.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yes.

[George Camel]

But there's a season for it, and it's when you actually have the money and it's not hurting your ability to get out of debt or build that emergency fund or build wealth.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

[George Camel]

And so right now it might be a no. Eventually, it might be a yes if it's not going to harm your life.

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, for sure. And budgeting for it. That's why we love every dollar. I mentioned it earlier, but honestly, it really is. It. It's a great thing to go back to, to know. Okay. Am I with. In line with the plan that I had set up before the month begins? And so it is great. I will put a link down below so you guys can check.

[George Camel]

Every dollar has freed me as the frugal guy who doesn't want to spend. If I have the line item there, I feel so much better about spending because I planned for it. It Wasn't impulsive.

[Rachel Cruz]

It's great. All right, before we spill the tea in our Guilty as Charged segments, let's talk about the drink. George.

[George Camel]

Wow, you nailed that one.

[Rachel Cruz]

I liked it.

[George Camel]

That was a good one. Surprisingly, it's called the King's Shilling. Here's the cost breakdown. $3.54 per drink. And here's what's in it. It's got bourbon aged rum, coffee liqueur, pineapple syrup, angostura bitters, and an orange twist, which you can see is carefully adorned on this. So beautiful little stainless steel pick here.

[Rachel Cruz]

I'm going nine out of ten.

[George Camel]

Yeah, this is a nine out of ten for me. I would order this at a restaurant.

[Rachel Cruz]

I think I would, too.

[George Camel]

That's what I was thinking, knowing now what it tastes like.

[Rachel Cruz]

It's fun. It is complex, George, and you appreciate a complex cocktail. There's a lot going on.

[George Camel]

It's not too sweet. It's not too boozy. It's just got a nice balance to it. So I highly recommend making it if you're of age. The recipe is in the show notes. Give it a try this weekend.

[Rachel Cruz]

All right, George, now it's time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where we ask each other a new Guilty as Charged question every week. And for guilty, we take a sip.

[George Camel]

All right, here it is. Rachel, have you ever cut back on a guilty pleasure spending tendency and then circled back later?

[Rachel Cruz]

I feel like I went through a season of trying not to buy things on Amazon because I was so quick to buy stuff. And I'm back.

[George Camel]

You're back? Full throttle. Did you come back even stronger?

[Rachel Cruz]

Felt the same. I know.

[George Camel]

Wow.

[Rachel Cruz]

I'd say that's mine. How about you?

[George Camel]

You know, I think for me, it's probably the coffee drinks. I had a season where I was, like, making coffee at home, drinking the free coffee at work, and lately it's been like, they have a. They have a new drink at Starbucks that I'm really enjoying.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, what is it?

[George Camel]

Can I share with the group?

[Rachel Cruz]

I would love it. Okay. All are dying to know they have.

[George Camel]

An A cinnamon oat milk cortado.

[Rachel Cruz]

It sounds like a instrument.

[George Camel]

Small. So it's a very small beverage. Cortado sounds like an instrument?

[Rachel Cruz]

Yeah, like a flute.

[George Camel]

It's a very small item, but that's kind of my new little vice. It gets a weekend treat.

[Rachel Cruz]

How much is it?

[George Camel]

It's $4.95.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. Five bucks.

[George Camel]

Brown sugar, oat milk cortado.

[Rachel Cruz]

Okay. Why is it new? Is the cortado new? They just invent it.

[George Camel]

They didn't invent the cortado, but I don't know if it was on the menu.

[Rachel Cruz]

Now I'm mad at that. George, good for you. If I go to Backstreet Boys in Vegas, I'll get one.

[George Camel]

Wow. You'll spring the extra five bucks to make me happy? I'll go with you. I think we should make it a girls trip. Me, Winston, Your girls?

[Rachel Cruz]

How funny. No, my girls don't know Backstreet Boys.

[George Camel]

They will now.

[Rachel Cruz]

They will.

[George Camel]

Now they'll go, mommy, those guys can't dance very good.

[Rachel Cruz]

And I stop. No.

[George Camel]

Any of them listens?

[Rachel Cruz]

What if one of them listens to Smart Money Happy Hour?

[George Camel]

You think?

[Rachel Cruz]

Who knows?

[George Camel]

Joey, reach out.

[Rachel Cruz]

No, that's in sync.

[George Camel]

Oh, my bad. They all blend together.

[Rachel Cruz]

Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. All right, well, if you guys have a guilty as charged question, make sure to DMS on Instagram, because that's where we are probably the most, I would say.

[George Camel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Rachel Cruz]

Hang out or tick tock. You like tick Tock, But I don't.

[George Camel]

Go to messages there. It's too scary. A lot of spam over there.

[Rachel Cruz]

So scary. Stay in Instagram world. Good to know. And make sure to subscribe to this channel. Like it. You know, let us know in the comments what you think.

[George Camel]

Yeah, and check out that Little Treats episode.

[Rachel Cruz]

That's right. We'll link that one, too.

[George Camel]

Coming up next.

[Rachel Cruz]

Click it there. Little Treats. And we'll see you guys next Thursday on an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.