Cha Cha Changes

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary: "Cha Cha Changes"

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – After Hours
Date: November 15, 2025
Episode Theme:
This episode, hosted by producers Ali and Greg in the "After Hours" segment, takes listeners behind the scenes of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. The primary focus is on how unexpected, lighter news stories—such as the discontinuation of the penny—can generate massive audience engagement, often outshining more serious political topics. The discussion explores listener reactions to the "last penny" story, the cultural and practical significance of coins, and broader implications for cash and digital currency.

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Episode Overview

• Purpose: Reveal the unpredictable nature of audience engagement, showcase the personal connections people have with coins and cash, discuss the potential end of the penny, and highlight the lively debate it inspired among the team and listeners.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Audience Engagement with Unexpected Topics

• [02:08] Ali: Introduces the idea that certain offbeat stories, like "best 80s song" or "last penny minted," sometimes eclipse heavy news in listener responses.

  "We can be knee deep in a really heavy news story...and then the feedback we get on a random short segment story, that's what we get all the reaction."

• [02:19] Greg: Notes the unpredictable nature of what resonates, referencing the massive influx of calls, emails, and talkbacks about the "last penny" segment.

2. The Penny Discussion: Nostalgia, Economics, & Policy

• [03:53] Ali: Observes that coins tap into nostalgia and everyday experience, unlike complex issues like H1B visas.

• Personal Stories and Childhood Memories:

  • [04:48] Ali: Reflects on piggy banks and learning to save with coins.
  • [04:52] Greg: “Was it an actual pig? Yes, it was. Yeah, mine too.”

• Inflation and the Tooth Fairy:

  • [05:13] Ali: “I only got a quarter for each tooth.”
  • [05:24] Greg: “Some people of their classmates were getting $20.”

3. Penny Facts, Production Costs, and Impact

• Penny Trivia:

  • [06:02] Ali quizzes Greg:
    • First penny: 1793
    • Early buying power: biscuit, candle, or candy
    • Modern cost: ~4 cents to mint each penny ([06:45] Ali: "each one costs nearly 4 cents to make")
    • Estimated savings from discontinuation: $56 million/year ([07:03])

• Downsides and Trade-offs:

  • [07:09] Greg: Wonders if businesses will round prices up, impacting consumers.
  • [07:23] Ali: Notes existing pennies remain legal tender; phase-out is gradual.

• International Context:

  • [08:16] Ali: Canada stopped minting pennies in 2012.
  • [08:23] Ali: Production costs of other coins compared.

4. The Personal Coin Jar Debate

• [08:49] Ali: Asks Greg about his own coin jar habits, leading to stories about storing and cashing in loose change.

• Coin Change Logistics:

  • [09:13] Greg: Notes some banks offer free coin machines, though not universally.

5. Bringing Producers On-Air & Listener Feedback

• [11:45] Segment replay: Clay and Buck roast, then prod producer Greg to defend keeping the penny live on air:

  "[Clay or Buck:] I don't know if he's by the Mic...I wanna know, why would anyone want there to still be pennies?" ([12:06]) "[Greg:] ...You eliminate the penny, you eliminate the nickel. It's the first step on the slippery slope to getting rid of all currency. And then everything can be tracked by the government all the time." ([12:28])

• [12:53] Clay or Buck (Playful): Mocks Greg: “How much jangling coins does producer Greg have in his pocket right now?”

• [13:20] Greg (Aftermath): Shares how it felt being pulled on air unexpectedly.

• [13:47] Greg: Argues against removing coins due to privacy and tradition, also floats idea of bringing back $500 bills and more $2 coins.

• [14:52] Ali: Raises practical questions about business pricing and rounding without smaller denominations.

6. Listener Talkbacks – Community Voices

• [15:59] Justin from Arizona: Defends keeping coins for family fun and tradition.

  "We have a thing we call the family fun jar...and go do something fun as a family...You can't eliminate the currency."

• [16:37] Tom from Houston: Fears a slippery slope with the government if coins are removed.

• [18:00] Tim from Michigan: Laundromat owner depends on quarters; prompts discussion on digital upgrades.

• [19:03] Greg: Acknowledges digital solutions are possible, but require investment and upgrades for small businesses.

• [19:20] Andrea from Allentown: Coins as a vital tool for teaching children about saving and value.

  "...first step in teaching our tiny children how to save money...So don't get rid of the coins."

  • [20:08] Ali & Greg: Joking about how to "flip for it" without coins:

    "How are you going to. Heads or tails it..." – Ali
    "Flip a dollar?" – Greg

• [20:25] Joe from Lima, Ohio: Defends cash payments at restaurants; Clay had questioned if anyone still used cash.

• [21:21] Ali: Observes cash helps teach budgeting and value more directly than cards.

7. The Collector’s Angle

• [22:55] Unidentified woman from Minnesota: Ecstatic about penny phase-out due to her penny collection:

  "I am thrilled that they are stopping penny production because I have a huge penny collection." ([22:58])

8. Final Reflections: Why Light Topics Matter

• [24:08] Ali: Notes the value of lighter segments in a heavy news climate:

  “Sometimes when we come across a story that's just a little bit lighter...we just sort of exhale and have fun with it. And it is a welcome change…”

• [24:41] Greg: Expresses gratitude for listener engagement.

  “We love it when you respond to something...it's validating.”

• [25:05] Ali: Plug for the Talkback feature, encouraging continued participation.

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Memorable Quotes

• [02:42] Ali: “We can be knee deep in a really heavy news story...and then the feedback we get on a random short segment story, that's what we get all the reaction.”
• [06:09] Ali (penny trivia): “1793.”
• [11:45] Clay or Buck: “Trump came in and said, the penny doesn't make sense... Should we eliminate all coins? ...Producer Greg, I'm going to give you a minute... I wanna know, why would anyone want there to still be pennies?”
• [12:28] Greg: “You eliminate the penny, you eliminate the nickel. It's the first step on the slippery slope to getting rid of all currency. And then everything can be tracked by the government all the time.”
• [18:00] Tim from Michigan: "I own a coin operated laundromat. I sure hope they don't get rid of quarters."
• [19:20] Andrea from Allentown: “This is the first step in teaching our tiny children how to save money and the worth of money.”
• [24:08] Ali: “Sometimes...we just sort of exhale and have fun with it. And it is a welcome change.”
• [24:41] Greg: “We love it when you respond to something...it's validating.”

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Notable Segments with Timestamps

• [02:08] – Discussion on unexpected topics sparking big reactions
• [03:53] – Coins, nostalgia, and accessibility vs. complex issues
• [06:02]-[07:03] – Penny trivia, production cost, and elimination impact
• [11:45]-[13:47] – On-air penny debate between producers and hosts
• [15:45]-[22:58] – Listener talkbacks: defending coins and cash, practical considerations and personal stories
• [24:08] – Final reflection on the comfort of lighter news

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Tone and Style

• Conversational, playfully argumentative, nostalgic, and community-oriented.
• Both hosts and listeners blend humor and cultural observation with substantive concerns about economics and policy.

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Summary

In this “After Hours” episode, producer Ali and Greg reveal how light-hearted stories—such as the end of the penny—ignite more passionate and ubiquitous listener response than most news and politics. The conversation is rich with childhood memories, practical concerns, slippery slope fears about cashless societies, and the enduring appeal of loose change. Listener feedback is central, showcasing the American attachment to coins—not just as currency, but as cultural touchstones and teaching tools. The debate remains friendly but thoughtful, reflecting the show's ability to balance seriousness and fun.

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For more behind-the-scenes insights or to weigh in with your own story, listeners are encouraged to use the station's Talkback feature.

Transcript

[Ali]

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[Greg]

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[Ali]

Hey, welcome back to the After Hours Random Podcast with producer Ally and producer Greg.

[Greg]

Welcome back.

[Ali]

Yeah, it's been a month at least. We got to get better about doing these more than once a month.

[Greg]

I promise you we will be better about this, especially going forward.

[Ali]

For those of you who don't know, the After Hours podcast is us basically talking about things that go on behind the scenes on the Clay and Buck Show.

[Greg]

And there are a lot of things always going on behind the scenes during the show. Either live, pre show, post show.

[Ali]

There's always something going on. And what we wanted to talk about today is how sometimes stories just really pick up steam with the audience that we would not have expected.

[Greg]

Right? Exactly. Like a couple weeks ago. What was that one that just out of the blue? Oh, it was the 80s music.

[Ali]

The 80s. The best 80s song of all time, Right?

[Greg]

Exactly. Just out of the blue. Just listeners just flooded us with emails and talkbacks and calls and they wanted to get their voice in about what the good thing, what it was. What was their best song, their favorite song, et cetera.

[Ali]

It's really interesting because for us, it's almost like we get to kind of take the temperature on what people are thinking and feeling that day, and we can be knee deep in a really heavy news story, and they're doing political analysis on something that we feel is super important. And it is. But then the feedback we get on a random short segment story, that's what we get. All the reaction.

[Greg]

It's true. And one thing about that is it rankles a lot of people who are meat and potatoes sort of folks.

[Ali]

The sticks to the issues crowd.

[Greg]

Yeah. They really want to. They want to be talking about the things that are happening and the things that are important. I think the story about the coins and the last penny being minted and then Clay throwing out there that maybe he. Maybe we ought to get rid of all the coins.

[Ali]

Yeah.

[Greg]

I think it's one of those issues that everybody can have an opinion about. Like, it's hard to have an opinion about. We got into some of the stuff today about H1B visas, and, you know, they can get rather chewy. And you may not have any experience with H1B visas, but everybody's used currency and their coins, and it's generational.

[Ali]

There's nostalgia. There's all kinds of other emotions attached to it, not just the practicality.

[Greg]

Absolutely. So there's a lot of things going on, and it's things that people can relate to. And the fact that it came together with such an important issue, the last minting of the penny and what that means and currency in general, that was a fun topic. It was a fun topic.

[Ali]

It was a very fun topic. But for us as the producers, we're monitoring the phone lines, monitoring the email, monitoring the talkbacks, and we were just inundated with everybody wanting to talk about that subject.

[Greg]

And everybody had an anecdote or they talked about, you know, oh, when we were kids, we used to do this, and I would find a nickel and I'd run down to the store and I'd get whatever.

[Ali]

The penny candy store. Yes. I remember that from my childhood.

[Greg]

Yeah, absolutely. And so many people were like, this is how I taught my kids about money and that sort of stuff.

[Ali]

Did you have a piggy bank, Greg?

[Greg]

Of course. Absolutely. Did you?

[Ali]

Absolutely.

[Greg]

Was it an actual pig? Yes, it was. Yeah, mine too.

[Ali]

And the tooth fairy. I would always put those quarters in the PE bank. My allowance, I never got more than a dollar. Like, it was always change. And I was taught to Save it. And I was also taught how to add subtract. I did learn change.

[Greg]

Right. So the tooth fairy gave me never more than a dollar.

[Ali]

Oh, no. I only got a quarter for each tooth.

[Greg]

Oh, okay. Well, that inflation has hit quite a bit. I don't know if you're aware.

[Ali]

Oh, no. My friend's kids, they'20 bucks. I'm like, wow.

[Greg]

I know, I know. Yeah. Like, that started 20 bucks a tooth with our kid. And it was like, you know, suddenly it was, you know, went from a dollar to five dollars to. Oh, my gosh. Some people of their classmates were getting $20.

[Ali]

And what we ended up doing, too, was going down a bit of a rabbit hole the other day when this subject came up, learning more about the history and the impact of what this will do, getting rid of the penny. And that was fun for me because there were things. And I'm going to quiz you.

[Greg]

Gre.

[Ali]

I did not know. So I'm gonna see what you know. Okay. When was the penny introduced?

[Greg]

The first penny introduced, I'm gonna say right around 1790, thereabouts.

[Ali]

Oh, you're so close. 1793.

[Greg]

Okay.

[Ali]

And what could it buy back then?

[Greg]

Oh, gosh, the penny probably could buy a new car. I don't know, maybe a Tesla. That's a good question. I don't know. What could it buy?

[Ali]

It could buy a biscuit, a candle, or a piece of candy.

[Greg]

Okay. Hence, penny candy. I like that.

[Ali]

Yes. And how much does each one cost to make nowadays?

[Greg]

They're in the neighborhood of 25 cents or more per coin to actually make. Am I close?

[Ali]

I'm actually looking at an AP article on this, and it said each one costs nearly 4 cents to make.

[Greg]

So I'm way overestimating, but still.

[Ali]

But guess how much it's going to save us getting the taxpayer getting rid of pennies.

[Greg]

Okay, how much will it save the taxpayers getting rid of? Billions. Right.

[Ali]

According to treasurer Brandon beach, it's going to save us 56 million.

[Greg]

$56 million. How much is it going to cost us, though, at the supermarket for all of these businesses which now currently sell something for 9.99, and they're not going to be able to get those four pennies anymore.

[Ali]

Well, okay, so according to this, billions of pennies are still in circulation and will remain legal tender, but new ones will no longer be made. So save up your pennies.

[Greg]

So we're going to be losing them by attrition. So over the. What is. Does it. Does it talk about the lifespan of the penny and how long those. They're in circulation, that sort of thing.

[Ali]

Oh, that's really interesting. No, it doesn't in this article. But that I be curious to know that.

[Greg]

Okay. We may do an addendum to this podcast and tell you a little bit about what we find out about that particular question.

[Ali]

Yes. So the last few pennies were. Are going to be auctioned off, so that will be.

[Greg]

Oh, they are. Okay. Because that's what that was one of the things that came up in the discussion. Will we see it in the Smithsonian? Is it going to stay at the Mint? Will it be framed and put on Trump's wall? You know, that sort of thing?

[Ali]

Yes. Or found in your couch.

[Greg]

Right.

[Ali]

When did Canada stop minting its penny?

[Greg]

I honestly really don't know. I didn't even know that they had stopped minting the pennies.

[Ali]

This was something I learned too. 2012, apparently.

[Greg]

Really?

[Ali]

Yeah. So pennies cost far less to produce than nickels. Nickels cost nearly $0.14 to make. Dimes, by comparison, cost less than $0.06 to produce, and the quarter nearly $0.15.

[Greg]

So we're making money on dimes and quarters and we should actually probably keep the penny and get rid of the nickel is what you're really saying.

[Ali]

Yes.

[Greg]

Yeah.

[Ali]

Question for you. Do you have a giant jar of change in your home?

[Greg]

I have a jar of change. It's not a giant jar. We have a jar of change, and every year or thereabouts, we take it down to the bank. And like last year it was, you know, money for Christmas, that sort of thing.

[Ali]

So they have. In your town, they have those machines at the bank where you can put all. Dump all your change in, and then you get money.

[Greg]

Y. And it's actually at our bank and they don't charge you for it, so it's great. It just goes straight into your account.

[Ali]

Oh, that's excellent. So we had that actually at a bank in our neighborhood, and then they found out somebody was skimming because they would take a percentage. They found out someone was skimming, so they discontinued it, which was such a bummer. So then we could go to our local grocery store and do at their machines, and then they just suddenly, abruptly got rid of them.

[Greg]

Really?

[Ali]

So now we have such a giant jar of change in our apartment that even my big, hulking husband can't lift it up. It's that heavy.

[Greg]

Really? Okay, so that's an interesting question. How much do you think it weighs and how much is it worth?

[Ali]

According to Gerard, he thinks there's probably like $1,000 in there. That's how many. Wow, change we have.

[Greg]

Wow.

[Ali]

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

[Greg]

Was that photo. Now you sent a little photo around to the text chat that we all have. Was that from that jar?

[Ali]

That's the jar.

[Greg]

I noticed some like, you know, Canada coins and maybe some British pence and stuff like that.

[Ali]

I think there's a lot of foreign currency in that jar mixed in.

[Greg]

I can't have that. No, no, no, no, no. Yeah, but I might be. I might buy it from you. Then I could, you know, and then.

[Ali]

But I can't. It's so heavy. I don't even know how to get it to the studio.

[Greg]

Very heavy wheelbarrow.

[Ali]

At any rate, we got so many talkbacks, emails and all that that we played a bunch on the show, but we didn't have time, obviously with the constraints of time, the broadcast, to play all of them. But there were some fun ones, so we decided to play them on this after hours podcast.

[Greg]

So what we're gonna do before leading into that, what happened was during a commercial break, we were just discussing it, you know, the penny and all of that. And they, the boys, we call them the boys affectionately. We're talking about it. Excuse me. And then Clay said something about, ah, let's just get rid of all. And I chimed in on, on the chat during the commercial, I said, absolutely not. No way. Yeah. And Buck threw me a curve ball because we come back to from commercial and then he says, oh, you know, we're all against this except. Except for producer Greg. And maybe producer Greg would come on and defend why he loves the penny so much. Put me on the spot. So I had to come running in and get on the air and explain it. And we actually got a couple of talkbacks. We actually got three.

[Ali]

Why don't we first play you trying to explain yourself. Put on the spot first.

[Greg]

I will happily do that for you. Let's play that for you right here.

[Clay or Buck]

I just put up a poll question. Buck, we can have some fun with this too. Today the last pennies are being produced. That is the $0.01 coin is basically being phased out. Trump came in and said, the penny doesn't make sense. It costs more than to. Than to produce it. Should we eliminate all coins? This may be stepping into. This may be like when I went after flute players. I'm. I'm a hard yes on this one. Producer Greg, I'm going to get. We're going to give you a minute. I don't know if he's by the Mic in nyc or if he wants to just do a talk back or whatever he seems like he's not down for. And I wanna know, why would anyone want there to still be pennies?

[Greg]

We need to have currency for every person because you eliminate the penny, you eliminate the nickel. It's the first step on the slippery slope to getting rid of all currency. And then everything can be tracked by the government all the time.

[Clay or Buck]

Okay, well I'm with you on the digital dollar thing, producer Greg, so that I'm with you on that. But pennies, when was the last time.

[Greg]

You used a penny? You'd be surprised.

[Clay or Buck]

How much jangling coins does producer Greg have in his pocket right now? Just jangling around, weighing down his pants, dragging them down. I'm in. I'm with you, Buck. I think we should eliminate all coins. I don't think there should be coin currency anymore. That may be a scorching hot take that we didn't expect to be scorching. Maybe we may get fired up, get attacked on this one, but we're right.

[Ali]

Oh, Greg, don't you just love it when they pull you on the mic?

[Greg]

I'm trying to get the words out of my mouth and they're not coming and it makes no sense. And it's, it's I. And I'm thinking about it. My brain is going, talk, you idiot. And I'm trying to finally was able to get it all out and fortunately Buck agreed with me on the, at least on the digital dollar aspect of it.

[Ali]

Right. I don't think they should get rid of all change, but I could do without the penny and the nickel.

[Greg]

Okay, I can understand that. I think, look, I just think the minute you start, if you take one, then the logic is, well, let's just do the next one. So we already did this one. Why don't we do the next one? And I don't like that. I like the fact that we have a dollar coin. I want to have more dollar coins in circulation. In fact, Canada has $2 coins that they have and they have €2 coins in Europe as well. And I like the two euro coin or the two dollar Canadian coin. I think the United States ought. I also think the United States ought to start printing more $500 bills again, but that's another discussion for another day. So I'm not in favor of removing any of it. They track us enough as it is and through our algorithms and our phones and all of this stuff and your car when you go through a toll and all this stuff. So they don't need to know exactly that. I'm spending my money on all this junk food and raise my insurance costs as a result of it.

[Ali]

A lot of people brought up the good point, too, at businesses, when you price items. So if the item comes to 350, are they going to upcharge you or downcharge you? And we all know the answer to that, of course, so I can understand where that comes into play as well. Being a problem.

[Greg]

Yeah, it's definitely going to be a problem. And they will upcharge you. We've gotten some calls from people saying, oh, you know, inflation, and it's never going to come down. Clay has even said, I take a little bit of a different approach on that. I think the free market will adjust. And hey, if Nobody's buying your $14 head of lettuce, gosh, the price is going to come down now, isn't it? Until people start buying it again. So I do think that there is some give and take, although generally inflation is consistent.

[Ali]

Well, let's listen to some of these talkbacks, why don't we?

[Greg]

Oh, absolutely. First, let's start with the one that we actually played on the air. This is Justin from Arizona. And then we'll roll into a couple more. We did play Justin, but they all mentioned me, so we're going to.

[Ali]

I was just gonna say, hmm, what.

[Greg]

Do they have in common?

[Ali]

I noticed a little trend in the talkbacks that you selected.

[Greg]

I was very disappointed they didn't play more than Justin, but you'll get to hear them. Right now, I think we should keep the coins. I'm with your producer. We have a thing we call the family fun jar. So all of our loose change goes into there, and when it fills up, we cash it in and go do something fun as a family. Clay and Buck, your producer is absolutely right. You can't eliminate the currency. If you do, you're going to have a complete disaster.

[Clay or Buck]

I mean, even think, how are you going to run a garage sale? Everything is going to be tracked and taxed. Thanks.

[Greg]

I agree completely with what producer Greg said. Once it starts, it doesn't stop. The government doesn't work like that. I like that Tom from Houston, man. He completely agrees with producer Greg. And how can you not? Thank you, Tom. I really appreciate it. Yeah, it's always nice to be. I texted my family and they're like, oh, you're famous now. Yes. It feels really very good to be brought up and shared on the show, whether it's eclipses or coins or whatever.

[Ali]

By the Way I'm looking at. Let's play Tim from Michigan listening on newsradio. W O O D. We actually played.

[Greg]

This one on the air too. And I think this is also, this is a great point. I love Tim from Michigan. Let's maybe tick off the next few because Andrea from Allentown has a great one and then Joe from Lima, Ohio. Lima, Ohio. I believe it is what it is.

[Ali]

Like the bean.

[Greg]

Yes, exactly. And then there is a woman, the last one that we'll play for you that it's an interesting discussion we can, we could pick up on after this. So let's, yeah, let's go through these.

[Ali]

Okay. Tom from Michigan.

[Greg]

I own a coin operated laundromat. I sure hope they don't get rid of quarters.

[Ali]

So Greg, I am one of those people living in New York City in an apartment building. We don't have laundry in our apartment nor in our building. We have to haul our laundry to a laundromat.

[Greg]

Right.

[Ali]

We live in a walk up so to several flights of stairs and then down the street down the block to our coin operated laundromat. So quarters are very important.

[Greg]

I'm going to come out against myself here in this and say there's really no need to worry about that. With a laundromat, all you can do is just purchase a card like you used to have to do in subways and that the subway here in New York City and swipe your card. Good point. It does the same thing. It's just a matter of the laundromat owner needing to upgrade their machinery to, to the readers for that sort of thing. And that's a little bit of a cost for them.

[Ali]

That's a fair point.

[Greg]

It is a little bit of a cost for the laundromats and maybe, you know, maybe the government could give them a little bit of a tax incentive for that. But I think there are ways around that is what I would say.

[Ali]

That is a fair point. Okay, let's hear Andrea from Allentown.

[Greg]

Really love you guys, but this is.

[Sponsor Voice]

The first step in teaching our tiny.

[Greg]

Children how to save money and the worth of money. They put their little coins in their piggy bank and then they save it up and save it up and one day they can buy something they really want. So don't get rid of the coins. So kids, this is how we all learned about money. You mentioned the piggy bank earlier. We used to, you know, gosh, if you saw a penny on the ground, we would all run and pick it up. If it was a Dime. It was like, yes. Score. Quarters. Forget about it. I mean, everything stopped for a quarter. Everybody fought for a quarter.

[Ali]

And then how are you going to. Heads or tails it?

[Greg]

Exactly. I mean, what are we going to do?

[Ali]

Flip a dollar?

[Greg]

Right. Can you see them trying that at the Super Bowl?

[Ali]

Hilarious.

[Greg]

I can't see that. All right, let's go ahead to play these last two. This is Joe and then a woman from Minneapolis who. Well, listen to what she has to say, Joe.

[Clay or Buck]

First, we go out to eat a.

[Greg]

Couple times a month, and I pay.

[Clay or Buck]

With cash 75% of the time.

[Ali]

Well, Joe, you pay with cash. Clearly, you do not live in New York City, where we rarely go out to dinner, because you need several hundies to just get a basic meal at not even a fancy restaurant.

[Greg]

Yeah, this was. This was really kind of a comeback on Clay, who was really making the comment that he didn't know anybody who paid with cash anymore. He didn't think anybody paid for cash for meals at restaurants anymore. And Joe, really. And there was actually there were a couple other talkbacks as well, who were saying, oh, no, I pay for cash. Pay with cash all the time.

[Ali]

Somebody made a really good point about cash versus credit card. And I remember back. Way back when I was in college, the same point being made is when you have to pay for something using cash, you're more likely to understand the value of it and the concept of debt. Whereas. And this is why I really can't stand that they have credit card companies set up on college campuses trying to get those freshmen signed up if they don't already have a credit card. And kids just think, oh, this piece of plastic, they just click, swipe, whatever. They don't really think about budgeting.

[Greg]

No. But, you know, I will tell you, having gone through several different American Express card memberships over the years, you learn pretty quick when they start calling you and hammering you and, oh, hey, your bill is overdue. Oh, yeah. Gosh. Okay. So at the end of the first month or two, you really start to get the signal.

[Ali]

But I just feel like if you're at a store and you're a young person and you see an item you might want to buy if you have to pay for it in cash, there's something psychological about counting out the change and, like, the tens, the twenties, maybe hundreds, and then you realize, wow, this is an expensive item where you hand over a piece of plastic, it just doesn't register the same way.

[Greg]

No, I totally. 100%. My wife is the same way. She loves paying with Cash, it's the same thing. And actually she uses coins when she pays. So if it's, you know, 279, she'll give them a five and then 79 cents because she hates getting change back. She doesn't want the change back because she's not a fan of the coins. We're very different in that way.

[Ali]

Okay, let's go to this unidentified Caller yes, this woman.

[Greg]

Woman from Minnesota. I think this is an interesting point.

[Ali]

I just had to comment on the penny thing. I am thrilled that they are stopping penny production because I have a huge penny collection.

[Greg]

Maybe it'll be worth something more than a dollar. Well, that could be you, Ali. I mean, you could be, you don't know how much money you could be making in the future. If you just continue holding on to all those coins that you have, they could be worth something someday.

[Ali]

Oh, they're so heavy.

[Greg]

They'll be so rare. I think what, you know, unfortunately there's so many in circulation, they're just going to be face value for a long, long time.

[Ali]

I don't think I'm going to be around by the time they're worth something.

[Greg]

Yeah, I don't think this woman has to worry about making $4 per penny or anything like that anytime soon.

[Ali]

So, Greg, a penny for your thoughts.

[Greg]

This has been fun. It's been nice to do this again. We've had a lot of stuff going on around here and it's always crazy, especially with the launch of Clay's new book and everything else that's been going. The holidays are coming up and it's just been, you know, well, I think it's chaos.

[Ali]

It's a frenetic pace, this job anyways. But then you add to it, this administration, the amount of news we're getting. It's so much juggling there is and deciding what to focus on. So sometimes when we come across a story that's just a little bit lighter, even if it does touch on other larger issues like inflation, we just sort of exhale and have fun with it. And it is a welcome change. And then when we see all of you email and calling and wanting to weigh in as well, it's validating.

[Greg]

It definitely is. We love it when you respond to something that something hits you and you send us the feedback, whether it's through the VIP email or through the talkback or even calling us here on the show. And I'm always happy to take your calls because I'm usually the one who's answering them, occasionally Producer Mark, occasionally Ally So.

[Ali]

And we should also remind people that the Talkback feature is also something you can do. Some people are still a little confused how it works. So just a quick run through. You just go on your phone, fire up the iHeartRadio app. It's free. Find the Clay and Buck show, and you'll see a little microphone icon on the upper right hand corner of the screen. You just click it. It gives you 30 seconds to leave your message and off it goes. And Greg gets all of those and listens and some of them get on the air.

[Greg]

Yep. We always do our best to make sure that Clay and Buck have an idea of exactly what's going on and where the general population is feeling. So we always keep them up to date on what's going on as what you're feeling and thinking.

[Ali]

And on that note, are there any sponsors we should mention on today's show?

[Greg]

Well, I was just. I was just thinking maybe, you know, it's getting cooler out. It might be a nice time to talk about cozy Earth.

[Ali]

Well, Greg, we are not on video right now, but I am wearing my Cozy Earth cardigan.

[Greg]

It's a very nice cardigan. I like that sweater a lot, actually.

[Ali]

It's very cozy. And a funny story is I got this and we went to D.C. clay and I were there a few weeks ago. And just like he has trouble with the hotel lights, I seem to have trouble with the thermostat. I can never get the room to be a temperature that it's either too hot, too cold. It's Goldilocks. I can't get it just right.

[Greg]

Right.

[Ali]

So I was freezing and I had my Cozy Earth sweater. And I ended up using it as a blanket. Cause it's an oversized sweater and it was great.

[Greg]

Nice. It looks so warm and it's very soft and it's fashionable. I think it brings together everything. It's everything you want in any sort of sweater that you have. And the fact that it's cozy Earth too. You know, the quality is always there.

[Ali]

Yes, it's cashmere, so I feel very fancy in it. Oh, I cannot bring it home. I leave it at work because if I bring it home, the moths in our apartment.

[Greg]

Oh, no. You have moths? Oh, no.

[Ali]

Most New York City dwellings in my neighborhood do.

[Greg]

I'm putting mothballs in your Christmas stocking this year.

[Ali]

No, Those things smell so bad. We have cedar chips. We do various things, but it's like you almost can't get away from it in these old buildings.

[Greg]

Yeah, your cats don't chase the moths.

[Ali]

They do. They do. They play with them, though.

[Greg]

They play with them.

[Ali]

They don't really do much else.

[Greg]

Oh, no. Well, Cozy Earth is something that you should always. You should definitely check out.

[Ali]

And I also have the sheets. Funny story. When we were signing up with Cozy Earth, we got to try some of their products, and they aren't wrong about the sheets. I know people are like, oh, you guys always say it's just a sheet. The best. But they really are, Greg. They're amazing. I actually ordered some from my parents, too. I'm going to give them to them for Christmas. And I know, sheets for Christmas. That's like a weird gift, but it's actually not when you try these.

[Greg]

Well, that's good to know because I'm going to have to get something. I'm trying to get creative this year for Christmas, so maybe I'll get some sheets for my wife.

[Ali]

She will love them. They really are. You're going to be like, oh, they were right.

[Greg]

Oh, good. Okay, that's good to know.

[Ali]

And right now, if you use Clay or Buck's name, either one in the discount promo code section, as you're checking out, you'll get a nice discount.

[Greg]

So make sure you head over to.

[Ali]

Cozyearth.Com, that's the website that you want.

[Greg]

To go to, and then put in Clay or Buck's name for the special code and get your discount.

[Ali]

All right, Greg, that's a wrap on this after hours. If you have any questions or things you want us to tell you about about behind the scenes on the show, feel free to let us know.

[Greg]

Yeah. If you want to talk about coins and tell us your stories or your opinions about what's going to happen to the penny, whether we should get $2 coins minted in the United States as well, or bring back the $500 bill, send us talkbacks about that, too. Until next time, I'm producer Greg.

[Ali]

I'm producer Ali.

[Greg]

See you then, dude.

[Clay or Buck]

This new bacon, egg, and chicken biscuit from AM pm.

[Ali]

Total winner.

[Greg]

Winner, chicken breakfast. Chicken breakfast. Come on. I think you mean chicken dinner, bro. Nah, brother.

[Clay or Buck]

Crispy bacon, fluffy eggs, juicy chicken, and a buttery biscuit. That's the perfect breakfast.

[Greg]

All right, let me try it.

[Clay or Buck]

Okay.

[Greg]

Yeah, totally. Winner, winner, chicken breakfast. I'm gonna have to keep this right here.

[Clay or Buck]

Make sure every breakfast is a winner with the delicious new bacon, egg and chicken biscuit from AM PM AM P. M. Too much good stuff.

[Ali]

This is an I Heart podcast.