Podcast Summary: The Ramsey Show Highlights

Episode: I'm Addicted to DoorDash
Date: November 18, 2025
Host: Ramsey Network (Rachel Cruze & Christian)
Featured Caller: Gabe

Episode Overview

This episode centers around Gabe, a 20-year-old college student who finds himself spending all of his income—primarily on DoorDash and impulse purchases. Hosts Rachel Cruze and Christian dissect Gabe’s situation, offering practical guidance for building financial discipline, setting goals, and forming better money habits as a young adult.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recognizing the Spending Habit

• Gabe’s Problem: Gabe admits to spending every paycheck, mainly on DoorDash deliveries and “random stuff,” regardless of how much he earns.
  • Gabe: "I always find a way, no matter how much money comes in the paycheck, to spend it all." (00:20)
• DoorDash Cycle: Gabe has tried deleting the app but finds himself redownloading it, describing the habit as a “creeping addiction.”
  • Gabe: "It's just like a creeping addiction, you know?" (00:46)
• Hosts’ Perspective: The hosts relate humorously, poking fun at how easy it is to aspirationally buy groceries and still wind up reaching for takeout.
  • Rachel: "Going back to an abusive ex to a zucchini." (00:57)
  • Christian: "We all aspirational grocery shop... I'm going to eat a zucchini." (01:00)

2. Deep Dive into Gabe’s Background

• Goals: Gabe’s financial aspirations are to get a car, buy a house, and eventually achieve a net worth of a million dollars.
  • Gabe: "First is get a car. Then after that a house. And then after that, cracked a million marks in net worth." (01:20)
• Income Source: He works for DoorDash (delivering and using the service), currently living at home.
  • Christian: “Wait, do you drive for DoorDash?” (01:47)
  • Rachel: “He’s a doordasher.” (01:53)
• Student Status: Gabe is a business management major, cash-flowing his education, with minimal debt ($200 on credit cards).
  • Gabe: "I'm cash flowing it." (02:56)
  • Rachel: "Do you have any debt?" / Gabe: "I have $200 in credit cards." (02:58–03:02)

3. Understanding Lack of Motivation

• Expenses: His only expenses are his phone and gas—totaling $300–400/month.
• Income: He makes about $2,000/month from DoorDash.
• Living at Home: The hosts note that minimal expenses and staying at home can reduce the urgency for change.
  • Christian: “If I’m you, I have very little motivation to even go work when my only two things I need to survive is covering a phone bill and gas.” (03:51)
  • Rachel: "There's no urgency. Exactly. I was living at home." (06:01)

4. Building Habits and Automated Savings

• Practical Tip: Rachel suggests automating his savings—directing at least half of his pay ($1,000/month) into savings to help reach his goals.
  • Rachel: "What if you gave yourself 600 bucks to spend on how you want and then save half of your income and you do that for the next, golly, six months, you'd have $6,000 when you graduate." (04:39)
• Pay Yourself First: Automating transfers to savings helps build the discipline to live on less and accumulate funds.
  • Christian: "If you automate that, you'll just pretend the thousand bucks never existed." (07:30)
• Include Giving: Rachel also recommends integrating generosity—giving a portion of income each month to create a habit of giving.
  • Rachel: "I'd be giving some too. I think there's a practice of generosity in there. Give, you know, it's ever how much you want, but even 200 bucks a month, practice that part, practice the saving part, and then you can still enjoy some of it." (04:39)

5. Changing Environment After Graduation

• Forming New Challenges: Christian encourages Gabe to move out after graduation to encounter real-world responsibilities.
  • Christian: "Once he graduates though, he just go ahead and find an actual job. Like, don't stick around home saying, well, I could save up for a house faster. And all of a sudden you spent 500 bucks on DoorDash." (06:20)
  • Christian: "Create some problems for yourself. Because we are wired to solve problems. And right now you just don't have many, which is not a bad thing. But if you want to accomplish your financial goals, you kind of need to have some. Some, you know, some mojo." (06:33)
• Personal Example: Christian shares his own story of expenses while living at home and how moving out changed his perspective.
  • Christian: "When I was living at home, I was working at the Apple Store. And every paycheck would just go to like, gear and just spend. I didn't, I wasn't saving any of it." (05:52)

6. Steps for Practical Financial Improvement

• Get a Car: Prioritize saving for a car; automate savings through a high-yield account.
  • Rachel: "I would reiterate. Yeah. If you... saved a thousand dollars a month, Gabe, I mean, you could have a $6,000 car in six months." (07:08)
• Use High-Yield Savings: The hosts recommend using a Ramsey-endorsed bank for higher returns and better savings incentives.
  • Christian: "Go to Fairwinds.org Ramsey. They just created a new bundle for our fans... Just go straight from checking into that high yield savings." (07:30)
• Avoid Debt: They underscore the importance of resisting temptations for car loans or unnecessary debt as Gabe transitions to full adulthood.
  • Christian: “Every time, especially as you enter adulthood, it's so easy to be tempted to take out the car loan, open the credit card, go into debt, take out the personal loan, whatever it is. And so this will help you avoid that temptation.” (08:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Gabe on Grocery Shopping vs. DoorDash:
  "You see like the zucchini you bought three days ago and you're like, ah, DoorDash sounds better. I'm redownloading it." — Gabe (00:50)
• Rachel on Aspirational Shopping:
  "Going back to an abusive ex to a zucchini." — Rachel (00:57)
• Christian on Motivation:
  "If I'm you, I have very little motivation to even go work when my only two things I need to survive is covering a phone bill and gas." — Christian (03:51)
• Rachel on Financial Routines:
  "I think it's just the habits and the routines month to month that you need to change. And when you kind of get those in place, you start to be disciplined." — Rachel (04:39)
• Christian's Self-Reflection:
  "I'm spending every $16 an hour I make." — Christian, reflecting on his own habits (08:36)
• Christian to Gabe:
  "This is very natural. You're 20. You're not weird, you're just 20." — Christian (08:22)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:10 – Gabe’s struggle with overspending and DoorDash addiction
• 01:20 – Gabe shares his financial goals
• 02:01 – Gabe’s status as a student and his income sources
• 03:39 – Discussion of expenses and living at home
• 04:39 – Rachel’s advice on automating savings and giving
• 05:52 – Christian’s personal experience with overspending while at home
• 06:20 – Importance of moving out after graduation to stimulate growth
• 07:08 – Concrete plan: Save toward a car and set up a high-yield savings account
• 08:09 – Reminders to avoid debt and build financial habits

Tone & Takeaway

This episode blends humor, relatability, and actionable advice. Rachel and Christian keep the mood light, validating Gabe’s feelings and normalizing his struggles, while outlining clear steps for financial improvement. Their advice is compassionate but firm, emphasizing the creation of habits, automation, and introducing challenges to promote personal growth.

Summary:
Gabe’s spending isn’t unusual for his age and situation, but with a few new financial routines—particularly automating savings and delaying gratification—he can set himself up for future success. The hosts emphasize the importance of problem-solving, discipline, and self-awareness as key ingredients for financial health.