The Ramsey Show Highlights:

“My Friends Are Stupid With Money And It Drives Me Crazy”
November 11, 2025 – Ramsey Network

Episode Overview

In this episode, co-hosts Rachel Cruze (C) and George Kamel (D) answer a call from Sarah (B), a single mom and house cleaner who shares her frustrations about a close friend’s reckless financial habits. The discussion evolves from venting about a friend's choices to thoughtful advice on boundaries, comparison, and maintaining friendship when values clash.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Caller’s Frustration with a Friend’s Financial Choices

• Sarah’s Story:

  • Sarah is new to the Ramsey plan, has an emergency fund, is paying off debt, and is committed to living within her means.

  • Her friend claims to follow the Ramsey principles but demonstrates very different behavior, including purchasing expensive vehicles on credit and refusing to pay off her mortgage for dubious tax reasons.

  • Sarah admits she’s bothered by her friend’s "flashy" lifestyle and feels their spending is irresponsible.

    “I literally was like, you all could have paid off half of your mortgage for what you just spent on this car.” — Sarah (00:52)
    “She says, well, I get too many tax deductions from having a house. I don't want to pay off mortgage.” — Sarah (00:59)

2. Advice on Mindset and Boundaries

• Focus on Your Own Journey:

  • George uses a parenting analogy to illustrate the need for personal responsibility instead of constant comparison.

  • Rachel and George stress that it’s not Sarah’s role to police her friend’s choices.

    “Just mind your business and pay off your debt... you don’t have to worry about that.” — George (02:17)

  • Rachel provides a more gentle, Southern-style answer for dealing with uncomfortable conversations:

    “Just smile that sweet Kentucky Southern passive aggressive smile, nod, bless your heart…” — Rachel (02:40)

3. Friendship Tension from Growth and Value Shifts

• Drifting Apart is Natural:

  • Rachel recognizes Sarah’s discomfort with her friend's choices. She normalizes the tension that occurs when personal values change, such as shifting to a debt-free mindset.

  • Both hosts affirm it’s common to feel a disconnect from friends who don’t share new values, but say that doesn’t automatically mean the end of the relationship.

    “When you shift your mind and you change your mind, you do start to want to gravitate towards people that are like minded.” — Rachel (02:57)

• No Need to Cut Friends Over Money:

  • Rachel is clear that you don’t have to end friendships with people who don’t follow the same money plan.
  • She notes, “If we lived by that, we would have probably... I'd have no friends.” — George (03:19)

4. The Real Issue: Comparison and Judgement

• Reflecting on Our Own Bias:

  • George gently confronts Sarah about the judgment creeping into her perspective.

    “There's certain things, Sarah, that you're saying that actually sound a little bit like you're kind of hating on him a little bit.” — George (04:30)

  • Rachel adds personal insight on how comparison can be sneaky and self-defeating, recounting her own experience assuming others were using credit cards for lavish travel:

    “In the comparison world, we wanna blame social media, we wanna blame the neighbor... But to be honest, it ends up being more of our issue. And so...where can you get to a point, Sarah, that... you are confident in who you are...” — Rachel (06:38–07:32)

5. Moving Forward: Confidence, Kindness, and Boundaries

• Letting Go of Unhealthy Comparison:

  • The hosts emphasize becoming confident in your own financial choices so that others’ lifestyles don’t bother you.

    “The amount of energy and effort that she's in your brain right now, like the rent-free space that she has in your brain, Sarah, it's not worth it.” — Rachel (07:32)

• Navigating Difficult Friendships:

  • Rachel suggests that some people are just hard to be friends with, and that’s okay.

  • It’s acceptable to limit your emotional investment and set boundaries if a relationship is draining or misaligned.

    “It's okay to have boundaries, Sarah. If you need to put up relational boundaries with her, that's okay, too.” — Rachel (08:55)

• Grace and Friendship:

  • Through it all, the hosts urge listeners to extend grace and kindness, even when differences arise.

    “Let's let the fruit of our faith live out and love people well, even though some people are hard to love…” — Rachel (08:30)

    “As my dad says, some children of God are stupid children, right?” — Rachel (08:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mind-Your-Own-Business:

  “Mind your own business and pay off your debt.” — George (02:17)

• On Comparison:

  “I shouldn't know. It's none of my business. And actually the problem is not them, it was me.” — Rachel (06:51)

• On Setting Healthy Boundaries:

  “It's okay to have boundaries, Sarah.” — Rachel (08:55)

• On Difficult People:

  “Some children of God are stupid children, right?” — Rachel (08:39)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:06–01:12: Sarah describes her friend’s big spending and non-Ramsey choices
• 01:41–02:40: Advice on focusing on your own journey and not others'
• 02:57–03:19: Rachel and George discuss the natural drift when values change
• 04:30–05:42: George gently challenges Sarah’s underlying judgment
• 06:38–07:32: Rachel on the pitfalls of comparison and reclaiming mental space
• 08:13–08:55: The importance of boundaries and loving difficult people

This episode offers both practical and emotional advice for anyone struggling with envy or judgment about other people’s financial choices, especially when close relationships are involved. The tone is warm, honest, gently challenging, and distinctly Ramsey in encouraging both responsibility and grace.