"These Are Some Unusual Humans"

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "These Are Some Unusual Humans"

The Ramsey Show Highlights – November 25, 2025
Hosts: Dave Ramsey, Rachel Cruze
Caller: Jacob

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Episode Overview

This episode features a memorable call from Jacob, a 21-year-old facing the realities of moving out for the first time. The hosts, Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze, provide practical—and at times humorous—advice on navigating independence, basic budgeting, emotional detachment from odd living arrangements, and resisting premature financial commitments like rent-to-own deals. The central message is clear: get stable, get simple, and keep it boring before building anything more exciting.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jacob’s Unique Living Situation (00:06–01:32)

• Jacob explains his predicament:

  • Age: 21, never lived alone before
  • Income: $35/hr for 40hrs/week + side work on weekends
  • Debts: $2,900 on truck, $1,000 on credit card
  • Current residence: with his ex-girlfriend’s parents, since breaking up in February

• Memorable Moment:

  • Rachel expresses disbelief:
    • "Oh my gosh. Jacob, blink twice. Are you okay?" (01:13 – Rachel Cruze)
  • Dave comments on the oddity:
    • "These are some unusual humans." (01:25 – Dave Ramsey)
    • "Good humans are weird." (01:30 – Dave Ramsey)

2. Financial Status & Plans to Move Out (01:32–02:18)

• Jacob has about $4,000 saved.

• Considers a rent-to-own house; rent is $1,000/month, which he feels is low for his area.

• Hosts express concern with both the unusual living arrangement and the idea of committing to a rent-to-own agreement at Jacob’s stage.

• Direct Advice:

  • Dave: "Go get a cheap one bedroom apartment and get your butt out of weird as soon as you can." (02:18 – Dave Ramsey)
  • Rachel: "And making sure too, that when you're doing that, that you're not signing yourself into this idea that you have to buy this house either. I don't want you locked into anything weird." (03:31 – Rachel Cruze)

3. Budgeting & Building Stability (02:18–05:00)

• Dave emphasizes that Jacob's immediate goal should be non-homelessness and a clean, uncomplicated environment.
• Jacob is now making significant money and should focus on maximizing savings by keeping living expenses low.
• On buying or investing:
  • Dave: "At 21, you have $4,000 and $3,000 worth of debt. You don't need an investment right now. You need a place to live and not be homeless and not be in the middle of weird." (03:54 – Dave Ramsey)
  • Urges a slow, debt-free, stepwise approach to financial independence before thinking about investment properties or even rent-to-own deals.

4. Emotional Clarity and Practicality (05:00–06:38)

• Dave and Rachel stress the importance of separating from the emotionally complicated prior environment to allow mental clarity and stability.
• Rachel highlights the social discomfort:
  • "Going into the kitchen. You know what I mean? You're like, hi, Sally, sorry me and Ashley broke up. You know, like, I mean that's just weird." (06:26 – Rachel Cruze)
• Dave calls for Jacob to get to "boring"—a stable, routine life free of complications—before reaching for “exciting” goals like wealth-building.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Living Situation:
  • "Number one, that you were in there in the first place, living with their daughter under their roof. That's weird. Number one, super weird. Y' all break up and then they don't throw your butt out. Yeah, that's super weird." (01:32 – Dave Ramsey)
• On Next Steps:
  • "You need a place to live and not be homeless and not be in the middle of weird. So let's get your life sustainable on a rhythm that's normal before we start talking about investing." (03:54 – Dave Ramsey)
  • "You don't build exciting from desperation, you build it from boring." (05:31 – Dave Ramsey)
• On the Emotional Toll:
  • "You're also processing all the emotions of this and a separate clean location that doesn't have a complication to it of any kind... is going to clean your mind out. And that's what I mean by boring." (06:38 – Dave Ramsey)
• Encouragement:
  • "We're cheering for you, Jacob." (05:53 – Rachel Cruze)
  • "Wow. You can do it. You can do it, man." (05:54 – Dave Ramsey)
  • "Here's to Jacob." (05:56 – Rachel Cruze)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:06 – 01:32: Jacob describes his financial and living situation; hosts react to odd circumstances
• 01:32 – 02:18: Initial advice to find basic, stable housing; warning against rent-to-own
• 02:18 – 03:54: Discussion of saving, debts, and why not to jump into investments
• 03:54 – 05:31: Building a stable, boring life as the foundation; step-by-step practical guidance
• 05:53 – 06:38: Emotional encouragement; hosts reflect on the social awkwardness and urge Jacob to create a fresh start

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode is conversational, lively, and blunt—mixing practical financial advice with genuine concern and a dose of humor regarding uncomfortable social dynamics. The main takeaway: before dreaming big, get your feet on firm, simple ground.

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Summary in a Sentence:
When life gets weird, boring is the smartest next step—get simple, get stable, and build from a firm foundation.

Transcript

[Dave Ramsey]

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[Jacob]

I'm kind of in a predicament. I'm having to move out. I'm only 21. I make 35 an hour at my 40 hour job. And then I get to do my own side work on Fridays and Saturdays. And I've got, oh, 2, 900 on my truck. And I have a thousand dollars in credit card debt and never been on my own, so I guess I'm just kind of nervous about being out on your own?

[Rachel Cruze]

What. What caused you having to move out?

[Jacob]

So, funny story. I actually live with my ex and her parents at the moment.

[Dave Ramsey]

Your ex wife then?

[Jacob]

No, my ex girlfriend.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, so you.

[Jacob]

You.

[Rachel Cruze]

When did y' all break up?

[Jacob]

I'm sorry, we broke up in February of this year.

[Rachel Cruze]

And you've been living with your ex girlfriend's parents for this long?

[Jacob]

Yes.

[Rachel Cruze]

Oh my gosh. Jacob, blink twice. Are you okay?

[Dave Ramsey]

Awkward.

[Jacob]

Yes, I'm okay. It's.

[Rachel Cruze]

No, but you gotta get out. I would assume that her parents.

[Dave Ramsey]

Wow, these are some unusual human.

[Rachel Cruze]

They are nice. They sound very nice.

[Dave Ramsey]

Good humans are weird.

[Rachel Cruze]

Just.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. Number one, that you were in there in the first place, living with their daughter under their roof. That's weird. Number one, super weird. Y' all break up and then they don't throw your butt out. Yeah, that's super weird.

[Jacob]

Okay, we. We didn't. We built like a tiny house at their house for.

[Rachel Cruze]

Okay, well.

[Dave Ramsey]

Oh, their property. Excuse me. Maybe the roof didn't extend over.

[Rachel Cruze]

Maybe makes it a little bit better out on your own for the first time. And you're 21. Are you. So are you out now or you're moving out?

[Dave Ramsey]

You've been there for February. You knew this was coming since February. How much money have you saved, honey?

[Jacob]

Well, I've only got. I've got $4,000 saved.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, so go get an apartment.

[Jacob]

Well, I found a house. That's rental rent.

[Dave Ramsey]

You don't need rent to own straight from the owner. You need non homelessness. That's all you need. Don't be homeless. That's it. Go get a cheap one bedroom apartment and get your butt out of weird as soon as you can. And then plug yourself into a good church and we'll get you onto every dollar and get your money stuff working for you. And let's start making every dollar that you have behave. You should have more than $4,000 because you have no overhead. And I don't know where your money's been going since February, but you make Enough money, you should have a stack of cash right now.

[Jacob]

I haven't always had this job since February.

[Dave Ramsey]

Oh, good. Okay. That makes more sense then.

[Jacob]

Okay. I've had this job for about two months.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. Would you agree with me that if you make 35 an hour for 40 hours plus side hustle, you should be able to stack some cash if you keep your rent cheap and go ahead and knock these two debts out pretty quick?

[Jacob]

Yes, I've been. I've been saving about a thousand dollars a week.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah, there you go. That's my man. Okay, good.

[Jacob]

And the house that I'm looking at written is it's a thousand dollars a month. It's pretty cheaper around here.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah, that'd be real cheap around Atlanta.

[Rachel Cruze]

So are you. And making sure too, that when you're doing that, that you're not signing yourself into this idea that you have to buy this house either. I don't want you locked into anything weird. So making sure, contract wise, you can get out.

[Jacob]

I mean, yes, I can get out, but I also thought the house would be a bit of an investment.

[Dave Ramsey]

No, you don't need an investment.

[Rachel Cruze]

Not right now.

[Dave Ramsey]

At 21, you have $4,000 and $3,000 worth of debt. You don't need an investment right now. You need a place to live and not be homeless and not be in the middle of weird. So let's get your life sustainable on a rhythm that's normal before we start talking about investing. Okay, so no, I actually would not do this house deal. I smell a rat. Okay, I want you to get an apartment that's $1,000 or less for a one bedroom and get out and have no human beings bothering you, no weird crap swimming around in your head. It's just you, some bread, some milk, some electricity, and go to work, get the truck paid off, get the credit card paid off, start stacking some cash, build Jacob a life to where you can stand with your shoulders square with a pocket full of money and no debt. And then we can talk about really becoming a millionaire, building some wealth. And you're going to be able to do all of that. But we've got to get you so far away from where you are to even get you to zero. You're at your subterranean right now. You're at a negative 32 degrees. I got to get you up to zero before we can get you warm. Okay. And so there's so much crap in your life that you've got to clean out. And so if you were my nephew or my son, I would put My arm around you. I'd walk you into a great church there in Atlanta, Georgia that's got some good men in it that can walk along beside you and say, hey, here's how you be a man. Here's how you walk with God. Here's how you handle your money. Let's get you out of debt. Let's get you in a sustainable, boring situation. And then that's where you build exciting from. You don't build exciting from desperation, you build it from boring. Let's get up to boring first. And so go get you a simple one bedroom. Don't try to buy a house. Don't do the rent own thing. I'd pass on it and do this freaking week. Get out of there right now. Right now.

[Rachel Cruze]

We're cheering for you, Jacob.

[Dave Ramsey]

Wow. You can do it. You can do it, man.

[Rachel Cruze]

Here's to Jacob.

[Dave Ramsey]

This is.

[Jacob]

Wow.

[Dave Ramsey]

I cannot imagine the percentage of human beings that allow this person that broke up from their girlfriend to stay on their property for nine months. I don't understand. I don't understand being there in the first place. But I said that already. But the likelihood. No, no, no, no.

[Rachel Cruze]

Well, less about the parent. It'd be more for me if you, like if I'm him, I don't want to be there.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah.

[Rachel Cruze]

Going into the kitchen. You know what I mean? You're like, hi, Sally, sorry me and Ashley broke up. You know, like, I mean that's just weird. All right, here we go. Jacob, we're for you.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah, we want you to win. We want you to win. But yeah, you got. You're also processing all the emotions of this and a separate clean location that doesn't have a complication to it of any kind. Like rent to own or former in law. Sortas all that stuff is going to clean your mind out. And that's what I mean by boring. That's what I want to lead you towards. Create your free every dollar budget today. The simplest way to budget for your life.