George Kamel - 18 Minutes of America’s Financial Gut Punch

Episode Date: July 31, 2026

💵 Start your free budget today.⁠ Download the EveryDollar app!⁠   I’ve got good news and bad news. Bad news? Everything costs more. Good news? We’re reacting to TikTok’s funniest takes on America’s affordability crisis and talking through some actual solutions. Because if we’re not laughing . . . we’re crying.   Next Steps: ·   🎥 Watch my video⁠ Grocery Hacks for Frugal People⁠. ·   📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps?⁠ Get a freed personalized plan.⁠   Connect With Our Sponsors: ·   Go to⁠ Boost Mobile⁠ to switch today! ·   Get 20% off when you join⁠ DeleteMe⁠. ·   Go to⁠ FAIRWINDS Credit Union⁠ for an exclusive account bundle! ·   Sign up with⁠ Privacy⁠ today and receive a $5 credit just for being a George Kamel fan.   Explore More From Ramsey Network: 🎙️⁠ The Ramsey Show⁠ 🍸⁠ Smart Money Happy Hour⁠ 💸⁠ The Ramsey Show Highlights⁠ 🧠⁠ The Dr. John Delony Show⁠ 📈⁠ EntreLeadership⁠   ⁠Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've got good news and bad news. Bad news? Everything costs more. Good news, we're reacting to TikTok's funniest takes on America's affordability crisis and talking through some actual solutions. Because if we're not laughing, we're crying. But before we laugh in the face of inflation, let's give a free and affordable shout-out to delete me for sponsoring this channel.

You ever wonder if everything you do is weird, and then people confirm it? What's happening? I love this guy. This guy crushes the content game. I don't know how he does it. it's cinematic, it hits, it's funny, it's heartfelt, and honestly, for showing feet, you could have done worse. That's pretty impressive. So he's making fun of the fact that gas is so expensive by going full Flintstones

and just moving the car manually with his own feet. Honestly, not a bad workout, but you probably should just get a bike at that point. I do want to know, though, what is the current average gas as of this recording today? because I've heard that it's been going down. Maybe by the time you watch this, we'll be back to a decent price. But I'm going to find out. Fuelinsights.gysdottie.com is my trusted source. 388 per gallon is the average across these United States.

That feels like it's still pretty high. Let's check my great state of Tennessee. 339, baby. Let's see who's the cheapest. Oh, the cheapest. Look at that. The South. Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas.

Yeah, I think we might actually... Oh, Indiana beats us at 328. Indiana. They have nothing else, though, so let's give them cheap gas. That's fine. Oh, the Pacers? That's the only thing I know about Indiana. Oh, the Colts?

Two things I know about Indiana. Jones? Three things. Well, some solutions for gas. Let's talk about this. There's not a ton you can do. Drive a fuel-efficient car. So if you've got a real gas guzzler, it might be time to upgrade slash downgrade to a car with better fuel economy.

You can always carpool. If you, you know, live near a friend or someone likes you enough to come pick you up, just go to work together. And I do love a good app to track the cheapest gas near me. Generally, it's Costco or Sam's, but I use Gas Buddy to track that. And Upside is also a great app for saving on gas and other things. So check those out if you want to at least save a little bit to bring that pain down or notch. Moving on. About enough of that.

Enough of like, nah. It's the least cool thing to do is complain about gas price. We get it. Stinks. Find something more interesting to talk about. Make a funny video about it. Find groceries and 23rd. Find everything you need today? Yeah.

Great. Okay. Oh, God. Everything okay, ma'am? It's just that you've only scanned a few items and it's already 60 bucks. I'm so scared. Okay, I'm a trained professional, ma'am. I've scanned a lot of groceries.

I need you to stay with me. This isn't going to be easy. so I need you to be brave, all right? What's your name? Patricia. Trisha, all right. I need you to take a deep breath. We're about to do the cheese.

Oh, my God. The numbers are going up so fast. Why do we have to be a Balderson's house? Don't look up there. It only makes it worse. Keep your eyes on me, okay? Oh, my God. Can you just stand something less expensive?

I can, but let's not forget. It's the little things that add up, all right? Now, brace yourself. I'm about to do the mixed nuts. Not the mixed nuts. Oh, my God. I'm going to pass out. Okay, bite down on this, Patricia.

Get ready. I'm going to do the cured meats. It's not anymore. It's too late. There's a line behind you, okay? You're locked in. I'm not strong enough. I know it looks like a lot right now, but I promise you, you're going to get home and you're going to wonder, what did I even buy?

Wow. This is so good. Because if you don't know, what she's recreating is childbirth. Okay? As someone who has seen this happen in real time, that's her side, right? His side, just a guy trying to coach her through it, much like me coaching my wife through childbirth. I was not as good as him. I didn't give her a bite stick. But I did give her a comb. This is a life hack for the ladies out there. You squeeze that comb as hard as you can. You got this

girl. I am applying to be a doula. Not enough male doulas out there. That's what I think. Oh, that is funny. Those things that they mentioned were, they are outrageously priced. I mean, you look at things like prosciutto, cheese, even fruits, especially if you go organic, it do be pricey. Typical bag of groceries, eggs, meat, bread, cost more than 50% today than it did in 2020. That's pretty shocking. So, solution for this one,

try to stick to the affordable staples like rice and beans, shop at discount stores, use the coupons, cut out the non-essentials, and be very choosy with the meats that you get. And also, changing your grocery store can help a lot. If you're used to shopping at, let's say, a Whole Foods or a Publix, try out your local Kroger, try out your Aldi,

or if you're any Southern mom, Kroger's and all these. Just add an S for everything, even though it doesn't exist there. That's fun too. But this one is where the budget really comes in handy. And I know what you're thinking, George, it's cheaper to just eat out all the time than to cook at home. No, you're just doing it wrong, okay? You don't buy all these groceries to make one meal. Try to make it stretch.

And if you hate leftovers, learn to love them so that you have money left over. You buy dirt, but from the perspective of a broke natural musician. Pay rent Final one bed on the edge of town Put a first month rent deposit down Gold broke first of every month Never get the chance to save up

Locks him to a 16-1-3 Still don't know how to use a man to ease When mom calls and asks how I've been Can't help it, I start crying Because the truth about it is We ain't Luke Ryan Rich Don't bring Luke into this. Wow, that kind of hit.

That really was a good song, guys. Have you released that? Is that on Spotify? Let's start the Luke Bryan and Jordan Davis thread so they see this. This needs to be released ASAP in full song. Thank you. Good marketing here. American reality.

Looks like that songs match my college student life. This man is struggling in a paycheck-to-paycheck cycle. If you want to break down the lyrics, what's going on here. I don't know if he needs more income. That could be a solution here. He might need to get a roommate or two. That's what I did in my 20s. Get a two-bedroom, get a roommate, split it.

That will bring your costs down significantly. And I like this part. He is renting on the edge of town. You want to live in the big city, I know. But sometimes you can't afford that. You got to go to where you can live. And that was me. Most of my 20s, I wasn't living in Nashville proper in the really cool areas.

I was on the outskirts so that I could pay $700. a month in rent instead of $1,500 for a place I couldn't afford. So rent what you can afford, get out of the cycle so that you have the margin to not stay here. So that one day you can be a homeowner. That's the goal. When I gotta eat a prison sandwich because the electric bill came in. Well, this is getting dark real quick. Okay.

Wow, that is pretty dark. I'm gonna zoom in here to get the full effect. Top ramen. I didn't know ramen made a chili. a chili flavor. That actually sounds pretty good. I think he's putting it on two thick slices of bologna with mustard and... Okay, I think this guy's just a psychopath. I think you can make a cheap sandwich and not dump mustard on it. Here's my hot take. Mustard belongs on hot dogs only. Now maybe a Dijon? Sure, I can go with that. A nice spicy brown? We'll go for that,

but the standard Kraft yellow mustard, get that out of here. I don't care how broke you are. You're better than that. Here's the crazy part about electric bills. Electric companies have seen increased revenue since last year over 7%. 42 states plus DC saw increased revenue. Maryland up 57%. Is this a money-making scheme?

With electricity, this is crazy. So there's a few things you can do to lower your electric bill. Avoid running high-energy appliances during peak hours. So check to see. where you live, they charge different prices at different times. Usually evening time is going to be more expensive than the middle of the night or early in the morning. Use ceiling fans to keep the rooms cool versus running the AC all day. Another thing you can do, only run the dishwasher or washing machine when you've got a full load.

And of course, switch to LED bulbs. The little stuff adds up. I know it feels like you're saving three cents. Is it really worth it? But just try it for a month and see if your electric bill goes a little bit down, giving you a little bit of peace. little bit of hope. Now, the truth about inflation, it keeps going up every year. But your phone bill doesn't have to, thanks to Boost Mobile, a sponsor of today's video. With Boost Mobile, you'll pay just $25 a month forever on their unlimited wireless plan. No contracts, no inflation. I honestly can't

think of a better deal than maybe FDR's new deal, 1933. No, that one was actually, that was debatable at best. Let's just say it's been a while since we've seen a deal this good. And since most phones have ESIM now, you can change carriers easily in just a few minutes from the comfort of your home. So bring your device, keep your number, and start saving today. Make the switch at boostmobile.com slash Ramsey. $25 forever requires customers to remain active on BoostMobile Unlimited Plan. Now, while we can't make all of your bills disappear, we do have a solid backup option. We can make you less visible online thanks to our friends at DeleteMe, another sponsor of today's video.

Right now, your personal info isn't just online. It's being packaged, sold, and resold across the internet. And it's part of the reason you're getting non-stop spam calls and texts from people you've never met at a bank you don't use regarding a loan you've been approved for that you never applied for. DeleteMe removes your information from hundreds of these data broker sites and then monitors them to make sure it stays off. They give you privacy and peace of mind, which has been a game changer for me. And all my budget savvy billbusting friends out there, you can get 20% off an annual plan at join deleteme.com slash George. You're watching a phone call between me and medical back collector. Oh, that is quite a bit of money.

But you see, the problem is going to be that the way this bill made it to you in the first place is when the medical procedure occurred and they billed me for it, I was poor. And unfortunately for you and I, I am still poor. You see, I know you probably think that over the months I could save the money up, but I've been doing selfish things like eating and having a place to live and having a place to live and having electricity in that place. And, you know, I actually thought that the health insurance company that I give thousands of dollars to a year,

I thought that they were going to cover it. I really did, especially considering it was 100% and without question medically necessary. I know I genuinely believe that they would cover it. But, well, hey, you know, I'd love to stay in chat, but I got to get back to the YouTube video that's teaching me how to fix my car that has 347,000 miles on it. It's making this sound. And it didn't just start, you know.

And I got to fix that one because I imagine after you report this bill to the credit bureaus, not going to be able to get a loan to buy a new one. Okay? Hey, hey, you have a good day. You have a blessed one. You have a good day, okay? Oh, this is comedic side tire at its best. He is right here.

You know, you got to cover the four walls, food, utility, shelter, transportation, before you cover anything else. So I like that he mentioned. Sorry, I got to eat. I know that's selfish, but if I got 100 bucks left, I'm putting food on my table versus trying to satisfy my debts. Now, the bad news is the health care system in America is terrible. The good news is medical debt is negotiable.

You can ask about hardship programs, charity care, interest-re payment plans. You can maybe settle for a smaller amount, a lump sum. And most billing departments offer these, but they don't advertise it, so you have to do your due diligence. You've got to do your research. I know it's annoying. but you've got to be very proactive in order to get this out of your life. And hopefully, you know your insurance.

You know the deductibles, the out-of-pocket maximums, you know what it will and won't cover, what's in-network, out-of-network. You kind of have to become an expert on your own health insurance to avoid a situation with a big surprise bill. So best of luck out there. Mom's working from home with no child care. Hoof, that's a scenario.

Okay. Get out of here right now. Let me use work out. I would love to take that on. My camera stopped working? Oh, just give me a second. Not the shoe. Is it working now?

Okay, let me try this. Get out of here! Oh, that shut off my microphone. I'm back on. Oh, good. Too accurate. That's a pretty good impression of most angry moms. And they are justifiably angry, okay?

She's doing the most. She's trying to be at home with you, work remotely, take care of you without paying $14,000. in child care, which by the way, national average annual price of child care, $13,184 in 2025. That's 10% of the median income in a two-parent household and 33% for a single parent household. Now, I don't have a magic wand here to go, hey, don't pay child care, just do this instead. But if you have functional family who's willing to help nearby, that can be a game changer. If they're willing to help, watch the kids a few days a week, that could change your life financially.

Now, you can look into community programs, your church, a program like Head Start, which is federally funded for low-income families. And some employers offer dependent care FSAs, flexible spending accounts, which can help offset some of these costs. But the truth is, it's a season. Find affordable child care that works for your family and just go, just three more years. Four more years, we got this. And then we're going to free up so much money. You're going to get a sweet raise once they're in public school. Unless you choose to go to private school, in which case you'll just pay that bill forever.

I'm sorry. America has become completely unaffordable, and I don't know why more people are not talking about this. Half of America doesn't even have a savings. Rent is insane. Healthcare is a luxury. And somehow the narrative is still people are just bad with money. Like, what money? People are working full-time.

Most people have two to three jobs anymore because you have to. At what point do we stop blaming the people and just accept the fact that the cost of living has simply just outpaced reality? Because everything is this expensive, you have to know exactly. where all of your money is going anymore. Like a budget is just simply a necessity. You have to have one. I like that. Started using a budgeting app like mine to figure out where all of my money is going,

but it does not make up for the fact that America is too expensive to live in anymore. If you're struggling, you are not alone. I mean, a lot of empathy here. She's right. It's not just a you problem. There is an actual affordability issue here. Things have gotten wildly expensive. But the solution of just facing the reality that things are expensive involves you to do something about it.

So yes, it's not all your fault, but it's your responsibility. And so there are things you can do. You can make a budget. And there's a great one called Every Dollar that helps you track your spending, find the margins so you can win even with inflation. Now, has America become completely unaffordable? It depends on where you live, what your income is. There's a thousand factors.

But to say that it's impossible is just not true. You can win, but it's going to take a deeper level of sacrifice than maybe our parents had to deal with. but we also have some great luxuries that our parents didn't have. So, you know, it all comes out in the wash. Work on getting your income up. Try to keep those expenses down. And hopefully over time, as you get older,

you'll increase income through your career. You will figure out how to lower your expenses. You'll get out of that debt freeing up those payments. And eventually, if you follow the stuff I teach on this channel, you'll have this beautiful thing called margin, this money left over, so that you can cover all your bills plus some and still save up for that they can.

that car upgrade in cash, investing, giving all of your goals, all of your dreams can come true. It just might not be today. There's a short level of sacrifice for long-term gain, and I think if you watch this channel long enough, you'll get there. And finally, producer Alex has chosen a video at random that may or may not have anything to do with a topic at hand. Let's see what he has for us today. Society of Boomers could say Chiptoly correctly. say Chipotle, correct? Society if boomers could say Chipotle correctly.

Social if boomers could say Chipotle correctly. That says society. It doesn't say society, it says Chipotle. Oh, what is it about that word? America will never know. It's just, it's so fun. I'm sure that millennials will have their own thing that we're pronouncing correctly, but it's probably because Gen Z made it up and no one can even agree on a pronouncing. So it's on you.

So are a lot of things unaffordable in today's America? Sure, but there's things that have always been unaffordable. And if you can't afford it right now, that's not it. That's not the end of the story. Work your way to affording the things you want, and it might mean making sacrifices, like moving to a different area completely with lower costs of living, changing jobs or career trajectories in order to make enough to have the lifestyle that you want. But the one thing you shouldn't do and can't do is just go into crippling debt, hoping that someone's something that's something.

hoping that someone else will figure it out. It is on you to figure out, and I know it stinks, that everything's expensive, but if you make a budget, you work on getting your income up over time, you stay out of debt, you will be just fine. So if you enjoyed today's episode, check out this next video where Ramsey fans share their best hacks for saving money on groceries,

because you deserve to savor the deal and the meal. Click here to watch it next or use the link in the description. That's it for today. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.