Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - A Magic Salary for Happiness? (And a Tell-All From People Earning It)

Episode Date: January 5, 2023

Maybe you can slap a price tag on happiness! 🤑 Rachel and George crunch the numbers on actual budgets from people making the “ideal” salary according to science to see if we are miserable because of our mindset or our money.   In This Episode:   ·     The six-figure salary number research says we need for peak happiness   ·     Pearl snap shirts, chunky statement necklaces and other 2010s fashion confessions from Rachel and George  ·     The real reason George bought a king-size bed Helpful Resources:    ·      Get your finances organized, make a plan, build up your confidence, and kick money stress out of your life for good with the EveryDollar budgeting app. Click here to get started today! ·    Be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card when you take our listener survey! Click here to let us know what you think.    ·     Do you have a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George? Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it.   ·     Learn more about your ad choices. https://www.megaphone.fm/adchoices ·     Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy   This Week’s Happy Hour Special:    Classic Jack and Coke  ·     2 ounces Jack Daniels ·     4 ounces Coca-Cola   Pour Jack Daniels over ice in your favorite glass. Top with Coca-Cola. Now relax and take a load off–we know that was a strenuous one to make. 😉 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey guys, happy New Year. Happy New Year. And I'm Rachel Cruz. I'm George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Is it Happy New Year or New Year's? Happy New Year. Oh my gosh.

Why did I just go plural? Wait, now I'm second-guessing myself. Oh. Someone Google it. I don't want to have to have 14. Happy New Year. It's just year. I was right.

Happy New Year is right. I think it's year. Okay. We have to say right because 14 people are going to tweet. I know. If you say Happy New Year's Eve, there's an S. Oh, New Year's Eve, apostrophe yes.

But it's a New Year's New Year. New Year's Day is with an S. This is the happy New Year. It's just only one new year. Okay, well, happy New Year. Thank you. Everyone. And everyone.

And this is the show. We're two friends who happen to be money experts, share our thoughts on money and pop culture, all with a drink in hand. That's right. And today we are talking about the magic salary number for happiness. We crunch the numbers. We figured it out. Or did we?

Ooh, stay tuned. Juicy. We're going to like really, yeah, get into the nitty-gritty there. But first and foremost, George, what do we drink in this episode? We are kicking off the new year, cheering to 2023 with a classic, the Jack and Coke. I know. I love a Jack and Coke. People hate on it.

Can you guess what's in it if you're listening? That's the question. So stick around to the end of the episode. We will give you our drink rating, the recipe and the cost breakdown for making it. Do you drink a lot of Coke? I feel like I've seen you down a Diet Coke or two. Yeah, I'll go Diet Coke. I'll go D.C.

Wow. If you hear that, yeah. That's what it means. Now we know. Yes, I'll do that. And I do love, yeah, we'll talk about at the end of the episode. We talk about the drink, but I, I'm not mad at it. Okay, so let's dig in to is there a magic number.

So we're going to go back to 2010. Ooh, throwback. Twelve years ago. What were you doing, George? Now 13 years ago. Oh, happy New Year. Wow. How time flies.

How time flies. Okay, so George, give me like a rundown of George Hamill Oh, no. 2010. What were you doing? What were you wearing? Skinny jeans and probably a snap button Western shirt. And I had a mop on my head because I was still like in my skater phase.

Yes. And I had just uprooted my life and moved from Boston, Massachusetts to Mobile, Alabama to restart college after dropping out and restart my life in the deep south. Wow. I know. 2010, big year for you, George. That's a huge year for me. That is big. Milestone year.

You were probably like married, had a 401k already. Was I close? Oh my gosh. No, I did get married in 2009. Wow. So 2010 I started working at Ramsey. That's amazing. Yeah.

And I was, yeah, I started speaking in 2010 full time that summer. And yeah, I went. I was probably wearing a chunky necklace. Was that on trend back then? That was on trend. You know what I was wearing was Tom's on my feet? Yes. Were you into Tom's?

Yes, I was. Wedges were big. Skinny jeans are coming back. Everything's coming back. Well, skinny jeans are out. We know that. No, I know, I know. Even though I'm still wearing them right now.

Much to your chagrin, Rachel. It's fine. I got the, I got the bell bottoms on today. Some flared mom jeans. That was 2010. And, I mean, thinking back, Bieber, sweet Bieber. Bebes. Released Baby, when direction came out, William and Kate were engaged.

Wow. iPads came out. Changed the world. I mean, that, yeah, it's pretty wild. I don't know. 2010, also Instagram was born. Whoa. Not wild.

For real? Yep. Yep. October 6th, if you want to know the birthday. So why are we reliving the year 2010? That's the question. Well, because research from Princeton University was released during that time, and they said that they found evidence, evidence, for a person's happiness if they made a certain amount

money. So in 2010, their number was $75,000. So that is the like benchmark number. If you want to be happy, you had to make $75,000. According to Princeton, yes. So if you do like inflation. How can I disagree with Princeton? They're so smart. They're so smart. Throw a Yale in, Yale in there, something Stanford. We just believe them. We didn't go to those schools, Rachel, did we? No, George. We went, we're better than that. We're so much better. But yeah, so they, like, reported a greater degree of happiness for those making $75,000 or more. So what's crazy is you take inflation and everything going on. We ran the numbers.

And today, it would be equivalent to making a little over $100,000 today. Okay. Which is about 45% of families. Who earned that or more? Yes, in the last year. So just a little bit of like stats. Because you know people are going to come at us and go, Rachel, that was in 2010. Now with inflation, you have to make $300,000.

It's like, no, God, it's 100,000. Yeah, simmer down. Still a lot of money. Get your Jack and Coke and simmer. Simmer down. Simmer, simmer, I know. So, God, George, what do we think about it? Do you think?

100,000 as a benchmark for happiness. I disagree. Okay. That's it. Yes. No, I... More or less? What are your thoughts?

I think this idea that it's 100,000, because even then, people go, Rachel, I live in Los Angeles. You'd be broke if you made... And so there's so many factors that play into that number. And I just don't think putting a blanket number out there is helpful for anyone. I agree.

I totally agree. Because your situation is different all the way around. And I just think of money, it is helpful. So we're not here to be like, you could have zero money and be great. You're probably going to be a little stressed if you make zero money. Like there's a reality here.

The less you have, the more stressful it is. That can be true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's like some realities to what money, a safety that it can bring, you know, all of that. But it's so, it cannot be pared down to a number. I really don't believe that because I think you could be making $70,000 and be very content and happy with life and joyful.

You could make $700,000 and be miserable. Like, right? So it's less about the number. It's more about the person. And can we just put this as a caveat on this entire conversation that your salary does not define you. It does not speak to your character, your personnel, none of it. It's just a number. And so people who put their value in their or their worth in what their salary is, stop that. You're around the wrong people. Yes. Your net worth is not your self-worth, as I like to say,

George. There's a tweet of the day. We'll have a theme song for that, I'm sure, in post. Yeah. So, but what's fascinating is that a lot of people, they're actually talking about how much they make. Oh, yeah. More and more. I feel like this has become more common. A lot of like trending articles with headlines is like, here's how someone who makes $120,000 is still broke. Yes. And that's the general feeling these people have. Yes.

So there's a lot of examples of this George. And BuzzFeed actually went through and highlighted several people that made $100,000 in different parts of the country to talk about that even for them, it's not what they expected. They were like thinking maybe six figures, everything will be fine. And not necessarily. So as an example, Allison is 32 years old living in Birmingham with her husband and two kids. And they make $100,000 combined. And she says, I really just thought I wouldn't be stressed out about money at this point. So here's their breakdown. Okay. So their mortgage is $1,300 a month. Groceries, $1,200, child care, $750. Car payment, $540.5.40 per month is $350. In total, they have $5,000. dollars in credit card debt, monthly student loan payment, $300, it's currently in forbearance, and they met their $2,500 deductible this year in medical expenses.

So. No wonder, Homegirls stressed. They got payments out the eyeballs. I know. Okay, so what do you, what do you think about this budget, Rachel? It's a lot of debt. They make $100K combined. They're in Birmingham, Alabama, which is not like crazy high cost of living. It's probably one of the highest ones in Alabama. But you're going, you should be able to like make a, have a good life on 100K in Alabama. Right. Well, if you add up just her debt payments. Is it 1190? Yes, quick math, George. I did in my head. You did? I pulled out my calculator on my phone. Way to carry the one, George. I tried. I saw, I was like, she's not texting. She's for sure trying to calculate. That's impressive. I know I've, I just, I'm just going quick. I mean, it's like

second grade math, but it is a lot mentally. Whatever, whatever. We're doing a live podcast. Whatever, George. Okay. America. Have some grace for Rachel. Okay. Thank you for the sympathy. I was trying to support you. Oh, my gosh. Okay, so anyways, that, I mean, that, if you had that money freed up, that's a different story. $1,200 bucks times 12 months. So, that's over $14,000. I blame debt. I don't blame Allison, even though Allison got into debt.

She made a decision to go into debt. She may have chosen to go into debt, yes. But on paper, the debt is the problem. Okay, go to the next one. Okay. Alina, she's single. She's 27, lives in a day. in Arlington, Virginia, makes $100,000. Her monthly expenses, rent, $17.50. Mortgage in HOA for her vacation home, $1,200.

Retirement, she's putting in $6.80 a month. Dining out, takeout, $600 a month. Monthly student loan payment, $500, currently in forbearance. Ride sharing, $300, groceries, $350, Pilates, $180, and her health insurance premiums at $140. And so she said, if I had to pick one word, my life is comfortable, but it's not particularly luxurious.

I feel like 180 bucks in Pilates every month is a luxury. I think $1,200 for your vacation home, luxury. Agreed. That's the thing is other people look at this and like, Alina, shut it. Okay, time out. Your life is great. Okay, but time out. I don't want to harp on her.

Here's what sucks, though, is that we live in a world where that stuff is like, that's the baseline. Like, for her, she's like, no, that's like, no. normal. Anything above that is luxury where in reality I'm like, no, that is luxury, but we live in a world where luxury and that level of living is normal. Like the standard of living of what we feel like is. It's crazy. It's crazy. And you do go back, I know people are like, oh my gosh, the boomers had it so easy. But you look back in the 70s, having a one car as a family was so normal. The square footage of a house was so much smaller than the average it is today. Like, it just wasn't as big grand and now it is. Oh, Sharon Ramsey at 27 did not have a $180 Pilates membership.

Okay? Give me a break. No. So what is that, George? Is that just like our, that's our world? I think before social media, you didn't really know what was happening around you, and now we know too much. Yeah. And marketing has gotten way more sophisticated, and it can come at us, and it knows our deepest wants and needs, quote unquote. It knows our hearts. And so part of it is just shutting. off all of these inputs that is causing us to feel this way and feel this comparison. And what this also comes down to is a word called lifestyle creep. Yep, it's real. The more you make, the more you're going to spend. And then you go, wait, I'm making great money. I have nothing to show for it. Yes. And part of lifestyle creep is we're going to buy the nicer car because we

deserve it. We work hard. Those are some dangerous words. It is. And it's like you can justify it because of what you make in a salary. Like those that make good money in a salary, like, well, we make this much. We should be driving this level of car. We should be going to these types of restaurants, you know, what would be considered luxury 30 years ago or today. It may not be considered luxury. When things like inflation, right, are squeezing your budget, everything, it's like,

that's when the rubber meets the road. And we have to realize, oh, wow, a lot of our wants have become needs or what we think are needs. So it's a real conversation to be had because I feel like we do have to reexamine where our money's going to be smart about it. Yes. And we have to run our own race. There's so many comparisons happening.

And there's a TikTok feed out there, which is, it's a great fun TikTok. It's called Salary Transparent Street from Hannah Williams. And she just goes around asking strangers what they do and what they make. And so there's this idea that if we just all knew how we all, how much money we all made, like life would just be simpler. I don't think it's that simple because everyone comes in with different degrees of experience, different companies, the public sector, the private sector. You live in L.A. She lives in Boise. and so it just doesn't feel like it doesn't make sense to just compare your salary. Right, right.

Just go, well, I guess I'm doing better than I thought. Yeah, yeah, 100%. And again, going back to it's the person handling the salary, which is big, because you could be making a ton just like, we'll use the example of Heidi, who was famous through her role as Elsie, Lauren Conrad's best friend, turned enemy in the hills. Yes. Of course, you would somehow spend this into reality show talk. I know, I know, I know.

But listen, at the peak of her, career and her husband, Spencer Pratt, they accumulated over $10 million. Like, that's great. But some of her business ventures were not successful. She had a lavish spending habit, $2 million in handbags and clothes. All of it, they now have a net worth of $300,000. It went from $10 million to $300,000. I know. So that's the thing about like this contentment piece like that, like you as a person could be terrible with your money and spend and think that like the more I spend the better I am and be handed $10 million. Even when you have it all, it can all disappear.

I know. We see that with lottery winners a lot. Yes, for sure. You know, I won the lottery and all of a sudden it's gone. Yes, for sure, for sure. Okay, so we've heard from people that are making $100,000 and curious if it's a magic number. Is it a measly number? I don't know. What do you think?

I mean, if you just listen to them, it's very depressing. Very cynical takes on like there's no number. We're all just destined to be broke because life is expensive and inflation and the housing market and my Pilates membership. And there's a lot of entitlement, truthfully. And like here's what I think I just deserve is like a basic human right. I should be able to afford Pilates in a vacation home. That's out there. It is.

But there's also people that make that and live in an expensive area. And it drains it quickly, though, right? Like life is expensive. Well, we know 100,000 in L.A., you're kind of broke. Yeah. 100,000 in the Midwest, you're doing great. Yes. And so it really does depend on where you live, what you do with it, and your relationship with

debt. I know. And if you have a whole bunch of payments, don't come at me complaining that life is expensive. You should be yelling at the lenders and paying off that freaking debt. You tell them, George. You tell them. Don't get me rolled up. So, yeah, it's not necessarily an income problem always.

It helps, right? Like if you're great at money and you're like, oh, I'm going to be wise and you make more, then you're going to be able to use that to build more wealth, change your family tree, be generous, all of it. But the spending habits, I think, is key. I think that is the asterisk on the American culture is what we spend. And I'm guilty of frivolous spending. I'm not perfect at it.

I know you're, you might be perfect. Are you perfect at George? No, I struggle. But the key with both of us is we are on a budget. We don't go into debt for anything. and we have spouses which help us make more intentional decisions. And I just don't think it's worth it, George. Here's my take.

What's not worth it? Going into debt. Because the amount of stress that it brings on just to drive that car. So, Allison, if it was freed up for $540, that's a lot of margin, a month. That's some breathing room. A month. So is the stress of living tightly with your money worth that car? I think I use Honda Civic.

Thank you, Rachel. You better. So all you out there is like, well, you got to have a car payment. No, you don't. No, you don't. The car I drove up until a few months ago was an 09 Honda Civic that I bought for $6,000. And it had body damage. It had seen some things.

But she drove great. She served me well. Point A to point B. Yes. And were you stressed with a car payment, George? No. No stress whatsoever. And this isn't like we're better than you.

I don't want the listener out there to be thinking, like, oh my gosh, y'all have it all right. But I just want to pose the challenge question. We are your friends. We are your friends asking you the hard questions this episode. We're being a little tough this episode, George. Because your other friends are like, girl, you deserve it. Oh my gosh, go. No, but really, is it worth the stress?

No. Is the car worth the stress? Is the credit card debts worth the stress? The facade of looking good is just not worth the stress behind the scenes. Yeah. The money fights you have with the people in your life, with your spouse, the lack of sleep because you know, deep down, your body knows. It's keeping score that you owe someone money and that you are not safe.

The body keeps the score. That's right. So, again, not in some people, I'm sure, are thinking like, I'm not being luxurious. It's hard. And it is hard. It is hard right now. The people who are very much is. They're like, well, that's not me, Rachel.

I'm really trying to live debt-free and money still feels tight. And it still feels like I don't make enough money. Yes. So there is very much a realness of still being wise, but still, re-examining, you know, the subscriptions, delivery services. I mean, you can go through all of it, and it's like, man, it adds up, it adds up quick. And can we just say this? It might be time to get another job to move career fields.

If you're still like you're making $12 an hour and you've been in the game for a decade, yeah, you might be worth way more than that. And so go get the skills needed, do it debt-free, go apply for the job, like take that kind of risk, but do it without debt. Yeah. And don't jump ship without having income in place. That's right. So don't just quit today and go, well, George said to, no, I did not say that.

That was Jack talking. So another thing is setting expectations and resetting expectations of what life looks like. And a lot of the times this stems from growing up and everyone was like, Rachel, if you just work hard and get good grades and go to your dream school, life's going to be awesome. Mm-hmm. But what they don't tell you is that your student loan payments are going to show up as soon as you graduate. And the job you thought that was going to be like a $90,000 job right out of college, it's more like $35,000. I know, yeah. And so don't believe all these lies that are peddled from parents and guidance counselors and colleges and marketing.

Life never works out the way you want it to. And one of the best ways to circumvent that is to just avoid debt. Yep, absolutely. And to have the expectation of what life, you know, what it is. It is. And we're just, it's just a speckle on the timeline of the, of the universe. You know, we're just here for a split second. And so don't, don't live this life stressed out with money because of just buying, buying, buying, buying, buying. So be wise and set those expectations.

And we co-host the Ramsey show together, Rachel, which is another great, great podcast, great radio show. And we do these things called debt-free screams. And the stories that people share are so encouraging to me that, that it's proving what we're talking about, that the income is not the factor because we meet teachers, we meet all kinds of people who are making 30, 40, 50,000 dollars a year who pay off like large amounts of debt. Yep. And they become millionaires. We did a millionaire study.

And the number three spot was for teachers. Yes. Number three most likely to become millionaires. And these are not people making $150,000 a year. And so it was what they did with the money that mattered. That's right. Exactly. So last but not least, set financial goals.

So this new year, I feel like people, this new year or new years. New Year's. New Year's. I'm going to add the plural in for myself. But, you know, financial goals is big. People really do. They want to get their money in order. So we just want to give you hope, you guys out there that this year, 2023 can be your year. It can be your year. It can be your year to say, okay, I'm finally going to take control of my money. I'm finally going to get out of time. I'm finally going to stop letting culture in the world tell me what is normal, what should be, all of it. And so there's just this power that you can reclaim for yourself, right? There's a lot of things in life right now.

We can't control things going on. But there's something that you can control, and that is your income and what you choose to do with it. So George and I are your cheerleaders this year. We have a goal planner, and there's still a few available, I think. And we worked on this with our friend, Dr. John Deloney. And it's a whole goal planner that covers three years of your life, money, faith, relationships. And I think it helps to have a physical representation of those goals to write them down, to keep track of it. I used to do the resolutions and it made me feel good.

So, like, on December 31st, here's the 37 things I'm going to magically change. I was. Until I realized that I was not accomplishing anything. It just made me feel good for a better day. I know, I know. So, but truthfully, the way I set goals and the way I accomplished them was writing them down on paper, having accountability in my life, and creating habits that got me there. And that's why we talk about budgeting and all this nerdy stuff.

It's not because we're nerds, which we are. It's because we want to see you win, and that takes discipline. Yes, absolutely, absolutely. So, yeah, I mean, just to kind of wrap it up, you guys, I don't think there's a magic number to your income. It's about your habits. So if you have bad money habits and you're given $10 million, Heidi and Spencer, you can blow it, proof, right?

Plug in any sports person or actor or something that... Plug in sports people. Whatever you want to do. Those people that throw footballs, whatever they are. Football players. You know, it's proof that your habits really do determine it, or you could be making $60,000 and can become a millionaire because your habits are incredible and you save and you invest and you live below your means.

So again, it's more about you, who you are as a person. So here's the beautiful thing about that, George. Here's why I love this, because you can create great habits. And as your life goes on, more than likely, you're going to make more and more money, right? You're going to get raises. You're going to move up in roles within a company. I mean, naturally, hopefully. Your investments grow.

You're making more money. Yes, all of that. And as you create good habits and that grows along with you, it's just going to help you more and more handle and grow your wealth. Again, not just to make money for the heck of it, but to truly change your family tree, puts this in some place to help you in your family, to help other people, all of it.

So you have a lot of power in this, right? Yes. The individual. And you've said this on this show before that money is a tool. Yes. That's all it is. And it's just a magnifying glass that makes you more of whoever you are. And so if you manage your $50,000 really well, that bodes well for managing more.

But if you're mismanaging $45,000 because you're spending lavishly and trying to put up this facade of someone you're trying to be, then don't expect much more. And so there's just a good principle in that of stewarding that money that you do have right now well. I love it. Man, 23. Guys, are we, we're like your coached this episode. I didn't mean to be. We did not mean for this. For this episode.

Make the touchdown play. Throw the ball in the hoop. We went for it. We went for it. So we should go speak to like an NFL team, Rachel. Or even better, your Tennessee vals. They could use some motivation. No, they've done great this year, George.

George, they were number one. And then they slid down. Well, that's the thing. Hey, we haven't been that since 2010. But they're out. They didn't make it, Rachel. They got closer than they ever have. Sure.

Number six, I'm being told. A for effort. What would be your like pep talk as a coach for your listeners for 2023? You have to say one and you can talk like you'd be a coach. And then George has to do it. All right. Here I go. Here we go.

Here we go. You guys can do this. I can't. Hold on. No one can keep you serious. You got to keep a serious face. I know, I know. There's no way to do this seriously.

I know. I know. Here we go. I don't want to stare at the ground. I can't look at you, George. You guys can do this. If you put your mind to something and you believe and you have hope, that's when you're going to make a difference.

You absolutely can control things that you can control. I can't do it. But I love the intensity. It was about eight seconds. I'm talking to people that are throwing money. I feel like the voice got louder. Can you go? Good job.

I feel like my voice would get deep in a non-authentic way. No, but I feel like this is the whole place. If you believe it, you can achieve it. Was that pretty good? That was it? You're just like a one-liner. It's good. So pep talks aside, we need to get clarity on what we want in 2020,

figure out what we need to do to get there and decide, are we actually going to do it? Like, are we willing to take on the side hustle? Are we willing to make sacrifices in every area of life? Are we willing to not eat out for a season? Are we willing to drive Uber and do all kinds of things we don't want to do so that we can win long term? And get out of debt and build an emergency fund. build that foundation, and then you can stop all that. And then you can go into life.

And do it with blinders on going, going, I don't care where anyone else is doing or what they think about me. I'm going to do what's right from me. And I get out of this financial hole. If you have debt, get a firm foundation with that emergency funds. And then have your wife, front center. Why the heck are you doing this? Because if it's not worth it, you know?

Oh, yes. I think you have your wife friend center. You know, I like to do that. Just keep Whitney. Whitney, she's right there. She's on my vision boards. But it's a great reminder. I know.

You need a deep enough why. And you guys, We believe in you. You can do this. We're here for you. George and I are cheering you on. You got this. You got this.

All right, George, it's time for our last segment. Guilty as charged. This is where our producer gives us a new guilty as charged question every week. And if we've done it, we have to take a drink and explain ourselves. Explain yourself. Explain yourself, Lindsay. Okay. Have you ever bought something on Amazon?

It never, and it never showed up at your doorstep. Wow. So you asked for a refund, and then later it actually did show up. Oh. And you kept it. Dang. Ooh. Wow.

No. I don't think that's happened to me. You ordered it, never showed up. You're like, what the heck Amazon? Like, oh, okay, here's your money. And then it showed up, like, the next day. Or maybe you've thought about it. Because this happens where, like, they're delayed.

A hundred percent. But then it ends up coming back. Like, have you even thought about, like, oh, should, like, I went through so much already. Like, should I send this back? Man, no. I can tell you with Amazon, though, what makes my heart happy, and that has happened is you buy something that's so cheap and you go to return it and they just return you the money and you get to keep the I don't. You don't need to send it back.

Yes. Because it costs them more money to get it shipped. I know. And I was like, oh, I love that. I want to buy more of those. So I'm almost like strategic in it. Okay, should I give you a new question then? Yeah, I mean, it's for sure happened.

I couldn't tell you what it was. I did have that happen, though, with a pet ramp. And I went to return it and they were like, just keep it. You can donate it to. a animal shelter. Wait, time out. Where's my whistle? My referee whistle? You bought a what? A pet ramp. So the dogs can get up on the bed. And on the couch, safely. Stop it. Stop it. Without injuring their little spines. Stop it. Stop it. I can't. I absolutely. I can't. Are you a French bulldog? Then you can't relate. I. You can't speak to this.

You just spoke for 40 minutes about luxury living and you have a ramp for your dogs. They're basically a handicap, right? So they can't just get up and down on things like normal humans. Oh, my. She's so little. They're so stumpy. They're not bread for this. George, how much would it take you to get out of bed, lift this?

Now that we're talking, honestly, we went from a queen bed to a lower king bed to accommodate our dogs so that they could get on and off without hurting themselves. And so they had room to spread out. So if you want to talk for real, that's real talk. If you want to talk, luxurious living. Anyways, we kept the pet ramp. So I guess the question is, do you recommend pet ramp? No, no, it was cumbersome. It didn't look good.

I think the pet ramp industry could use an overhaul. I'm shocked. Was it kind of like a slide? I legitimately have thought like I should start a pet ramp business because there's so little out there. Like they just look cheesy. Like what does this look like exactly? It's a tiny ramp. Sometimes there's stairs.

Like wooden or like plastic? It has like a grippy top so their little legs can make it up without slipping. Okay. Yeah. And it is a lot of dogs have like, you know, health issues. I also love, can we go back to the original part where you said, Amazon said, give this to someone.

They said, hey, you can keep it, you can donate it to an animal shelter. Amazon, cheers to you. Way to be good people. They said donate it to someone else who needs it. I love it. We may have put it for free on Facebook marketplace or something. Oh, you haven't donated it yet. Yeah, I don't think it's with us anymore.

So I think we must have just given it away on Facebook. What color was it? It was like brown. They're always like sad, just topey colors. on most of these things. Oh, no. This is taking the left. Oh, it's so good, George.

I appreciate your. I really appreciate your... Your vulnerability and honesty. But you know, I love my dogs more than people. You do. And therefore, I will do anything for these dogs. I know, and I really do appreciate that. I think the audience is learning that, too.

You love it. If you own a designer dog, you know, the lengths that we go. Me and Lady Gaga, we understand. Two things that you just really have empathy for together. You're like, I get it. I get you. I understand you. Well, you told us on an episode.

So do you pray for Lindsay Lohan? So we can... If we want to start talking about insanity. Okay. We can go many ways. So you guys, don't forget, if you have a fun and guilty-of-charge question that you want us to answer,

make sure to DM us. And you can do at Rachel Cruz, at George Camel with a K and make sure to label it, guilty is charged. Label it. So we can see it. Label that DM.

Okay. On to the drink. What rating would you give this Jack and Coke? If you knew me, you know I love a Jack and Coke. I'm going to go 10 out of a, 10. I've never seen you drink one, and so therefore I did not know.

It was like my, it was my drink for many years. I just love a good Jack and Coke. Wow. I'm going to give it a, I'm going to give it a five out of 10. Really? Yeah. First of all, I stopped drinking sodas a while back. Okay. So, geez. I drink bubbly drinks that are just carbonated waters, but I kind of, I got rid of the sodas. I do love a diet Dr. Pepper, though. If you're going to force one on me. Yeah, take that one. This is, is this regular Coke, though. It's pretty sweet. Watered down Coke.

Yeah. This is sweet. I like the Diet Coke better. But it is pretty affordable because all it takes is literally Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels and mix them together. And it costs about $275 a glass. And there's a reason they're so good and so classic. What's the reason? Because they're so good.

It's so classic. Well, it's easy, number one. We need to put that on a wall somewhere. So if you want to make this at home, check out the very detailed recipe in the show notes. And let us know on social if you do. tried it out. Many of you, I'm sure, have had that. It was probably your first drink when you turned 21, and you're like, this is, I don't like alcohol. Well, now you do because you're just drinking Coca-Cola. There you go. And feel free to suggest your favorite cocktail or a mocktail

for our future episodes. Again, you can send us a DM at George Camel of the K or at Rachel Cruz on social. That's right. All right. That's it for this episode. Don't forget to share this with your friends who never feel like they make enough money. Hopefully this will motivate them. That's more about them. With Coach Rachel. That's important. That's right. And follow on social media and make sure to subscribe to this podcast by hitting that follow button. And you'll get new episodes every Thursday. Without fail. That's right.

And if a new goal of yours this year is to leave more reviews, we would love one. That's a great, easy goal to check off your list. That's all right. All right, you guys. Well, we'll see you next Thursday for Smart Money Happy Hour. What the people don't know is you almost broke the glass.