Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - Are You a Quality or a Quantity Person? (And How That Affects Your Money)

Episode Date: May 29, 2025

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Would you rather buy one pair of expensive designer shoes or get five cheap pairs in every color? In this episode, Rachel and George make their case for quality vs. quantity, plus help you decide when it’s best to splurge or save. Next Steps: 🎥 Watch our video “Harmless” Purchases That Drain Your Bank Account. 🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour    📱 Submit 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. 💵 The simplest way to budget. Download the EveryDollar app for free!   Connect With Our Sponsors: Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. Get up to 40% off with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍹 Woo Woo Cocktail Recipe: Difford’s Guide 1 ounce vodka 1/2 ounce peach schnapps 2 1/3 ounces cranberry juice Instructions: Select and pre-chill an old-fashioned glass. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Explore More From Ramsey Network: 💡 The Rachel Cruze Show 💰 George Kamel 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights   🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 🪑 Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman 📈 EntreLeadership   Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're talking about a money tendency that we are polar opposites on, and I'm guessing a lot of you fall into one of these camps too. If I like it, I'm going to buy it at this stage of life. Because again, I don't know how many years I have left. Okay, get off your high horse, like come down with the calm of people. Yes. And you're okay. Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

I'm George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Well, this is the show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. everything from pop culture, current events, and money. Before we get to the episode, let's talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel. It is a woo-woo. A woo-woo. Hard to say.

Delicious to drink. I love a little woo-woo. Stick around until the very end. We're going to give you our rating and reveal the cost per glass. It's so great. So, George, I am a quantity person. You love it all. I do.

Give me something cheap. Give me Amazon earrings. 20 pairs. I don't need diamonds. Don't give me diamonds. Stop giving me diamonds. diamonds, George? I don't want those diamonds. Listen. I want variety.

Is that an Amazon watch? Yes, it is. That's a beautiful. I would have never, if you didn't just say that, I would have thought that was Dior. What if I said? Versace. I don't know. Who's making a watcher? I believe it. Yeah. I'm like, yeah. No, but I do. I am more quantity and this is where we are very different in this, George. I know. Believe it or not, I'm a quality guy.

You know when your grumpy uncle says, because they don't make them like they used to. I am that grumpy uncle. You are. In today. You have embodied that. I don't like things. Like life is too short to not have quality things in your life, especially as I get older

and, you know, head toward the old dusty trail. I don't know why. It got real dark real quick. I hear that, but also my thing is like life's too short to wear the same pair of shoes. So have seven pairs. Have seven pairs, the ones that she loved. And you get to... I think we need a tour of Rachel's closet.

And let the emotions... You know what? Someone recently said, one of my friends came over and we were like looking at something. And she was like, you know what? Your closet is not as... I would have thought you had way more clothes. And I was like, well, that makes me feel so good.

Thank you. Or they just thought you were out of control. Like a quarter of... And they went, oh, she only has 70 pairs. I thought it was going to be like multiple. Like 200. Like, oh my gosh. Oh, man. That's fun.

Well, and I do think what's hard is, you know, the trends, they come and go, George. social media, they'll show you. And it is frustrating because I do know companies, especially with clothing specifically, they know. They know if they take a pair of jeans one season, widen it a little bit. You got to buy all new jeans. Or they shrink them a little bit or they go up or down and link.

They can just tweak small things and it changes the whole cell. So then you've got to get all new pants. See, I'm not falling for that. Okay. Tell us your ways. You've heard the quote, Rachel. If you follow the trends, you'll fall for the traps. Say it again.

I love it. Do you, though? I don't think she actually wants me to say it again. You know what? You'll have to rewind the tape to hear that one. But I do. Like, I've been rocking skinny jeans for far too long, and Gen Z's like, it's out, we're not doing it.

I'm just going to keep wearing. Aren't dudes kind of wearing skinny jeans? Not, I haven't seen them. What are dudes wearing? I know girls are. I know it's kind of out for girls. I'll tell you this. Men aren't wearing skinny jeans.

Boys maybe. Me and the boys. Me and the boys. But, yeah, I like quality, and I don't really care what other people think. and if I like it, I'm going to buy it at this stage of life. Because again, I don't know how many years I have left. I can't hold you to that.

I don't know how many years I have left. I don't care what anyone thinks. That is not true. That is not true. Whose opinion am I? I look for the affirmation of everybody. But I don't care about their opinion of me. I just want their affirmation.

Those are two separate things. I know, but you get all pissy in the comments because of what someone thinks about you. Well, I don't like to be misjudged or mischaracterized. Okay. I know, I just don't think it's, I know when people are like, I just don't care what people think of me. I'm like, yeah, you do. That's a sign you do.

It's not 100% true. Maybe like 90% true. Yeah. You're right. Okay. Thank you for your honesty. Well, let's talk about the difference here. So quality people, like me, they want things to last longer.

They research, they plan their purchases in advance. They're not as impulsive. So I think that's the healthiest version of a human you can be. It's so cool. Now, tell you about these quantity people. Well, quantity people, we, We don't care that if the thing breaks, you just replace it later because it's cheaper anyways. I'm not spending a ton of money on it.

And if the trends do change, come and go, then you have the ability to be flexible. So it's like I can get rid of stuff and not feel like, oh my gosh, I paid like $200 for that sweater. No, I paid like $17.99. And it was great, a couple uses. But then I get to move on. So you get to enjoy the variety of life, George. There's a lot out there. You should get out more.

That was a good sales bitch, honestly. Well, I think our culture is heading more into this quantity world. We want things to be cheaper and we don't care as much. And I would say this too. Both ends of the spectrum can be unhealthy, okay? Because you do have the quality people and they're like, I won't buy anything unless it's whatever, right? And it's like, okay, stop. Unless I can pass it on to my grandchildren's grandchildren.

Yeah, and sometimes it comes with a logo or like a label with like, oh, I have to buy like the nicest X, Y, and Z. And you're like, okay, get off your high horse, like come down with the calm of people. Yes. and you're okay. But then the quantity, it does. It touches on that discontentment side. You can buy, like, really cheap stuff. And sometimes you get the cheap stuff

and it's not even what you want, you know, because it is so, like, poor quality. And it's like you're never satisfied. It kind of keeps you wanting more and more, which isn't good either. So, both ends. You know the store that sums the quantity people up? Timu, shop like a billionaire.

That's their tagline. They didn't make that up. That's an unhinged tagline for any brand. For any, yeah. But I don't shop. Timu. I don't shop there. Not that it's bad. No judgment. Sheehan. Is that all you say? Yes. A lot of fast fashion. You're like, how is this $3? Actually, don't tell me I don't want to know. There's a lot of that going on in the fast fashion world.

I would say this. The super, super, super cheap like that kind of wigs me out where I'm like, what is going on. But the Amazon thing for, you know, 30 bucks. Yes. Amazon, Target, Old Navy. Like all of that to me is like middle of the road. Free game. Yeah. And social media affects a lot of this trend cycle. You're ordering cheap stuff through an app. It's delivered to you free within a week. So it's kind of addictive because it feels like you're not really, there's not a lot at stake here. There's not a lot of risk on your part. Yes, and I think that's why I like it because it's kind of like,

hey, yeah, we'll try it. And if I wear it a couple times, that's it. Like, I don't have to be married to it forever. Where there's some things that I have bought quality and I'll keep it forever just to keep it because I can't part with it because I know how much I spent on it. You know what I mean? So it's hard.

Versus Amazon, here's what I do is I'll just go, well, it's got free returns. I'll drop it off at the Whole Foods's Amazon return. if I don't like it and get my money back. That's right. Totally. So that's a good one. So we have our tendencies. Yeah, for sure, for sure.

So there are some categories in life, George, where we can go quality and quantity. And again, I'm mostly quantity. There are some quality that I like in there. And so I think we do a little game, shall we? Let's do this. Let's say we have a fish bowl here has different categories in it

and all of you listening and watching play along at home and talk through it, make a vote. If you're with someone, you can play along with them, and find out whether you're a quantity or quality person. All right. You hear that? I'm a little nervous. For all you podcast listeners.

Really helpful. Shaking up the... Yeah, it's a real fishbowl. Shaking up the... Real paper in there. We don't fake it on this show. We can afford the full thing. It's quality.

Except this is not a glass fishbowl. It's not a plastic fishbow, but it is. Okay, ready for the first category, George? Ooh, watches slash jewelry. Oh, I don't own any jewelry. Okay. Even my, this wedding ring is a rubber, you know, nothing ring. So I'm going to go quantity on that.

Did you have a real wedding ring though when y'all got married like an actual like silver? Yeah. Do you know where it is or did you lose it? It was like a hammered, kind of like a hammered tungsten something. So manly. Yeah. Man. I wanted people to think, wow.

That guy. It's a lot of man. What a man. So I'm going to say quantity for that stuff like jewelry wise. I don't do accessories. But watches, I own two watches. I've had this Apple Series 3 watch. for, I don't know, almost a decade maybe, seven years, eight years.

I get new bands from Amazon. But you haven't upgraded the actual watch? No. Okay. So I think that makes me quality. I'm actually impressed because I feel like you're a technology guy. I am. And when new Apple Watch has come out, I'm surprised it's been seven years.

It's a long time. It's a long time. And then the most recent one, which you've talked about on the show, is an inherited Rolex that I fixed up. Yeah, that's pretty cool. Yes. I think that has, that's a quality category situation. It's great. How about you? I love it.

Yeah, I'm quantity here. I have, um, wedding rings, real, very nice. And then I do have these rings that I wear that I got anniversary, 10th anniversary. Oh, that's fun. And then I have another nice ring when Amelia was born. So those are like my rings are nice, I will say that.

But everything else, earrings, necklaces, watches, it's all, yeah, it's all... What's your go-to? Bobble bar? Is that how you say it? Oh, yes, I've heard of that. Okay, I buy a lot from them. A lot of Amazon. And Target, I would say, for jewelry.

Wow, that's impressive. I will say, on my list, as we laughed about my Amazon watch, that would be one purchase. One day, when I'm a old woman, having a nice watch. Like a Rolex or something. I don't know, like a pretty, like old woman watch. Not that Rolex is old women. They are very nice, very expensive, but I feel like I'll be an old woman when I get one.

So eventually, as you enter your final stage. Maybe I turn, not that fit. 50 is an old woman. I was a sick. You said 50? Kelly is dying over there. No, I'm peering multiple thought processes together. First, I was old and elderly.

Then I'm thinking, like, what would be a good milestone age to buy a Rolex? 50 feels like a good age of like, you've made it. That's a midlife crisis for some people who live to 100. Think about it that way. Yeah, there you go. Trying to make Kelly feel better. Sorry, Kelly. It's not helping.

Just move on. Just move on. All right. Next up. Self-care. So this would include sauna's therapy, gym membership. I'll throw, you know, nail care in there, massages.

Okay, all right, all right, right, right. Man. Okay. I don't do a lot of these. You can correct me. You can correct me. I'm going to go quantity because... Quantity.

Okay. Not quality, but you can correct me. So I don't go to like a super, like, fancy, spa place to get my manicures and pedicures. Like, just give me the one by the subway. I'm good. Like, great, great. It's so sketchy.

Every time I go there, I think this might be the last time. Even my hair. I'll say this. And I love the girl that does my hair. She's been doing my hair for like 10 years. But she's not like this fancy, big, nice salon that like everyone goes to. It's like one of these like individuals. She works Tuesday, Thursday.

I've been going to her forever. It's great. Yeah. It's perfect. Okay, therapy. We'll pay a lot for therapy. We want a good therapist. I feel like that's important.

Are there like Groupon therapists like that in? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. But I'm great to pay money for great therapy. And then. Saanas. You do have a sauna.

Winston bought it though. That's my thing. Winston bought a very nice. It was. It was like one of the nicer brands. So you get to enjoy it. Yeah, but I didn't pick it out. I wouldn't need.

I don't know. So I'm still going to go quantity. For what I do, which I understand like getting your nails done. I get that that's pricey in general. But in those. categories of where I could go and do those things, I still am on kind of the... Yeah. I don't know.

The other end of it. You know what? You win. You are a quantity in that area. Tell me yours. I'm going to quality here. Okay. Self care.

Like haircuts is a good example. I go to the like, you know, it's a hipster barber. They charge too much. I go every two weeks without fail. And so I think in that regard. Get the same day of the week. There you go. No, I wish.

My schedule is too all over the place. So I just try to look ahead. I will say, I applaud you. Every two weeks is a lot. It's a lot. I do like every eight weeks for my hair. And I feel like that's a lot. I see my barber more than most of my friends.

Okay. So I don't know if that's what that says. Will can attest. Will is my friend. True. I don't do a gym membership. So I feel like in all these areas, I just feel like I'm quantity

because I'm not willing to pay for these things. Yeah. Yep. Okay, I will say this. We have a personal trainer. That's a quality. I'd say that's quality. Very personalized.

Yep. So. But, well, When we had a gym membership, it was at the YMCA, which is great. But they have like lifetime. They have all the boosy gems. And we were at the Y. And when I did do gym membership for one month, I did Lifetime.

I went twice. I hear it's amazing. It's wonderful. If you love to do whatever they're doing over there. It's just too intense for me. I want to go somewhere where everyone's like me. Nobody wants to be there. They're all a little uncomfortable.

Lifetime, I'm scared to go near a machine because some beefcake guy's about to come up. like, bro, you using this? You know? I don't need that in my life. I get it. I know. But you know, George, if I saw you working out of gym, I think, good for him.

There's no world where I can take that as a compliment. If you see someone running in the street. I'm kidding, George. You don't see someone running on the sidewalk and you go, good for them. You know, this is a lot of work for them. I was kidding. I knew it would get a laugh. You went on that one.

That was good. That was a sick burn. All right, this one. Hygiene slash toiletries. Yeah, quality. Shoot, I'm quality. I am quality. If it's going on, your face, in your mouth, in your hair, you got to go quality.

I know. But you do, I feel like you guys are also, like in the shower routine, very simple people. Yes, we are. We talked about this with the personalities. What are you, a dial soap or something? Dove. Okay. It's amazing.

How many people need, like, like, like George's like, I need a lufa. I need all this stuff. And I was like, you do? I don't understand using a little dish rag to somehow lather it. Not even a rag, George. Just a bar itself. Just a bar soap. It's all you need. It's a lot of effort.

Just a bar of soap. It's all we need. I need it to feel like a bubble bath. You know what I mean? Otherwise, I don't know that it's working. It didn't take. Do you use nice shampoo? I wouldn't say it's fancy.

But I get it online. It was like the one at the barbershop and then I found the brand and started ordering it online. But it's not like crazy expensive. Yeah. Mine's carot. I can never say it. Caritas. Carastos.

Carastas. I'd say that's quality, but it's probably not like the craziest one. But it's up there. Yeah. I think it's a... Mine is called Ruzel, I think, and I got the industrial size

for like 25, 30 bucks or something. So it's not crazy. Okay, then that's quantity. You got a whole thing like that for $20? That's quantity and quality. Wait, no, you got a whole thing of shampoo like that for $20. I want to say it was...

It's not crazy expensive. Mine would have been very expensive. But I mean, I want the one with the pump on it, so I'm to take it. a bottle and open a cap. I hear you. So that's my old man thing. Everything in the shower, I want to just have pumps.

Like I'm at a hotel. Okay, cologne. What kind of cologne? Whitney made me get a natural cologne. Because with the baby and you're holding a baby and all the chemicals. Man, that is woo-woo. So I think that's woo-woo. And I'm going to say that's quality.

Whitney, I love you. That's a quality thing. Yeah, I mean, cologne is one of those like cheap cologne is not the move. Yeah, no. But I don't wear a ton of it. See, I go nice on my Cologne. I like Joe Malone. And I do have a Chanel.

Just a classic. Is it number five? What's the classic? Yeah. Yeah. Number five is the best for everything. Chanel, Mombo. Yeah.

I want number five. I think it's a good, solid number. Mombo, number five. Oh, man. All right. You're next up. All right. You ready for this one?

Closet Staples. We're talking jeans, dress pants, tennis shoes, leggings. Quantity. Quantity. Really? Yeah. What makes you say that? When I say quantity, I'm thinking anywhere, pants, anywhere from $30 to $90.

Okay. So, like, I'm not going like $200 pair of jeans or anything. Yeah. Pretty, yeah. Yeah, jeans dress pants. Do you wear a lot of dress pants? I guess you have like the big flowy. Yeah, like my Amazon.

Yeah, like my Amazon. Trousers. That's the word I'm looking for. Trollers. Wide leg, that's in right now. Yes. Yes. But see, mine's all Amazon.

It's like 30 bucks. But you have some nice tennis shoes. I feel like. What's the one that they're supposed to look? Oh, I bought the golden goose. Yes. Okay, I bought those when I was, okay, and it's crazy.

Those were all the rage. I bought those, y'all, on my 30th birthday. And so that was... Six years ago now? Yes. Do you wear them a lot? No, I don't wear them anymore, but I wore them for a few years.

Would you really say that one is like a trend that is sort of like, are people still rocking them? I don't think so. I don't see them like I used to, yeah. That was a... But I did pay stupid money for that. But I bought them for my birthday.

I, like, made it all these. It was a big treat. Yeah, because I never do that. Like these, Steve Madden, so these were probably like 70 bucks that I have on right now. We got Abercrombie jeans. We got an Abercrombie waffle shirts.

Everyone wants to know. What are the earrings? Yeah, Target, stud earrings. Yeah. Can I just tell you, I'm a little upset. Everyone in the comments is always like, Rachel, where do you get that dress? It's never...

George, where do you get those tiny jeans from? I love a pair. It's offensive. Well, you know what? I wore a pair of joggers the other day, and I would tell everyone where I got them. Why is that? Cozy Earth.

That's a good reason. They were incredible. I just got the socks. I'm rocking them. They're amazing. Oh, they're great color. Thank you. Okay, quality.

And that is something that is like, and it is. I'm not kidding you. Cozy Earth has made me step up from like my Amazon. I didn't realize clothes could be that nice. I know. I know that sounds stupid to say. No, because I've lived in like the, I've lived in my quantity era. And then a company like Cozy Earth comes in.

And then you wear it. put it on, you're like, the way it fits, the material. I swear, all of it, you're like, okay, I get why it's more expensive. You know what I mean? Like, and it's not crazy expensive, but you're like, oh, yeah, this is, it is worth it. And it lasts so long. And when you wash it, that's another thing. Does it stay quality when you wash it?

And it does. It keeps its shape and everything. I love it. Fantastic. Well, they're giving our listeners and viewers a sweet discount up to 40% off when you use the promo code, smart money at checkout. So go to cozyearth.com slash smartmline. money or click the link in the description and shop Pughey-Frugal and maybe you'll become more of a quality

person. I know, it does. That's a good one. I didn't get to say mine. I'll go quick on this one. Oh, yes. I'm middle of the road. I have a lot of quality items, but I wait for a good sale, like even these boots, these solo boots. I've had them for years. They did a five for five. So you pay $500 one time and you get two pairs of whatever you want per year for five years. So 10 pairs of boots, 500 bucks. So instead of 250, you essentially paid 50. That's amazing. quality boot that will last you forever. So that's where I'm kind of like on the fence of my quality and my quantity. Yeah. But it's a quality product though. I do go quality products. You're right. I would say that. That's a good one though. I like that one. Thank you. All right. Next,

alcohol. Oh. Man. Yeah. For this one, you know, life's too short to drink cheap beer and liquor. But, you know, if you're into that, that's fine. I know. I probably get quality here. Because I will say, the difference. You feel it. You do. The next. You do. The next. day, man, it's real. Yeah. Even wine. If I have a glass of red wine and it's like a super cheap bottle, I do, I feel it the next day. It's like, it is different.

So, yeah, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go quality on this one. And I want a quality cocktail. I don't want like a, you know, Sprite and vodka or something, or Jack and Coke. That's not me. Okay. I want something a little more complex, a little more elegant. Okay.

Presentation. And that usually means quality. Even at home. Even at home. I've gotten into mixology and so. You know, like even for friends when they come over, I want to make them a nice Manhattan. When I came and saw Mia, you made me like a lavender or something.

I did. And I was like, dang, George. It was Empress gin, which is purple. I mean, it was a gin and tonic with Empress gin. That's what it was. It's got a beautiful color to it. I appreciate that about you. Thank you.

Yeah, I would say if I'm going out, quality for sure. And I don't know, a Jack and Coke, Georgia. I had it last weekend, so I can't say much. Jack and Coke and pizza is one of my favorites. Or I'm makers and Sprite. and pizza? I love it.

Why would you... Uh-huh. They're not equally yoked. It's just not okay. I don't know. And have you had a Midwestern old-fashioned? Mm-mm. Y'all, check on your Midwestern friends.

They're not doing okay. What does that mean? They make an old-fashioned with brandy. They throw a bunch of fruit in there, and they top it with Sprite, and they call it an old-fashioned. Oh, no. And it sounds disgusting. Yeah, that's terrible.

But I'm going to get roasted in the comments for that one. It's fine. I can handle it. It's fine. You're not going to leave Ohio. All right. Moving on. What do we got?

I was alcohol. What are you? I am tech. Technology. Okay. You are screaming quantity on this one. Okay, give me, list out technology. Headphones, chargers, phones.

Okay. Have an iPhone. Smart home stuff. Okay, yeah. That's Winston. Winston's territory. Winston is quality. So I feel like I live a quality life.

When's the last time you put on headphones? I walk. So I'll put in my AirPods. AirPods. AirPods. Are they AirPods Pro? I said AirPods. Are they AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro 2?

Are they original AirPods? I don't know, George. Do they have the longer stem? I don't think so. Okay. We'll look into it. Then yes, I am quality on this one. As a former Apple Store employee, I love technology.

I like researching it. Yeah, Apple Watch. I know, but I don't need the latest and greatest. Okay. Because truthfully, the technology from this one to the latest Apple Watch, not that much more impressive. Okay. Apple, step it up. Do you have the big headphones?

Not these days. I like my AirPods Pro too. That was my big, like, fun. I'm going to get nice headphones because I wear them a lot. Okay. With a baby and a wife who doesn't want to hear what I'm hearing. I heard that it's not good for your health. Have you heard this?

I've heard the EMF, but it's always from these weird, sketchy Instagram accounts. Okay. And, like, my mother-in-law is sending me these clips. Like, you got to stop wearing. I'm like, I don't know. The jury's out. Okay. If that's how the Lord takes me, it's because of my AirPods, I'm fine.

I had a good life. I had a good life. I'm not wearing, you know, whatever. I don't know what you're supposed to wear. Off-brand headphones. That's even scarier. But I can't just listen to music through speakers all day, like a psychopath. No, I have respect for others.

So selfless. So tech is definitely one I'm quality on. Yeah. I love technology. And I'll say, yeah, I benefit from the quality. with the apps and all the stuff. Because of Winston. So if you're not a tech quality person,

you've got to be with someone who is, otherwise your life will suffer. I think that's fair. I think that's fair. It's very helpful. It's very convenient. Yeah. Turning off my lamps with my voice and TV, it's the best.

Alexa. Oh, shoot. Sorry. I shouldn't have done that. All of you at home. I'm so sorry. Shoot. I did that one episode.

Everyone's like, try. You triggered my Alexa. Beep. No, don't say her name. Because she'll come on. It was like Voldemort? I don't understand. Can't even say the name?

All right, baby gear. Oh. I'm quality because of my wife. My wife does all the research. Left to my own devices, I would not spend that much on... I was quality on baby gear. Cribs and strollers. We had good cribs.

No, no, crib. Our crib, sorry. No, our crib was actually not that expensive. Our mattress, stroller, high-chair car seat. We like, yeah, we went. The car seat is one that shocked me. did not know how expensive car seats could be. All of it's so expensive.

But we did, you know, we did go quantity on the crib and the reclining chair in the nursery. Yeah. Facebook Marketplace for both. Good. Yes, my crib was very inexpensive. I think it was like 200 bucks or something. That's not bad. Yeah.

But it's for the baby. I feel like it's an easy one to want to spend more money on. Oh, for sure. Yeah, but I will say with like the car seat stroller, all of that, the like the quality it lasts because we had our stroller for all three kids, which is just wow. But we did. And again, it has like a thing. folds up smaller, it's lighter.

Like, there's some benefits to the nicer ones, I feel like. All right, internet protection. Oh, wow. Quality all the way on this one. I think so, too. And the only company I would use for it is delete me. They're the best in the biz. I don't even know how you go quantity on this one.

You got to just use a quality service. Because they go in there and take off all your information from all these data broker websites. And I'm like, thank you for good quality. If you ever Googled yourself and be like, how do they have my address? Why is my phone number on there? Well, delete me, goes in and deletes all of that information. They send you a report showing you what they've done. And how much time they saved you?

I'm at 86.5 hours. Wow. And they've deleted my info from over 250 websites. Okay. And they scanned 25,000 now, which is crazy. So crazy. I got my report, and I think it was like 66 hours than I'm at. But it's amazing.

I mean, it really is. And when you read the websites, they take your information off of, you're like, I didn't even know this existed. Like, it's like, where is my information? There's just more and more every day. So I sleep better because of it. So if you want to take control of your online privacy, go check them out.

Go to join deleteme.com slash smart money and you'll get 20% off any of their annual plans. Sweet deal. Or click the link in the description. All right. What's left? I'm nervous. I know.

Ooh, food. Oh, man. Just food? Food. My quantity or quality when it comes to food? I guess quality as far as ingredients. You famously did. didn't look at a single label until your early 30s.

I'm so in the middle on this. Because you like quality food. Okay, that's my thing. I'm like, I'm such a... What is it? Schlotsky's gal? Jacqueline Hyde. Oh, Jekylln Hyde, yes.

Like, I'm one person, but then I'm not. Yeah. So I'm in the Schlosski's drive-thru. I will say this. You're not pretentious. But then I'm at a five-course dinner downtown. You're like, where is she going to be? Where is she now?

Wouldn't she stop a taco bed? You know, you never know. We don't know. You never know. Left to your own devices, I think you'd be a quantity, gal. Like, you'd be happy with just, you know, give me some fast food, some pizza. Yeah, I'm very satisfied there. And you're never like, this is not gourmet. Yeah, no, no.

Never heard you say that. No, not at all. But I do love an experience. So put me out a great, like, restaurants. Like a tasting menu and something fancy. Yes, like that to me is so fun. Dressing up, fancy date night. Yes.

You're into that. Yep. So date nights. date nights, I would say quality. But every other time I'm like, yeah, chick-fil-A great. Spicy chicken sandwich, chick-fil-a sauce. It's just sustenance to get to another day for you. Just happen.

But I enjoy it. It's delicious. Yeah. Yeah. I think being a gluten-free family, it just forces you to be quality because you have to get the gluten-free stuff. It costs more. You've got to be more in tune with what's going on with the nutrition labels.

We've tried to get rid of all like the bad seed oils and whatnot. Food dyes that are in food. We try to avoid all that. that. So I guess that makes me quality and probably pretentious, but I'm okay with it. You know what? I think you do you. It doesn't affect your life. What are you so upset about? I think that's fine. Yeah, I want to be that, I think. But in Brick-Elty. We'll get you there. It takes more time. And that's the thing is it takes time to do the research, know the brands. You're going to die. So Winston's birthday was like two weeks ago, and we had just

got home from spring break. And we were all pretty tired. We got home on like a Friday night, super late. And I was like, what do you want to do for your birthday? I don't know. You know, we're so tired. He's like, let's just have some friends over and, like, just do some, like, bar food or whatever. And I was like, okay. I did a grocery order that was all of my favorite foods, basically. Can you rattle some off?

Are you ready? Buffalo chicken dip. Yes. Potato salad. No? No. We got. And I went, like, frozen food.

I went to the frozen food place, and I just went. So, tequitos. bagel bites pizza rolls chicken fingers french fries I got the chicken never had this but were chicken like sticks kind of

delicious I didn't know those existed like the BK chicken fries like that's one of those situations yeah so good um God what else was there

was there any mozzarella sticks Oh yes Montserrella sticks Yes it's a staple Yes yeah it was like all these frozen foods and I was just like

at the Just cooking. It's generous to call that cooking. Cooking away. Cooking away. And all my dips. I had hot salsa, regular sauce, guacamole, quasso, chicken buffalo dip,

and spinach artisole tip. Wow. And it was just like, y'all... Was it the best party? Did everyone have a great time? Everyone was like, Collie, this is so fun. It's like nostalgic food

that your parents wouldn't let you have growing up. Seriously, yes. Yes. And it was so good. That's a good party idea, actually. I know. It was fun. And Winston felt seen and loved?

Yeah, he was like, this is great. He went to bar food. I don't know what that, like, technically meant. That's true. He should have been more specific. I went with my hearts, and I said, babe, don't you worry about a thing. I've got you with bagel bites. God bless.

I've had bagel bites. I was so happy. I was so happy about it. I might as well serve some hot pockets while you're at it. They're as delicious as you remember them to be. They still hit. Yes. They were great.

Now, I had to get the non-peperoni ones, like just the cheese ones for him. Oh. Because he doesn't do meat anymore. He can't do meat. That's right. Wow. Our little vegan. All right.

Ready for the next one? Let's do the last one, George. Here we go. Pets. What is that? You're a quantity. You're nine cats, Rachel. You're a quantity person.

No, but I mean like, you know my life of my two French bulldogs. They have to have the hypoallergenic food, the best of the best. They only get fridge water to drink. I know. So I think I have to be quality on this one. Yeah, I think you got to be.

I think you have to be quantity here. What does that even mean, though? Like, what food does your dog eat? Name the brand. Where do you get it from? I don't know. You've never fed your dog, have you? It's not your dog.

Is this dog alive? Is the dog in the room with us? Yes. Oh, the dog. Oh, June gets on Winston's side at night now, George. You'd appreciate this in the bed. Well, she knows. Recently.

She loves her. No, she follows Winston around like a lost puppy. She probably saw that wheelchair clip. Apparently I'm nowhere to be found. Yeah, I mean, I hate to say that. I think it's a blue bag. Have you ever bought anything for your dog personally? Okay, I think we're done here.

I think we're done. I got my dogs matching vests that they can wear when it gets cold. So it was only $10 per vest. Has Whitney bought stuff for them? Oh, yeah. They have special. I thought like a wife thing. Wipes.

They got a lot. going on. As you know, they were born broken. They require a lot of makers. Just like humanity. Yeah. You know? Like even their food bowls, like we have the wet food, we've put on the dry food, they have little treats they need to eat, that have vitamins in them, to help with their joints and skin and coat. You wouldn't understand. Forget I said anything. June runs through fields and lives a dog life as she should. She's a wild, a domesticated dog that has access to a bed, to a very nice. nice pool.

To our bed. Have you let June swim in the pool? Yeah, she does get in. Uh-huh. She loves it. That's amazing. She's fun. She has fun.

She tried the hot tub yet? Just kind of like pause up. She kind of fell in. Oh, gosh. When we were all in there, she kind of slipped in, but she got out. Okay. Yeah. Crisis over-

Are we going to be mad at that? Peter. Where are you at? Probably. Probably. All right. Okay. What's our takeaway, George?

What do you think? Here's the over-under. If you're doing this with a budget, you're doing it with cash, then you can make these purchases without, you know, impulse and regret and guilt. And the best budgeting app out there is called Every Dollar. It's the one that we use for every line item, from the groceries to the fun self-care stuff to the shopping, and you can have it all out there so that you don't have to go,

ooh, should I be buying this? No, Rachel has her fun money in that line item. Go get the nails done. Is this too expensive? Because I'm a quality person. Like, is this too much? Every dollar will tell you. How much do you have it?

That's right. So if you want to check it out, we'll drop a link to every dollar in the description and show notes below. I think that's good. And I think there's challenges for everyone on each side of the spectrum, if you will. So quality people, ask yourself, like, is it necessary that I spend more on this item?

Because sometimes you can get in that headspace where you feel like, well, I have to just buy the nicest, the nicest, the nicest, but do you? Like, do you really? Like, can you save a little there? And then I'm going to say, for you, quantity people, because this is me as well, the minimalist challenge, I did this a few years ago.

I probably need to do it again. It was so great, where you take a day of the month. Yes. So you take a month. And, like, on the first, just get rid of one item. You can give it away, you can sell it, you can throw it away, whatever. Second day, two items.

Day three, three items. You go all the way up. And it really allows you to like purge, get stuff out. And it's great because we can stack up and kind of like have a lot of crap that we don't need. Yeah. For the quantity people out there. Well, even as a quality person, I have a lot of junk in my life still. You just accumulate it and you go, well, I might need it one day and you sort of justify it.

Yep. And you can't take it with you. That's right. We're all just... What are we? I don't know. I don't want to say it because it's just so sad.

Ephemeral beings? We're all going to die. We're all going to die one day. So that's my thing. Enjoy... So enjoy life. Get nine of them if you want. Get one great one if you want.

But enjoy it. Enjoy it. And if you do it with a budget, with cash, you won't have the buyers or more. You're not going to regret. And guilt. And guilt. Amen.

And realize that stuff is never going to do it for you. More stuff won't make you happy. That's right. It will not fulfill you. And that's what as quantity people we can get the bad habit of. Like, oh, I'll just get this next thing, the next thing, the next thing. Yeah, it doesn't fulfill you. And for the quality people, don't let it eat you alive.

And I need to just loosen up a little bit sometimes when I prefer this level of standard or, you know, it comes across as pretentious if you're not careful. Yeah. So don't push it on the people around you. Be willing to be flexible. Yes. And go, you know what? I'll drink a curig.

I don't like it, but I'll do it. I don't have my coffee set up with me, but I'll do it. I'll drink that curig, like Rachel did twice this morning. Two curigs? Yeah, two cups of coffee. Wow. I love it. It's so good.

That's almost equal to a half a cup of good coffee. Two more you would get there. But we're not pretentious at all. We're not. It's fine. All right, before we spill on our guiltiest charge segment, what are we sipping on? George talked to us about this. This was the woo-woo.

I liked it. Clearly, you really enjoyed it. It's got a beautiful vibe. vibrant red color, which is due to the cranberry juice in there, along with vodka and peach schnops. Yeah. That's all that's in it. It's three ingredients that costs a $1.40.

And what's your rating on this? Okay, I'm going to say this. I liked it sitting here talking with you, but I don't think I would order it. And remember, that's always my standard of, like, would I go to a restaurant and order this? I probably wouldn't order it. But I may make it at home, like for some friends. I don't know. So I'm going to go 8 out of 10.

I will say the tartness gets you from that cranberry juice. It does, I know. It's got that dry punch in the back. Uh-huh. But here's the thing. If you like cranberry juice, you will like this because it tastes like cranberry juice with a hint of peach. I'm not a vodka person. I like to have a little more complexity in my beverages, but for a drink, I'm going to go to a 7 out of 10.

Okay. There you go. It's still delicious. It had no, like, markers of like, oh, gross. No, no, no, it's very, like, refreshing to drink. Very refreshing. Go get the recipe in the show notes. Give it a try for yourself and let us know what you think.

All right, now it's time for. Guilty as charged. And this is where we ask each other a new guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. So, George, here's the question. Are you ready? Okay. Have you ever fallen for a marketing trap that felt like a luxury but wasn't worth the hype?

If I had a nickel. I'll tell you the most recent one. Okay. I wanted a sauna. Didn't want to spend thousands on a sauna. Uh-huh. And I saw these saunas on Amazon. I don't know how they can legally call them sonnas.

And so we bought one. And it showed up. Yeah. And it was just a camping chair. And then a black cover that you zip up in. As you sit in the camping chair, you can stick your arms out. So you're just sitting in this fabric box that gets somewhat warm. And they call it a sauna.

Stop. But it was pitched as a luxury item. And again, I get what, I'm paying about 150 bucks. I don't expect a real sauna. Sure. But it just felt like you're just sitting in a hot camping chair. Okay. And it was just uncomfortable.

I don't think it has any health benefits unless you're just a person who's cold-natured, and it'll warm you up. It's like an electric blanket, but just bigger. Oh, man. So not falling for that one again. Wish I could return it. Yeah. Pass the return window. Not sure what to do with it now.

I did some collagen masks from Instagram. They're like the white masks that, like, dry and clear. I'll say the experience was fun, right? You get a really, it's really jelly, like the material, and then it just dries and it dries clear. So it's very satisfying. But when I took it off, you know, I was still, I was still Rachel. Were you hoping to be like a new person? I don't know what I was hoping for.

I think when you watch like the Instagram people do it, I think they had pretty skin to begin with. And you don't see their skin before. You just see them like putting it on and they take it off and it's like a baby's bottom. Like their skin has no blemishes. It's like perfect. And you're like, that could be mine. No sun spots. Wow.

There's sun damage, you know, just no pores, no scar, nothing. You kind of expect when you take it off, it's like a... Like a new skin. It's just not what I thought it was going to be, you know, kind of one of those things. Dang. We'll make sure to DMS your guilty charged questions if you have them, because we love getting... Y'all are so creative.

You really are, so we so appreciate it. A lot of good ones out there. And if you enjoyed this episode, then you would love the episode on harmless purchases that drain your bank account. It's coming up next. and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.