Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - Debating: ’NSync Reunion, the Housing Market and Other Trends

Episode Date: October 26, 2023

George and Rachel are doing hot takes on pop culture, current events and money—yes, even more than usual. We’re talking about things like the housing market reality, how much an ’NSync reunion ticket is worth, and how to talk about money with your friends (without being awkward).      In this episode: ·     The cheapest moves Rachel and George have made lately ·     Why George thinks Airbnb investing is a risky business ·     The question on everyone’s mind: Is Buc-ee's worth the hype or overrated?   Helpful Resources:   ·     Start making memories. Go NOW and get Tapple at Walmart or wherever you buy board games. ·     Booking a flight with Going is the best and simplest way to pay less and travel more. Sign up for free today at going.com/smartmoney. ·     Preorder Rachel’s new children’s book, I’m Glad for What I Have. ·   Pre-order George's new book, Breaking Free From Broke, today! ·     Get your finances organized, make a plan, build your confidence, and kick money stress out of your life for good with the EveryDollar budgeting app. Go to www.everydollar.com/smartmoney to get started today. Use code SMARTMONEY to get a free two-week trial and $15 off your premium membership to EveryDollar. ·     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: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/compa...   This Week’s Happy Hour Special: Pistachio Martini Ingredients: ·     1 ounce vanilla vodka ·     1 ounce whipped vodka ·     3/4 ounce Bailey’s Irish Cream ·     3/4 ounce amaretto ·     3 pistachios (for garnish)   Instructions: In a chilled cocktail shaker, combine the vanilla vodka, whipped vodka, Bailey’s Irish Cream and amaretto. Fill the shaker with ice, attach the lid, and shake it for 30 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a martini glass, top with three pistachios as a garnish, and serve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz. I'm George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers. Mmm. That's delicious. Wow. That is a bomb for the soul.

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. And not to toot our own horns, Rachel, but we are really delivering in this episode on that promise. Yes, we're going to talk about pop culture, current events and money. Wow.

That's a first for this show? All with this voice, George. Yeah, what's going on here, Rachel? I lost my voice. But we are going strong. I feel fine. I just sound terrible. And when you do a podcast for a living,

it's quite unfortunate. It's kind of a cool vibe. I thought you went to voice training for this. I should have like an 80-year-old smoker. I'm Rachel Cruz. I love, yeah. If you were French, you could pass. I could do it.

I could do it. Okay, so I'm not excited about that, George. But do you know what I am excited about? Tell us. Oh my gosh, y'all. I like literally, this is like years of the making. My first children's book is out on pre-order right now, today. Like you can go and pre-order it today.

It's so beautiful. It comes out November 7th. What's it called? It's called I'm glad for what I have. And can I just say, as a parent, I love a story that rhymes, has animals, and is short. Not a 35-minute novel. That's right. Anne has a message for kids and the parents.

Now, can I guess what it's about? I have not read it. Is it about contentment? It is about contentment. That's such a Rachel topic, and we're here for it. Our kids just constantly want stuff. My kids constantly want stuff. Let's be honest, I love stuff.

But learning that your stuff isn't going to fulfill you. So the little animals go on a journey to figure it out and understand it. And it's precious. And you got the best illustrator I've ever seen for this book. You didn't hand draw these. I wish you were that talented. Yeah, Lauren Gagos was the illustrator, and she's incredible. So anyways, just like, I mean, I can't eat.

It's probably illegal. It's probably illegal. Hey, if you're watching on YouTube, you're welcome. I'm going to do this real quick. I'm going to see all the colors. So, I mean, it's just precious. So anyways, I'm glad for what I have. I can't wait to read it to little Mia.

Mia is going to get as many copies as she wants. She's so blessed. But she should be glad for what she has. She doesn't eat any more, Rachel. She will be content, George. It's on free sale right now. It is. And people can go check it out.

Yep, go to Rachelcruz.com. Pre-order today. I'm there. Oh, thanks, George. Okay. So this episode, again, we're going to talk about pop culture, current events and money. But we have a fun little thing that's going to happen. We got a little fishbowl here.

A financial fishbowl, if you will, fishbowl finance. A little alliteration for you. A bunch of topics that we've never seen. And we're going to draw it out and give you kind of our quick off-the-cuff takes. And we may disagree. That's the tension that you're hoping for. And I think it should happen. That's what the people want, Rachel.

For sure. But what are we sipped on in this episode, George? Today, you'll notice we are sipping out of this martini glass because this is a pistachio martini. And it's delicious. And let me tell you, you don't have to be a huge pistachio fan to love this. That's true. This is a nice wading into the waters of the pistachio universe. That's right.

It's really good. So stick around until the end. We'll give you our rating, the review, and the cost breakdown per glass. Yes. But before we jump in to the episode, we want to tell you about Tapel. You guys have heard us talk about it before. and we love it. So fun.

Each round takes only 10 seconds, and honestly, you could use this as a fun game with your spouse or your kids to see who does the dishes for the day. I never thought about that. It's like a little wager action. So whoever wins

that 10 second round of Tappel doesn't have to do the dishes, which I think is so fun. So make sure to grab Tappel today at Walmart or wherever you buy board games and you'll think is later. That's right. And husbands,

it's a fun game. Even if you win, still do the dishes. Trust me. That's nice, George. That's nice. I'm looking at you, Winston Cruz. Just kidding. He's a gym. He's a gym.

All right, Rachel. I'm kind of nervous. I don't know what's in here. We've got different topics. They're all related to the three categories of this show. Since we're in the money space, of course, we can't walk out of here without talking about money. So you're going to leave with some actual teaching and not just our hot takes. Yeah, that's right. That's right.

And we want to show you. You know, you can talk about anything, even money. And it'll not be awkward. Have fun. It's only as awkward as you make it. It's going to be great. You want to go first or me. Uh, ladies first, I feel like.

Okay. All right. So we're going to go back and forth, picking one. We'll both share our take and we'll move on. All right, here we go. Oh, reality TV. This is great. Harmless entertainment or moral decay.

Ooh, okay. I'm going to go moral decay, Rachel. Oh, George. Have some fun. You're telling me that reality TV is harmless. Mm-hmm. That it doesn't affect people in any way negatively. I mean, any, you're using extreme words here.

Any way? I mean, sure, maybe to a degree. But not to... There's a scale of reality shows that I think are more harmful. But I do think you can go in and be like, this isn't real and I can still enjoy. Everything on the Kardashians is real.

Let's just put that out there. Okay, because I think subconsciously, like the Kardashians, you have a certain lifestyle that you get used to watching on your screen and then when you don't have that, you do like... There's probably a subconscious play, but you think about love is blind or The Bachelor, all of that.

Like, it's not about lifestyle. Those are about love. And you know that it's like... Like, it's about love. Anyone that goes on a TV show to find love is doing it for their own fame and narcissism, Rachel. Okay, but as the viewer, who care? Like, moral decay. Okay, fine, whatever.

Final answer, although I do less money. I'm going entertainment. Okay, you go. All right. Recent celebs splits. OMG or who cares? OMG. I'm, of course, going, who cares?

Here's some examples to show you why I don't care. Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner Is that a big deal? Yeah, I don't even know who she is. Well, she was an actress on the Game of Thrones A show I've never watched. I know, I haven't watched it either. Joe Jonas, I only know because of the Joe Bros.

The only biggest thing is that T. Swift let her live in her apartment. So Taylor Swift and Joe Jonas had a thing for like a hot second when they were like 16. You're spilling the tea right now. I know. And now Sophie Turner is living in Taylor Swift. this Manhattan apartment while they're going through the divorce. So they have a shared ex-man. I know.

What's that Taylor's song where she says, My Ex-Man? Shake it off. My ex-man and his new girlfriend. Is she talking about Joe Jonas? She probably could be. Who knows? It could be one of thousands of men. I mean, okay, sure.

Who really cares? But I think. Brittany Spears and Sam as gosh. O. B. Spears, man. I just saw her dancing with knives the other day on Instagram. Did you see the Hobartman TV? Brittany, we're worried about you. We are worried.

I do feel for her. Free Britney, I don't know. So you're in the camp of OMG with celebs. Oh, 100%. I'm in the camp of who cares. But let me remind you, Rachel, that Brittany follows me on Twitter and she does not follow you. I learned that last episode podcast. I can't believe it.

So, Brittany, we're here for you. I can't believe it. All right. Ready for this one, George? Okay, this is for you. Cryptocurrency. Great investment. or horrible investment strategy.

Oh, well, if you know me, Rachel, you know that I've called cryptocurrency Mary Kay for young men. Yes. And I stand by that, and as time goes on, I know I'm on the right side of history. And you say that because they're just obsessed with it.

They're obsessed with it. It's all they talk about, and it's kind of a scam. Like, you've kind of gotten brainwashed a little bit when you're deep in it. Like, these crypto guys, their profiles start with like hashtag dogecoin and hashtag crypto.

I'm like, get a life, Yeah, not good. So how do you invest, George? Some people have made money doing it, but don't think that you're going to be the next one. It is so speculative. It's not based on anything. I invest in my 401k in mutual funds and in my own home by having it paid for it. That's it.

I'm so boring, Rachel. I love a Roth. You love a Roth? Roth is great. Also, your favorite character from Friends. Roth and Roth. I just wanted to see if I could get her with that. Roth and Rachel.

Roth and Rachel. Roth and Rachel. And I love an HSA too. You can max out your health savings account. And a great way to invest, actually. And I'm not mad at Vanguard. A good S&P? Nobody's mad at Vanguard.

We're not mad at Vanguard. We're not mad at Vanguard either. Who's yelling at Vanguard? We're not yelling at Vanguard. I love Schwab. Yeah. Shout out to Schwab. But crypto, boo.

Come on, people. All right, you ready for this one? The housing market. Or did I do two, I did two in a row. Oops, sorry. Got a little. The nerve. The nerve.

The fishbowl. It's okay. You can have this one. The housing market. Still achieable. or a pipe dream. Oh, for potential homeowners. This is hard.

It's a frustrating topic. Yeah. Because especially if you are wanting to get into it, what you could have bought in 2019, you know, it's a totally different game now. So is it a pipe dream? No. I would not say it's a pipe dream.

It may take you longer, and it probably will take you longer to save and do it the right way to get out of debt, have an emergency fund, have a good down payment of at least 5%. You know, and making sure your mortgage is no more than 25% of your take-home pay on a 15-year fixed rate, right?

So there's some parameters, and because of those parameters... The numbers are less exciting now. That's right, yes. So you're going to feel it a little bit more. But when you're ready to buy house, buy house, right? I mean, we're not seeing prices dropping, rates, sadly, are only, like, slowly still going up. So, like, if you're ready to get in, get in.

Yeah, if you're waiting on rates and the market to crash, don't do that. Just get your financial house in order, no pun intended. Save up the down payment. get out of day, get the emergency fund, and buy when you're ready. And guess what? You may have to change your expectations and buy in a different area. Yeah.

May have to start with a condo or townhome instead of that single family home that you were dreaming of. But I'd rather you get into the home ownership game earlier versus waiting for this dream home. And then the target keeps moving. That's right. So I'm somewhere in between pipe dream and achievable right now based on where things are at. I feel for you guys. Yeah. Hoping for the best.

God bless. You can be a homeowner one day. Just find love like Roth and Rachel. Find love. Okay, more pop culture for you. Boy Band Reunion Tour, overhyped or worth every penny? Worth every penny! Oh my gosh.

And you know where this is coming from? If in sync. The NSYNC will there, won't they? Have they come out with any news? Well, they, I think, because I make sure, if I'm wrong, correct me, Lindsay. Okay. Because they're together for the Trolls 3 soundtrack. Yes, they reunited to do a track on it.

Yeah, because the Trolls 3 whole, like, premise of that movie is Justin Timberlake's little troll guy, his brother comes back and is like, you broke up the bands and poppy learns, you had a band's branch and it's a boy band and it's in sync. So there's like the big song with them. Anyway, so they're back together for the trolls soundtrack. I don't know who's struggling more at this point. Is it the trolls people or is it in sync to where they're like, guys, we got to resurrect this. Trolls three is how we do it. That was not on my bingo card. I know. And I think, I could be wrong, But the whole troll's freaking out. Yeah.

So Insync has now been together and all these like videos and pictures. Oh, people are freaking out. Y'all. And I would, I never got to see them in concert. I was, I didn't either. I said I will spend money. I would too. Kelly Jones invited me in the fourth grade and we had a family reunion that weekend and I couldn't go.

Was it worth skipping NSYNC for a family reunion? No, what? Because we've had one every year. Yeah. Hey, Sharon Ramsey, Dave Ramsey, if you're watching this, that's how much Rachel cares about family. No. I want you to know. But anyway.

I would pay out of feeling. How much would you pay to go see NSYNC at, you know, our arena here in town? Oh, my gosh. Per ticket. I would go solo if I had to. Okay. Oh, man. I mean, I'm going, I'm going a grand.

I knew it. My heart set a grand for Rachel. Lindsay, how about you? It's hard because I want to say the same thing, but then I'm like, would I, though? but I really want to see them. So I guess if the only way I could is if I spent... Bye, bye, bye. I know.

Just like take it in. If I only could, like, say it was only a grand, like that was the only choice. At first, you would do it. But really, my high end would be like $500. I was going to say $500 for Lindsay. Okay. Yeah. My high end is $250.

If someone's like, hey, I've got like face value tickets $250, I get it. I would go with Whitney as like a support. That first CD and I can see it, the cover. And then, you know, when you take it out of it, of the disc, the case, and you read the bios, they all thanked God at the beginning. And I was like, see, Dad, they're Christians. I was like, I want to thank God and my family. And I was like, oh, man, I love Jesus.

That is hilarious. I believe. I want them to make a comeback. Did you see that Taylor Swift freaked out? I can't remember was it for the, what award show was it recently? Oh, yeah, because they gave her MTV Music Awards. Yeah, they like, they were the ones who announced it. She was like, something's about to happen, like, really big.

I'm dying. Yeah, yeah. Anyways, okay. I'm going to go overhyped, Rachel. The guys don't have that anymore. Like, you're listening to tracks. I want you to know that. To your point that they don't have it anymore,

I'm not saying that they don't have it. But they are, I'm like, they are, and they're like mid-40s. Yep. You know, dad bought, I mean, like, they're dads. Yeah. So it's just, it'll be funny to watch them like,

I don't know that they would still do that. I feel like. I feel like they would. You think they would still be doing like no streams? Oh, yeah, 100%. Okay. All right, your turn. No, I went double.

Remember, so you go. Oh, what a gentleman. Airbnb investing, money-making scheme or smart money move. Ooh. Wow. Do you have strong opinions about Airbnb investing? I think if it's done right, it could be great. How many people are doing it right?

Probably not a lot. Probably 0.01%. So here's what we mean by doing it right. Explain. Yeah, I mean, if any investment, real estate, day. We don't believe in debt. So you're going to save up and buy a condo, probably, you know, we'll take Nashville as an example, crappy part of Nashville, but you do it, you make it cute and great, and you put it out there on Airbnb, make some passive income if you don't want

a single tenant. It's a lot of work. There's a lot of stuff involved. But if you have in the right place, good location, to a degree that's accessible to downtown, you could make it work. But talk about the poor side of it. Well, most people are putting as little down as possible and going, well, the Airbnb is going to make so much more money than the mortgage, Rachel. So it's going to work out beautifully for me. And now we're seeing all these articles and headlines about the Airbnb crash coming. Oh, tell me about that. Yes.

Well, there's just so much saturation. Oh, yeah. And if you don't get enough bookings, you can't make your mortgage payment. And people are getting sick of the cleaning fees and all the inflated prices. And honestly, sometimes I'd just rather go to a hotel. I think if you're not with a group of people, Airbnb's don't always make sense. Yeah, and if you're on the side of the buyer, I would rather have a year-long tenant

that's consistent income and you're not having to, like, change it out every time. So I get that too. So I'm going to go money-making scheme, I feel like it's too generous. I'm going to say risky move. Don't listen to TikTokers. Risky move. All right, here we go.

Question, what is your most recent splurge purchase? Oh, gosh. Okay, I just got judgment for this. Okay. On Twitter. Why are you on Twitter? I got tagged. I don't know.

You mean X? Yes. So I was on the Ramsey show with your dad, Dave Ramsey, and I mentioned this guy sent a question about baby expenses. And I was like, well, you don't have a lot of expenses unless you're buying something really expensive, like a $1,000 stroller. And this guy's like, who's buying a $1,000 stroller? And I was like, just slinked out of my chair.

He's set of in-sink tickets. Yes. They're buying me a stroller. But it was. partially a gift. So we didn't have to spend all thousand. But that's a recent splurge. And let me tell you, we went on a walk yesterday. Game changer. Whitney was like, this is the Rolls Royce of strollers and it was so worth every penny. And it's going to last you like multiple kids. If you have multiple kids, like, you want to give a shout out to the stroller? You know. I do. Because we got one.

And it did. It lasted all three kids. It comes with a bassinet. It comes to the bassinet. It feels like a paid advertisement. It is not. No. And then you can add seats, which I think a lot of strollers these days can do that. But it's just great quality. Up a baby. Vista V2. So good. Shout out. Shout out. Vista V2.

Okay. What's your splurge? What would that be? I'm trying to think. We're about to go on vacation with the kids for fall break. Ooh. And we kind of splurged, I feel like. Like nicer place.

Yeah, but we're only going for four nights instead of like the full week. That's coming up. I'm trying to think of like a thing. Like an item, an object? Okay, this is so stupid because it's not probably a splurge. But I bought an outfit from Amazon. That's a slurge? No, but listen, it was so cute.

And I wore it traveling a lot, so I was like, I need to wash it because it has a lot of Southwest on it, you know? Oh. And so I washed it, and it came back terrible. Oh, yeah, you bought a new one. Yes, and then I went and bought a new one, but it was $40. And I was like, do you buy a $40 Amazon outfit, but it has to be dry cleaned?

Because you can't wash it. Wait, did it get ruined in dry cleaning or it ruined at home washing? No, ruined at home washing. Did it say dry clean only? Yeah. So anyways, I bought it again, and it was one of those that just kind of stung. Can you return it? I don't know.

30 days. 30-day return. No, it's been past all that. So it just felt like a splurge to buy it again, because I bought it again. Wow. Thank you for your vulnerability. So brave, Rachel. I don't know that counts as a splurge, but it felt like a wasteful.

It felt like wasteful. That's made what it was. A stupid decision on my. and took something from me. We've all been there. I know. And now I've got to dry clean it. Would you pay for something cheap and to dry clean it?

Yeah, this is, can I be honest? This shirt, it was $12.99 at T.J. Max. But I get it dry cleaned, and it's like, you know, a few bucks every time I do it. Okay. But we're fine with that. I stand by dry cleaning my button up so that they last longer. Okay. I'm going to take it.

I'm going to be confident in it and go. Maxinista. All right. I don't know why. Why am I giving shoutouts to all like, you all got to pay to play, okay? Oh, it's your turn. Is it? No, I did the scourge.

Oh, best TV show of all time, Friends or The Office. This one feels like they're just trying to drop a conversation grenade. I know. This is not how to make friends with Rachel. I mean, it's Friends. The Office is hysterical. But Friends is like, it's timeless. Like, you still watch it and it's still so funny.

Yeah, but The Office is better. Okay. It has better writing. No. They're writing on Friends. The laugh-out-loud moments on the office, I think, are, they stick with you. Okay, the humor is different. I think Friends was a time and a place. We were all young. We were going through something. Whatever.

You know. I think you're going to have your little soapbox, George. My office home is not. I mean, now it's easy. It's like liking Coldplay, right? It's the easy choice, but it's just better. So good. Okay. These are so funny. Justin Bieber showing up to Haley's. road beauty event in sweatpants bad call or what's the big deal

okay I saw this photo are we able to put the photo up on the screen editor is this where she has like the really cute dress and he has a hoodie and it's tied with that when I heard he's wearing sweatpants I was like no big deal then I saw the photo he has the hood on

and then scrunched up the tie I still pray for Bieber I love Bieber is just like a hashtag I don't know about like hashtag pray for Bieber I do I have such a heart for him I got to know who's on your prayer list at this point Because we had some other celebs on there Is it largely celebs on your prayer list at this point?

There are some that I'm like I just feel like they just need the extra you know Wow I do love him though I think Bieber is great I really do But he looks ridiculous He looked ridiculous in that picture

What was the aunt or and there Bad call or what's the big deal No it was a it was ridiculous My heart said what's the big deal Then I saw it It was tied with his face and a hot pink hat. It was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. Well, it was almost like he was trying to kind of ruin her moment.

And it just feels like, are they okay? Like, are they okay? Yeah. I don't think so, no. Now, let's say this is, Rachel, you just launched a book, right? You're at the book tour, you're walking on, the book signing. Winston is behind you with a hoodie tight as tight as he can on his face. blocking his entire face with a pink hat on,

would you and Winston be in a fight for weeks after that? Yes, the answer is yes. I know, but they are different in Hollywood. Winston and Bieber are basically the same person to me. They're both untouchable celebrities that can do no wrong. Oh my gosh. No. Okay.

Yeah, I'd say bad call. Buckys, worth the hype or overrated? Have you been to a Buckees? I have. For those that don't know, Bucky's is a popular gigantic gas station Walmart that exists. I'm going to say worth the hype. I'm going to say worth the hype because I was so impressed.

When I walked in, I literally was like the bathrooms are spotless and there's someone always cleaning. There's a NASCAR pit crew in there they've hired to clean constantly. It's unbelievable. And the amount of times I laughed out loud, in Bucky, speaking of laughing out loud, was I mean, I'm walking. At the people shopping there? No. Oh, who are you laughing at? at the branding and the swimsuits.

They have swimsuits and baby birthcloths. And pajamas. And baby burp cloths. That are Bucky's branded. Yes. Like they have so much swag. So much decor, clothing, food. Peanuts.

And like, have you tried? That's the least shocking part. That's what I'm saying. You walk in, you're like, these are the most random things ever. They are, but peanuts. And it's not got me. Bucking. It's so normal.

Did you try the brisket? Did you try the brisket? No, I didn't. I would say, I never say this about gas stations, but risk it for the brisket. I mean, y'all, I'm telling you, it is the funniest story ever. I'm like, I walk in, I'm like, this is just hysterical. Now. It's worth taking a road trip just to stop at the Buckees.

I know. But I probably wouldn't, like, sport a bunch of Bucky's stuff. What? She's not the type. I have a Buckees cup looking at me from, from Emily back there. I'm so sorry. Sorry, Emily. No, no shade, but Rachel's also judging you. No, I'm not judging. I don't know if I'd invest in all the gear, but I just think it's brilliant.

I mean, I walk in, I'm like, this is so funny to me. Well, they took a gas station, made it into a Walmart, but then also made, like, the employees are happy to be there. They pay really well. You can make six figures with no college degree working on a bucket. Can we talk about how many gas pumps there are? I have a bejillion. I mean, it's unbelievable. It is. I would say worth the hype. Now, is it a little bit over the top with how excessive people have gotten? Yes. 11% investing returns.

Insane or realistic. People get so angry with us. Ticked. Ticked. When it comes to our investing, we've thrown out 12% and you would have thought or like speaking.

Well, people think that we're just making this up out of thin air like it's an opinion. And they also think, well, Rachel, my 401K, I didn't get 12% this year, so you're lying through your teeth. I don't know why they're all from Rick's boats.

Rick, calm down. Calm down, Rick. So the facts are, if you look at the S&P 500, which is the largest 500 companies that essentially make up the stock market, you will see that the S&P 500 for decades. Over a few decades now, you'll see S&P 500. Now it's different from the Indy 500s,

different altogether. You'll see average annual return, Rachel, 10 to 12%. That's a heck of a deal. Okay, and I'm going to say, Rick, last year, it was even higher. The S&P, it was average in close to I mean, like, it was crazy. It was crazy what the market was doing this year.

Some of years it'll be up to 21%. Some years it's down 18%. But if you take the average of all of that, 10 to 12% is where it's at. And that's how you can become a millionaire. So good. One more, Rachel. Ooh, should every person at every stage of wealth make giving a priority? Why?

Two-parter. What's your take on this? Yes, for sure. and why, I mean, we say it all the time, but it is true. When you're giving, there's a joy that's created in that that's unlike anything else. And when you're in the habit of giving, even when you don't have a lot, and you start to pay off debt and get an emergency, you start to invest, and you start to build wealth the right way, that just is magnified. Because we say that money magnifies who you are. And when you're a giver, even when it's tight, and you're able to give when you're able to give, when you're,

you have a lot, it becomes easier because a lot of people think, I'll just give if I had more money. And it's not always the case, right? And so, because your lifestyle creep happens, like, life just starts to happen. But when giving is a part of who you are, it's the best, right? Because we want people to win with money. And it's not just to, like, hoard a bunch of money and buy a bunch of crap you don't need, right? You can buy some stuff. That's fine. But if that's it, like, you live a pretty hollow, shallow life. Oh, called out. That's a good take. The giving part is really important. To quote the great Rachel Cruz, give a little until you can give a lot. Thank you.

That's one of my favorite Rachel quotes. Thank you, George. That sums it up nicely. And I truly believe that. And it's not about, like, well, I'll have less money to hit my financial goals. So what you're saying, that doesn't make any sense. You're telling me I need to get at it. Yes, but not at the expense of being a selfless person and having that open hand with money.

We found you just live a better life. Will it slow down your debt snowball by a month? Sure, whatever. But you're going to have more joy along the way. And later on. Yes. Yes. And it's amazing what like $20 would do for somebody, right?

I mean, just like it can be small stuff. But people just appreciate it. Like when, you know, when you're giving and especially to people that need it, it's amazing things. I love it. That's a good one to end on George. I want to end on something serious instead of this boy band crap, Rachel. Golly. Unbelievable.

What can we take from all this? I think that talking about money can be fun. It doesn't be awkward. Was this awkward for you? The office friends question got a little dicey. Okay. But I'm going to forgive you. If that was the most awkward, we're doing okay as friends.

We're doing fine. Friendship is intact. Friendship is there. But I think it just proves that yes. I think talking about money, making that more normal conversation with people, I think is really good. Absolutely. And the other thing, people feel like it's awkward and it's kind of passe to bring up money with friends. But it's around what you're talking about.

Like, are you talking about, hey, what are your financial goals? Tell me about that. Everyone wants to talk about that. It doesn't need to be like, what do you make? What do I? It's not this competition. It's the spirit of we're all trying to grow with money. Live by example.

And people will start asking questions. Like, whoa, what are you doing there? Oh, I'm actually just, I was doing my budget, just tracking my transactions. Hey, what you're using a debit card? Yeah, I found that when I use credit, I tend to spend more. And don't be judgy. Don't bash people over the head with your money beliefs. Right.

Because if you're watching the show, you're likely that person who, like, wants to talk about money with friends. But the other thing to do is share this podcast with them. Yeah, you can do that. because it is fun. Uh-huh. Absolutely. That's great, George. And I would say, too, celebrate people.

Like, if your friend buys a new car, don't be like, did you get on a car payment? Or did you save up and pay? Just be like, hey, great new car. It's so fun. Can I see it? Like, celebrate with people when they're doing, when they have big purchases or small purchases,

that's another thing with friends. Like, talk about it. Celebrate it. It's great. And if you can't do that with your friends or it's just get new friends. If you have friends, you have to keep up with, you know, those kinds of friends. For sure.

So that's what I do. Rachel's my new friend. Love the fish bowl. This is fun. We should do this more often. I know. It was a great one. All right.

It's almost the end of the episode, George. And we close out every episode with guilty as charged. And this is where our producer, Lindsay, gives us a new guilty charge question every week. If we are guilty, we have to take a sip. I don't have a lot left. So I'm going to save it. Wow. You've got a pistachio.

She has just three pistachios. I've got some pistachios in there. Okay. What's an embarrassingly cheap thing you are guilty? of doing. Oh, gosh. I feel like I have all of these and Rachel has none.

No, somewhere in there. She's got it. Okay. Do you know what mine is? I'm going to take a drink preemptively. I I don't know what I thought of this. This is literally the first one thing

that came to my head. I love when I go to a restaurant and they have the little Tabasco. Little Tabasco bottles. And you take the Tabasco bottles. Do you collect them? I keep in my home

because I love Tabasco I love Tabasco. Do you use them? And when I have them, sure, yeah, yeah. But when I see free Tabasco You're like, that's a huge one for me. And especially hotel restaurants We'll have these.

I see them the most When we go to a hotel Like for an event And you're there at lunch They have like the sugar packets The small ketchup And the little Tabasco bottles. Wow.

Are you taking like one or are you taking like five? Well, they usually only have one or two They don't give you like a pile of them I will take whichever ones they give me. I steal Tabasco. Those are fun. From hotels and restaurants. All right.

Is that fair? Is that a good one? Yeah. I don't know why that can do me. Live your truth. Own it. I do a lot of cheap things constantly, but I think my biggest one is whenever I'm eating out, I just feel like food is so overpriced, and so I'm always trying to convince Whitney to split a meal with me.

Still, we're doing great. We can both get our own meal, guys. but I still am like, it's so much food, it's so expensive. Let's just split a meal and get some waters and call it a day. Oh, man. Well, you know, if she's a Chick-fil-A, it's like, let's get the gluten-free bun, let's get a peach milkshake, let's live a little bit. And I'm like, I'll have the kids meal and I'll trade my toy for the ice dream.

And it's still $8, Chick-fil-A. What are you doing? What are you doing? So that's my big cheap thing is when it comes to food. I just feel like it's so over-grossed. And I understand if you're like, I'm going to skip the appetizers, but to split the entree. You know I skip those apps, Rachel. We've learned.

It makes me so sad. You live such a sad life, George. I need to go out with you in Winstonmore. You live... Just enjoy. Can we cut that as its own clip? Yes. You live such a sad life.

That's why I need friends like Rachel. There's joy in giving and joy in appetizers. Enjoy and spending. That's true. We all need a Rachel in our life. It's the apps. Just enjoy. But I think I'm scarred from not going out to eat as a kid. We never went out to eat.

And so now I feel like I'm living my truth. We know what? We were all in New York together, all the personalities. And we splurged Rachel. It was the best. And it wasn't on our dime, and that matters. But we had some of the best oysters we've ever had in our lives. Our CFO's going to listen to this and be like, you spent what?

The oysters were fantastic. Anyways, that was fun. That was great. Be vulnerable. Let us know in the comments what you're guilty of doing that's super cheap because I think y'all will have some fun answers. That's right. All right. Who finished their drink first, George?

You're down to three single pistachios. I love a pistachio and I love a martini. And it kind of felt like an espresso martini It does have that vibe To a degrade But a pistachio, a little flavor in it Well let me tell you what's in it Rachel

First of all, would you rate it? 10 out of 10. You know how happy I would get that at dinner one night Mixologist Michael Reddish Is going to be so happy. It is sweet. It's good though.

So I would do that instead of an espresso martini. Well, I'll tell the audience because it's a fun behind the scenes fact Our mixologist Michael Reddish texts us after every single episode It says would you rate it? Yeah, he does. Which I love that he's like

He's like, he wants to know. And then I have to tell him, like, I said a six on ten. Imagine a chef at a restaurant right after you eat the meal. I was like, what did you guys think? Would you? Give me a rating. So, Rachel's 10 of 10.

I'm going to go 9 out of 10. Okay. It was a little bit sweet for me, but it's delicious. Yeah. So I was, you know, I like something a little more complexity. Okay, could you imagine this with a gluten-free warm brownie at a restaurant? Now, that I could go for. Or even this poured over ice cream.

Wow. Kind of like an a fagado. A what? Afagato. How are you fancy and so cheap at all at the same time, George? Take gelato with a shot of espresso over it. No way? Because you eat the bitterness of the espresso with the rich sweetness of the gelato.

I'm into that. I'm into that. Wow. Order it next time you see it on a menu. Thank me later. I know. I've never seen it on a menu. Is it like a common thing?

They have it at some gelatarias. Fancy restaurants that George goes to because he's spiced an entree. There you go. I'm boozy at heart, but cheap in my mind. That was fun. Okay, here's what's in this, Rachel. People want to know what the heck is in a pistachio martini. It's got vanilla vodka, whipped vodka, Bailey's Irish cream, Amaretto, and float of three pistachios as a garnish.

So wonderful. And the cost breakdown? $3.13. I mean, oh, my gosh. No, my gosh. It's great. That's awesome. So good. All right.

It's almost closing time, George. You guys, thanks for listening to this episode. please leave a review. We love going in and seeing all your wonderful reviews. It makes us feel good. It really is. But more than just our self-esteem, it helps get the show in front of people that may not see it. Because we want to teach them that money can be fun and enjoyable.

So make sure to leave a review. Make sure to pre-order if you want. I'm glad for what I have. It comes out next week. It's so exciting. I know. So there's that. And yeah, you guys, that was it.

So we'll see you next Thursday on an all-new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour. Thank you.