Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - How to Fund Your Bucket List Before You Die

Episode Date: June 8, 2023

Not sure how to afford your pre-RIP dreams? Rachel and George are here to help! Plus, they’ll reveal America’s most popular bucket list items, react to the internet’s weirdest life goals, and share a few things from their own personal bucket lists!   In This Episode: ·      Rachel teaching George the bucket list writer’s anthem (Hint: 🪂🏔️🐂) ·      What’s actually motivating America to think about living life to the fullest ·      The unexpected experience that showed up on both George and Rachel’s bucket lists 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. Go to www.everydollar.com/smart to get started today. ·      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: Negroni 1 ounce dry gin 1 ounce Campari 1 ounce sweet vermouth Orange peel   In a mixing glass filled with ice, combine the gin, vermouth and Campari. Stir for 30 seconds (or until cold). Strain mixture into an ice-filled rocks glass. Twist the orange peel over your glass to create an herbal, aromatic drinking experience. Use the orange twist as garnish—enjoy!  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, George. Cheers. Mmm. Delicious. Goes down smooth.

Well, this is the podcast where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. So everything from pop culture, current events, and money. And today we're talking about stuff like skydiving. Rocky Mountain climbing. Going 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumann Shoe. So again, live like you are. dying. Tim McGraw. Those were all song lyrics? Okay, can we talk about this? I thought those were very

specific bucket list items. We're going to dive in, but y'all need to know the truth behind what is happening right now. We introed this earlier about two minutes ago. I messed up the intro, and I said, I'm so sorry, I forgot the song lyrics to Tim McGraw's song. George over here says, oh, I'm sorry, that was the word lyrics to a Tim McGrath song. And I said, live like you were dying. And I even sang for you, George. I don't sing for people. Oh, that was singing? I was good. Is that actually, are we classifying that as singing?

Rachel's known for a generosity. It was a talk home. I'll say that. It was a talk home. George, that is lyrics to a song about Live Like You Were Dying, and that's what today's episode is all about. And you didn't know the Tim McGrath song. I am gleefully ignorant when it comes to country music.

I genuinely, it was a really hit song. They're like people that don't know music, know that song. You underestimate my ability to avoid country music. That's unbelievable. That's very impressive. What year was that? Like, what year were you listening to this hit song? Probably like 20, I'm going to say 20, 20, 2008?

20, 2008. 2003? 2003? 2003? Ever since I've had an iPod, I've had an ability to listen to what I want to listen to. Okay, well, anyways, all that to say, this is the theme of today. We're talking about living like you're dying. We're confronting our own mortality, Rachel, and talking about the morbidly

inspiring practice of making a bucket list. Bucket list. And while we're doing that, we're sipping on something delicious. A nigroney? This is a nagroney. And we're going to give you our rating, the cost to make it and the recipe at the end of the episode, if you're nice, if you listen all the way through. That's right.

And we have a little change on set, George. Lindsay is living like she's dying. She is out of the country. Was she inspired by our all-inclusive episode? She's like, I've got to go on vacation. I've got to get out of here. Lindsay's on vacay for a little bit. So we have a guest producer, my producer from my YouTube channel, Alex.

Alex. Alex is here. Honor to have you. Welcome, Alex. Oh, so happy to be here. I'm so glad to get some eye candy. That's right. Do you feel the wonderful power of the greatness of this podcast?

It's so good. It's so happy to be here. This is going on your resume. Oh, my goodness. This is my money happy hour. It's on my IMDP. No one will hire you, but you can put it on your resume. That's great.

Sounds great. All right, Rachel, let's dive in. So do you know where the term bucket list even comes from? I don't think I do. I guess you were too busy listening to Tim McGrath songs to Google it. I don't know. I'll tell you where it came from. Tell me.

It just means things you want to do before you kick the bucket. That's really all the etymology. Who knew? It's a cute way of saying before you die, kick the bucket. For those that, you know, I know there's children listening, so I want to make sure the kids understand. That is true. Okay. So why are bucket lists, why are they so popular, George?

Why do you think, like, people love to make them? I think we all want meaning and purpose out of life, and it feels so ephemeral, which is a $10 word to say temporary. I have a degree. Are we? My friends don't talk like that. But, you know, we're all like yolo mentality, and we want to make the most, and we don't want to wait towards 70 to enjoy life. And so people make these bucket lists to go, like, here's the things I really want to do and accomplish. And there is something kind of like you're just dreaming, right, when you're making these lists.

Some of them are very far-fetched. So there is something fun about, like, getting out of your normal routine and reality of life and kind of just being like, it's fun. What could I do? What does the world have for me? Like, if you're talking with friends, it's fun to talk bucketless. It gets you thinking. It gives you ideas. Can I say this, though? Before this episode, I wasn't a big bucketless person, but 95% of Americans are. 95% of Americans say that they have made a bucketless in my life. So I know. Are you a bucketless person, naturally?

I wasn't until I got married and most of our bucket list was just like travel stuff and a few financial goals. But since then, because of this episode, I really was thoughtful with it. Yes. I got super intentional and I got excited and I got carried away. Your list was long, George. Well, Rachel's already accomplished everything a human being could accomplish in life. I have a ways to go. I'm just kidding.

No, but you had some really great ones. I thought. Thank you for that. Well, bucket list can also be stressful because it can backfire. and you can go like, oh my gosh, I haven't accomplished anything. My life is over. Yeah, totally. So caveat, don't do that.

Yeah. Be nice to yourself. Here's my thing. If I don't accomplish anything on the bucket list, I'm okay. I still have great meaning and purpose in my life. That's right. Okay, but there were reasons that people were prompted to make a bucket list. So 38% said just getting to a certain age.

I think I could see that. What age is that for you? You haven't probably hit it yet, like a midlife crisis. Yeah, I feel like when you're 40, I'm getting there. But I feel like at 40, you kind of reevaluate a lot where you're like, okay, I've done the career thing. For the most part, you kind of have established kids and all that. Yeah. So then you're thinking, what am I doing with my life?

Wow. So kids cause an existential crisis is what I'm hearing. Not specifically. Maybe 40 does. There's something about 40. I don't know what it is. I know. I feel like I'm looking forward to 40.

Yeah. Oh, I think it's going great. Okay, 12% of people said, though, that media prompted their bucket list. So like the movie The Bucket List came out. Yep, with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Did you see it? I didn't watch it. Me neither.

Maybe because I saw like two older people on the cover, I was like, I don't know if this is for me. I want to feel young again. But I've heard it's great. They're like hiking Everest and stuff in it, right? Yeah, they go on a grand adventure. Yeah. After meeting in a hospital, beautiful story. Wow.

11% said going on a significant trip caused them to make a budget list. Now, this could be me, where you go somewhere and you're like, why have we not done this before? We need to do this more. And then that causes you. That would be me. I'm feeling that. Well, you start to dream again when you're on trips, I feel like.

So true. I love a good trip. That's good. All right, 8% was because of illness or death in the family. Ooh. So honestly, I kind of thought it would be, that would be a higher percentage, to be honest. Because a bucket list is right when you're facing death. Yeah.

You're thinking, oh, my gosh. And when you experience that and losing someone close to you, it makes you think about life. And you think all the things they didn't accomplish. And it makes you go, what about all this stuff I haven't accomplished? Does that George? Kind of. You think about the person that's deceased. Not like someone older, but like when younger people pass, like it really makes me take stock.

I know. Like, have you ever had younger friends, like people you went to school with or co-workers? Yeah, yeah. And those are like the jarring ones to me. Yes, that's true. Because they're just gone too soon and you go, oh my gosh. And it makes you think every day. So precious.

So it's like, what am I going to do with my life? Yeah. True. That's fair. Five percent said it was from a recommendation by a family member or friend. to make one. Okay. 3% was an income change and 3% was being laid off from a job or quitting a job.

All right. I could see that. So both sides of the spectrum. Yeah. Either we're unemployed or we're doing better than ever. And we're like, we got to, ooh. All right. What's next?

I think the job one is big, though, because traditionally, right, 40 hours a week of your life is going to a thing. And when that shifts, it does make you rethink life a lot. That's a lot of hours in a week. That happened to me. I got fired from a job. Did an Apple? Yeah. You got fired at Apple?

That was kind of a joke. I know. Your dad, Dave Ramsey, has said the same thing. He was like, I didn't know you could get fired from the Apple store. What are you all even doing over there? What did you do, steal a phone? No, it was some innocuous thing where there was new management. They wanted a clean house, so they started nitpicking everything.

You know what? I feel like I've heard that story. Anyways, basically a genius, a literal genius from the genius bar, who fixes stuff. They got caught hacking a computer, basically, and I was all roped into it. And they went, you broke. You broke the contract of Apple, so you're both gone. And I was really sad. But you didn't go make a bucket list.

No, but it made me go like, I think I'm going to move across the country. And I did soon after that. There it is. And I started a band and I started, you know, just a lot of things changed. So it can be a good thing. Yeah, for sure, for sure. Okay, so once you decide to make a bucket list, then you got to figure out what are you going to put on it. That's the stressful part.

Okay, so this is great. This is a survey about some of the top items from Americans' bucket lists. So let's go, let's do every other real quick. Let's get this quick because I think this is good. All right, get healthier and lose weight. Travel to an exotic location. Achieve a wealth goal, like pay off debt on a home. See a natural wonder.

Change someone's life for the better. Get married. Have children. Learn a new language. Start your own business. Do an extreme sport, like skydiving. That's a big one. And attend a particular music festival.

Oh, and also write a novel. That's interesting. What do you think about those? Some are great. I don't care. I don't. I'm not a music festival gal. I like a chair. I like to sit in a chair when I'm listening to music. Some natural wonders I like. We love a natural wonder. What's your favorite natural wonder? Can you name one? The gardens. Of the galaxy? Of the gods? The hanging gardens of Babylon or something, isn't that one? Out of all the ones you could choose. I don't know. I can think of, I don't know the natural ones. I know aren't the pyramids. I don't. Aren't the pyramids. Oh, natural wonders are different than the eight wonders. Natural are different than the eight wonders of the world, right?

And they've expanded. I know. There's a garden. Is Niagara Falls a natural wonder? I'll count Niagara. Okay. I would go to that. What about Northern Lights?

That's the one that's online. Great one. That's the one for sure. Yeah, that's a good one. But I think these are all pretty good. Most of them involve financial goals, giving goals, physical goals. So I like that. Yes.

And I like it too because, again, it's a pretty meaningful thing to do, but you do what's valuable to you. That's important. And I love reading other people's bucket lists, so this is interesting too. It's a dark curiosity. Are you ready for this? Okay. Which of these celebrities do you think had speaking at Harvard Business School on their bucket list?

Martha Stewart, Lizzo, Kim Kardashian, or Reese Witherspoon? I'm going to go Kim Kardashian. I would go Reese. All right, the answer is Kim Kardashian. Oh, man. You know how I thought of that? Because she went to like, she went to like law school. and fought to, like, get people out of jail.

And I went like, oh, wow. Reese was legally blonde. We did it. You think that was a movie she was paid to do. Well, thank you. But that could be the actresses bucket list because she was part of the movie. That's true. That's true. Fair point.

Come on. Go to a Tim McGrath concert, George Sheesh. I'm pretty sure any of those people could speak at Harvard Business School at this point. Oh, 100%. That's a weirdly specific goal. That's really funny. Not just Harvard, but Harvard Business School. That's so funny.

So do you think any of your bucket list items will surprise our listeners? Uh, no, probably not. Mine will shock you. Really? Yes. Mine are pretty like, I hate to say it, probably generic. Oh. I don't know.

We'll have to see. All right. I think so. I was trying to build a little attention for the audience, right? Okay. You're out here going to have to wait and see. We're going to share some at the end of the episode, so stick around for that. So sometimes bucket list dreams get very unique.

and here's some hilarious examples we found from an old BuzzFeed article from 2018 because that's where we're at emotionally right now is 2018 BuzzFeed. So we're just going to rattle some off. These are from other people. This is so strange. Okay, you ready? Before I die, I want to treat myself to a face mask made of Chick-Flea sauce. What?

I love Chick-fil-A sauce, but I never want to eat it again after thinking about it as a face mask. Okay, here's one. Before I die, I wanted to crash a total stranger's wedding, then stand up and object at the ceremony. Oh my gosh. Would you ever do that? No, I couldn't ruin someone's day like that. That would be terrible.

I don't know. I feel like... I feel like... I feel like... I feel like... I've never done that. I would crash a wedding reception. Like if you knew there was one going on...

Yep. Go get dressed and like show up and just go dance and like get free food and stuff. What if someone was like, Rachel Cruz, is that you? I'm like, I love the bride! She's so nice. That's true.

You could get away with it. Because you're like, oh, I don't know them. They invited me on Instagram. And they would believe you. I'd say, no, I'd be a personal friend of the bride. How about you, George? Would you crash a wedding? No, I'd get sniffed out of there. I feel like I'd be the one who, like, I'd go to jail somehow.

You know what I mean? Like, it would become... The bullshit shows up. It's criminal activity. I wouldn't risk it. Okay, here's another one. Before I die, I really want to play a dead body on a crime drama series, like NCIS. So before you die, you want to play dead. That's cute. That's all right. Strange.

Here's one. Before I die, I want to put orange cones on a random street in control. traffic for that. That is a noble goal. That's funny. You can do that. A hundred percent. Cars will just be like, well, this person is now owning the street. Yeah, so we're going to just follow what they have to say. You probably can get arrested for like obstruction of traffic or something. But not for a short period of time. Okay, because I have seen people that wear like a headset or something and they'll like act like their security somewhere as a joke. It's amazing what a headset or like an in ear and confidence will do. People and like all black or something. People just believe you. Act like you've been somewhere.

The old quote. I really think that's true. I think that gets you far in life. True. Okay. Another one is, before I die, I want to hug a full-sized grizzly bear. They look so soft and cuddly, but that'll have to be the final. I hit it on my bucket list because that's probably the last thing I'll ever do.

Wow. What if you could, like, sedate a grizzly bear to the point where it could not hurt you? Would you hug one? Oh, no. I feel like I just feel like they're going to jump up and eat me, even if they're sedated. Wow. Would you? No.

Maybe a cub. I think I'd hug a cub. I think that'd be cute. That would be cute. My rule is if it can take me in a fight, I don't touch it. Yeah. Whether it's a person or an animal. We don't, we don't go there.

But if I can take it in a fight, it's going down. A spider? I'll go toe to toe with a spider. Oh, how about a snake? Don't think I would mess with a snake. They're too slimy. Too tiny. Can't pin them down.

Not slimy, but just, pz. No thanks. All right, well, if you guys have your own crazy bucket list items, Put them in the comments, your podcast review, or share them with us on social. We would love to hear about them. The more unique than more fun. And some people have very specific types of bucket lists. So there's like a college bucket list, a travel bucket list, a food bucket list, a financial bucket list.

And since this is Smart Money Happy Hour, we're going to talk about financial bucket list goals that a lot of people have. Yes. Pay off debt. That's a great one. Pay off the mortgage. That's an even bigger one. Retire early. Save for child's two.

for college, giving to charity, and buying a home. Those are strong. Those are so great. Would you add any or subtract any? No, I think those are great. And what's crazy is majority of these, all of these, George, are in our Ramsey's seven baby steps. This is it.

This is it. That is it. There's a conspiracy theory. That is popular bucket list of items financially for Americans. We have a plan for. Yes. Go figure. So if you've never heard of the Ramsey Baby Steps, let me dish them out to you real quick.

So this is our plan to get out of debt and build wealth. It starts with Baby Step 1, which is save $1,000 in a starter emergency fund. Baby Step 2, pay off all consumer debt except for the house using the debt snowball method. Baby step 3, fully fund your emergency fund with three to six months of expenses. Baby step 4, begin investing 15% of your income into retirement. Baby step 5, save for your kids' college. Baby step 6, pay off the home early. and Baby Step 7, build wealth and give.

The world is your oyster at that point. So that's our plan. And a lot of those were reflected. Yes, which is great. Because I think that's really encouraging because we've seen millions of people do this plan. So all these things in the bucket list financially could be checked off. You can check them off. We believe in you guys.

You really can do this. And I follow those baby steps. And I got out of consumer debt. And I got the house. And I began investing. And we paid off a house. And all of a sudden, we were net worth millionaires. And that was another thing on the bucket list for me that I was like, it would be really cool to be like, I'm going to be a millionaire one day.

Little did I know that your life doesn't change that drastically. It's not like I have a million dollars in cash. It's in retirement. It's in the house. Sure. But it's still a really cool milestone that I think should be on everyone's bucket list just to achieve and go, we're in a great financial place. Because a lot of people have a negative net worth right now, right? Because of debt and everything.

Do you have more debt than you have assets to your name? Yes. Negative net worth. That's right. So getting above that, George, and hitting that goal. amazing. So congrats. So Rachel, I think it's time the people have been waiting patiently, fervently, that we reveal our pre-RIP lists. Yes. You ready? Yep. To be clear, this is hilarious. So the team was like, hey, submit your bucket list. I was like, okay, cool. I submit 36 items.

How many was on your list, Rachel? Nine. I'm not a bucket list person. That was a stretch. Like, she added a few for fun. I did. I was like, well, actually, some that I, ideas I had in life were on your bucket list when I saw your email. And I thought, I stole the ideas. There was a couple that I was like, oh, I've had that as a goal. I've said goal versus bucket list. Oh, you're one of those people who has goals.

I get it. I'm one of those. Okay. So. One of my top, I'll go first, is the staying in the Fiji huts above the water. The overwater bungalow. Yep. Thank you.

Yeah. So this could be anywhere. It doesn't have to be in Fiji. No. Maldives. Maldives could work. of it, but I would stay like, I mean, I would go big. I would go big. Where like you step off your patio into the most crisp blue, clear water.

Wouldn't that be amazing? Yes. So, yeah, that's a, that's a, that's a, that's a, that's a, that's a, that's a, that's a, that's a time. It's a travel bucket list. It's a, it's a, it's a whole feat. So that would have to be a big, a big deal. Okay. But I think that'd be magical. The top spot on my list, for some reason, these are not in order, but this is what was at the top, was it treat yourself thousand dollar spending spree. Tell me about this.

Where Whitney and I can just spend $1,000 in a day each on whatever we want. And just go. And just so if you've seen Parks and Rec, you know the reference to treat yourself. Where Donna and Tom, they go out and they treat themselves to a wild day of spending for fun. That's great. You know, we're talking manis. We're talking petties. We're talking shopping. Go get the bag you, you know, Whitney wanted.

Yes, the real bag, not the dupe that I got from Walmart.com. No, go get the real bag, which may cost you more than the five. I have a hard time spending money. Like a lot of money in a day, it hurts my soul. So that's something I want to do for myself. Okay, so people report that they are willing to spend on average $3,081 per bucketless item. Wow. I'm under budget.

Yeah, you're doing great for $1,000. Not bad. Maybe I should up it. You can do that. I don't know how much people spend in a day. I don't know that I'd know where to spend, like, other than buying one big item. Well, it's sad with inflation. A thousand dollars doesn't go as far as you think it does.

Yeah. You know what I mean? I guess you stay at a nice hotel and you get a nice meal. and you buy a few things, you're already there. It gets there quick, for sure. Okay. Let's get to some of our biggest aspirations. Okay.

I don't know how I can pull this off, but I would love a meal with Taylor Swift. Oh, wow. Like not just a meet and greet. A one-on-one meal. I just think that I don't even want to pick her brain. I just want to see what she's like, because I love her.

I went to her concert. And I have this thing where you, like, when you listen to somebody and you follow them for years and you kind of just think, like, oh, yeah, we're friends. Like, I'm the only one that, like, really loves her. And then you go into a stadium with 70,000 people and everyone else is screaming. And she's so little down there. And you're like, oh, my God, it's not just me.

You're not sad. And it's kind of sad. And you went to the one that was in, like, the rain. Yeah, 2 a.m. It made the news. She sang until 2 a.m. I can't believe you stayed up until 2 a.m. Was Winston there?

No. God bless. And I felt alive than I have in a long time. It was so great. Wow. So great. She sang for three and a half hours, George. Over.

She's saying and sang and saying and saying and saying and saying. I mean, it was unbelievable. The stamina alone. The wardrobe changes. So I just feel like I just need to like hang with her. Just a brodown. Not in a fan way because that's what you really got to watch, right? I'm not going to be like, oh my God, Taylor.

You just have to be like how's a tour going. I'm like, what's up, Tay? That was my thing whenever I talked to musicians. Do you want to glass wine? Because we can hang. Yeah. We're chill. Does she drink wine?

Mm-hmm. White wine. Okay. One of my top aspirations, not having a meal with Taylor, although that would be amazing, not opposed to it, Taylor. She wants to have lunch with you. Yeah, sure. Just say yes. My aspiration is to release a stand-up comedy special.

Wow, George. So write it, perform it, record it. You would do great at that. Put it out there. Yep. That one I feel... You've done stand-up, haven't you? I've done it for like some guy friends.

Is that so nerve-wracking? It is. It's very different than just like, I've hosted a lot of events and emceed and spoken, but stand-up is so different. To get up there and do it like what Nate Bargatsy does and just make me laugh for 60 minutes straight, that's a lot of stress. That's a lot. So I love the challenge and the pressure. One day it will happen, Rachel. One day. Okay. Something else on our list that might surprise people. What do you got? Okay. I have this one. I want to play tennis, just socially. Okay. But be like really good. Where I'm like, oh my gosh. Not just play tennis. No. But like, you're going to smack some people.

Like I'm really, but I'm like, I'm under the radar good. Like. They don't expect it. No, because a lot of my friends in our neighborhood, they all play. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I could, I would love, I would love like, I'll stop you. I don't know how to play tennis. You can learn. I don't have time.

Oh, time is. Yes. Practice takes time. Yeah. The last time I tried to play was in college and I almost passed out because it's so hot outside. You went on the wrong day. You went on the wrong day. You got that winded.

Well, I have great hand-eye coordination. I'm really good. Like, I played lacrosse. Like, I have, I'm really good. So I think I could be really good. I have great hand-eye coordination. I believe you. But I just didn't, wasn't quite in shape.

And so I just was really, the cardio really got me. We need redemption. Let's go play tennis. I know. Does Winston play? No, I mean, he can't. I mean. He's one of those guys like, I guess I'll try it.

And he picks it up and it's amazing at it. You know, pickleball is like the new cool sport. I feel like everyone's playing pickable. So I feel like I could get into that because it's kind of like the mini tennis. But I want true, like I want the whole like the serve. I want the whole thing. But and again, be good, socially really good. Okay.

Does it make sense? Yeah. I think Winston should buy you tennis lessons for birthday slash Christmas. Winston, if you're listening. Maybe so. There's your gift. Okay, something that might surprise people on mine, record a kid's album. Like a music album, writing music for children.

Really, George. Yeah, I don't know why. Give us a little something. I think because growing up I'd hear like Rafi, like baby beluga, you know, the wheels on the bus. Just all the hits that I went, that is. Hitsy, bitty spider. And the kids are losing their minds. You know what I mean?

Wheels on the bus will really get them going. So now that I'm having a kid, it's kind of like reignited the dream. Okay, there was one thing, Rachel, that was really cool. We had a shared bucket list goal. Yes, we did. And I kind of feel like you stole this from me. I did. Did you really?

Yeah, I stole this. Because when I saw it on there, I was like, I've said this. I saw an old YouTube video from like years ago. And I saw you share this goal. And I was like, me wants to do that. Me want to do that too? Okay. Tell them what it is.

You want to tell them? Should I? It's yours. I stole it. Obviously. I do. I have a bucket list item to pay for someone's adoption completely. Yes.

I love that idea. Especially international adoption is so expensive. And I really do believe people feel like very called to a specific region of the world or they have an experience. experience somewhere and to go through what people go through for adoptions, unbelievable. So I would love to be like, yep, any money you need for it, I'm here. Yes. Isn't that be awesome?

Absolutely. And I mean, it's people of faith, you know. Yes. The Bible talks a lot about the orphans and the widows and the fatherless. So there's something beautiful about getting to be a part of that, even though I may never adopt personally. I don't know. I'm not going to, you know, it could happen.

Right, right. But to get to support someone who can't afford it. Yes. To then make that happen because it's such a financial burden. and it's so stressful for families that want to adopt. Totally. So I'd love to just be like, don't worry about that part. Yes.

In our church, we go at the same church, does great with, like, foster care stuff. So they have so many ministries and to be able to be a part and, like, play. Like, it's that kind of stuff that you're like, oh, my gosh, I just want to help and support if I can financially. Yep. Love it, George. Good stuff. Okay. So.

Can I just tell you a hilarious one? Yeah. I saw it on the internet and I added it to mine. What is it? A surprise one. Hire two private investigators to follow each other. That's the greatest bucket list item of all time. And they are so intense.

Yes. Imagine they're scoping each other out. They're like, oh, they're looking to me. I've got to be looking at him. What's going on? And I would just be watching them both do all of this. It's the greatest life hack. That's really funny.

So that one's a fun one. That's a great one. So the best part about bucket list is actually accomplishing some of it, checking them off. Yep. Have you accomplished any of your bucketless item so far? None of the nine I came up with for this episode. Well, yours are a reason. You accomplished a lot of stuff that was probably like a goal.

Yeah, like writing a book would be something like that. Like, yeah, yeah, for sure. Which is awesome. Yeah. That's good. Oh, I check some off. I'll tell you what we've accomplished. Okay, yeah.

Got a dog, got married, bought a house, paid off the house, having a baby. That's when I get to check off this year. Yes, you do, George. So great. Upgrading cars, getting a second dog. So basic things that are like, it'll probably happen. Not outrageous. Sure.

But still great goals that we have for, you know, family and financial and stuff. But here's what we found. 57% of people, though, reported that finances are the number one thing keeping them from checking off their bucket list. That hurts my heart. So we need to talk about this, George, because, again, it's tough because a lot of bucket list items for most people are very meaningful, right? We're kind of throwing some around that are for fun. But there are some that are very meaningful that you really want to work towards. But they can't do it because of finances.

Most of the items on my list, I'm like, yeah, that costs money. You got to travel. That's right. You got to pay for generosity costs money, traveling costs money, paying things off cost money. Yes. So I think the key here is in order to achieve your bucket list items, you need margin. You need the ability to pay for them. So getting out of debt is a big part of that.

When you don't have payments, if that's not on your bucket list, that frees up hundreds of dollars a month. Should be number one right now. Yes. To get out of debt because it's going to free you up with so much money every month to be able to do some of this. Yes. And the debt snowball method is the best way to pay. off. Smallest to largest balance. Ignore the interest rate. Attack the little one with a vengeance. Stop your investing. Sell stuff, side jobs, whatever it takes. Do this fast.

That's right. And then set up some sinking funds. So say, okay, you know, this trip to feed you you want to take in the next five years. So then back, you know, whatever it is, like go crazy. So if it's $5,000, five years from now, you want to save a thousand a year, break that down into monthly. That's right. And put that money away. Put it on autopilot. Yes. And just where you don't even see it. Put it to the side. Yep. And then when that time comes, And you're like, okay, we can actually achieve it. And you can't do it all at once. So I think having breaking down your bucket list into what are we going to do, what's the year goal, what's the five year goals, what's the 10 year goals?

Yes. Because it's just too much. And I'll say this too, George. A lot of things on people's bucket lists are coming from another place, right? So like, if it's like I want to own a beach house, I would ask why. Okay, so why do you want to own a beach house? Is it to have friends and family? Okay, that's great.

Or to spend time with them, right? Well, what can you do with friends and family right now? that kind of achieves what you want with that. Do you know what I'm saying? Yes. There's like little things you can do in life before the big bucket list. And can we just say it can change over time. You may get older and go, I don't know, I did it for a bad reason or my life has changed.

I don't need to do that anymore. That's okay. Delete it. If it doesn't serve you, get rid of it. Life changes. So good. Well, George, I think this was a great episode. I enjoyed it personally.

I can't attest to all the listeners. But I hope it got them thinking about what if I could hire two private investigators to follow the thing. And just thinking like, you know, we talk about money a lot, you know, on this show. And money is a tool to create a life that you love. It shouldn't be something in life that stresses you out. So getting in control of your money, getting out of debt, having an emergency fund, like doing some of the basics so that you can use it to do fun stuff. So whether it's go to Fiji and, you know, stay in one of the huts or fund someone's adoption, money is a tool to create a life that you love.

So use it. Use it wisely. That's a great reminder. Thank you for that, Rachel. And if you want a budget for those goals, we use every dollar. It's an awesome app to set up those sinking funds. Yes. And remind yourself as a line item in that budget.

Oh, yeah, I want to do that bucket. Let's do it. Got to start saving for it. We've got to take some steps to get there. Don't let it just sit on a list on your phone for the rest of your life. Yeah. Do it. Make it a reality.

You got this. Well, hey, it's almost the end of the episode, which some people are glad about, and they're also in this room. We like to close out every episode with Guilty. As charged. And this is where our producer, currently Alex, Alex. Gives us a new guilty as charged question, and if we are guilty, we take a drink and give the context.

Are you nervous? No. This is great. You're going to do great. I'm excited about this. I'm excited to hear about what your answers are to this. Oh my gosh, I'm so nervous. As much as hearing all the bucket list items, this is my favorite part.

All right, here we go. Have you ever pretended to be interested in something just to avoid hurting someone else's feelings? Oh my God. All the time. All the time. Sports. I can't tell you the amount of times. I have feigned interest in someone else's interest in sports. Did you catch the game last night?

Yeah, and I go, like, we got to see what happens with coaching this season. You know? That's a good way to get. That's so funny. People believe me. That's a great line. So, yeah, anything someone's interested in that I don't have an interest in, I try to be curious. not judgmental, like Ted Lasso.

Be curious. But I am very like, I don't want to hurt someone's feelings, more so because I want everyone to like me. Yeah, oh, I for sure. So it comes from an unhealthy place. Are you an egram three? I too. Okay.

Helper. Yeah. See, I'm the like, oh yeah, I can relate to you. You have a mechanic. Let's talk cars. Like, I don't know much. So like the oil, the gas. Like, just let's talk car.

I don't know. How's your gasket's doing? I will. You ever ask that? No one asks about the gaskets. They're often forgotten until there's a problem. How about you, Alex? I don't know.

I think I try to be genuinely interested in other people's stuff. What a good person. Sports maybe. You're trying to wheel on a Nobel Peace Prize out here? I have another one that I hate. What's that? Is it music that nobody's ever heard of? But people are like, oh, me, have you heard this big?

I'm like, no. And you're taking such pride in that nobody's heard of this band. It's a Taylor Swift song. She says this in a lyric too about Dear John. And it's so, it is very annoying to me. And I was like, oh my God, have you not heard this band? Oh my gosh, you have a gym of the armchair? And you're like, no, nobody has.

And you are not cool because you've heard of it. Ouch. Yeah, I don't think I'm better than any. I know. Really deep music people. I do think anyone who thinks they're better than someone else for the music they listen to needs a gut check and a heart check. All right. We are over time.

Way over. We got to wrap this. George. What are we drinking? We are drinking a delicious Negroni and who finished first I think we're about as close

That's pretty good You may edge me out Yep I would rate this I'm gonna go 10 out of 10 On today's Nagroney Michael Reddish will be very pleased Our mixologist and friend

And team member How about you? Even though I'm It's good enough to finish But I'm gonna give it a 7 out of 10 That's fair Can I tell you Michael thought That you would rate it

Somewhat poorly Oh my gosh really Michael You know me so well now Because it's got a bitterness to it. I was about to say, do you know Michael don't kill me? But it almost has a cough syrup type. That's fair. It's a little bit medicinal.

It's herbal. He did say that. He said she doesn't like herbal. It's got the herbacity. I don't know what the word is for that. Sounds right. So here's what's in a ngroni. Dry gin, sweet vermouth, canpari, and an orange twist.

And it comes out to $3.26. And it's a classic. Okay. So if you want the recipe, you can find it in the show notes and give it a try this weekend. All right. It's closing time. So if you don't want to miss a future episode of Smart Money Happy Hour, you guys, make sure to subscribe and leave a review. Love the reviews.

They've been so great. They really do help. Y'all are awesome. Okay. Now, having a top rated podcast, can I just say, is on my bucket list. Oh. Right now. I just added it.

So please give it a good rating. Give it a nice review. Tell your friends. Don't leave us hanging here. Don't be rude. Absolutely. All right, George. Well, I guess we'll see you.

everyone next Thursday on a new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.