Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - Is Caffeine Addiction Draining Our Wallets?

Episode Date: May 11, 2023

Epic Starbucks orders, lab-grown energy drinks, your hipster friend’s pour-over coffee phase . . . It’s no secret that America loves a good caffeine rush! In this episode, Rachel and George weigh the pros and cons of everybody’s favorite stimulant––and do the math on what caffeine addiction really costs.   In This Episode:   ·     The number one way to drink coffee according to Rachel and George ☕️ ·     The real reason Target has Starbucks in their stores ·     Coffee alternatives that feel like they’re stalking you on Instagram 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! ·      Enter the Ramsey Cash Giveaway for a chance at $3,000! https://bit.ly/SMHHgvwy ·      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: The Lazarus  ·     1 ounce vodka  ·     1/2 ounce cognac ·     1 ounce coffee liqueur ·     1 ounce espresso coffee (hot) Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Give it a good rattle. Strain into your favorite drinking glass and sip until you feel the espresso bring you back to life! ⚡️ 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. This beautiful dream, George. Well, this is the podcast for two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. So everything from pop culture, current events, and your money. And today we're talking about America's caffeine culture and how it's affecting your bank account and your energy levels. That's right.

All of it. And speaking. Speaking of a little pick-me-up, George, our cocktail has some coffee in it. It's actually called The Lazarus. Ooh. I know. I love it. And I'm guessing it's kind of a take-on on an espresso martini.

I think it is. It's a vibe I'm getting. But it's delicious already. Seriously, one of the best coffee drinks I've ever had. It was great. Resident Michael Reddish, our bartender, did great on this one. But we'll give you the rating and the ingredients at the end of the episode. Love it.

So, fun fact, Rachel. 80% of U.S. adults consume caffeine every single day. Does that shock you? 8 out of 10, no, that feels right. Okay. That kind of does feel right. I feel like... You sound to be more or less spot on? Two out of 10 say no caffeine for me. Yeah, and I could see that. God bless them. But I know, man. But I do think, I would think majority of people do drink caffeine, whether it's through tea or through coffee or some sort. I would, or an energy drink, right?

I would assume majority of people do. Do you ever meet the people who don't? And you're like, are you normal? Like, are you okay? Because I know they're healthier and better than us. Like on a human level, the fact they don't need this. Because it's a caffeine is a drug. I'll say this.

My in-laws. And Winston's mom listens to the podcast sometimes. So hi, Helen. But yet, they're not coffee drinkers or tea. Like, they don't. They just don't need it. They're just. Yeah, they're good.

And I think if you start early and you don't need it, you just, like, you don't care for it. Or acquire the taste. It is an addiction. In a sense. I think it can be. Yeah. I think if you have a headache, if you don't drink it, that's an addiction. But people do that with Coke.

And so it's not just coffee, but just caffeine in general. That's fair. That's fair. Yeah. I always think coffee when I think caffeine, though. Me too. Well, the U.S. coffee industry is worth $80 billion now. That's so crazy.

That boggles my mind. That is so wild. And that's it. And that's just coffee. That's not even just caffeine. That's specifically. That's just coffee. Okay.

So what is your caffeinated beverage? of choice. You could choose one. Coffee. Just black coffee? How do you take it? I know. I'm a black coffee drinker.

I'm actually really proud of you. I don't do any cream or any sugar. Wow. I used to do some cream and like a pack of sugar or something and then my creamer would expire. And I wouldn't go to the grocery and I would then have to drink it with just sugar. And then after a while I was like, oh, I don't need it. Oh, I do. Once the creamers expired, you're like, I'm not risking it.

Not dairy. Wow. And then I slowly ended up. with, yeah, having black coffee. And I love it. I really enjoy not having all the sugar. I think the sugar, if it's too sweet in the morning, I can't do it. It, like, makes me sick.

Yeah, we all grow up eventually and start drinking black coffee. What do you do? What's your coffee? I go black. You do two chores? Yes. Amazing. No sugar and no cream.

Whoa. Let's, Rachel. You don't have feelings about the curing. We're not going to go that far. We'll get into it a little bit. But black coffee is for me. I used to do it with a splash of half and half. Okay.

It would be my coffee, but no sugar. Yeah. But eventually, if it's good coffee, I prefer it black. Yep, I'm the same way. I'm the same way. I love that. Good. We're on the same page. Yes.

Well, let's see how serious your addiction really is, Rachel. What's your record for cups of coffee consumed in one day? A record? Oh, gosh. I mean, I probably did four. Yeah, I'm probably four or five. Yeah. But on a normal basis, too.

What are you? I'm with you on that. I'm two. I try to keep it at two. Yeah. Depending on the day. Okay, what's the longest you've ever hung out and squatted in a local coffee shop? You don't seem like a local coffee shop?

You don't make a local coffee. shop kind of person. We just hang out for hours. I'll go to like Panera. I'll go to like the... No. You're one of those mean girls in Ugg boots.

That's your place where you'd hang out for a few hours. I wouldn't like hang out, but if I had to write a book, like when I'm writing. That's what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah. Panera would be my... Panera is your spot for book writing. Because there's like a booth, it's comfortable.

I'm away from, I can get in a corner. I will give you that. And no one's going to bother you. And they always have outlets. Like they're very commercialized. So I have everything I need in the booth. That's fair. Yeah.

I actually respect it for that reason alone. Thank you. What about you, George? How long? I'm going to go eight hours. Wow. Like, you know, I'm getting work done, a side hustle, whatever it is. I like hanging out at coffee shops.

I don't think I've done eight hours. I like the environment. Okay. See, that's the energy, the vibes, the smells. It's a whole experience. That's not my identity. Okay. Here's a different one.

Have you ever mixed Red Bull with vodka? No. classic drink among the youth. That was like a college drink. Yes. I genuinely, no, I don't think I've ever done that to me. Have you ever achieved gold level status of Starbucks? No.

What's the point of living? Have you? Yeah, I don't remember the last time I wasn't gold status. I am red status at Chick-fil-A. Is that even good? Oh, it goes from silver to red? Oh, yeah. To then what's the talk to you?

Actually, red may be the low. I'm like the highest. I can't remember what it is. Well, you're there with the kids like once a week. Anyways, gold is high at Starbucks. Whatever the color for Chick-fil-A is high at. That's where I'm. No, I'm not a big.

The Starbucks whole thing is like... You don't go to Starbucks a lot. No. Okay. Not because I'm a... It's not your place. I get it. What's the most expensive latte you've purchased?

Like, do you remember buying a latte and you're like, what, that was how much? I mean, like, nine bucks would be a lot. Yeah. So... I remember we were in, like, seaside area in Florida on 30A. Yeah. And there's that Black Bear Coffee Company. Okay.

And Whitney got like an oak. lavender latte with oat milk and they just keep adding like more and more and it's like oh you want the 12 on so the 60 and like oh the 16 out and it was nine dollars oh okay and then they spin around the iPad and they want the tip oh and I'm like what am my tip your soul is crushed you just robbed me your soul is crushed why would a robber ask for a tip so that one like it physically upset me I'm like here you go honey because I will say I'm I'm not say that you're going to have half of and it's going to get two water down and you're You're going to throw it away.

It goes $4.50. Here it goes. Okay, but I am not, I'm not saying this with pride. I say with humility. I don't have the crazy long Starbucks order. Do you? Oh. Like when we don't joke about it, it's really funny because I can see how you can build

upon your order, but I'm not that. I'm like, I'll take a pike's peak. So their drinks are so sugary that I will get half the pumps of sugar. I will also switch the espresso. to blonde roast and restredo, which is a different way to pull the shot. You're this person. No, but I'm not to...

Say it all together when you drop. Here's the thing. Hi, welcome to Starbucks. Can I take your order? I'm on the other side of the spectrum, Rachel. I'm playing my game. The other people are going, can I get a half-calf white chocolate mocha with five extra pumps and an extra shot made with soy?

No, I scratch that. You don't have coconut milk? I'm doing keto right now. I'm not that person. Like I know what I'm talking about in a good way I don't want like a sugar bomb of a drink I hear pride I want to taste the coffee

Yes No what you're hearing is pretentiousness So here we go Instead of classlessness If that's a word Hi I'm Ashley Working at Starbucks

May I take your order? What do you say? No I'm asking you George You have the fun stuff These days I go Nitro Cold Brew Grande Just do what you just said

You just explained to the people all your crazy stuff of half pumping this and that. So, so, hi, I'm Ashley working at Starbucks. May I take your order? Yeah, can I do a grande, almond honey latte with half the pumps, blonde espresso, restretto, and oat milk.

You got to do oat milk. But here's the thing, I only do that if I have my reward and I'm using my free drink. Then I will maximize it to get like the $9 drink. I'll get extra shots of espresso in there too. So I'll say, let's make that four shots, oat milk, let's add the little sugar crumbles on top. Let's go crazy. Oh, so good.

Oh, my gosh. Well. That's a lot. Do you know how much you spend on coffee and caffeine a year? Like, I'm guessing you guys don't have a coffee line item. It's more like an eating out line item. Yeah, we're not like a, I mean, I did curig for years, George. Years?

Years. We have two curag machines in our house. No. Like that's what I would do. Because it's fine. The mountain coffee, whatever, just stick it in and get a cup of coffee and drink it. It's fine, is what I said. You are a glutton for punishment.

That's fun for you. I am not. If you like the taste of burnt water that has just coffee forced through it at 98 miles per hour. What? That's what I'm saying. I'm not. coffee's number. Like, you could give me Waffle House coffee. You could give me coffee from Marriott's hotel. You could give me whatever. I don't know. Just. Wait, hold on. You make the coffee in room

with those little nasty machines? No, no, no, no, no, because I've watched the 2020 specials on those. You stay away from those. Thank you. PSA. Don't do that. Never use those. Nope. No, I'm saying like if you go down to like a restaurant. Of a lobby or whatever. Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I just, I, I can't really tell the difference, George. So, okay. Anyways. That's honest. And that's, the most I can ask from you today because I can't get class. Why do you want to drink electrical burn? Give yourself more questions.

You're worth it. I'm going to. You're worth it. Here's like, everyone watching this is like, I don't, I like my curing. It's great. It's fine. It is. It's fine.

But try an espresso and then I dare you to go back to the curing. Okay. So there's a lot of debate out there about caffeine addiction. And if it's good or bad. So we're going to talk about your health. side of that in your wallet. The money side. So let's break down the pros of caffeine or coffee.

So one pro is the taste. We all like the taste. Yes. Or most of us too. So I enjoy it. It can be an acquired taste. I like the taste of black coffee now if it's good coffee. There is such thing as bad coffee.

So you say. I will not drink that. So you say. But is it actually the taste for you? Because people say, like, I love coffee. And then they'll get a frappuccino. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean?

And it's just, you like ice cream. I just can't. So coffee for me is like a cup of coffee in the morning or two just to get you going for the day. So I'm like, I don't want sugar. Not like I just. But it's more utility for you in the home. Yeah. That's it. It's probably a utility.

Yeah. More of that. Yeah. Okay. How about you? I think it's both and, but it's more utility in the morning. Like I'm not a person until I have a cup through me. So pro number two, energy.

Caffeine. It's why we love it. It's a stimulant, and that can be good and bad. But let's acknowledge that it is nice to be able to perk up with coffee or an energy drink, although I prefer coffee because natural caffeine without any chemicals and all that crap they put in those energy drinks is better for you, scientifically. That's fair. Okay. Pro number three is that coffee is one of the largest sources of antioxidants and human diets.

So it actually protects you from disease. It's like cancer. Wow. and fighting aging. Wow. Your welcome, body. Good night. Who knew this?

And it's been linked to a lower rate of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's. Well, we are just healthy people over here, George. I need to take a sip after all that. Shall we? We just keep drinking some more coffee. And pro number four tip, that is good for you, is that coffee shops and the coffee culture. It brings a sense of community.

And it really does. I do like the environments. I had a friend in town from California. She was like, hey, I have 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock open. I'm like, perfect. Let's meet somewhere. Where do you meet? Coffee shop.

Yep. So it does. I like the communal sense. And for those that are like, I don't want to go to a bar. You know, I'm not trying to watch sports by accident. Amen. I like the environment of a coffee shop. I do too.

Yep. Okay. So there's some pros, but there's also a lot of cons. So two sides of the coin, if you will, George. So con number one, it gives us too much energy. So it actually is such a stimulant in your body. body, that it speeds up the messages traveling from your brain to your body, and too much caffeine can cause, you know, bad sleep, schedule, even that can lead to heart disease, that can lead to a stroke

and depression. It can lower your risk. And now it was like, it can raise the risk. It can raise the risk. That's the thing about coffee. Every day there's a new article that's like, coffee's amazing for you. And the other one's like coffee is, it's going to be the end. Just terrible.

I know. It's hard to believe anyone these days. It gives you anxiety. I have felt this. Have you had the jitters from like too much caffeine? Yes. I already have a natural anxiety, and so coffee definitely does not help. Yes, especially like on an empty stomach. If you drink too much, yeah, you can feel the, feel the jitter. So if I do like a, if I have a really early morning, like media hits or anything, I will not drink coffee before.

Wow. Yeah. I don't know how your brain is even working at that point. That's amazing. Because one time it tripped me up and now it's all in my head. Oh, wow. So since then you haven't done it. Yeah. Does it affect your sleep, do you feel like? No, it doesn't. I feel like I can have coffee later in the day. Anytime I sleep poorly, my wife's like, remember you had that cup of coffee at like 2 o'clock?

I'm like, how do you know what's that? How do you know? I know. That does not yet. That doesn't affect me. But if I get coffee at night, like with dessert at a restaurant, I will go decaf. Oh. I will do a decaf coffee, like with a dessert.

Whenever they come after dinner, like, would you like some coffee? Isn't that the best? If you're enjoying your company and you're like, yes, bring me a dessert and a decaf coffee. That's like, I love that. A little cheesecake or something? Well, according to a recent study, consumers who drink espresso, tea, other caffeinated drinks immediately before shopping. This is wild. They bought 30% more and spent almost double the amount of money as those who did not drink caffeine.

Oh my gosh. If I was going to start a retail store today, as a business person, I would give you coffee at the door for free. Yeah, just like a little thing of like, hey, here's this, this and this. Is that not a genius? That is so, isn't that funny of how much? how much caffeine can affect even your shopping. Oh, yeah. Think about Target.

Target has Starbucks. Brilliant. That's why. How did we not connect the dots until here? Well, here's what's crazy. In that same study, those who drank espresso, which has a high amount of caffeine, you know, for the smallest ounces, they were also more likely to purchase fun items versus practical items. Okay.

So they're grabbing the scented candles, the artificial plants. They're not really there for, like, the paper towels and TP. They're going for the fun stuff. They're going for the Joanna Gaines collection. For sure. For sure. We love it. And con number three, Rachel, coffee's expensive.

Now, if you're making it at home, it can be very cheap, but, you know, you're going to buy a latte or something. You're talking five, six bucks, seven bucks these days, making it at home, you can get, you know, I'm the Kirkland King. So you can get Kirkland coffee beans that are custom roasted by Starbucks. It has the Starbucks logo on there. Oh, no way, yep. 40-ounce bag for like 16, 17 bucks. Okay. which means you can make 80, 8 ounce cups of coffee, which is like 20 cents,

53 12 ounce cups, which is 30 cents, or 40, 16 ounce cups, which is like 40 cents. So it is cheap. We always joke like make coffee at home. But it's like beyond cheap. But it's insanely cheap. Nobody's doing that. So instead, here's what's wild, the average 25 to 34 year old reported spending $2,000 a year on coffee. Oh, my gosh, on coffee.

In a 22 study. Isn't that crazy? That's crazy. I know. So Winston is in this, like, new phase of pour over coffee. We all have that phase. Yep. So he bought the kettle.

He bought the... Goose neck. The beaker. I know you... Does it have the little... Yep. Little curbsbout? The geese's...

Nope. Just the gooses. The goose neck kettle. A new Rachel Cruz's product. But he, like, grinds the beans and the more... I mean, he's, like, doing the whole thing. It's like his like... Is it a conical bird grinder?

What's he got? Oh my gosh. You're crazy. Do you know the brand that he has? No, with George. You know what? I'll send him a link. He will know. But anyways, I was telling him we were doing this episode because it is great coffee.

I went from Kureg to pour over. Is he hand delivering it to you in the mornings? Yes, he does. Y'all find you a Winston-Cruz. If you're out there and you're single, don't settle for anything less than a Winston. He makes two cups. And sometimes I'm like, we make me another one. And he will.

He's very kind. But we did, I was telling him we were doing the coffee episode. And he sat there while we were talking. He was like, yeah, because this bag of, he like bought really nice beans. So it was like, I don't, I can't even do it. We're talking 15, 20 bucks for a little bag. Yeah. So he did that.

And then he was like, yeah. And then you divide that. Because he measures, he's a measurer. Like he has a weight thing that he like does the whatever. He's a scientist at heart. I don't know. Yeah. It's all this.

It's this whole process. This, this. So he came out to like, yeah. And he was like, yeah. I don't know, 90 cents a glass or a dollar, a glass, a cup. A cup. 90 cents a cup or like a dollar, 20, I don't know, whatever the, he was doing the math, like, in front of me. But those beans at a nice coffee shop, you're paying four bucks at least for a pour over of that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you're saving, I mean, still. It was significantly cheap. Yes, and I only, I'm like Whitney. I only drink like three-fourths. Yes. I get to the last fourth and I dump it because it's cold. Wow.

Well, that's what's crazy. $2,000 a year is what they're spending. That's $5.50 a day. Or you could go to Costco and get these great Starbucks beans and spend $100 a year, a little more than that, to make coffee at home every single day. Do it, people. So if you're buying a single cup of coffee from a coffee shop, ready for this, the national average is $4.90. George. I believe that.

For a plain cup of coffee. Well, I get my nitro grande cold brew, my drink from Starbucks. It used to be, and I remember this because I keep track. It was like $450, $4.75. Now when I go, it's $5.75. That's a big increase. Inflation. Dollar plus.

Hashtag. Hashtag inflation. It didn't cost them any more to make that nitro. Yeah, but there's all those special like milks and like all the, there's just pumps. I don't know. It's a world, George. I don't. I feel like you're the expert in this one.

Well, do you think it's fair to charge more for like this? Like you want almond milk. That's a dollar more in your latte. Well, is it more for the retailer to buy? Well, obviously just getting like milk is cheaper than getting oat milk or all the milk. Then they should charge more. But a dollar feels crazy. Yes, I would agree with that.

When the latte is four or five bucks and they want you to just bring an extra dollar. How much milk are they pouring in? A few ounces. I mean, a latte is a lot of milk. Okay, yeah. Mostly milk. I mean, they can, so they will. Does it make me angry?

Yes. Which is why I get black coffee when I go to coffee shops. Which again, why you should just. Buy coffee at home. And we do get a little bit of the whole, like, our, you know, Ramsey Solutions just says, don't buy coffee, then you can get out of debt. Like, so much more than that. People judge us forth like, okay, Rachel, yeah, my coffee's what's going to make me a millionaire.

I know, yeah, yeah. Genuinely, though, it saves you money, especially if you're a big coffee drinker. $2,000 a year is what y'all are spending. Yep. You invest that money. And it's the mindset, too. There's something about saying, hey, I'm not going to go and outsource everything that I want. I'm going to learn how to do it from home.

And it's way cheaper. Yes. I would admit that I'm slightly pretentious when it comes to coffee. I would say that's true. You know, like, if you're going to serve me folders at your house, I will politely decline. Politely. Right?

And there's a big difference in what coffee beans can cost and ground coffee, which whole other conversation on people that are buying ground coffee versus coffee and grinding them fresh. Oh, no. Whole different conversation. Do you judge people that buy ground coffee? I don't judge, but I get it for convenience sake. But if you're like a real coffee snob, you don't buy ground coffee.

You buy beans. You have beans. You get the beans and grind them fresh. Like Rachel Cruz does. Rachel Cruz doesn't care. Children's burnt brown water. Homegirl doesn't care. Right.

I'll do a cure. So I want to know, Rachel. What's your favorite coffee mechanism? Like the best cup of coffee you've had. Do you not, like, you're like, and it all tastes the same? I think it kind of all tastes the same. Hey Winston, remember this. When you hand poured that coffee for six minutes for Rachel every morning, she doesn't care.

You could have given her a Folgers. You could have given her a curing. She would have been just as happy. Do you have a specialty coffee makers at home? You look at a normal coffee pot, right? We have two curigs at home, George. Well, you have other things because you just said Winston has all this gear. Winston has his pure over.

Yeah, he has his pour over stuff. She has pour over, but then you have the curigs. Yeah. But no, like, coffee machine. No. Wow. Can I tell you what I have at home? I cannot wait.

It will be like a foreign language for you to hear everything I'm about to say. And all the coffee people are going to love you. So go, George. Have your moment to shine. There is so much condescension and pretentiousness in this episode. It is bubbling over. It spilleth. Our cup spilleth.

I have an aeropress. Which is like a plastic, tube, and you push it down slowly, and there's pressure. I have a chemex. What you've seen is it's the glass one with like the... Winston has that. Is that what Winston would have? Nope.

Maybe, yeah, for ChemX, you can do pourovers. Okay. So it's got the cork in the middle. Okay. And it's got that nice shape to it. Okay. Kind of bulbous on the bottom, cone on top, glass. I've got multiple French presses, which is the classic glass.

No, you don't. Oh, now that is good. If you go to a nice, like, restaurant. Finally. Yes, they will do the press down. And it's great. I have a traditional coffee maker, which is an oxo, OXO. You've seen that brand.

They make a great coffee maker. So I have that. I have the Nespresso machine, which is what I use regular. That's the one I'm, that's my go-to. Spreso. Weekends, I don't want to make a whole batch of coffee. I'll just pop in an espresso pod and make one. So you do a pod?

Yeah, but not cure it. I'm telling you, Nispresso is very different. Okay. Italians would be like, ne espresso. You know what I mean? I have, I'm not done, a clever coffee dripper, which is kind of like steeping your coffee in like a cone-shaped object, and then you put it over your mug and it drops through the bottom.

But you steep it like tea wood. Like you've been a teavana, and they steep it in the... Okay. Lastly, I have an espresso machine, which is the traditional ones where you, you know, you're tamping it. I might as well. well be speaking Arabic to you. Literally.

I have no idea what you're talking about. But keep going. Is any of this interesting to you? We're going to move on. Anyways, my go-to is an espresso for laziness.

But let's say you don't like coffee. If you've been listening this whole time and you hate coffee, let's give them some alternatives. That was me. All right. Our producer, Lindsay, is like, I don't do it. So here's some alternatives that I'll be honest,

I was not familiar with before this episode, so this is going to be special. It's okay. So mud slash W-T-R. Mudwater. Mudwater. I think that's how it's pronounced. All right.

Tell us what's in it. I've seen it. It's got a seventh of the caffeine found in coffee. Already a thumbs down from me because I'm going for the caffeine here. It's got a blend. A masala chai. Yes. Cacao.

Mushrooms. Adaptogens. What are those? There are herbs that apparently help the body balance hormones and stress. Feels very eat, prey love to me, but I'll go with it. Sure. Okay. And it's 40 bucks for a 30-day supply if you subscribe.

which comes out to about 133 per day, $480 per year. So cheaper than your caffeine fix, but also way less caffeine. So if you're more of a health nut, this might be for you. Okay, yeah. And then there's Celsius energy drinks. Have you tried those? Nope. They're good.

I think I have seen these, though. So it contains green tea, ginger, and... Give it a shot. It's not... You could do this one. I phonics has failed me. This episode... Guarana.

Quirana. Quirana. Quirana. What is that? It's another, like, energy-type natural herb. Okay, so it has 200 milligrams of caffeine, which is basically, oh, four cups of coffee. Good night. That's three or four cups.

So you can get 12-pack at Walmart. Well, it's three or four shots of espresso. I wouldn't say cups. Okay. So you can get a 12-pack for $20. $97 cents at Walmart. So that's $1.75 per day. $638 per year.

Pretty good. Yeah, not bad. That's good. Okay. And then there's the Guayaki Yerba Mate. Wow. I've seen these in the yellow cans. I've had them before.

They're pretty good. Okay. It's a specific tea made in South America. Oh, nice. But it only has 40 milligrams of caffeine. So if you're sensitive to caffeine, this is actually a good option for you because it's pretty healthy, less caffeine, and a 75 pack of the tea bags will cost you about $19.

That's a quarter a day. Yeah. $92 a year. Not terrible. Okay. So if you're deep in your coffee habit. You're spending like $2,000 a year, but you have other financial goals. What do you do, George?

How do we start to break this? Well, number one, a lot of people do want to save up for a down payment or pay cash for college or save up for a new car, get out of debt. There's all kinds of things. And so it all comes down to the budget, which you talk about a lot. And people give us, you know, they give us some grief over this, Rachel. Like, oh, you want me to cut out my coffee? But budgeting really is so key to just pay attention. Yes, yes.

That's the key, I think, is to say, okay, what is necessary? what is not, which is what I would say that coffee, for most, there might be some that are addicted, but it's a want, right? So there's a level of a luxury there. So it's like, where can you shift for a moment of time? If you're like, yeah, I am trying to get out of debt or we are trying to save. And we're going to cut things that are not necessary. And this could be subscriptions, this could be coffee. I mean, you could all of this, but all these like little decisions in life, even if it's, you know, 20 bucks here, 30 bucks there, that could add up to hundreds of dollars a month. to actually put you towards your goal.

So looking at coffee, caffeine, all this whole episode, Asberlia wants, not a need. Yes. And a lot of people, it might be like stop it at the gas station on the way to work and grabbing that energy drink. It may not everyone be going to hipster coffee shops and getting $6 lottes. But I'm telling you, add up what you spend on that caffeine fix. Yep.

Per month, per year, it will boggle your mind. And so if you're just willing to make a few tweaks and go like, this is a want, it's not a need. Yes, we all go like, I need caffeine, Rachel. Don't take that away from me. But you can drink the free coffee at work. You will survive. You can find a way.

Love will find a way, as they say. And it really does add up. And you couple that with subscriptions and getting out of debt. You will find amazing margin to hit your financial goals. Yep, for sure. And I used to go to, I was that guy. I went to Starbucks every day. I budgeted for it.

But I was still spending like $2.50 a day on my way to work to get that cup of coffee. Yeah. Instead of drinking the free coffee at work. So it really adds up. Well, and you think about even going out to restaurants, eating lunch at home or bringing your lunch, right? It's all part of it. It's a habit-based idea. So, yeah, is the one thing of like, oh, if I never go get coffee out, am I going to be a millionaire?

You know, no. I mean, like, yeah, like, that's not the thing that's going to make it. But it's the idea that you're shifting the way you view money, the way you view your lifestyle and you're spending. They're like, yeah, I could probably just make wiser choices with what I'm doing that's going to propel me forward. So that's the biggest thing. But George, I enjoyed this episode, even though I feel like I didn't know a lot of going into this. I kind of was leaning on you as the expert. That's fair.

I'm very passionate about this topic. But the coffee world is special. Thank you for having an open mind. And for those of you that aren't coffee snobs, I know you're like Team Rachel right now. You're like, yeah, go Kurek. And for those you that care, you're team George and I respect you. And that means you, Winston-Cruz. and I can't wait to have Winston on this show,

and he's going to do a coffee taste test. He will bring you, and he'll bring you a cup. We'll compare the prices. It'll be really fun. That'll be correct. I enjoyed it, and I hope the people did too. All right, it's almost the end of the episode, and at the end of every episode,

we do a segment called Guilty As Charged, where our producer, Lindsay, gives us a new Guilties Charge question every week, and if we are guilty, we got to take a sip. So, Lindsay, where are we at? In fact, I get called to the principal's office every time Lindsay does one of these. I'm, like, getting kind of nervous. Really? A little bit.

Okay. Have you ever judged someone or corrected someone with judgment for saying espresso instead of espresso because I might be one of those. It says it wrong. I can't think of a day where I didn't do that. Like at this point, I would add it to my LinkedIn profile as, like, part of my resume. Oh, my gosh. Like, I correct people who say Expresso.

That's so funny. Rachel, were you Team Expresso for a while? Oh, me too. I didn't know. I had no idea. I don't think it's malicious. Here's the thing. I don't think people are doing it on purpose to upset me.

I don't think that's the goal. We can guarantee that. Okay, I was Team Expresso and Team Tesla for a little bit. Oh, wow, instead of Tesla. I know. So it's Tesla and Espresso, right? That's it right? Nailed it.

But you've never corrected someone for saying. I feel like if you were Team Expresso at any point, you have no judgment to anyone else. No, I don't. I just, I hear them and I say, oh my gosh, how is you? All you have is empathy. Oh, yeah. You're like, I remember. I remember that state. But do you want to tell them as like a, hey, by the way, I've been there.

No. No. Do you? Every single time. How do you not? It's like not telling someone they have cilantro in their teeth. I feel like you're a bad citizen. if you don't correct them with love. Oh my gosh. Okay, so have we said it before or have we judged someone?

Because judgment is you. I'm judgment and you said it. I'm guilty. I think both. Me too, Rach, me too. It's okay. You know what? If you're listening, here's what you never have to do again.

Say the word express. It's out of your vocabulary. How many people say it? Do a lot of people say it? All the time. All the time. Almost anyone that uses the word uses it incorrectly. Wow.

Wow. I'm so glad we have you, George Camel. For sure. I mean, what would America do without my judgment? So are we drinking an espresso right now? What are we drinking? You have the, what do we got? What is this drink? This is called the Lazarus. So the cost breakdown is $3.29.

It's a little bit. A little bitier. Yep. So it's got cognac, vodka, coffee lique, and a espresso. We were so close to having a good episode. So it's a pretty boozy forward coffee drink. Yeah, it is. But it's really good.

It's less sweet than an espresso martini. It's very balanced. Yeah. So if you like coffee-based cocktails, please make this at home. Let us know what you think. I'm giving it a 10 out of 10. I think I am too. It's great.

It really is great. It's really good. That espresso just really hits spot. A part of me dies inside. An angel loses its wings. A puppy's tail stops wagging. Oh, my gosh. Every time you say espresso.

Oh, no. Expresso. If you want the recipe from the Lazarus Martini, you can check out the show notes because it's delicious. And if you've not subscribed to the podcast, make sure to do that. So you have a new episode every Thursday. Are there people who are listening but haven't just taken a moment to hit subscribe? Is that real? I don't know.

They should, though. And on YouTube. And review, too. you know, create a review. Just create it. And just write espresso. We do, we read, Rachel, I rarely read the reviews. Please write espresso in the review just for us because we'll be like, and five star it.

And then right. You'll know how many people. And then we'll just say, we see you. If you're a true American, you will say espresso in the review. That's how I feel. And we would, we would thank you a latte if you would do that. Wow. I know, it takes a moment.

You're welcome. All right, well, we'll see you guys next Thursday on a new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.