Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - Should We Sell It All and Be Homesteaders?

Episode Date: June 6, 2024

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today. Create a free budget!   Ever think about turning your back on city life for wide, open spaces and self-sufficiency? From trendy aesthetics to what it really costs to live off the land, Rachel and George are exploring the allure of homesteading to see if the simple life truly is better. Next Steps ·      📱Submit a Guilty as Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. ·      🎓 Learn to win with money by enrolling in Financial Peace University. Offers From Today's Sponsors This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. 🔒 Remove your personal information from the web and get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/smartmoney.  Today’s Happy Hour Special: Earl Grey Tea and Tonic Mocktail 🍸 Recipe: Simply Recipes Ingredients: Earl Grey Tea Syrup ·      1 cup sugar ·      1/2 cup water ·      2–3 Earl Grey tea bags Mocktail ·      3/4 ounce Earl Grey tea syrup ·      1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice ·      3–4 ounces tonic water ·      8 ounces crushed ice Instructions: To make the syrup, combine the water and sugar and bring it to a boil, then remove from the heat. Add the tea bags to steep and let it cool in the fridge for 30 minutes. Fill a highball glass with ice, then pour in the cooled syrup, lemon juice and tonic water. Gently stir and serve.   Listen to More From Ramsey Network 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 💡 The Rachel Cruze Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 💰 George Kamel 💼 The Ken Coleman Show 📈 EntreLeadership Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy 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. That's a mock tale to remember right there. Wow. Top three.

I'm going to just say it early on. All right, this is the show. We're two friends who have to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. Everything from pop culture, current events, and money. And today we're talking about whether or not the grass is greener when you grow it yourself on a homestead. On a homestead. That's right, George. you know, let's just get some billowy dresses and milk some cows and churn some butter.

Is that what they do? We're going to the farm, people. All right, I'm going full-mose-truth in this episode. Gather the kids. Gather the kids are heading to the farm. We're going to take a long winding country road to talk about the ballerina farm's aesthetic. The homesteading trend Chris Jenner was into before Joanna Gaines. And finally, what it realistically takes financially to ditch that city-slicker life and start living off the land. What are we sipping on, George?

We are sipping on an Earl Grey tea and tonic mocktail. And it's really, but I love Earl Grey. And I love feeling better than everyone. And so this is a great drink for both of us. Yes, so good. And we're going to give you the rating, reveal the cost per glass, recipe in the show notes. So stick around to the end for all of that.

Yeah. Okay, so George, this is a major trends. And I see it a lot on social media where people are making homesteading, meaning like living off the lands, having your own stuff, chickens and all that. things. It's so idyllic. It's like, oh my gosh. And people that go like really hardcore, it feels like I should raise my kids on a farm? Like the comment, should we just sell everything and move out? Like, yeah. You know, it's a simpler, it looks like a simpler life and it looks so

beautiful. But it's hard work. Well, did this start? I'm wondering, sort of during the pandemic, everyone started, you know, the sourdough starter was real hot. Yes. People were like, I'm going to own some chickens because I'll just like, we'll use eggs are expensive. We'll get our own eggs. Is that where this all came from? Because I didn't really hear. about this up until recently this whole homesteading trend. The sourdough bread was big and then the city chickens

were a thing a few years ago, I feel like, probably 10 years ago that started to be a thing where people like, oh, I want my own eggs. And then it just started like multiplying and people wanted land. And then they wanted to do garden. Gardens, gardening became a big thing, I feel like.

I mean, you got into it. Yeah, well, I'll say Winston. He's the gardener. He created the beds and all that. But I loved it. But I liked it. I was like, oh my gosh, this is great to have just food out in the back

yard herbs right there. I mean, it's not a bad life. I can't be mad at that. Yeah. But true homesteading is what, though? Because we see kind of the like little pictures sprinkled throughout social media, people with their gardens and their city chickens. But true homesteading. It's all about self-sufficiency. It's living self-sufficiently off of the land. And it's become trendy right now, especially as I think anytime the economy gets shaky, people get just like kind of freaked out by what's going on in the world. There's just this feeling of, let's just get off the grid and out of the craziness and chaos.

and let's just live a life where we're not reliant on everything else. That's right. It's kind of this like goes back to this freedom, simplicity, yes. And then you watch people, so you mentioned Ballerina Farm. She's a mom in Utah, and they have like, I don't know, probably five, six, seven kids on a true farm. I mean, like, she goes to the cat. I mean, she films herself milking a cow and she just drinks it out because, like, true cow's milk. Unpasturized all of it is like supposed to be the best for you.

She goes and she makes mozzarella. But hold on, isn't it room temp? Oh, yeah, probably. but it's all, but see, this is it. George, you got to live off the land. And then she, like, makes her own mozzarella cheese and she does this. She makes her own, she's all her own sourdough bread. Like, she'll make chicken parm from scratch. Like, she'll slaughter the chicken.

Everything. Yeah, they do it all. Like, it's, she didn't put that on social media. But, no, that is impressive. It's not something I could do. But an organization called Homesteaders of America, recently interviewed 4,000 homesteaders, and here's what they found. More than half are 39 years older, younger.

So this is a hot trend among. The younger folk. See, that's what's funny is the other generations. Like, my grandpa was a farmer. My mom grew up on a farm. Really? Churned butter, milk cows, like, full-on farm girl in East Tennessee. And, yeah, and that's what's funny is I feel like...

Like, the trend came back around? Yeah, we're like, they don't... Like, she was like, I don't want to live on a farm. Like, I want to... I don't want to live on a farm. I want to have the convenience of going to a store and what a gift that is. And a dishwasher... But now it's going full circle the other way, where everyone's, like, wanting to go back.

Yeah, and this is, even the last three years, More than 25% have been homesteading for three years or less. Okay, there you go. A quarter of it. So our peers are pioneers. And you know who was the original homesteader in a sense? Who? Chris Jenner.

Tell me more. Tell me more. I'm incredulous to say the least. Yeah, there was an episode. Ready? In 2008, where were you in 2008? I was a sophomore in college. Yeah, I was a freshman in college.

But this is when the Kardashians lived in like their rancher house in Calabasas. Like it wasn't all like the big stuff. This was like the humble times of the Kardashians. Humble times of Calabasas. When they started... Yeah, when they started the show. Anyways, Chris Jenner was like talking about chickens to have in the backyard for eggs and stuff.

Yeah, so she beat Joanna Gaines to the punch. That's fair. I can say that. So other than being influenced by Chris and Joanna, why are people under 40 suddenly interested in going full little house on the prairie? I just don't understand it. I think there's like this romanticized idea in one end. of like, it's so, like, maybe like a level of pride of like, oh, yeah, this is my own

X, Y, and Z. That's true. There is pride. And then I can go down to the conspiracy road. And some people, it's like if all of our currency goes digital and the government has these regulations, if you don't follow the rules, you can't shop at grocery stores and they're, oh, what do I do? We're all going to run to the homesteaders and be like, you've been doing, you've been gardening for 10 years.

Can we join you, please? Because I can't buy food, right? So I'm sure those aren't the only two avenues, but. They're good ones. There's true for you. Yeah, one of the top reasons is self-sufficiency, the desire for freedom and control over your own life. So this covers everything from what's in their food and water,

which has become a big issue lately. Because our food is crap. I have done some research, and it's not great. Yeah. And even to what kids are learning in school. And when you're homesteading, often it's homeschooling. And so you control the education your kids are getting, and they're not wanting the government or big business to decide these things for them.

Yes. It can be a whole lot more work to go that way. It's a lot. And a lot of money, too. So we're going to talk about that. But, you know, in one sense, I get that spirit because we're kind of like that with money. Or we don't want you to feel like, oh, I have to depend on the government

to keep me alive sufficiently financially. Or I'm going to wait on the government to fix my problems. Or I have to depend on a bank for my credit cards to pay my bills. Like, we want you to have freedom of the man. Is that a thing? The man. Yeah. Taylor Swift talked about the man.

She did talk about the man in business. I'm talking like government banking man. That's true. But you don't have full freedom. Like you can't be like, I love freedom and then be in debt to seven different companies. Like it just goes against that. Yeah, totally, totally. So there is that spirit that I totally love and agree with.

And the other big reason is affordability. So there's a desire to save money, escape high costs of living. Now there's obviously a lot of cost involved. But over time, if this is your lifestyle, yes, there is some cost savings here. So we're going to talk about how much it actually costs one family to set up a homestead later in the episode. But for now, let's just acknowledge that a lower cost of living is a perceived benefit

and you'll see why when we get into these costs. Yes, that's right. But I will say, homesteading, the true homesteaders, the ultimate goal is to be completely self-sufficient and to be able to run your land. Sort of pays for itself. Yeah, as a business, right? So things like you sell the surplus,

you sell the veggies and you sell the eggs. You can even rent some of your property out to other people, hosting guests, your writing, like there can be a revenue stream is the hope that this... That's true. I would pay to go out for a day and just live like a homesteader.

So that's kind of people want to know what the experience is like and they're willing to pay just to do that. That's right. And then teaching and writing about it. I mean, there's a reason Ballerina Farms has such a huge following, and she's monetized it.

Oh, 100% for sure. Yeah, also people want community, right? There's this sense of like a small, like-minded community. You all band together, do life together, right? Help each other, support each other. Yeah, it's kind of that like neighbor feel that there used to be, not as much anymore, I feel like, it's the hustle and bustle life.

Oh, the other reason is pace. So there's that desire to sort of slow down, live a less stressful life. Life feels chaotic and so fast-paced. And homesteading, you're sort of forced to slow down. You can't force a plant to grow. You can't rush greatness. Wow, George, that's very, like, thoughtful of you. Very zen. I think it's good. I think we are sort of, the reason our society's gotten so crazy is because we're just, our brains can't stop. Our bodies can't stop. That's right. But then what's funny is, yeah, a pace of the tradition or like the life now of like sports for your kids and like, you know, you're doing all this.

Oh, yeah. Overscheduled. But homesetting, though, you have to wake up early to get stuff done. Like, there's a lot of work involved. Like, the pace may just look different, though, right? Yes. Because there's still a level of hard work. You're just not driving around all day and tapping at the keyboard all day.

That's right. You're turning the butter. Turning butter. Making the ice creams. Another is better food, George. That is true. And this is a benefit. You can't even argue this.

Yeah, when you're growing your own food and, I was going to say, slaughtering your own cows, but I guess that's what it is. It definitely, no, I've asked John Deloney about this because he likes to hunt and he likes to be sort of in touch with his food and nature, and I think it's a very noble thing. But he finds it to be a beautiful experience. I'm not there yet. Yeah. Like he'll teach his son, like, son, this is what we're eating. Have you ever hunted? and ate which you hunted, George?

No one has invited me. Okay. So the answer is no. I think they don't want to have their day ruined, is the truth. But I want to go. I've shot a few weaponry in my time. Okay. You know, but I've not hunted.

Okay. I don't know that I could do it, honestly. Yeah, I get that. And it's not a moral thing. I just can't imagine just being like, and bye-bye. Yes, I know. But it's the circle of life.

To a degree, if you eat. I see, so I'm not a good person. I want to put that out there. They're like, no, that's one of the good spiders. I'm like, well, it's in my house, trespassing. Get it out of here. Get it out of here. Also, exercise and active lifestyle.

You know, it's pretty intense. There's some labor involved when it comes to this. I would be in much better shape if I was a homesteader. And much more tan. I have noticed Winston has gotten more tan. I think he's been getting out more. He does, yeah. He's out in about, George.

Not in office. Gardening, working on his rock walls, a lot of things. That's impressive That's all he does So yeah You basically have a free outdoor gym Thanks to nature and hard work Which is good because sedentary lifestyle

Also linked to a lot of diseases But this is also really intense This is some backbreaking work That's right for sure As they used to say Yeah and you get some time in nature You're out in the world That's good for your mental health

It is good for your spiritual wellness You're out Okay so that's the dream George A simpler, slower, healthier, more affordable life life. You're really selling me on this. Honestly, I thought I was going to have a real, bad attitude towards this idea. And now I'm kind of like, I'm in. Yeah. Well, we have some coworkers who homestead, or they have family members. So we asked them, like, what is this exactly look like? So, like, what your child's chore list is

when you're a homesteader? It's more like, going to get eggs from the chicken. Yes. Run on the greenhouse? Go to the greenhouse and get the... What are your kids currently doing? I'll probably don't. It's just reminding me of it. Go fetch a chicken. Do you know that quote?

Is that a quote? Ever after anybody. Just go fetch a chicken. That's what to say. It's what the children do. Just go fetch a chicken. You ever tell that to your kids in a real mean way? Just go fetch a chicken.

When Charles is acting up, they're like, go fetch a chicken. Go fetch a chicken. Yeah. So there is something with your kids involved in it. I think that feels great, right? And my kids is like... And they learn responsibility, too. Yeah.

And my kids, it's like, unload the dishwasher, clean your room. But when you have to go and like collect the eggs, like there's something special about that. And there's something cool when your kid isn't like, I want a new video game. And instead they're like, mom, can I get that beekeeping gear? There's something adorable and noble about that. Just something real sweet. Real sweet about that. Yeah. What part of homesteading do you think you'd be the best at? Herbs. Herbs. So you're in charge of herbs? Herbs. Not cilantro, but other herbs. I'd be real good at rosemary. Do you have like a cilantro Slandro is so hard.

I've tried cilantro a lot, and it's just not good. Apparently it's when I plant it. I planted it too summery. But I got rosemary. I can do parsley. Give me the herbs. I'm the herb lady. Herb queen.

What about you, George? What are you going to be? What's your contribution to our homestead? Whatever involves the least amount of manual labor. Well, you got to have a rule. I will say I am domestic and that I enjoy organizing and cleaning, so I would keep the barns, the farm, the greenhouse, it would be tidy. It would be pristine.

What else are you going to do? I think that's, I think that's enough. Lindsay, what's your role on the homestead? I would be like sous chef for whoever's cooking and just help them. Oh, that would be good. You'd be a good helper. Thank you. I think driving a tractor, there's something about that. It feels nice. You know, just going in like a line and like turn, going another line.

Have a good podcast on? Yeah. In the tractor. Maybe listen to Smart Money Happy Hour and be like, oh, that was a good line, Rachel. That was good, yeah. Getting the wheat. What's your contribution to our homestead, Lindsay? Flowers.

Oh. All day. And we'd sell them? Yes. I was like, how's like going to help it? We went to the locals, like the florist and are like, this peony is only... Oh. Okay, so you're the business.

She's bringing in the money. Bringing in the money. You know what I take it all back. I'm going to be the social media professional. No! I'm going to run the Instagram for cruise farms. No. No.

Fine. You got to be like true in it. Drop a link if you want this. Check out my affiliate link. The best bucket. Here it is. Here it is. So obviously there's a steep learning curve if you decide to go from urban living to homesteading.

And just to keep us extra humble, our team put together a little quiz to prove how much we don't know. As if I was trying to be pompous about my knowledge. We're not trying to claim we're good at this, y'all. All right. Let's test our knowledge on homesteading, producer Lindsay. What do you got? All right. What do you call a group of hens, particularly hens of egg laying age?

mature hens hen egggolicious hens I don't know wait this isn't like a dad joke this is the real name I don't even know

the if I'm gonna say it wrong the fertilized hens it says a group of hens so right you want the name of the group of hens yeah a cackle I'm gonna go with a cackle of hens okay what is it it's a brood a brood

a brood of hens all right I feel like cackle is pretty close all right next okay what's the classic way to if an egg is fertilized. This is for you, Rachel, has a baby chick growing inside without cracking the shell. Classically, no.

I'm going to, I don't know. I'm going to go color. I'm going to go if it floats. Which is, I mean, I get what you're saying. A floating egg. Yes. Floats to the bottom. What is, a color?

It's not that, no. It's hold the egg up to a bright light source and look for blood vessel or embryo growth details through the shell. Oh, wow. It's like holding a folded piece of paper up to the light. It's called candling. Wow. We're learning a lot here.

Oh my gosh. Okay. This feels right. I'm feeling like I'm on the right path. Yes. What's the average price of a Holstein dairy cow? Average price. Okay, I'm going to go just dairy cow.

It's not for meat? Just dairy. Just dairy. I'm going to $3,500. I was going to go $5,000. Wow. No. It's $1,500 to $1,000.

2100. Oh, so guys, you could get some... What a steal! You could have each gotten one for that... What a steel. What a steel. Now, could I train it to produce oat milk? Okay.

That's the question. Oh, no. Oh, gosh. Okay. Where's the non-dairy cows? You know what I mean? Like, I think it's time... Totally.

Like, we GMO some cows to produce... Like, hey, this lever, almond milk. This lever for soy. Okay, we're moving on. This is like... Biology 101. I can't even. I'm innovating.

I can't. Named one farming task that a tractor is used for. Tilling. Okay. Oh, Tilling Malama. That's really good. You got this. I said you can name a different one.

We pick up. Nope. Nope. We got shopping. We got cutting. Plowing. Yes, great job. Great job you guys.

First try. The editors, make sure you make that her first try. I love it. How does a greener? house stay warm. The sun. No, it's not the sun. The humidity of the water in the sun. It's the photosynthesis.

The plants produce the carbon dioxide and then it's all trapped in there which creates heat. Okay, you're doing so well. Is that it? Sunlight comes through the glass or plastic walls. But the plants absorb the sunlight and convert it to heat. Plants

release the heat energy which is then trapped inside the structure to keep the greenhouse warm. Wow, group effort. I love it. Okay, what does it mean to till soil? Till the land. You take the soil and you chop it up and you take the bottom soil that was there and you raise it to the top and you turn it around to get fertile soil. It's rotating the soil to get the fertile stuff on top.

Pretty much. Yeah, you did a good job. Yeah. You take the soil from below the ground and bring it up to the surface to break it up or loosen it. Yeah, it's the farmer's soil, fertilize it. We could not homestead, but we could win a. Homestead Trivia. You guys got like two out of the six.

That's really good. I'm honestly impressed. I still think my little egg floating thing, we got to try that. But what if a little chick was in there? I was like, help me. No. The egg is enclosed.

How do you think babies survive in the womb? But it feels like it's floating. Have you never used that trick before? Like done that trick, I mean, where like to know if it's a bad egg or not, you know, when you stick it in water. There's a little chicken in it. Well, no, just like to eat a...

I'm going to go a tractor supply and try it this weekend. I'll let you know if they drown. So, the big question for this smart money happy hour episode, because we talk about money, is this affordable? How are people affording this? What do we do? Is it really cheaper? You got to buy land, you got to buy tractors, you got to do greenhouses.

Like, is this affordable, George? You got to get you a heifer. What is... Is this even possible? You got to get the llamas. You got to get the goats. I mean, you're going to do a petting zoo. What's going to happen?

The very least. What's the point if you don't have a petting zoo? Yeah. So it's interesting, though, in our research for people that were doing homesteaders, one of the reasons that they wanted to pay off debt, it was like one of the steps to get them to a place where they could homestead. They could financially afford it if they didn't have debt payments. That's right, exactly. So here's a great story of a couple online who published exactly how much it took to start a homestead from scratch.

The source is Mother Earth News, if you're wondering. Jesse and the Lissa Craft, they purchased five acres of land in Idaho to start a homestead. They started this journey in 2015, no kids. So, acknowledgement of your inflation is a factor. Life has gotten wildly more expensive in the last nine years. Go back 10 years, people in your head. And their end goal, in their own words,

quote, to be debt-free, to have freedom and work on being as self-sufficient as possible. Yep. Exactly the stuff we've talked about. So their startup cost was $30,000 in the first five months, and that was lands. That was $45,000. RV was $2,500 because they were going to live in that

while they were going to build a house. Okay. Pickup truck, 1,700, a generator, 2,300, land development, 7,000. They had to get a permit, septic installation, all of that. And then tools and materials, $9,000. And that's just the initial setup, George. And I'm just looking at these numbers going like this feels like it would be 10x the cost today. Land, an RV for $2,500?

Like, where are they getting that? A pickup truck for $17.50? Right, right. Now it's $17,000, if you're lucky. And so I think a lot of these costs, now they may have really done it wisely, got really old, used stuff. Totally, yes.

Nothing fancy. But I think for most people, it would be five to ten times the cost. And for instance, they had to go into town to get water. So if you drilled your own well, it would cost on average $5,625. To build a home, just like just the foundation is around 10 grand to do that.

And again, some people use, you know, solar energy to generate powder or turbines. And this is not even including the purchase of any animals. No cows, no beekeeping gear. That's right, yep. So long term, this can see. I think bees are an important part of this ecosystem, Rachel. Really?

What are you going to use as a sweetener? You're not going to grow sugar cane. The bees provide honey. And they pollinate the plants. Okay, so listen, the idea here is long-term homesteading is supposed to save you money, right? Because you're supposed to be able to make money off the business of what you're creating. you're not having to go buy all your food, all of it. Like it is a self-producing situation that you're in.

That's long-term, but short-term, there's a lot of upfront costs. So if you were interested in homesteading after this episode, we want you to be debt-free, stockpiles some cash, do this well. If you're going to be building a home out on your lands, do it wisely around the Ramsey principles. I think it's really important. Don't take on a giant mortgage you can't afford to make this work. Yep.

And for a lot of people that homestead full-time, one of the spouses, if it's a couple, one of them kept their full-time job, like, working, right, until they were self-sustaining. So, again, I think it's like this dream of like, let's just go and do this. But the startup costs to, like, get it all going and doing it completely just on your own, it can be expensive. So if you're going to do it, do it wisely. And you can purchase a homestead that's already set up. So that's another factor.

I'm pretty lazy. So it's probably what I would do if I was going to go about it. There's probably more expensive, though. But less hassle and it's faster and you can just jump into it. There you go. So that's, there's a lot of facts. factors here, and I wonder how many people stick with it over the long haul. I agree.

Like, is this, hey, we did this for five or ten years while the kids were young, or is this, once you get into it, you never get out? I know. It's so true. So I'm curious. Okay, so what's your pros and cons, George? If you were to give me your top reason why you would homestead and your top reason why you wouldn't. Pro, I think overall it's a higher quality of life.

Your health, your family, your mental health, your physical health, all of that increases. Okay. I do think social is the one thing. Like, you're most, you probably have a big family if you're doing this. If it was just like my wife and I, I can't imagine you have a bunch of friends that also homestead nearby. Yeah. But I think community is a big part that could be a pro or con, depending if you have it or not.

That's true. And then just the, I mean, it's, it is hard backbreaking work. There's something wonderful about being in AC in a studio all day and then going home to my bed and not having to, you know, till the soil and milk the cows before dinner. Yes. But I think you, the pro is. you're so much closer to everything you're experiencing. Yes.

Life, nature, the animals, your food. I think there's appreciation about life that you just don't get when things are just convenience out, right? Like, I think there's a level there. So I get that. I really do. How about you? That's my pro.

Okay. It's like there's an experience there and appreciation for like the simple things, your food, right? The simple things in life that you really do. Ooh, the con. I just like convenience, George. You do. I was going to say, like,

You like a life of just... And I'm an urgent person. And so I'm like, if I want something, the fact I can just go buy it from a store, I... It's nice. I'm going there. That's fair.

Don't feel bad. Hey, you own it. It's your life. And my thoughts and my opinions. I guess that's true. That was good. Well, let us... I'm curious, if you are a homesteader,

you have experience with this, let us know in the comments what that experience has been like. Because I'm genuinely curious. Yes. It's almost the end of the episode, George. I'm going to close out every episode with Guilty as charged. And this is where our producer Lindsay gives us a new guilty-as-charge question every week.

And if we are guilty, we take a sip. Linz? Yes. Do you have a YouTube guilty pleasure? Like, for example, the Dr. Pimple-Popper. Oh, gross. Not that. Yeah.

That was just an example. So what's your guilty pleasure? Like, what type of videos? Like, when you say guilty pleasure, does it have to be somewhat embarrassing? Normally. It's like, if I told people they're like, What? Or, like, laugh at you, like, what?

Oh, yeah. Does that have to be YouTube? Or can be, like, a genre of content. That's kind of weird. Oh. Wow. Now I'm just curious. Here's what I saw recently.

I think it was on Instagram, so nothing against YouTube. But it was these people cleaning. Are you ready for this? Rugs. Like, they found a rug in, like, a dump. Oh. And it's about 40 seconds of them with all these scrubbers and these, and then it cleans it and scrubbing.

There's more. And you just watch it. and then it turns into this like red rug. You're like, it's a red rug. Who knew it was a red rug? Wow. And it's weirdly satisfying. That's for sure on YouTube.

Rug cleaning. So we'll give it to you. Rug cleaning. But it's got to be quick. I don't want to watch rug cleaning for 15 minutes. Well, there's shorts on YouTube, so. So yeah, I need a rug clean in 45 seconds and you watch it. And the machinery, the precision, the detail.

You just appreciate that person who's cleaning that rug. That's good. I have a similar one. I don't think anyone would be shocked by my YouTube. It's a lot of, like, you know, comedy, late night show clips monologues things like that but the one that i is in that realm which is more youtube shorts tic-tok there's a guy who goes to random people's houses who have like overgrown yards like weeds like they haven't mowed ever it's terrible dilapidated and he'll knock on their door and say hey

i'd love to just clean this up for free i'll mow the lawn i'll edge it i'll do all the things for free and it looks like i have a channel it's just what i do and i'm doing this and they're some of them are confused but they go okay go for it have had it and it's just like time lapse of him mowing, cleaning it all up, pulling the weeds, and making it pristine and beautiful. So it's an act of generosity, but it's also, it is very nice for my OCD to see this, like messy.

Is it awesome to see, like, the difference? Oh, it's gorgeous. And you can finally see the house, because I'm sure the house is just completely overgrown. The front of the sidewalks, the yard, it's just like, that's like, very calming to me. And a very sweet thing he does. So it's a great channel.

I don't know what it's called. My rug cleaner is nice too. So that's my guilty pleasure that you'd be like, that's what you like to watch. How about you, producer Lindsay? I don't know that. Any of them are super weird. Well, you have a lot of weird hobbies.

What? Like what? You got into making beautiful clay earrings at one point. Oh, I'm just the person that tries everything and then quits. And you did tea? You said tea for a while. Oh, that's still going to be a thing. I just currently can't make it without feeling like I'm going to get sick.

That's fair. That's my current status. But yes, I love, I feel like if I go see a movie and I like the actor or the actors, all of a sudden I'll go down a rabbit. for like literally two hours where I watched interview to interview to interview to interview. And then I'm like, I want to be your best friend. I get that too. I do that with shows I'm obsessed with.

I'll go watch interviews with the lead actors and just go like, what was it like? What was it like behind the scenes clips? Yep, that's good. I did that with the greatest showman, all the dancers, all the cast. I went down every, every dancer and went down all the rabbit holes. See, that's mine. That's me too. And Taylor Swift's dancers, too.

You know them all by name. Well, they're all there, and I'm like, who are you? What did you do in the past? Do you watch the dance videos? Yeah. Those are also really fun. All of it.

I'm just like, man. I go down a rabbit hole. Like, you know, like the cool, like, dance studios around the U.S. or wherever, and they're doing all these. I know all the cool dance studios. Around the U.S. I just think of that one that's popular in L.A.

I can't remember the name. But they like... You're looking at me like, I'm going to know the dance studio in L.A. Whitney loves it, so maybe you would. Whitney does love watching dance videos. Yeah, but they're fun. She still will go back and watch Rihanna's Super Bowl performance,

and she will be in tears every time. Oh, yeah, she cries. Because she was pregnant while Rihanna was... Yes. She's like, I'm just so inspired. Is she so beautiful? I love it. It's all these people are just like,

like fluffy white outfits just being like... Yeah, they are. But she was pregnant the whole time, right? Totally, yeah. And very pregnant. Like, I feel like it was... I love that fact. I'll just be like, what are you crying?

And she was like, I'm watching Rihanna again. I'm like, that was two years. years to go. Give it up. That's so funny. Anyways. That was fun. So good. All right, George, who finished the drink first? You did. I think, yeah, we're close to equal on that.

This is a mocktail, and it's called, Rachel, if you're curious, an Earl Grey Tea and Tonic Mocktail. It was so good. Really good. I'm going to give this, as far as mocktails go, can't beat it, 10 out of 10. I'm going 10 out of 10, too. Yep. I would order it. So congrats to mixologist, Eboo. Well done, Ibu.

Who created this mocktail. Here's what's in it. Earl Grey Simple syrup, lemon juice, tonic water, and ice. I think the hardest part here is that Earl Grey Simple syrup. Did we buy this?

No, Lindsay made it. You made it from scratch? Yeah. Okay. How do you do? How do you do? Sugar and water in Earl Grey tea bags. She was steep Earl Grey tea.

Yeah, for like, I think it was like 15 minutes. In hot water. And yeah, and then you take it out, and then you let it cool and that's it. And add sugar. Oh, yeah.

You do sugar and water, bring it to a boil, then that's when you take it off and you put the tea bags in, let it steep for 15 minutes, then you take them out, and then you let it cool, and then you put it in a jar or something. So great. So homesteader. A Mason jar for our homestead. Evo has these cool jars that she gives us that looks like a little simple-suit jars. I do. There's something about that burgomat and Earl Grey that I love. That scent, that flavor is wonderful.

So 10 out of 10 for me, it costs 93 cents per glass. We will put the recipe in the show notes. I can't believe the show is free. How are we doing this? Unbelievable, unbelievable. Well, you guys, leave a comment below if you are a homesteader. We want to hear from you. I don't know. We may be inspired George after this episode.

Yeah, I'm going to follow them on Instagram and maybe I'll get obsessed. We'll follow. I have always wanted a tiny home. That's the closest I've gotten to homesteading. Oh, yeah. Just love the idea of a tiny home. Nothing to me wants that, but we'll keep going.

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