Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - The #1 Budget Buster That No One Can Avoid

Episode Date: August 8, 2024

💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   Did you know there’s one expense that no one on the planet can avoid? And what if we told you the cost of that thing has risen by 26% in the last two years alone? If you’re starting to spiral, don’t panic! Today we’re talking grocery shopping pet peeves, takeout tips and other money and life hacks that can help.     Next Steps   🛒 Use Rachel’s Meal Planner & Grocery Savings Guide to get organized and save money at the store.   📱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.     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:🍹 Sparkling Rosemary Peach Mocktail Recipe courtesy of Cake n Knife   ·      5 sprigs rosemary ·      1/2 cup sugar ·      1/2 cup water ·      1/2 chopped peach  ·      4 ounces lemon juice ·      1 cup ice ·      club soda   Instructions: Boil rosemary, sugar and water. Cover and let steep for 15-30 minutes. Strain and let simple syrup cool completely. Muddle peaches with lemon juice and rosemary simple syrup. Fill glass with ice. Strain mixture into a separate glass, top with club soda, and enjoy!     Listen to More From Ramsey Network   💡 The Rachel Cruze Show 💰 George Kamel 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights   🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 💼 The Ken Coleman Show 📈 EntreLeadership   Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey guys, it's Rachel Cruz. And George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers. Cheers. Joy in a glass. Delicious. Well, this is the show.

We're 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 are talking about the number one budget buster that literally no one on the planet can avoid. You know, it's like we're in a rock and a Aldi. Yes. Between a. It's a great analogy.

Now, before we explain what we mean, let's talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel. It is a sparkling rosemary peach moktail. It's delicious. Wow. Let me tell you, this one might be a top contender in Smart Money Happy Hour history. I would agree.

It's flavorful. It's wonderful. We'll get to all of it later. The rating, the recipe, the cost per glass. Stick around until the end. Yeah. Okay, so George, I recently saw a Yahoo finance article. Is that a flex?

Maybe I did my research. And listen, according to this article, data from the U.S. inflation calculator shows that food prices have risen almost 26% since 2020. I believe that. So something was $1.00, now it's $1.25. So it was $10. Now it's $12.50. Yeah. That's fair.

Quick math there, George. Quick math. That is truly wild. And as recently as August of 2022, the rate of inflation for food reached its highest peak since 1970. before we were even alive. Wow. Yeah, that was 10 years after the moon landing. If it happened.

But that is pretty wild. That is crazy. And here's the thing. What's hard about food isn't like... You need it. It's not an option. You know, you've got subscriptions and gym memberships

and all these things that we can talk about. But food, it's kind of a necessity for which. It's not a luxury to eat. Now, there's versions of it that become luxuries, which we'll get to, but you can't just cut food out of the budget to save money. And in the words of the great

to Kelsey Ballerini. The right and the hard thing are sometimes the same. Is that a lyric? It feels like a lyric. It is. Oh, Kelsey. I got to listen to my music. Because, again, the idea is that you have to pay for food.

It has gotten so expensive people. Can't believe it. But you've got to pay for it. But we do have some tricks to help lower that bill when the time comes. Some hacks, if you will. Yeah, we're here for you. We're your friends. But before we dive in to all the solutions,

let's just talk a little bit about etiquette, George. You know, you feel like a pet peeve kind of guy. I do wonder sometimes, like, who raised you? You know what I mean? Not you specifically, but like people at the grocery store. Yeah, there's some pet peeves that are real. Here's one for you. The woman that leaves the cart unattended.

Oh. After she puts her kids in the car and the groceries. Because I just saw a video recently on Instagram about this. And she got hammered because she's like, I don't put the card up. I don't. And my kids in the car, got my groceries in the car. I'm not doing it. And people like went after her.

I am a cart put her upper, are you? I don't know how you could not. I know. I wouldn't sleep at night. I mean, unless I, like, was, like, fearful or something. What would you be fearful of? Like, you're in danger? I don't know.

Like, there was, like, a sketchy guy, and I had my head on a swivel. And I'm looking around protecting myself. Wow. I guess I've never been in it. I guess I've never been in it. Like, my husband taught me to always be. Yeah, and there's just something that doesn't feel right. That would be the only time, but it's never happened to my entire.

life. I feel like it's never happened to me. And now I'm wondering, am I the sketchy guy? Oh, no. You know what I mean? No. No, but that's definitely a pet peeve. That's fair.

Yeah, how about the self-checkout stress? These drive me crazy. Because, like, I love the idea of self-checkout. Like, hey, maybe I don't need to deal with a person, and I can just scan the thing myself and put my card in it. I got two bags of chips. Well, until the store is understaffed and there's people with 100 items in their card, and there's one lane open and then one self-checkout open.

Yes. Because the machine is broken. or whatever, and, like, life is hard enough. Why are you making self-checkout difficult for me? Yeah. Do you know who has stuff checkout now? Who? Costco.

Oh, yeah. That feels like... Even that stressful. I'm like, it just... Because they're like, hey, you have to put the items... Because you have, like, a thousand items when you go to Costco, usually. And they're testing the weight of everything to make sure you put it. Oh, it's so much.

And then it's like, hey, you didn't put it in there. You didn't put it in there. And it's flashing and I got away for someone. Or I get the, like, big pack of water. Yeah. Which is real heavy to lift out of it and to try to scan it and put it down. So tough.

And they say, no, don't worry about that. We'll scan the big stuff for you. Then I'm standing there while my little lights blinking above me, hoping someone sees me needing help. Can't do it. I'm getting stress now. Yeah, I'm getting stress now. No more.

So you know my pet peeve is I am a very efficient grocery shopper. So if I'm in the store. You're in and out. I mean, I am flying through that place. It's supermarket sweep. You're not falling out. Yes, it is. I would be excellent on that show.

So good. Don't think it exists anymore. Or shop till you drop. Remember that show too? Oh, I love that show. I would have done both and done really well. Like Winston and I, we can't go grocery shopping together anymore. We, like, decided it's just not good for us.

Because he's like walking around. Wait, is Winston a meander? I'm like, oh, my God, do you. Does he like to meander? I come with like 80 items. And I'm like, here, put these in the cart. Put these in the cart. We got to go.

We got to go. I'm just an urgent person. So one of my pet peeves is like somebody is standing there. And they're like, look. and around and you're like, excuse me, I'm so sorry, I just have to grab this. And I just do it, y'all. And I probably feel like frantic and crazy. Which brings us to one of my favorite, not favorite games, freeze tag at the freezer.

Yeah. You ever play that? Someone's like standing there. And they're looking. I'm like, hey, I got to get to this door. That's what I'm saying. You got to be like, excuse me, sorry, so sorry. So sorry.

It's just awkward. You just apologize a lot. They're like, that was such a nice girl as I run off with my ice cream. Well, what about the inadequate inventory? You go for one thing and they don't have that one thing. The worst for sure. And then you're like, do I go to another store? Do I just give up hope entirely?

Terrible. You know, the worst food to buy stresses me out. Avocados. Avocados! I don't buy them anymore. I simply have just cut it out of my diet. It makes, I can't. I'll buy a pre-made guac.

I will not buy a raw avocado. It is so, it's the most terrible situation that you're in. Because number one, you go and buy them for the guac that you're trying to make homemade. Yeah, trying to be a hero. And they're hard as a rock. So you're like putting it in your paper bag, like trying to do all the tricks. to get it soft. Then, no, it doesn't happen for the night that you have to cook.

So then you think, well, I'll use it on my eggs for extra protein. You know, it's a good fat. It's actually a very healthy food. And then you forget about it. And then you look up 15 days later. And there's a little lonely avocado. Just all shriveled up. And you think, deadcommit, you were $3.

You know, like they're so expensive. And once you open an avocado, it's like a ticking time bomb. Don't even try to saran wrap that. and put it in the refrigerator. I'll squeeze some lime. No, that guac is going to go bad. Not happening. You have one chance at guac and then it's over.

And then you're done. And you've wasted so much time. I'm glad we feel the same way. I don't like it. Okay, can I tell you, I love a wholesale club, but Costco has been getting on my nerves. Okay, can we talk about this? I don't know who they've hired for security these days.

They are... It's intense. It's so stressful. It is so stressful. They're like, they need your ID. All the time it's like you're at TSA pre-check. You know, like, do the random screening at TSA. That's what they do it.

Costco now. That's what it feels like. They're just like, uh, sir, are you supposed to be in here? I'm like, I'm just shopping. Like, can I actually see your card? Your face doesn't look the same. I'm like, I've gained some weight. I'm a dad now. I'm a father now. And you can't even go to the self-checkout without having to wait in a separate line to be like, I

actually... I am. I'm a member. This is who I am. I know. That's very stressful. Can I tell you, though, Sam's Club, I went on Saturday. It was amazing. No one checked my ID at the door. Wait, Kirkland King. Hold on. Did you cheat? I've been a member of both, to be fair.

Wow. I just like making fun of the Kirkland brand because it's a whole vibe. Yeah. But Sam's Club, they have checkout on my phone. I scanned the item. No. And I literally swipe to pay and I walked out.

Am I being converted right now? Are you seeing this happen in real time? I did not get in any line. I didn't have to go to a self-checkout kiosk. I used the app. I scanned it. I went, yep, I'm done. Check out.

Pay. All right. And then it goes, all right, walk out. Just scan the barcode on your way out. And I left. conversion may have just happened And can I also say Sam's Club on a Saturday?

Very chill. Costco on a Tuesday at 7 p.m. chaos. Are we switching? I think I'm switching. I think I've been converted. Wow, Mom. Oh my gosh. I'm telling you you have to try it.

This is happening. And can I say this? The aisles are labeled at Sam's Club. They label the aisles. You would think it'd be easy. It's like we hate Costco. Listen, I'll still go to Costco for certain things, but I'm telling you, like, don't sleep on Sam's Club.

All right. Man, you may be converting me. All right. Anyways. Do you love them or do you hate them? The Trader Joe's checkout cashiers. It depends on my mood. You're going to go into therapy.

99% of the time. You're going to end up talking about dad wounds. It's great. ASAP. When you go, how's your day? It's been good. Is it good? Why is it good?

They're more intentional than my actual friends. Do your children make you happy? Did you feel like you were happy? as a child. I'm like, I sometimes. Yeah, I think I was. Like, I mean, it's unbelievable. Yeah. And they'll be like, they'll look at your items and be like, oh my gosh. You are in for a treat tonight. Oh, wow. I didn't know. They are the best. Like, those are life-changing. They are the, they're so affirming. It's like every item you picked. Like, oh my gosh, I'm so great. It is great. I love them. Love them. I do. You're wonderful. And I was there this weekend as well, because I just, this is my

hobby. I like to go to stores. I went by myself because I'm, you and Winston is Whitney and I. Like, we do not go shopping together. It's not going to end well. Yeah. I'm a meanderer. I just want to see what's out there. I want to look at every label. You know, I want to check the ingredients.

Ooh, they have chili spice mango bites now. Let me check those, you know. She can't even with that. Yep, we've got to be in and out. Unbelievable. Okay, so one grocery store that I really do love, because it is probably the cheapest. I mean, I really do think so is Aldi.

I mean, Aldi, the deals you can get. Pound for pound, it's hard to beat. It's really great. But you've got to, like, have the equipment before you go. You know, you got to have bags. A quarter for the cart. I mean, it's definitely the bare minimum experience. But I think I'm okay with that, you know?

Sometimes you just need what you need. I was like the Salvation Army Santa out there at Aldi the other day because I was like, can anyone spare a quarter? I just need to get a cart. I have a little bell. George was like, please help me. It's exhausting. But yeah, and then I'm carrying all these items and I'm like, crap,

I'll just buy a 99 cent bag because I didn't bring my reusable bag. I know. It's just a lot. But you do get a great bargain there. It is. It's so true. It is so true.

Oh, have you seen the target cameras? This is the last one and it makes you feel like you just broke out of prison. No one looks good. I'm telling you. I look like you just handed me my clothes in a bag and I just put them on from a cell that I've been in for years. And you look up at yourself and you think, who am? It's like they have like a feral hyena filter on that camera. Like, how is it so unflattering?

It's so unflattering. It is so unflatting. It is so true. And then I wonder, am I doing something wrong, weird? Is security watching me right now? Oh, it's just the worst. It really is the worst. It just makes yourself a seem.

If you look good in a target camera, you try too hard. Can I just say that? If you look good in a target camera, you look good in your license photo, right? Like, it's the same people. Like, it's like you get... Oh, it's so stressful. And then I fix my hair when I look. Oh, every time.

Yeah, because you see yourself and you're like, oh, God, and then you're like, and they're looking at me. Dadgummit. Is that work? Just kind of freshen yourself up. I'm just going to walk into smiling next time. I know, I know. God bless the security folks just being like, gosh, these people are strange.

Oh, my gosh, so bad. Okay, so let's talk about some life hacks when it comes to food, George, because we love food, but grocery shopping specifically. So one of my favorites, are you ready for this? Hit me. Depends on in the state. So let me just preference with that. Is the Bogo at Publix.

I love a Publix Bogo. So Publix, buy one, get one free is great. Again, this is, depending on the state you live in, you can buy just one of the items, and they cut the price in half. Because let's all admit, Publix has higher prices than normal grocery stores, so much your Kroger or Aldi. And you're paying for the experience. I mean, that's really where they might.

I mean, really kind employees, big aisles, beautifully lit, labeled well. Like, it's a great experience. It's a great experience, right? Great experience. So you are paying higher for it. But the buy one get one free, you can't beat it. You really can't. It's amazing.

Just get that half off. It's awesome. And here's the thing I use it for the most is sparkling water is like, you know, Waterloo, Spindrift, LaCroix. When they have a Bogo on sparkling water, on my Krispy Boys, as I call them, I will stock up. Like, you would think there is an apocalypse, and the first thing to go is going to be sparkling water.

You are ready for it. And I'm stocked. My cart is filled to the rim. I probably spend over 100 bucks when that bogo sale hits because it's cheaper than even Costco or like buying a thing. bulk for some new drinks. But when it comes to food, George, are you more on the store brand version because it's cheaper or do you go name brand? That's a great question. I think normally a generic brand is great with me. Depending on the, you know, like at Costco, I'm always going to get

the Kirkland brand. Sands Club, if it's a members mark thing, I'm good with that. Aldi, everything's all the brand. You don't have to worry much about that for the most part. And so I really don't buy a lot of things that are named brand except for probably coffee. Okay. Yeah, yeah. That's the one thing. I mean, Trader Joe's all Trader Joe's brand. So I'm really not big on buying name brand items except for Charmin and Starbucks Cold Brew. There you go. I'm a simple man. That's fair.

That's all you need. Yeah, how about you? Most of all dairy is, can you eat dairy or is that hurt your stomach? Are you a dairy person? Why the look? You don't eat certain things. I try to avoid it. You know, I don't think anyone's body is just like, give me more dairy, unless you're a child and it's milk.

which Mia's about to move to cows milk. Wow. Are you going to do it or are you going to put her on almond milk or something? No, I don't know you can do that legally. No child abuse. Legally. So, yeah, I do, most dairy is all, like, store brands. Okay.

But, like, things like Honeynut Cheerios, my condiments, for the most part, like a ketchup or a mustard, I do go, like, name brand. What's your condiment brand? A hinds ketchup. Hmm. And... Is the label not good enough for you, George? No, it's fine.

I just didn't know what the Cruz household. If it was like, well, we only do Sir Pennington's or like, you know, whatever. Oh, gosh. I don't even know what that means. So, yeah. Okay, that's good. Well, those are some ways to save some money in that way. That's a simple one.

Everyone's like, got it, Rachel. Shop generic. That's an easy one. So I haven't seen you in a Tiff in a while, George. But the one time I did, and you were really, really... I was in a TIF? I don't know what the word is. Hold on.

Purturbed? Yeah, that's a good one. You were really on your, not high horse, because it wasn't a high horse. I don't know. I just saw you all mixed up with emotion. Wow. Was when you told the internet

that it's cheaper to eat at home and they came after you, George. I mean, you got... So it was a clip from a smart conference event. I did a talk about, you know, budgeting. And I was like, listen, eating out is four times the cost of eating at home.

So you're saying, I'm willing to pay, you know, instead of $4, I'm willing to pay $16 for that meal out. And we put on social media and it got blasted with haters. I mean, the haters came out of the woodwork, George. This guy's an idiot. Has even been shopping? You can't eat a home for $4. And I'm like, it's $4 per serving, you dimwits.

I'm not talking about leaving the grocery store with a $4 receipt per serving. I know, but you did the research in it. And it is true. Like, we love eating out. But restaurants have a 300% market. It's crazy. To cover overhead and their expenses and labor. Sure.

And they have to make a profit to stay in business. So don't think that it's ever cheaper to eat out unless you're eating absolute trash food. You know, if you're doing like the $5 meal deal at McDonald's, sure, you might not be able to cook that meal for $5 at home. Right. But you're talking about like good quality food. Yes. Yeah, for sure. And I do think, you know, we have our go-to meals that are just cheap to make at home.

Like we love breakfast for dinner. It's like my kid's favorite thing. Like pancakes and bacon and eggs, I think it's like the best thing ever. We do a lot of Mexican. So like beans, rice, cassidyos, chips, yeah, guac. But not from real avocados, pre-made guac. There's still real avocados though, weren't they? Well, I mean, from like the actual avocado.

It was a callback to the beginning of this episode, George, remember that? I just thought you have a fake avocado or something. Oh, no. You're saying it's pre-made guac. I agree. Yeah, I was just joking. like that, spaghetti. Like, again, there's these, like, meals

that you can make a family of five and it doesn't have to break the bank. And the thing I like to do, which is slightly nerdy, but it's a good practice to just to see, is actually divide out what this is costing for how many people are eating it. So, for example, Whitney and I,

we love this Costco pizza. It's, like, five or six bucks per pizza when you do the math, and we always split it. So I know, hey, that's $3 per person to eat. Now, some meals, if you're doing, like, steak or seafood, Well, it could be like $10 per person

Depending on where you buy it, how you cook it, all of that. So it's wise to just do some math, especially when it comes to price per ounce. Gosh, do you really do all that, George? I do the price per ounce. That just makes me so sad. Well, sometimes it's interesting. I'll go like, okay, like Costco has...

I think you need to. It's good. The wholesale club has a 32 pack of sodas and it's $9. We'll divide those into each other and go, okay, that's, you know, whatever, 60 cents per soda. Sure, sure.

But the bogo at Publix, you can get it for 38 cents per gallon. See? that's why you're going to retire a whole 14 days before me. I can't wait with all of my sparkling waters. With all of your sparkling waters. But that's just for to start. No, it is true though.

And especially this is true if you are on a tight budget. And you really are looking at it. I mean, seriously, when you're at that point, like doing that kind of stuff and finding, hey, what is the best deal? It is worth it. Because you can save so much. Like, again, the grocery store is where you can, gosh, blow the budget. You can save it.

Like, you really can. So I give you a hard time, George, but I commend you. Well, I did this at Treder Joe's yesterday because I shopped for the week for the family. And I was going like, am I buying things that are actual meals or am I just buying random things that look good? Big difference. Because I am that guy who would just show up at home and like, I got a few fun drinks to try and none of it is food that we can eat.

So yesterday I was very like, okay, I've got the green beans. What am I doing with those? So one thing I did that we're doing this week is fish tacos. Yeah, that sounds delicious. So I got battered halibut. Yeah. And they have this like mango, hemica, whatever, slaw from Trader Joe's. Delicious.

So you combine those too. I got the corn tortillas at home. Perfect. That's going to be a great meal. Look at you. They have gluten-free pizza dough now. So we're going to do a pizza night. Nice.

All la the cruise household. Love a pizza night. And so I was like, okay, you add up the cheese, add up the dough, and add in the sauce. And you're still like, okay, that's going to feed. That's two pizzas we can make from the dough. Much cheaper than ordering pizza delivery. Exactly. It is true.

So just thinking through, like, what are actual meals, what are all these ingredients costing to make the meal? how many people are my feeding. It's a good way to get into a habit. Then you figure out your favorites. And you go, these are the go-to meals. Yep, that's right. Yep, and you can just cycle them through.

I love it. I don't know if that's helpful, but that's honest. Honesty is what we're asking for, George. So again, we said that eating out is usually more expensive, but there are still some deals when it comes to especially takeout these days. I think since COVID they've like really up the takeout game. To try to get people into restaurants. Yeah.

All right. Here's some budget-friendly takeout tips if you need them, people. We got Olive Garden. It's an American classic. It's a favorite. It's a favorite. Well, there's a buy one, take one. So you can actually, if you eat a meal in the restaurant, you can take a meal home.

So you get two meals for the price of one. Not bad. It's pretty great. And then also the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, which is obviously the reason we go. How are these people making money? It's the reason we go. It's so good. Oh, my gosh.

And you love Subway. I do love Subway. I love a Subway. Subway's so good. George is too good for it, but it's fine. I'm not too good. I just gluten, Rachel. You know.

Yeah. So, you know, the subway foot long, you know, if you just eat half of it for your six-inch sub, it's great. Eat the other half tomorrow. But you get a good deal on the foot long. And it's good with it for a portion control. Because can I be honest? Like, obviously I'm a little guy and I'm not a nutrition expert.

But I think we just eat too much, like American culture. I think that is true. The portions and stuff, like that's a known thing. Our portions are gigantic. And I think when you can split that meal in half right off the bat and share it with a spouse, save her for meal tomorrow. So, you know, it saves you money. That brings me my next two.

You ready for this? Okay. So their bowls are huge. Huge. I did listen to the other day. Whitney and I split a bowl. So great. And if you say, well, you're both little people. These bowls are massive. They're massive. They really are. I love, I love Kava and Chippole. They're both so good. But yeah, you could get a big bowl. And then you can even add more meat if you need to. For protein, split it. It makes all the difference. And I try to add all the ingredients that are free that I can. Yeah. So that helps. You just get like rice and beans at Chipotle, and you're like, it's no, no, no. Well, add in all the other good stuff. Yeah. You want to get some of that corn and salsa's and lettuce?

Blaise pizza is another one. You get a custom pizza on high-rise crust or you can get the classic. But you can save half of it for another meal, right? Because it's a pretty big and it's 15 bucks probably for a meal for a pizza. So just cut it in half, eat one half, one time, the other half. And that's two meals. It's great. Pizza is a tried and true, like it is affordable and it'll fill you up.

Delicious. Love it. All right. Should we go into groceries here? Yeah, let's do it. We've lits it out some of our grievances with grocery shopping. We gave the nice people some budget-friendly grocery store hacks, some takeout tips. But the fact remains, food still costs a lot.

It does. And it's not like it used to be back in Grandma's Day. So what can people actually do to affect their budget? Yeah, I would say two things. Number one, kind of look at your numbers and figure out a good grocery budget. So if you go back and look at your groceries that you spent last month or the month before, kind of average it. But remember, that was before you were doing this purposely if you haven't been budgeting.

So take that number and, you know, bring it down a little bit and just say, hey, I'm going to challenge myself to spend this much in the grocery store. And then you got a meal plan, people, that's step two. You really do. You have to see, okay, what store am I going to shop at? What meals are we going to cook? What do we need? And you only buy what you need.

And it really is sticking to it. And then every dollar, our budgeting app, is great for this because we have a, food section and I have a grocery store line and an out to eat line. And when that transaction comes in, especially on every dollar premium, when it's connected to your bank, drag and drop it, but you can watch it, you know, throughout, you know, day after day to say, hey, how much do we have left in this line idol? So if you're mid-month and you're almost out of money in that category, you got to go, whoa, whoa, what happened here?

That's really good. And we have a great article about the USDA food plans and cost of food reports. And here's the reason. People are always asking us, Rachel, well, just tell me how much to spend on food. I'm like, I can't do that for you. I don't know your life, your family needs, like, restrictions, allergies, where you live, where you shop, all of that affects this. But this article that we'll put in the show notes, the USDA has some, you know, different plans. So let's say you're single, you're a couple, you're a family of four, you want the thrifty option,

the low cost option, the moderate option, the liberal option, if you want to go, you know, hog wild. And that'll give you at least some ranges of what to aim at. Mm-hmm. No, that's good. So yeah, you guys, I mean, grocery shopping, food costs, it is. It's, it's risen. We have all felt it. But again, I think being intentional in this area, it is so helpful. And it does make you feel more in control. Because when you go and check out, it's like, oh my gosh, you know, is this too much? Is this okay? But when you've done your research, you have a plan that works for you and your family. You're intentional. You know the meals that you're going to be cooking. I think it's great. I think that that's the way, that's the way to do it.

And here's an interesting stat. As of late 2023, the thrifty couple grocery plan on that USDA chart was $596 per month, while the liberal family of four plan was almost $1,600. So you can see the range, depending on the family size and how, you know, lucy-goosey you are. But listen, if you're in debt and you've got financial priorities, you might need to live that thrifty life for a while. And once you're out of debt and you have an emergency fund and you're investing, maybe you lean towards that liberal side and go, we're going to be a little loose here. I'm going to enjoy it. Yeah. We say live like no one else, the later you can live and give like no one else. And that includes the grocery store.

Can I tell you another little hack? I use a Trader Joe's. I get the tiny little buggy cart, like the handheld. And I will fill that. up knowing it's going to be hard to breach $100 if I fill this thing up. Talk about discipline, Rachel. Do you get the child's little cart? No, no, no. The handheld. What are those called the basket?

I grabbed the basket. I thought, oh, no. Although, to be fair, it would look like a normal cart if I was pushing the kid's car. That's funny. But that's a hack I used to discipline myself because the bigger the cart, the more room you got to throw stuff in there. I love it. And so I'm like just manhandling this basket. It's 48 pounds.

And I bring it to the register. And I know as they scan, I'm like, it's probably going to be $100. And I'm almost always right. So good. But hey, you stayed in that budget, George. That's right. Which we believe that you can do that as well. You can do it.

So again, we know it's expensive, but plan accordingly. You guys, you got this. Go to every dollar.com slash smart money. And you can check it out there. And that'll be a great way for you to just go, I'm going to make a plan for this instead of just willy-nilly hope for the best. That's right. I love it.

So George, I mean, this is a topic that is really, it's a heavy one for people because, again, food is essential. And people really do try hard, right? They really do. I think that there is such effort in, hey, where can we save money? Where can we pinch our pennies? Because they're feeling that paycheck to paycheck living. So it is difficult, you guys. But again, hopefully some of this helps you, some of the just the knowledge, but also some of the tips and the tricks when it comes to grocery shopping and just and being wise, because I do think, too, the stats on like wasted food. and that kind of thing. I mean, like, there's things that are real. So I think it's looking at your habits, looking at your money, but knowing, like, it's gone up 25% since 2020, and we don't have control of that. But we do have control over what we do and how we spend our money.

That's right. And you guys can do it. You can do this. I hate that food, like groceries has now become like a splurge to just go to the grocery store and get food for your family. That stinks. But even if you try a few of these things,

just see what affects your budget and see where it really makes a dent and then stick with it. And as you follow the baby, steps that we teach and get out of day, get the emergency fund, things will loosen up. Your income's going to go up over time. So just know that this might be a season that you're in right now. This is not a forever thing.

That's right. That's right. So good. All right, George. It's almost the end of the episode. And we close out every episode with Guilty as charged. And this is where our producer, Lindsay, gives us a new guilty-as-charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip.

Lindsay? Okay, I'm going a little rogue. Uh-oh. So nervous. But when you guys were listing your pet peeves for, like, people shopping or whatever, are you guilty of doing that as well? Oh. So, like, the cart thing or blocking people or any of it.

Oh, my gosh. I mean, I try to pride myself on my, like, spatial awareness, you know, because I'm so bothered. I'm like, I never want to be that person, but 100%. I mean, I have to ask everyone around me to tell me how annoying I am. Oh my gosh. Mine would be like a self-checkout situation. I would be the one that like can't find the barcode

or like don't know how to weigh the thing. Like I would be the one that's like, I need help over here please. Like, you know, that would be me. So that would be, I would be that person. I would be the self-checkout guilt. I don't think I'm big enough to be in the way. You know what I mean?

If I'm like, if I'm looking at an object, I don't think anyone's like, I can't get around this guy. You know? I can't see because of his height. Oh, wait. Hey. You know what? The other day, someone asked me if I could reach something on the shelf.

And I couldn't, but I think the fact of the ass was very nice. You know what I did? I climbed into the freezer. You know, like I stepped into it. At the grocery store? And I grabbed it, yes. Wow. Because I'm resourceful.

What a hero, you know? Yeah. Not all heroes wear capes, George. Well done. Well done. Saving the day. You know, it's a fun one too. Do you ever get stopped in the grocery store?

But you're like in the zone. and it catches you off guard. I'm sorry? Like someone's like, oh my gosh, are you Rachel? Oh, oh, oh. When you're out and about. Are you ever rude to someone? I'm in the zone.

No, the only time I feel myself, they're like, oh my God, thank you so much. I got to go, I got to go. It's if my kids are with me because it's like a ticking time bomb. I'm like, oh my gosh, where are they? Got to keep eyes on them. But if it's just me, I think all of a sudden I'd be like,

oh my gosh, really? Are you like making eye contact with everyone just in case they look up at you? God, no, no, no. No, wait, what? Okay. If I looked up and someone was just like... This happened at a wholesale club.

I literally just had my car. And this lady just is walking by me, didn't stop. She just went paying cash for that. And I went, you know it. And then we just went our separate ways. So good. You know, we were in the airport and someone did that. We were waiting a baggage claim.

And I had the kids over in the corner when someone's getting the bags. And she just has her suitcase. She walks faster. She goes, paid off my car. And I said, you go, girl. How fun is that? She just left. I was like, oh, yeah.

So if you ever see Rachel in public, Like, feel free to say, hey. She loves it. Same to George. I know. And if you see me, ask me to get something off the shelf. And boost. It did happen at Stams Club this weekend.

This lady, she made direct eye contact with me and was like, hey, are you returning that? And I was like, oh, yeah, like, I thought she knew me. Oh, my gosh. Turns out, she was just like, yeah, I wanted to buy that. What do you think? It was a lounge chair in case you're wondering. Wow. Swapping it for a different color.

I went from Navy to Stone. And you know what? Shout out to Sam's Club, Rachel. She didn't even do anything. She said, just give me the old chair. All right, you're good. Just head on out. No receipt to scan, no transaction.

Landed the free that we have been missing. Just be gone. It was amazing. Unbelievable. Wow. Shout out to them. Not the question you asked, but it's the answer we wanted. So good.

Well, who's almost done with their dream? Wow. I'm closer. Yeah, you are. I just wasn't as parched as I usually am. Yeah, you loved it, George. What's your rating on the sparkling rosemary peach mottel? High praise from Rachel.

It is really, really good. It is a little sour. I love that. So that's, oh yeah, you do love sour drinks. I'm going 10 out of 10. Whoa. I don't think this drink could be improved on. I don't think you could say a bad word about it to its face.

Wow. No notes. The drink is $2.19 per glass. So a little pricey for our mocktails. Yeah, for sure. But I think it's worth it if you're trying to impress. It's got rosemary simple syrup. So you just kind of leave the rosemary in there.

It kind of steeps with the simple syrup. And you just do like sugar water. Yep. And then there you got that simple syrup on there. Easy. Fresh peach. You can muddle some peach in there to get that nice peach flavor.

You can also garnish it with a little slice of peach to be cute. Beautiful. And then it's got fresh lemon juice and club soda. So it's got a little fizz, a little sour, a little sweet. And the rosemary with the peach, it's magical. I hope everyone makes this at home. The recipe is in the show-nobes.

notes. So delicious. I can't believe this show is free. Wow. Just the... People need to start paying for this content. Just what we give. Unbelievable.

The free drink recipes... I know so much. The content. It's great. Thanks for listening. We need a cocktail recipe book is what we need. Comment below if you think it should happen. Let us know.

Because we should make that happen. We need, I think, at least 100 people to say yes. Oh, okay. And then we can proof of concept. Don't take it to Dave. Dave Ramsey. What do you think? 100 people like our idea.

I wish that's how it works. It's going to be a bestseller. It's going to be a best seller. Oh, that's fun. Well, it's closing time. So thank you guys so much for always listening and watching these episodes. We do appreciate you. Spread the words. Send these episodes to your friends, to your family.

Leave comments, leave reviews, subscribe. Show us the love. And can you let us know your best grocery hack in the comments? That's good, too. We'll learn from you. Yes. People are very creative. Love it.

Very creative. Well, you guys, we'll see you next Thursday on an all new episode of. Our money happy hour.