Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - What Level of Crunchy Are You?

Episode Date: February 27, 2025

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   On a scale of cloth diapers to compost, how crunchy are you? In this episode, get Rachel and George’s take on popular “clean” products. Plus, find the best crunchy money-saving hacks out there.   Next Steps: 🎥 Watch our video The #1 Budget Buster That No One Can Avoid. 🏅 Help us make the show better! Please fill out a quick survey. 🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour    📱 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.  💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app!   Connect With Our Sponsors: 🔒 Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. 🌿 Get up to 40% off with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍸 Kentucky Flyer Recipe: Difford’s Guide Luxardo maraschino cherries (optional for garnish) Mint sprigs (optional for garnish) 1 1/2 ounces straight rye whiskey 1/2 ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur 1/3 ounce lemon juice (freshly squeezed) 1/6 ounce chilled water 3 drops saline solution Instructions: Pre-chill a Nick and Nora glass. Prepare a garnish of skewered Luxardo maraschino cherries and a mint sprig. Shake the rest of the ingredients with ice and fine strain into the chilled glass. Garnish with the skewered cherry and mint sprigs bouquet. Explore More From Ramsey Network: 💡 The Rachel Cruze Show 💰 George Kamel 🎙 The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights   🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 🪑 Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman 📈 EntreLeadership   Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're unpacking what it means to be crunchy, scrunchy, and silky on a budget. I had a friend that made her own deodorant. Mm-mm. True story. Are you guys still friends? Tide detergent. This is what we use. This one's become controversial.

Do you use like the clean one or is it like the bright orange red bottle? Bright orange red bottle. Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz. I'm George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Well, this is the show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about. So everything from pop culture, current events, and money. This is a good one because we're going to dive in.

There's a lot of trends happening. And it's good, right? We're being healthier. Trying. Self-conscious of, like, what we're putting around our environment. I mean, I don't know. It's great, but it's very much a trend. Yeah, and what's worth it?

What's worth the extra money? Costs of money. Some money. So while we're talking about that, what are we going to sip on, George? We are sipping on a Kentucky flyer. And we're going to give you the rating and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode. So stick around for that. All right.

So the term, crunchy mom. I hear it all the time. It's a thing, right? So, like, define that. Like, when you hear it, George, what are you thinking about? Well, my wife isn't a crunchy mom Facebook group. Wow.

And let me tell you, I think there's a spectrum of crunchy moms. There's moms who are wanting the best for their kids. And then there's people who have, I think, lost their mind. And I think there's a, you know, there's a spectrum again. Don't even know where my wife falls on there. Some days, I don't know. But I would say it's people who are very concerned about what they're putting in their body, what is in their home, what's affecting the environment.

And this is everything from makeup to cleaning supplies, to detergent, foods, ingredients. I mean, all of it, right? So it's, it is. And then there's, like, levels of it, like, what you're saying. And so there's different terms people are using. So you got crunchy, which again, it's like, no food dye, cloth, cloth diapers. Like, essential oils are medicine. You're going to, you know, you don't even go darken the door of a doctor. Western medicine. Can't trust them. Oh, okay, so that's full-blown crunchy. Yeah, that's full-blown crunchy. You got silky, which is the opposite.

So you got, you know, your red Doritos, your copper-tone, sunscreen, chlorox wipes. All the chemicals. You're just all in in 2025. Like, we're all good, right? We're all going to die eventually. Yolo.

Might as well have some Doritos and the old stomach while you go. And then you have scrunchy, which I think is where most people would identify. They're teetering. somewhere in the middle. Like, you're doing your best to live, quote, clean, but also leaning on modern conveniences, like occasional screen time flexibility for Bluey and Popatrol.

Just me? For sure. Bluey. What a great show. And that's just screen time for me. Nardi, that doesn't count my daughter. Okay, so Whitney, where would you say, though? She's crunchy.

I think she's leaning over time, crunchier and crunchier. Yeah. But someone has to put a stop to the madness. Yes. And then sometimes she'll be like, I want Swedish fish. I have a craving. I'm like, you know, there's red,

She's like, I don't care. Give me the Swedish fish. I don't care, give it to me. So I think we all need to admit. We all... Oh, for sure. No one's 100% all the time. It's the funniest memes of the moms that are like looking at like the ingredients

at the grocery store. Have you seen these videos? It's like funny because it's like, oh, it has that. No, nope, nope. Those kind of oil, nope, we're not doing that. No, nope. And then the next second later, she's getting Botox like in her forehead, like sitting in the doctor's office.

You know what I mean? So it can go in the head, just not in the mouth. It's just depends on where the chemicals are going. I know, I know. But it's like, yeah, we're all crazy about with me. I do read a lot of labels. I am that guy. And I try to avoid the gums, the dyes, the bad oils.

I do my best. I think y'all are crunchier than we are. Fair. Right? Just based on the fact that you go to Sonic, I think we win. Like, if you look at Chick-fil-A ingredients and then claim to be crunchy, you're out. I can't do that. Where I stand is, yes, I want to be healthy.

And I do, I really do believe that there are certain industries out there that are just making hand over fist money off of our ignorance. I mean, I really do. So I do think understanding what's going on is very important. But then it gets paired with reality, right? And I'm like, my kids love deli meat. When the rubber meets the road.

Yeah, my kids love deli meat. What am I going to do? Like, they like milk. And I'm not going to go milk a cow and just eat, drink raw milk. Yeah, I could. But I'm not. Like, I'm not.

You have a garden. You're not far off. There is. From livestock. From livestock. Right around. Yeah, and even like, my eggs, you know, I just get the public's brand eggs,

which is probably the worst. Are you a white egg person? What other egg do you do? Like the tan eggs. Oh, no, yeah, no, we don't do tan eggs. I don't know what it is, but I see a white egg. It makes it feel like you're really good. Yeah, you feel real good about yourself with those tan eggs,

but I bet those same chickens are all. I have, can we just make this very clear? We are not experts when it comes to food or health or science. We stick to money. So we're going to give you unbiased opinions that are wrong, and we will get roasted in the comments for anything we say for this episode. I know. But it is exhausting.

I'm just laying out where we stand as people, George. You know, you listen to the podcast and you watch YouTube of Smart Money Happy Hour, and we're just the humans behind the microphone. That's what I was giving them. Our human perspective. We're humans. And can I also just say everything is going to kill us. In today's world, I feel like everything we do by,

everything is just like, well, you know that's bad for you. So that part of, I have fatigue from just everything being bad for you. Seltzer water, now bad for you. Oh, it's an aluminum can, terrible for you. Forever plastics. So let's flip the script a little bit, okay? All right. So you got the Oregon Trail.

They're for sure cutting off chicken's heads and making chicken from chicken, like straight up. You know what else you make chicken from? I mean, just like they got real chickens. They kill that real chicken right there and they eat that chicken. I mean, like it's very much, like there's no processed anything. Yeah.

No, that's how they got the disinterred. Okay, so we got pilgrims, we got Oregon and trail different decades, I know, of those two groups. But, like, think, think that time period. Okay. Are you with me? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Little House on the Prairie.

I'm doing Role-Bet and explain this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we got, yeah, yeah. And we are, we're milking cows, we're drinking the milk right there. Like, it's not, got it? Okay. You got that, but then you got, like, scarlet fever. Then you got, I mean, you got stuff killing you off a lot.

Yeah. Childbirth back in the day, right? Like, I could kill you. But, like, for sure. Like, so. So like, do we take that risk but drink unpasteurized milk and eat a chicken an hour after it was killed? Yeah.

You know, or do you live in today's world where you're like, all right? Doesn't you're saying? You make a good point. I don't know what the point is, but you're making it. I'm debating. Like, they had it, they had it good then in a certain way. Without access to modern medicine that could have saved them. Yet modern medicine is now killing us, so we need to.

go back to the natural ways. So that's what I'm saying, but I think I'd pick today. I think I would pick red geritos. Got it. Over, you get polio. Yeah, that's right. 40% chance.

Here's my point. I think we've romanticized that time of life to a degree of like, oh my gosh, everyone was so healthy then and natural then. And now villainized

today's world because of... Ultra processing. All the things, yes. Which again, I'm not disclaiming that that's not true. I think those things are happening. But all... Also, we get the benefit of living longer because of, like, health and, right?

Refrigeration. Yeah, they used to use salt. Did you know that? Salt is what they used to preserve. Yes. Yeah. Fascinating. I did.

There's a lot of references in the Bible to salt because of that. It was a major mineral that was used to keep food fresh. Okay. All right. Let's talk about budget-friendly ways to be a little. Let's do that. Shall we play a little guess the price? That would be fun.

The differences in like the standard process, bad for you thing versus the clean version. Love it. Absolutely. Here we go. We don't know the prices here. I guess Kelly's going to tell us. I do know.

Thank you, producer Kelly. Let's compare Lysol disinfectant spray with Mrs. Myers' all-purpose cleaner. Okay. Okay, just that one bottle of the spray bottle. I'm going to go three bucks for Lysol? Oh, I was going higher. Okay. Five.

Five was my knee jerk for a bottle of Lysol. Yeah, you're probably going four to five dollars. And for Mrs. Myers, I'm going to go six. Okay. I'm higher. I'm like higher than you a little bit on all these prices. All right. A bottle of Lysol Disinfected Spray is $3.99.

Yes. $3.99. You said $4.5. I said $4. $4.4. I know, but $3.99 is basically $4. Okay, I win. Wow.

And then Mrs. Mrs. Myers' all-purpose cleaner is $4.89. So not a huge difference between that time. Wow, okay. I went way more expensive. I actually make my own cleaner. No joke. No joke. I had a Rachel Cruz episode about, like, homemade stuff that is more, is cheaper than buying store. And it's like water, rubbing alcohol.

Okay. This like, um, soap thing. It comes like, it comes in a massive bottle, but you only need like two tablespoons or two teaspoons. Okay. Um, and then you do lemon, um, drops, but, but, for, lemon, oh no, I'm not scrunchy. Like essential oil?

Yes. Like a drop. Not like a true lemon squeeze. A dropper. Like 10 drops or so. Shake it up. Ooh. Look at that.

That's clean. I'm proud of you. I cut off my counters for our sonic dinner. Yeah, that's great. Okay, next. Tide detergent. This is what we use. This one's become controversial.

This is what we use. You use Tide. You use Tide family. Yeah. Do you use like the clean one or is it like the bright orange red bottle? Bright orange red bottle. I know. Okay.

But liquid. I don't do the plastic pod. Okay. What does that cost for a tie? I know. I'm trying to think. It depends on where I get it, honestly. They're pretty expensive.

Like 11 bucks maybe? I'm going like 1099. 999. All right. Tide detergent for a 64 loads 1299. Wow. She's good. Man.

Okay. Now in the opposite side, we have the clean version, Blue Land, plastic-free refills. This is what the camels have now been using. Okay. For 60 tablets. So it's about the same amount of loads. I know the price of this because I just bought them. They're about 33 cents apiece.

So for 60 tablets, oh gosh, I'm going to go $22. Okay, I was going to say $19. 21. Yes. Wow, well done. Well done. Your boy shops. Look at you.

What can I say? Look at you. Okay, ready for this? Yankee candle versus boiling water with cinnamon and orange slices. So if you want to make your house smell good, the Yankee can. We don't do Yankee candles. Well, I have heard like all candles are toxic to your household. If they're scented.

Yeah, if they're scented. Which is lighting and unscented candles, right? Soy candles, I think, are like the clean. The better for you version is soy candles. Okay, but a Yankee candle. How much is a Yankee candle? I want to say 15 bucks. Depending if you get it on sale.

$31. Oh. Wow, Yankee. They really think something of themselves. Wow. $31. Okay, and then you got orange slices and cinnamon. Some cinnamon sticks and orange slices.

I mean, maximum, I don't know, I mean, a five bucks will get you all of that and plenty for multiple uses. I was going to say multiple uses, so for a single use, like a few cents. You don't have any, what's the, you don't have a price on that. I do. Water is free. Well, you pay for the water. Five bucks. Oh.

Nailed it. Golly. George, well done. And you do pay for water. I take that back. Water isn't free. For someone comes at me. I don't know where you live, but I have a water.

Okay, relax. Nip picky. Okay, let's move to personal care. Ooh, this is fun. Okay, you got Mabeline skin tent plus vitamin C versus, ooh, a fancy word. Ilya, skin tint? Skin tent with SPF 40. Okay, I know for a fact my wife uses that one.

She does, okay. So two points for Whitney on the clean crew. Well done. All right, we're going Mabeline skin tent. I mean, we're going seven nine. I have no clue what makeup costs. I'm going to say $999, Bob. 1399.

Yes. Wow. I think it's more pricier. And I imagine Ilya skin tint, $47. No, I'm going $32. $48. Oh, my gosh. Can I be honest?

I threw out a number so outrageous that I was like, it will for sure it won't be. It's higher than that, $48. Our budget's tight, y'all. It's tight out there. It's tough times. All right. Next up, Rachel, we have Batiste dry shampoo. versus apparently the clean version,

Amika talc-free dry shampoo. I've always thought they were putting too much talc in our dry shampo. That's where the issues are. I'm going to say $10 versus $20 on that one. Dry shampoo, $12 versus $24. All right, so the Batiste dry shampoo is $899. Yes. And the Amika talc-free dry shampoo is $28.

What did I say? 24? Yeah. What did you say? I won the first one, you won the second one. Okay. I got to know. It's crazy to me that taking ingredients out makes things cost more.

Like you want aluminum-free, that'll be $2 more. You want towel-free? That's so true that you're putting less in there. What are they doing? Which makes you think, what the heck are they doing to the normal products? They're filling it with a bunch of crap. They don't need to. Yeah, to get the results, but then it's bad for us.

It's what they're, yeah. Which, I don't think anyone thought dry shampoo was like a natural thing in society. You know what I mean? True. What is in there? We don't know. We're not sure. Anything in a spray like that, it's got to be toxic for you.

that was a thing like years ago, right? The aerosol, I love it. I love an aerosol, though. She loves an aerosol, folks. Love it. All right, we got happy perfume by Klinique versus Butchuley lavender roll on fragrance. It's an odd combo.

All right. This is another thing about, man, y'all. Perfume. Okay, can I be bougie for a second? So I look at like Chanel number five, right? That's been around since like the 20s. I'm sure it's changed over time. Like, that can be bad.

Like, do you know what you mean he's been around since the 20s? the recipes changed over time? No, I think they keep it pure. I mean, it's from, it's from like France. It's like they keep a... Do you think there's a reservoir in France that just produces Chanel number five? No, they make it, but they make the same... It's from the spring.

No, I really do, but that's like the famous thing. It's like been like the same... It's the same thing. It's the Chanel number five. It's like the classic... Do you think they changed it? I think they change it to increase profits and make it cheaper for them and charge us more. That's...

I don't... I didn't invent capitalism. That's just kind of how it works. But Pachuli, who knows where that comes from? Imagine an old man's shoe. I don't know where they get Pachuli from. Oh, man. I know. So I'm going to say the price.

I mean, is it like 60, 70 bucks for perfume? The Clinique perfume? No, no, no. 100 bucks? Oh, gosh. How nice is happy perfume? Yeah, no, no, no. I would go, I would go like $40.

Oh. And then the Pachuli Rolon fragrance. A roll-on feels like it would be smaller. I know, that's fine. But I'm still going to go $35 for the roll-on. Roll-on, I'm going $55. Okay. Perfew's expensive.

In this case, so the Happy Profine Barclan clinic is $45. Good job. Okay. And the patchouli lavender roll-on fragrance is $14.50. There you go. Because the roll-on doesn't have as much in it. And you have to smell like patchouly, so. It's an aggressive sense.

You pay for it. You pay for it. Can I just say, again, one point to Whitney, she got me a clean. Clean cologne. Yes. That doesn't have all the time. I don't know what's in it. I don't think it lasts very long.

I don't think it's very, it's not like amazing. But I feel better because I'll put on the cologne and then I'll hold my baby. And then she's like, it rubs off onto the baby. Oh, wow. So now I've got to worry about that. Yeah, that is, that'll keep you up at night. It's a tough life. Lastly, in this category, we've got to talk deodorant.

Do you use it? Yes. And you know what? I had a story on Instagram the other night. I can't remember what it was. And I think I showed, it was something in my bathroom because I was showing something.

And I used dove deodorant and I'm going to hell because, like, it's just, I got so many messages. I'm like, Rachel, you cannot use dove deodorant. This is so terrible for you. Because of aluminum or what? I don't even know, y'all. I don't know.

And I'm tired. I'm so tired. She's a dove girlie. Just leave her alone. It works. It works. It is one of the best. Theodorants.

Okay. So on here we have Secret Deodorant versus Native. I know for a fact, Secret is probably like three bucks. It's pretty cheap. Native, I know in my heart, is like $17. Okay, no, duh, your deodorant. It's going to be eight or nine, like for a thing. For one thing of secret?

I feel like Secret is on the cheaper brains. Oh, Secret. Why do Dove? Yeah. Dove's a little in price here for the dove, folks. You think so? Yeah. Is it a little bit? Okay.

Okay, what is it? What's the prices? I don't even know. The Secret Deodorant is $599. Okay. And Native is $1. So it's legit double the price. I had a friend that made her own deodorant.

True story. Are you guys still friends? True story. She's super. Talk about crunchy. I would only FaceTime with her. You know what I mean? I just...

George. I feel like deodorant's one thing. All right. We're getting back to some chickens. Remember when I talked about chickens earlier? Yeah. Wrapping back there. Eggs.

This is a big one because eggs have gotten expensive. There was recently a shortage. Bird flu. Costco had a big thing. There was no eggs at, yes, at the grocery store, y'all, for days. Like, I could not get eggs. Yeah, and Kirkland eggs got recalled for other reasons. Oh, no.

And the bird flu happened. So, like, eggs have been, we have white eggs in our house right now, and I'm not happy about it. No, I'm good. This is so, so. Okay, go through all the egg categories. Okay, so this is very confusing. We'll lay it out for you. We'll switch off.

This is an egg state of the union. We have cage-free. We've all heard that. That means from hens that are freely roaming a building, a room, or an enclosed area, with unlimited access to food and fresh water during their production cycle. This is regulated by the USDA. So that's cage-free.

So that's cage-free. Then you got free range, and this is where eggs from hens that have some access to a small-fenced outdoor area, this implies that chickens have access to the outdoors, but not all farmers actually let their hens roam freely. This is not regulated by the USDA, but cage-free is regulated by the USDA.

So cage-free, free-free-free range, Then you have pasture raised. These are eggs from hens that have access to the outdoors. If the carton says pasture raised and also includes stamps that say certified humane and or animal welfare approved, it means that each hen was given approximately 108 square feet of outdoor space

as well as barn space indoors. This one's not regulated by USDA, so again, farmers are left to their own judgment. A little sketch there. Okay. And then finally we have the classic organic. The organic. What does that mean?

So this is regulated by the USDA. organic eggs must be free range. Gosh, I need a chart for this. Free range, but free range eggs aren't necessarily organic because they're not required to be fed organic feet. Wow. Got it? What are timing to be alive?

It's just so true. Okay, so let's do the cost between organic versus conventional. I'm going to go for conventional eggs, like you get cheapest of the cheap, white eggs at your local Walmart. It's probably three bucks. and for the organic eggs, there's a wide range here, because I know you can get great eggs at like Whole Foods for $4.50,

but it could go upwards of $9. I'm going $4 to $8. I'm going $3 to 9. At public specifically, regular white eggs are $3.31 per dozen. Yes. And organic eggs at Publix are $6.31 cents a dozen. Oh, all right.

That's one point to you, one to me. There we go. I do feel like eggs are one of those things that have been overinflated as far as people's, imagination. Like, you remember when they're like, the price of eggs is out of can... I'm like, guys.

No, but there was a season where it was, though. Do you remember that? Maybe, but I was shopping for eggs regularly, and the places I went, it was always like in the same range of... See, I remember it being more expensive.

You know, Trader Joe's or whatever. Whole Foods, $350, $450, maybe $5.00 if I was getting the nicer eggs. But I think in people's minds, that was the thing holding the back was the egg prices. Yeah, okay.

And I'm going to keep pushing these buttons. because I'm feeling crazy right now. But here's the problem, right? Is that I don't think the issue, which everyone's going to get mad at me, I don't think the issue is like, did you get range-free or pasture-raised eggs? People just aren't eating eggs. Like, eggs are good for you, right? It's a healthy thing.

Like, we're just not even eating that. We're eating, you know, McDonald's breakfast sandwiches, right? Oh, crunch-rap supreme. I think we're, I think, like, we're putting our stress in other, like, the stress should be just eating healthy. eat an egg. Good protein. Have two eggs today.

Whole foods. All right. There we go. There we go. She got off her soapbox. Okay. Okay. So in general, the fewer and more natural

the ingredients, the better. Because that's what our bodies were made to process, successfully long term. Hope that's not controversial. We agree with that. I agree. The more heavily processed the ingredients, the less they start to look

and function like their original, God-created form, that is meant to nourish us. Yeah, it's exactly right. So, like, cane sugar is better than conventional sugar. Coconut sugar is, better than cane sugar, et cetera, et cetera.

And no sugar is better than all of that. That's right. But there are some great accounts. Like I do like Bobby. Bobby Parish, the Bobby approved. Oh, I've seen this guy. Yeah, yeah. I mean, he's good.

Like when you are shopping and I'm like, okay, great example. I switched tomato sauces at Costco. There's like the Rayos R-A-O, right, versus whatever the other one is. And he flips the ingredients around. He's like, look, this other one, which is actually cheaper. There's nothing weird in it. Like, it's a better choice. That tomato sauce versus.

the other tomato sauce. So I'm like, those switches I'm great with, and we've done in our home. I'm proud of you. Yeah, but it counts like Bobby, like, or is a great one. Yeah, I just like the way he talks. It's so funny.

He's like, best in class ingredients. No bad oils. No bad oils, I love it. And he's got his own app too now to like scan things. Oh, Sharon has it. So here's an app, again, not sponsored here, but Yuka. Yes. Y-U-K-A.

Yeah, is that the one that's a great one to scan. Yes, I heard that one. It really helps, especially with those with dietary restrictions. But I think the Bobby, one though, it gives you alternatives. It's like if you scan something, it'll give you at the same store.

Like, yeah, just swap this and that, which is great. Very helpful. But we also need to be, you know, taking care of our bodies another way. Like, working out, walking. Like, there are things that we're... It's not the only thing in life to be thinking about. Okay, let's talk pesticides.

Can we? I love this subject. Have you heard of the dirty dozen? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Can you name... I feel like I can name one. It's things with, like, strawberries.

Are strawberries part of the dirty dozen? Yes. Boom. They are? Yeah. This is the one with the thick peels, though, right? And that dirty dozen? No, it's not.

What's the dirty dozen? These are the things? Where it is dirty. You got to wash it. Right. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you got apples. That's why they named it dirty dozen.

Yeah, sorry, okay. And then there's like, what the clean? Clean 15. Clean 15, that's what I was thinking of. So you got like bananas, you got avocados, you got onions, the things that you don't necessarily need to buy organic because it is the... They don't absorb pesticides apparently. That's right, because they usually have, like,

sweet corn, pie. papayas, sweet peas, asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage. Sweet potatoes. A lot of things on there. Okay, so while safety with what we're eating is not only the important safety we need to look at George in our lives,

we need to look at the safety of our information that is online. Digital safety, often overlooked. I mean, for real, our personal data is all over the internet, you guys, and if you don't know, just Google yourself and you can see, and all these random websites come up and they have your name and your address,

even like where you've worked. I mean, it's just crazy, all the information they have on you. And so that's why I love Delete Me is because they go in and remove your information because there are data broker websites that collect your information, and then they take your information and they make money off of it because they'll sell it or trade in all this.

And then what happens you get, the robocalls, the spam texts, and even worse, you could have fraud happen. And so we want to help protect you from the risks of online scams. And so check out, Delete Me. They've got a great deal for our audience. You can get 20% off any of their plans if you go to join deleteme.com slash smart money. It's super affordable and I sleep better at night

and I get way fewer spam calls and robotech. So my life is better. Your life is better. Go check them out. Make sure check out delete me. All right, let's go clothing. There's some crunchy people out there with clothing. Oh, this one's harder for me.

Can I just tell you right now? Oh, sure. I struggle with this one. Struggle meaning like you're not good at it? Or you judge people that are hardcore about it. Well, both. Okay. Both.

Because when you think about it, when we talk about like fast fashion and what's happening in the factories and it's sustainably made, and I feel like that's just marketing to say, we're going to charge you seven times a normal amount and make you feel bad. Yes. To say that it was sustainably made. To say it. Yeah, yeah.

Just slap the label on it. Yeah. So there was an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste that ends up in U.S. landfills every year. And that equates to 81.5 pounds of textile waste per person per year. So this fast fashion of like, we're just going to be. going to buy a bunch of cheap stuff and you went, I'm just kind of...

Buying clothes on Amazon? That's what I do. And it's like, oh, yeah, and then the next season, it's like out of style. So you're like, that's fine, but I only paid like $15 for that sweater. So it's not a big deal, right? So...

You don't mind just getting rid of it, tossing it, whatever. But I don't throw it away. I mean, I give it to places or people. So hopefully it continues on, but it may end up in landfills. So sorry. But this is a tough one for sure. Okay, but here's the fabric safety.

Here's like the really crunchy. Are you ready for this? Yeah. So really crunchy people, okay? Polyester. They don't want polyester because it is a form of plastic. So if you're working out and you're sweating, it's getting into your skin and into your bloodstream.

Spandex and mixed fabrics can do the same thing, can carry that same risk. So the goal is to have 100% one material. Okay? So 100% cotton, 100% linen, denim, wool, cashmere, whatever it is. Organic cotton is better. I wear 100% denim when I work out, so. It makes it easy.

I don't have to think about it. So you're fine. Yeah, I threw out all my spandex. I said, no more. Okay, I am curious with like Viori and the lemon, like, all these like, you know, workout places. I want to go look at the tags now and be like, oh, my gosh. Because I bet there is a lot of polyester.

Well, again, if it says sustainably made, these clean fabrics, they're two and a half to four times more expensive on average. And so there is a price to be paid. This is a, can we just say it's a privilege to even be thinking about things like this? Like, ooh, can I shop for these sustainable. made 100% organic cotton. That is a luxury in today's world. Yeah, that's fair.

I would say that. That's fair. But, you know, what you can do, though, is buy secondhand. So... You can find 100% cashmere sweater secondhand. That's right. Absolutely. There's a great websites.

Yeah. So there's a way to do it on a budget if you want. It's out there. The fact that we're talking about fabrics, though, do you know one of my favorite companies to buy stuff from? Because it's incredible. It's cozy earth. Cozy earth.

Quality. The sheets, the leggings, the joggers, the sweaters, the shirts. There's the shirts. I mean, I have so much from them because I went and bought a bunch of stuff because it's amazing. Like, their bamboo stuff, especially the sheets. You don't have to worry about, is this cheaply made? Is it sustained? Yeah, it's good quality.

I went to their website, Rachel. They're very transparent about how they make their stuff, the conditions. They personally insured good working conditions. And so I really appreciate that about them. And if you wanted to get a better deal, they're giving our listeners a killer deal up to 40% off their prices. And they know. They're like, hey, we know that we're more expensive than the, you know, Amazon, whatever, cheap thing made of polyester.

But they aim for long-lasting quality. Yes. You can tell that it's higher quality. It's softer. It's durable. It's so great. So it's a buy-it-for-life kind of purchase, especially because they have a 10-year warranty on their betting stuff, which is amazing.

Yeah, it's incredible. Yeah. So make sure to check it out. We'll put a link down below or you can go to cozy earth.com, shop around. And then when you're checking out, use the code smart money for a 40% off discount. So great. Be boozy on a budget. Be boogey.

All right. Let's go car crunchy, shall we? Oh, I don't even know about this one. I'm so crunchy. We're crunchy. Oh, this one is, this one's very personal to us. It is. Because you drive electric cars.

Electric cars. And people think that it's my, I guess this is me virtue signaling about climate change because I drive. I don't, hey, let the earth go the way it's going to go. My car is not, it's not going to be the thing that tips the scale. You didn't do it for that. No. Yeah. Well, and I've heard it's even worse.

It's not environmentally, because the batteries can't go anywhere and they end up in a landfill or something. Oh, no, okay. So we're actually damaging the earth by driving Tesla. That's what you're saying. So you'll never know my politics, because I don't know what my car says about me. We're not even sure. Okay, and then kid crunchy.

Oh. So, like, we'll go cloth diapers. You know what I did with Amelia, our first, is I made baby food. I puried it. Wow. Yep. What a mom. I know.

And then didn't really with Caroline. and then Charles, it was like pouches and... And have you seen the effect? But have you noticed a difference in like their physical health or emotional health? Nope. Nope. And I'll say this too. They were bottle fed, formula fed for, I don't know.

They ended up great. I just think there's a lot of judgment either way. A hundred percent. If you do the, then people are judging you for not doing it this way. And I want to release, especially moms, I think they're bearing the brunt of the weight from this mom guilt. And it's other moms that are judgy. So judgey.

And so just free yourself. Do the best you can do with the resources you have right now. And you're doing fine. And we're all going to be okay. Like seriously, we're all going to be okay. So let's just like chill. Take a deep breath. And because of when we talk about comparison,

especially with lifestyle and money, you know the thing we always say, which is so true, is like you don't know what's going on, right, behind the scenes. You have no clue. You don't know. So we're not going to judge. Although, we do judge plastic cutting boards now, Rachel.

I had to throw mine out. And my non-stick pans. Oh, yeah, that's fair. The camel's life have changed. Let me tell you, stainless steel. They really touted stainless steel pans to be this life-changing. They're hard to cook on. It is so difficult.

It's so hard. Like, just let it heat up and then splash. Listen. I got the stone stuff from Amazon. I'll send you my link. But it's like a, not sponsored, but it's a stone material. And it kind of acts like. a non-stick.

Okay. But very easy to cook on. Have you heard about the cutting boards now? You have to go with the wood and the bamboo. I've always done wood cutting boards. Okay. I've never done plastic. And that was not a specific choice.

Apparently, Morgan Leach and the wood has natural antimicrobial properties. I think that makes sense. See, and that's, okay, can I say this? I've learned so much against my will. Those are the decisions. Those are the purchases that make sense to me. Sure. Go get a wood cutting board.

Like, that's fine. Yeah. But remember, I'm not going to, milk a cow and just What about microwave? Do you guys microwave anything? 100%. Do you put anything plastic in the microwave?

No, I usually will put it in a bowl. Yeah. Put in a bowl for a ceramic or glass. Yeah, because also, my thing is, if you're taking it out of the refrigerator and it has plastic, then when you heat it, it is like, you've got to heat the whole thing.

I don't know. It makes sense to me to put it in a bowl because it's more of a neutral temperature, so it's going to heat faster. I'm trying to heat it the whole thing, with the container being cold. Like I even do it with glass. If I have a glass pyrex,

I usually will take it out and I will... Into a different glass. And I do it more for temperature. You really go to the extra mile. How safe I am. So crunchy. So crudgy.

Well, I did, so I use those microwave covers because I don't like the splash. I only use it for food that I'm eating, not for the baby's food. Yeah, but sometimes a paper towel doesn't do it depending on the food or like will sop into the food. That's gross.

And then I heard paper towel. Paper towels are now bad for you. What? Rachel, I can't make this up. No, y'all stop. There's like chemicals in the paper towel, and so as you use it on your hands in the... Well, shoot.

We can't live anymore. But I will say, someone at a party accidentally turned our microwave on. It's at, like, foot level, you know, knee level. Oh, yeah. They turned it on with the cover in there. The cover melted, because they accidentally put the microwave on for like 16 minutes. And didn't know it was on until I smelled it. Oh, no.

plastic. No. Yeah. That's not good. I think I saved our life. Yes, you did, George. It's exhausting. Yes, you did.

I'm overwhelmed. We are overwhelmed. But all that to say. So how do we wrap this? How do people spend... Yeah, I think you can make some healthy changes that are reasonable, right? But you always still, there's a level of reality to our money and our life. And I think it's good to know that we have to live within that.

So, like, we're not going to take on debt to create some, like, crazy life. that we can't afford because that, in turn, will add stress, which is not good for your health either. So let's be wise. But I do think there are great alternatives to stuff that can be similar in price, and it's just a smarter choice of purchase. And I think that's great. And I'm all about that, George. So make the swaps that you can make with the budget that you have. And over time, if you want to push it to the limit, you can do that with cash as you get to a better financial place. For sure. And don't judge others who can't or choose to not do the thing that you do. Yeah, that's right, 100%.

Yeah, and if you need to budget, that's going to be good for your overall health, I would say, because getting control of your money and doing all of that is so key to all of this. You can make room for the things that matter to you. That's right. So, yeah, the budget is that. It is you getting to tell your income, hey, here's where I want you to go,

and you get to decide that because you're an adult. So every dollar will put a link down below, but you can check out our free budgeting app. Create your first budget for free and just kind of go down that road to help you make life choices and lifestyle choices that you want, just like this. That one I think is non-controversial. I hope so.

That one was stressful for me. I think the comment section is going to be juicy on this one. So like, again, should we say it again? We know. We know that there are bad things out there. We know, for sure. And you know what? Just know that we know that we know that we know.

That we know. That we know. That you know. You know it all. We don't. But we know that you know that we know. You know what? I can't wait to get educated by a stranger's comment on the internet.

That's my favorite form of free education. They always let me know what I got wrong. My wife does it enough. I don't need to hear it from a random stranger in the comment section. All right, George, well, before we spill the tea on our guiltiest charge segment, what's in this? Is it all chemicals in there? It's all poison. These cherries are supposed to be terrible for you, too.

Yeah, those don't look like something God created. I'll tell you that much. The mint looks fresh, though. Yeah, the mint looks wilty, which is how you know it's real. Yeah, it's good. So this is the Kentucky Flyer. What's your rating on it? I'm going to go 8 out of 10.

I'm going to go 8 out of 10 as well. Oh, love it. Yeah. On the same page. I want a little more complexity, but I think it's a perfect whiskey sour style drink. That's really good. It's got rye whiskey, maraschino liqueur, which is like a cherry lique, lemon juice and saline. Mixologist Michael made the saline.

It was like one part salt, three parts water or something, and he... It really elevates a drink. you'd be shocked because you're like, when are you going to drop from salt water in there? That's odd. But really good. It comes out to $2.52 a glass. And I highly recommend,

if you like a whiskey sour, you will love this drink. It's like an elevated whiskey sour. So good. And it's up to you if you want to add in the chemical cherries. That's what you wanted to do. All right, George. Now it's time for guilty as charged.

And this is where our producer Kelly gives us a new guilty church question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. So. Kelly. Have you ever told a white lie about being crunchy or not crunchy? All right, I'll go first. Okay.

Microplastics. We try to avoid them, and yet we still drink out of plastic water bottles every night. But when confronted, you won't catch me telling anyone that. Only on this show in front of thousands will I tell. But amongst my crunchy friends, like, oh yeah, no, we, yeah, filtered water. Oh, gosh. And another thing my wife won't, she doesn't like the dogs to drink. tap water because she thinks it affects their allergies.

So I have to get fridge water for the dogs. And I think she has merit to it. I'm sure she's on the right side of history here. Our dog's life could be extended by at least a few days based on the filtered water, tap water. For sure, yep. While they eat plastic toys all day long, it's the filtered water that's going to really help them.

That's going to really do it. It's going to really do it. Yeah, it's a wash. Yeah, all the toys. I'm trying to think what mine would be. A white lie. I can't think of a specific one. But I'm sure I downplay things like fast food.

Like we don't eat a lot of it. See, I'm doing it right now. But when, like, I'm like, oh, yeah, I probably don't like just, like, share that with the world. If I check your bank statement, how many fast food visits what I see in a 30-day window? Four. No way.

That's impressive. Probably. Yeah, I'd say at least one. Once a week, we're doing like a chick-fil-A or like a quick meal. Okay. So that's, yeah. Would you count like a drink at the Sonic Drive-Thru? Does that?

I don't do that. Oh. All of a sudden you have judgment. Do you do that? No, but I just thought that was something people do. They get the old Route 44 or whatever. Yeah, I use it. Yeah.

Yeah. Coconut sunset water or whatever they drink. All this stuff, I know. All right. Yeah, that would be mine. I think we probably eat more Chick-fil-A than what, like, I. Do you think fours a lot? When you said, wow.

No, I think once a week is a normal amount. Okay. I thought it would be more than that, personally. Oh, okay. That must feel better. Oh, yeah. That's it. Well, hey, if you guys enjoyed this episode,

and I hope you did, and even if you hated it, let us know. You probably already have in the comment section. And for more budget-friendly food inspo, you got to catch our episode all about grocery hacks. It's titled the number one budget buster that no one can avoid. It's coming up next, and we'll also link it down below. Yeah, so make sure to subscribe you guys

so you don't miss an all-new episode next Thursday of. Smart Money Happy Hour