Smart Money Happy Hour with Rachel Cruze and George Kamel - When Is Dipping into Your Savings Justified?

Episode Date: April 4, 2024

💵 Sign up for EveryDollar today - Create a free Budget! Stash, stash, spend! In this episode, Rachel and George are breaking down America’s current attitude about saving money. Plus, they’ll decide which popular explanations for dipping into savings are justified—and their answers might surprise you. Next Steps ·      🔎 Get help from a financial advisor to avoid those sneaky loopholes that will leave you broke. ·       ➡️ Don't miss out on the tax deductions you qualify for—get help from a pro. ·      📱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. Today’s Happy Hour Special 🍸 Blackberry Paloma Mocktail  Recipe: Moody Mixologist Ingredients: ·      4 fresh blackberries ·      5 dashes smoked chili bitters ·      1/2 ounce lime juice ·      6 ounces grapefruit soda ·      1 ounce butterfly pea tea (room temperature) ·      Ice Instructions: Prepare butterfly pea tea according to package instructions and let cool. Muddle three blackberries in the bottom of a glass. Add bitters and lime juice. Muddle again. Top with ice and grapefruit soda. Add butterfly pea tea and garnish with the remaining blackberry. 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 Richard Cruz. I'm George Campbell. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers, George. Cheers. Different. Very refreshing. 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. And today is all about how to not emotionally sabotage your savings account. Exactly. So in this episode, we're going to talk about the hard numbers on soft savings. which we'll get into later in the episode. Also, the most common things that Americans blow their money on. Classic Americans.

And then we're going to play a fun game calling out the most popular ways that we all tend to rationalize our spending. You know, we can give, we can, like, justify and, like, figure out, no, this is what we need. We should be saving, but we're going to spend it. Yeah. And it's real. But what are we sipping on, George? We are sipping on a blackberry paloma mocktail.

So for the mocktail lovers out there. Blackberry Paloma mocktail. A lot of words in that. And it's beautifully adorned with fresh blackberries by producer Ibu. So thank you for that. And we're going to get into our rating, reveal the cost per glass, and drop the recipe in the show notes. So hang on to the end of the episode.

Can I drop the raspberries in like that? Drop a minute. If you so, I'll do the same. Okay. Solidarity. So savings. It's a little bit of a touchy subject. Is it?

Around America. Yeah. Yeah, because some people, they struggle with saving and the savings rate and everything. But here's what's crazy. A 2023 survey found that 9 and 10 Americans, and that 89% save on a regular basis. Were they being honest? And how much are they saving?

That could be a dollar. It sounds positive. I know. But we will say this. There's a new trend around Gen Z called soft savings. How do they come up with this stuff? Do they have like a, is there a group that meets? Did, I guess, did Meliolian?

have this many like terms? I don't think so. It's a lot. It's a lot to keep up with. We were busy, you know, trying to find jobs and stuff. And they're out here like, guys, welcome to the Gen Z meeting. Today we're going to talk about loud budgeting. We were in the recession.

We were in the recession when we hit the job market. All in favor of soft savings, say I. So it's called soft savings. So again, it's the idea that you prioritize your lifestyle. You're going to enjoy life. And then kind of like passively save. He'll throw some money in savings. But it's not this like intentional.

It's not an aggressive savings. You're not necessarily saving $0, but it's not enough to matter all that much. That's right. George, for you, is it more tempting to burn through a stash of savings that you have? Savings over here, and you're like, yeah, we'll just pull from that.

Or just to, like, spend your paycheck when you get paid. I think when I see our savings account, like, I have pride. Like, we did that. We saved up that money. So I try never to touch it unless there's a true emergency. versus what's in checking, you know, the everyday spending account, it feels a little more flexible. Do you all have another savings account besides the emergency fund?

Currently no, but when we're saving up for like a car or if it was a house down payment or something like that, we would create a separate high-yield savings account within our account to save up. Because I don't like having the emergency fund that has everything in it. No, me neither. That's what I was asking, because we have our emergency fund And then we have another savings account under it.

Are you a bucket person? No, no, no, we just have two. So emergency funds, which is not allowed to be touched. Like, I pretend like that doesn't even exist. That is a break in case of emergency level situation. I mean, I don't even put it into our mathematics of, like, our world. Because I'm like, it's not there. I really pretend like it's not there.

And then we have another savings bucket that we'll just put some short-term savings. We're doing a pool. Like, there's some things we're going to be using it. And that, George, I feel like I'm like, I can justify purchases out of that. account. Oh, wow. So I find it easier to take money out of that. For like bigger purchases or like just little, like, oh, no, bigger. Like, like, I'm trying to talk Winston into going to Disney. Oh. With all the kids. Why isn't he talking into? Because he thinks it's, it's, it's, he just unlike it. In my mind, Rachel Cruz goes home and she's like, Winston, we're going to Disney.

I booked it. You tell him how it's going to go down. I tell him. No, but he, he is like, we had dinner the other night and he was like, I just need to know, like, what kind of Disney family, are we, are we? Like, are we the kind in your head that goes like once a year? Like, who are we? Our quarterly Disney trip is coming up.

That's right. Who are we in relation to this place? And I was like, no, I want to go one more time with Charles, because he's never been. I want to take the family. And then we'll go from there. And then we'll go... But anyways, I can look at that savings account and I'm like, we can take money

from there. Part of it. And part of it, and part of it we'd budget for, but I'm like, it feels like we can use it. It's superfluous money. Yeah, for me, it's easier to go through savings. Interesting. All right. Personally. But we're opposite.

Well, the data proves that soft savings is real because America's personal savings rate as a whole, as a country, as a nation, if you will, as a Commonwealth. Nope, we lost it there. It's not a commonwealth. That's Kentucky, I think. Ken Coleman would be very... I don't think I did well in my... political whatever class you go and that in.

Yep, that's the one. It's not really science. I feel like that was generous to call that science. Makes them feel smart. Yep. So America's personal savings rate, which is the part of your disposable income that you set aside for savings,

was 3.7% in December of 2023 compared to 8.51% over the past decade. Yeah. So we have cut it over half. Yep, yep. So if you make 40 grand, that's like less than 1,500 bucks. True. That's pretty weird to think about.

Okay, but can I say this, though, because there's been times in our careers when it comes to personal finance that we see a negative savings rate. Like, we see some terrible numbers. So is this like a more rational way of like a trend like revenge spending? Revenge spending was a big thing. People were like, we've been cooped out and spend on my money. Regardless of what happens, we're going to travel. We're going to do all this. But now, like, I don't know, it feels more rational.

It's a better swing in the right direction. soft savings, right? Well, I think this is the younger generations fighting back against the sort of, I got to wait till I'm 60 to enjoy life. Yeah. So, like, I'm going to yolo and enjoy life now, and savings can be on the back burner. Yeah, but it's happening, though. That's what's...

Like it or not, it's happening. To a degree. Yeah. That's the good thing. Okay, so for you, when it comes to, like, the emotional temps in life, like, for you to spend, what emotion is it? Because I think for a lot of them, it's like, like I want to live in the moment, I want to enjoy.

And then if I have some savings, that's great, right? It's kind of that second thought. But for you, like, what's the thing that drives you to spend? There's two things. I can justify utility. So if it's something that's going to really, it's not a frivolous thing. Like, buying an iPhone charger is not frivolous, but then I want, like, what is the best iPhone charger? So that is tough for me because I can justify any utility purchase.

Because it's the best. You know, it's for the baby. It's for the family. It's for the house. It's not for me. And then the other side is legitimate deals where I'm like, well, this is a good deal. And I have a lot of FOMO and around that urgency

of like, time's going to run out. I'm not going to see this deal. I know that it's only Black Friday. They do this deal. So that tempts me to spend. I'm self-aware with that. That's good. How about you?

I can spend probably when I'm bored. Oh. Is this like phone in bed, 11 p.m. Just sort of mindlessly scrolling. Oh. 7 p.m. Eight. You've just watched Jeopardy.

Will of Fortune's on at 6.30. The kids go down at 7. By the time everything's settled, the dust is cleared at 7.30, and we get in bed. Like, we go to bed. Like you're like, jammies on, game on. 100%. Yep. Yep.

And I'll, like, see something or I'll read, but usually I'm like scanning something. Yeah, and if I'm just like, that's cute, oh, I'll click that. Oh, and I just end up in a black hole. So you've heard the term if you see something say something. For you, it's if you see something, buy something. It's a very different approach. But I respect it. It is true.

Yep. What's the last thing you sort of like you fell for that? Like, I'm just bored and I just was like, yeah, sure. If you're going to be honest. I'll tell you. She checks her thousands of receipts from the last week. No, it's just my. I mean, Amazon's my go to, honestly, right now in life.

But you like scroll Amazon? That's a weird thing. No, no, no, no. But usually most things that I see that I see, I'm like, oh, yeah. that's like for sure let's see hold on thank you for your honesty I'm just curious I will tell you you the courage is unbelievable

Bernie Brown would be proud for your vulnerability right now um oh wow you know what this is not mine but you'll appreciate this Winston this is a Winston you and Winston more similar than you like to think he just bought this is that a utility

oh that is actually a baller move right there This is a... Read it out loud. A Wally Outlet Shelf Wall Holder, bathroom wall shelf up to 10 pounds, standard vertical duplex wall shelf organizer. It's basically...

God bless Amazon. I don't even know what that is. I mean, it's the same writers from BuzzFeed articles that write these Amazon. It's just endless. It's basically a holder. It basically holds like your little Google Home or Alexa device on top of an outlet.

Yeah. That's all it is. Okay, mine. That's something I would buy. Here's what I got. And I could justify it. Here's mine. Here's mine.

It was an oversized sweatshirt. It had a hood and a zipper and like a silky material sweatshirt. This was your cozy purchase. It was a cozy. Was it an influencer affiliate link? It was. Oh gosh. It was.

And I love it. So that was mine. Wow. Anyways. Thank you for your honesty. But usually there's some emotion here. FOMO, loneliness, revenge, overwhelm, fear, fear, boredom. That drives us to spend.

So, though, the risk with soft savings, right? because the idea of like, we're going to just live in the moment and what we have extra, we're going to save. The risk with that is when a real emergency hits, you probably don't have enough money to cover it. And that's where people get stressed. They get freaked out. And they put it on, buy now, pay later.

Yeah, a lot of people go into debt for it. Yes. And we don't want you to feel that way. That's why the seven baby steps is huge, right? We want you to be in control of your money. We want you to actually have an emergency fund, like a real one, not like a self-savings, a real one. $1,000 at first.

than when you're out of debt, a fully funded emergency fund a three to six months of expenses, which feels very grown up, right? Yeah. It's more intentional and more aggressive than soft savings, but it gives such more security, George,

that when something actually really does happen, a medical emergency, a job loss, you transfer it to another city, like, whatever it is, you have the cash, and that's what we want, not this passive idea of, like, I'll put some away if I feel like it.

Yeah. Well, Anne, we say that this emergency fund turns a crisis into an inconvenience. And that's the best emotion is like, yeah, that sucks. But you kind of yawn and pay it and move on. Yeah. And restock the emergency fund and keep living your life.

That's right. That's a much less stressful way to live versus like one little emergency throwing you into a tizzy and throwing off your financial goals. And so make savings a priority. And here's what's crazy, though, is a lot of Americans are now dipping into their savings. And some of it could be lifestyle creep, some of it, inflation. but 40% of Americans say they go into their savings to pay fixed bills like rent or car payment. 38% use savings for variable expenses like groceries, 22% emergencies,

22% for large purchases, 20% to pay off debt, and 11% for other expenses like shopping or a vacation. So only one of those was legitimate, which is emergencies. Like a true emergency, there's an ER visit, something really unexpected. Yeah. And other than that, the rest, you really shouldn't be dipping into your emergency fund or savings account just to cover your groceries. Yes, I know. And that's where some people are. So it's either you have to up the income or you have to lower the expectations of the grocery store, right?

I mean, seriously, it is hard because I think inflation is a real thing. And people have felt that. And life is just more expensive. Everything's gone up. Everything's just gone up. It has. And so you have to equate for that. And here's what sucks about it is if...

what you make is not equivalent to that, you either dip into savings, which eventually will run out, or you go into debt, or you lower your lifestyle. And you have to. Like there's a point that the math, it is hard going backwards,

but to keep yourself out of the whole financially, there's like these adult decisions we have to make. And it's hard, it's not fun. Yeah. But we've taken some calls that we co-host the Ramsey Show where people call in with their money problems and questions. And I can't tell you how many people have been, like, hey, we're living off of our emergency fund right now.

And I'm like, well, how long is that going to last? Like, I don't know, two months. What happens is then you run out of money and then you go into debt. And at 500 bucks a month, that's $6,000 a year that you're going into the hole to keep up with even your basic expenses. So do not try to live off of your savings. It's unsustainable. Which some of those expenses are a $6, $800 car payment, sometimes on two cars, right? I mean, like, you look at it overall and you're just like, oh, my gosh, what are things that we can do to change

this equation. And there are some things, and then there's also some sacrifices in there. But that's what's difficult, George. So your emergency fund should be, get this, Rachel, for emergencies. Ah, well. So here's how we define that because the Sephora sale, not quite an emergency in my book. We'll see. So there's three things to, like, check the box of like, this is legitimate emergency.

Is it urgent? Is it unexpected? And is it necessary? Mm-hmm. Really ask yourself that before dipping into that. Yep, that's right. And the other kind of savings is not tied to emergency fund, but it's more investing for the future. Yeah.

And if you're always avoiding saving just to enjoy the now, then you're always going to end up dipping into your emergency fund for non-emergencies, right, to cover these things. That's true. We do. We end up living a lifestyle where you just try to keep up with the norm. It's just stressful. And it's hard. Always being on the edge of your seat financially is not a fun way to live.

No, we don't want that. It gets old after a while. We don't want that. So the first problem, though, is the awareness. We have to be aware of, okay, these are the patterns in my life. This is where I tend to overspend. This is where I tend to dip into the emergency funds when maybe there's something else on the other side.

I could change on this side of the equation, whether it's lowering expenses, extra income, whatever it is, like to kind of figure all this out and balance it out. But that awareness, it's big. So you get to figure out, okay, am I justifying this? or is it just a lie? Well, Rachel, let's play a game called Justified or Just a Lie. So we're going to read some scenarios

and decide if these people are lying to themselves and sabotaging their savings or if it's a legitimate reason to spend. Okay, this is fun. Okay? All right. You ready? Yep.

I'm nervous. There's a lot of tension here. So if you don't like tension, tune out and go listen to something more bubbly. So stressful. Just kidding. Please don't leave. We need you.

All right, first scenario. My mom is stuck in a bad living situation. with horrible neighbors, and I want to get her out. I know I'd have to drain my emergency savings to break her lease and to get her a new place, but I feel like a terrible kid if I don't. Oh, justified or just a lie? Dr. John Deloney. This one's hard because she's, the daughter is using her own money to help, like, prop up

mom's ideal life. That's the part that bothers me here. That's where I'm like, who, there has to be a boundary there. and the mom, the mom has to be the grown-up in that, right? That's the mom's problem. It's kind of one of those things like, oh, wow. And I'd ask, like, when is the lease ending? Can we do anything about the neighbors?

Can we report them to the landlord, to the police? Are there actual legitimate things we can try to do to remedy this? Yeah, and if she was in a, well, she says, a horrible neighbor's, I mean, like, if it's a dangerous situation or something, right? Like, obviously, well, then I feel like the police will get involved to or whatever. I don't know. Or I'd go, hey, landlord, like, I didn't sign up for this dangerous situation. Either you do something about it, or I'm breaking this lease at no cost. Yep, yep, yep, okay.

So I think we're in between there. Yeah, that's fair. Depending on the situation. But I also don't feel like the daughter needs to be the savior in it as well. Yes, that part is worrisome. Yep. All right, I've never seen a Sephora sale like this, Rachel. If I buy a year's worth of my favorite foundation now,

I'll save $150 on makeup this year. I was going to put this money in my emergency fund, but this is too good to pass up. I'll catch up next month. Listen. Okay, I'm going to say... There's a lot of justification. I'm going to say, yeah.

No, I think it's just a lie. It's just a lie. Yep. Because... Well, she's a lot of justification emotionally. Yeah, and I'm going to say a year's worth of makeup is like, but if you're about to, like, get a month or two... I don't know, like, if it's a shorter time period,

I could get there faster, but a year's worth of stuff, you're just like, oh, no, you have a year to figure all that out. It's $150. And I feel like Sephora is always running sales. And are they the best price on makeup? Uh-huh. I don't know. Tell us, Bargain King.

Listen, I... I feel like I've seen some TikTok earlies that are like, they're going to Walgreens for some basic foundation, and they're crushing the game. So I think it's more about how you use the tool than the product itself. There you go. Ready for this? My cat's got a terrible UTI.

The vet says he needs surgery. to remove some bladder stones. Oh, gosh. The surgery will take almost all of my savings, but I don't have a choice. This one's really hard. It's a pet. It is a pet.

Do we know how George feels about his pets? I know. I feel like a pet illness, I would consider an emergency, like a true emergency. Yeah. Would you dip into retirement for it? Not retirement.

They didn't say retirement. I'm just seeing how far you would go. But I'm going to say, like, I would dip in, if I was in the situation and it was my dog, I would probably dip into savings if we truly didn't have the money. And depending on the surgery, I mean, is this $10,000 or is it a thousand? Right, right. I would not go into debt.

But what I dip into savings, I'll admit, I would. I love my dogs that much. Yeah, it's good. All right. Next. Next. Rachel, it's happening. In 2024, I am prioritizing my health.

I know if I buy workout clothes instead of wearing that oversized Greek life t-shirt from college, I'll be more likely to go to the gym. I'm not seeing a whole lot of money in my checking account right now, but I've got some savings and should get it. get paid in a few days. Lulu Lemon, here I come. Justified or just a lie. Okay.

I'm going to say just a lie, but... But, go on Amazon. Thank you. I knew where you were going. And get, like, two pairs of pants, a new sports bra, two tanks, and give it a go. Give it a go. Like, I do think there is something about feeling the part that is motivated. Like, felt cute, might work out.

That's your take. What did you say? Felt cute, my workout. poke you. That's you. That's what Rachel's saying. I am saying it helps with the motivation. But I would go super cheap on the first investment, because it may not last. But then give yourself like a mile marker like, oh yeah, if I work out for six months. Oh, I'll get the loos. I'm going to go get a couple of, yeah, some nicer things that'll last. Like, you know, you keep building.

But go cheap at first. Okay. How about this? Big birthday alert. I just turned 40. Do I have a spouse, kids, house, pet, or thriving career? No. But do I have 15,000? $1,000 in savings, and I'm cashing up five to go to Thailand with my bestie. Oof, justified or just to lie. All right. Okay, I'm going to say... So a birthday trip, five grand out of savings to go on the birthday trip? Is this justified?

I'm going to say that it says savings, doesn't say emergency fund. And she's living the single life. She's got... I'm going. I'm going to Thailand. I just feel like... It's not. It doesn't say emergency fund. I know, but she said that she doesn't have a house. Yeah, but if you're single, go on the trip, girl.

Go, I do if you have the cash for it. Yeah, but here's the thing. If you're also trying to like save for a down payment on a house and that's a really important priority for you, well then it's like, my house is how expensive, I'm just going to have to rent forever, and then I'm going to go spend five grand in Thailand. You got to know your, yeah, you got to know your goals.

Also, I feel like you can do better. If you can do a Thailand trip for cheaper. Oh, you're going budget different. Okay. Now, if this was like Fiji, like an overwater bungalow situation. No, that'd be more than five grand, George. That's five grand money. George, that's like ten grand money.

Two nights? Two nights? Spitting a day, get there. Fort and eight hours. You got to go back. You got to go back. That's it. Yeah, I wouldn't go to Thailand.

I would... You don't... Not a fan. Puerto Rico. I don't know. Go somewhere closer, domestic. Florida. Oh.

You know. South Beach, I don't know. Split the difference. Yeah, split the difference. I think you could do a great 40th. It doesn't have to be 5,000. Okay. But I would still say, yeah, go enjoy it.

If you have the money, she has the money. But if this is emergency fund versus savings. Okay, emergency fund, I don't think I would tap into my emergency fund for it. But if it was just some savings. A general savings outside of that, you were out of debt and had an emergency fund, plus this money. I'll give it a go. All right, last one. I have an exclusive opportunity to buy the Nike Air Jordan 4 retro Travis Scott Moka.

of friends and family. I know they're like $25,000, but these are worth every penny of my savings. They're going to appreciate and value, Rachel. I can sell them for more later. Justified or just a lie. This is a hard one to just wrap my head around. I can't believe it's $25,000 for shoes? Yes. This is a real. I can't, like, that doesn't even compute to me. I don't even get that. Like a pair of leubitons to me are like, oh, wow, it's really expensive. And it's like, too grand. It's a very rare purse from the highest end designer. Here's the deal.

Here's the thing with this. This is why that's stupid to me. If you walked around with those shoes on, you're an idiot. Oh, you weren't going there? Wait, wait, what do you mean? Don't you wear shoes? You wouldn't wear them? I wouldn't wear $25,000 on my feet.

Oh my God, it's even stupid. Okay. Say you carry these shoes around. Nobody would... Nobody, okay? Well, the sneaker heads would know. 0.0.4% of people would know what these shoes are.

Majority of the public, you walk down Broadway in Nashville, and you... But you know, Rachel. You know that you're wearing $25,000 shoes. That's the thing that just pisses me up about that. I'm like, no, people like... This much of the demographic knows. At least when you drive, like, a car...

A luxury car. Yeah, people. like, oh, that's a Mercedes or a BMW. At least like people know what the brand is. Why are they all like super redne? Or loutons and you got red bottoms. People know red bottoms. Like I'm like, at least spend your money on...

Red bottoms? Red bottoms. I'm learning a lot today. When you didn't know? Oh, what? Oh, man. I'm just saying, if you're going to spend the money on a designer, do it to a designer most people would know.

So you at least get the cred. Well, in the sneaker culture, people know that brand. Okay. How much is the sneaker culture in America really? It's a very, you know, cult-like following out there. Point zero. Are you just making up stats now? I bet.

Is it bigger than I think? The sneaker culture is pretty big, yeah. Smart Winnie Happy Hour, I just need to know from you all, like, leave a review and just say, like, we would know these shoes. Or say, Rachel, you're right. And say, here's the most, what is the most expensive pair of shoes that you own? Drop that in the comments. Oh, that's good. Here's the takeaway.

Money's not a math problem to shout out our friend Jade's latest quick read book. That's right. It's 80% behavior. It's 20% head knowledge. That's what it comes down to. So saving for the future and unexpected expenses, it's a sign of financial maturity. Yep, that's right. It's about what you do with the money.

We all know we should be saving. But if you're not actually putting away that money every month and pretending like it didn't exist, you're not going to build wealth and you're going to always have financial stress. Yes, for sure. Yep. And don't do the soft savings. Actually be intentional with it. And like, yeah. Go hard. Yes. Hard. Hard in the pain when it comes to savings. That's right. Future you will thank you. All right. It's almost the end of the episode. And we close out every episode with Guilty as charged.

And this is where our producer, Skyler, gives us a new guilty charge question every week. And if we are guilty, we take a sip. Skylar. Okay. So today's question is, have you ever binge watched an entire TV series in one? one weekend. Ooh. And what was it? Yes. Was it over a weekend? Okay, fool me once.

What is that? The Netflix show? Fantastic. It's a great one. Six episodes. It was great. Binged it. Dark stuff.

Is that a murder mystery? Yes. I just assume that. But her husband is dead, is he back? We don't know. It's crazy. It's really good. How about you?

Yes, I have, anything that is like a 10 episode kind of series, I can binge watch in a weekend. Yeah. The one I remember, like, binging in a weekend was dead to me. Oh, what's that one? I haven't seen that one. It's her husband. Sounds like a murder mystery.

Yeah. And you got mad of me. Uh-huh. Only murders in the building. Also binge that one. Oh, was that a good one? Selenie Go Mess. I was going to go Steve Martin and Martin Short, but sure.

Mention the least memorable character in the show, Rachel. It's fine. Salino. Yeah, I think a good show is bingeable. So fun. It's that 26-minute episode where you can just go watch another one and another one. So good. Love it.

All right, we're guilty. We're guilty. That's a good one, though. Who finished her drink first? I think you're closer. I'm closer. This was a Blackberry Paloma Mocktail. Here's what's in it.

Blackberries, smoked chili bitters, lime juice, grapefruit soda, and butterfly PT for color. Wow. Where do you even buy Butterfellom? fly p.T. George, I'm going to go a strong nine and a half. Wow. I'm going to go seven out of ten.

Okay. It had a strange, pickly flavor. You didn't like that part, though? It just threw me off. Okay, I liked it. I liked it. But as far as mocktails go,

it's still pretty good. It's really great. So the cost breakdown, $2.82 per glass, which is, you know, pricey for a mocktail, but still a steel for as far as drinks go. And this is a fancy one,

especially with the fresh blackberries. thrown in there. So if you want the recipe, go check out the show notes and try it out this weekend. All right, it's closing time. So make sure to leave us a comment. Let us know all your thoughts on this episode. We love hearing from you guys. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all-new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.