The Rachel Cruze Show - 3 Habits That Will Keep You From Overspending with George Kamel

Episode Date: June 20, 2022

Let’s talk about a new money trend I’ve seen making the rounds on social media lately. Plus, my friend George Kamel and I will let you in on our biggest money regrets. And we’ll wrap up by talking about how to make a no-spend challenge more enjoyable! In this episode: ·     Are Money Trends Actually New ·     We Reveal Our Top Money Regrets with George Kamel ·     The Right Way to Do a No-Spend Challenge   Helpful Resources: EveryDollar Christian Healthcare Ministries Sponsors pay the producer of this show, The Lampo Group, LLC, advertising fees for mentioning their services or products during programming. Advertising fees are not based upon or otherwise tied to any product sale or business transacted between any consumer or sponsor. The following sponsor has paid for the programming you are viewing: Christian Healthcare Ministries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're going to talk about purchases that people regret. It happens a lot, doesn't it? So much regret. You buy stuff and you think, why? Well, in the moment, it's like this is a great idea. Yeah, you never go into a purchase thinking, this is going to be awful and I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life. No, you go in thinking, this is awesome. And then the regret takes over.

Hey, guys, welcome to this episode of the Rachel Crewe Show podcast. I'm so glad that you're here. So in this episode, we're going to talk about some wise and unwise money habits. I'll talk about the right way to do a no-spend challenge. So you may have heard of these, but I'm going to share some ways for you to save as much as you possibly can. Then you'll hear a conversation I had with my friend and Ramsey personality, George Camel, about people's most regretful purchases. We even go into some of ours and how to avoid buyer's remorse.

You don't want to miss it. But first, let's talk about the newest money trend that people are raving about. All right, I just discovered the most amazing new money trend. So there's been a lot of hype out there on social media, specifically TikTok, like millions and millions of views on this new idea, this new concept. And people are now saving money left and right,

and it's just, it's going to blow your mind. So let's talk about what the trend is. And then I'm going to tell you how you can get in on this trend with four easy tips to let it start working for you. So the trend is called cash stuffing. So basically, Gen Z is taking cash from their paycheck and putting it in different envelopes in these binders, these personalized binders with different categories

and like, you know, for rent or eating out or clothes or groceries. So they take cash from their paycheck and divide up the cash into areas where they spend and put them in these envelopes in this big binder. Amazing. Amazing. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Do you've been following at all what we've been talking about a Ramsey solution? for the last 30 years. Yes, it's called the envelope system. Uh-huh. You guys, it is wrapped back

around. For a while, the envelope system, some people are like, y'all are so old school. Oh, my gosh, I can't believe you still talk about cash. And then Gen Z comes along and they're like, oh, my gosh, I can take actual money from my paycheck and divide it out and know exactly where I'm spending my money and be so purposeful and pay off more debt and save more money. by doing this. So now we're relevant again. I mean, just like that. Thanks, Gen Z.

You're bringing us back to the top. It's so funny. The envelope system, it is effective. It still is effective. And so it helps you not overspend. It helps you stay accountable to your budget and know specifically which category you have and how much money you have left in it.

So it helps give you boundaries and it helps you say no, because when you are out of money in that specific envelope, you stop spending on that category. So you learn discipline. Again, you learn boundaries. Like, it's an amazing and amazing thing. And I'm so happy, so happy that Gen Z is making it cool again.

So thanks, you guys. I know you made mom jeans in the middle part cool again too. So I appreciate you doing the old cash stuffing. So again, here's how it works. If you've never done the envelope system before, I really recommend this specifically for people, people who are just starting out budgeting. If you have been budgeting for six months or less, I recommend doing this. So what you're going to do is, number one, you're going to create a budget,

a zero-based budget. So this is where your income for the month, minus all of your categories, including giving and saving, should equal zero. So every dollar coming in from your paycheck is already assigned to a category. You know exactly where your money's going. That's number one. Number two, you're going to take envelopes. You're going to take a binder. whatever it is, and you're going to label each category with each envelope. So you're going to have an envelope, and you can just write groceries or take it and write clothes, whatever it is. And you map out and you know exactly which categories. And really, I recommend doing the categories that you tend to overspend on. Now, could you go all out like Gen Z and they do every category, which is very impressive?

Or you can just pick, you know, maybe three or four, again, that you tend to overspend on and have an envelope of each of is marked. Now, number three, when you get your paycheck and it hits your account, you're going to cash out those categories. You're going to take the cash and put it in each envelope. And then number four, you're going to use those envelopes when you purchase out of those categories. So, yes, it's a little bit inconvenience. Uh, your cashier may look at you like, oh my gosh, I haven't seen cash in a long time. Like, it's all the things. But it is so helpful. In fact, when you spend with actual physical cash, you spend 12 to 18% less because you are thinking about every single purchase you are making and when every dollar is leaving. It's an amazing thing. So maybe you find that the binder

system works for you, like all the Gen Zers out there, or maybe you just have paper envelopes, or that's why I created the Rachel Cruz wallets because I wanted a really cute wallet that has different dividers and different categories that you can put your money in. And so that's out there too. And so, again, I made that wallet specifically for people that want to do the envelope system. So you have multiple ways of doing it, but I would recommend it. I really would because it helps you see and know exactly where you are in your budgets. I'm back with my friends and fellow Ramsey personality.

George Camel. By popular demand. That is true. Emails flooded in. No one asked. They did ask. They asked for you. Let's give the people what they want.

We'll bring him back. So here he is. Okay, so I'm excited because today we're going to talk about purchases that people regret. It happens a lot, doesn't it? So much regret. You buy stuff and you think, why? Well, in the moment, it's like this is a great idea. Yeah, you never go into a purchase thinking, this is going to be awful,

and I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life. No, you go in thinking, this is awesome. And then the regret takes over. So we're going to talk about things that we've regretted buying, but also people submitted things that they regretted. Oh, I can't wait. I have not seen these, so I'm going to react live. But also we're going to talk about tips for avoiding buyer's remorse

because we want to learn from our mistakes. Yes. There are zero tattoos and piercings, right? That's right. I don't have any secret piercings. I feel like, yeah, our friend's level is just, we're like this, George. I have a toe ring. We know.

What if that was my thing? Oh, that's so great. Are those still a thing? An anklet. If you had an anklet, George. Oh, yeah, those were hot too. Oh, that was big. Back in the day.

This will probably come back around, you know? It all does. The biker shorts and sweatshirts. Speaking of regret. Okay. So, these were from the online forum Reddit, which... It's a dangerous place. Fred lightly.

These are hilarious. Okay. So, this one's not like hilarious, but it's great. A year of lottery tickets lost $400 and won about $50 altogether. Wow. It's what gambling does, you know. You really got to prepare your heart. Yeah.

It's not a great investment. I mean, they traded a dollar for a whole lot less than that. That is true. That's really sad to think about. You don't always come out better on the other ends. We all have learned us. Now, a year's worth, at least you spend some time having to, like, scratch all those, right? I mean, that's some entertainment value.

It's a lot of scratching. But a lot of regret. Not a money-making scheme, apparently. No. All right. Here's one. Everything after that credit card offer that came with a free Kudobobobobob a burrito upon signing up.

Wow. Where are you at in life where you're signing up for a credit card to get a free burrito? Hey. There's tough times out there. There are, but the pizza was the one that we always had, like, in college. Oh, you sign up for the card, you get a free pizza. Yeah, you get the pizza. Now Kudoba's getting involved.

I mean, legit name. There we go. Okay. So one time late at night, that always starts on. Late night is where regret starts. I was on India, I don't know. India go-go. Is that a thing?

Do you know this? Apparently. Indiegogo. Okay, and saw a toothbrush that was hands-free. I hate brushing my teeth, so I bought it for $100. It doesn't work. My so still brings my... Significant other.

Oh. This is Reddit language, Rachel. A lot of lingo. I'll teach you along the way. My sew, my significant other still brings it up all the time. I'll talk about buying something else. Okay, stop it. So they're getting in fights.

I've seen GF. I've seen BF. S-O? That's a thing. Yep. It's a real thing. Wow, George. That's what got you. What got me was a hands-free toothbrush. What is that even? Is it a contraption where you just stick your face in it?

I wonder what works. What is that? Like, bells around your torso. Is it like, I don't know. Is it like on a stand? Very confusing. Would you be, would you want a hands-free toothbrush? I don't see a problem like I have mobility.

So I like being in control of that, too. It's weird to just stick your face in something and hope it hits right. Hope it gives you the chance. The hygieness feel that you need. For a hundred bucks, it sounds like a steel if it truly is hands-free. That's a whole contraction. That should not have been a regret. I think that was a wise purchase.

All right. Next up, here's one. Mad regret on the wedding front, most specifically my hair and flowers. The stylist used hair cement and my hair fell out in clumps for six months. My flowers were insanely expensive because I wanted them to be dramatic, but they basically ignored our contract and that vision, so bad that they refunded me, but I would have rather had beautiful flowers.

Oh, no. Just the words like hair and cement, I'd be like, I'm going to a hard pass on that. Oh, my gosh. We're good with some spray. See, and what's so tough is something like that? Like, you don't know when it's happening. Oh, yeah.

It's going to fall out in clumps. Yeah, that's some good regret right there. Ooh. There's a lot in the wedding front. The wedding regrets. A lot of regrets with weddings. Yep. Because you're just, it's a lot.

There's a lot going on. You make the decisions. You move on. The day comes. Very expensive, very emotional, all the things. Yep. All right. This one wasn't just a specific item, but I spent $1,000 on my ex's birthday just for him to dump me two months later because he doesn't love me anymore.

Wow. This is insult to injury. Ow, $1,000 and then two months later, see ya. I mean, I feel like I'm like a fairly generous guy. I don't know that I'm going to spend $1,000 on a girlfriend's birthday. I haven't spent $1,000 on my husband and we've been married for a 12. It just feels exorbitant. It's a lot of money.

At least wait a few months. If someone spends $1,000 on me, I'm like, all right, they just bought you six months. At the very least. At least. Oof, that hurts. I'm so sorry to hear that. Man. All right, Rachel, are you ready for this one?

This one hurts even more. Yeah. Spent over $2,000 on makeup, and I don't even have anywhere to wear it to. This is so sad. Because you know what gets you at this? You may not understand this. I understand completely. There's so many makeup reels and you see, you know,

You're like dolled up to the, like you see all the, what do you call it, like the technique. There we go, technique. From the back row. So many techniques in makeup and you're like, ooh, I need that, but it's like one specific brush. So there's like a special event. But then you look like she's saying like glammed up and where are you going to go? Chili's? Like where are you going all glammed up?

I feel like I'd have a plan. Like I don't just like buy really nice suits for no reason. I'm like, oh, I got to get a suit for the occasion. Yeah, but a suit is different than makeup because a suit is. It's all one investment. Would I be able to tell the difference in $2,000 makeup versus your standard stuff? Compare and contrast.

I will not be a part of that. You can do that. I will take it on. I will take on. I'll be the judge. Okay, up next is a $4,000 foam bed. I don't even think it's comfortable. It's one of the dumbest things I've ever wasted my money on.

Wow. And it was so much money. $4,000. That's a lot. I don't know that I've seen. I mean, if you get crazy online, and you can find some like that. Now, at a mattress store, I feel like you could see a $4,000 mattress.

See, isn't that terrible? We haven't bought a mattress in forever. We got one recently. Yeah. This is a really sad reason. Our dogs sleep in the bed with us, and so they took up too much room. We're both little people, me and my wife. We had to get a king size.

Stop. So we did it, but it was not $4,000. And returns up to a year. So if you're going to buy something like that, make sure they have free returns. Yeah. All right. Here's one. Another $4,000 purchase.

Wow, y'all got some money. I spent $4,000 on a Chanel handbag in my previous life. Were you like a butter? What are you in a previous life? Okay. I adore it. I adore it. However, I gave up my corporate Manhattan job to work full-time as what everyone refers to as an influencer.

But that's not how I consider it. Of course not. I spend most of my time living out of a suitcase. This story just got a whole lot more interesting. Anyway, I have no place for any handbag, let alone a Chanel. Oh, that does. That hurts, you know? You buy the nice bag.

$4,000. That's a nice handbag right there. It's a nice handbag, you know. And it just stores, it's just like a junk drawer, right? You would think if you're an influencer, it'd be great. Yeah. Well, she said, I don't call it that. That's true.

I don't know what she calls it. She had a previous life. She lives out of a suitcase. This is a wild lifestyle. Mystery woman. A lot of questions. All right, a few years back, I went from making $30,000 a year to $50,000 and immediately went out and bought myself a brand new car, frankly.

It was an... Ostentatious. Oh, man, I... You're welcome. Purchase that I really didn't need to make, and my car is still a bit of a burden on my paycheck every month, although it'll be paid off in November. Thank goodness. Life pro-tip salary increases don't mean anything when you spend a decent chunk of that income increase on a car payment.

Lifestyle inflation is a silent killer. We didn't even plant that. Wow. That is a real life. Regret about the debt. It seems bad enough you're in your regret. something and you paid cash. But when you now make payments on a regret, on the regret, oh, how'd she? And then the whole thing, yeah, like you get, you get a raise. You don't feel it.

Then it's gone. It's gone. Man, that is. All right. You know what time it is. What time is it? We're turning the tables. We're going to look in the mirror and you're going to tell me one of your biggest spending regrets. It's embarrassing. I'm going to give you a, there is no shame or condemnation in this place. I'm going to give you all the details just so you can feel the like, oh, man. Okay. Because it's kind of justified, not really. So, So at Ramsey, Christmas time is always like a big deal. They always like blow it out on Christmas. Like it's just like we do.

Big party. Big parties. Big gifts. Like it's awesome. Big outfits. All the things. So that year we got $1,000 to go shopping. And we had big buses lined up outside.

So after staff meeting, we all went into the buses, went down to like a really nice mall in Nashville. And spent half the day just using our $1,000 cash to go shopping. It was awesome. So I walked into Nordstrom and I saw a pair of Jimmy Chew. And I thought that is what I'm going to spend my money on. And I spent $800 of the $1,000 on those shoes. Yep. Yep.

Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. I did. And I didn't feel like... This is just like a normal pair of heels. Are they, like, riddled with gold and diamonds? You would think, but old Jimmy... Do they make coffee? You would...

I hope he did something, but he did nothing but hurt my feet. Wow. And I have worn those twice. And that was probably four years ago. insult to injury. Your feet were hurt. They were the most uncomfortable pair. And I'm not saying all of his are uncomfortable. I don't know. I only owned one pair.

But I justified it because I was like, it's not even my money. It was just given to me. So I feel like I got a free pair of Jimmy Chuse, if you will, but I could have used that money and probably done some better things. At least go get a bag that I could wear. Did you return them? I did not. I still have them. I still have them. Do you ever wear them just out of spite?

I'll get a picture. Do you ever like hate wear them just to be like, do you know, I will see them in my closet and I think that just reminds me of regret. I could sell them on like Poshmark or something now. If it said Rachel Cruz is Jimmy Chuse, you could sell them for more than you paid for it. They go up in value. I don't think so. The fact they've only been worn twice, that's what, well, that'll be the, that'll be on my side.

There's always Poshmarts. Okay, so that's me. $800 to the heart. I have a lot of, a lot of regret. But one of them more recently was one of these fitness bands. And here's the thing. Your brother wears these. My husband has it now.

Your husband wears it. The whoop? You hated it? I thought, well, all of these people who have their life together, they're in shape, Winston Cruz, Daniel Ramsey, all these guys at Ramsey who are like, I wake up at five and do CrossFit. They all have the band. So I thought if I buy the band, then I'll get in shape and be a good guy who has his

life together. I wore that thing for maybe two days. No. It didn't track my sleep. There was some error. Stop. And I hated having something on it. my wrist at night. And so that was a regret because you can't return it. So this is how they

get you. The product is free. The band is free. They sign you up for a six-month subscription that you cannot cancel. Oh, on the app. It's a commitment. It's like committing to a personal trainer contract. Wow. Wow. That was a big regret. That hurts because for six more months, you're continuing to pay. Yeah. And I'm still not in shape. So there's that. Still don't work out. There we go. Here's what I don't get about those kind of stuff. The things that track your sleep specifically. I had one app, and apparently you were supposed to put your phone next to your pillow and it tracked your moot or something. And I did not sleep for like that first night. You had like anxiety. I was so worried about not getting a good score that I'm like, if I wake up

and don't get a good score, I feel like I'm such an enegrom three that it stressed me out and I could not sleep. And I was like, and then people like, what's your sleep score? And I would be like embarrassed to be like, oh, I don't know. The most embarrassing thing is I already have something that tells me how I slept. It's called my body. And it tells me every morning how I'm doing. Are you doing good? Are you doing bad? Most mornings ago, you didn't do great, buddy.

Oh, man. So, anyways. How much was it? I said, I want to say it was like, I don't know, 40 bucks a month or something for like six months. Man. So I fought them and I got some money back through customer service. That's good.

Yes. I was kind, but I was like, hey, you were not clear. There was some fine print that I did not read, which is embarrassing because I have a podcast called the fine print. Yikes. You know, I did a workout app, and I paid, this was stupid too. but it was like $100. Yeah.

For a year long, because it was like you could pay, you know, month to month or six month or the year. And I was like, I'm doing the year. Like, I'm going to save money because I'm going to work it out. Yeah, I worked out twice with it and never again. You know what's behind that? And then it renewed. Oh, wow. And I forgot about it.

And it charged my iTunes account. And I was like, no. That's how they get you. Terrible. This is life hack. Go into your subscriptions and go cancel all the things that you're not using. And you'll get a raise in your budget. But you're an aspiration.

purchaser like me. We buy things going, well, if we buy it, we'll, like, become this kind of person. I would use it and it doesn't change you. You know, you still are who you are, George. You go with you. In the inside, no matter what apps are on your phone, no matter what's on your wrist. No matter what's on your feet, you're still the same person. You go with you. So deal with you before buying a thing. That's it. This got really good. I think we close it out there. There you go. Pretty good. Okay, so besides are, yeah, that was a great takeaway for you all. That was cathartic. I feel like I was like venting with a therapist. That was good. Thank you for that. That was good. Yep. Mm-hmm.

Okay, but for real, to make sure that you don't regret purchases, what do you need to do? I would say, number one, budget. Yep. Because this will help you, especially not go into debt, like the guy that went and got a car loan. It keeps you with cash. So at least when, if you have a regret, it's in the budget, so you at least know, okay, I've made the purchase and it's done. And, yeah, you're not paying payments on the regret, which could be terrible. But make sure that whatever you're going to purchase is in your budget.

Can I give you a quick, here's like my framework for spending now? Yes. So it spells out smart. So I want people to be smart spenders. It's really cheesy, I know, but it helps me remember. I'm ready for this. So S is self-awareness. So is this purchase going to be adding value to my life?

Is it born out of my values and beliefs? M is for motive. Why? Am I buying this for the right reason? Am I trying to impress someone? Is it a want or a need? A is for affordability. Can I afford it in full in cash?

Can I afford the maintenance and repairs on it? All of that. Okay. Then if you say, yes to those three, you move on to the R, which is research. Is this the best option, retailer, and price? So that's one where people really don't do, they're impulsive. They just go, click. It's the first one I saw and I bought it. And then lastly, is T for timing. Is now the right time to buy it? Should this money go elsewhere? So that's, I personally use that and it's been

helpful for me. What an acronym. Thank you. I am so impressed. Well, I taught you some other acronyms today. S.O., significant other. Yeah, there's a lot of learning. You learned a word, ostentatious. That's good, though. Be smart. Be smart. With all of those. letters that he was saying. Yes. And you, you know, you talk about this in your book, know yourself, know your money, no, money tendencies and why you're making these purchases. That's my biggest. Awareness. The A is what would, no, motive, M. M is what would get me. 100%. Make sure, make sure. The motive is good and pure. Okay, guys, you can use the envelope system. Again, this is where you cash out, categories in your budget to help you see

physical cash and know where you are. Read the reviews first. That's a good way. That helps. I don't do that a ton. Well, it's hard to trust them, but I like to see what people are saying. You know, Amazon, you can buy reviews now. So I'm like, is this person wrong? I know. I know. So you'll be able to at least see, okay, is this good or bad? But you get a vibe. I don't know.

Yeah, you kind of know. This is a big one. Wait, wait a couple days. If it's a big purchase especially, wait, I mean, I would say 24 hours, but even just over like two, three days. Maybe wait until you've got some sleep. Yes. Wait overnight. But it's amazing.

I'm like, give it the weekend or something and then come back to it and how much you don't want it after that, just even a few days. And if you still, like, you can't stop thinking about it. it, then do it when you have the cash and it's in the budget. Make sure you're smart. It's fine. We want people to have things. I know, that's the thing you guys. Don't come at us in the comments section.

We want you to have some nice things. Of course. You know, it's all about... Do it smart. Do it smart. Yeah. It's all about enjoying your life, okay, but we want you to do it by being wise, not regretting purchases like we have.

No raggress. And probably like you have. I'm sure all of you watching and listening have that thing. They're like, dang it, why did I do that? But listen, we can move on, our past mistakes. That's right. not to find who we are in the presence. We're going to look forward to the future out that windshield,

no more rearview mirror. That was good. I like that analogy. That's good. Yep, you're welcome. You're welcome. Well, George, thanks for being on. It was a blast, as usual.

At George Camel on Instagram. We've been making some Instagram reels lately. So that's been a blast, giving you people some hacks. I'm excited. We're going to talk about how to make a no spend challenge actually doable. Okay, if you've never heard of a no spend challenge before, a lot of people do this. with their family, maybe over a week or even over a month, where they say we are not going to

spend any money except for things that we have to, like your four walls. So food, utilities, shelter, and transportation. And it is. It's a pretty fun challenge, you guys. It is a challenge, so it is tough. But I've heard of so many people doing this and saving so much money, because you don't realize how much money you spend every single month on just non-essentials. Just go back to your bank statement for the last month for the fun of it and just look down and say, okay, how many things were things that I just did not have to spend money on, but I did. I mean, it could be as little as like, I need new bobby pins. I'm just going to go on Amazon and order new bobby pins, you know, to something even more expensive.

But like, just stuff that you really don't have to have, but you want. in the moment and you go and buy. What if you cut out all of that? And you saved all of that money. Crazy. Now, in this challenge, of course, if an emergency comes up or things like that, yes, you can break it and spend the money you need to spend. But this is a great way, kind of a crazy way, but a great way to go gazelle intents, especially if you are paying off debts, if you are saving up for your emergency fund. Again, it's a way to kind of just like boost that savings. But you want to know your why. Why are you doing this? That's going to help you be motivated through your no-spin challenge. But if you're on babysaps one through three, again, maybe it's because you're wanting

to pay off debt and you're wanting to throw as much money at possible at your debt or saving up money for an emergency fund. Or maybe you're on babysaps four through seven, you're like, hey, I want to do this out of just discipline. Or maybe we're saving up for a vacation and we need some extra cash, so we're going to do this. Whatever your why is, know your why. So if you decide to do this, and a lot of people have done it, you guys, and it's just, it is so fun to hear about the stories. Here are a couple of ways for you to do it to make it a little bit easier, if you will. So these are good tips in general for your no-spend challenge, okay? Use websites that help you with recipes based on ingredients you already have in your pantry. So supercook is a great

one, or My Fridge Food is another one. Also, remove your debit card index. from sites that you shop on a lot, okay? So think about like Amazon. Mostly everything's just in there and saved, right? So if you're going in there and you're going shopping, it's just like a one-click purchase. But if you remove all of your info, it causes friction, and you're like, oh gosh, I've got to go get my debit card

and find the number. And then I'm going to type in my address, and it just makes it a little bit clunkier, harder to spend. So maybe automatically you're going on there, and then you're thinking, oh, I got to go get my debit card because my number's not saved anymore.

and then you think, oh, I don't need those bobby pins. No, I'm not going to spend the money. It's going to make you pause. And question, do I really need this during your no-spin challenge? Also, go and look at all of your recurring subscriptions, okay? There are so many that we sign up for, whether it's on your TV or on your phone and app. There are so many monthly subscriptions that people have, they may not even realize they have, and look and see, do I use this every day?

or weekly. And if you don't, unsubscribe. Save that money. Also, look around your house. Return items that you are not using or that you never use, okay? So I was watching a Real Housewives episode. And Gina from the Real Housewives had a closet full of all these clothes, and they were cleaning out her closet, and they all had price tax on them. And they were kind of laughing like, Gina, why do you have all this? She's like, I just left to shop. but I never wear them all. And I'm like, she could take them all back. She could take them back and get some cash back. So look and see, hey, what are items that I'm not using?

I can take back. Also go and fill up a bag of old clothes or items just to even just take to Goodwill. There's something about purging. It just feels good because you're like, I just have so much stuff that I have bought that I don't use and it will remind you during your no-spin challenge that you don't need everything you think you do.

Also, go on your phone. and delete apps that cause you to shop. So Target, Instacar, Amazon, things that you just go and spend money on that you don't need, delete those apps. Get them out of here for the month or the week or however long your no-spend challenges. Also look around and see if you have any gift cards or coupons that you have not used. That will help you save some money. And then make a list of things that you want to buy next month.

Because for me, I'm like, yeah, you're kind of dreaming about, I don't know why I'm going back to Bobby Pins. That's my example. I don't know why. But it's like, yeah, I am going to need Bobby Pins. So I'll put that on the list for next month. And then maybe you get to next month and look at your list and think, I don't need half that stuff that I thought I was going to need.

But hey, it gets it out of your brain and onto a sheet of paper, right? It's good. Just write it down. Also, track your savings. This is fine. And compare it to last month. So look to see, okay, how much is left in our checking account. That wasn't there last month.

That'll keep you motivated because you're seeing the money you're actually saving. And you guys, I know this challenge may not sound fun, and it may not be the most fun thing ever, but there are ways to actually enjoy it because it breaks you out of the psyche of, when you just throw money at stuff sometimes just to go and spin and spin and spend, when you remove that, it forces you to get creative, okay?

So during your no-spin challenge, have themed date nights or family nights. So, for example, do like Italian night, and you can make spaghetti and watch, you know, a fun movie. If you have kids, maybe it's like Luca or no kids, the godfather. You could do Mexican night and have a big taco bar. Or you could do family board game night and have board games and you're playing. Or camping night and everyone sleeps in sleeping bags.

Like, I don't care what it is, but make it themed and make it fun, make it creative. Also, watch movies and shows that you've been wanting to watch. I'm not saying that you have to spend your entire no spend challenge on the couch. But if you've paid for a subscription, sit down and use it. You can look at free movies on YouTube even, or you can rent movies for free from your local library. You could watch shows like TLC's Extreme Cheapeskates to help you stay motivated on saving money. And if it's your thing, you can go down the rabbit hole of some true crime stuff, y'all. Good content out there.

So much out there. Podcast shows. I love a good 2020. Love a good 2020. Where are they? When they disappear? Where do they go? Where do they go?

don't know. But I could binge those all day. You could start a book club. I love this. I love books. So if you have a book that you've been wanting to read, you know, get your family to read it with you or get a group of friends. And it's amazing. When you have a book to read, everyone's like, when do you have time to read, Rachel? I'm like, instead of picking up my phone, I pick up a book. There's a lot of time, more time than you realize that you could actually entertain yourself with reading. You could go to your library, check out a book. You can go on Libby and listen for books. It's an app that connects to your library, which is awesome. There's books even available on podcasts. So you could do that. That's fun. You could do a white elephant party. So this is fun. It could be a

no-spend white elephant party. So a white elephant party is where you wrap a gift and you take it and you exchange it. There's like a game. You can look up the rules online. But for this white elephant party, you could say you can't spend money on your gift, which means people have to look around their house and give something. So it could be funny, it could be like vintage and really cool, like a cool vintage teacup or a vinyl record. Or again, something just a really funny,

random thing in the house. So again, all entertainment and all free. Look for free events in your city. So there are tons of online forums for different cities, Facebook groups, event venue websites, just to look for free community events. So again, think of free concerts

or street festivals or art shows. anything just to make a night out where you're going out and doing something with your family for free. So there you go, you guys. There's a couple of examples of how you can still have fun during a no-spend challenge. But again, it's called a challenge for a reason. It's not going to be easy. But it really is going to be worth it. I think it's worth it because of the money you actually save.

But then I love that it's worth it for the discipline, right, to say, okay, we really are going to cut back and see how much money we can save by literally not spending and then forcing ourselves to say, okay, instead of like going and paying for something that we're used to, removing that and making yourself be creative, making yourself think outside the box. I think that is such a big benefit to this process as well. All right, you guys, a no spend challenge. It works every time. All right. One thing I am loving right now, I just finished The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. You guys, I, I do. I love War II fiction. So I've read multiple books in that era and it's so good. But this book, and a lot of my friends that read it, they're like, it's kind of slow. And I'm usually one that

will call a book slow for sure because I love like thrillers and people getting murdered and kidnapped and all this stuff. So when it's none of that happening in some like thriller scene and it's more of a historical fiction, I'm like, it can kind of take a little bit of time. But I did not find it slow. I did not. I was sucked in immediately. And it is so good. And it does. It breaks your heart for during that time period. I'm like, oh my gosh, it just, it makes me sick to my stomach to think what happened during that war. But it was just a beautiful story and she's an incredible author. So that is one thing that I am loving right now. So again, the Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. It's so good. All right, one thing I am learning right now.

Less is more in so many areas of my life. I mean, the garden, I think I told you guys, we were starting to garden. We started a garden. We built a garden. We planted a garden. I don't even know the terms of what goes into garden life. But we have a garden and we definitely overplanted. And everyone said it's like the rookie mistake. You will plant too much. Sure enough, we did. So I'm like, okay, note for next year, less is more in the garden. And then all these other places in my life, I'm like, yes, less is more, having more space with less clutter, our playroom, whenever I can clean out my playroom, feels so good and throw away like half the crap that's all broken, giveaway stuff, organize things, feels good, my closet the same way.

And if I'm just being real authentic with y'all too, I got the Tesla. I got the Tesla. And the steering wheel, very simple, a very simple steering wheel. Less is more. That's what the Tesla is teaching me to. Less is more. So it's a good, it's a good motto to have in life. So that's what I'm feeling these days. It's what I'm learning. All right. I want to thank George Campbell for being a guest on the show. Always love him being on. And thank you guys so much for listening. If you have not written a review and the spirit leads, go ahead and do that.

And if you have not subscribed to the podcast, make sure hit that follow button. And remember you guys, as always, make sure to take control of your money and create a life you love.