The Rachel Cruze Show - How to Choose Contentment This Holiday Season

Episode Date: November 15, 2023

Holiday “deals” are coming for your cash—are you ready? Today, I’ll share what I won’t be spending money on this season and what I plan to do instead. Plus, I’m looking back at my very first video to see if I still agree with my own advice on raising grateful kids.   What you get in this episode: ·     Do I Agree With My Own Money Advice 10 Years Later? ·     What I Refuse to Spend Money on This Holiday Season   Helpful Resources:  ·     Start budgeting for free with EveryDollar. ·     Pick up a copy of my new kids book, I’m Glad For What I Have. ·     Start making memories. Go NOW and get Telestrations or Tapple at Walmart. ·     Learn more about Christian Healthcare Ministries today. ·     Try BetterHelp today.   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 sponsors have paid for the programming you are viewing: Christian Healthcare Ministries, Op Games, and BetterHelp.   Learn more about your ad choices: https://www.megaphone.fm/adchoices Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Typically during the holidays, you know, the weather it's magical. There's festive decorations everywhere. You're participating in family traditions, and it's beautiful. But one thing nobody wants to remember after Christmas is the debts that they use to pull all this off. Hey guys, welcome to this episode of the Rachel Cruise Show podcast. I'm so glad that you're here. So in today's episode, we're going to talk about how to choose contentment this holiday season. It's quickly approaching you guys, and it's so easy to get overly excited about

the holidays and overspend. So I want to talk to you about what I refuse to buy and what I will always buy during the holidays. But first, I'm going to watch one of my first ever Rachel Cruz show episodes and see if I still agree with myself. I remember it was about teaching kids about money and contentment, but it was like 10 years ago, you guys, crazy. Okay, let's jump in. Today, I'm going to be reacting to the very first episode of The Rachel Cruz show. Yep. Here at Rams, we get a lot of questions and a little skepticism about why our money principles haven't changed in over 30 years. And I actually think it's a pretty fair question. And the economy, you know, it's constantly changing. Technology has gotten more advanced.

Our world, it just looks different than it did 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 years ago. And although a few of the specifics have evolved or developed over time, like Baby Step 3B, saving it for a down payment, or things like Roth IRA investment options have changed, but the basic principles around money remain the same. But all meant, I'm curious to see if I fully stand by what I said. And I remember it being really short, but honestly, I don't remember the specifics. And this was 10 years ago. And I didn't have kids because I wrote a book called Smart Money Smart Kids with my dad.

And he wrote it for the perspective as a parent. And I wrote it from the perspective as the kid. And so I think I just was like going off my own experience. And what's funny is this whole show started, with me, because vlogs were like a big thing back then. And so I went, I got an open box special at Best Buy. It was like, that means somebody had already returned this little camera because it was so terrible.

So I got a discount on it. Little flip camera, tripod, I carried around the office. I carried around with me when I traveled. I shot these videos. And I, yes me, plugged it into my laptop. You used the I movie to edit them. And I got our creative team to give me like a little intro, outro, that I would put in. I did it all myself, you guys, all myself. So you're about to experience

all of that from the content that I did. But you know what? Yeah, start somewhere. Got to start somewhere. All right. All young Rachel, giving advice. Yep. So I think one of the big concerns a lot of parents have today as they're raising kids is they don't want their kids to grow up and feel entitled. So that's why I decided to do this blog post in my father's office. Sounds so prestigious. This is my father's office. No, it's really not. It's just like a normal office. But mom and dad were determined to raise us Ramsey kids not to feel entitled.

They didn't want to raise spoiled little brats. One of the best things they ever did was they taught us how to work. And they went a step further than just working in chores. They actually decided not to ever give us an allowance, but to put us on a commission. So you work, you get paid. You don't work. You don't get paid. It's kind of like the real world.

And we learned that at five years old. Okay, let's pause. We'll pause. Okay, so commissions allowance. Yes, that's not changed. Because that's how I grew up with money. And what's funny is I think, like, Rachel in that video would think, I'm going to be so on top of it with my kids.

We're going to have chore charts. We're going to do all this stuff so well, and it's going to be easy and it's going to be fun. And we're going to be consistent. It's be great, great, great. Now, fast forward to me with a four. six and eight-year-old. It's like all over the place. Absolutely all over the place. I probably need to be a little bit more structured with it. But for real, I'm like, oh my gosh, the idea of it and implementing it is always easier than the actual real world experience. But my kids, they, I have pushed this on

them, though. I really have. And I've even had to push the idea that I have to go to work to make money. Dad has to go to work to make money. And we use money to do things in our life that we need, everything from having Disney Plus on our TV to food in our refrigerator, to if we take a trip, to put gas in the minivan, like all the things that this life offers, most of it, you have to have money in order to drive and eat and do all this. And where do we get money? We get it from work. So we have that conversation a lot when I have to leave for work or my husband's leaving and we talk about that. They know that. They know it takes money to buy things, which is great. And now it's so funny because they do.

They actually, my girls especially, they want to do stuff to earn money because now they want to buy. And what Rachel in that video didn't know is that you can buy anything on an Amazon app on your phone like that. Like I don't think I realize how quickly our stuff can accumulate

and how quickly we can get stuff, which makes it, I guess, convenient, but also for my kids, they just like want things so quickly. So, but the commission versus allowance earning money and having my kids work and earn, especially are my two older girls. Yeah, it's still tried and true, and I still believe it.

So, okay, let's keep going. I think I'm going to keep going. And working. The study explains that 96% of parents say that their kids are responsible for summer chores regardless of age. And I heard that, and I just wanted to say, well done, parents, well done. I mean, 96% of parents, I mean, that's basically all parents out there. If the study's true, which I'm sure,

it is, I hope it is, it shows that a lot of parents are still teaching their kids work ethic, which is awesome. So what I would encourage parents to do is to put your kids on the commission system so they can start to understand that money comes from work. When they do a chore, they get paid. And they can start associating that money comes from work. Money doesn't come from mom and dad's back pocket. And once they make that money, I think they start to glimpse the value of a dollar because when they go and spend that money or they save that money or they give that money, there's emotion attached because they actually worked to get the money. I think that really combats the entitlement mentality. It may not solve every issue of entitlement, but I think that's

one major step parents can take to start teaching your kids the value of a dollar and that only comes from work. So put your kids on commission, not allowance, so they can start to understand the value of a dollar. Okay. Okay. So, yeah, I wish my kids understood a value of a dollar and it came that easy. He's a little bit more difficult than that. But the idea, yes, that it is attached to work, I think is huge. So I was still great that. And the give, save spend model, y'all, I mean, it's what I said 10 years ago and it's what I still do believe. I'm like, all three of those things need to happen. I even say that to adults, like, call the Ramsey show and like, what do I do with this, you know, money I have? And it's like, you do all three things. You got to

have some. You got to save some and can spend some. So all that is so true. But man, there I was, giving advice. And I would say most of it, yeah, definitely agree with. It's a little harder in real life to put into practice. But it is all very true. Okay. Overall, proud of young Rachel. And again, I stand by everything that I shared in that episode. And I probably believe in that advice again, yeah, even more. I think that it is so, so important to teach our kids how to work and how to give and how to save and how to spend. And speaking of raising some grateful, non-entitled kids, you guys, I have my first kids book,

and it is officially out. I'm so excited about this. It's called I'm glad for what I have. And if you want to learn more about kids and money, make sure to grab a copy at Ramsey Solutions.com because this book I wanted to write for kids to teach them contentment and what it looks like, and I wanted it to be short.

You're welcome parents. I wanted it to rhyme. I wanted to have beautiful, illustrations with animals and the story is precious. Kids will get a lot out of it, but also what I wanted to do is have a story where at the end, the parent or the person reading the story, the adult, has a moment where they realize, oh my gosh, that is truth that I needed to hear too. So it's obviously for the kids, but also it's for the adults out there. When you have kids in your life that you love, pick up this book, read it to them, and hopefully you will be encouraged

by the message too. So let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this episode. Maybe I'll react to some more OG clips from this YouTube channel because, well, they're out there for sure. Today, I'm going to talk about what I refuse to spend money on during this holiday season. So if you're like me, you probably have had some years where you've really overspent. The common struggle is real, you guys, yes. And it's so easy to overspend on the holidays because, number one, you're busy, you're running and gunning. Number two, you're having fun. And that is usually why people overspend.

It's because they're like, hey, I'm going to parties and I'm buying gifts and we're doing all this fun stuff and it's so great. And you just end up overspending because of all the joy and all the fun. And typically during the holidays, you know, the weather, it's magical. There's festive decorations everywhere. You're participating in family traditions. And it's just so great. It's like nostalgia all the way around and it's beautiful. But unlike nostalgia, one thing nobody wants to remember after Christmas is the debt that they use to pull all this off.

and you do not want to receive a massive credit card bill in the mail come January. So I want to share a few things with you guys that I will not be spending money on this holiday season. The first thing I won't spend money on this holiday is promo subscriptions. So, you know, all these subscriptions, whether it's boxes or other things, it's like cosmetic subscriptions or clothing or food delivery services or like all this stuff. There's all these subscriptions out there. And when it comes to essentials like that, just buy what you need when you need it. And a common problem I hear people talk about a lot,

especially after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, is that they just have too much stuff. And businesses are really good at what they do, you guys. They have marketers that know exactly how to make you spend money. So don't be tempted by your favorite influencer or catchy holiday coupon code this year because all the subscription stuff will be coming out with deals and all this stuff, but listen, it's just more access stuff you probably don't need, so just keep it simple and say no. Now, the second thing I will not be spending money on this year is new outfits for special events. So, man, this one will get me because it is the season now to repurpose what we have, okay? This is my goal is not to go out and buy a new outfit for all the stuff. Because whether it's

like a work, you know, a party that we have, or we're going to get Christmas card pictures done, or we have, you know, a neighborhood Christmas party or we have a friends party or like all the things are everywhere. And it's so easy to be like, oh my gosh, I want a fun new dress or I want this or that. And again, it's fun to do sometimes. But for me personally, this year, I'm challenging myself to just look in my closets, see what I have, revisit some of the pieces that are already in there and keep moving. Because as you all know, if you watch the show at all, clothes, those are kind of my weakness. And it's so easy to justify if it's like, oh, it's just a $20 sweater from Target or like, whatever it is, it's not that expensive, it's okay, but it's more about the practice and the challenge of being like,

I don't need it. I don't need it. So we're going to repurpose outfits and not buy a new outfit for every holiday thing. The third thing I'm not going to spend money on it this year is new Christmas decor. So home goods and Target, oh my gosh, they're always calling my name of like all the stuff. But what we did about three years ago is Winston and I, and we did, spend a good amount of money just to say, okay, we're going to get all of our Christmas decorating pieces, whether it's trees or ornaments or garland for our house, and we're going to just buy it and we're going to repurpose every single year. And can I tell you it's been a game changer?

Because when we did that, we saved up money because we really didn't buy a ton of Christmas stuff throughout the year as my mom handed me down a ton of her old stuff that we just ended up using. And we moved into our new house, the second Christmas. I was like, okay, my goal is by the second Christmas. I want to save up money and get things done around the house, give what we want, and that's it, so that I'm not tempted when I go into Target and see all the stuff. I don't need it because it's already done. And you guys, this is our third year on our Christmas

decor, and I'm so happy with it. I really am. So I can confidently say I will not be buying Christmas stuff because we already did it and I put a hard line in the sand for myself. I'm not going to buy it, and I'm going to stick to it. All right, the fourth thing that I will not be spending money on are the gingerbread house kits. Y'all, for some of you, this is like the most magical, wonderful thing, and their kids just sit there, and they're like, oh, this is great, we're going to do this and this, and this, we're going to put this, and we're going to do that, and look how great it all is, and it's so peaceful and magical. There's hot chocolate and Christmas music, and it's fine. Well, it's not fine. It was not fine last year. It was not fine last year when I did it. It was a mess.

There was a lot of tears, a lot of frustration. Someone wanted this and all that, and I'm not a very creative person, so I'm, like, relying on the picture, and then I feel like the kid, did you, you remember the toys that they would show you, whether It was like Play-Doh or like, I mean, it was just, I think it was anything. It was anything. Your Barbie and they showed you like what your Barbie can do. Look at all the fun hairstyles your Barbie can have. Look how great this ends.

And then you try to do it. And she looks like she came out of a mental institution. It's just like she's crazy. And I'm like, how is her hair all crazy? And this girl in the commercial, it's perfect. Or the Play-Doh. It's like the whole city that they made out of Plato. I'm like, how do I do it?

And you try to do it as a kid. And it looks nothing like the box. I had PTSD last year doing drencher breadhouses with my kids because I'm looking at. The box, I'm like, it doesn't look like the box. I'm like, like, the kids are sad and don't look like the box. I can't make it look like the box. Can anyone make it look like the box? I don't know.

I'll say, no go this year. We'll do something else. We'll find something else fun to do. No gingerbread house kits this year for me. Can't do it. All right, the fifth thing that I'm not spending money on this holiday season is gift-giving parties that I don't want to go to. Okay. There's a lot of fun parties, whether it's like white elephant or dirty Santa or favorite things parties.

There's a lot of great parties going out in this holiday season. and I can tell you that it can be so easy to overbook your schedule, overbook your budget, and be stretched way too thin. So I had a season, especially this summer. We said no to a lot this past summer. And it felt great. It felt great. We minimized our time and we had margin and it was so nice.

And so going into this holiday season, that's what I told Winston. I was like, let's just make it a lazy Christmas. Like, I don't want to feel like we have to go to everything. Now we're going to probably go to some stuff, right? I'm social and I enjoy some of the parties. But the things that we're like, neither of us really want to, go to? Why do we force ourselves to go to stuff we don't really want to go to? So we're going to say no. And already, already, it feels like a burden is lifted. So this is just permission to you guys,

that your friends, your family, they will all still love you, I promise. But if you have to say no to some things just to give yourself some margin, whether it's for your budget or your schedule or both, it's so nice. It is so nice. And maybe you kind of actually are to a point where like, I have to, like we don't have the money to do it. So then talk to your friends and family about it and be like, guys, listen, I mean, we just don't have the time or the margin or the money to do all this, so we're not going to do it, right? Or you can just say no, like, whatever it is. But give yourself the permission to have some peace. Okay, let's talk about now a couple of things that I am willing to spend money on this holiday season. First up, generosity. Makes me sound like so great. No,

but really, it is the season of giving, and this is where I want to focus a lot of my stuff. And so for me, things like teachers, teachers in my kids' lives, oh my gosh, love them. they are like the best or friends or whatever it is, whoever it is that I am going to be spending money on. I really am excited about it because I love being able to give gifts. I'm not the most creative gift giver, but this is the season of generosity. And so the people in my life that I really appreciate,

I'm excited, excited for that, excited to buy some gifts. So you want to make sure to make some room in your budget for generosity. And again, it could be through gifts or things like an angel tree or something else. It could all look different. but I would say find that margin if you can. But if you don't have a ton of money to do a lot of extra generous stuff, you can always do things like donate your time. You can make stuff.

I've had friends do this all the time, and I love it. I'm like, oh my gosh, homemade sourdough bread or treats or whatever it is. Like, find things that you can do to help be generous, even if it's not money. And this can also be a great conversation to bring your kids into and ask them about who they want to bless this year and what they want to do. Because remember, gestures that come from the hearts

and the stuff that you do that's creative and fun and special to the person, those things are priceless. All right, another thing that I've spent my money on over the last few years that I never regret is if you have children in the car who have an elf that magically comes to the house, just pause this for now. Okay, we're going to pause play. Is an elf on the shelf supply kits? Okay, so the pastor in our church, his daughters, do this thing,

and I hope they do it this year. They create a box with 25 little bags for your elf to do little. activities. And you guys, it's the most creative, cutest thing ever. And to every parent out there, it's like, thank you. And the other great thing is, the best part is when you buy one, they give another box to a foster family. It's just an incredible thing that they do. And it's just so cute, this little box. And yeah, you pay for it because it's like, yeah, it's a lot of work that they put into it. But oh my gosh, it is like creative and cute and wonderful. And it makes my life so much easier. I mean, Elf on the shelf is one of these things that my kids love. Sprinkles is our elf who comes every

year. I know some of you all don't do the Santa elf thing, and that's fine. Tell your kids, I'm sorry. No, I'm just going to care. But it is so magical and so wonderful. And it's fun, but it takes some energy and some intentionality. And when someone else helps you with it, we love that. All right, if you've noticed the theme so far, you're not wrong because experiences is one of the things that I love to spend money in our household and in our family. Which brings me to the last thing that I will spend money on this holiday season is family board games. So just like teaching your kids about generosity, you're making memories with elf on the shelf. Board games are a small expense that can make a huge difference during all of that family time

you guys have on the calendar. When the kids are out of school and everyone's around. So one of my most recent favorite games played with my kids are Tappell and Telestrations. So Tappel is a really fun game because there's like this timer and you get a category and you're like, okay, you have to say a word within the category. Whatever the word you pick, the letter starts with, you press it down and you go all the way around. It's like it goes back and forth and get me kind of competitive.

It's on a timer, which makes everyone's adrenaline just go. And it's so fun. And the other one is Telestrations, and my girls love this. They love to draw. So anything they can do to have a game that's like the old school game and telephone, they have so much fun. So I love this one because it is your kids who can read. You're able to play it with them.

And you guys, it is hysterical. It's so fun. It's so great. We love these games, and not to mention that they are $20 or less, and the fun lasts for decades. It allows everyone to feel included. So you can play through 80-year-old grandma. or your eight-year-old.

And not to mention that these games are not awkward or controversial, and no one is offended by your hilarious Telestrations drawing. I mean, A Million Caroline, again, they love the drawing. It's their favorite. This is what we were playing this weekend, and they love it. So make sure to go buy Telestrations or Tapel today at your local Walmart, and I promise you will have the best time and walk away with memories that will last a lifetime.

All right, you guys, so there's my list of stuff that I will buy, stuff that I won't buy. I mean, every year it's different. So this year, though, this is what I'm not going to spend. money on you guys. So hold me to it. Hold me to it. Just remember, don't let friends, our family, or social media peer pressure you into ditching your budget this holiday season and setting you up for failure next year. Okay, you got this. Stick with your boundaries. Have a plan in place because there is plenty of time to be intentional to draw those boundaries for this

holiday season. So if you need a tool to help you create and stick to a plan, check out the every dollar budgeting app. It is my favorite. Give it a try today and I promise that you'll have a little more margin and peace by Christmas. are you guys, thank you so much for listening to this episode. And if you have time, please review this podcast, leave a review, make sure to subscribe. It is so helpful for us just to know where you're at, what you're thinking about the show, and we love to hear from you all. So make sure to send this episode to a friend who may want to hear it as well. And remember to take control of your money and create a life you love.