Tipping Culture: When the Heck Should You Actually Tip?

💵 Check out this article How Much You Should Tip in Common Situations. Here’s one for your next family dinner: Tipping in 2026—you have feelings, we have feelings, and at this point, the social expectations are changing by the day! It’s time to set the record straight. Next Steps:[JS1] · 🎙️ Catch our episode Frugal Hacks That Could Go Too Far. · 💵 Create a free budget and find more margin with EveryDollar. · 🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour · 📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Send a DM to @rachelcruze or @georgekamel on Instagram! Be sure to type “GUILTY?” at the top of your message so we don’t miss it. Connect With Our Sponsors: · Check out the FAIRWINDS Credit Union exclusive account bundle. · Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. · Get 20% off with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍷 Cherry Aperol Spritz Recipe By: @cocktails · Fresh cherries · 2 ounces Aperol · 2 ounces prosecco · 1 ounce club soda Instructions: Crush and strain cherries into glass. Pour 2 ounces of Aperol in glass. Add crushed ice. Pour 2 ounces of prosecco into glass. Pour 1 ounce of club soda into glass. Garnish with a cherry on top. Serve and enjoy! Explore More From Ramsey Network: 💰 George Kamel 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 📈 EntreLeadership Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:05George Kamel?

  Here's one for your next family dinner. Tipping in 2026. You have feelings, we have feelings, and the social expectations change by the day. It's time to set the record straight. Oh, Ashante.

• 0:17Rachel Cruze?

  I just want you to loosen up a little bit.

• 0:18George Kamel?

  Only funerals? Not like a birthday, a get well soon. Only death do you deserve flowers.

• 0:29Rachel Cruze?

  Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

• 0:31George Kamel?

  I'm George Kamel.

• 0:33Rachel Cruze?

  And this is.

• 0:34George Kamel?

  Smart Money Happy Hour.

• 0:37Rachel Cruze?

  Cheers, George.

• 0:37George Kamel?

  Cheers.

• 0:41George Kamel?

  Lovely.

• 0:42Rachel Cruze?

  Great. Well, this is the show where two friends who happen to be money experts talk about what you're talking about, everything from pop culture, current events, and money.

• 0:50George Kamel?

  And before we get into it, let's talk about what we're sipping on.

• 0:52Rachel Cruze?

  That's good.

• 0:53George Kamel?

  This is a cherry Aperol spritz.

• 0:55Rachel Cruze?

  Sure, I don't think about cherries very often, but why not?

• 0:58George Kamel?

  Are cherries underthought of? Are they underrepresented in the fruit world?

• 1:02Rachel Cruze?

  Probably, because they usually have a big seed, right? Don't cherries have a seed?

• 1:06George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 1:06Rachel Cruze?

  Tough to eat.

• 1:07George Kamel?

  Yeah, nobody wants to deal with seeds in 2026. You've got enough going on.

• 1:10Rachel Cruze?

  We need more convenience with that.

• 1:12George Kamel?

  Watermelons went seedless, they figured that out.

• 1:14Rachel Cruze?

  They did! How did that happen?

• 1:16George Kamel?

  They got good PR, apparently.

• 1:17Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, man.

• 1:18George Kamel?

  It's fine. Hey, we're gonna give you the rating and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode, or if you want to skip ahead and get the recipe, make it while you listen. Who am I to stop you? It's your American right. All right.

• 1:29Rachel Cruze?

  Well, George, one thing I don't think we always agree on, tipping.

• 1:34George Kamel?

  You are a very generous tipper, and it makes you a better person than me. And I'm okay with that.

• 1:40Rachel Cruze?

  Not always. Sometimes I'm taken advantage of, sometimes I just feel bad.

• 1:44George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 1:45Rachel Cruze?

  But then sometimes I have a hard line of not.

• 1:48George Kamel?

  Really?

• 1:48Rachel Cruze?

  But we'll talk about, yeah.

• 1:49George Kamel?

  Oh, maybe we flip-flop. Maybe things I would tip on that you don't.

• 1:52Rachel Cruze?

  No, you wouldn't tip on what I don't tip on, but I'm sure we'll get into it in the episode. But this is a hot topic, it always is. Because there's always like a gray.

• 2:02George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 2:02Rachel Cruze?

  Gray middle. No one really knows where to land. There's some classic percentages that are kind of a go-to in certain industries, but sometimes it's kind of like.

• 2:09George Kamel?

  And it's changed.

• 2:09Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know.

• 2:10George Kamel?

  We did an episode on this a couple of years back, and the game has changed.

• 2:13Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, so I found this interesting, you ready? So there was a recent study that said that men are twice as likely as women to tip between 21% and 25%. While women, I couldn't believe this, tend to tip between 11% and 20%.

• 2:28George Kamel?

  I'm guessing men did this study.

• 2:32George Kamel?

  Okay. I mean, I'm gonna defy the stats today, I guess, we'll see.

• 2:36Rachel Cruze?

  Which I am kind of shocked. You think a woman's like, listen, I could do that too. Like, she doesn't need that much.

• 2:41George Kamel?

  I feel like women in general, though, are more generous than men.

• 2:44Rachel Cruze?

  Usually, that's kind of a stereotype, and I feel that way, too.

• 2:47George Kamel?

  Like, less stingy. Like, a woman on a first date is like, he better be tipping well.

• 2:50Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 2:51George Kamel?

  And the guy feels that pressure, like, oh, I gotta impress her.

• 2:53Rachel Cruze?

  I gotta impress her. Well, the study also said that over 70% of people reported that the quality of service impacts how much they tip. Would you say that's true?

• 3:03George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 3:04Rachel Cruze?

  For you? Do you change your tip really based on service?

• 3:06George Kamel?

  Yes, usually it's, there's a standard default, but then if they do excellent, there's more.

• 3:11Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 3:11George Kamel?

  Unless it was like horrible, horrible, how does this place exist? You might lower it a little bit, but I've never tipped, like, for a meal, for example, I'm never ever gonna tip below 15%.

• 3:20Rachel Cruze?

  Sure, yes.

• 3:21George Kamel?

  But the default for me is 20.

• 3:22Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, same.

• 3:23George Kamel?

  And then if it's amazing, like, they made our night, it was very special.

• 3:26Rachel Cruze?

  You'll go up.

• 3:27George Kamel?

  Go up from there.

• 3:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. You know, it's funny, if we have bad service, Winston could be a 15 percenter, he'll, he will gauge it.

• 3:34George Kamel?

  I wanna let them know I didn't have a great time.

• 3:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yes, because sometimes you have terrible service.

• 3:40George Kamel?

  Well, and if you always take 20% if they're terrible, they're gonna think, I'm crushing it.

• 3:44Rachel Cruze?

  No, do you know what I think? I always think, if we have a horrible waiter, and he like never comes back, gets stuff wrong, I always think, something is going on in his life. And I bet it's so overwhelming.

• 3:56George Kamel?

  His dog just died, let's give him grace.

• 3:58Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I do, I always think, what is going on in their life? Like, it has, that has to be hard. When your table's just abandoned for like 25 minutes and you have to like, hi, can we like order some food? I always think, something's distracting them.

• 4:12George Kamel?

  I feel like I'm always, the waiter's there too much or not enough. There's never the perfect amount where they show up.

• 4:17Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, have you ever had a waiter like slide into the booth with you?

• 4:20George Kamel?

  Oh, I hate that. Like, or they flip the chair backwards, like, what are we filming tonight, guys? Get you started with some drinks? What are we, what are we? I'm like, stop, stop, you're not a part of this.

• 4:31Rachel Cruze?

  You're not a part of the dinner. I know. Just a good, yeah, yeah. It'd be hard, it's a hard, a hard job there.

• 4:40George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 4:40Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, and last, 32% tip more than they did pre-pandemic, but 32% tip less now than they did before inflation increased in 2021. So do that.

• 4:51George Kamel?

  Interesting.

• 4:52Rachel Cruze?

  Do that math.

• 4:53George Kamel?

  So a third are tipping more than they did pre-pandemic, and a third tip less now because of the inflation increases.

• 4:59Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm.

• 5:00George Kamel?

  In 2021, things soared, like, all right, I can't tip as much, I can't afford it.

• 5:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yep, yep.

• 5:05George Kamel?

  Phew, we're gonna get into it, I can't wait for the drama, I can't wait for your comments. They're gonna be accurate. Whatever they are, they're right.

• 5:12Rachel Cruze?

  We're gonna get it. I think the worst tip, though, I haven't seen this often, but I hear people, is when someone like leaves like a Christian track or something.

• 5:20George Kamel?

  Oh, gosh.

• 5:21Rachel Cruze?

  Do you know what I mean? Instead of like tipping, they're like, here's an eternal tip for the Lord Jesus Christ.

• 5:27George Kamel?

  I don't think Jesus himself would do that. I think he's putting, he's putting money on the table.

• 5:31Rachel Cruze?

  He would be generous, he would be generous.

• 5:33George Kamel?

  He might put a little God bless you on the receipt, I think that's fair.

• 5:36Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, I, you know what?

• 5:38George Kamel?

  Only put that if you tip really well.

• 5:40Rachel Cruze?

  I love when a waiter or waitress writes on the receipt.

• 5:44George Kamel?

  I do think it's a nice touch.

• 5:46Rachel Cruze?

  Like, I hope you have a great day, or enjoy, I hope you enjoyed.

• 5:49George Kamel?

  Even though I think it's them trying to get a bigger tip, it's still nice.

• 5:51Rachel Cruze?

  I don't care, I love it, it's a very personal touch.

• 5:52George Kamel?

  Or a little smiley face.

• 5:54Rachel Cruze?

  Jesus would. I think he'd have a heart and a smiley face, and a cross. He'd doodle.

• 5:58George Kamel?

  That's the.

• 5:58Rachel Cruze?

  He'd probably just doodle on that receipt.

• 6:00George Kamel?

  The theme for this episode, what would Jesus do? I love it. Well, here's where we might trigger people on the internet, we're gonna pull tipping scenarios, some controversial, and decide tip or no tip.

• 6:10Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 6:11George Kamel?

  How do you feel about it? Is that too black and white for you? Because you love to live in the gray.

• 6:14Rachel Cruze?

  I love a gray. You know what, I'll go black and white, though. We can do this.

• 6:18George Kamel?

  It's a good exercise for you to pick a side.

• 6:20Rachel Cruze?

  I can, I can set, I can pick a side.

• 6:22George Kamel?

  You can be Switzerland no longer.

• 6:23Rachel Cruze?

  Well, I know one thing that's not controversial, George.

• 6:26George Kamel?

  What's that?

• 6:26Rachel Cruze?

  Delete Me.

• 6:27George Kamel?

  Oh, thing we can all agree on in 2026.

• 6:30Rachel Cruze?

  I think every time I say Delete Me, you always go, oh.

• 6:33George Kamel?

  It's just relief, relief enters my soul.

• 6:36Rachel Cruze?

  I wonder if we get out of there.

• 6:36George Kamel?

  Because in my head, I go, not gonna find me on those data broker sites.

• 6:40Rachel Cruze?

  You verbally have a relaxation when you hear Delete Me, just, oh, because it takes, they take care of you, you know?

• 6:46George Kamel?

  I'm not trying to do more in 2026. So Delete Me helps me do less, because they scour hundreds of data broker sites, find my personal info on these weird people finder sites, remove it, and then just send me a report saying, hey, we did it, here you go.

• 6:57Rachel Cruze?

  And you say, thank you. Do you want to tip? Oh, there's no place to tip.

• 7:01George Kamel?

  No place to tip.

• 7:02Rachel Cruze?

  No opportunity on Delete Me, but we would if we could, because their service is excellent.

• 7:07George Kamel?

  And all of that then reduces the risk of spam, scam, fraud, phishing, all of that, which is only getting worse in 2026, thanks to AI.

• 7:14Rachel Cruze?

  Man, our phones, our phones can just blow up, and it's stuff that I put out, like, I'll like subscribe to something and not realize it, and I just get texts. So the fact that I don't get as many as I could have if I didn't have Delete Me, it's a gift, you guys.

• 7:25George Kamel?

  Think about all the boxes you've put information on, on the internet, across your adult life. That is wild.

• 7:31Rachel Cruze?

  Ugh, man.

• 7:31George Kamel?

  Delete Me helps you out. Get 20% off an annual plan at joindeleteme.com/smartmoney. We'll also drop a link in the description.

• 7:39Rachel Cruze?

  All right, should we play a little game?

• 7:41George Kamel?

  Oh, we have props, this is very exciting. And our team has actually put our faces on a Smart Money themed dollar bill.

• 7:49Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, if that's not just.

• 7:50George Kamel?

  For every scenario.

• 7:51Rachel Cruze?

  The absolute cutest thing ever.

• 7:52George Kamel?

  Shout out to Emily for all the hard work.

• 7:54Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 7:55George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 7:55Rachel Cruze?

  We should try to pay for something with those and just see what happens.

• 7:58George Kamel?

  I think we go to jail. I think that's how it works. It's called fraud.

• 8:02Rachel Cruze?

  Then I'm gonna be on trial, remember a few episodes ago, and you said you would have to like.

• 8:06George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 8:07Rachel Cruze?

  Just like tell the jury.

• 8:08George Kamel?

  I did say you would do well in prison.

• 8:09Rachel Cruze?

  We won't go back to that.

• 8:10George Kamel?

  So.

• 8:11Rachel Cruze?

  Terrible.

• 8:11George Kamel?

  It was a compliment.

• 8:12Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I'm gonna go first. Money, money, money.

• 8:15George Kamel?

  To tip or not to tip, that's the question.

• 8:17Rachel Cruze?

  All right, first tipping scenario, nail services. I mean, I'm a 20 percenter.

• 8:23George Kamel?

  I mean, that's definitely a tip situation.

• 8:25Rachel Cruze?

  If you are.

• 8:25George Kamel?

  If we're talking tip or no tip, you gotta tip.

• 8:27Rachel Cruze?

  If you're dealing with people's fingers and toes and all of it, that, to me, like, that's manual work, like, you are.

• 8:33George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 8:34Rachel Cruze?

  You are doing, you're doing the Lord's work at that point. So the service I go to, I go to the same place I've gone to since high school, okay?

• 8:40George Kamel?

  Okay, amazing.

• 8:41Rachel Cruze?

  Love them, and all the college girls go, so I always know I'm getting the, getting the fashion.

• 8:46George Kamel?

  You're on trend.

• 8:47Rachel Cruze?

  Like, I'm on trends, yes.

• 8:47George Kamel?

  Not a bunch of old ladies in there.

• 8:49Rachel Cruze?

  But they like, right, like the owners, like they run other businesses, like, they're very like smart people, and so whenever they're checking me out and I'm having to do mental math, I'm always like, are they judging me? Because sometimes I may have to be like.

• 9:03Rachel Cruze?

  I do sometimes and I think she probably thinks she is so stupid.

• 9:09George Kamel?

  They're talking trash as soon as you leave.

• 9:10Rachel Cruze?

  I do. I think so. Where they think, can she even do it?

• 9:13George Kamel?

  Do you have a favorite person?

• 9:14Rachel Cruze?

  I don't make appointments. I'm a walk-in kinda gal.

• 9:16George Kamel?

  Oh, Ashante. And they just let you in? They're never too busy for you?

• 9:22Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, no.

• 9:23George Kamel?

  Alright, good.

• 9:24Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, sometimes I'll wait, but yeah, I'm usually in. So I get whoever I get, which is fine. There may be one person I'm always like, uh, because they take a little bit, they take longer. But mostly everyone there I like. So anyways, all to say, I'm quick on my tip at the nail salon. So, uh, we're going tip.

• 9:47George Kamel?

  Alright, we finally agree on something.

• 9:49Rachel Cruze?

  Cheers.

• 9:49George Kamel?

  I don't get my nails done often, if you can tell, but my wife recently got hers done, which is rare for her. Like, she's like a twice a year special occasion. But we went to the same wedding.

• 9:59Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, and she had her nails done for the wedding.

• 10:01George Kamel?

  And she got them done. And it's really similar to yours, actually.

• 10:03Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, the cat eye?

• 10:04George Kamel?

  Yes, that's what it's called.

• 10:05Rachel Cruze?

  She got the cat eye?

• 10:06George Kamel?

  She got cat eye.

• 10:07Rachel Cruze?

  That is, I get my nails done every three weeks. I'm a nail gal.

• 10:11George Kamel?

  Shockingly similar.

• 10:12Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, this is crazy, all the cat eye. So a friend got it and she's like, Chris, you gotta get it. They do this thing and it has like little magnets in it.

• 10:18George Kamel?

  That's what she said.

• 10:19Rachel Cruze?

  Which I'm surprised Wendy did, because she's super crunchy. I feel like it could like wig people out. And then you like have metal, they have like a magnet that they use and they go on the sides. And then it makes this like bubble look. It's crazy.

• 10:32George Kamel?

  That's amazing technology.

• 10:34Rachel Cruze?

  It's amazing.

• 10:34George Kamel?

  Like, it really is art. They're artists.

• 10:37Rachel Cruze?

  It's beautiful.

• 10:37George Kamel?

  Alright, so we're both on tipping for nail services. Same with peddies, nothing, it's all the same to you.

• 10:43Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, very much so.

• 10:44George Kamel?

  I'll shout this out. Next time I'm getting a mani-pedi is before the Ramsey cruise.

• 10:50George Kamel?

  The guests deserve it. They're gonna see them in flip flops. I think every man should be required to get a mani-pedi before they go on a cruise.

• 10:57Rachel Cruze?

  Guy's toes, okay, just bare feet, just, I don't know.

• 11:00George Kamel?

  Exactly. Is Winston gonna get a pedi?

• 11:03Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 11:03George Kamel?

  He could use one.

• 11:04Rachel Cruze?

  He is a man who prioritizes grooming. Nails, he doesn't like men with long nails, he has pet peeves. Yes, he will take care of himself.

• 11:13George Kamel?

  So listen, guys, it's not manly to be gross and dirty, okay? No woman's like, I just wish he kept less care of his toes.

• 11:20Rachel Cruze?

  Gross, okay, now I'm grossed out.

• 11:23George Kamel?

  I'm just telling you. Alright.

• 11:24Rachel Cruze?

  Alright, next up, George.

• 11:25George Kamel?

  Our next tip or no tip scenario, hairstylist. I'm gonna throw in barber here, because I don't have a stylist, I have a barber.

• 11:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, very manly.

• 11:34George Kamel?

  Very different. One went to cosmetology school, and one went to the barber school.

• 11:38Rachel Cruze?

  Is there a barber school?

• 11:40George Kamel?

  Yeah, oh yeah. It's a whole different ballgame.

• 11:42Rachel Cruze?

  Well, I know it is, but that's very impressive. Alright.

• 11:45George Kamel?

  I appreciate that. Well, you know, some of the guys' places are really just salons for men, which is fine, nothing against that.

• 11:52Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. Okay, this is a tough one.

• 11:54George Kamel?

  Why is it tough?

• 11:55Rachel Cruze?

  Because there's a lot of different scenarios here. Are you ready?

• 11:58George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 11:58Rachel Cruze?

  You have some women that own their own clientele, like it's just them and they rent a room, and it's there, and they bake in the price for what they need, and don't always expect a tip. I learned this. Because they're like, no, it's just me, and I've baked in my price of like my service.

• 12:14George Kamel?

  They'll tell you, no need to tip.

• 12:16Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and if, but they're always like, but if you tip, like, that's really nice. So then you're like, well, I gotta be really nice.

• 12:20George Kamel?

  Then you wanna tip, because you're not obligated to tip.

• 12:22Rachel Cruze?

  Then salons, for sure, tip, because they're probably not getting paid as much, and they can't control pricing and all of it. Then, you get the owner of the salon, then you get a fee sometimes, if you get the real good person, on top of your bill. So do you tip on that too? You know what I mean? Like, it's a lot. I just over-tip. I just, I'm just tipping everyone.

• 12:44George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 12:45Rachel Cruze?

  But there's a lot of different maneuvers, so.

• 12:48George Kamel?

  Do you ever switch a stylist in the same place and they get real petty about it?

• 12:51Rachel Cruze?

  No, I never have.

• 12:53George Kamel?

  Oh. Maybe it's just barbers. Barbers are very petty people.

• 12:56Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, are they? They get very, who do you have?

• 12:59George Kamel?

  Uh, me and John Deloney go to the same barber place. He sees the guy next to me. So we go to different guys. He used to go to my guy, doesn't anymore.

• 13:08Rachel Cruze?

  Why? Is that where the petty happens?

• 13:10George Kamel?

  I don't know, I gotta know the tea. I think really, it's really a personality thing. It's like, if you have more in common with that barber, and you wanna like talk shop about whatever thing, like punk rock and outdoors, you know, it's like, alright, they can talk about that. Whereas me and my barber, we talk skateboarding.

• 13:24Rachel Cruze?

  And apples.

• 13:25George Kamel?

  And apples, it's great, you know? But I am, yeah, you have to tip. Now, here's the caveat, if the barber owns the place, I feel like there's less of a need to tip. I still do, because I don't want the judgment, I don't want the heat, I don't want the smoke.

• 13:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. You don't want them talking about you when you leave.

• 13:41George Kamel?

  But I do pay cash to get a discount, and I just went to the bank today and got exact change for the next seven haircuts, and put it in envelopes.

• 13:48Rachel Cruze?

  No, you didn't.

• 13:49George Kamel?

  I promise you I did.

• 13:50Rachel Cruze?

  George.

• 13:51George Kamel?

  I didn't tell them that was for that.

• 13:53Rachel Cruze?

  I just want you to loosen up a little bit, you know?

• 13:55George Kamel?

  Why is this guy needing exact change down to the dollar?

• 13:58Rachel Cruze?

  Down to the dollar.

• 13:59George Kamel?

  Seven times. So I go, uh, because I go every two weeks, I don't feel the need to tip a full 20. I'd probably go 18 somewhere in there.

• 14:08Rachel Cruze?

  That's bad, that's good. Yeah.

• 14:10George Kamel?

  But he notices.

• 14:10Rachel Cruze?

  He knows. He likes you. Yeah, tip.

• 14:13George Kamel?

  That's a tip.

• 14:14Rachel Cruze?

  That's a tip. Alright, give me Uber and Lyft.

• 14:19George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 14:20Rachel Cruze?

  Lots of different ones. You got 10, 15, 20 percent.

• 14:24George Kamel?

  I've never not tipped for an Uber or Lyft.

• 14:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I think I'm like a 15-er. If I really liked them and it was like a super late or something, I may go 20, but I may go more 15 on this one.

• 14:34George Kamel?

  Yeah, I'm usually middle of the road. Like, it gives you some options sometimes, and I'm usually just like, alright, middle of the road.

• 14:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 14:39George Kamel?

  Which is probably close to a 15.

• 14:41Rachel Cruze?

  15, that's kinda how I feel. Now, what's terrible, I feel bad sometimes, if we're on like a trip, and you're done with your Uber ride, the next time I look at Uber, which would be a different trip, I'm out of town again, I click on it, it's like, do you wanna tip?

• 14:55George Kamel?

  Oh, you forgot.

• 14:56Rachel Cruze?

  And it's been like three months, so I'm always like, here's a little happy, like, here's a...

• 15:00George Kamel?

  He wasn't expecting it, because it's been three months.

• 15:02Rachel Cruze?

  But here it is, but we're tipping on this one, right?

• 15:05George Kamel?

  I feel like you have, and here's the thing, I've done Uber and Lyft, and so I know, it's a lot. It's a lot of work. Usually the people doing it really need the money.

• 15:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 15:14George Kamel?

  Or it's their full-time thing, like, this is their life. And I know that Uber and Lyft, that they don't pay people as well as they used to for the rides.

• 15:20Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, really?

• 15:21George Kamel?

  So they're making like less and less over time.

• 15:23Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, shoot. Why? Because they just need margin?

• 15:25George Kamel?

  I don't know, shareholder value? Who knows why they do what they do? Trying to increase that shareholder value, so let's pay their people less.

• 15:33Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, man.

• 15:33George Kamel?

  Because they're all like 1099 contractors, basically.

• 15:36Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah, that is true. I didn't think about that. Yeah, yeah, they're not employees, they're not like a W2, yeah, yeah.

• 15:40George Kamel?

  So there's a lot going on there. They're paying for maintenance, wear and tear.

• 15:43Rachel Cruze?

  It would be more of a side hustle gig.

• 15:46George Kamel?

  100%. I would not recommend it as full-time. And it's a lot of saturation in these markets now.

• 15:51Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 15:51George Kamel?

  But there's people who, like, you can tell they do it full-time.

• 15:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 15:54George Kamel?

  This is their life.

• 15:55Rachel Cruze?

  This is their gig.

• 15:55George Kamel?

  Usually they're talking on the phone the whole time in a foreign language, and I desperately wanna turn on a translator, be like, what are they saying?

• 16:01Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, that would be funny.

• 16:02George Kamel?

  That's not illegal, is it?

• 16:03Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 16:04George Kamel?

  They're having a very public conversation, while on the clock, mind you. Like, can you imagine if I'm sitting here while on the phone with Whitney the whole time?

• 16:11Rachel Cruze?

  Just chatting.

• 16:12George Kamel?

  I don't know, Rachel, I'm paying attention. Just talking to my wife. But they're always talking to another guy who I think is also doing Uber or Lyft.

• 16:19Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, I bet they have like a game going on or something.

• 16:22George Kamel?

  I don't know, because there's moments of silence while they're still on the phone. They're just both hanging out.

• 16:27Rachel Cruze?

  Are they on speaker?

• 16:28George Kamel?

  Yes, it's always on speaker.

• 16:30Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 16:30George Kamel?

  I don't know why that's part of it, but it's part of it. Maybe it's just a me thing, I don't know.

• 16:35Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know, I don't know if I've noticed that much. I did get in a late, late, late Uber in Orlando, like a 1 a.m. or, like, we were supposed to fly out at like 9:00 and it got bumped, all this stuff. And the sweetest man picked us up, and he had Oceans playing from...

• 16:54George Kamel?

  Hillsong?

• 16:55Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. I get in and I was like, do you like James Hurst? And he's like, I'm a pastor, I think he was like Jamaican, but he like has a small church. Oh, and we just chatted it up. Now, him, I probably tipped more, because I liked him.

• 17:11George Kamel?

  I wanna go to a Jamaican church badly now.

• 17:14Rachel Cruze?

  I know, but it's like, but that's what he does on, as a side hustle, as like a pastor of a small church. Isn't that sweet?

• 17:20George Kamel?

  I'd expect a little more, like, you'd want a little more rhythm out of your worship music than Oceans by Hillsong.

• 17:26Rachel Cruze?

  Listen, I didn't pick it, it just happened, and I just thought, oh, I love that. And at 1 a.m. in Orlando, you know, you never know what you're gonna get.

• 17:34George Kamel?

  You never know.

• 17:35Rachel Cruze?

  It's like a box of chocolates.

• 17:36George Kamel?

  I love that.

• 17:36Rachel Cruze?

  But I picked a, yeah.

• 17:38George Kamel?

  Tip your drivers.

• 17:39Rachel Cruze?

  Pick a good one. Alright, go, George.

• 17:40George Kamel?

  I'm next.

• 17:41Rachel Cruze?

  I love this drink, by the way.

• 17:43George Kamel?

  Really? I gotta get a second opinion here.

• 17:47Rachel Cruze?

  It's just easy.

• 17:48George Kamel?

  It is easy.

• 17:49Rachel Cruze?

  So easy. It's like, um, it-

• 17:52George Kamel?

  It's very light.

• 17:53Rachel Cruze?

  What's the, um-

• 17:53George Kamel?

  It's light on his feet.

• 17:54Rachel Cruze?

  Hawaiian punch?

• 17:55George Kamel?

  It is a little Hawaiian punchy.

• 17:57Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 17:58George Kamel?

  But don't drink this, kids. All right. Tip or no tip? Restaurant assembly line. So this is like a Chipotle style, Jersey Mike's.

• 18:07Rachel Cruze?

  I'm a no tipper, y'all. This is where I don't tip.

• 18:10George Kamel?

  So they made your food, but they're not interacting with you longer than two minutes? And you're still standing up the whole time? You're telling them, "I want this, I want this, I want this."

• 18:18Rachel Cruze?

  No, I'm not tipping. At that point, you're doing your job, what you're supposed to be doing. Do you know what I mean?

• 18:25George Kamel?

  Agreed. You're not certain, you're not walking to my table, checking in on me.

• 18:28Rachel Cruze?

  Nope. There's not a lot of personalization happening.

• 18:32George Kamel?

  Yeah. Do you have a favorite restaurant, assembly line type restaurant?

• 18:36Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I love Kava.

• 18:37George Kamel?

  Fast casual eatery?

• 18:39Rachel Cruze?

  I do like Kava.

• 18:40George Kamel?

  Can I tell you a crazy story?

• 18:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 18:43George Kamel?

  Kava related. This is not a knock on the people of Kava, because I love Kava, probably more than anyone.

• 18:47Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 18:48George Kamel?

  I was so excited when it came to Nashville.

• 18:50Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 18:51George Kamel?

  Like 15 minutes away from my house. We were there yesterday. It's my daughter's third birthday. We were at the zoo and I said, "Where do you want to go to eat?"

• 18:57Rachel Cruze?

  She said Kava?

• 18:58George Kamel?

  Her options are always Chick-fil-A, Kava, or Taziki's, because she's a woman of culture.

• 19:02Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, she's so-

• 19:04George Kamel?

  I know, we raised her-

• 19:06Rachel Cruze?

  She's so international.

• 19:06George Kamel?

  We, I was like, if she hates olives, she's not my daughter.

• 19:09Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, for sure.

• 19:09George Kamel?

  She loves olives. She loves Middle Eastern food, so all the food my parents make, she loves it. Homemade hummus yesterday, scooping it up.

• 19:17Rachel Cruze?

  My gosh, good for her.

• 19:18George Kamel?

  So we go to Kava. I placed three, an order for three bowls.

• 19:22Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 19:23George Kamel?

  So for pickup.

• 19:23Rachel Cruze?

  Online, okay.

• 19:24George Kamel?

  Yeah, because I don't like to stand there and wait.

• 19:26Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 19:26George Kamel?

  I get there. There's like 12 orders sitting there on the shelves.

• 19:28Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, no.

• 19:29George Kamel?

  I'm looking. It's supposed to, it said, the text said it was ready 15 minutes ago. No order. So I finally go to the guy and I say, "Hey, it said it was supposed to be ready 15 minutes ago. I don't see it." And he goes, "Someone must have taken it." It was like, like theft? Like people just walk in here and just grab random bags? He said, "Yeah, it happens. Someone stole our order."

• 19:50Rachel Cruze?

  I have never thought about that. Yes, because it's just free food. It's already been paid.

• 19:55George Kamel?

  Yep. And people just walk in and grab.

• 19:57Rachel Cruze?

  And they just say, "This is mine." And I don't have to check in? There's no check-in receipts?

• 20:00George Kamel?

  So then I had a billion dollar idea. Why aren't we making technology where you have to like, scan something, show a number before you can grab the order? Make a little locker system. Have it show to them fully. Put, just put the shelves behind the counter.

• 20:14Rachel Cruze?

  That's like Walgreens in some cities. Everything's behind, and I'm like, "All I need are Q-tips." And you gotta get an associate to come. No, don't lock things.

• 20:23George Kamel?

  The other side, I got a hangry toddler, and now they gotta remake the entire order. She's losing it.

• 20:27Rachel Cruze?

  I wonder how often that happens?

• 20:29George Kamel?

  It happened to me. They must have, they saw my name and went, "Yep, George Kamel."

• 20:34Rachel Cruze?

  Everyone recognizes George. You're so famous. Can't go anywhere.

• 20:38George Kamel?

  No, not because I'm famous, because I look like a guy you could take advantage of.

• 20:41Rachel Cruze?

  They don't know what you look like.

• 20:42George Kamel?

  You see a George, you go, "Probably a nice guy. He won't mind." You know what I mean? You see like a Kelly, you're like, "Let's not mess with Kelly today." Kelly needs this.

• 20:50Rachel Cruze?

  I'm not messing with Tracy. That's for sure.

• 20:53George Kamel?

  Even a Rachel can be persnickety. If you get on the wrong-

• 20:55Rachel Cruze?

  You think so?

• 20:55George Kamel?

  You get on the business end of a Rachel? Woo!

• 21:00Rachel Cruze?

  Watch out.

• 21:00George Kamel?

  Would not recommend.

• 21:01Rachel Cruze?

  Watch out.

• 21:02George Kamel?

  So anyways, uh, Kava, I love you, and I'm sorry that happened to you, because they lost.

• 21:06Rachel Cruze?

  Did you put it in here? We need-

• 21:08George Kamel?

  They lost the revenue.

• 21:09Rachel Cruze?

  No tip, George. We said no tip.

• 21:11George Kamel?

  My bad, not tipping.

• 21:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 21:13George Kamel?

  I apologize.

• 21:14Rachel Cruze?

  Kava. Okay, so when you're typing in your mobile order, did you use your FairWinds debit card number? Because-

• 21:20George Kamel?

  It's attached to everything.

• 21:22Rachel Cruze?

  It's amazing. That's why we love FairWinds. You have a bank that is for you, actually wants you to win financially. It's not just like peddling debt, trying to get you into more debt. They're celebrating your journey, and they have a smart bundle, which is amazing. So there's a no-fee monthly checking account. You get up to 10 high-yield savings accounts, and a Ramsey debit card. You can do the debt as normal, be weird, or they have a new one.

• 21:45George Kamel?

  Live like no one else.

• 21:46Rachel Cruze?

  To live like no one else. So fun. So you get to pick your debit card, and they're amazing.

• 21:50George Kamel?

  And they're federally insured by the NCUA, so if you're wondering, "Well, they're a credit union, so is my money safe?" Yes, it's just as safe as it would be in a traditional brick and mortar bank. So go check them out, get that smart bundle. You can go to fairwins.org/ramsey and choose your card. I went live like no one else. I have both, actually.

• 22:09Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 22:10George Kamel?

  Because I got the OG.

• 22:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, I like the debt as normal be weird. But it's blue and pretty. I like it.

• 22:15George Kamel?

  And I added it to my Apple Pay, too.

• 22:16Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 22:16George Kamel?

  So now it's right there.

• 22:17Rachel Cruze?

  Right there to go. We love it. Make sure to check it out, you guys. All right. Next up, we got...

• 22:26Rachel Cruze?

  Room service at hotels.

• 22:28George Kamel?

  This is more your speed.

• 22:29Rachel Cruze?

  I know. I'm a no tipper on this one.

• 22:31George Kamel?

  Whoa!

• 22:32Rachel Cruze?

  Because it's automatically included. Every room service bill, service charge. Yep.

• 22:38George Kamel?

  Automatic gratuity.

• 22:38Rachel Cruze?

  Automatic gratuity, always with room service.

• 22:40George Kamel?

  Service charge.

• 22:41Rachel Cruze?

  20%. Every receipt. Yep.

• 22:44George Kamel?

  I guess it is a lot of work for them to like go up nine floors, wheel it in.

• 22:47Rachel Cruze?

  Now, if they're like really sweet and stuff, maybe I'll add on some more, but it is always included. I, I missed this for years, and someone told me, I was like, "Oh, I never even looked." Yes. So you are always A-OK with room service. 20% automatic.

• 23:01George Kamel?

  Wow. How often, like, I know there's, a lot of hotels don't have room service, but you gotta stay at a nice enough hotel where they offer that. Are you like a, "Hey, breakfast, we're doing room service?" Or like, what, what's that?

• 23:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I'm a breakfast-

• 23:12George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 23:12Rachel Cruze?

  Room servicer.

• 23:13George Kamel?

  Because you wake up and it's right there, like fresh coffee.

• 23:16Rachel Cruze?

  So nice.

• 23:17George Kamel?

  You do fresh juices? What do you go for usually?

• 23:19Rachel Cruze?

  No, I'm a coffee and eggs Benedict.

• 23:21George Kamel?

  Oh, they do always have Benedict. It just sounds room servicing.

• 23:25Rachel Cruze?

  They always bring you the little hot sauce.

• 23:27George Kamel?

  Like a tiny Tabasco? Those are so cute.

• 23:29Rachel Cruze?

  So good.

• 23:29George Kamel?

  Can you buy those, or is it exclusive to room service?

• 23:32Rachel Cruze?

  Probably just room service, or hotel, or, um, restaurants.

• 23:36George Kamel?

  I'm gonna go on Amazon and buy a ton of those.

• 23:37Rachel Cruze?

  My parents are not room service people, and so we went on a trip with them, with the girls to DC this summer. And mom's like, "We'll meet you down at the restaurant at 8:00 AM."

• 23:46George Kamel?

  Bless it.

• 23:46Rachel Cruze?

  And every part of me was like, "Okay, mom, thank you." Felt like a child again.

• 23:51George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 23:51Rachel Cruze?

  Where I could have stepped up and just ordered my own thing and paid for it, but you know, when you're on vacation with the parents, you're back in that kid role, you know? That's how that happens. They tell you what to do and you say, "Yes, ma'am." Even though I pay taxes, you know what I mean? Like I'm a full-fledged adult raising other humans.

• 24:07George Kamel?

  I do, I agree. Once you pay taxes, you shouldn't have to listen to your parents.

• 24:09Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. But that, okay, but now housekeeping is a thing.

• 24:13George Kamel?

  Oh, that's a different ballgame.

• 24:14Rachel Cruze?

  So-

• 24:15George Kamel?

  I didn't know for a long time that I can and should tip.

• 24:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, tip for housekeeping. So yeah, you lay some cash out. Um, I always do it like midweek, if it's a long week, and then also some at the ends. But if it's like a two-night, I'll just do it at the end.

• 24:28George Kamel?

  Oh, interesting.

• 24:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 24:29George Kamel?

  I usually have the do not disturb sign on-

• 24:31Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 24:31George Kamel?

  Until I leave, because it's usually a short enough trip.

• 24:33Rachel Cruze?

  You never use housekeeping?

• 24:35George Kamel?

  Usually I'm there for one or two nights. So I'm like, "You know what?

• 24:39Rachel Cruze?

  Okay."

• 24:40George Kamel?

  I'm just gonna put this on the door. Nobody bother me.

• 24:42Rachel Cruze?

  A one-nighter, I can understand. But two, I want my bed made and fresh towels. Oh, it's my favorite.

• 24:47George Kamel?

  I'll just get a few extra towels if I need them.

• 24:49Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, I love it. Fresh water, everything's picked up. Oh, I love it. I love being taken care of.

• 24:55George Kamel?

  So I'm going, uh, yes to tip for housekeeping, $5 per night. I think a little fiver on the counter with a note every night is nice, because, or every day, because you might have a new room service person.

• 25:07Rachel Cruze?

  You know, I have thought about that. I haven't, I haven't quite problem solved that one.

• 25:11George Kamel?

  So room service already included, so no tip on that.

• 25:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 25:14George Kamel?

  All right.

• 25:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, room service, remember that, people.

• 25:16George Kamel?

  You're gonna love this one. Tip or no tip? Valet.

• 25:20Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 25:21George Kamel?

  Complicated subject for you.

• 25:23Rachel Cruze?

  What?

• 25:24George Kamel?

  It's like you have a complicated relationship with valet.

• 25:26Rachel Cruze?

  Why do you say that?

• 25:26George Kamel?

  Because you always valet anywhere you go.

• 25:29Rachel Cruze?

  Not everywhere I go.

• 25:31George Kamel?

  You valet at Ramsey if you could.

• 25:33Rachel Cruze?

  No, not. I valet at the airport, for sure. Um-

• 25:37George Kamel?

  You did get me onto airport valet.

• 25:39Rachel Cruze?

  No, depending on the parking, not always. I do like it, though. But I don't always do it. I don't. Um, yeah, I'm like a, depends on the restaurant, the situation, like a, I mean, a 10?

• 25:55George Kamel?

  Wow, that's generous.

• 25:57Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 25:58George Kamel?

  I always wonder, how far are they taking this car?

• 25:59Rachel Cruze?

  Because if you have-

• 26:00George Kamel?

  If it's to a parking lot 10 feet away, I'm like, "All right."

• 26:02Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 26:03George Kamel?

  You didn't do much. But if you have to drive it around downtown-

• 26:05Rachel Cruze?

  I don't have that nice of a car, though, for it to be like parked out front.

• 26:08George Kamel?

  Oh, that is funny.

• 26:09Rachel Cruze?

  It's always like the nice car, and you're like, "Yeah, mine's going to run back." It's fine.

• 26:13George Kamel?

  What if you told them, like, "Hey, you can park this one out front, bud."

• 26:16Rachel Cruze?

  What if I was in my Odyssey? I was like-

• 26:18George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 26:19Rachel Cruze?

  Put her out front.

• 26:21George Kamel?

  You're a paying customer.

• 26:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I could.

• 26:22George Kamel?

  You'll tip more. But the, the question for me is, was it complimentary valet? Because then I feel, I'm definitely tipping. If it's complimentary valet-

• 26:29Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, yeah.

• 26:30George Kamel?

  If it's quote-unquote free valet, I'm going to tip $5 minimum.

• 26:35Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 26:35George Kamel?

  Pre-priced valet, like you already charged me $20 to valet my car, little to no tip.

• 26:40Rachel Cruze?

  I'm going less tip. I will tip, though, but I'll go less on that one.

• 26:42George Kamel?

  And then sometimes I just don't have cash, and there's no like thing to scan to Venmo.

• 26:46Rachel Cruze?

  That's the worst. I've had to do that, and I just say, "I am so sorry."

• 26:49George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 26:50Rachel Cruze?

  "I'm so sorry."

• 26:51George Kamel?

  But more and more, they're, they're getting QR codes. You can like scan it and send them.

• 26:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it's smart, you know? It's the way they should do it.

• 26:56George Kamel?

  That's nice. But yeah, valet doesn't come up a lot in my life.

• 27:00Rachel Cruze?

  No, but-

• 27:01George Kamel?

  That's a tip scenario.

• 27:02Rachel Cruze?

  But I would tip, yeah. All right, next step. Sit-down restaurant service. It's a 20 percenter. Always.

• 27:09George Kamel?

  Default 20%.

• 27:10Rachel Cruze?

  Always.

• 27:11George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 27:12Rachel Cruze?

  Regardless, because remember, they may be having a bad day. Old Bradley, sweet Bradley, he may be stressed.

• 27:17George Kamel?

  That feels like you're truly waiting on somebody. That's the definition. Waiter. Get it?

• 27:23Rachel Cruze?

  That's where they get them in.

• 27:24George Kamel?

  But I prefer a server. That way it's a, you know, you don't have to, is a waitress, waiter?

• 27:27Rachel Cruze?

  I love that. Okay, do you ever have to get the server's attention?

• 27:31George Kamel?

  Do you ever whistle?

• 27:32Rachel Cruze?

  And if so, how, if so, how do you do it?

• 27:35George Kamel?

  Awkwardly.

• 27:36Rachel Cruze?

  I know. What do you do?

• 27:37George Kamel?

  I try to like make enough movement that they make eye contact.

• 27:40Rachel Cruze?

  Do it to the camera. Act like, act like you need water filled up. Mia is like-

• 27:43George Kamel?

  And they're over there?

• 27:44Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, you see, this is, this is your waiter, right ahead. And it's like, "We need water, we need water," and they're just kind of standing there.

• 27:56George Kamel?

  Oh, they're gone. And they're gone, and they're gone. That's it. Well, I lost them. You might not see them again for 20 minutes. Like, do they even work here anymore? They're like, no, they actually quit. As soon as they gave you your water, they left.

• 28:07Rachel Cruze?

  They left.

• 28:08George Kamel?

  So it's very awkward.

• 28:09Rachel Cruze?

  It's good.

• 28:10George Kamel?

  Sometimes I'll get up from the table and go find them. I've done that many a time.

• 28:15Rachel Cruze?

  Would you see the hat?

• 28:16George Kamel?

  Especially to get the... It's like, once you actually need the bill, you will never see them again on the face of this earth.

• 28:21Rachel Cruze?

  I know. How does that happen?

• 28:22George Kamel?

  Like, just get me the bill. So what I do...

• 28:24Rachel Cruze?

  I always want to look happy.

• 28:25George Kamel?

  Whenever they come back and I'm even still eating, say, hey, you can go ahead and get us a check.

• 28:29Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 28:29George Kamel?

  Just so that when I'm ready, we're out of here.

• 28:31Rachel Cruze?

  I agree. I'm with you on that. I love a quick check. And I like when they're always like, no rush, just want to... I'm like, no, no, no. You are efficient. That's what we like.

• 28:38George Kamel?

  I love the rush.

• 28:40Rachel Cruze?

  All right.

• 28:41George Kamel?

  That one was easy.

• 28:42Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, you're next.

• 28:43George Kamel?

  Tip or no tip, house cleaners and landscapers, those feel like wildly different categories. One scrubbed my toilet, one took a push mower.

• 28:52Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I hate to say it. No, I just get charged what they charge me for to clean my house.

• 28:58George Kamel?

  Wow. We finally have come apart.

• 29:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 29:02George Kamel?

  I'm a tipper for cleaners.

• 29:03Rachel Cruze?

  So on top of what they charge you, you tip?

• 29:06George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 29:06Rachel Cruze?

  How much?

• 29:07George Kamel?

  I'm trying to think, carry the one, times seven, add 40... No, I'm just kidding. It's probably 15%. Maybe 10 to 15%, somewhere in there.

• 29:20Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I don't. They just give me a rate and I pay the rate.

• 29:24George Kamel?

  Yeah, that's fair. I think there's nothing wrong with that.

• 29:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 29:26George Kamel?

  I think house cleaning is a... It's a nice to have if you get tipped, but I agree, they're setting their price, they're doing the work.

• 29:33Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 29:33George Kamel?

  It's known that there's going to be some manual labor involved.

• 29:36Rachel Cruze?

  Sure, sure.

• 29:37George Kamel?

  Landscapers, no. I've never tipped a landscaper. Unless they did something like extraordinary that they didn't have to do, that they needed to be nice, but that's never happened to me. Okay, so final answer, house cleaners, landscapers, should there be any obligation to tip? No. It's just a nice to have. So I'm gonna actually put this in the no-tip category, but I think be generous when you want to be.

• 29:58Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. Well, if you want to be a generous friend, George, to me.

• 30:03George Kamel?

  Always.

• 30:04Rachel Cruze?

  You can give me a Cozy Earth gift card.

• 30:06George Kamel?

  I was gonna go ahead and just get you a pajama set or something.

• 30:09Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh. Well, that would be nice.

• 30:10George Kamel?

  But I don't know what colors you already have, what size. It is complicated.

• 30:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, but Cozy Earth, you guys, the premium quality of anything you buy from them, seriously. Their sheets, their throw blankets, their pajamas are the best. Their loungewear, yeah.

• 30:27George Kamel?

  It never ends. They keep adding more and more like new categories and products.

• 30:30Rachel Cruze?

  So good. It is so good. So, yeah, they are probably one of my favorite sources to shop at, honestly. It's just such nice stuff.

• 30:37George Kamel?

  And it does feel contagious, like the people in my life now also love Cozy Earth?

• 30:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 30:41George Kamel?

  It's spreading. We're starting a movement.

• 30:43Rachel Cruze?

  Well, they feel it and they're like, wait, what?

• 30:45George Kamel?

  What is that?

• 30:45Rachel Cruze?

  What is that? And then they need it. And I'm like, I know, you do. There's needs and wants in life, people. And a need, it's in the need category, all Cozy Earth. So make sure to check them out because they have a great deal for our listeners.

• 30:58George Kamel?

  That's right. Up to 20% off. Go to cozylearth.com/smartmoney or use the link in the description.

• 31:04Rachel Cruze?

  All right. Tip or no tip, George? Wedding vendors, makeup artists, hairstylists, wedding planners, caterers, photographers.

• 31:14George Kamel?

  You might not like my answer, but I'm a no on this.

• 31:17Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. Keep going.

• 31:19George Kamel?

  You're just paying so much for this wedding and the vendors are... They're doing a lot. But they've also set their prices, similar to a house cleaner. Here's what it's gonna cost me to do XYZ. So unless you did something so far above and beyond that I'm going, okay, I pay you your rate. Like, you asked for $500 to do this thing? Here's $500.

• 31:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 31:37George Kamel?

  You're just writing checks so many different ways that to tip every single vendor is exorbitant. So I know people do it. I feel like people are very... They're split on this. They either tip every vendor or they tip nobody.

• 31:49Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 31:49George Kamel?

  But I don't think you should feel bad or obligated to tip every vendor.

• 31:54Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 31:54George Kamel?

  Where are you at?

• 31:55Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I'm gonna say I think that's fair. I think this would be one, the obligation. To me, it feels a little bit different than a restaurant service, like, sitting down for a meal.

• 32:04George Kamel?

  That would be like a customary tip where it's kind of part of their compensation is tips.

• 32:10Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 32:10George Kamel?

  That's not the case for wedding vendors.

• 32:12Rachel Cruze?

  Right, right, right, right. So I think I did tip, but I could see, I could get on your side, if that makes sense, so.

• 32:18George Kamel?

  Well, the numbers are just don't make sense. If you paid $3,000 for videographers, I'm not gonna tip you 20%, an extra $600.

• 32:25Rachel Cruze?

  Right. Yeah, and if it's an individual that's like part of their... It's their own thing, then I'm less likely to tip. Because again, I think they bake it, like, this is what my service is. Versus if they are an employee of a bigger organization, I think I may be more likely to tip because of that.

• 32:42George Kamel?

  The one caveat would be like bartenders. Like, if you were physically serving the whole time at the wedding, you know? Like you would.

• 32:49Rachel Cruze?

  What about hairstylists?

• 32:51George Kamel?

  I don't know. I didn't have a hairstylist. I did it all myself.

• 32:53Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, very nice, very nice. All right, next.

• 32:57George Kamel?

  All right, tip or no tip? Takeout. I'm a minimal tipper on takeout.

• 33:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 33:03George Kamel?

  Unless it was a huge group order.

• 33:04Rachel Cruze?

  I may give like a five bucks.

• 33:06George Kamel?

  Yeah, I'm a buck or two.

• 33:07Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 33:08George Kamel?

  For the average takeout order, which is just me and Whitney or something.

• 33:11Rachel Cruze?

  Totally.

• 33:11George Kamel?

  Huge group order where there's like 19 things they had to box?

• 33:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that's fair. Okay. So I'll go tip.

• 33:17George Kamel?

  We'll go tip. Minimal, but it's still...

• 33:19Rachel Cruze?

  Babysitting.

• 33:20George Kamel?

  Yes. I don't know why, but yes.

• 33:23Rachel Cruze?

  Wait, what?

• 33:24George Kamel?

  But here, it's more of a roundup.

• 33:25Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 33:26George Kamel?

  You know what I mean?

• 33:26Rachel Cruze?

  Keep talking.

• 33:27George Kamel?

  And if they did things I didn't even ask them to do that are very nice and proactive.

• 33:32Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, but let me ask you this.

• 33:33George Kamel?

  More tip.

• 33:33Rachel Cruze?

  My babysitters don't give me a price. I just assume what...

• 33:38George Kamel?

  That's even more wild.

• 33:39Rachel Cruze?

  What they are paying.

• 33:41George Kamel?

  That's crazy.

• 33:41Rachel Cruze?

  And I pay well for our sitters.

• 33:44George Kamel?

  Yeah, they're probably going, wow, we made $40 an hour over at the Cruises.

• 33:47Rachel Cruze?

  They might, George. They might. But if I get a good one, I'm like, I want her... Every time I text her, I want her to be like, yes, please.

• 33:53George Kamel?

  See, this is where equality isn't fair because guys can't babysit legally, I think.

• 33:58Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, no, no, no. But the girl...

• 33:59George Kamel?

  You can't have me over to babysit.

• 34:01Rachel Cruze?

  And the good babysitters are the ones that do clean. And you come home and it's just... And I'm like, all day, all day. So I'm a no-tip. I just pay well.

• 34:09George Kamel?

  Well, for example, if it was $82, I'll probably round up to 90.

• 34:12Rachel Cruze?

  Wait, where are you getting $82 from, though?

• 34:15George Kamel?

  I don't know, like, a couple hours?

• 34:17Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, but like, what number?

• 34:18George Kamel?

  Oh, generally, sitters in my life generally charge $18 to $22 more.

• 34:23Rachel Cruze?

  And they tell you that? Do you ask, what is your rate?

• 34:26George Kamel?

  I always ask, what is your rate?

• 34:27Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 34:28George Kamel?

  Make them say it out loud so that no one's upset, no one's surprised.

• 34:31Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 34:32George Kamel?

  Because I don't want to ever underpay and they go, wow, I was hoping for more.

• 34:35Rachel Cruze?

  Sure.

• 34:36George Kamel?

  They expected 30 and in my head, it was 20.

• 34:38Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 34:39George Kamel?

  So I always feel like expectations matter.

• 34:41Rachel Cruze?

  Because you have... We share one or two sitters that has like worked here before or do work here. If they're an adult, what rate are they giving you?

• 34:49George Kamel?

  Yeah, it's in that range, 18 to 22. I probably would not pay someone 25, 30, $40 an hour. If they said, hey, my rate's $30 an hour, I'm sure you're worth that. I'm not willing to pay that.

• 35:01Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. I've never asked.

• 35:04George Kamel?

  I think they love it that way. They just know, oh, generous Rachel's gonna... It's gonna be three digits. Just know that if you ever babysit for the Cruises. But I will say, you have three kids.

• 35:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 35:19George Kamel?

  There's a lot going on.

• 35:20Rachel Cruze?

  It's a lot. And if they're doing dinner and all of it, I'm like, here.

• 35:23George Kamel?

  Yeah, I've never had to experience that. Ours is pretty minimal. It's like, hey, they're...

• 35:27Rachel Cruze?

  That's true. And they're in bed probably like 7:30.

• 35:29George Kamel?

  They're either down or about to go down. You're watching monitors.

• 35:31Rachel Cruze?

  That's fair.

• 35:32George Kamel?

  Like, you got to watch Netflix for two hours.

• 35:33Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's fair. Okay, I can... I can jump on that.

• 35:37George Kamel?

  They're not taking them to the zoo.

• 35:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 35:40George Kamel?

  All right.

• 35:40Rachel Cruze?

  All right.

• 35:42George Kamel?

  Glad we landed on that one. Retail quote experiences. You're buying a product, but there's a guide helping you.

• 35:50Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, no.

• 35:50George Kamel?

  So like, there's a flower shop here in Nashville.

• 35:53Rachel Cruze?

  Did someone help you?

• 35:55George Kamel?

  They helped, you know, pick your bouquet. Well, here's the thing. I've seen them be upset that they didn't get a tip.

• 36:00Rachel Cruze?

  Wait, what?

• 36:01George Kamel?

  When they help you pick out the bouquet.

• 36:03Rachel Cruze?

  What bouquet are you talking about? I'm talking about Sephora. What are you talking about?

• 36:06George Kamel?

  I said flower shop.

• 36:07Rachel Cruze?

  Why a flower shop?

• 36:09George Kamel?

  It's on here and it's a great example.

• 36:10Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I don't shop at flower shops.

• 36:12George Kamel?

  You've never purchased flowers?

• 36:14Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, delivery.

• 36:15George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 36:16Rachel Cruze?

  For like a funeral or something.

• 36:18George Kamel?

  Oh, only funerals? Not like a birthday, a get well soon? Only deaf do you deserve flowers?

• 36:27Rachel Cruze?

  January, that is the only time I order flowers. Yeah, it was just very sad.

• 36:31George Kamel?

  Can I be honest? I don't think any families like wish we got more flowers at the funeral.

• 36:36Rachel Cruze?

  No, George, I get a, no, you are wrong. I get a text or something and they always say, "Thank you so much." Because I always write a nice note. No, they don't. No, they don't.

• 36:45George Kamel?

  They'd rather Panera gift card.

• 36:47Rachel Cruze?

  No, they, stop that. Stop that.

• 36:49George Kamel?

  I don't want to cook while I'm grieving. The flowers are gonna die and remind me of death? What's the point?

• 36:54Rachel Cruze?

  Stop. No, it's beautiful.

• 36:57George Kamel?

  I think we disagree on this one.

• 36:59Rachel Cruze?

  Jeez.

• 37:01George Kamel?

  You better believe in my funeral, it's gonna say, "In lieu of flowers..."

• 37:04Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, Lord.

• 37:05George Kamel?

  Donate to a 529.

• 37:06Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, George, with a QR code.

• 37:09George Kamel?

  To the local humane society.

• 37:11Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 37:12George Kamel?

  Permanent jewelry tech. I don't know what that means, but it sounds fancy.

• 37:15Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, it's the permanent.

• 37:16George Kamel?

  Make your own cowboy hat.

• 37:18Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah, that's big and...

• 37:19George Kamel?

  Things I've never done and will never do.

• 37:21Rachel Cruze?

  You come in with a cowboy hat.

• 37:23George Kamel?

  Can you imagine me in a cowboy hat?

• 37:24Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 37:24George Kamel?

  It's like a Looney Tune.

• 37:25Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 37:26George Kamel?

  Retail experiences, I'm not tipping. We're not tipping you.

• 37:30Rachel Cruze?

  I'm not tipping. Not tipping. Not tipping. Look, we're pretty, we're pretty even. All right, last but not least, food delivery.

• 37:38George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 37:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 37:39George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 37:40Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I gotta do that.

• 37:41George Kamel?

  And when you see them show up, do you ever do the thing where you know they're there? They know you're there, but you wait for them to leave before you go to the door like a little rat to pick up your, pick up your cheese?

• 37:51Rachel Cruze?

  With the Amazon people.

• 37:52George Kamel?

  Like, you don't want to have the interaction.

• 37:53Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, sure, sure, sure.

• 37:54George Kamel?

  And it's not because like you don't want to talk to them. You're just like embarrassed by this whole thing.

• 37:58Rachel Cruze?

  It's like you just...

• 37:59George Kamel?

  It's your own personal shame.

• 38:00Rachel Cruze?

  It's just like, let me have my Sonic.

• 38:02George Kamel?

  Yeah, it's not that they're beneath you. It's just like, I have so much shame. I don't want you to see me like this.

• 38:07Rachel Cruze?

  You don't do that a lot. We only do pizza.

• 38:09George Kamel?

  Oh, I've had Kava delivered.

• 38:12Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I've never done that.

• 38:13George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 38:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, we don't, I don't really, I really do not do food delivery except for Instagram. I mean, like my groceries, but I don't do like takeout. Yeah.

• 38:19George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 38:20Rachel Cruze?

  I usually don't.

• 38:20George Kamel?

  Also, Hattie B's, local to Nashville.

• 38:22Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, nice.

• 38:23George Kamel?

  Had them deliver.

• 38:24Rachel Cruze?

  You know what we just had for the first time? Cane's.

• 38:27George Kamel?

  Oh, Raising Cane's.

• 38:28Rachel Cruze?

  Delicious.

• 38:29George Kamel?

  Get some of that cane sauce?

• 38:30Rachel Cruze?

  That sauce? Oh, my gosh. Where was I?

• 38:34George Kamel?

  It's decent.

• 38:34Rachel Cruze?

  So good. So good.

• 38:36George Kamel?

  I'm not gonna put it top tier, but it's up there.

• 38:37Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, well, I would say be generous when possible. I think it's the moral of the story.

• 38:42George Kamel?

  When in doubt, be generous.

• 38:43Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, when in doubt, be generous. And then also, I think we're an over-tipping culture and all of the iPads that swing around and you gotta tip at everything. No, you don't. You can stand your ground. I think you're okay. You're a good human if you do that.

• 38:55George Kamel?

  That's a great takeaway. Here's my big takeaway. If there was personal touch involved, hair, nails, a massage,

• 39:02Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 39:02George Kamel?

  that definitely deserves a tip.

• 39:04Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 39:04George Kamel?

  If someone had to go back and forth bringing things to you multiple times, that deserves a tip.

• 39:09Rachel Cruze?

  There's a lot of effort.

• 39:10George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 39:10Rachel Cruze?

  It's the effort. Yes. For generosity, planning your giving. Have some spontaneous giving. You're like, but planning it is important too. And EveryDollar is a great app to do that in.

• 39:19George Kamel?

  That's right.

• 39:20Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm. All right, before we spill the tea on our guilty as charged segment, uh, let's share the drink details.

• 39:25George Kamel?

  You slugged that Hawaiian punch down.

• 39:26Rachel Cruze?

  I liked it.

• 39:27George Kamel?

  This was a cherry aperol spritz. I'm going seven out of 10.

• 39:34Rachel Cruze?

  Eight out of 10. I don't know if I would order it at a restaurant.

• 39:37George Kamel?

  But it was, if it was served to you on a hot summer day.

• 39:40Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I wouldn't be mad about it.

• 39:41George Kamel?

  You'd be very pleased.

• 39:41Rachel Cruze?

  I'd be happy, but I don't think I would order it.

• 39:43George Kamel?

  It's got fresh cherries, aperol, Prosecco, club soda, not the cheapest drink. It knows its worth. $4.66 per serving. Um, it was, just wasn't punchy enough. I like a punchy drink. And again, this one's more just refreshing.

• 39:58Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 39:58George Kamel?

  I put it in that category. Get the recipe in the show notes. Give it a try this weekend if you're of age.

• 40:03Rachel Cruze?

  All right, now it's time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where we ask each other a guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. All right, George, uh, this question is from Chelsea on Insta.

• 40:14George Kamel?

  Thank you, Chelsea.

• 40:16Rachel Cruze?

  What's something you got away with as a kid that you would never let your kids get away with?

• 40:22George Kamel?

  Oh, that's such a good one.

• 40:25Rachel Cruze?

  What do you let your kids, or, or, sorry, you, that you got away with that you would not let your kids get away with? So you're more strict on this than your parents, is what it would be.

• 40:35George Kamel?

  Yeah. The one, the one that comes to mind for me is skateboarding. I was an avid skateboarder, living outside of Boston. And we would, at like 13, walk down to the train, take the train to the city, skateboard in the streets, between cars, no helmets, all day.

• 40:51Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 40:51George Kamel?

  12 hours we were gone.

• 40:53Rachel Cruze?

  Just go.

• 40:53George Kamel?

  And my parents never were like, "Hey, don't do that." They just trusted me. But I think that trust made me not want to screw it up.

• 41:01Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, totally, which is good. Yeah, it's a good thing.

• 41:03George Kamel?

  And I didn't get hurt. Almost got arrested, but we didn't. We're fine. But I would not let Mia, like, I think Mia skateboarding or Henry skateboarding would give me a lot of anxiety.

• 41:12Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, yes.

• 41:13George Kamel?

  They would need to be fully padded like Bubble Boy out there so they wouldn't get hurt.

• 41:17Rachel Cruze?

  Right. You'd be very concerned.

• 41:19George Kamel?

  Mostly because I know Whitney would be upset with me if, if they broke something.

• 41:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 41:23George Kamel?

  Luckily, I never broke anything, but I, my friends, there were some things that happened.

• 41:27Rachel Cruze?

  Totally.

• 41:27George Kamel?

  So I'm too scared of that for my kids. How about you?

• 41:30Rachel Cruze?

  My parents were like really not strict at all on like sleepovers and, and like when it happens and movies. But so, yeah, so, um, I have very vivid memories in middle school, like spending the night at my friend's house or her spending the night at my house on a school night.

• 41:47George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 41:47Rachel Cruze?

  And we would like take her to school the next day. That's what I'm saying. And I'm like, I don't think I would do that. But yeah, my friend Kate and I, we would spend the night all the time together. And our moms were like pretty cool with it.

• 41:58George Kamel?

  Amazing.

• 41:59Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. I mean, not like every week, but like I remember asking and they were always like, "Yeah, that's fine." And I just think now, having a middle schooler, I'm like, I don't think I would. You gotta get up early. You got your homework.

• 42:08George Kamel?

  Watch someone else's kid on top of your own?

• 42:09Rachel Cruze?

  There's just a lot happening, but, um, they were super lax with that. So, yeah, I don't know if I would do that.

• 42:15George Kamel?

  I bet you were easy, though.

• 42:16Rachel Cruze?

  TBD.

• 42:17George Kamel?

  You weren't a difficult child at a sleepover?

• 42:20Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, no.

• 42:21George Kamel?

  You go with the flow. Very nice, very polite.

• 42:23Rachel Cruze?

  I think we were in middle school, though. But, yeah.

• 42:25George Kamel?

  That's sweet.

• 42:26Rachel Cruze?

  Anyways, that's it. So, listen, DM us if you have a guilty as charged question, because we may use it. We'll screenshot it, send it to our producer, Jenna. And, yeah, it always adds to the collection. So we always appreciate it, you guys, so.

• 42:37George Kamel?

  You could be the next Chelsea.

• 42:38Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. DM us at George K. Moore, at Rachel Cruz. And if you enjoyed this episode, you're going to love our episode, Frugal Hacks That Could Go Too Far. So we will link it for you. And make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all-new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.