Are You a Quality or a Quantity Person? (And How That Affects Your Money)

📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. Would you rather buy one pair of expensive designer shoes or get five cheap pairs in every color? In this episode, Rachel and George make their case for quality vs. quantity, plus help you decide when it’s best to splurge or save. Next Steps: 🎥 Watch our video “Harmless” Purchases That Drain Your Bank Account. 🍸 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. 💵 The simplest way to budget. Download the EveryDollar app for free! Connect With Our Sponsors: Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. Get up to 40% off with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍹 Woo Woo Cocktail Recipe: Difford’s Guide 1 ounce vodka 1/2 ounce peach schnapps 2 1/3 ounces cranberry juice Instructions: Select and pre-chill an old-fashioned glass. Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Explore More From Ramsey Network: 💡 The Rachel Cruze Show 💰 George Kamel 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 🪑 Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman 📈 EntreLeadership Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

• 0:05George Kamel?

  Today, we're talking about a money tendency that we are polar opposites on, and I'm guessing a lot of you fall into one of these camps too. If I like it, I'm gonna buy it at this stage of life. Because again, I don't know how many years I have left.

• 0:16Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, get off your high horse. Like, come down with the common people.

• 0:20George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 0:21Rachel Cruze?

  And you're okay.

• 0:26Rachel Cruze?

  Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

• 0:28George Kamel?

  I'm George Kamel.

• 0:30Rachel Cruze?

  And this is...

• 0:31George Kamel?

  Smart Money Happy Hour.

• 0:38Rachel Cruze?

  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.

• 0:45George Kamel?

  Before we get to the episode, let's talk about what we're sipping on, Rachel. It is a woo-woo.

• 0:50Rachel Cruze?

  A woo-woo?

• 0:51George Kamel?

  Hard to say. Delicious to drink.

• 0:53Rachel Cruze?

  I love a little woo-woo.

• 0:54George Kamel?

  Stick around till the very end. We're gonna give you our rating and reveal the cost per glass.

• 0:58Rachel Cruze?

  It's so great. So, George, I am a quantity person.

• 1:03George Kamel?

  You love it all.

• 1:03Rachel Cruze?

  I do. Give me like something cheap. Give me Amazon earrings, 20 pairs. I don't need diamonds. Don't give me diamonds.

• 1:11George Kamel?

  Who needs them?

• 1:12Rachel Cruze?

  Stop giving me diamonds, George. I don't want those diamonds.

• 1:14George Kamel?

  Listen.

• 1:15Rachel Cruze?

  I want variety.

• 1:17George Kamel?

  Is that an Amazon watch?

• 1:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, it is!

• 1:20George Kamel?

  That's a beautiful one. If you didn't just say that, I would've thought that was Dior.

• 1:24Rachel Cruze?

  What if I said...

• 1:25George Kamel?

  Versace. I don't know.

• 1:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, but if I said this was like Cartier.

• 1:27George Kamel?

  I'd believe it.

• 1:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. I'd be like, yeah. Mm-hmm. No. But I do. I am more quantity. And this is where we... We are very different in this, George.

• 1:36George Kamel?

  I know. Believe it or not, I'm a quality guy. You know when your grumpy uncle says, "They don't make them like they used to." I am that grumpy uncle.

• 1:46Rachel Cruze?

  You are.

• 1:47George Kamel?

  That is me.

• 1:47Rachel Cruze?

  And today, you have embodied that.

• 1:48George Kamel?

  I'm frustrated. I don't like things... Like, life is too short to not have quality things in your life. Especially as I get older and, you know, head toward the old dusty trail.

• 2:00George Kamel?

  I don't know why it got real dark real quick.

• 2:04Rachel Cruze?

  I hear that, but also my thing is like, life's too short to wear the same pair of shoes.

• 2:09George Kamel?

  So have seven pairs.

• 2:10Rachel Cruze?

  Have seven pairs, the ones that she love and you get to-

• 2:13George Kamel?

  I think we need a tour of Rachel's closet.

• 2:14Rachel Cruze?

  And let the emotions-

• 2:15George Kamel?

  I think we would be flabbergasted.

• 2:17Rachel Cruze?

  You know what, someone recently said, one of my friends came over and we were like looking at something and she was like, you know what, your closet is not as mu- I would have thought you had way more clothes. And I was like, that makes me feel so good. Thank you.

• 2:28George Kamel?

  Or they just thought you were out of control, like a hoarder. And they went, oh, she only has 70 pairs. I thought it was gonna be like multiple-

• 2:36Rachel Cruze?

  Like 200, like, oh my gosh. Oh man.

• 2:38George Kamel?

  That's fun.

• 2:38Rachel Cruze?

  Well, and I do think what's hard is, you know, the trends, they come and go, George. Social media, they'll show you. And it is frustrating because I do know companies, especially with clothing specifically, they know. They know if they take a pair of jeans one season, widen it a little bit, you gotta buy all new jeans. Or they shrink them a little bit, or they go up or down in length, like, they can just tweak, small things. And it changes the whole house. So then you gotta get all new, you gotta get all new pants.

• 3:04George Kamel?

  They're not falling for that.

• 3:05Rachel Cruze?

  Just, okay. Tell us your ways.

• 3:07George Kamel?

  You've heard my, the quote, Rachel.

• 3:09Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 3:09George Kamel?

  If you follow the trends, you'll fall for the traps.

• 3:11Rachel Cruze?

  Say it again.

• 3:12George Kamel?

  And that's why I-

• 3:12Rachel Cruze?

  I love it.

• 3:13George Kamel?

  Do you though? I don't think she actually wants me to say it again. You know what, you'll have to rewind the tape to hear that one. But I do, like, I've been rocking skinny jeans for far too long and Gen Z is like, it's out, we're not doing it. I'm just gonna keep wearing.

• 3:26Rachel Cruze?

  Aren't dudes kinda wearing skinny jeans?

• 3:28George Kamel?

  Not, I haven't seen them.

• 3:29Rachel Cruze?

  What are dudes wearing? I know girls are. I know it's kinda out for girls.

• 3:32George Kamel?

  I'll tell you this, men aren't wearing skinny jeans. Boys maybe. Just me and the boys.

• 3:37Rachel Cruze?

  Me and the boys.

• 3:38George Kamel?

  But yeah, I like quality and I don't really care what other people think. And if I like it, I'm gonna buy it at this stage of life. Cause again,

• 3:45Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, that's-

• 3:45George Kamel?

  I don't know how many years I have left.

• 3:46Rachel Cruze?

  I can't hold you to that. I don't know how many years I have left. I don't care what anyone thinks. That is not true. That is not true.

• 3:54George Kamel?

  Whose opinion am I? I look for the affirmation of everybody.

• 3:57Rachel Cruze?

  You can, okay.

• 3:58George Kamel?

  But I don't care about their opinion of me. I just want their affirmation. Those are two separate things.

• 4:03Rachel Cruze?

  I know, but you get all pissy in the comments because of what someone thinks about you. You gotta get in there-

• 4:07George Kamel?

  Well, I don't like to be misjudged or mischaracterized.

• 4:09Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. I know, I just don't think it's, I know when people are like, I just don't care what people think of me. I'm like,

• 4:14George Kamel?

  Yeah, you do. That's a sign you do.

• 4:16Rachel Cruze?

  It's not 100% true. Maybe like 90% true.

• 4:19George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 4:21George Kamel?

  You're right.

• 4:21Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 4:22George Kamel?

  Thank you for your honesty. Well, let's talk about the difference here. So, quality people, like me, they want things to last longer. They research, they plan their purchases in advance. They're not as impulsive. So I think that's the healthiest version of a human you can be.

• 4:36Rachel Cruze?

  It's so cool.

• 4:36George Kamel?

  Now, tell me about these quantity people.

• 4:38Rachel Cruze?

  Well, quantity people, we don't care that if the thing breaks, you just replace it later because it's cheaper anyways. I'm not spending a ton of money on it. And if the trends do change, come and go, then you have the ability to be flexible. So it's like I can get rid of stuff and not feel like, oh, my gosh, I paid like $200 for that sweater. No, I paid like $17.99 and it was great, couple of uses, but then I get to move on. So you get to enjoy the variety of life, George. There's a lot out there. You should get out more.

• 5:05George Kamel?

  That was a good sales pitch, honestly. Well, I think our culture is heading more into this quantity world. We want things to be cheaper and we don't care as much about quality.

• 5:14Rachel Cruze?

  And I would say this too. Both ends of the spectrum can be unhealthy, okay? Because you do have the quality people and they're like, I won't buy anything unless it's whatever, right? And it's like, okay, stop.

• 5:24George Kamel?

  Unless I can pass it on to my grandchildren's grandchildren.

• 5:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and sometimes it comes with a logo or like a label with like, oh, I have to buy like the nicest X, Y, and Z. And you're like, okay, get off your high horse. Like, come down with the common people.

• 5:37George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 5:37Rachel Cruze?

  And you're okay. But then the quantity, it does. It touches on the discontentment side. You can buy like really cheap stuff. And sometimes you get the cheap stuff and it's not even what you want, you know, because it is so like poor quality. And it's like you're never satisfied. It kind of keeps you wanting more and more, which isn't good either. So both ends.

• 5:56George Kamel?

  You know the store that sums the quantity people up? Timu. Shop like a billionaire. That's their tagline. They didn't make that up. That's an unhinged tagline for any brand.

• 6:06Rachel Cruze?

  For any, yeah.

• 6:06George Kamel?

  But let alone Timu.

• 6:08Rachel Cruze?

  I don't shop at Timu. Not that it's bad, no judgment.

• 6:10George Kamel?

  Shein, is that all you say at the fashion? A lot of fast fashion, you're like, how is this $3? Actually, don't tell me, I don't want to know.

• 6:16Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm.

• 6:17George Kamel?

  There's a lot of that going on in the fast fashion world.

• 6:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I would say this, the super, super, super cheap like that kind of wigs me out where I'm like, what is going on? But the Amazon thing for...

• 6:26George Kamel?

  That's the middle of the road for you.

• 6:27Rachel Cruze?

  Thirty bucks, yes. Amazon, Target, Old Navy, like all of that to me is like middle of the road. Free game.

• 6:33George Kamel?

  Yeah. And social media affects a lot of this trend cycle. You're ordering cheap stuff through an app, it's delivered to you free within a week. So it's kind of addictive because it feels like you're not really, there's not a lot at stake here. There's not a lot of risk on your part.

• 6:45Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, I think that's why I like it. Because it's kind of like, hey, I will try it. And if I wear it a couple of times, that's it. Like, I don't have to be married to it forever. Where there's some things that I have bought, quality, and I'll keep it forever just to keep it because I can't part with it because I know how much I spent on it.

• 6:59George Kamel?

  Yeah, that's true.

• 7:00Rachel Cruze?

  You know what I mean? So it's hard.

• 7:00George Kamel?

  Versus Amazon, here's what I do, is I'll just go, well, it's got free returns. I'll drop it off at the Whole Foods Amazon return if I don't like it and get my money back.

• 7:07Rachel Cruze?

  That's right, totally.

• 7:09George Kamel?

  So that's a good one. So, we have our tendencies.

• 7:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, for sure, for sure. So there are some categories in life, George, where we can go quality and quantity. And again, I'm mostly quantity. There are some quality that I like in there. And so I think we do a little game, shall we?

• 7:24George Kamel?

  Let's do this. Let's, so we have a fishbowl here with, has different categories in it. And all of you listening and watching, play along at home and talk through it. Make a vote if you're with someone, you can play along with them, and find out whether you're a quantity or quality person.

• 7:40George Kamel?

  All right.

• 7:40Rachel Cruze?

  You hear that?

• 7:41George Kamel?

  I'm a little nervous.

• 7:41Rachel Cruze?

  For all you podcast listeners.

• 7:44George Kamel?

  Really helpful.

• 7:45Rachel Cruze?

  Shaking up the...

• 7:45George Kamel?

  Yeah, it's a real fishbowl.

• 7:47Rachel Cruze?

  Shaking up the...

• 7:48George Kamel?

  Real paper in there. We don't fake it on this show. We can afford the full thing. It's quality. Except this is not a glass fishbowl.

• 7:54Rachel Cruze?

  It's not a glass fishbowl, it's a plastic fishbowl, but it is. Okay, ready for the first category, George? Ooh, watches slash jewelry.

• 8:02George Kamel?

  Oh, I don't own any jewelry.

• 8:05Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 8:05George Kamel?

  Even my, this wedding ring is a rubber, you know, nothing ring. So I'm gonna go quantity on that.

• 8:10Rachel Cruze?

  Did you have a real wedding ring though, when y'all got married? Like, an actual, like, silver?

• 8:13George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 8:14Rachel Cruze?

  Do you know where it is?

• 8:14George Kamel?

  Mine was black. It was like a hammered, kind of like a hammered tungsten something.

• 8:19Rachel Cruze?

  So manly.

• 8:20George Kamel?

  Thin, yeah.

• 8:21Rachel Cruze?

  Man.

• 8:21George Kamel?

  I wanted people to think, wow, that guy.

• 8:24Rachel Cruze?

  Hammered wedding ring. What a man.

• 8:26George Kamel?

  So I'm gonna say, uh, quantity for that stuff, like jewelry wise. I don't do accessories. But watches, I own two watches. I've had this Apple Series 3 watch for, I don't know, almost a decade maybe. Seven years, eight years. I get new bands from Amazon.

• 8:40Rachel Cruze?

  But you haven't upgraded the actual watch?

• 8:42George Kamel?

  No.

• 8:43Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 8:43George Kamel?

  So I think that makes me quality.

• 8:44Rachel Cruze?

  I'm actually impressed because I feel like you're a technology guy.

• 8:46George Kamel?

  I am.

• 8:47Rachel Cruze?

  And when new Apple Watches come out, I'm surprised it's been seven years. It's a long time.

• 8:50George Kamel?

  It's a long time. And then the, the most recent one, which you've talked about on the show, is an inherited Rolex that I fixed up.

• 8:56Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it's pretty cool. Yes.

• 8:56George Kamel?

  I think that has, that's a quality category situation.

• 8:59Rachel Cruze?

  It's great.

• 9:00George Kamel?

  How about you?

• 9:00Rachel Cruze?

  I love it. Yeah, I'm quantity here. I have, um, wedding rings, real, very nice. And then I do have these rings that I wear that I got anniversary, 10th anniversary.

• 9:12George Kamel?

  Oh, that's fun.

• 9:13Rachel Cruze?

  And then I have another nice ring when Amelia was born. So those are like my rings.

• 9:17George Kamel?

  Mile marker.

• 9:18Rachel Cruze?

  My rings are nice, I will say that. But everything else, earrings, necklaces, um, watches, it's all, yeah, it's all, um, uh...

• 9:28George Kamel?

  What's your go-to?

• 9:29Rachel Cruze?

  Bobble Bar? Is that how you say it?

• 9:30George Kamel?

  Oh, yes, I've heard of that.

• 9:31Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I buy a lot from them, a lot of Amazon and Target, I would say, for jewelry.

• 9:37George Kamel?

  Wow, that's impressive.

• 9:38Rachel Cruze?

  I will say, on my list, as we laughed about my Amazon watch, that would be one purchase, one day, when I'm a old woman, uh, having a nice watch, like a, like a Rolex or something. I don't know, like a pretty, like, old woman watch. Not that Rolex is for old women. They are very nice, very, very expensive, but I feel like I'll be an old woman when I get one.

• 10:00George Kamel?

  So eventually, as you enter your final stage.

• 10:02Rachel Cruze?

  Maybe when I turn 50, not that 50 as an old woman, I'll just say 50.

• 10:08George Kamel?

  You said 50?

• 10:09Rachel Cruze?

  Kelly is dying over there. No, I'm pairing multiple thought processes together. First, I was old and elderly. Then I'm thinking, like, what would be a good milestone age to buy a Rolex?

• 10:20George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 10:21Rachel Cruze?

  50 feels like a good age of like, you've made it.

• 10:25George Kamel?

  That's a midlife crisis for some people who live to 100. Think about it that way.

• 10:29Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, there you go.

• 10:30George Kamel?

  Trying to make Kelly feel better.

• 10:31Rachel Cruze?

  Sorry, Kelly.

• 10:31George Kamel?

  It's not helping, just move on, just move on. All right. Next up. Self-care. So this would include, uh, saunas, therapy, gym membership. I'll throw, uh, you know, nail care in there, massages.

• 10:44Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, all right, all right, all right, all right. Um... Man. Okay.

• 10:51George Kamel?

  I don't do a lot of these.

• 10:53Rachel Cruze?

  You can correct me. I'm gonna go quantity. Because. Quantity.

• 10:58George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 10:58Rachel Cruze?

  Not quality, but you can correct me. So. I don't go to like a super like fancy spa. Place to get like my manicures and pedicures. Like, just give me the one by the subway. I'm good. Like, great, great.

• 11:12George Kamel?

  It's so sketchy.

• 11:13Rachel Cruze?

  Great.

• 11:13George Kamel?

  Every time I go there, I think this might be the last time.

• 11:15Rachel Cruze?

  Even my hair. I'll say this. And I love the girl that does my hair. She's been doing my hair for like 10 years. But she's not like this fancy, big, nice salon that like everyone goes to. It's like one of these like individuals. She works Tuesday, Thursday. I've been going to her forever. It's great.

• 11:30George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 11:30Rachel Cruze?

  It's perfect. Um. Uh, okay, therapy. I will pay a lot for therapy. We want a good therapist. I feel like that's important.

• 11:37George Kamel?

  Are there like group on therapists out there?

• 11:39Rachel Cruze?

  No, I don't know. I don't know. But I'm great to pay money for great therapy. Um, and then.

• 11:44George Kamel?

  Saunas. You do have a sauna.

• 11:46Rachel Cruze?

  Winston bought it though. That's my thing. And Winston bought a very nice. It was. It was like one of the nicer brands. Yeah, but I didn't pick it out. Like I, I wouldn't need, I don't know. So I'm still gonna go quantity. For what I do, which I understand like getting your nails done, I get that that's pricey in general. But in those categories of where I could go and do those things, I still am on kind of the.

• 12:09George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 12:09Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know, the other end of it.

• 12:10George Kamel?

  You know what? You win. You win. You are quantity in that area.

• 12:13Rachel Cruze?

  Tell me, yours.

• 12:14George Kamel?

  I'm going quality here.

• 12:16Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 12:16George Kamel?

  Um. Self-care, like hair, haircuts is a good example.

• 12:21Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm.

• 12:21George Kamel?

  I go to the like, you know, it's a hipster barber. They charge too much. I go every two weeks. Without fail. And so I think in that regard.

• 12:28Rachel Cruze?

  Same day of the week that you go?

• 12:29George Kamel?

  No, I wish. My schedule's too all over the place. So I just try to.

• 12:32Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, I will say, I applaud you. Every two weeks is a lot. I do like every eight weeks for my hair. And I feel like that's a lot.

• 12:38George Kamel?

  I see my barber more than most of my friends.

• 12:41Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 12:42George Kamel?

  So, I don't know if that's what that says. Will can attest. Will is my friend.

• 12:46Rachel Cruze?

  True.

• 12:47George Kamel?

  I don't do gym membership, so I, I feel like in all these areas, I just feel like I'm quantity because I'm not willing to pay.

• 12:53Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 12:54George Kamel?

  For these things.

• 12:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yep, yep. Okay, I will say this. We have a personal trainer.

• 12:59George Kamel?

  That's a quality.

• 13:00Rachel Cruze?

  I'd say that's quality.

• 13:01George Kamel?

  Very personalized.

• 13:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. So, but when we had a gym membership, it was at the YMCA, which is great, but they have like Lifetime, they have all the bougie gyms, and we were at the Y.

• 13:11George Kamel?

  And when I did do gym membership for one month, I did Lifetime. I went twice.

• 13:15Rachel Cruze?

  I hear it's amazing.

• 13:16George Kamel?

  It's wonderful. If you love to do whatever they're doing over there. It's just too intense for me. I want to go somewhere where everyone's like me. Nobody wants to be there. They're all a little uncomfortable.

• 13:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 13:29George Kamel?

  Lifetime, I'm scared to go near a machine, because some beefcake guy's about to come up, be like, "Bro, you using this?" You know? I don't need that in my life. I don't need that energy.

• 13:38Rachel Cruze?

  I know. But you know, George, if I saw you working out at a gym, I'd think, "Good for him."

• 13:47George Kamel?

  There's no world where I can take that as a compliment. If you see someone running in the street.

• 13:52Rachel Cruze?

  I'm kidding, George.

• 13:53George Kamel?

  You know, you see someone running on the sidewalk, and you go, "Good for them." You know? This is a lot of work for them, I can tell.

• 13:59Rachel Cruze?

  I was kidding. I knew it would get a laugh.

• 14:02George Kamel?

  You won in that one. That was good. That was a sick burn.

• 14:05Rachel Cruze?

  All right, this one. Hygiene slash toiletries.

• 14:09George Kamel?

  Yeah, quality.

• 14:10Rachel Cruze?

  Shoot, I'm quali- I am quality.

• 14:12George Kamel?

  If it's going on your face, in your mouth, in your hair, you gotta go quality.

• 14:16Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 14:17George Kamel?

  But you do, I feel like you guys are also like in the shower routine, very simple people.

• 14:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, we are.

• 14:23George Kamel?

  Bar of soap will go a long way.

• 14:24Rachel Cruze?

  We talked about this, the personalities.

• 14:26George Kamel?

  What are you, a dial soap or something? What was it?

• 14:28Rachel Cruze?

  Dove.

• 14:28George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 14:29Rachel Cruze?

  It's amazing, how many people need like a loo- like, like George, like, "I need a loofah, I need all this stuff." And I was like, "You do?" It's just funny.

• 14:36George Kamel?

  I don't understand using a little dish rag to somehow lather it.

• 14:40Rachel Cruze?

  Not even a rag, George.

• 14:42George Kamel?

  Just the bar itself.

• 14:43Rachel Cruze?

  Just a bar of soap. It's all you need.

• 14:44George Kamel?

  It's a lot of effort.

• 14:45Rachel Cruze?

  Just a, just a bar of soap. It's all we need.

• 14:48George Kamel?

  I need it to feel like a bubble bath. You know what I mean? Otherwise, I don't know that it's working. It didn't take.

• 14:53Rachel Cruze?

  What kind of shampoo? Do you use nice shampoo?

• 14:55George Kamel?

  Um, I wouldn't say it's fancy, but I get it online. It was like the one at the barber shop, and then I found the brand and started ordering it online. But it's not like crazy expensive.

• 15:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. Mine's Ca- Carat- I can never say it. Caratost? Caristos. Caristos.

• 15:08George Kamel?

  Caristos.

• 15:09Rachel Cruze?

  Is that, I'd say that's quality, but it's probably not like the craziest one. But it's up there.

• 15:14George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 15:14Rachel Cruze?

  I think it's a, I think it's a nice one.

• 15:15George Kamel?

  Mine is called Ruzel, I think, and I got the industrial size for like 25, 30 bucks or something. So it's not crazy.

• 15:20Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, then that's quality. You got a whole thing like that for $20?

• 15:25George Kamel?

  That's quantity and quality.

• 15:26Rachel Cruze?

  Wait, no, you got a whole thing of shampoo like that for $20?

• 15:29George Kamel?

  I wanna say it was...

• 15:30Rachel Cruze?

  That's quantity, then.

• 15:30George Kamel?

  It's not crazy expensive.

• 15:32Rachel Cruze?

  Mine would have been very expensive if I got one that big.

• 15:33George Kamel?

  But I want the one with the pump on it.

• 15:34Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I hear ya.

• 15:35George Kamel?

  So I can take the bottle and open a cap.

• 15:37Rachel Cruze?

  I hear ya.

• 15:37George Kamel?

  So that's my old man thing, is everything in the shower I want to just have pumps. Like I'm at a hotel.

• 15:42Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, okay, cologne. What kinda cologne?

• 15:45George Kamel?

  Uh, Whitney made me get a natural cologne.

• 15:49Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 15:49George Kamel?

  Because with the baby, and you're holding a baby, and you're, you know, all the chemicals.

• 15:53Rachel Cruze?

  Man, that is woo-woo.

• 15:54George Kamel?

  So I think that's woo-woo. And I'm gonna say that's quality.

• 15:57Rachel Cruze?

  I'm kidding, Whitney, I love you, though.

• 15:58George Kamel?

  That's a quality thing? Yeah, I mean, cologne is one of those, like, cheap cologne is not the move.

• 16:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, no.

• 16:04George Kamel?

  But I don't wear a ton of it.

• 16:05Rachel Cruze?

  See, I go nice on my cologne. I like Jo Malone. And, and I do have a Chanel. Just a classic, is it number five? What's the classic? Yeah.

• 16:15George Kamel?

  Yep.

• 16:15Rachel Cruze?

  So I do...

• 16:16George Kamel?

  Number five is the best for everything. Chanel, Mambo, I want number five. I think it's a good, solid number.

• 16:21Rachel Cruze?

  Mambo number five? Oh, man. All right, you're next up.

• 16:25George Kamel?

  All right. You ready for this one? Closet staples. We're talking jeans, dress pants, tennis shoes, leggings.

• 16:33Rachel Cruze?

  Quantity. Quantity.

• 16:36George Kamel?

  Really?

• 16:37Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 16:37George Kamel?

  What makes you say that?

• 16:39Rachel Cruze?

  And when I say quantity, I'm thinking anywhere pants, anywhere from $30 to $90.

• 16:45George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 16:46Rachel Cruze?

  So like, I'm not going like $200 pair of jeans or anything.

• 16:50George Kamel?

  Yep.

• 16:50Rachel Cruze?

  Pretty, uh...

• 16:51George Kamel?

  Yeah, jeans, dress pants. Do you wear a lot of dress pants? I guess you have like the big flowy...

• 16:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, like my Amazon trousers.

• 16:56George Kamel?

  Yes, trousers. That's the word I'm looking for.

• 16:58Rachel Cruze?

  Trousers.

• 16:59George Kamel?

  Wide leg, that's in right now?

• 17:00Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, yes. But see, mine's all Amazon. It's like 30 bucks.

• 17:04George Kamel?

  But you have some nice tennis shoes, I feel like. What's the one that they're supposed to look...

• 17:08Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, I bought the, the Golden Goose's.

• 17:10George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 17:10Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I bought those when I was, it was crazy.

• 17:12George Kamel?

  Those were all the rage.

• 17:12Rachel Cruze?

  I bought those, y'all, on my 30th birthday. And so that was...

• 17:18George Kamel?

  Six years ago now?

• 17:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 17:20George Kamel?

  Do you wear them a lot, or...

• 17:21Rachel Cruze?

  No, I don't wear them anymore. But I wore them for a few years, yes.

• 17:23George Kamel?

  Would you say that was like a trend that is sort of like, are people still rocking them?

• 17:28Rachel Cruze?

  I don't think so. I don't see them like I used to, yeah. That was a... But I did pay stupid money for that. But I bought them for my birthday. I like made all these justifications.

• 17:35George Kamel?

  It was a big treat.

• 17:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, because I never do that. Um, like these, See Madden. So these were probably like 70 bucks that I have on right now. We got Abercrombie jeans, we got an Abercrombie waffle shirts.

• 17:47George Kamel?

  That's a good one. Everyone wants to know, what are the earrings?

• 17:51Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, Target, Stud earrings.

• 17:53George Kamel?

  Everyone, can I just tell you, I'm a little upset. Everyone in the comments is always like, Rachel, where do you get that dress? It's never, George, where do you get those tiny jeans from? I'd love a pair. It's offensive.

• 18:03Rachel Cruze?

  Well, you know what? I wore a pair of joggers the other day and I would tell everyone where I got them.

• 18:09George Kamel?

  Why is that?

• 18:09Rachel Cruze?

  Cozy Earth.

• 18:11George Kamel?

  That's a good reason.

• 18:12Rachel Cruze?

  They were incredible.

• 18:13George Kamel?

  I just got the socks. I'm rocking them. They're amazing.

• 18:16Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, they're great color.

• 18:17George Kamel?

  Thank you.

• 18:18Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, quality. And that is something that is like, and it is, I'm not kidding you. Cozy Earth has made me step up from like my Amazon.

• 18:25George Kamel?

  I didn't realize clothes could be that nice. I know that sounds stupid to say.

• 18:28Rachel Cruze?

  No, because I have lived in like the, I've lived in my quantity era. And then a company like Cozy Earth comes in and then you wear it and put it on. You're like, the way it fits, the material, I swear, all of it. You're like, okay, I get why it's more expensive. You know what I mean? Like, and it's not crazy expensive, but you're like, oh yeah, this is, it is, it's worth it. And it lasts so long. And when you wash it, that's another thing.

• 18:51George Kamel?

  Does it stay quality?

• 18:52Rachel Cruze?

  Does it stay quality? And it does, it keeps its shape and everything. I love it.

• 18:56George Kamel?

  Fantastic. Well, they're giving our listeners and viewers a sweet discount, up to 40% off when you use the promo code SMARTMONEY at checkout. So go to cozylearth.com/smartmoney or click the link in the description and shop Pooji Frugal and maybe you'll become more of a quality person.

• 19:11Rachel Cruze?

  I know, it does.

• 19:12George Kamel?

  That's a good one. I didn't get to say mine. I'll go quick on this one.

• 19:15Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yes.

• 19:15George Kamel?

  I'm middle of the road. I have a lot of quality items, but I wait for a good sale. Like even these boots, these solo boots, I've had them for years. They did a five for five. So you pay $500 one time and you get two pairs of whatever you want per year for five years. So 10 pairs of boots, 500 bucks. So instead of 250, you essentially paid 50.

• 19:34Rachel Cruze?

  That's amazing.

• 19:35George Kamel?

  For a quality boot that will last you forever. So that's where I'm kind of like on the fence of my quality and my quantity.

• 19:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, but it's a quality product though, so.

• 19:44George Kamel?

  I do go quality products, you're right.

• 19:46Rachel Cruze?

  I would say that. That's a good one though. I like that one.

• 19:48George Kamel?

  Thank you.

• 19:49Rachel Cruze?

  All right, next, alcohol.

• 19:51George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 19:53Rachel Cruze?

  Man.

• 19:53George Kamel?

  Yeah, for this one, life's too short to drink cheap beer and liquor. But you know, if you're into that, that's fine.

• 20:00Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I probably get quality here. Because I will say, the difference.

• 20:04George Kamel?

  You feel it.

• 20:05Rachel Cruze?

  You do, the next day, man, it's real. Yeah. Even wine, if I have a glass of red wine and it's like a super cheap bottle, I do, I feel it the next day. It's like, it is different. So. Yeah, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go quality on this one.

• 20:19George Kamel?

  And I want a quality cocktail. I don't want like a, you know, Sprite and vodka or something, or Jack and Coke. That's not me.

• 20:26Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 20:27George Kamel?

  I want something a little more complex, a little more elegant.

• 20:29Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 20:30George Kamel?

  Some presentation, and that usually means quality. Even at home.

• 20:33Rachel Cruze?

  Even at home.

• 20:33George Kamel?

  I've gotten into mixology and so, you know, like even for friends, when they come over, I wanna make them a nice Manhattan.

• 20:39Rachel Cruze?

  When I came and saw Mia, you made me like a lavender something, I remember.

• 20:43George Kamel?

  I did.

• 20:43Rachel Cruze?

  And I was like, dang, George.

• 20:45George Kamel?

  It was Empress Gin, which is purple. I mean, it was a gin and tonic with Empress Gin.

• 20:49Rachel Cruze?

  That's what it was, yes.

• 20:49George Kamel?

  It's got a beautiful color to it.

• 20:50Rachel Cruze?

  I appreciate that about you.

• 20:52George Kamel?

  Thank you.

• 20:52Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I would say, if I'm going out, quality for sure. And, I don't know, a Jack and Coke, George, I had it last weekend, so I can't say much. Jack and Coke and pizza is one of my favorites, or a Makers and Sprite and pizza.

• 21:06George Kamel?

  Makers and Sprite, why would you?

• 21:08Rachel Cruze?

  Uh huh.

• 21:09George Kamel?

  They're not equally yoked, it's just not okay.

• 21:13George Kamel?

  I don't know. And then, have you had a Midwestern Old Fashioned?

• 21:15Rachel Cruze?

  Mm mm.

• 21:16George Kamel?

  Y'all, just, check on your Midwestern friends, they're not doing okay.

• 21:20Rachel Cruze?

  What does that mean?

• 21:20George Kamel?

  They make an Old Fashioned with brandy, they throw a bunch of fruit in there, and they top it with Sprite, and they call it an Old Fashioned.

• 21:28Rachel Cruze?

  Oh no.

• 21:28George Kamel?

  And it sounds disgusting.

• 21:30Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that's terrible.

• 21:31George Kamel?

  But, I'm gonna get roasted in the comments for that one. It's fine, I can handle it.

• 21:35Rachel Cruze?

  It's fine.

• 21:35George Kamel?

  You're not gonna leave Ohio. Alright, moving on. What do we got?

• 21:43Rachel Cruze?

  I was alcohol, what are you?

• 21:47George Kamel?

  I am tech. Technology.

• 21:50Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 21:51George Kamel?

  You are screaming quality on this one.

• 21:53Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, give me, list out technology.

• 21:55George Kamel?

  Headphones, chargers, phones.

• 21:58Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, but I have an iPhone.

• 22:00George Kamel?

  Smart home stuff.

• 22:01Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, yeah, that's Winston, Winston is quality, so I feel like I live a quality life.

• 22:08George Kamel?

  When's the last time you put on headphones?

• 22:11Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, I walk, so I'll put in my AirPods. AirPods.

• 22:15George Kamel?

  AirPods. Are they AirPods Pro?

• 22:18Rachel Cruze?

  I said AirPods.

• 22:19George Kamel?

  Are they AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro 2, or the original AirPods?

• 22:23Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know, George.

• 22:24George Kamel?

  Do they have the longer stem?

• 22:27Rachel Cruze?

  I don't think so.

• 22:29George Kamel?

  Okay, we'll look into it. Then yes, I am quality on this one. As a former Apple Store employee, I love technology.

• 22:35Rachel Cruze?

  Well, that's why your watch threw me off.

• 22:37George Kamel?

  Yeah, Apple Watch.

• 22:39Rachel Cruze?

  I know, but I would've thought-

• 22:40George Kamel?

  Oh, but I don't need the latest and greatest.

• 22:41Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 22:42George Kamel?

  Because truthfully, the technology from this one to the latest Apple Watch, not that much more impressive.

• 22:46Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 22:46George Kamel?

  Apple, step it up.

• 22:48Rachel Cruze?

  Do you have the big headphones?

• 22:50George Kamel?

  Uh, not these days. I like my AirPods Pro 2. Those are my, that was my big, like, fun, I'm gonna get nice headphones, because I wear them a lot.

• 22:57Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 22:58George Kamel?

  With a baby and a wife who doesn't want to hear what I'm hearing.

• 23:00Rachel Cruze?

  I heard that it's not good for your health. Have you heard this?

• 23:02George Kamel?

  I've heard the EMF, but it's always from these, like, weird, sketchy Instagram accounts.

• 23:06Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 23:07George Kamel?

  And like, my mother-in-law is sending me these clips, like, you gotta stop wearing, I'm like, I don't know, the jury's out.

• 23:12Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 23:12George Kamel?

  If that's how the Lord takes me, because of my AirPods, I'm fine. I had a good life.

• 23:17Rachel Cruze?

  You had a good life.

• 23:18George Kamel?

  I'm not wearing, you know, whatever...

• 23:21Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know what you're supposed to wear.

• 23:22George Kamel?

  Off-brand headphones, that's even scarier, but...

• 23:24Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 23:24George Kamel?

  And I can't just listen to music through speakers all day like a psychopath.

• 23:27Rachel Cruze?

  No, absolutely.

• 23:28George Kamel?

  I have respect for others.

• 23:29Rachel Cruze?

  I'm so selfless.

• 23:30George Kamel?

  So tech is definitely one I'm quality on.

• 23:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 23:32George Kamel?

  I love technology.

• 23:33Rachel Cruze?

  And I'll say, uh, yeah, I benefit from the quality with the apps and all the stuff-

• 23:38George Kamel?

  Because of Winston.

• 23:39Rachel Cruze?

  Because of Winston.

• 23:40George Kamel?

  So if you're not a tech quality person, you gotta be with someone who is, otherwise your life will suffer.

• 23:44Rachel Cruze?

  I think that's fair, I think that's fair. It's very helpful, it's very convenient.

• 23:48George Kamel?

  Yeah, turning off my lamps with my voice and TV, it's the best.

• 23:51Rachel Cruze?

  Alexa, oh, shoot, sorry. I shouldn't have done that. All of you at home, I'm so sorry. Shoot, I did that one episode and everyone's like-

• 24:02George Kamel?

  You triggered my Alexa.

• 24:03Rachel Cruze?

  Beep, don't say her name.

• 24:06Rachel Cruze?

  Because she'll come on.

• 24:07George Kamel?

  Was it like Voldemort? I don't understand. Can't even say the name?

• 24:12Rachel Cruze?

  Um, all right, baby gear.

• 24:15George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 24:17George Kamel?

  I'm quality because of my wife. My wife does all the research. Left to my own devices, I would not spend that much on...

• 24:23Rachel Cruze?

  I was quality on baby gear.

• 24:24George Kamel?

  Cribs and strollers.

• 24:25Rachel Cruze?

  We had good cribs. Or no, no crib, our crib, sorry. No, our crib was actually not that expensive. Our mattress, stroller, high-chair car seat, we like, yeah, we went.

• 24:36George Kamel?

  The car seat is one that shocked me. I did not know how expensive car seats could be.

• 24:40Rachel Cruze?

  Geez, all of it's so expensive.

• 24:41George Kamel?

  But we did, you know, we did go quantity on the crib and the reclining chair in the nursery. Facebook Marketplace for both.

• 24:47Rachel Cruze?

  Good, yes, my crib was very inexpensive. I think it was like 200 bucks or something.

• 24:51George Kamel?

  That's not bad.

• 24:52Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 24:52George Kamel?

  But it's for the baby. I feel like it's an easy one to want to spend more money on.

• 24:56Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, for sure. Yeah, but I will say with like the car seat, stroller, all of that, the like, the quality, it lasts. Cause we had our stroller for all three kids, which is just wild.

• 25:05George Kamel?

  That's impressive.

• 25:06Rachel Cruze?

  And, and again, it has like, it folds up smaller, it's lighter, like it, there's some benefits to

• 25:12George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 25:13Rachel Cruze?

  the nicer ones, I feel like. All right, internet protection.

• 25:17George Kamel?

  Oh, wow. Quality all the way on this one.

• 25:20Rachel Cruze?

  I think so too. And the only company I would use for it is Delete Me.

• 25:24George Kamel?

  They're the best in the biz.

• 25:25Rachel Cruze?

  For sure.

• 25:25George Kamel?

  I don't even know how you go quantity on this one. You gotta just use a quality service.

• 25:29Rachel Cruze?

  Cause they go in there and take off all your information from all these data broker websites. And I'm like, thank you for good quality.

• 25:36George Kamel?

  If you ever Googled yourself and be like, well, how do they have my address? Why is my phone number on there? Well, Delete Me goes in and deletes all of that information. They send you a report showing you what they've done and how much time they've saved you. I'm at 86.5 hours.

• 25:48Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, so good.

• 25:49George Kamel?

  And they've deleted my info from over 250 websites.

• 25:52Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 25:52George Kamel?

  And they scanned 25,000 now, which is crazy.

• 25:55Rachel Cruze?

  I got my report written, I think it was like 66 hours that I'm at. But it's amazing, I mean, it really is. And when you read the websites they take your information off of, you're like, I didn't even know this existed. Like, it's like, where is my, where's my information?

• 26:08George Kamel?

  There's just more and more every day. So I sleep better because of it. So if you want to take control of your online privacy, go check them out. Go to joindelete.me.com/smartmoney and you'll get 20% off any of their annual plans. Sweet deal. Or click the link in the description.

• 26:23Rachel Cruze?

  All right.

• 26:24George Kamel?

  What's left? I'm nervous.

• 26:25Rachel Cruze?

  I know. Ooh, food.

• 26:29Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, man.

• 26:29George Kamel?

  Just food?

• 26:30Rachel Cruze?

  Food.

• 26:31George Kamel?

  Am I quantity or quality when it comes to food?

• 26:35George Kamel?

  I guess quality as far as ingredients. You famously didn't look at a single label until your early 30s.

• 26:42Rachel Cruze?

  I'm so in the middle on this.

• 26:44George Kamel?

  Because you like quality food.

• 26:46Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, that's my thing. I'm like, I'm such a... What is it? What's the...

• 26:52George Kamel?

  Schlossky's gal?

• 26:52Rachel Cruze?

  Jacqueline Hyde.

• 26:54George Kamel?

  Oh, Jacqueline Hyde, yes.

• 26:55Rachel Cruze?

  Jacqueline Hyde, like I'm one person, but then I'm not.

• 26:57George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 26:58Rachel Cruze?

  So I'm in the Schlossky's drive-through.

• 27:00George Kamel?

  I will say this, you're not pretentious.

• 27:01Rachel Cruze?

  But then I'm at a five-course dinner downtown. You're like, where is she gonna be?

• 27:04George Kamel?

  Where is she now? Where is she stopping Taco Bell on the way home?

• 27:08Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. You never know. You never know.

• 27:11George Kamel?

  Left to your own devices, I think you'd be a quantity gal. Like, you'd be happy with just, you know, give me some fast food, some pizza.

• 27:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I'm very satisfied there.

• 27:21George Kamel?

  And you're never like, this is not corme.

• 27:24Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, no, no.

• 27:25George Kamel?

  Never heard you say that.

• 27:26Rachel Cruze?

  No, not at all. But I do love an experience. So put me at a great, like, restaurant.

• 27:31George Kamel?

  Like a tasting menu and something fancy.

• 27:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, like, that to me is so fancy.

• 27:33George Kamel?

  Dressing up, fancy date night. You're into that.

• 27:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. So, date nights, I would say quality. But every other time, I'm like, yeah, Chick-fil-A great. Spicy chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A sauce.

• 27:44George Kamel?

  It's just sustenance to get to another day for you.

• 27:46Rachel Cruze?

  Just hap... But I enjoy it. It's delicious.

• 27:49George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 27:49Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 27:50George Kamel?

  I think being a gluten-free family, it just forces you to be quality because you have to get the gluten-free stuff. It costs more. You gotta be more in tune with what's going on with the nutrition labels. We've tried to get rid of all, like, the bad seed oils and whatnot. Food dyes that are in food. We try to avoid all that. So I guess that makes me quality and probably pretentious, but I'm okay with it.

• 28:12Rachel Cruze?

  You know what? I think you do you.

• 28:14George Kamel?

  It doesn't affect your life. What are you so upset about?

• 28:16Rachel Cruze?

  I think that's fine. Yeah, I want to be that, I think. But in reality...

• 28:20George Kamel?

  We'll get you there. It takes more time. That's the thing, is it takes time to do the research, know the brands.

• 28:26Rachel Cruze?

  You're gonna die. So Winston's birthday was, like, two weeks ago, and we had just got home from spring break. And we were all, we were all pretty tired. We got home on, like, a Friday night, super late. And I was like, babe, what are you gonna do for your birthday? He's like, I don't know. Like, we're so tired. He's like, let's just have some friends over and, like, just do some, like, bar food or whatever. And I was like, okay. I did a grocery order. That's...

• 28:49Rachel Cruze?

  Was all of my favorite foods, basically.

• 28:52George Kamel?

  Can you rattle some off?

• 28:53Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, are you ready?

• 28:54George Kamel?

  Buffalo chicken dip.

• 28:55Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 28:56George Kamel?

  Potato salad, no?

• 28:58Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, no, we got, and I went like frozen food. I went to the frozen food place and I just went, so Taquitos, Bagel Bites.

• 29:08George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 29:08Rachel Cruze?

  Pizza rolls, chicken fingers, french fries. I got the chicken, never had this before, chicken like sticks, kind of? Delicious. Didn't know those existed.

• 29:20George Kamel?

  Like the BK chicken fries? Like that one of those situations?

• 29:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. Okay. So good. Um, God, what else was there?

• 29:27George Kamel?

  Was there any mozzarella sticks?

• 29:28Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my, yes, mozzarella sticks.

• 29:30George Kamel?

  That's a.

• 29:30Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 29:31George Kamel?

  It's a staple.

• 29:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. Yeah, it was like all these frozen foods and I was just like at the oven, just cooking.

• 29:38George Kamel?

  It's generous to call that cooking.

• 29:40Rachel Cruze?

  Cooking away, cooking away.

• 29:41George Kamel?

  You laid it all out.

• 29:42Rachel Cruze?

  And dips, and all my dips, I had a hot salsa, regular salsa, guacamole, queso, uh, chicken, chicken buffalo dip and spinach artichoke dip.

• 29:51George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 29:51Rachel Cruze?

  And it was just like, y'all, it was my.

• 29:53George Kamel?

  Was it the best party? Did everyone have a great time?

• 29:55Rachel Cruze?

  It, everyone was like, golly, this is so fun.

• 29:57George Kamel?

  It's like nostalgic food that your parents wouldn't let you have growing up.

• 30:00Rachel Cruze?

  Seriously, yes, yes, and it was so good.

• 30:03George Kamel?

  That's a good party idea, actually.

• 30:04Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 30:04George Kamel?

  I like that.

• 30:05Rachel Cruze?

  It was fun.

• 30:05George Kamel?

  And Winston felt seen and loved?

• 30:07Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, he was like, this is great. He wanted bar food. I didn't know what that like technically meant, but.

• 30:11George Kamel?

  That's true. He should have been more specific.

• 30:12Rachel Cruze?

  I went with my heart and I said, babe, don't you worry about a thing. I've got you with Bagel Bites.

• 30:18George Kamel?

  God bless.

• 30:18Rachel Cruze?

  I've had Bagel Bites, I haven't had Bagel Bites in years.

• 30:20George Kamel?

  I forgot those existed.

• 30:21Rachel Cruze?

  I was so happy about it.

• 30:22George Kamel?

  Might as well serve some hot pockets while you're at it.

• 30:24Rachel Cruze?

  They're as delicious as you remember them to be.

• 30:26George Kamel?

  They still hit?

• 30:27Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. They were great. Now I had to get the non pepperoni ones, like just the cheese ones for him.

• 30:32George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 30:33Rachel Cruze?

  Cause he doesn't do meat anymore. He can't do meat.

• 30:35George Kamel?

  That's right. Wow.

• 30:37Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm.

• 30:37George Kamel?

  Our little vegan.

• 30:41George Kamel?

  All right, ready for the next one?

• 30:42Rachel Cruze?

  Let's do the last one, George. Here we go.

• 30:44George Kamel?

  Pets.

• 30:46Rachel Cruze?

  What is that?

• 30:49George Kamel?

  You're a quantity. You're nine cats, Rachel. You're a quantity person. No, but I mean, like, you know my life with my two French Bulldogs. They have to have the hypoallergenic food, the best of the best. They only get fridge water to drink.

• 31:04George Kamel?

  I know. So I think I have to be quality on this one.

• 31:07Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I think you gotta be.

• 31:08George Kamel?

  I think you have to be quantity here.

• 31:10Rachel Cruze?

  What does that even mean, though? Like, we sent her...

• 31:14George Kamel?

  What food does your dog eat? Name the brand. Where do you get it from?

• 31:18Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know.

• 31:20George Kamel?

  You've never fed your dog, have you? It's not your dog. Is this dog alive? Is the dog in the room with us?

• 31:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. Oh, the dog. Oh, June gets on Winston's side at night now, George. You appreciate this? In the bed.

• 31:32George Kamel?

  Well, she knows. Who loves her?

• 31:34Rachel Cruze?

  No, she follows Winston around like a lost puppy.

• 31:37George Kamel?

  She probably saw that wheelchair clip.

• 31:38Rachel Cruze?

  Apparently, I'm nowhere to be found. Yeah, I mean, I hate to say that. I think it's a blue bag.

• 31:44George Kamel?

  Have you ever bought anything for your dog personally? Okay, I think we're done here. I think we're done. I got my dogs matching vests that they can wear when it gets cold. So... It was only $10 per vest.

• 31:58Rachel Cruze?

  Has Whitney bought stuff for them?

• 32:00George Kamel?

  Oh, yeah. They have specialty wipes. They got a lot going on. As you know, they were born broken. They require a lot of maintenance.

• 32:09Rachel Cruze?

  Just like humanity, you know?

• 32:12George Kamel?

  Like, even their food bowls. Like, we have the wet food. We've put on the dry food. They have little treats they need to eat that have vitamins in them to help with their joints and skin and coat. You wouldn't understand. Forget I said anything.

• 32:24Rachel Cruze?

  June runs through fields and lives a dog life, as she should.

• 32:28George Kamel?

  She's a wild, undomesticated dog. That has access to a

• 32:32Rachel Cruze?

  To our bed.

• 32:33George Kamel?

  To a very nice pool.

• 32:34Rachel Cruze?

  To our bed.

• 32:35George Kamel?

  Have you let June swim in the pool?

• 32:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, she does get in. Uh huh. She loves it.

• 32:38George Kamel?

  That's amazing.

• 32:39Rachel Cruze?

  She's fun. She is fun.

• 32:40George Kamel?

  She tried the hot tub yet? Just kinda like paused up?

• 32:42Rachel Cruze?

  She kinda fell in.

• 32:43George Kamel?

  Oh gosh.

• 32:44Rachel Cruze?

  When we were all in there, she kinda slipped in, but she got out.

• 32:47George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 32:47Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 32:48George Kamel?

  Crisis averted.

• 32:49Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know if people are gonna be mad at that.

• 32:50George Kamel?

  Peter, where are you at?

• 32:51Rachel Cruze?

  Probably, probably.

• 32:52George Kamel?

  All right.

• 32:53Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, what's our takeaway, George? What do you think?

• 32:55George Kamel?

  Here's the over/under. If you're doing this with a budget, you're doing it with cash, then you can make these purchases without,

• 33:01Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 33:01George Kamel?

  you know, impulse and regret and guilt. And the best budgeting app out there is called EveryDollar. It's the one that we use for every line item, from the groceries to the fun self-care stuff, to the shopping, and you can have it all out there so that you don't have to go, "Ooh, should I be buying this?" No, Rachel has her fun money

• 33:17Rachel Cruze?

  There it is.

• 33:18George Kamel?

  in that line item.

• 33:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, you're not like, "Is this too expensive?" Cause I'm a, I'm a, I'm a quality person. Like, is this too much? EveryDollar will tell you.

• 33:24George Kamel?

  Just plan for it.

• 33:25Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 33:25George Kamel?

  So if you wanna check it out, we'll drop a link to EveryDollar in the description and show notes below.

• 33:29Rachel Cruze?

  I think that's good. And I think there's challenges for everyone on each side of the spectrum, if you will. So, quality people, ask yourself, like, is it necessary that I spend more on this item? Cause sometimes you can get in that headspace where you feel like, "Well, I have to just buy the nicest, the nicest, the nicest." But do you? Like, do you really? Like, can you save a little there? And then I'm gonna say for you quantity people, cause this is me as well, the minimalist challenge, I did this a few years ago, I probably need to do it again. It was so great. Where you take a day of the month.

• 33:57George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 33:57Rachel Cruze?

  So you take a month, and like, on the first, just get rid of one item. You can give it away, you can sell it, you can throw it away, whatever. Second day, two items. Day three, three items. And you go all the way up. And it really allows you to like purge, get stuff out, and, and it's great because we can stack up and kinda like have a lot of crap that we don't need.

• 34:17George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 34:17Rachel Cruze?

  For the quantity people out there, so.

• 34:19George Kamel?

  Well, even as a quality person, I have a lot of junk in my life, still.

• 34:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, I know.

• 34:23George Kamel?

  You just accumulate it, and you go, "Well, I might need it one day," and you sort of justify it.

• 34:26Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 34:27George Kamel?

  And you can't take it with you.

• 34:29Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. We're all just...

• 34:32George Kamel?

  What are we? What are we?

• 34:33Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know. I don't wanna say it, cause it's just so sad.

• 34:38George Kamel?

  Ephemeral beings?

• 34:39Rachel Cruze?

  We're all gonna die. We're all gonna die one day. So that's my thing.

• 34:42George Kamel?

  On my way was more tasteful.

• 34:44Rachel Cruze?

  So enjoy life.

• 34:47George Kamel?

  Get nine of them if you want. Get one great one if you want. But enjoy it.

• 34:51Rachel Cruze?

  Enjoy it.

• 34:52George Kamel?

  And if you do it with a budget, with cash, you won't have the buyer's remorse. You're not gonna have regret.

• 34:57Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, don't go into debt for any of this. Amen.

• 34:59George Kamel?

  And realize that, like, stuff is never gonna do it for you. More stuff won't make you happy.

• 35:04Rachel Cruze?

  That's right, it will not fulfill you. And that's what us quantity people, we can get the bad habit of. Like, oh, just get this next thing, the next thing, the next thing. Yeah, it doesn't fulfill you.

• 35:11George Kamel?

  And for the quality people, don't let it eat you alive. And I need to, like, just loosen up a little bit sometimes when I have, prefer this level of standard or, you know, it comes across as pretentious if you're not careful.

• 35:23Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 35:23George Kamel?

  So don't push it on the people around you. Be willing to be flexible.

• 35:27Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 35:27George Kamel?

  And go, you know what, I'll drink a Keurig. I don't like it, but I'll do it. I don't have my coffee set up with me, but I'll do it.

• 35:34Rachel Cruze?

  I'll drink that Keurig, like Rachel did twice this morning.

• 35:39George Kamel?

  Two Keurigs?

• 35:40Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, two cups of coffee.

• 35:41George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 35:42Rachel Cruze?

  I love it, it's so good.

• 35:43George Kamel?

  That's almost equal to a half a cup of good coffee. If you have two more, you would get there.

• 35:47Rachel Cruze?

  But we're not pretentious at all.

• 35:49George Kamel?

  We're not.

• 35:49Rachel Cruze?

  So it's fine. All right, before we spill on our guilty as charged segment, what are we sipping on? George, talk to us about this.

• 35:55George Kamel?

  This was the woo woo.

• 35:56Rachel Cruze?

  I liked it.

• 35:57George Kamel?

  Clearly, you really enjoyed it.

• 35:58Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I did.

• 35:58George Kamel?

  It's got a beautiful vibrant red color, which is due to the cranberry juice in there, along with vodka and peach schnapps.

• 36:05Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 36:06George Kamel?

  That's all that's in it. It's three ingredients.

• 36:07Rachel Cruze?

  George didn't like it.

• 36:08George Kamel?

  It costs a dollar and 40 cents. And what's your rating on this?

• 36:12Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I'm gonna say this. I liked it sitting here, talking with you, but I don't think I would order it. And remember, that's always my standard of like, would I go to a restaurant and order this? I probably wouldn't order it. But I may make it at home, like, for some friends, I don't know. So I'm gonna go eight out of 10.

• 36:25George Kamel?

  I will say, the tartness gets you from that cranberry juice.

• 36:28Rachel Cruze?

  It does, I know.

• 36:29George Kamel?

  It's got that dry punch in the back.

• 36:31Rachel Cruze?

  Uh huh.

• 36:31George Kamel?

  But here's the thing, if you like cranberry juice, you will like this because it tastes like cranberry juice, with a hint of peach. I'm not a vodka person. I like to have a little more complexity in my beverages, but for a drink, I'm gonna go with a seven out of 10.

• 36:46Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, there you go.

• 36:47George Kamel?

  It's still delicious. It had no, like, markers of like, ugh, gross.

• 36:50Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, no, it's very, like, refreshing to drink.

• 36:52George Kamel?

  Very refreshing. Go get the recipe in the show notes. Give it a try for yourself and let us know what you think.

• 36:57Rachel Cruze?

  All right, now it's time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where we ask each other a new guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. So George, here's the question. Are you ready?

• 37:08George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 37:08Rachel Cruze?

  Have you ever fallen for a marketing trap that felt like a luxury but wasn't worth the hype?

• 37:15George Kamel?

  If I had a nickel. I'll tell you the most recent one.

• 37:19Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 37:19George Kamel?

  I wanted a sauna. Didn't want to spend thousands on a sauna.

• 37:22Rachel Cruze?

  Uh huh.

• 37:23George Kamel?

  And I saw these saunas on Amazon. I don't know how they can legally call them saunas. And so we bought one.

• 37:29Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 37:29George Kamel?

  And it showed up.

• 37:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 37:31George Kamel?

  And it was just a camping chair. And then a black cover that you zip up in.

• 37:35Rachel Cruze?

  Mm mm.

• 37:36George Kamel?

  As you sit in the camping chair, you can stick your arms out. So you're just sitting in this fabric box that gets somewhat warm. And they call it a sauna.

• 37:46Rachel Cruze?

  Stop.

• 37:46George Kamel?

  But it was pitched as a luxury item. And again, I get what I'm paying for 150 bucks. I don't expect a real sauna.

• 37:52Rachel Cruze?

  Sure.

• 37:53George Kamel?

  But it just felt like you're just sitting in a hot camping chair.

• 37:57Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 37:58George Kamel?

  And it was just uncomfortable. I don't think it has any health benefits unless you're just a person who's cold natured and it'll warm you up.

• 38:04Rachel Cruze?

  It's like an electric blanket, but just bigger. Oh, man.

• 38:08George Kamel?

  So not falling for that one again.

• 38:09Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 38:10George Kamel?

  Wish I could return it.

• 38:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 38:11George Kamel?

  Past the return window. Not sure what to do with it now.

• 38:13Rachel Cruze?

  Um, I did some collagen masks from Instagram. They're like the white masks that like dry on clear. I'll say the experience was fun, right? You get a really, it's really jelly, like the material, and then it just dries and it dries clear. So it's very satisfying. But when I took it off, you know? I was still.

• 38:31George Kamel?

  Same face underneath.

• 38:32Rachel Cruze?

  Still Rachel.

• 38:33George Kamel?

  Were you hoping to be like a new person?

• 38:35Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know what I was hoping for. I think when you watch, like, the Instagram people do it, I think they had pretty skin to begin with.

• 38:43George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 38:43Rachel Cruze?

  And you don't see their skin before. You just see them like putting it on and they take it off and it's like a baby's bottom. Like their skin has no blemishes. It's like perfect. And you're like, that could be mine. No sunspots.

• 38:54George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 38:55Rachel Cruze?

  No sun damage, you know, just no pores, no scar, nothing. You kind of expect when you take it off, it's like a.

• 39:01George Kamel?

  Like a new skin.

• 39:02Rachel Cruze?

  It's just not what I thought it was gonna be, you know, kind of one of those things.

• 39:05George Kamel?

  Dang.

• 39:05Rachel Cruze?

  Well, make sure to DM us your guilty charge questions if you have them because we love getting... Y'all are so creative. You really are. So we so appreciate it.

• 39:12George Kamel?

  A lot of good ones out there.

• 39:13Rachel Cruze?

  And if you enjoyed this episode, then you would love the episode on harmless purchases that drain your bank account. It's coming up next. And make sure to subscribe so you don't miss an all new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour.