We Ask Anjelah Johnson-Reyes About Her Comedy Career and Money Habits

💰 Which side hustle is right for you? Get personalized recommendations from our Side Hustle Quiz. You’ve watched her successful comedy career unfold over the last two decades, and today you get to laugh through an entire podcast episode with her. Anjelah Johnson-Reyes unpacks everything from Bon Qui Qui to motherhood to money habits. Next Steps:🎥 Watch our video How Matt and Abby Went From Broke College Kids to “Unplanned” Influencers 🍸 Follow Smart Money Happy Hour on TikTok: @smartmoneyhappyhour 📱 Submit a Guilty As Charged question for Rachel and George! Leave us a voicemail with your question at 877-306-1517 or 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. 💵 Create a budget and track expenses with EveryDollar. 🤳 Follow Anjelah Johnson-Reyes and her podcast Funjelah on Instagram! Connect With Our Sponsors: Check out the FAIRWINDS credit union exclusive account bundle. Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. Get up to 40% off with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🍹 Margarita Mocktail Recipe: Gimme Some Oven 1 1/2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice 1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice 1–2 tablespoons agave nectar 1/3 cup sparkling water or club soda Coarse sea salt, for rimming Extra lime slice, for garnish Instructions: Cut a small notch in a lime wedge and run it around the rim of the glass. Dip the rim in a small plate of salt. Add the lime juice, orange juice, agave nectar and ice to the serving glass and stir vigorously for 15 seconds to combine. Top with sparkling water and garnish with an extra lime slice. Serve immediately and enjoy! 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?

  It's not every day you have a comedic icon joining the show, but today is that day.

• 0:11Speaker 01

  To be a brand new mom in your 40s, like I'm having my first kid the same time my friends are having grandkids. It's gonna be so good, trust me. Well, it's not now. I don't think I've ever been asked, "What's that Garth Brooks song?"

• 0:29Rachel Cruze?

  Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz.

• 0:31George Kamel?

  I'm George Kamel.

• 0:33Speaker 01

  And I'm a comedic icon apparently, Angela Johnson Reyes.

• 0:37Rachel Cruze?

  And this is Smart Money Happy Hour.

• 0:45Rachel Cruze?

  Alright cheers everyone.

• 0:46George Kamel?

  Cheers!

• 0:47Rachel Cruze?

  Angela, welcome to the show.

• 0:49Speaker 01

  Thank you!

• 0:50Rachel Cruze?

  This is so fun.

• 0:50George Kamel?

  Can I reach?

• 0:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, listen guys.

• 0:52Rachel Cruze?

  Got it, got it, got it, got it, got it.

• 0:54George Kamel?

  I pulled a muscle.

• 0:55Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that was intense George.

• 0:57George Kamel?

  I got T-Rex arms.

• 0:59Rachel Cruze?

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

• 1:07George Kamel?

  But first, let's talk about what we're sipping on. This is the Margarita Mocktail. We'll give you the rating and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode and Angela will be forced to rate it as well.

• 1:16Speaker 01

  That's right, I'll do it.

• 1:17George Kamel?

  Regardless if it hurts the mixologist's feelings.

• 1:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:20George Kamel?

  Irregardless.

• 1:22Rachel Cruze?

  You're truth tellers with the mocktails.

• 1:24Speaker 01

  That's right.

• 1:25Rachel Cruze?

  But Mia does a great job making them.

• 1:29Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, Angela, I'm so glad you're here.

• 1:31Speaker 01

  Thank you!

• 1:31Rachel Cruze?

  Seriously, we were like brainstorming of like who would be fun guests to have on Smart Money Happy Hour? And your name kept coming up and we're like, "I wonder if we can get her." And here you are.

• 1:39Speaker 01

  And look at that, you brought me in, you said it.

• 1:41George Kamel?

  20 bucks goes a long way.

• 1:43Rachel Cruze?

  Really spread out. Okay, but some of your iconic roles, because Bon Quique was a big character for you.

• 1:50Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 1:51Rachel Cruze?

  The nail salon video.

• 1:52Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 1:53Rachel Cruze?

  And all of that was when I was like, I think, early college.

• 1:57Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:57Rachel Cruze?

  Cause they're like 07-ish, right? Was that, did those come out together?

• 2:01Speaker 01

  No, the nail salon first.

• 2:02Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, what year was that?

• 2:04Speaker 01

  2007.

• 2:05Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, okay, so Bon Quique was when?

• 2:08Speaker 01

  So, the nail salon video... What got the attention of people to start bringing me in for auditions and meetings and stuff?

• 2:15Rachel Cruze?

  No way.

• 2:15Speaker 01

  So that was what helped me get the audition for Mad TV.

• 2:18Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, it was that video.

• 2:20Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 2:21Rachel Cruze?

  In oh seven.

• 2:22Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 2:22Rachel Cruze?

  So I was a freshman in college and I mean, and it like, I mean, it went all the way, you're in LA. All the way to Knoxville, Tennessee, to a bunch of kids on this university. I mean, like, we talked about, so that was super early on on YouTube because I remember putting up videos when I started here and that was 2010 and I feel like I was on the early end of it, but you were like on the early cusp of putting videos up.

• 2:42Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah. And what's wild is because you're like, that was my freshman year in college. There's times where I do a show and I'll do a meet and greet and then some, you know, some pretty little young thing comes up to me and she's like, oh, my gosh, I used to watch your videos when I was a kid, when I was like,

• 2:56Rachel Cruze?

  three and four or five years.

• 2:57Speaker 01

  Like when I was like in elementary school and I was like, wait, we're not the same age? Hold on. What is happening here? It's wild.

• 3:07Rachel Cruze?

  So crazy. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Okay. So what caused you to start all of that? What was the? Well, let's go back to the beginning.

• 3:14Speaker 01

  I was a professional cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders.

• 3:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, you were.

• 3:18Speaker 01

  And I did that really just as a sign if I was supposed to pursue the entertainment industry. I tried out for the Raiderettes. I said, if I make the squad, I'm going to do it for one year, then I'm going to move to LA and I'm going to pursue my dreams to be an actress. So I did. I did it for that one year. I made the squad after the Super Bowl. We had a Super Bowl that year. So it was the best year to pick to be cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders. And after the Super Bowl, I came home, I packed up my room and drove down to Hollywood and started from the bottom and worked my way up. And I was there for about 20 years and then started splitting my time with here in Nashville. And so, yeah, it's been a journey.

• 3:57George Kamel?

  That is wild. So like the way you grew up, was your family scared for you to take this risk? Were they like, what? You're going to tell jokes? Or were they like super supportive? We love you. We, we believe in you. Like what, where were you at on the spectrum?

• 4:09Speaker 01

  That's cute.

• 4:11George Kamel?

  Because you've got like Mexican and Native American heritage?

• 4:13Speaker 01

  Yeah. So I didn't know I was going to do comedy. That was an accident. I thought I was going to be an actress is what it was. That's why I was moving to Hollywood to be an actress.

• 4:26Speaker 01

  I told, now, I've only lived, at this point, I've only lived at my mom's house. I've never lived anywhere else.

• 4:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 4:32Speaker 01

  I've never like rented an apartment or anything and now here I am telling my parents, I'm gonna move to Hollywood. I'm gonna go live on my own in Hollywood.

• 4:41Rachel Cruze?

  And how old were you?

• 4:42Speaker 01

  Twenty.

• 4:42Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 4:44Speaker 01

  So, um, I told my mom, I'm gonna move to LA, be an actress. She was like, okay, I'll believe it when I see it. You know, cuz that's like a big thing to say, like, not right.

• 4:52Rachel Cruze?

  Hundred percent. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 4:54Speaker 01

  And then, uh, I told my dad, I'm gonna move to Hollywood, be an actress, and he was like, why are you gonna do that? You don't know anything? Nobody's gonna hire you? Um, real supportive. Um, and then, um, my sister was like, yeah, do it. Go for it, right? Um, and so I, I used the redress as my sign and that was it, and I left. And I'm sure they were all like-

• 5:17George Kamel?

  If I'm successful here, I could probably do this thing over here. Was that the sign?

• 5:20Speaker 01

  Not really. It was just my sign was, it could've been-

• 5:23Rachel Cruze?

  I got an opportunity, yeah.

• 5:23Speaker 01

  Let a guy walk by with the color green on, and that's my sign.

• 5:27Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 5:27Speaker 01

  Like, that's, I was, it was just my sign that I picked, you know?

• 5:31Rachel Cruze?

  So good. Okay, and then how many years was it when you shifted into comedy?

• 5:35Speaker 01

  So, I started from the ground up as an extra. I was an extra on the show Friends.

• 5:41Rachel Cruze?

  No, you weren't.

• 5:42Speaker 01

  Girl, yes.

• 5:43Rachel Cruze?

  No, you weren't.

• 5:44Speaker 01

  Girl, yes.

• 5:44Rachel Cruze?

  Stop it, wait.

• 5:45Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 5:46Rachel Cruze?

  What, what seasons? What episodes?

• 5:48Speaker 01

  Seasons nine and ten.

• 5:49Rachel Cruze?

  I'm dying.

• 5:50Speaker 01

  Their final two seasons, yes. Two, two seasons.

• 5:53Rachel Cruze?

  Two seasons?

• 5:54George Kamel?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 5:54Rachel Cruze?

  Multiple episodes?

• 5:55Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 5:56Rachel Cruze?

  Were you in the cafe?

• 5:57Speaker 01

  Girl, yes.

• 5:58Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 6:00George Kamel?

  Roll back the tape, roll back the tape.

• 6:01Rachel Cruze?

  This is, this is a bigger deal than the nail salon to me right now.

• 6:04Speaker 01

  This is probably my favorite job I've ever had in life.

• 6:07Rachel Cruze?

  Shut the front door.

• 6:07Speaker 01

  And I've been in movies, TV shows, actually saying things on TV shows, and this is still my favorite job that I've ever had.

• 6:12George Kamel?

  Cuz you had no speaking lines on Friends.

• 6:13Speaker 01

  No, you're just in the background drinking coffee and stuff.

• 6:16Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, what was the main set you were on? Coffee shop?

• 6:18Speaker 01

  Central Park.

• 6:19Rachel Cruze?

  In, okay, yes, that was the, that was the main-

• 6:21Speaker 01

  Coffee shop. And sometimes I'd be out on the street.

• 6:23Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I was gonna ask, was there any street scenes?

• 6:25Speaker 01

  Do the street scenes, sometimes I would do that.

• 6:27Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 6:27Speaker 01

  Um, and, but mostly in Central Park, and there was one episode, you know, they always sat in the couch.

• 6:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, a hundred percent.

• 6:33Speaker 01

  Then there was one episode, I don't know if you remember it, I don't know if they were going for like, let's just make it real, they can't always get the couch.

• 6:40Rachel Cruze?

  Would sit at the high top sometimes, yeah.

• 6:42Speaker 01

  So it was a high top, and it was, um- Monica, Phoebe and Chandler, sitting at the high top. And on the couch was this little college girl with her backpack and her book and her notes. And she was doing her homework, uh, at the, that was me.

• 6:59Rachel Cruze?

  That was you.

• 7:00Speaker 01

  I was a college girl.

• 7:01Rachel Cruze?

  My.

• 7:01Speaker 01

  And I had braids at the time. I had, I was, I was really embracing my Native American.

• 7:07Speaker 01

  And I was just doing my homework. I have a picture of that. I'll, I'll send it to you so you could like pop it up. And here, look at the screen now, everybody.

• 7:13Rachel Cruze?

  There it is. There she is on the set of Friends. Did you get to meet the cast and stuff?

• 7:17Speaker 01

  I got invited to their Christmas party. That's how much they love me. Yeah, I was the only extra invited to their party.

• 7:22Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 7:23George Kamel?

  That's amazing.

• 7:24Rachel Cruze?

  That is some, that is.

• 7:26George Kamel?

  Do you keep in touch with any of them now?

• 7:28Speaker 01

  No, none of them will even know who I am.

• 7:30Rachel Cruze?

  George is like, did you go on vacation? How many trips did you take with Jen? That's what, that's what George wants to know.

• 7:36Speaker 01

  Although I did end up working on the spinoff Joey Show.

• 7:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, 100%.

• 7:40Speaker 01

  I was an extra on that show as well.

• 7:42Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. Yeah, you get in and, oh my God. Good for you. That's amazing. How fun. Okay, one brand that I have been obsessed with, I actually pulled out some of the things I got last year from them. It's Cozy Earth.

• 7:54George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 7:54Rachel Cruze?

  It's so great.

• 7:55George Kamel?

  You know my latest and greatest from Cozy Earth?

• 7:57Rachel Cruze?

  What?

• 7:57George Kamel?

  The soft washed cotton sheets.

• 7:59Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 8:00George Kamel?

  Say that 10 times fast.

• 8:01Rachel Cruze?

  Go, go, go. But their bedding, especially those sheets in the winter, oh.

• 8:06George Kamel?

  Incredible.

• 8:06Rachel Cruze?

  They're amazing.

• 8:07George Kamel?

  And they have a 10 year warranty, which means like you're gonna buy it once instead of buying it and then going, ah, they didn't hold up. These hold up. They're amazing quality.

• 8:15Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, the quality is incredible and all of their things, you guys, from the bedding, the athleisure, the blankets. I mean, all, we literally used a Cozy Earth blanket this morning.

• 8:25George Kamel?

  It finally got below like 60 degrees and I pulled out that giant cuddle blanket and I was just.

• 8:30Rachel Cruze?

  Enjoying it. Oh, it's amazing, you guys. But their products are absolutely incredible. And they're giving our listeners up to 40% off, which is crazy. 40%.

• 8:42George Kamel?

  It's very generous.

• 8:42Rachel Cruze?

  That's insane.

• 8:43George Kamel?

  It's because they love you guys. So go check it out. Go to cozylearth.com/smartmoney. Use promo code SMARTMONEY at checkout. We'll put the link in the description.

• 8:50Rachel Cruze?

  How was the financial side of being on your own?

• 8:53Speaker 01

  Oh, let me tell you. I got paid a dollar 20, I mean, a hundred and $25 to be an extra. On Friends and my grocery shopping was the craft service table.

• 9:05Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yes.

• 9:06Speaker 01

  I would bring my satchel bag.

• 9:07Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 9:08Speaker 01

  And I would believe I would go to the craft service table. I would grab some granola bars. Okay, I would grab some little cupcakes. I would grab whatever little beef jerky's all this is me grocery shopping. Over here at the craft service.

• 9:19George Kamel?

  Amazing. Didn't anyone catch you? They say anything?

• 9:22Speaker 01

  No.

• 9:22George Kamel?

  Or they're like, if she's doing that, she probably needs it.

• 9:25Speaker 01

  You got to be discreet. I'm sure.

• 9:26George Kamel?

  Play cool.

• 9:27Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'm sure somebody probably saw me and because they liked me. They're like, ah, whatever. And I'm not like.

• 9:33George Kamel?

  You're not hoarding.

• 9:34Speaker 01

  Yeah, you're not like going like armfuls, but and then later on, get another one, you know, just collect it throughout the day.

• 9:41Rachel Cruze?

  Just visit, visit back to the table. Oh, my gosh, that's great. That's so great.

• 9:46George Kamel?

  What was like your first kind of bigger break where like, oh, this is like a real paycheck.

• 9:50Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 9:50George Kamel?

  I can like pay rent.

• 9:51Speaker 01

  Yes. My very first big paycheck for standup comedy was um, I, I won a comedy competition and I won $600. And at that time, that was the most money I'd ever made in my life.

• 10:06Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 10:07Speaker 01

  Doing one thing like I usually I gotta save up.

• 10:11Rachel Cruze?

  Episodes of Friends, you know?

• 10:11Speaker 01

  That's what I'm saying. I gotta save up to get $600. It was a competition at a Mormon holiday party. So.

• 10:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 10:18George Kamel?

  Who knew that's where the money was at?

• 10:19Speaker 01

  Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

• 10:20Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, I know. Those Mormon influencers?

• 10:22George Kamel?

  Now, bar mitzvah gig, I get that, but in the Mormon holiday party.

• 10:26Speaker 01

  Oh, I used to work bar mitzvah gigs too.

• 10:28George Kamel?

  Those are good gigs.

• 10:28Speaker 01

  As a dancer.

• 10:29Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 10:30Speaker 01

  I was a go-go dancer for kids.

• 10:31George Kamel?

  A go-go dancer for children?

• 10:33Speaker 01

  Yeah. Yeah.

• 10:35George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 10:36Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 10:37Speaker 01

  Yeah, I was um, I used to, I worked for this agency and they would hire DJs and dancers and things like that for bar mitzvahs. And so we would go and basically be like getting the kids on the dance floor and getting them dancing and stuff. So we were like the hype girls.

• 10:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, get the party going.

• 10:55Speaker 01

  So it's not like we're wearing like sleazy clothes and our go-go boots or anything like that. Yeah, it's like, we're just the fun, party, atmosphere, girls and like, come on, come dance, you know, like stuff like that.

• 11:06George Kamel?

  Amazing.

• 11:07Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh. Okay. So speaking of money.

• 11:10Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 11:10Rachel Cruze?

  Let's talk through your money tendencies. Okay. This is like a fun quiz.

• 11:13George Kamel?

  Oh, good to know you.

• 11:14Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, good to know you. Okay. And just off the cuff, like you're just like, whatever comes to mind first, like this is it. Yes. Okay. You ready?

• 11:20Speaker 01

  Again.

• 11:20Rachel Cruze?

  Okay. Are you a spender or a saver?

• 11:22Speaker 01

  Saver.

• 11:22Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, nice. Are you a nerd? Meaning like you love to budget, you love to know your numbers are, all the information? Are you more of a free spirit?

• 11:28Speaker 01

  Free spirit.

• 11:29Rachel Cruze?

  It's all gonna be okay.

• 11:31George Kamel?

  Free spirit saver. Okay.

• 11:32Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 11:33George Kamel?

  Off to a great start. Are you an experience person or a things person?

• 11:37Speaker 01

  Experience.

• 11:39Rachel Cruze?

  Quality? Do you buy quality products or are you like more quantity because you want options?

• 11:43Speaker 01

  Okay, okay, okay.

• 11:45Rachel Cruze?

  Let's talk.

• 11:46Speaker 01

  So.

• 11:47George Kamel?

  Pause.

• 11:47Speaker 01

  My husband is for sure quality. He buys like the designer woo woo woo woo.

• 11:54George Kamel?

  Best of the best.

• 11:55Speaker 01

  And I'm on Amazon, let me tell you. I'm like, it could be here by Tuesday. I'm gonna get this real quick. I'm gonna get it in four different colors. Boom, done.

• 12:01Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, and you get options.

• 12:02Speaker 01

  Yeah, and it's not great quality. I apologize, but.

• 12:05Rachel Cruze?

  No, I'm quantity too. I'm like you.

• 12:06George Kamel?

  Rachel's exactly like you.

• 12:07Rachel Cruze?

  I love an Amazon haul. It's great.

• 12:09Speaker 01

  Oh, yes.

• 12:09Rachel Cruze?

  So fun.

• 12:10George Kamel?

  Okay, are you more of a safety person or a status person? Which one would you lean to?

• 12:15Speaker 01

  I don't even understand the situation. And it's just safety.

• 12:19George Kamel?

  No status for her. You've got the status.

• 12:21Speaker 01

  She's good.

• 12:21George Kamel?

  Let's focus on safety.

• 12:22Rachel Cruze?

  Do you have more of an abundance mindset or scarcity?

• 12:25Speaker 01

  Abundance.

• 12:27George Kamel?

  And lastly, spontaneous giving or pre-planned?

• 12:30Speaker 01

  Oh, this is good. I spontaneous. My insides are spontaneous.

• 12:38Speaker 01

  I feel like since getting married, it's become more planned because now we gotta agree.

• 12:44Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 12:44Speaker 01

  We gotta agree on it. We gotta be, hey, can we give to so and so? And how much? And so my husband and I will do a like, guess the amount. Like if you're thinking what I'm thinking type of thing.

• 12:55Rachel Cruze?

  Who usually is more?

• 12:58Speaker 01

  I, I wanna say it's me, but sometimes we're usually right around the same. We're like, yep, that's what I was thinking. Okay, great.

• 13:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. We'll do that too, my husband and I. Like if we're at like a dinner and they're like, asking to give to whatever cause. We've learned in 15 years of marriage. That I can't just assume and write down a number without talking to. Yeah.

• 13:17Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 13:18Rachel Cruze?

  So he's always, we always do that. Guess the number and mine's always.

• 13:22Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 13:23Rachel Cruze?

  Much more, not because my husband's not a giver, but he's also a realist.

• 13:26George Kamel?

  He's the numbers guy.

• 13:28Rachel Cruze?

  Like, take the 401k.

• 13:29Speaker 01

  Cause I'm the free, I'm the free, what'd you call it?

• 13:31Rachel Cruze?

  Free spirit.

• 13:32Speaker 01

  Free spirit and my husband is the planner.

• 13:35Rachel Cruze?

  So most of what we asked you is your husband, the opposite of you?

• 13:37Speaker 01

  100%.

• 13:37Rachel Cruze?

  And all of it, okay.

• 13:38Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 13:39George Kamel?

  And it's worked out.

• 13:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 13:41George Kamel?

  Are you going on like 15 years now?

• 13:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, we're 14 years. This June, we celebrated 14 years.

• 13:45Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, congratulations.

• 13:46Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 13:47Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, okay. Has money been a thing in marriage or have you guys like seen?

• 13:51Speaker 01

  We, um, so my husband came in with the scarcity mindset, right? And he wouldn't buy name brand groceries. He wouldn't buy none of that. And then all of a sudden the light turned on and he was like, oh, Gucci, oh.

• 14:09George Kamel?

  Did he not know it was an option? Was it just like, this is not how I grew up? And he had to make the switch?

• 14:13Speaker 01

  Well, um, have you ever heard that song by Beyonce, "Let me upgrade you"?

• 14:20Speaker 01

  He came into a different situation. He was in the Christian music industry, uh, doing hip hop. Hip hop at that time in the Christian music industry, he's not making no money. Are you kidding me? That's four dollars. No.

• 14:33Speaker 01

  But I was already doing really well in my career. So when we married, he was used to, um, saving. And like, he has this small budget that he works off because he's doing ministry. He's not trying to make money. He's just trying to like go bless people's lives. So when he came in, he's used to this is how I budget. I get this. Not, uh, we get fruity O's. We don't get no loops.

• 14:57Rachel Cruze?

  We don't get, we don't get a loop.

• 14:58Speaker 01

  No, we get fruity O's, um, and everything. So it was like a transition for him.

• 15:04George Kamel?

  To retrain his brain.

• 15:05Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:05George Kamel?

  Like, oh, we're safe. We're okay.

• 15:07Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 15:07George Kamel?

  We have the money.

• 15:08Speaker 01

  But then he actually started getting financial literacy and he's always been literate with what he knows and he's always been good at saving and budgeting and and doing all that kind of stuff. And then he started learning more just on like a bigger level in real estate and taking what I bring in and then taking in like investing it and putting it here and there and making the money make money. And he started learning all of that.

• 15:30Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yes.

• 15:31Speaker 01

  Becoming more obsessed with that. And then I'm like, I'm just gonna tell some jokes.

• 15:34Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna just be over here. Okay, that's so interesting because people that especially people that get married later, like if they, if you both have careers.

• 15:41Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:42Rachel Cruze?

  And then you get married and combine or get married. A lot of people have trouble combining finances.

• 15:47Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:47Rachel Cruze?

  And one thing that we stand on, we're like, no, when you're married, you're one like

• 15:50Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:51Rachel Cruze?

  Like the, like your money, his money, like

• 15:53Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:53Rachel Cruze?

  You are all one, but some people have a lot of difficulty doing that. Was that hard for you to be like, hey, I'm doing really well. I've built this whole career and now I'm sharing it with you. Was that a hard thing for you or was it?

• 16:04Speaker 01

  So there was only one issue that we had. It was right before we got married and it was about our wedding. I wanted to spend a lot of money on a wedding and he was like, what? No. And he's like frugal, but also like anti wedding industry. You know what I mean? And he's like,

• 16:22Rachel Cruze?

  Cut him at the knees. Yeah.

• 16:23Speaker 01

  You could get this cake over here for $50, but because it's a wedding cake, it's $700. No. So he's like, no, absolutely not. And so I was like, well, this is my money. I worked really hard for this money and this is how I want to spend it. And he was like, er, pump the brakes. If we're gonna play that game, I don't do that. We're not doing that. Woo woo. So we had our first like real big fight was about money and it was about me being, well, this is mine. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Um, but then we actually came to an agreement and and moved forward with that. And that was really the only time that I was like, no, this is what I want to do.

• 17:03Speaker 01

  But we, we came to a, a, a middle ground. It wasn't like a low budget wedding, you know, where we're like

• 17:11Rachel Cruze?

  getting the

• 17:12Speaker 01

  penny pinching and everybody's volunteering to do some, you know what I mean? Like homemade everything. No, but it also wasn't this extravagant, you know, any person I've ever met in my life invited. You know what I mean? He was like, no, bring it down. A hundred people, you know?

• 17:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. So do you think combining finances and seeing it as like, nope, we're not playing this his, her thing? We are one together. Do you think that's helped in your marriage because of that mindset?

• 17:39Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think for sure because it is ours and it's not, well, this is mine.

• 17:44Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 17:45Speaker 01

  And this is yours. Well, I hope you can afford that this month because I can, you know, like wild to me.

• 17:52Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 17:52Speaker 01

  Um, and that's just for me. Like that feels like that would be a headache for me and that would be like discourse for me for no reason. But I, I do know a lot of people who keep their finances and that works for them. So I'm like, okay, good for you. But for me, I'd be like, oh, this feels, I do math every week. Ew.

• 18:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, I get it. The brain calories that it would take to like run a household like that.

• 18:18Speaker 01

  Girl.

• 18:18Rachel Cruze?

  No, I appreciate that.

• 18:19Speaker 01

  That's a good phrase.

• 18:21Rachel Cruze?

  Oh yeah, it's not mine. Someone else has said that, but I'll steal it.

• 18:23Speaker 01

  I like it.

• 18:24Rachel Cruze?

  Actually, you can quote me on it.

• 18:25George Kamel?

  Nobody knows, nobody knows where it came from.

• 18:26Rachel Cruze?

  We don't know. George, you know what's scary in 2025?

• 18:29George Kamel?

  What's that?

• 18:29Rachel Cruze?

  How much our information is out on the internet?

• 18:32George Kamel?

  It's more than scary.

• 18:33Rachel Cruze?

  It's crazy.

• 18:34George Kamel?

  Disturbing.

• 18:34Rachel Cruze?

  You know what I wish for? A company that would go and remove your data from the internet so that data brokers don't collect it and sell it.

• 18:42George Kamel?

  That's the hero we need. And I know just the folks.

• 18:44Rachel Cruze?

  You do?

• 18:45George Kamel?

  Delete Me. A sponsor of today's video.

• 18:47Rachel Cruze?

  So great. Delete Me is incredible, you guys. It's a wonderful service that again, goes in and removes your data from data broker websites. Cause those data brokers will sell your data and that puts you at risk for scams, fraud, phishing, all these emails you get and text messages and calls. People you don't know, we don't need to be scammed out here. So removing your data is so important.

• 19:08George Kamel?

  And if you find your information online somewhere, you can submit a custom removal request and one of their data privacy experts will be on it. And send you a report showing you exactly what they did, how much time they saved you. It's incredible and everyone should have it as part of their wealth building plan to stay protected online. Go to joindelete.me/smartmoney and you'll get 20% off their annual plans. We'll drop a link in the description as well. Well, I'm curious, you know, back when you were first starting out, everyone has the dream of being an artist or being a comedian, being a musician. And that is just a grind. Like you usually need a full-time job or seven side hustles. What was that like for you? Like, were you just like, I'm all in on this? Or did you have a full-time thing and you were doing it on nights and weekends?

• 19:49Speaker 01

  Oh, no, I had a million side hustles. I mean, I was a go-go dancer at kids' parties.

• 19:54George Kamel?

  Wild side hustle.

• 19:55Speaker 01

  I was ju- I was waitressing, I was a go-go dancer at kids' parties and a go-go dancer at nightclubs. I was a cocktail waitress, I worked at a billiard bar. Um, I would do, um, what did they call it? It's like, they would staff people for catering or for things like that and...

• 20:18George Kamel?

  Kind of like that contract.

• 20:19Speaker 01

  Yeah, hosting parties and, and things like that.

• 20:23George Kamel?

  Everything in the hospitality world and some of the entertainment world, you were just taking any gig you could.

• 20:27Speaker 01

  It was like, here's your headshot, and they're like, okay, you go stand the door at this party, and all you do is welcome people to the party. You know what I mean? Hello. Yeah, just like, thank you for coming.

• 20:37George Kamel?

  And then you do stand-up at nights and weekends and improv?

• 20:41Speaker 01

  So, I was trying to be an actress. Uh, stand-up was like the secret thing that just popped into my lap that I didn't know I was gonna be doing.

• 20:50Speaker 01

  I was doing acting classes and things like that. I was at this church at the time. And every Tuesday night, they would do their creative arts night, and they would have an acting class, um, a dance class, a production class. Cause they knew that a lot of their congregation was entertainment industry. And whether you're like full-blown, you've been in the entertainment industry, you're a professional, this is how you make your living, or you're just aspiring to be in the entertainment industry. So they would offer classes on Tuesdays. So they were teaching a bunch of industry, entertainment industry classes. So I was in their acting class, and it's free on Tuesday. And, um, while I was in that class, we would do improv games. I was funny in the games. And so there was a woman there who was teaching a joke-writing class.

• 21:32Speaker 01

  And she saw me, and she was like, would you like to come take my joke-writing class? And I was like, I don't know, is it free? And she was like, yeah. And I was like, I guess. Sure, why not? No desire to be a comedian at all. It was just a free class. So I was like, yeah, I'll take a joke writing class.

• 21:47Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 21:48Speaker 01

  So I took her class. And then one of the first jokes that I wrote in her free class at the church was the nail salon bit that ended up blowing up my spot.

• 21:55Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, my gosh. Okay, but were you always funny, though? Like, for comedians, like, you meet some comedians. I feel like comedians run the game at that some are like...

• 22:03George Kamel?

  They can turn it on on stage.

• 22:04Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 22:05George Kamel?

  But they're different.

• 22:06Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. Or they're just hilarious all the time. I don't know. Were you always, like, funny in your group of friends?

• 22:11Speaker 01

  Uh, yes, but I am not always on.

• 22:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 22:15Speaker 01

  But my, my family is hilarious. My dad, I get it from my dad and my grandpa.

• 22:21Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 22:22Speaker 01

  My grandpa was like, practical jokester guy. He's the guy, his big prank that he would do is he would put a rubber cockroach in his pocket of his shirt, because he wore the same outfit every day. It was a colored shirt with a pocket and suspenders with his pants. And so he would put his little rubber roach in his pocket and he would tie fish wire, clear fish wire to it, right? And he would put it around his neck.

• 22:48Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, stop.

• 22:49Speaker 01

  So when he's at the grocery store, talking to the register.

• 22:52Rachel Cruze?

  Like strangers, not like family.

• 22:53Speaker 01

  Yes, no, just a random grocery clerk. And he starts pulling the little string and it starts coming out of his pocket.

• 22:59George Kamel?

  Oh, my gosh.

• 23:00Speaker 01

  That was his big prank. That was his thing. That was his bit.

• 23:03Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 23:04George Kamel?

  That's amazing.

• 23:05Speaker 01

  That was his closer. That was his closer every time. That was his big bit.

• 23:08George Kamel?

  That's a lot of commitment to do that every day.

• 23:09Speaker 01

  Oh, he loved it. He would call me, once I was, like, established in my stand-up career, he would call me to give me another joke. He, he would come up with a joke.

• 23:19Rachel Cruze?

  Stop.

• 23:20Speaker 01

  And he'd be like, he'd say it and he'd be like, huh.

• 23:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, right?

• 23:24Speaker 01

  Um, his last joke that he wrote, um, and he said it for a couple of years. Like, you would ask him. And he, uh, he passed recently. And, um, even in his, like, towards the end of his days, if you would ask him to tell you a joke, he would tell you this one joke. And this was his joke. Um, he, he's a veteran. He, and so he goes to the VA, the hospital. Uh, I went to the VA and they asked me for my last four. So I told them Mary, Susan.

• 23:57Rachel Cruze?

  Stop it.

• 23:57Speaker 01

  Heather. Karen. And then he'll look up at you?

• 24:06George Kamel?

  That's amazing. That's strong.

• 24:09Speaker 01

  Grandpa.

• 24:10George Kamel?

  That's a good closer.

• 24:11Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah. Yeah, that was a good one. So he would call me every now and then and give me a, give me a joke. Yeah. To tell, but that was, that was his good one. But he was a fan. He lov-, he loved what you were doing.

• 24:20George Kamel?

  I'm sure he, he was very proud of you.

• 24:22Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah.

• 24:23George Kamel?

  The career you made.

• 24:24Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah. All the people at the retirement home, they love me because they know my grandpa talks.

• 24:30George Kamel?

  Well, I want to know what role, you mentioned going to church and all that, and you're known for being like a clean comic. Like, families can all come and see your shows.

• 24:39Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 24:39George Kamel?

  Well, like, how intentional was that? Like, did faith play an intentional role? Or was it just kind of, well, this is who I am?

• 24:45Speaker 01

  It was mainly, this is who I am. And so what you would see of me on stage would be like an exaggerated version of me. So I didn't try to work clean. It was just how I already was like operating. I will say now, it's definitely more of a choice because there are times when I'm like, I kind of want to say this, but I've already built this brand. And everybody here knows that they're at a clean show, so I can't say this. Yeah, exactly. But there are times now where I have to go, mm, this is what I want to say, but I won't. And you're like, and that would be funny too, if I said it. And I can't.

• 25:20George Kamel?

  As you get older, you can become more senile. And it's like, it's okay.

• 25:23Speaker 01

  Then you, then you get some grace. I gotta get a little older before they give me the grace.

• 25:27George Kamel?

  Wow. Was it different being a female in that scene early on? Like, was there disadvantages? Was it an advantage to be different?

• 25:34Speaker 01

  Sure.

• 25:34George Kamel?

  Like, because it's, it was probably a boys' club back then, LA in the comedy scene, I imagine.

• 25:39Speaker 01

  Yeah, definitely a boys' club. But the advantage that I had was YouTube and social media. Because, um, before that, if you were walking by a comedy club and you see the name on, on the, the marquee, and it was like Joe Schmo, some guy's name, you're probably like, oh, I'll give it a shot. We, you know, we're free for the night. We just had dinner. We're looking for something to do. I'll go give Joe Schmo a shot. But if you walked by, same situation, and you saw like, Josie.

• 26:09Speaker 01

  You're gonna be like, a girl? Ah. Yeah. Let's go play billiards. You know what I mean? Like, you're more inclined to give an unknown guy name a shot than a girl name on the marquee. But I happened to come, come out during this time of YouTube. So people saw me already and they knew what to expect. And so when they would see my name on the marquee, then they would go, yes, I do want to see her. Because they kind of knew already what they were getting themselves into. Yeah, they already were familiar with it.

• 26:45George Kamel?

  And you already earned their love at that point.

• 26:46Speaker 01

  A little bit, like enough for them to buy a ticket. Yeah. And for them to be like, alright, let's, let's go see if she's really funny in person or not.

• 26:54Rachel Cruze?

  So good. So you did like Nail Salon, that blows up. Mad TV then kind of connects you there. How long were you on Mad TV for?

• 27:01Speaker 01

  One season.

• 27:02Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 27:02Speaker 01

  Uh, it was the writer's strike, uh, two thousand seven. And I did a total of four sketches. And then the writer's strike happened. And so we all went on hiatus. Every show went on hiatus. When they came back from the writer's strike, there were a lot of budget cuts. And by budget cuts, I mean me. The, I got cut from the show. Yeah, I was done.

• 27:27Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, okay. So where'd you go from there?

• 27:29Speaker 01

  Stand-up took off.

• 27:30Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, so then you just did that, okay.

• 27:32George Kamel?

  Like, well, people know me from these sketches. I can utilize this and take this on the road.

• 27:36Speaker 01

  Well, not even from the sketches. It was just this Nail Salon video was blowing up. And so I started selling tickets. And comedy clubs would see that I could sell a ticket. So then they're like, oh, come do this club, that club.

• 27:47Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. And how many years did you do that until like, because what was the next big milestone, would you say?

• 27:53Speaker 01

  After the strike was done, I kept touring and I did my first hour special, which was for Comedy Central. It's called That's How We Do It. And that came out, I filmed that, I believe, in 2009. And I was lucky enough to do some TV shows, film some pilots. Pilot is the first episode of a TV show. And a couple of movies, and it just really started to like, snowball for me after that.

• 28:20Rachel Cruze?

  Well, if you're looking for a place to keep your money that aligns with your financial goals, Fairwin's Credit Union is your best bet. You guys, they are incredible. This credit union not only is a great place to put your money for checking and savings and all the above, but also the people behind the company are incredible. George and I hung out with them, actually, a few weeks ago. And their hearts to helping especially the Ramsey audience is so big. And they are doing things and continuing to change to help us, right? And that's what we want. You want your money in a place that aligns with your values.

• 28:56George Kamel?

  Yeah, they created a custom smart bundle just for fans of ours. So if you go to fairwins.org/Ramsey, you can sign up for the smart bundle, which includes their Spend Smart checking account and their Save Smart High Yield Savings Account. Go check it out. Their tagline, "Financial Freedom Happens Here."

• 29:11Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and I got my new debit card. They partnered with Ramsey for a new debit card. And literally, the debit card says, "Dad is dumb, be weird." So you have it right there. And so they are incredible. Make sure to check them out.

• 29:23George Kamel?

  We'll drop a link in the description below.

• 29:26Rachel Cruze?

  That's amazing. And all of that, you met your husband early on in that. Because you guys have been married 14 years.

• 29:32Speaker 01

  So we got married 2011. And we happened very quickly. We met in August. We were engaged by Christmas Eve.

• 29:45Rachel Cruze?

  You did? That was fast.

• 29:47Speaker 01

  And then we got married that June. So I hadn't even known him a full year yet when I married him.

• 29:52George Kamel?

  But you were sold.

• 29:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, sold. Because, you know, we have both been around the block a few times. You already do. You know, when you know, you know. Um, and yeah, it was just, it was a when you know, you know, situation. And so we moved quickly and we got married 2011. And so then my second hour special, I went from like, single girl in my first hour special, talking about the way guys hit on me. Is specific to their ethnicity, to their ethnicity. And you know, this is the way the white guy does it. This is the way the Latino guy does it, whatever. To my second hour special is, I'm married now and this is how I'm learning about being married and, and it's been the evolution of my life.

• 30:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, your con, yeah, your, yeah, your material travels with you, like through your story and stuff.

• 30:37Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 30:37George Kamel?

  And now you're a mom?

• 30:38Speaker 01

  And now I'm a mom. So now I'm talking about that. In this hour special is becoming a mom in my 40s. That's wild.

• 30:45Rachel Cruze?

  Crazy.

• 30:45Speaker 01

  That, to be a brand new mom in your 40s, like, I'm having my first kid the same time my friends are having grandkids. Like, that's, that's so true. I posted a picture of my daughter, same day my friend posted a picture of her grandson.

• 31:01Speaker 01

  Here we are.

• 31:01George Kamel?

  And the baby's going on tour with you.

• 31:03Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 31:04George Kamel?

  The toddler is just toddling along.

• 31:05Speaker 01

  That's right. That's right. Going to every, uh, kids' science museum across the country. Every, every city.

• 31:12George Kamel?

  What could you do to entertain this kid?

• 31:14Speaker 01

  We did. We went to Denver.

• 31:15Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 31:15Speaker 01

  Yeah, it was really good.

• 31:16Rachel Cruze?

  It's actually a great one.

• 31:17Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 31:18Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, okay. That's amazing. Um, but seriously, what a journey. I'm like, and the perseverance of just continuing to go, right? And it's like the next opportunity, the next step. And for so many people, I think that's really encouraging for people, um, where they are. So.

• 31:31George Kamel?

  Yeah, you, you bet on yourself, it seems, at every step. And a lot of people who might've been, you know, a one bit wonder, where they had one thing and like, hey, remember that thing? You have transcended that and created an amazing career. Five specials, a book, like so much is happening for you and you've earned it.

• 31:46Speaker 01

  Thank you so much. Thank you. It's six specials, but thank you.

• 31:49George Kamel?

  Six now.

• 31:51George Kamel?

  I missed the sixth one. I gotta go back.

• 31:53Rachel Cruze?

  Like, when you do a special for like a Netflix or Comedy Central, is there different terms, like for depending on the network and all that?

• 31:59Speaker 01

  I mean, they have to prove it and want it.

• 32:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 32:02Speaker 01

  You know?

• 32:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 32:04Speaker 01

  But really just do you.

• 32:06Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 32:06Speaker 01

  Like, I do my hour, I write my jokes and I write for the fans who buy a ticket and come to the show. And I don't write for executives to decide whether they want me or not. And, which is why my past two specials have been on YouTube and this next one will also be on YouTube. And talking about betting on myself, I self-produced, self-financed my last specials, and I'm doing the same thing for this one.

• 32:33Rachel Cruze?

  Good for you.

• 32:34Speaker 01

  And then now I'm producing my friend's special. He's been my opener for years, and he's doing his very first one-hour special, and that comes out. By the time this airs, it's probably already out on YouTube. His name is Mal Hall. What Are We Doing is his special, and I was an executive producer on that, so.

• 32:52Rachel Cruze?

  That's amazing.

• 32:52Speaker 01

  I'm excited about being able to do stuff like that for my friends.

• 32:56Rachel Cruze?

  So fun. Oh, yeah.

• 32:57George Kamel?

  And all the while, you now have a podcast, Funjelah.

• 32:59Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 33:00George Kamel?

  That is weekly, and you're almost a year into that. How's that going?

• 33:03Speaker 01

  So fun. I love it. Our premise of our podcast is gratitude, and we talk about five things that we're grateful for, but before we do that, we do our one matitude, and that's the thing that's making us mad these days.

• 33:16Rachel Cruze?

  Mmm, that's good.

• 33:17Speaker 01

  Like, what's getting on your nerves? What's bothering you? Give me your matitude. And then we let it go, then we move into gratitude. We talk about five things that we're grateful for throughout our entire life. So it could be a mentor you had in third grade, it could be that you just found $20 in an old jacket pocket that you didn't know you had, like, whatever it is that you're grateful for in your life. And it's so fun to get to know people through the lens of gratitude.

• 33:43Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, that's amazing.

• 33:45Speaker 01

  Whether they're another comedian, an actor, a chef, an influencer, any kind of guest that I had to bring on, like, getting to know somebody through the lens of gratitude has been so fun.

• 33:57Rachel Cruze?

  That's great. Well, yeah, because you see the humanity behind them and their story and like who they are. I love it.

• 34:02George Kamel?

  And it's hard to be in a bad mood after that, too.

• 34:04Speaker 01

  Yeah, exactly.

• 34:04George Kamel?

  Sets the stage for a good conversation.

• 34:06Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. Just so grateful. Okay, you guys, we're gonna play a quick game. You ready?

• 34:11Speaker 01

  I'm ready.

• 34:11Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, this is our quick rounds of finish the financial phrase, okay?

• 34:15George Kamel?

  Just top of mind, what comes first? No right or wrong answers.

• 34:18Speaker 01

  Okay, are these like, actual sayings that you would see on a bumper sticker, and I'm supposed to know it?

• 34:24Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, no, this is like, uh, no, just a blank, and you can fill it in.

• 34:28Speaker 01

  Oh, the first one might be.

• 34:29Rachel Cruze?

  I think we all should.

• 34:30George Kamel?

  I think we should all play.

• 34:31Rachel Cruze?

  Well, we'll go in. Okay, okay, I'll read the first one, and then go. Ready? Money can't buy. You can't say happiness, because that's what everyone says.

• 34:38George Kamel?

  Class.

• 34:39Speaker 01

  Ooh.

• 34:41Rachel Cruze?

  Love.

• 34:44George Kamel?

  Sorry, I was drinking my margarita.

• 34:47George Kamel?

  Peace.

• 34:49Rachel Cruze?

  Ooh, that's good.

• 34:50George Kamel?

  Those are good, those are good. Class, love and peace. Priceless.

• 34:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yours is so judgmental, George.

• 34:56George Kamel?

  It's the Class, can't buy like that. You're judgmental for judging me.

• 35:02George Kamel?

  All right. And that is our country.

• 35:04Rachel Cruze?

  And there we are.

• 35:06George Kamel?

  That's how we got here. And welcome to 2025. I know, look at us. All right, next one. The best thing I ever spent under $20 or less on is?

• 35:18George Kamel?

  A new phone? Oh, what? A new phone?

• 35:21Rachel Cruze?

  No, no, no, no, no, phone charger. I was gonna say. So y'all, I bought, did not know this, George loves gadgets.

• 35:29George Kamel?

  So he's gonna know this.

• 35:30Rachel Cruze?

  He loves a gadget. I did not realize, genuinely, I'm a mom, I keep three humans alive in my life, but I just learned that cords to charge your phone are not created equal. Some are faster, some are not. Never do that. And so my little cord that I have been using, y'all, my little thing, would always, like, I'd be low and we were like going on a date and I'm like, oh, I gotta charge my phone. But I'm like, it's not gonna, you know, I'm only gonna get like probably 6%, 6%, you know. Well, I bought a new one, a long cord that is fast. And y'all, it's changed my life. It is so, it is so quick. So that was my most recent Amazon purchase. And I told Winston,

• 36:14Rachel Cruze?

  my husband, I was like, my phone charges so fast. And he's like, what do you mean? And he just felt pity on me that for years, there I was.

• 36:21George Kamel?

  Using some gas station charger.

• 36:23Rachel Cruze?

  On my, like, yeah. But anyways, so that's my most recent, under $20, but it has, it has been so helpful.

• 36:29George Kamel?

  That's a good one. I'm gonna go toilet nightlight. I'm a big fan, a proponent of the toilet nightlight. I think I've probably saved thousands of potential urgent care visits from stubbing my toes, stepping on things. Because I'll be 10 feet away and it just, it lights my way to the throne.

• 36:44Speaker 01

  That's good.

• 36:45George Kamel?

  In the middle of the night.

• 36:46Speaker 01

  To the throne.

• 36:46George Kamel?

  Not flipping on lights. I don't need that energy in my life.

• 36:49Speaker 01

  I like that.

• 36:50George Kamel?

  So I think for 12 bucks for a two-pack on Amazon, best purchase you can make.

• 36:53Speaker 01

  That's good.

• 36:54George Kamel?

  And you can choose the color. Red means like you are, I don't know, who's choosing red? To light up the bowl. I go with like a nice teal kind of blue. You know, kind of that energy on the Smart Money. Yeah, friendly, it looks clean.

• 37:06Speaker 01

  It's inviting.

• 37:07Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 37:08George Kamel?

  So anyways.

• 37:09Speaker 01

  Yeah, red is giving like after-hours nightclub vibes.

• 37:13Rachel Cruze?

  100%.

• 37:14Speaker 01

  Nothing good happens in that toilet.

• 37:17George Kamel?

  It's a portal to hell.

• 37:18Speaker 01

  Yeah, exactly.

• 37:21George Kamel?

  There we go. All right, we bought you some time.

• 37:24Speaker 01

  Thank you. I needed that time. What I've landed on, um, I have a, a grape cutter for my toddler.

• 37:33Rachel Cruze?

  Smart, yes.

• 37:34Speaker 01

  And you put the little grape in and you just push the button and it cuts it into four different spheres. So it's not a choking hazard anymore. So I just go poof, poof, for her breakfast in the morning.

• 37:45Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, that's amazing because I sat there and chchchch for years.

• 37:49Speaker 01

  Nope, just give it.

• 37:51George Kamel?

  Where has Rachel been?

• 37:53Rachel Cruze?

  Nowhere. That, and you know what else I bought off Instagram because I'm, don't, they, they suck, they suck you into the fear. You know, their advertisements, it's just the scariest thing you've ever seen, is the, is the window breaker. It's like a little thing like this and you, and it shatters the window. I bought four.

• 38:11George Kamel?

  Oh, wow.

• 38:12Rachel Cruze?

  And so I put one in, yes, so I spread them out.

• 38:15George Kamel?

  One in every vehicle.

• 38:15Rachel Cruze?

  And there's a seatbelt cutter in it too.

• 38:17Speaker 01

  That's right. I don't drive by enough water for that purchase.

• 38:21Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 38:22Speaker 01

  But I did get suckered into the, uh, the fire blanket.

• 38:27Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, I've seen that too, yes.

• 38:29George Kamel?

  I need one of those.

• 38:29Speaker 01

  Yeah, I got a couple of fire blankets.

• 38:31George Kamel?

  We got like a spray can and we finally got to use it. Thanks to me.

• 38:35Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, no. What'd you do?

• 38:36George Kamel?

  Brand new oven and I put, I put the chicken on broil like three times in a row. So by the third time I opened that oven, just flames erupting out of this oven. Yep. And so I, there's, you know, fight, flight, freeze. I froze. So my wife jumped up, found the can, sprayed it all down.

• 38:54Rachel Cruze?

  Whitney saved the day. George is completely paralyzed.

• 38:57George Kamel?

  The pan on the patio, he burned himself in the process.

• 38:58Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, no.

• 38:59George Kamel?

  Yeah. So my wife now says I'm not allowed to broil things. Enjoy a non crispy life then.

• 39:05Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 39:06George Kamel?

  So anyways, just another purchase everyone should make.

• 39:09Rachel Cruze?

  Step aside.

• 39:10George Kamel?

  We're really safe here. We're just keeping our families alive.

• 39:13Rachel Cruze?

  I don't know what it is, but it's, yeah, give me a scary advertisement.

• 39:16Speaker 01

  No one's dying on our watch.

• 39:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, we can save anyone.

• 39:18George Kamel?

  If you do, it's your fault. We tried.

• 39:21Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I always overpay for.

• 39:26Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 39:27Rachel Cruze?

  Babysitters.

• 39:29Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 39:29Rachel Cruze?

  I pay well for babysitters.

• 39:31George Kamel?

  Like their hourly rate or are we tipping them?

• 39:33Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, cause if I find a good one, I'm gonna, I'm gonna overpay on purpose to be like, come back.

• 39:37George Kamel?

  So they're the priority. Like, all right, we'll be there for the cruises.

• 39:39Rachel Cruze?

  Hundred percent. I'd choose you over the Joneses. The cruises pay well. Like that's, I want that to be my reputation.

• 39:44George Kamel?

  The camels can't pay you what we're paying. That hurts. Okay. All right.

• 39:49Speaker 01

  Ooh, that's good. I'm gonna say travel.

• 39:51Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yes.

• 39:53Speaker 01

  That flight, if I gotta get somewhere and they only have this very expensive flight, but I gotta get there, I'm gonna do the very expensive flight.

• 40:01George Kamel?

  So is it about like, it's nonstop, it's the best time, or is it, hey, I'm gonna do first class and enjoy the ride a little more?

• 40:06Speaker 01

  There's sometimes I won't do first class because it's far too expensive, like ridiculous to where you're like, this is.

• 40:13Rachel Cruze?

  That makes sense, yeah.

• 40:14Speaker 01

  Yeah, this is, I'm paying for the plane at this point. I'm gonna charter a private jet. Like, this is ridiculous. Um, so there's times where I'm like, no, I'm not overpaying them. But there is times where I'm like, man, these flights are getting pricey. Look, still doing it. You know what I mean? Cause I.

• 40:30George Kamel?

  Life is short.

• 40:31Speaker 01

  It's either first class and if it's a super long flight, I'm definitely gonna fly first class. I'm not gonna sit in no middle seat all the way across the country.

• 40:39Rachel Cruze?

  And when you travel for a living?

• 40:41Speaker 01

  That's what I'm saying.

• 40:42Rachel Cruze?

  It's real. That's real.

• 40:43Speaker 01

  I travel all the time and it's very, the TSA knows me when I come through the airport, they're like, hey, how you been? Woo, woo, woo. If you're on that kind of relationship with people that work at the airport. Pay the extra money for that first class.

• 40:57Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. Amen.

• 40:58George Kamel?

  That's a good word.

• 40:59Rachel Cruze?

  I appreciate that.

• 40:59George Kamel?

  I overpay for haircuts notoriously every two weeks and the guy keeps upping his prices. Yeah.

• 41:06Rachel Cruze?

  For everyone or just you?

• 41:08George Kamel?

  I hope it's everyone.

• 41:09Rachel Cruze?

  He's trying to get rid of you.

• 41:10George Kamel?

  He sent an email. It was just to me, not to the newsletter, just to me.

• 41:15Rachel Cruze?

  He's like, I know every two weeks I can get George for this.

• 41:17George Kamel?

  Hello, all of my clients?

• 41:18Speaker 01

  He's like, hey, my trims are $600 now. You still want to come?

• 41:21Rachel Cruze?

  Like, what is it?

• 41:22George Kamel?

  But I don't know why. I'm a sucker. I just don't like having too much riffraff going on.

• 41:27Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I know. You're clean. You're clean.

• 41:28George Kamel?

  Every two weeks, gotta keep it. Gotta keep the hygiene.

• 41:31Rachel Cruze?

  Keep it top notch, George.

• 41:31George Kamel?

  Yeah, it's all I have going for me. All right, the most expensive thing in my closet is?

• 41:37Speaker 01

  My husband's side.

• 41:41Speaker 01

  All over there.

• 41:42George Kamel?

  What's the thing that's like, I can't believe he bought this and how expensive it is?

• 41:45Speaker 01

  Um, he, he likes timepieces. Like, he's very into timepiece, whether it's Rolex or, um, what's the other one he wears?

• 42:01Speaker 01

  Oh, he's gonna be so mad that I don't.

• 42:03Rachel Cruze?

  Is it start with a B?

• 42:04George Kamel?

  I.

• 42:04Rachel Cruze?

  Breitling?

• 42:05Speaker 01

  I don't know. And he's gonna be so mad that I don't know. But he has different timepieces. He has different watches.

• 42:13George Kamel?

  Little collection he's built.

• 42:14Rachel Cruze?

  When you say timepiece, you mean like an actual keeps time?

• 42:16Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 42:18Rachel Cruze?

  I was thinking historic or something.

• 42:19George Kamel?

  Watches are, that's not accurate for what these are.

• 42:22Rachel Cruze?

  He loves his leather bag from World War II.

• 42:25George Kamel?

  It's really, it's really a work of art.

• 42:26Rachel Cruze?

  Cernal.

• 42:27George Kamel?

  It's a work of art.

• 42:28Rachel Cruze?

  Or something, I don't know.

• 42:29Speaker 01

  Yeah, and he'll give you the whole speech on when they built it and how many, there's only this many in production and blah, blah, blah, blah. And he'll give you the whole history and the spiel behind his watch and everything.

• 42:42Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 42:43Speaker 01

  Yeah, so it's definitely his side of the closet is expensive.

• 42:46Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 42:47George Kamel?

  And yours is just Amazon and?

• 42:49Speaker 01

  Yeah, Amazon or a swag bag. It was free.

• 42:52Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah.

• 42:53Speaker 01

  It was in a, it was in a free swag bag at an event. I'm like, mm, this works.

• 42:57Rachel Cruze?

  That's nice. That's nice. I love free stuff.

• 43:00Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 43:00Rachel Cruze?

  That's the best. It's so good where you're like, oh, gosh. Um, I know.

• 43:06George Kamel?

  I know you got one.

• 43:06Rachel Cruze?

  Does jewelry count? It would be jewelry, but is that considered closet?

• 43:10George Kamel?

  If that's where you keep it, it's none of my business.

• 43:12Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, probably my wedding ring, honestly.

• 43:16George Kamel?

  What a safe answer.

• 43:18Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, I have, I have two pairs of Louboutins. But those run, those run what?

• 43:23George Kamel?

  You've got some nice bags.

• 43:24Rachel Cruze?

  Six, 700? How much are those?

• 43:26Speaker 01

  It depends what, what you have.

• 43:28Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, they're not, they're just, but they may be, it may have been a thousand.

• 43:31George Kamel?

  Two or three grand?

• 43:33Rachel Cruze?

  No, I don't think they're two or three grand.

• 43:34George Kamel?

  Oh, I'm thinking of the bags.

• 43:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I don't have any, I know, I don't, I mean, I have a nice bag, but it's not like a Burke, it's not like a $20,000 Burke can or something. So yeah, I'm gonna go wedding ring. Honestly, it's probably the most expensive thing I have.

• 43:48George Kamel?

  That's classy. Mine is a jacket that your husband also owns.

• 43:52Rachel Cruze?

  Ooh.

• 43:53Speaker 01

  He said, if I'm going down, he's going down with me.

• 43:55George Kamel?

  I'm taking Winston down with me. And I got it because I saw him wearing it.

• 43:59Rachel Cruze?

  Is it the wax one?

• 44:00George Kamel?

  Maybe I'll look manlier. Yeah. It's a Bradley Mountain, like a local cool guy company. It looks like you go outside. You know what I mean?

• 44:07Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 44:09George Kamel?

  But you're really just like wearing it. I don't know where he wears it too.

• 44:12Rachel Cruze?

  To look outside. I know, he hasn't worn in a while, which reminds me, he should be wearing that. I wear this sucker every day.

• 44:18George Kamel?

  Yeah, I think it was probably like, I've had to put a price tag on it, maybe $300.

• 44:23Rachel Cruze?

  But that's the most expensive thing for you though, really?

• 44:25George Kamel?

  Yeah, I mean, my shirts, you know, I'm pretty basic.

• 44:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 44:28George Kamel?

  You know, this is from Poshmark.

• 44:30Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah.

• 44:31George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 44:34Rachel Cruze?

  George, loosen the purse strings a bit.

• 44:36George Kamel?

  Nobody's impressed by me. So like, why would I try to even fake it? You know what I mean?

• 44:41Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, next up, blank is absolutely priceless to me.

• 44:47Speaker 01

  Hmm. Community. I said that like this was a game. Community, community.

• 44:52George Kamel?

  Why do I feel like this is Family Feud? I'm like, good answer, good answer. Put it on the board.

• 44:58George Kamel?

  Oh, man.

• 44:59Speaker 01

  Community, friends, family.

• 45:01Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 45:01Speaker 01

  That, that's priceless.

• 45:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. I'm gonna go family.

• 45:05George Kamel?

  Gosh, I was gonna say sleep.

• 45:10George Kamel?

  I got a newborn at home.

• 45:11Rachel Cruze?

  Sleep is good, too. Well, yeah, yeah, you're in it. Yeah, they have like a, yeah. How old is he now?

• 45:17George Kamel?

  I've got a three week old and a two.

• 45:20Rachel Cruze?

  Whoa, congrats.

• 45:21George Kamel?

  So it's a party at my house.

• 45:23Speaker 01

  Oh, I'm surprised you're awake.

• 45:24Rachel Cruze?

  I know. So sleep.

• 45:26Speaker 01

  Thank you for coming.

• 45:27George Kamel?

  Honestly, I would say caffeine is also.

• 45:30Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 45:30George Kamel?

  The combination.

• 45:31Rachel Cruze?

  There you go.

• 45:32George Kamel?

  Mixed with a cocktail every now and then to kind of just balance everything out.

• 45:35Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, there you go.

• 45:36George Kamel?

  Round it out.

• 45:36Rachel Cruze?

  Round it out. Round it out.

• 45:37Speaker 01

  Bring it back to zero. Got it.

• 45:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. Okay, we have one more, George. You want to do it?

• 45:41George Kamel?

  Um, I'm nervous, but I'm going to. If I could go back and tell my 20 year old self one thing about life or money, it would be.

• 45:49Speaker 01

  Twenty, where am I?

• 45:50Rachel Cruze?

  Twenty.

• 45:51George Kamel?

  Could be 21.

• 45:52Rachel Cruze?

  I knew nothing.

• 45:53George Kamel?

  When the bad decisions started.

• 45:54Speaker 01

  Mm hmm. Um, hmm, I guess like

• 46:02Speaker 01

  you'll be good. You're good. Like, don't, don't stress. You're gonna be fine. It's, it's, it's gonna be more than fine. It's gonna be so good, actually. It's gonna be so good. Chill. Just chill. It's gonna be so good.

• 46:18George Kamel?

  Would your 20 year old self believe you?

• 46:20Speaker 01

  Absolutely not.

• 46:20George Kamel?

  You just don't get it. I have a lot going on right now.

• 46:23Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 46:24George Kamel?

  And you have literally nothing going on right now.

• 46:26Speaker 01

  Yeah, as I'm grocery shopping at the craft service table. It's gonna be so good, trust me. Well, it's not now.

• 46:32Rachel Cruze?

  It's okay.

• 46:34George Kamel?

  Hindsight.

• 46:36Rachel Cruze?

  That's good. Um, I don't know. I'm trying to think my, uh, I mean, it was kind of along the lines of that of like, it's gonna be great. Like, enjoy it. Enjoy the ride, I think, a little bit more. I probably was too, like, futuristic looking. That's why I hate goal setting now. I think because it ruined me in my twenties where I was like.

• 46:54George Kamel?

  It's like trauma.

• 46:55Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 46:55George Kamel?

  Like, I don't think about the future. I did that my whole life.

• 46:57Rachel Cruze?

  I know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's something about like being more, like be in where you are. You know what I mean?

• 47:02Speaker 01

  Be in the moment.

• 47:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, be in the moment. Be present.

• 47:04George Kamel?

  Yeah, I think my, uh, my first answer was buy Bitcoin because I would I did the math. A hundred dollars would be 200 million.

• 47:12Rachel Cruze?

  Stop it. When it first came out?

• 47:14George Kamel?

  Yeah, I would have been 21 when it came out. At five cents per Bitcoin.

• 47:18Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, George, what a mistake you made.

• 47:19George Kamel?

  I don't know in any crypto. I don't, I won't do any crypto, but if I could go back in time.

• 47:24Speaker 01

  Oh, and give like a secret.

• 47:25Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, that's a good one.

• 47:26George Kamel?

  Just put a hundred bucks on this thing and you'll be set for life. My real answer.

• 47:31Rachel Cruze?

  Write this down. Google.

• 47:32George Kamel?

  They're like, what is a Bitcoin? My real answer would be just stop, just stop trying so hard. I just feel like I was just like, just like white knuckling.

• 47:43Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 47:43George Kamel?

  And it goes back to that, like, just chill. Like, not everybody's against you.

• 47:48Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 47:49George Kamel?

  Just go with, go with the flow. Put your head to the grindstone and just work instead of be like, why don't I have the thing yet? Yeah, there's that frustration in your twenties. I'm just feeling like you should have it now. And I wish I could shake every 20-year-old and say, give it 10 years, not one. And things will be different.

• 48:05Rachel Cruze?

  And enjoy where you're at now.

• 48:06George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 48:07Speaker 01

  And then also, when that tenure come, you may not even want that thing.

• 48:11George Kamel?

  Oh, that's the truth.

• 48:13Speaker 01

  Preach on that.

• 48:14Rachel Cruze?

  Hundred percent. What's that Garth Brooks song?

• 48:17George Kamel?

  Only you would know. I can name on zero fingers how many Garth Brooks songs I know.

• 48:23Rachel Cruze?

  No, unanswered prayers.

• 48:24George Kamel?

  I don't think I've ever been asked, what's that Garth Brooks song? If there was a gun to my head a trivia night, I'd be like, hey, guys, I.

• 48:31Rachel Cruze?

  It's called unanswered prayers. And they go back to like the high school football game to like the hometown. And the girls like looking at the guy, she was like wanting, she prayed to like marry and date. And they're like, God, thank God for unanswered prayers. Y'all, it's a great one. Garth Brooks, y'all. Look it up.

• 48:48George Kamel?

  I forgot about Garth.

• 48:49Rachel Cruze?

  Look it up.

• 48:49George Kamel?

  Oh, you know what? Friends in Low Places. I just want trivia night. Yeah.

• 48:54Speaker 01

  I got friends. That's the one I know, too.

• 48:57George Kamel?

  Friend.

• 48:58Speaker 01

  Yeah, it's the only one I know.

• 48:59Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, man. And unanswered prayers. That's a sweet one.

• 49:02Speaker 01

  Unanswered prayers. I'm gonna look that up. I wonder if there's some pop artists who can do a remake of it.

• 49:06Rachel Cruze?

  They should. It's like a little slow, little ballad. It's good. It's good. Okay, before we spill the tea on our guiltiest charged segments, uh, let's talk about the drink. So George, um, should we rate it first?

• 49:18George Kamel?

  You know, well, let's tell what it is. It's a margarita mocktail. Um, I think we all came pretty close. You came the closest to finishing.

• 49:25Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 49:25George Kamel?

  Oh, I was drinking more, sorry. Mine got a little watered down. I was just so enthralled in the conversation. This has lime juice, orange juice, agave nectar, and sparkling water. Comes out to a dollar fifty-three cents per glass. So make it at home if you so choose. Spike it if you so choose.

• 49:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, make it a real margarita.

• 49:43Rachel Cruze?

  Whatever you want.

• 49:44George Kamel?

  It's your business. What would you guys rate the drink? I thought it was great. It's so refreshing.

• 49:48Speaker 01

  It's so good. This, uh, for a margarita mocktail, 10 out of 10. 10 out of 10. And let me tell you. Mixologist. It was mixed very well. So you don't taste the orange juice. You don't taste the soda water. You don't taste any of the ingredients by themselves. It's mixed together. So you're tasting a margarita mocktail.

• 50:11Rachel Cruze?

  There you go. Yeah, you're not tasting a lime drink or a soda water drink.

• 50:14Speaker 01

  And it's not just like juice.

• 50:16Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, yes.

• 50:17Speaker 01

  No, this was good. It's great. Well done.

• 50:20Rachel Cruze?

  All right, I'm gonna go, uh... I mean, I probably should say 10 out of 10. Nine out of 10? I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go it.

• 50:27George Kamel?

  This is a generosity theme hour?

• 50:29Rachel Cruze?

  It's a generosity, gratitude, gratitude.

• 50:32George Kamel?

  Well, you're not gonna like my answer.

• 50:34Rachel Cruze?

  What'd you go?

• 50:35Speaker 01

  Give it.

• 50:35George Kamel?

  I'm gonna go 3 out of 10.

• 50:37Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, on the other side of the scale.

• 50:39George Kamel?

  Guys, relax. I, I have a very specific margarita that I make. It's the bar taco recipe.

• 50:48Rachel Cruze?

  Okay.

• 50:48Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 50:48Rachel Cruze?

  Jeez.

• 50:49George Kamel?

  And I'll tell you what's in it.

• 50:50Speaker 01

  Tell us.

• 50:50George Kamel?

  It's got equal parts tequila and lime juice. So it's very limey.

• 50:54Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 50:55George Kamel?

  And it's got a touch of the agave, a touch of a triple sec they use called Comiere, which is a French triple sec.

• 51:00Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 51:01George Kamel?

  And I think that combination just makes for a nice... I wanna taste the tequila, taste... I wanna be able to pick up all the notes separately. And I just wasn't able to do that.

• 51:10Speaker 01

  So you want it to be separate?

• 51:11George Kamel?

  I just wanted to grab all the notes instead of it just be a homogenous, you know, sort of watered down. This was just not punchy enough for me. And for those reasons, I'm out.

• 51:20Speaker 01

  You do know it's a mocktail.

• 51:21Rachel Cruze?

  And for those reasons, I'm out.

• 51:22George Kamel?

  Yes, that's... I also tend to rate mocktails lower because I just feel like it's missing something.

• 51:28Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 51:28George Kamel?

  That something usually alcohol.

• 51:29Speaker 01

  On purpose, yeah.

• 51:30George Kamel?

  So there you go. I just didn't want us to have a 10 out of 10 fat... Like, that's not fun.

• 51:34Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 51:35George Kamel?

  Let's be a little controversial.

• 51:36Rachel Cruze?

  We could've said 7 out of 10.

• 51:37George Kamel?

  I could've, but I didn't.

• 51:38Rachel Cruze?

  Jeez, unbelievable.

• 51:40George Kamel?

  Get the recipe in the show notes. See who's right.

• 51:45Rachel Cruze?

  All right, now it's time for

• 51:47George Kamel?

  Guilty as charged.

• 51:48Rachel Cruze?

  And this is where we ask each other guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. Y'all ready? Are you guilty of having a go-to white lie, financial or otherwise?

• 52:00Speaker 01

  Uh...guilty.

• 52:04George Kamel?

  Do you have an example?

• 52:05Speaker 01

  Yeah, yes.

• 52:06George Kamel?

  I would love an example if you have one.

• 52:07Speaker 01

  Okay, um, if I told you when we're giving money, we have to agree on it before we do. So if I'm in a situation where I can give, but I don't want to, or whatever, then I put on, I gotta, I gotta talk to my husband.

• 52:32Speaker 03

  That's good.

• 52:33Speaker 01

  We do kind of, but if it was something that was like in a minimal range, I could have just did it myself. Like, that's, like, a couple hundred bucks, I don't gotta ask my husband about that. It's fine. But if there's a situation where I'm like, no. You know what I mean?

• 52:48George Kamel?

  You just don't want to.

• 52:49Speaker 01

  And I feel like, oh, I gotta.

• 52:51Rachel Cruze?

  Gotta talk to my husband, sorry.

• 52:52George Kamel?

  It's just a softer way to say not interested.

• 52:54Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 52:56Rachel Cruze?

  That's a good one. That's a good one. Mine would probably be like, like, I always feel like I have to tell people things are on sale. My stuff is on sale. So sometimes like, I'm like, they were on sale.

• 53:06Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 53:06Rachel Cruze?

  And sometimes I feel like I say it and they weren't necessarily. But like Abercrombie does sales. So eventually it would be on sale.

• 53:12Speaker 01

  Like, you don't want it to be too expensive. You don't want to be like, I'm not bougie, I swear.

• 53:16George Kamel?

  So the lie is, I paid retail price, but I can't tell you that.

• 53:20Rachel Cruze?

  A little bit, yeah.

• 53:20George Kamel?

  And why am I even telling you it's on sale?

• 53:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, why do I care?

• 53:23George Kamel?

  I didn't even say anything. I could have just said thank you.

• 53:24Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, exactly. Why do I feel like I have to always like, give a thing?

• 53:27Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 53:27George Kamel?

  It makes you better than them if it's on sale. It's like, I caught the sale and you didn't.

• 53:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, or it's like, I don't know. I just feel like I have a lot of clothes and I feel like, you know, you get judged a little bit if like, you're just constantly buying. So you're like, oh my gosh, thank you so much, it was on sale.

• 53:41George Kamel?

  Well, people are always asking in the comments, like, Rachel, where'd you get that top? And so it bothers me because no one's asking where I got my Osh-kosh-bosh jean jacket.

• 53:48Speaker 01

  Not Osh-kosh-bosh.

• 53:50George Kamel?

  All right, mine, this is just happened this week. I was at Costco. And getting a free sample, as I do.

• 53:57Rachel Cruze?

  As you should.

• 53:57George Kamel?

  And it was an espresso. I was like, great, I could use a little pick-me-up. It was like this much coffee from an espresso machine. The guy begins to regale me the tale of how an espresso is different than a Keurig, as if I don't know, as if I don't own an espresso at home. And I lied and had to play it like, tell me more about the centrifugal force that forces the coffee through. And I had to act like, I was like, why am I lying to him? I could have just said, no, no, I have one at home. I just love a-

• 54:22Rachel Cruze?

  And kept moving.

• 54:22George Kamel?

  Love a sample. But I felt like I had to play into this as the sales pitch.

• 54:25Rachel Cruze?

  To get the sample?

• 54:26George Kamel?

  To get the sample.

• 54:27Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, okay.

• 54:27George Kamel?

  Otherwise, like, wait, you've already had it. Move along.

• 54:29Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 54:30George Kamel?

  And I don't know what toxic trait that is in me.

• 54:33Rachel Cruze?

  Mm-hmm.

• 54:34George Kamel?

  That I have to pretend like, I've never had an Oreo before. Tell me about this. Is that how you pronounce it? Oreo?

• 54:42George Kamel?

  So that is my toxic trait. I will lie to your face to make you feel okay about your sales pitch.

• 54:46Rachel Cruze?

  See, that's good. See, I feel like I'll do the opposite. And sometimes I hope it doesn't come off as one-upping, because it's genuinely not one-upping. But if someone's like, oh, I have an espresso. I'm like, me too. Oh, my gosh, let's talk about it, right? Or like, I've been somewhere. So I feel like I would-

• 54:59George Kamel?

  You wouldn't do that to the Costco sample, though.

• 55:00Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, maybe not. I'm thinking more socially, but yeah.

• 55:03Speaker 01

  What about when you're walking through the mall and the people are like trying to get you to sample their like face cream? Or something? Come here, come here. Here's a sample. Come here, let me try it on you. And you gotta be like, no, thank you.

• 55:14Rachel Cruze?

  You're like, I'm gonna just keep on walking.

• 55:15George Kamel?

  Yeah, any solicitor of any kind, I will lie to their face and not feel bad about it.

• 55:18Rachel Cruze?

  I have a kiosk. It's kind of sketchy. I mean, you know, I think we can say no to kiosks.

• 55:22George Kamel?

  Yeah, I have trust issues with anyone running a kiosk.

• 55:26George Kamel?

  A food cart, I trust it with my whole heart for some reason. I'm like, I don't know what their health code is, but this hot dog looks good.

• 55:31Rachel Cruze?

  I can do this.

• 55:32George Kamel?

  A kiosk in a mall?

• 55:33Rachel Cruze?

  But a lotion from a kiosk?

• 55:34Speaker 01

  I've worked kiosks.

• 55:35George Kamel?

  Oh, I apologize.

• 55:37Speaker 01

  That was part of my hustle.

• 55:38George Kamel?

  That's a brutal sales pitch.

• 55:38Rachel Cruze?

  Were you out there trying to sell, trying to get?

• 55:40Speaker 01

  Trying to sell bedazzled hair clips.

• 55:42Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 55:43George Kamel?

  That feels like a sketch in and of itself.

• 55:45Speaker 01

  Let me tell you. And it was right across from Hot Dog on a Stick, and I got a hot dog every single day.

• 55:51George Kamel?

  Wait, is this just literally a hot dog they put on a stick?

• 55:54Rachel Cruze?

  You don't have a hot dog on a stick here? Like a corn dog. It's a corn dog.

• 55:57George Kamel?

  Oh, a corn dog. Okay, I was just picturing-

• 55:59Rachel Cruze?

  But it's called hot dog on a stick.

• 56:00George Kamel?

  No corn, just the dog. And I was like, are they just selling a hot dog on a stick? Feels odd.

• 56:06Rachel Cruze?

  Just right there. Right there for you.

• 56:07George Kamel?

  This was a blast.

• 56:08Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, so great. Well, if you have a guilty charge question, make sure to DM us at @georgecameron at rachelcruz, and we always use yours. So, thank you so much.

• 56:16George Kamel?

  Yes, and big thanks to Angela for joining us today.

• 56:19Rachel Cruze?

  Thank you. Angela, that was so fun.

• 56:20George Kamel?

  Be sure to check out all six of her specials. Her book, her podcast, Funjul, all of it. There's so much she's got going on. Check out her website. See her in your city if you can. That would be a real treat.

• 56:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. Yeah, definitely. So fun, you guys. Okay, make sure to like and subscribe. And if you loved this episode, you're gonna love our episode, How Matt and Abby Went From Broke College Kids to Unplanned Influencers, coming up after this, and we'll leave a link below. All right, you guys, we'll see you next Thursday on an all-new episode of Smart Money Happy Hour. Cheers.

• 56:54George Kamel?

  Cheers.

• 56:54Rachel Cruze?

  Cheers, cheers, cheers, cheers.