Money Lessons Hidden in Your Favorite TV Shows

💵 Enter to win $5,000 with Ramsey’s cash giveaway. From Friends to The Office, Hollywood tends to bend reality when it comes to portraying personal finance. Here’s what your favorite TV shows get right and wrong about money. Next Steps: 🍸 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. 📺 Watch Borrowed Future to learn how student loans are killing the American Dream. 📚 Learn to build wealth with America’s #1 personal finance class, Financial Peace University. 💵 Create a free budget and find more margin with EveryDollar. Connect With Our Sponsors: Check out the FAIRWINDS credit union exclusive account bundle. Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. Get 40% off with code SMARTMONEY at Cozy Earth. Today’s Happy Hour Special: 🥃 Amaretto Sour Recipe from Liquor.com 1 1/2 ounces amaretto 3/4 ounce bourbon 1 ounce lemon juice 1 teaspoon simple syrup 1/2 ounce egg whites Instructions: Add all ingredients into a shaker and dry shake (no ice) for 15 seconds. Add ice to shaker and shake again until chilled. Strain into glass over ice 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?

  We're talking about declaring bankruptcy and other ridiculous things that our favorite TV characters did on The Office, Schitt's Creek, and Friends. This is a throwback episode all the way through. Have you been in this situation, Rachel?

• 0:20Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah, for sure.

• 0:21George Kamel?

  It grinds my gears, so I'll be honest. It was like a work dinner. I couldn't just ditch, and it was with our boss.

• 0:33Rachel Cruze?

  Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruze.

• 0:35George Kamel?

  I'm George Kamel.

• 0:36Rachel Cruze?

  And this is

• 0:37George Kamel?

  Smart Money Happy Hour.

• 0:40Rachel Cruze?

  Cheers, George.

• 0:41George Kamel?

  Cheers.

• 0:45George Kamel?

  Hey, guys, today, we've got a never-before-seen episode for you from the vault that apparently we just lost in the digital world.

• 0:52Rachel Cruze?

  I know, and it was found, and it was one of our favorite episodes because it has to do with some of our favorite TV shows. You got A Little Friends, you got The Office.

• 0:59George Kamel?

  Office, Schitt's Creek.

• 1:00Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, it is fantastic. Now, it's an oldie but a goodie, so you may even see old producer Lindsay in here and George and I from the past. Who knows what? We probably look youthful.

• 1:11George Kamel?

  We've aged gracefully, I would hope.

• 1:13Rachel Cruze?

  Absolutely, but you guys are gonna love it because it's one of our favorite episodes, so here you go. 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.

• 1:26George Kamel?

  And today, we're talking about declaring bankruptcy and other, many other ridiculous things that our favorite TV characters did on The Office, Schitt's Creek, and Friends.

• 1:38Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 1:38George Kamel?

  So, all of the money lessons, the money fails, and we're gonna somehow give you some money advice out of this.

• 1:45Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, because there's actually a lot of money references in TV shows, so this'll be a fun one.

• 1:50George Kamel?

  Yeah, and diving into Michael Scott's financial decisions requires a drink.

• 1:54Rachel Cruze?

  It's so funny.

• 1:55George Kamel?

  So, let's talk about what we're sipping on.

• 1:56Rachel Cruze?

  And we're sipping on the old sugary... Amaretto sour today.

• 2:00George Kamel?

  Yeah, and this is a well-made amaretto sour.

• 2:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, this is not a knock on our bartender, Michael Reddish.

• 2:06George Kamel?

  Yes, it's a classic drink, but it is also the drink you get when you're 21 and you don't really want to taste the alcohol. You just want like sour juice.

• 2:14Rachel Cruze?

  That's it.

• 2:14George Kamel?

  So that is why Rachel's harkening back.

• 2:16Rachel Cruze?

  I am.

• 2:17George Kamel?

  To her early days.

• 2:19Rachel Cruze?

  Back in the day.

• 2:20George Kamel?

  That was over a decade ago. We're so old.

• 2:23Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah.

• 2:24George Kamel?

  Do you remember your 21st birthday or anything fun like that?

• 2:27Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, do I? I think.

• 2:29George Kamel?

  Wow, she doesn't remember.

• 2:31Rachel Cruze?

  No, not because of that. I got married at 21, so I remember more my bachelorette party. I got married at 21.

• 2:36George Kamel?

  That's so crazy.

• 2:36Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 2:37George Kamel?

  You guys were babies.

• 2:38Rachel Cruze?

  We were babies. Winston was 23, I was 21, and yeah. So I remember more of my bachelorette party because we went to Nashville and got amaretto sours, no joke, at a sushi place in Nashville.

• 2:50George Kamel?

  It's a throwback episode.

• 2:51Rachel Cruze?

  That's why I always think 21-year-old Rachel, that's what I always get.

• 2:53George Kamel?

  And The Office was probably on air back then.

• 2:55Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, man, The Office. Okay, are you a big TV watcher?

• 2:58George Kamel?

  Um, I would say I used to be more. I'm not like anti-TV. I just haven't had as much time these days.

• 3:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, yes.

• 3:03George Kamel?

  But I am a huge fan of The Office. I've seen every episode. I've seen every episode of Schitt's Creek. I don't think I've watched every episode of Friends. I know you have.

• 3:11Rachel Cruze?

  Well, I'm glad I'm here for you, George.

• 3:12George Kamel?

  You have like the DVD box set still.

• 3:14Rachel Cruze?

  I do, totally.

• 3:15George Kamel?

  You don't even own a DVD player, I don't think.

• 3:18Rachel Cruze?

  I know. We'll get the Odyssey van and you'll possibly get one.

• 3:21George Kamel?

  Yes. Well, if you want to know more about the drink, which I know you do, we're going to give it a rating and reveal the cost and give you the recipe at the end of the episode, so stick around for that.

• 3:30Rachel Cruze?

  Yes. So one of the most famous Michael Scott sayings when it comes to money is when he yelled out that "I declare bankruptcy" was season four, and the episode was titled "Money."

• 3:41George Kamel?

  How perfect.

• 3:42Rachel Cruze?

  Uh-huh, and in this episode, Michael Scott has major money problems, and he's been taking care of his girlfriend Jan financially, and just generally, he's making lots of Michael decisions, if you will, about money.

• 3:55George Kamel?

  Uh, it's not all doom and gloom. We learn at the top of this episode that Michael secretly got a second job as a telemarketer to help pay off debt, which honestly, big fan of that.

• 4:04Rachel Cruze?

  I know, but that's like, I mean, that's what we talk about when you want to, you know, if you're in a bad situation, up your income, and that may mean taking on a second job. So, Michael Scott, I mean, one point for you.

• 4:14George Kamel?

  That's no shortcut. He's doing the work. And telemarketing, out of all the jobs, I would not choose it.

• 4:19Rachel Cruze?

  It was very.

• 4:20George Kamel?

  It would hurt my heart to do that.

• 4:22Rachel Cruze?

  But then later in the episode, uh, we learn that he hasn't stopped going into debt.

• 4:26George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 4:26Rachel Cruze?

  So it makes it a little... Counterproductive with the extra job he continues to.

• 4:32George Kamel?

  Yeah, we talk about the Ramsey baby steps a lot on this show and baby step zero, which doesn't technically exist, but it's kind of like, stop doing stupid stuff. Stop going into debt.

• 4:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, you gotta stop.

• 4:42George Kamel?

  Stop the bleeding.

• 4:43Rachel Cruze?

  Before you like dig your way out, you can't like continue to dig the hole that you're trying to get out of, right?

• 4:48George Kamel?

  Exactly.

• 4:48Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, but Michael didn't, didn't get that. So then he gets advice from someone that he could just declare bankruptcy and that it.

• 4:54George Kamel?

  Declare it.

• 4:54Rachel Cruze?

  It just wipes out all of your debt and you get to start anew. And he finds it.

• 4:59George Kamel?

  It sounds so good in theory.

• 5:00Rachel Cruze?

  And, and in Michael's brain, it sounded great. And he thought, well, that's what I'll do. I'll just declare bankruptcy.

• 5:07George Kamel?

  And while it's a hilarious scene, we actually get calls on the Ramsey show. We got one the other day and this guy called in and he was like, hey, I'm 20 grand in debt. I'm just going to declare bankruptcy. And we're like, no, no.

• 5:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 5:18George Kamel?

  That should not be your first move. And it really is like a last ditch, you cannot pay this off fast enough.

• 5:24Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 5:24George Kamel?

  And, uh, you know, famously your dad, Dave Ramsey declared bankruptcy way back in the eighties with some really risky mortgage notes he had going on and climbed out of it, creating the legacy that we now get to live.

• 5:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. But it stays on your credit report for seven to 10 years. So it's a ding on a lot of your financial picture long-term. So we always say, if you can avoid it, and out of all the calls that we've taken on the Ramsey show, I mean, I would be curious, there would only probably be a handful that, that was a legitimate case.

• 5:53George Kamel?

  Like they might actually need to look into this.

• 5:55Rachel Cruze?

  Majority of people, it's like, no, you just gotta stop spending. You need to up your income. You gotta cut your lifestyle and you could, and you can dig it out with the resources you have today.

• 6:04George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 6:05Rachel Cruze?

  Um, but it's, it's tough.

• 6:07George Kamel?

  Jade Warshaw, fellow Ramsey personality.

• 6:09Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 6:09George Kamel?

  Had almost a half million dollars in debt.

• 6:12Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 6:12George Kamel?

  And they were just, I was just talking to her. She was like, I didn't know bankruptcy was a thing back then. We just had to pay it off.

• 6:17Rachel Cruze?

  Well, and some of hers were student loans because student loans are not bankruptable.

• 6:20George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 6:21Rachel Cruze?

  So you have to remember that too.

• 6:22George Kamel?

  And unpaid taxes. So bankruptcy is not a clean slate. It can't even get rid of student loans and unpaid taxes.

• 6:28Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. That's exactly right.

• 6:29George Kamel?

  Uh, this is like our debt free scream in reverse when Michael Scott just says, I declare bankruptcy. We want you to declare debt freedom, not I give up.

• 6:37Rachel Cruze?

  And, and declaring bankruptcy. Grumpy obviously is more than just yelling it out loud with your voice into clearing it with your voice. So Oscar hears this and he thinks, you know, I'm really gonna help Michael and we're gonna sit down and do a budget. This is actually a fantastic episode.

• 6:52George Kamel?

  Don't you feel bad for Oscar in that moment? You're like, this guy, he's wanting to be helpful, but it's gonna backfire.

• 6:57Rachel Cruze?

  Because on the budget, Michael has some of the most ridiculous.

• 7:02George Kamel?

  Line items in there, some expenses. He has a Core Blaster Extreme Exercise Machine, a professional bass fishing equipment and multiple magic sets. One magic set, beige flag. Multiple red flag.

• 7:17Rachel Cruze?

  Red flag, for sure. So he goes through and tries to help, you know. But again, Oscar's approach is really great to be able to see what you have.

• 7:27George Kamel?

  Very accountant mindset to go, hey, maybe we should live on less than we make and have a plan. And so that's what we call a budget. It's just an intentional spending plan.

• 7:34Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 7:35George Kamel?

  And it's just going, hey, do I have money for this? Let me make sure I track my expenses so that I can hit my financial goals.

• 7:40Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. And if you have, you know, a computer like Oscar and he's looking through, kind of like an Excel, you can do it that way. We have an app called Every Dollar that we love.

• 7:50George Kamel?

  Wait, if I open Excel, my day is ruined. I'm gonna be honest.

• 7:52Rachel Cruze?

  Like, I don't want it. I don't want it.

• 7:53George Kamel?

  I prefer the app.

• 7:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. So, so there's tools to help you, but also the people in your life are really big when it comes to budgeting. So sweet Oscar was the friend that Michael needed in the moment to help him with his money. So if you're married, that's gonna be your spouse. If you're single, find a good friend like Oscar to say, hey, will you just do this with me or look over it? I've done it. I just want some, a second eyes. A second pair of eyes is always helpful.

• 8:16George Kamel?

  Yes. And if you're married, you have a built in accountability partner for this budget committee meeting called a spouse.

• 8:22Rachel Cruze?

  That's it.

• 8:22George Kamel?

  Get them on board.

• 8:23Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, so another episode of The Office, Office Olympics in season two, we learned that Michael's about to sign up for a terrible mortgage.

• 8:33George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 8:35Rachel Cruze?

  On his, he's looking at a condo and he's about to sign it, right? Cause he's with Dwight.

• 8:41George Kamel?

  Oh, yeah.

• 8:42Rachel Cruze?

  They're like looking through the condo with the realtor and he's about to go sign and Dwight stops him, right?

• 8:48George Kamel?

  Yes. He's talking about, he's like, yeah, well, I got the 30 year. And the realtor's like, no, 10 years fixed over 30. So she's talking about an adjustable rate mortgage versus a conventional fixed rate mortgage. And Dwight.

• 9:02George Kamel?

  Beautifully reminds him, he's like, at Michael's age, he's not buying a house, he's buying a coffin. And if I were him, I'd want one with thicker walls. It's one of the greatest Dwight lines ever, where it's just a beautiful, real moment from Dwight. So he didn't really understand the mortgage he was even getting into, which sadly is like a lot of Americans.

• 9:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, well, in a lot of different places of money, but especially at the mortgage. I mean, like, like, when you're looking at a mortgage, there's so many options, whether it's like, you know, a VA loan, adjustable rate balloon.

• 9:31George Kamel?

  There's all kinds of first time home buyer programs.

• 9:33Rachel Cruze?

  There's so many things out there that are traps. I mean, that's what it ends up, it keeps you in debt longer. And especially if you're not able to predict the interest rate and it could, you know, go crazy, you may not be able to afford the payments. So.

• 9:46George Kamel?

  Yeah, for those that are renting, they're like, I'm willing to do anything to get into a home. They don't realize on top of the down payment and getting the right mortgage, there's earnest money, there's closing costs, there's Realtor fees. So there's a whole lot more and Michael didn't know that his earnest money was non-refundable unless there were major issues.

• 10:03Rachel Cruze?

  And he put what, $7,000 down?

• 10:05George Kamel?

  He tries to back out when he hears it's 30 year mortgage and he panics when he learns he's going to lose seven grand. So know what the terms are, read the fine print, do your research here.

• 10:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 10:14George Kamel?

  So there is a right way to get into a home.

• 10:17Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, we talk about putting, you know, 20% down would be ideal, but we say as low as 5% if you're a first time home buyer. And making sure that your payment is no more than 25% of your take home pay on a 15 year fixed rate mortgage. So that's kind of the parameters. I mean, obviously, the more you put down, the more we cheer for you here inside this building.

• 10:38George Kamel?

  So I know people are like, Rachel, in this economy, that's impossible. It might mean you need to wait and put way more money down.

• 10:44Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. And that's probably, and honestly, where we're at right now, and even as we're recording this episode, the housing market is still this like kind of crazy thing and it's not 2019 anymore. And so that's what's, I think, frustrating about this part of life is like, oh my gosh, what I could have had in 2019. Now I'm going to have to drive, you know, 15 extra miles away from the location I wanted to get the type of house I wanted. So there's some like reality here that we had to. But the numbers are what's key and what happens is we don't want people house poor and that that can be really, that can happen really easily.

• 11:19George Kamel?

  Yeah, we always say math doesn't change just because you live in California or New York.

• 11:24Rachel Cruze?

  Rachel, I can't. Or Nashville.

• 11:25George Kamel?

  Yeah, you might need to move or you might need to move further out of the city or get a roommate and make some sacrifices and change your expectations.

• 11:33Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 11:33George Kamel?

  But a big key is getting a good real estate pro who educates you along the process and we've got a whole network of those across the country that are Ramsey trusted. And so you can jump onto our website, ramsysolutions.com and find one. If you're like, I don't trust my brother-in-law who just got his license. Good. That's good wisdom.

• 11:49Rachel Cruze?

  Good. Find someone that's done this before. George, you know what products are such amazing quality and from like a fashion standpoint are on point?

• 11:58George Kamel?

  That's a hard combo.

• 12:00Rachel Cruze?

  Cozy Earth.

• 12:01George Kamel?

  They do it.

• 12:01Rachel Cruze?

  They do it. So their clothes I'm obsessed with and also their bedding, their sheets, the blankets, y'all cozy earth products are just, they're heavenly.

• 12:11George Kamel?

  Trade magnifique, I think is what they say in France.

• 12:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 12:14George Kamel?

  And their new soft wash cotton sheets, I have them in driftwood. I'm really branching out with the colors.

• 12:19Rachel Cruze?

  Oh my gosh.

• 12:20George Kamel?

  But they slay. Are we still doing slay? I'm being told we're not doing slay.

• 12:24Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, we're not. Slay is done. I just think Cozy Earth slays, slays a slay, you know?

• 12:29George Kamel?

  Especially as we head into the holidays.

• 12:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. Oh, Santa sleigh. Hopefully Santa sleigh is carrying some cozy earth for you because for real, when you wear the stuff, like when you wear the shirts and the socks and the pants, like this is winter.

• 12:43George Kamel?

  When you lay on it, when the blanket lays on you.

• 12:46Rachel Cruze?

  Cuddle up, like you are in winter. This is winter and Cozy Earth is giving 40% off you guys their discounts. So make sure to check it out.

• 12:54George Kamel?

  Yeah. And this deal is only November 27th through December 2nd. So don't get mad if it's not there, if you're not within those dates. So go check it out while you can. Start your holiday shopping today. Just go to cozylearth.com/smartmoney and use the promo code SMARTMONEY.

• 13:10Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, next show. Hilarious show. Schitt's Creek.

• 13:14Rachel Cruze?

  It's like, it kind of has a special place in my heart. I think it's one of the funniest, funniest shows. So, the whole premise is basically this really wealthy family, uh, has not paid taxes in what, like, over a decade or so. I mean, like, I don't know how, I don't know if they say the time, but they had a person helping them.

• 13:33George Kamel?

  Their family business manager?

• 13:35Rachel Cruze?

  Business manager.

• 13:36George Kamel?

  And they didn't know that this was even happening. They thought they were fine.

• 13:39Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. So the IRS-

• 13:40George Kamel?

  Agents show up.

• 13:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. Show up and start confiscating everything. And so Moira's like grabbing her wigs and like, everyone's freaking out.

• 13:49George Kamel?

  It's chaotic. It's the best pilot episode I think I've seen of television.

• 13:52Rachel Cruze?

  So good. So then they have, the only thing they have left is the deed to a town, which George, this is something that I learned that you would love to buy one day.

• 14:02George Kamel?

  I want to buy a city.

• 14:03Rachel Cruze?

  If you had, if you won the lottery, and it was a town called Schitt's Creek that he had purchased for his son as a joke, for like a birthday?

• 14:10George Kamel?

  Yeah, as a birthday gift.

• 14:11Rachel Cruze?

  So it was the only thing that they had left.

• 14:14George Kamel?

  That's such a great, like, rich person birthday gift. You know what I mean? Like, it's such a great piece of the plot, that he bought his son a city.

• 14:19Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, Schitt's Creek.

• 14:21George Kamel?

  So, here's the key, uh, keep an eye on your money, no matter how wealthy you get. And we hear actual, real celebrity stories, where they're not aware, and they're like, "I didn't know my accountant was doing this and embezzling money. You're not paying taxes." You have a responsibility to manage your money and know what's going on with your money, regardless of who's on that team.

• 14:38Rachel Cruze?

  That's right.

• 14:38George Kamel?

  And pay your taxes. You're not going to get away from the IRS.

• 14:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and be honest there. I feel like that is a place people like, are like, "Oh, can I like, you know, do this?" Just pay them. Like, we all don't like them.

• 14:49George Kamel?

  It sucks.

• 14:50Rachel Cruze?

  But, just be honest, okay? Have a moral compass about that, so you don't get in trouble.

• 14:55George Kamel?

  I always get a little bit leery of hiring, like, friends and family and doing business. Like, mixing all that together can be difficult.

• 15:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 15:03George Kamel?

  So, be careful who you hire. Just because they're a friend doesn't mean you should trust them with your millions of dollars and assets.

• 15:09Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. That's, uh, that's fair. Uh, okay, on Schitt's Creek, there was another episode where, uh, David, they're broke, obviously, but he went and bought this expensive eye cream from Paris. The whole idea is that he charged very expensive eye cream to a credit card that-

• 15:27George Kamel?

  It was like the only thing that still worked to get the money because they're so broke. And he's like, "My card still works."

• 15:31Rachel Cruze?

  But my card still works. And like, the idea that you have to pay a credit card bill was like, beyond him-

• 15:37George Kamel?

  He had no idea.

• 15:38Rachel Cruze?

  Beyond him, because again, this wealthy family.

• 15:41George Kamel?

  Entitled, privileged. He's never had to pay for anything in his life.

• 15:43Rachel Cruze?

  The whole thing.

• 15:44George Kamel?

  You have to pay this off?

• 15:46Rachel Cruze?

  So it was a whole.

• 15:47George Kamel?

  It feels like free money, though, to a lot of people out there.

• 15:49Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 15:50George Kamel?

  It's a great piece of the plot, but a lot of people, it's monopoly money mentally.

• 15:54Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 15:55George Kamel?

  And they're like, well, I'll have money eventually to pay this off. It'll be fine. Or I'll carry the balance and eventually get rid of it. But that interest rate will crush you. We're talking like 20, 22% APR on these cards.

• 16:06Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah. And, you know, $6,500 is like the average that Americans carry around. So, I mean, that's, I mean, $6,500, that's a lot of money. $6,000. So, uh, it's, it's a real thing. And again, there's studies that have been shown that really your brain does disconnect when you use a credit card because it's someone else's money. And there's a true emotional disconnect there.

• 16:27George Kamel?

  There was a new one from Harvard that used like crazy FMRI technology, a newer study.

• 16:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 16:32George Kamel?

  In the last year or two. And they found that not only does it kind of release the brake when it comes to spending, it also hits the gas pedal. So it's both and.

• 16:41Rachel Cruze?

  Accelerates it.

• 16:42George Kamel?

  Isn't that crazy?

• 16:43Rachel Cruze?

  Mm, mm, mm. You know, I know myself well enough. I would be a nightmare if I had a credit card. Like, if that's true.

• 16:50George Kamel?

  Everyone thinks like, well, Rachel, I'm responsible.

• 16:52Rachel Cruze?

  I'm already like, add a card. Ah, throw that into, I'm like, already, that's my like knee jerk reaction is to always just add more. Like, that's, you know. So if I had a credit card, I would be a monster. It would be terrible.

• 17:03George Kamel?

  Well, if most people were honest, they would say what you said. But most people we talked to, they're like, Rachel is not just not responsible. I pay my card off every month. And I'm like, are you hitting all your financial goals? Is your net worth where it should be? No, because you're overspending and as long as you pay off your card every month, you think you're winning.

• 17:18Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. That's right.

• 17:19George Kamel?

  Just to get your 2% rewards. So it's, play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I stick to a debit card.

• 17:24Rachel Cruze?

  Tay, Tay.

• 17:25George Kamel?

  That's, sure. Yes, that's where I was going with that. She didn't invent it, but she did make it popular.

• 17:31Rachel Cruze?

  Again.

• 17:32George Kamel?

  Among Rachel plus Gen Z.

• 17:34Rachel Cruze?

  Gen Zers.

• 17:35George Kamel?

  There we go.

• 17:36Rachel Cruze?

  And something else, George, that I think we all need in this year and the coming years is delete me.

• 17:42George Kamel?

  A hundred percent.

• 17:43Rachel Cruze?

  It's incredible. Like when you can remove your address, your cellphone number, your kids' names, I mean, all of it. Because if you leave your information out there, your email and cellphone, it is like, anyone can get it. Anyone can get it. And so you want to protect your family's privacy and Delete Me helps you do that.

• 17:59George Kamel?

  Yeah, the more and more we become an online society, the more and more a tool like this is necessary. So this is not a frivolous entertainment subscription. This is a must have in your budget. And luckily for all of our fans out there, they're giving on 20% off the annual plans.

• 18:13Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, how nice.

• 18:15George Kamel?

  Just go to joindelete.me/smartmoney to get that offer and then you'll sleep better at night, knowing that your family's protected. That their address, their name, the email, it's not going to be out there among these data broker sites.

• 18:26Rachel Cruze?

  And what's crazy is the data brokers actually will sell your data and make money off your data. And so we don't want that. So again, you guys, Delete Me, it's a subscription we all need. And then another great episode was the write-off.

• 18:39George Kamel?

  So good.

• 18:40Rachel Cruze?

  And so David, he starts work at Blousbarn, a small clothing store.

• 18:46George Kamel?

  You can relate. You worked at what store? What was it called?

• 18:48Rachel Cruze?

  Libby Lou. We didn't.

• 18:49George Kamel?

  Very similar to Blousbarn.

• 18:50Rachel Cruze?

  Very similar. Blousbarn. And he decides, he hears that you can like buy stuff and write it off for the business. So he goes and buys this, all this ridiculous stuff.

• 18:59George Kamel?

  Flush bedding, skincare products, a massage chair.

• 19:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, all this stuff. And he's telling his dad, he's like, yeah, but I can just write it off. And he's like, you can't just, I mean, that's not how.

• 19:08George Kamel?

  Do you even know what a write-off is?

• 19:09Rachel Cruze?

  It's not how it works. Well done. Good impression.

• 19:11George Kamel?

  Thank you.

• 19:11Rachel Cruze?

  He's like, I don't know. It's the write-off people. That's who does it. So.

• 19:15George Kamel?

  He said, yeah, it's when you buy something for your business and the government pays you back for it. Like it's just some kind of reimbursement process. It is not that. It's a business expense used to reduce your taxable income, which is very different. So anytime someone says I'm doing it for the write-off, I immediately write them off. Because their cornbread ain't down in the middle, Rachel, as we say in the South.

• 19:37Rachel Cruze?

  George.

• 19:38George Kamel?

  I'm just saying.

• 19:39Rachel Cruze?

  But if it's like a very, like a vehicle for a business, writing it off, I mean, there is a.

• 19:46George Kamel?

  Sure. But people will go out and buy a Mercedes G-Wagon for $160,000 because like, well, Rachel, it's free.

• 19:54Rachel Cruze?

  I can write it off.

• 19:55George Kamel?

  It's free money. I'm like, no, you're an idiot. It's fine.

• 19:58Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I know.

• 19:59George Kamel?

  Yeah, work with a tax pro if you plan on doing any of this because you will screw it up.

• 20:05Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 20:06George Kamel?

  So you've gotta know exactly what is worth writing.

• 20:08Rachel Cruze?

  I mean, there's a lot of, yeah, there's a lot of intricacies to the tax.

• 20:14George Kamel?

  And you wanna have a strategy around it. Make sure you're doing it the right way to maximize. Like, I'm all for you paying less taxes legally.

• 20:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 20:20George Kamel?

  But don't just buy stuff to do it.

• 20:21Rachel Cruze?

  That's right. Don't use it as an excuse to buy stuff.

• 20:23George Kamel?

  Can you do the, the, um, ew, David?

• 20:26Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, man, I wish I could. Let me see.

• 20:30Rachel Cruze?

  Lindsay, you go. Can you do it?

• 20:32Speaker 02

  Okay, let's see.

• 20:32George Kamel?

  Let's see who does it the best. People love this. This is like the British accent.

• 20:36Rachel Cruze?

  E David.

• 20:37Speaker 02

  E David. E David. E David. That's my best one.

• 20:42George Kamel?

  That was the best?

• 20:43Speaker 02

  E David.

• 20:45George Kamel?

  Okay.

• 20:47Speaker 02

  E David.

• 20:49George Kamel?

  All right.

• 20:49Rachel Cruze?

  Go. You go.

• 20:51Speaker 02

  All right, Alexis.

• 20:52George Kamel?

  E David.

• 20:53Speaker 02

  E David. Uh, no, I think me and Rachel.

• 20:57George Kamel?

  David.

• 20:57Speaker 02

  David.

• 20:58George Kamel?

  E David.

• 20:58Speaker 02

  E David.

• 20:59Rachel Cruze?

  David.

• 21:00George Kamel?

  We'll edit this part out. Nobody wants to hear this. I was just curious. I was just curious.

• 21:04Rachel Cruze?

  So good.

• 21:05George Kamel?

  All right, moving on to, I guess, your favorite show of all time?

• 21:08Rachel Cruze?

  Uh, yeah, George, I would say it is. I've watched every single episode multiple times. Can probably quote it. And I just think it's so funny. Um, I'm like a, I'm between like a Rachel Monica.

• 21:22George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 21:23Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 21:23George Kamel?

  That's interesting.

• 21:24Rachel Cruze?

  They're funny. Uh, Joey's funny. Chandler is probably the funniest.

• 21:29George Kamel?

  He's like the quickest, the wittiest.

• 21:31Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 21:31George Kamel?

  He's always kind of the slapstick, lovable guy.

• 21:34Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, totally. Ross is kind of the nerdy humor.

• 21:37George Kamel?

  I'm probably more like a Ross, but I aspire to be more of a Chandler.

• 21:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, you're more, I know. Well, yeah.

• 21:43George Kamel?

  I'm too like OCD in my own head, like neurotic. I feel like Ross has got that.

• 21:47Rachel Cruze?

  You have a lot, yeah, you have a level of Ross for sure.

• 21:49George Kamel?

  But also, he's very like, he's one of the more logical ones, too.

• 21:53Rachel Cruze?

  Very, very smart, yeah.

• 21:55George Kamel?

  Credit to Ross. So some great episodes. We could go all day, but we've chosen a select few. The, uh, the one, I also love that they named all the episodes the one with.

• 22:03Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, the one with, yeah.

• 22:04George Kamel?

  The one with five steaks and an eggplant.

• 22:06Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 22:06George Kamel?

  So this episode really separates the rich friends, Monica Chandler and Ross, from the broke friends.

• 22:12Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 22:13George Kamel?

  Rachel, Phoebe and Joey.

• 22:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 22:14George Kamel?

  Never thought of it that way, but it kinda, it tracks.

• 22:17Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah, yeah. Cause Chandler has like a corporate job, Monica's a chef through most of it. Ross is a paleontologist and has a PhD and so he teaches the university. So like, pretty solid careers. Rachel, at the beginning, waitress.

• 22:34George Kamel?

  Yep.

• 22:35Rachel Cruze?

  Phoebe, a masseuse, a masseuse and Joey, an actor, trying to, trying to make it. So, yeah, it was like this.

• 22:42George Kamel?

  Trying to land gigs.

• 22:42Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, it was kind of the, the split.

• 22:45George Kamel?

  Well, the tension builds at the celebratory dinner for Monica's promotion and the bill comes and Ross tries to split it evenly among everyone. Rachel, Phoebe and Joey are upset because they hardly got any food and they make less money than Ross, Monica and Chandler. Have you been in this situation, Rachel?

• 23:03Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, yeah, for sure. Um.

• 23:06George Kamel?

  It grinds my gears, so I'll be honest.

• 23:09Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, well, let me say this. Normally, if we go out to dinner with people, I love appetizers. That's like my number one love. So I will order and I will say to the table, hey, I'm gonna, I'm gonna get two appetizers for the table.

• 23:22George Kamel?

  That's nice. So you're saying out loud, hey, this is on me.

• 23:25Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, this on me. Like, I just want us to enjoy it. Like, don't worry, you know? Um, and then everyone kind of gets their meal. And, and I kind of, I, I, I do like, subconsciously be like, okay, if everyone gets two cocktails and a, a regular entree, that's not like an eggplant versus steak, right? Like, if it's all pretty similar, then I'm okay saying, hey, split the bill, just put the apps on our tab.

• 23:49George Kamel?

  Oh.

• 23:50Rachel Cruze?

  Do you know what I'm saying?

• 23:50George Kamel?

  Are you making the decision for the table?

• 23:53Rachel Cruze?

  Um.

• 23:56Rachel Cruze?

  I feel like usually it's like, people start talking and it's like, hey, we can just split it, like.

• 24:00George Kamel?

  Well, you're the kind that takes control of the situation. The waiter comes over, Rachel's like, hey.

• 24:05Rachel Cruze?

  Here's what we're gonna do.

• 24:05George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 24:06Rachel Cruze?

  Here's what we're gonna do.

• 24:06George Kamel?

  Exactly.

• 24:07Rachel Cruze?

  Um, but if it's a very obvious, like, someone, especially, I mean, and I'll be honest, the alcohol, that adds a lot of money. So if someone's not drinking and they get, like, a salad, then of course, I would expect splitting. To me, it's just common sense.

• 24:19George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 24:19Rachel Cruze?

  You kind of gauge it. So, so if we went out with you and Whitney, and I said, yeah, let's, um, let's take the, uh,

• 24:27George Kamel?

  That's tough.

• 24:27Rachel Cruze?

  Let's take the, uh, fried, you know,

• 24:30George Kamel?

  If it was just the four of us, like, it's Rachel, Winston, George, and Whitney, I'd be okay with it. But usually, it's like, eight to 10 people. And I'm gluten free.

• 24:38Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, see that.

• 24:39George Kamel?

  I can't even touch the apps. And they're like, hey, you guys good with just splitting all this? I'm like, I didn't get to eat, like, I couldn't eat any of this. It feels unfair for me to just foot the bill, my portion, for food I didn't eat.

• 24:50Rachel Cruze?

  Do you feel different with, so, like, you and a, you guys in a couple versus?

• 24:54George Kamel?

  Yes.

• 24:55Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, I, and you know what? I would agree with that. We don't go out with groups very much to restaurants.

• 25:00George Kamel?

  Well, still waiting on the invite from Rachel and Winston.

• 25:03Rachel Cruze?

  Hey, we saw you at a restaurant, like, two weeks ago, and Winston was like, George, come hang out at our table.

• 25:09George Kamel?

  It was like a work dinner. I couldn't just ditch. And it was with our boss.

• 25:14George Kamel?

  That's a bad move.

• 25:15Rachel Cruze?

  Your two bosses, you, like, you're,

• 25:17George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 25:18Rachel Cruze?

  I know, it just made us laugh.

• 25:19George Kamel?

  We had a good time.

• 25:20Rachel Cruze?

  I was like, listen, he's inviting you, George. This is your chance.

• 25:23George Kamel?

  We did have a great moment there. Well, sometimes you have to say no to things and set those boundaries. And it's awkward, it's uncomfortable, but,

• 25:30Rachel Cruze?

  With the bill, not with Winston.

• 25:32George Kamel?

  As I've said before, choose guilt over resentment, Rachel.

• 25:34Rachel Cruze?

  That's her favorite line. Tattoo that somewhere, George.

• 25:37George Kamel?

  I really should. If I was gonna get one, that would be a good one.

• 25:39Rachel Cruze?

  It's a good, and you're like,

• 25:40George Kamel?

  Because I'm an Enneagram 2, the helper, and so it's easy for me to get resentful.

• 25:43Rachel Cruze?

  You need it, George.

• 25:44George Kamel?

  Because I'm not good at sharing my boundaries and what I really think,

• 25:47Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 25:47George Kamel?

  what I need, so.

• 25:49Rachel Cruze?

  It's very important.

• 25:50George Kamel?

  Yeah, there we go. That's, that's my thoughts and feelings. So afterwards, as a nice gesture, Ross, Monica, and Chandler, the rich friends, buy the whole group tickets to Hootie and the Blowfish for Ross's birthday. But Rachel, Phoebe, and Joey, the broke friends, don't feel excited or happy, they feel small, and a little bit offended by the gift.

• 26:06Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 26:07George Kamel?

  Which I would have just accepted the generosity at that point.

• 26:10Rachel Cruze?

  Well, it's become a theme, which is obviously part of the episode. Um, I don't know, I probably have a little bit of pride where I'd be like, I'm sorry, I'm fine. I don't know, I could see.

• 26:21George Kamel?

  I understand why they feel a little bit of shame, but it's more on them to feel the shame and guilt at that point.

• 26:25Rachel Cruze?

  For sure. Yes, yes. Because I think there is a part two that it's like, yeah, you have to be able to say no to a situation. Like if someone, right, is going to a concert and you can't afford it, it's like, you have to learn. But if they do say.

• 26:40George Kamel?

  Hey, I'll get your ticket.

• 26:41Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 26:41George Kamel?

  I'm gonna accept that generosity. And Chandler does call out that the broke friends are making themselves feel small, which I think is a good reminder.

• 26:49Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 26:49George Kamel?

  It's a tough pill to swallow, but we actually get to decide our attitude, our reactions.

• 26:55Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, but I would say, do you think the attitude of the giver is different? Like, you're a very kind person, George. Very authentic and real.

• 27:00George Kamel?

  Thank you.

• 27:01Rachel Cruze?

  But what if there is like, kind of a jerky friend and they're like, I'll get you. You know, and it's a belittling or something, then I'm out.

• 27:08George Kamel?

  Sure.

• 27:09Rachel Cruze?

  And why you'd be friends with that person anyways is a great question.

• 27:11George Kamel?

  Yeah, I would ditch them as a friend. Most people that have been in that in my life who are like, they have more money and they just love to go out and they love to be generous.

• 27:18Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and they're like, well, just.

• 27:19George Kamel?

  I happily accept it and I'm very grateful and I make sure they know that.

• 27:22Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 27:23George Kamel?

  And I don't take advantage of them. So there's a balance there.

• 27:25Rachel Cruze?

  I agree. I'm with you. I'm with you. So one thing that's really important is that your bank actually aligns with your goals when it comes to your money. And that feels impossible, George, right?

• 27:35George Kamel?

  It does. The financial industry is riddled with a lot of bad actors and banks that don't want to see you win.

• 27:40Rachel Cruze?

  No, but that's where Da Da Da Da, Fairwinds Credit Union comes into play. And they're incredible, you guys. They have set up so many things for us as Ramsey, if you're a Ramsey listener or Ramsey fan, they literally want to walk beside you during the baby steps. They want to cheer you on. They want to celebrate you. And there's just something about having a bank on your side when it comes to you winning with your financial goals. It's just not out there, but Fairwinds makes it happen.

• 28:06George Kamel?

  Absolutely. They really are, you know, when you say they're not like the other guys, they're truly not. Like, can I show you when I signed into their app, what I saw?

• 28:14Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 28:14George Kamel?

  Like, under the tools section. So, you know, you go to your banking app, you're like, Da Da Da, okay, I can check my account balance. They, when you go to the tools section, Rachel, let me tell you what I found there. Ready for this?

• 28:24Rachel Cruze?

  Go.

• 28:25George Kamel?

  Under more, the first thing I see, journey to financial freedom. They have tools for money milestones, savings goals, goals and budgets, debit rewards, debt snowball calculator.

• 28:36Rachel Cruze?

  Oh.

• 28:36George Kamel?

  This is amazing.

• 28:37Rachel Cruze?

  We love it. Yeah. So you guys make sure to check out FairWin so you can put your money somewhere safe and with a credit union that is for you, not against you. So you can go to fairwins.org/Ramsey and sign up for the smart checking and savings bundle today. Oh, man, George, there's a lot of good.

• 28:56George Kamel?

  So much.

• 28:56Rachel Cruze?

  There's so much more we could have done too. There's like so much.

• 28:59George Kamel?

  We're scratching the surface.

• 29:00Rachel Cruze?

  Money content out there on TV and some good lessons to learn.

• 29:04George Kamel?

  More than ever, because I think more and more people, it's kind of fun now to talk about money and talk about how we're all broke.

• 29:10Rachel Cruze?

  Yes.

• 29:10George Kamel?

  So shows are kind of making that part of the plot.

• 29:12Rachel Cruze?

  On it. Yep.

• 29:13George Kamel?

  And it's, there's some tension. I mean, money problems are very real. And so we relate to those problems that when we see them on TV, even if they're wildly exaggerated, like we talked about in these shows.

• 29:23Rachel Cruze?

  Yes, I know. So good though.

• 29:24George Kamel?

  What can we learn from all this, Rachel?

• 29:26Rachel Cruze?

  So fun.

• 29:26George Kamel?

  What are the big takeaways here?

• 29:28Rachel Cruze?

  Um, from, yeah, I mean, I think the Friends episode specifically, I think you have to know ahead of time when you go into a social situation, how are we going to handle this? I think as much as you can prepare and things, that's helpful. Uh, I would say, yeah, with Schitt's Creek, just know the basics, you know, know the basics.

• 29:49George Kamel?

  Financial literacy.

• 29:50Rachel Cruze?

  If you're a, yeah.

• 29:51George Kamel?

  Understand how credit cards work and mortgages and write offs. That's a theme through all of this is a lack of financial literacy.

• 29:58Rachel Cruze?

  I would say that, yeah. And Michael Scott, I would lump into that bucket too. So just continue to learn, which is why you guys are listening to this podcast or watching on YouTube. So we applaud you.

• 30:06George Kamel?

  Way to go.

• 30:07Rachel Cruze?

  Continuing to learn, as are we. So.

• 30:09George Kamel?

  Well, another theme is just keeping up with the Joneses. And you talk about this a lot in Love Your Life, Not There is your book.

• 30:13Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 30:14George Kamel?

  Where just half of these decisions are made because we're trying to like impress people that we don't even like with money we don't have. And we just have to set those boundaries and have some delayed gratification.

• 30:24Rachel Cruze?

  And I think even more recently, it's not even necessarily that people are like, oh, I need to like, for them to think that we are successful, or maybe there's probably still some of that. But it's also like, well, everyone else is doing this. So. This is what we should be doing. It's like this like

• 30:37George Kamel?

  We've just normalized stupidity and debt.

• 30:39Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, just normalize a certain lifestyle and you expect to get there. And if you can't, you just go into debt for it.

• 30:45George Kamel?

  Just shortcut it.

• 30:45Rachel Cruze?

  Because it's, yeah, because that's it. So that's part of the keeping up with the Joneses thing. That's very real. So.

• 30:50George Kamel?

  Don't do it.

• 30:51Rachel Cruze?

  Yep. Run your own race, people. Run your own race.

• 30:54George Kamel?

  Listen to Rachel.

• 30:55Rachel Cruze?

  You finish first. For sure, George finished. This might be one of the first times that you actually.

• 30:59George Kamel?

  Maybe I'm an Amaretto Sour guy now.

• 31:01Rachel Cruze?

  Wow, it was too sweet for me.

• 31:02George Kamel?

  Well, my first drink when I was 21 was a whiskey sour. Like that was kinda like, it was cool, but it also tasted like lemonade, you know, so you could get away with it.

• 31:13Rachel Cruze?

  Cause a whiskey sour sounds better than Amaretto Sour.

• 31:15George Kamel?

  Amaretto Sour, it just sounds more feminine. And so when you're with the bros at 21.

• 31:19Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, it's just a whiskey sour.

• 31:20George Kamel?

  Whiskey sour, bro.

• 31:22Rachel Cruze?

  Whiskey sour.

• 31:22George Kamel?

  And it's just like gross sour mix with like, you know, a whale whiskey, disgusting.

• 31:27Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, good.

• 31:27George Kamel?

  But here we are. I finish first. Uh, rating, I'm gonna give it a nine out of 10.

• 31:32Rachel Cruze?

  Wow.

• 31:33George Kamel?

  I think it's, as much as I wanna like make fun of it, it's a delicious, perfect beverage.

• 31:38Rachel Cruze?

  So good.

• 31:38George Kamel?

  If you like sweet and sour.

• 31:39Rachel Cruze?

  I know. It's not my thing. So I'm.

• 31:42George Kamel?

  Be honest.

• 31:42Rachel Cruze?

  I like, yeah, I'm gonna, I mean, I'm going like, like I, and again, I rate these to think if I'm gonna go out to dinner, like the bees knees, like we've had a few cocktails that I've actually ordered out because they've been so delicious here with, you know, with you, George and the team on set.

• 32:00George Kamel?

  Lot of disclaimers. I'm a little worried.

• 32:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I'm not ordering it. So I'm gonna go, uh, I'm gonna go, maybe if it was like a throwback to like, if all my friends, if we all like wore our wedding dresses.

• 32:10George Kamel?

  What are you rating it? From the heart, from the heart.

• 32:13Rachel Cruze?

  I'm gonna go, uh, two and a half out of 10.

• 32:16Speaker 02

  That's the real, that's what we needed.

• 32:18George Kamel?

  That's the lowest rating.

• 32:19Speaker 02

  The real answer.

• 32:20George Kamel?

  I think that's the, we did a negative, I think I did a negative something for one of those that tasted like bile.

• 32:25Speaker 02

  The rosemary because I am awful at everything that I do and make.

• 32:28George Kamel?

  That was the lowest for me. This might be the second lowest drink you've rated.

• 32:32Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I didn't like that.

• 32:34George Kamel?

  Wow.

• 32:34Speaker 02

  It's fair.

• 32:35Rachel Cruze?

  I didn't make this one. I didn't like it.

• 32:37George Kamel?

  No fault to our mixologist and friend, Michael Reddish.

• 32:40Rachel Cruze?

  No.

• 32:40George Kamel?

  Cause it's a perfect Amaretto Sour.

• 32:42Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, and he always.

• 32:42George Kamel?

  But it's just not for Rachel.

• 32:43Rachel Cruze?

  It's just this, yeah, I would never order that at a restaurant.

• 32:46George Kamel?

  Old habits die hard. There you go. Well, hey, if you want to try it at home, because I gave it a nine out of 10, you gave it two and a half.

• 32:51Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I'm shocked.

• 32:52George Kamel?

  See how you like it. Go make it at home.

• 32:53Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 32:53George Kamel?

  It's got Amaretto, bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and an egg white, and it comes out to $3.80 per glass. And we'll put the recipe in the show notes.

• 33:02Rachel Cruze?

  All right, George. Well, it's almost the end of the episode.

• 33:05George Kamel?

  Boo.

• 33:06Rachel Cruze?

  And we close out every episode with

• 33:09George Kamel?

  Guilty as charged.

• 33:10Rachel Cruze?

  And this is where our producer Lindsay gives us a new guilty as charged question every week. And if we are guilty, we have to take a sip. Lindsay?

• 33:17George Kamel?

  Do you get nervous about these? I kind of get nervous sometimes.

• 33:19Rachel Cruze?

  I love them. I can't wait because they're always so good. Oh. Okay, well, this one is-

• 33:23George Kamel?

  Wow, you better have a good one today.

• 33:24Rachel Cruze?

  I know, I'm like, I have backups. I literally have backups in case you're like, no. Pressure's on. Um, have you ever pretended to be sick to avoid going out with friends or family and spending money? It's like, you didn't want to spend money, so you like pretended to be sick to avoid spending money with going out with them. Does it make sense?

• 33:44George Kamel?

  Yeah.

• 33:44Rachel Cruze?

  I cannot think of a time. I feel like if I'm invited to go hang out, I'm like,

• 33:49George Kamel?

  Rachel loves going out.

• 33:50Rachel Cruze?

  I'll get chips and salsa and a water. Like, if I can't, like, you know, I'll go as cheap as possible to be with the people.

• 33:56George Kamel?

  Dang.

• 33:57Rachel Cruze?

  I know.

• 33:57George Kamel?

  I'm trying to harken back to those days when I was in debt, trying to pay it off, got invited.

• 34:02Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 34:03George Kamel?

  I mean, I didn't have a lot of friends at the time, so.

• 34:05Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 34:05George Kamel?

  But it's definitely happened where I've made up excuses that maybe weren't the full truth. And some of those were, hey, I'm not, not feeling great. You guys go on ahead without me. Like, you know, every man for himself.

• 34:16Rachel Cruze?

  Okay, tell me this. Would you say, I'm not feeling great, or just, I'm tired?

• 34:20George Kamel?

  I think my friends-

• 34:21Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, like, I would pull the tired card over the like, I'm sick card.

• 34:24George Kamel?

  I don't think my friends would have, like, bought that. Like, I'm just tired.

• 34:27Rachel Cruze?

  Oh, really?

• 34:28George Kamel?

  I think it's just kind of like, I'm not feeling great. That could be in a lot of things. You could lump tired into that legally, in a court of law. So I can't remember a specific experience, but I have for sure done it without shame. And again, it's me setting that boundary. Like, I can't just tell them no, because then it's going to be a whole thing.

• 34:45Rachel Cruze?

  Yep.

• 34:46George Kamel?

  Like, come on, bro. You know?

• 34:47Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 34:47George Kamel?

  I have very bro-y friends, as you know.

• 34:49Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah.

• 34:49George Kamel?

  Me and the bros.

• 34:50Rachel Cruze?

  Whenever you talk about the bros, I'm like, man, who are your friends?

• 34:53George Kamel?

  We go watch the big game, Rachel. We go to a Buffalo Wild Wings.

• 34:56George Kamel?

  You know?

• 34:57Rachel Cruze?

  Watch the the pigskin, you know, being thrown around the whole field.

• 35:01George Kamel?

  When's the last time you went to the big game?

• 35:02Rachel Cruze?

  Go sports. Um, to a football game? I mean, I it's been probably a year or two. We used to go all the time to Knoxville and go to the UT games.

• 35:12George Kamel?

  Well, if you invite me, I will fake sick.

• 35:14Rachel Cruze?

  Have you? Have you ever been to Neyland Stadium?

• 35:16George Kamel?

  No, I've never been to. I was gonna say, I've never been to a football game. I have officially actually been to one, whether it's high school, college, NFL. I've been to one game.

• 35:25Rachel Cruze?

  In high school, you didn't go to any football games?

• 35:27George Kamel?

  No.

• 35:29Rachel Cruze?

  Really? Like, I knew you were a skater kid, but like.

• 35:32George Kamel?

  Yeah, that's exactly why.

• 35:33Rachel Cruze?

  But you didn't go to like.

• 35:34George Kamel?

  We were like anti-establishment. Uniforms, jerseys.

• 35:38Rachel Cruze?

  What football game have you been to?

• 35:40George Kamel?

  I went to a Titans Patriots game.

• 35:42Rachel Cruze?

  Ooh, that's a great one.

• 35:43George Kamel?

  Cause I'm from Boston, so I thought this is the game.

• 35:45Rachel Cruze?

  You need to go to an you and Whitney and little Mia. We we were gonna, we need to go to Knoxville and you need to go to an SEC. Tennessee, like Alabama, like you need to go to like the heart of the South.

• 36:00George Kamel?

  I think I have like sensory issues. I don't know that I can handle it.

• 36:03Rachel Cruze?

  It wouldn't be good.

• 36:03George Kamel?

  Just so much yelling and screaming.

• 36:05Rachel Cruze?

  So much. It's so much.

• 36:07George Kamel?

  And strange people.

• 36:08Rachel Cruze?

  Like a hundred and nine thousand people.

• 36:10George Kamel?

  I will for sure fake sick for that. Even if you covered the entire bill and the drive or the flight.

• 36:16Rachel Cruze?

  Say it all. Oh, my gosh.

• 36:18George Kamel?

  I would go if Winston and I did like the full body paint.

• 36:21Rachel Cruze?

  Like did something big, did something big for us.

• 36:23George Kamel?

  Have to like have a real big reason, like Winston needs me.

• 36:26Rachel Cruze?

  He needs me.

• 36:27George Kamel?

  I'm on the road. I need to be needed.

• 36:29Rachel Cruze?

  I'm on the road. You are such a girl, too.

• 36:31George Kamel?

  So there you go.

• 36:32Rachel Cruze?

  Unbelievable.

• 36:32George Kamel?

  Would I do it? Yes. Have I done it? Yes. And to that, I drink.

• 36:36Rachel Cruze?

  Yeah, I'm I think I'm innocent. I think I'm innocent here. I really can't. I I think I would still go and get a water. I really would. I would go for the social.

• 36:43Speaker 02

  I don't think either of you are innocent, though, of like saying you're tired or you're sick to get out of here.

• 36:49George Kamel?

  Oh, well, Rachel's good about setting boundaries. So if she just doesn't want to go, she'll just be like, no, I'm tired.

• 36:55Rachel Cruze?

  It's kind of true.

• 36:56George Kamel?

  She's healthier than me.

• 36:59George Kamel?

  I will make up an elaborate excuse. And then pay it off.

• 37:02Rachel Cruze?

  Now we know. We get an elaborate excuse.

• 37:04Speaker 02

  All the way around.

• 37:05George Kamel?

  I'll put the thermometer in the oven just to like fake a fever.

• 37:09Rachel Cruze?

  My gosh.

• 37:10George Kamel?

  I'm just kidding. I've never done that, guys.

• 37:12Rachel Cruze?

  So great. Well, it's closing time. George.

• 37:14George Kamel?

  That was fun.

• 37:15Rachel Cruze?

  You guys, thanks for watching and listening today. If you want to hear more of this, make sure to subscribe and leave a review. It's always helpful.

• 37:24George Kamel?

  Put in the review what shows you want us to cover next on these TV money lessons.

• 37:27Rachel Cruze?

  Really an idea. Actually, give us the ideas. We like hearing from you guys, even on social media. We'll go on social, like on Instagram, ask you guys some questions. You all are just fantastic. So we really love hearing you guys be part of the content of the show. So make sure to do that. Leave that review. Let us know what TV shows we should.

• 37:43George Kamel?

  And keep posting about it. I love seeing people tag us and post and they're like, it's a date night. They're making drinks at home. Their kids are listening. 70 year olds love it. I mean, we made a show for everyone, Rachel, somehow.

• 37:53Rachel Cruze?

  I hope, yep.

• 37:54George Kamel?

  And so we love making it for you guys. So thank you for listening.

• 37:56Rachel Cruze?

  So make sure to, again, subscribe so you don't miss a new episode every Thursday of Smart Money Happy Hour.