We Debunk Your Top Excuses for Not Budgeting

[@alexpotter6355]

Yes! Absolutely please create and share a SMHO mocktail/cocktail recipe book! Make all of your listeners' dreams come true.

[@melissajones7655]

SMHH

[@Missfoxtooyou]

Only if it’s in the budget.

[@donnahampton3632]

8 stars and above please. Don't add the ones you didn't like, unless it's at the back of the book as a humorous section.

[@rebekahmbbrown8921]

Yes! We want it! I’ll buy three!

[@mramirez410]

This!!! Also add your reviews at the end of the recipes- we need the honest commentary

[@cabellacreations]

OMG!! YES, PLEASE make a Smart Money Happy Hour Cocktail/Mocktail recipe book!!! You could always add your best money tip from the show that corresponds to that drink recipe! And, fill it full of all the links and tips to save money on vacations, pseudo debit card numbers, removing your info from the internet, etc… LOVE your show!! Thanks to you both!!

[@Joesixfour]

YES to the drink recipe book and please include your scores!

[@donnahampton3632]

I have a vehicle fund that money goes into monthly. I use this for oil changes, tires, repairs, and to save up for my next vehicle. Vehicle expenses are not miscellaneous. They are expected.

[@denisemckinney3973]

We have had a sinking fund for 9 years and what a life saver. Water heater went out and we paid our plumber with cash. When you are really budgeting you have to consider your yearly expenses too. And my husband and I have a monthly budget meeting every month and yes, we use every dollar. And if my husband were to pass away, I could handle it because he has educated me well and I thank him for that. Be willing to learn and be disciplined and you can win with money. ❤

[@donnahampton3632]

George: "Rachel, your info wasn't stolen. You freely gave it to them." I am coughing-laughing!

[@annahopp]

If they had taken any money, it would be an 'involuntary donation'. 🙂

[@DonaldMark-ne7se]

I plan to retire at the end of 2025 at 62 after 36 years in Telecom as a sales engineer. My wife will retire in May 2026 and she's loving life! But walking away from a good income stream and building the nest egg to living from the nest egg is a scary proposition couple with the alarming recession and CPI report

[@JacquelinePerrira]

I feel your pain mate, as a fellow retiree, I'd suggest you look into passive index fund investing and learn some more. For me, I had my share of ups and downs when I first started looking for a consistent passive income so I hired an expert advisor for aid, and following her advice, I poured $30k in value stocks and digital assets, Up to 200k so far and pretty sure I'm ready for whatever comes.

[@Jamessmith-12]

My advice: for newbies to grow financially this year, invest. Saving is good, but investing elevates your finances. Why newbie make huge losses on trade is because investing without proper guidance can lead to mistakes and losses. that will stop you from trading, this has been one of the biggest problem to new traders, I've learned this from my own experience

[@kevinmarten]

How can I reach this adviser of yours? because I'm seeking for a more effective investment approach on my savings

[@Jamessmith-12]

Carol Vivian Constable is the licensed fiduciary I use. Just research the name. You’d find necessary details to work with a correspondence to set up an appointment..

[@kevinmarten]

I just Googled her name and her website came up right away. It looks interesting so far. I sent her an email and i hope she responds soon. Thanks

[@matthewlind336]

I’m a first time commenter just to say… my wife and I bought the Kirkland stainless steel pots and pans a few years ago. One of the best purchases we’ve ever made!

[@Gidget985]

Gotta be honest. Even though I budget every month I saw the episode title and thought “boring.” But I absolutely loved this episode! I pray anyone who thinks it might be boring or doesn’t budget will listen to it. It’s so good and super helpful for leading FPU or having family and friends we wish would take care of their finances to have good words to encourage them. Thank you so much!

[@haircarecyprus]

I clicked on as i like a happy hour word 🎉😂

[@CHSwildcats19]

I vote for the recipe book! But I have a request: please please include your ratings and what you each said about it because that helped me so much in deciding if it was a drink I wanted to try. (I like more sour drinks, not sweet, and your comments helped me a lot) 😊

[@lydiahearts8611]

I have an irregular income (my husband doesn't) and I freely admit this isn't for everyone, but a long time ago we got ahead a month on my income so when we budget we know exactly how much we have. At the end of September, I have all the money I made piled up and that's what we'll live on in October. Another way to debunk the excuse!

[@julievosheva7166]

To the editors: whoever added the sad violin at 9:09, I spat my coffee out. Thank you 😂

[@pattyatwood9211]

Yes, make the cocktail book. Don't forget to include your bartender.❤

[@evijade1]

This is such a fun show. Listen while I work and it’s always a good time.

[@shelleyfields7410]

Yes to a cocktail/moctail book! We made the same pot/pan purchase when my firstborn was young. 😄

[@blandlinda]

We have a car repair/ replacement fund in our monthly budget. We know we are going to have to pay for oil changes, random repairs, and replacement eventually. We put it in a money market account so we can use it when we need it. Just this last week the tire sensor on one of tires went out. It was not a big deal to pay $62.00 for the repair. My husband drives a 20 year old truck. He plans to drive it until it dies.

[@erikaolivo]

This is so smart !

[@MikeDalton-p5q]

I know this is crazy-talk, but if you and your spouse are both paid based on commission, maybe it would be beneficial to not have (the spending portion of) your budget be based on what you hope to make in the coming month, but rather get ahead of your income and budget to spend the money you made last month, or 2 months ago (i.e., not live paycheck to paycheck). Like I said, crazy.

[@calvinwebb8949]

Yes, Please make a mocktail and cocktail book. I would preorder it. I Love Rachel and George and not to mention Lyndsey. All of you make learning about finances fun and entertaining.

[@angelanalley1188]

I would enjoy a mocktail recipe book. Love your videos. Thank you sharing your stories with us.

[@dannymartial7997]

I was trying to convince a friend who struggles financially with money to start a budget. I even offered to help him create one. But his response was “I don’t want to budget my life away”… And that was the last time I respected him as a person. My offer wasn’t un-prompted either; he constantly complained about his finances

[@Quanismyboy]

I had this happen to me. They said they were told you don’t budget money you don’t have. I couldn’t understand at all.

[@laundrygoddess4]

Sinking funds for medical, home repairs, car maintenance including tires and saving money for your next car, gifts, vacation... All these things can keep you on track. Sinking funds have saved me too many times to mention in the last three decades

[@bettedavis9261]

Oh, my goodness, YES!! We have almost 200k in sinking funds. Some are for expenses anticipated in the current year (car repairs, ongoing home maintenance , personal property tax for cars, etc) up to 5-10 years from now (new roof, new driveway, foundation repairs, new cars, etc). All in a HYSA, but separated out in my paper ledger.

[@laundrygoddess4]

@@bettedavis9261 you are kicking butt and taking names! Well done

[@bettedavis9261]

@@laundrygoddess4 thanks. I'm definitely a planner.

[@noahduncan4095]

We don't budget rn and we probably should, but my wife and I are careful about lifestyle creep. I got a couple pay increases this year so we set up a regular automatic extra payment to principle on the mortgage that covers most of the extra money we're seeing from each paycheck. We didn't need the extra, so better to put it somewhere that'll help us get ahead than to take the opportunity to eat out more or something

[@mramirez410]

YES YOU HEARD US!!!! Please yes to the drink cookbook!

[@elizabethdewitt8650]

We would love a cocktail/mocktail recipe book!

[@katiewilson4411]

Thank you very much for the comment about giving/tithing. I've been looking at my budget to see if my expenses fit in the 50/20/30 kind of thing, but I have been so discouraged because I give 10% to my church, which I considered fixed.... It's not ever going to change... But it throws off my percentages and then I feel like I can't get the budget to be right. I've stayed within my budget for years, but it's my own budget. Thanks for making me feel better about that!

[@autumnjerene]

What's the breakdown of 50/20/30? Using percentages never works for us because we have an unusual large family. They say 25% to housing, but we can't do that because we have to put 25% on groceries. We end up doing 10% to tithe, 15% to savings/retirement, 25% to groceries, about 17% to housing, and all the rest to living life.

[@SamBrown-t7f]

Yess!! We would love a recipe book for all the cocktails!

[@elmayo1665]

We buy everything on credit, but it is all entered into the budget. Our credit card limit is irrelevant, if it's not in the budget we don't buy it. This way I get points for all my purchases(which saves me on groceries) and the credit card gets zeroed out out each month. Haven't paid a dime in interest in like a decade.

[@Legacymom0122]

33:56 Yessss! Please make a recipe book! That would be soooo great!!!!

[@rachelschaekel343]

Absolutely should make a cocktail/mocktail cookbook!! You’ve had a lot of good ones and it would be so much easier to browse a book than scroll through all the episodes. Also, stainless steel is great for pots. We to use cast iron or carbon steel for our skillets.

[@jmiller2208]

I can see the cocktail mocktail book, I have imagined it a number of times. I actually have skipped on alcoholic drinks for the norm but would like to try to make mocktails! Put a good twenty or so mocktails in there. Maybe a recipie every page with a picture 😋

[@silversage03]

YES!! A recipe collection would be great!!

[@deb9806]

I pay credit as I go, not monthly. I just pay it weekly or even twice a week so my checking has a sea of Chase (amazon) but it's safe, has only a 500 limit and I get points. I changed from always using debit when I realized when I forgot it at grocery store one day and I got dollars in points from CC and now have 142.00 on Chase/Amazon. By Xmas, I hope to pay for many gifts without dipping in savings. I just buy the same things every month so why not? I like how it keeps catagories of what I buy too.

[@rachaelholderman9677]

yes please on the mocktail recipe book!

[@Alina-kx1kj]

YES please create a cocktail/mocktail recipe book!!! 🍸🍹 🍻

[@AviSpira]

Recipe book! Maybe with a financial tip each drink can be associated with :)

[@paulg2132]

You both (and your spouses) need a "Things to know when I die" book. In a worst case scenario, there is no panic or guesswork.

[@EmilieMckevitt]

YES I would love the cocktail/mocktail recipe book!!!

[@jerzsubbie]

It's funny to hear the budgeting excuses around income. My income kept growing so I never bothered to really budget until I was making more money than I ever imagined and wanted to be more purposeful with my money.

[@gracebigelow4278]

I would LOVE a recipe book! It would be such a great idea for a gift to give people so they can start listening to the show and hopefully then start listening to the Ramsey show to help them get their money in order!! 🎊 🎉

[@KimberlyAnn1971]

Please make a video on how your Every Dollar App works. I am struggling with it. Thank you!

[@kimberlyfranckowiak7052]

A how to Home and Garden book ft Winston and George. What filter to buy when. When to get oil changed. Home maintenance. Etc. life stuff.

[@ElizabethEllenCarter]

I've only just amortised my annual and quarterly bills - along with ad hoc bills such as medical costs (based on three years of tracking) to create a zero-dollar budget. In effect, with every fortnightly pay, I'm saving for the annual home insurance bill, six monthly council rates, and quarterly electricity bill. I've only just discovered Dave Ramsey and the team (I'm from Australia) and I wish I'd learned the baby steps method years ago!

[@alinaboyko6292]

I am a student on a budget and would love a “best rated mocktail free website page 🙈🙈🙈 separated by “less ingredients” and “more ingredients” accompanied with Rachel’s and George’s ratings 🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️ The book for others who graduated and adults now 😊. It would be lovely to have best rated mocktails collected for free on a website page 🙈🥰❤️❤️❤️

[@austinbar]

The avg. American is having a tough time, I know I am not alone. There are others in same position as me. By certain statistics: 22% of americans have no retirement savings. 64% are worried that they will not have money in latter years while 47% of adults who are not yet retired think they have to work part-time in retirement. How can I best grow the 100k I have saved seperately outside retirement access which of course had depleted over the years?

[@rogerwheelers4322]

Effective personal finance management is more important than the amount of money saved, regardless of whether income is earned through job or investment. Individuals can seek counsel from a certified financial advisor to optimize financial outcomes, who can provide specialized advice and methods to decrease expenses and maximize income.

[@joshbarney114]

I completely agree; I am in my mid 40s, approaching retirement, and have approximately over 2million dollars in external retirement funds. I am debt free and have very little money in retirement funds compared to the total value of my portfolio over the past three years. To be honest, the Fin-advisor can only be neglected, not rejected. Just do your due diligence to identify a fiduciary one.

[@FabioOdelega876]

This is exactly how i wish to get my finances coordinated ahead of retirement. Can you recommend the financial advisor you used to get ahead?

[@joshbarney114]

Certainly, there are a handful of experts in the field. I've experimented with a few over the past years, but I've stuck with ‘’Marisa Michelle Litwinsky’’ for about three years now, and her performance has been consistently impressive. She’s quite known in her field, look-her up.

[@FabioOdelega876]

Thank you for this tip. it was easy to find your coach. and I conducted thorough research on her credentials before scheduling a call with her. Based on her résumé, she appears to possess a high level of proficiency, and I am grateful for the opportunity to speak with her.

[@thuggyduggy1525]

George is the goat! Wassup George? Hope you are having the best year! Thanks for the INFORMATION lol. Coffee gang

[@jessicamartinez5781]

Ooo, am writing down the recipe for the mocktail! Would be a fan of recipes (I need pics in it for encouragement). I also get the switch from non-stick to stainless; I've done the same. I have learned to get the pan hot before starting to cook on it, then add the butter/oil and start cooking.

[@JoshuaEdwards-p4c]

For those aren't hardcore spenders by nature. The sinking fund option is great on a lot of categories if you can handle broad categories. For example I put 130 in my car category. 50ish of that is gas and the rest rolls over for maintenance, repairs, and eventually car replacement. If you are a spender by nature then splitting that into 3 sperate categories would be best. this way a road trip doesn't mess up my fuel category and I can increase the whole category with raises to deal with rising fuel cost and having more cushion for repairs.

[@jordanhann6902]

Yes! SMHO cocktail recipe book!

[@rebeccawebb6183]

YES. To the mock tail /cocktail book. Hi. I have a SMHH guilty as charged question suggestion ….: Have you ever left more gratuity after someone else cause you’re together and embarrassed it’s not enough? (Example you split the bill pay in cash with generous tip but see or maybe unsure who the other people do with other part of the check)

[@Izzy_Gtz]

Congratulations George, with stainless is all about temperature. I've had mine for a few years and still look great, also your Mom can give you some tips.

[@kelseygreene8807]

Yes to the drink book and yes to adding your ratings, comments and price per glass! ❤

[@maryS1977]

For decades I have balanced my checkbook monthly against my bank statement. Yes to the penny… I started budgeting with Every Dollar over a year ago and boy that was eye opening. Planning the large expenses vs just putting it on a charge card is the biggest behavior change I’m working on.

[@rubytoledo1477]

Ommggg Rachel, I hear you with the dryer, I thought I was the only one😂 love you guys

[@Noweesmom1]

Please make a beverage book with budget tips thrown in 😊

[@mistiburnes9709]

Rachel and George - We loved the mock tail!!❤😊

[@alleykeosheyan4779]

*phew* thought they were gonna break in to "Love To Love You, Baby..." SO glad they didn't!

[@HelenFord]

Please make a mocktail/cocktail recipe book! At the very least somewhere digitally that way it can be updated every week.

[@taraconway8713]

I love that green color on you Rachel!

[@vishsangale]

If I hadn't gone to college, I would have been on the streets. I paid it off within two years. But the real issue with student loan debt is, getting a degree which can't pay it off. Some of the worst majors are communications, arts, sociology with most unemployment and least salaries.

[@natalieleybold3887]

Gender studies with a minor in Taylor swift

[@ihaveadreamformykids4400]

For arts just go to hobby lobby

[@bettedavis9261]

I have been in charge of our budget for 31 years. My husband asks every six months or so "if we're good." He has maybe looked at the budget six times?? The only money he spends is at the doctor or for his car repairs. Neither of us are spenders. I know how we do this is anathema to the Ramsey folks, but it works for us. BS 7.

[@greenriveracres]

My husband would prefer not to be involved with the budget. He found my spreadsheets too overwhelming and thought i was overcomplicating it. I told him that if something happens to me, he needs to know what to do. Now that he understands how complicated the budget actually is, he understands the spreadsheets help make the picture clear. He doesnt do the budget now but he knows how it works. Every week we sit in front of the conputer and do an update so we can be on the same page.

[@KirsteinTherese]

Yes please! We want that recipe book ❤

[@BarbaraCrim-gx5cg]

Yes! Please make a recipe book for mock cocktails.

[@annahopp]

You are ruining all my favorite excuses! 🙂 We actually do a 'creative budget' with a 4'x3' daily calendar on the wall for all upcoming recurring payments, a clear list of all recurring payments by day of the month with checkboxes for each month, plus an autonomous sub-budget for groceries and consumer goods that my wife manages (so I don't have to). Works great and if she has money left in the sub-budget, she takes grandma out for lunch.

[@rowboat8343]

I've been budgeting since I started getting pocket money. $7 a week when I turned 13 lol. Now I'm 44 and budgeting is second nature. I review our spending every month and regularly update our budget considering upcoming expenses. Things like new tyres aren't a surprise. You know it's coming. It goes in the budget. Baring a medical emergency or act of nature, almost everything is NOT a surprise. Those exceptions should be covered by insurance. So far we have not had any unexpected expenses that we couldn't cover by our cash reserves or insurance. Maybe lucky but I believe most people would be in the same situation.

[@kathleenmathews6096]

I use the misc for small purchases. For something that will eventually happen (replace car/appliances, repairs, medical, vacation, cpa/taxes,property taxes etc) I estimate based on prior years, divide all amounts by 12 and monthly put that amount into a money market. I do put a limit on some categories and once I reach that, those funds go into regular savings/investing (we are retired and have Medicare so I limit this account to a few thousand and then stop funding it). This system has worked for us for years and there is no stress when a bill needs to be paid as funds are in MM vs having to pay the amount from one month’s budget. I will never understand why DR doesn’t teach this.

[@kathleenmathews6096]

Posted this before I heard George talk about an insurance sinking fund.

[@kimberlyfranckowiak7052]

Yes! Mocktail book!

[@meganbein]

Absolutely yes to a recipe book!!!

[@Wholesomelivingg]

Yes!! Give us a book

[@rubytoledo1477]

Hey guys … Do you think you can do a video on the Budget Categories that is the one thing I have difficulty with😮

[@mattTHEEgreat]

The violin music adds a nice touch

[@Emily-qk9yr]

George, don’t feel bad. I have 3+ teenagers eating at my house on the daily. I spend that amount at the grocery store on the regular. These kids can eat!!!

[@sharonbusch]

I asked my husband to make a big list in case he leaves the planet, he is 72, you're never to young to start ❤️

[@CalvinHillMusic]

LOOOOOOOOOOL 🤣🤣🤣 George was like, "Listen please understand that I know this stuff, I just dont do it yet. PLEASE DON'T SEND ME NO DANG MESSAGES WITH TIPS." Atleast that's how I heard it, I'm rolling over here 😂.

[@meve531]

I've had stainless steel pots and pans my entire life, I never knew this was considered complicated LOL

[@Pandorash8]

As long as you ship to Australia, I’ll buy a cocktail/mocktail book from you guys for sure 💜

[@joehutchens3585]

lol George is just too good, comedy gold

[@amandaporter4771]

My husband is working on an app to help people budget for tips/bonuses and weekly pay.

[@BackroadMoney]

That's amazing. As a server for many years, I'm sure that would be helpful

[@BarbaraCrim-gx5cg]

Please make the mock cocktail recipe book and add scores, as well. Thank you.

[@darcienettleton5565]

Yes to the book

[@maloryvictoria9561]

Rachel, this outfit is beautiful!

[@abbyk8mc]

would LOVE a recipe book

[@rh-bd6wv]

BOA has online tools that make budgeting effortless. For all accounts, deposit, credit, and investment, there are reports tracking income and spending. Spending is categorized, and budget goals for each category are allowed. There are reports averaging income and spending along with cash flow reports. Everything you need with no effort.

[@rhiannonbailey8427]

what pot and pan set did you get Rachel? love your hair btw!

[@nonfat6]

YES a recipe book!!!

[@stevenrburgoyne]

I never had an emergency fund for the longest time and finally got one fully funded. A month later my building caught fire. I have insurance but they take forever to pay out so had to pay thousands out of pocket. Now I 100% recommend it for everyone cause you just never know.

[@haircarecyprus]

Omg hope your ok 😮

[@stevenrburgoyne]

@@haircarecyprus It was a stressful time for sure but I was fortunate. Thankfully no one was hurt and only about 1/3 of the building was damaged (quick thinking on the firefighters saved the other 2/3) and my unit was on the undamaged side. Still took contractors 4 months to get the side which was not heavily damaged fixed so we could move back in while they rebuild the damaged side.

[@hunnybunny4306]

I naturally enjoy saving and have always saved over 30% of my income without budgeting. When I tried budgeting for 6 months, it made no difference to my spending because I was already spending the amount needed to have a fulfilling life. I see no purpose to budgeting, but is there a reason I should start again?

[@amandaw1996]

Would 💯 buy that cocktail book 🍸

[@retnuh1262]

We want the mock-tail recipe book!

[@user-tb6ip7ks6b]

Yes pls recipe book.

[@dianacarpenter6578]

George, use cast iron, way better than stainless steel!

[@RPMcMurphy33]

I call my miscellaneous fund “the mini-buffer.” If there’s something unexpected or expected, but outside of our base budget, I use that.

[@traceywithrow3948]

Yes! Yes! Yes! On the recipe book

[@ByHisHandsHomestead]

Ynaber for 4 years. Life changing! 😉😊

[@nathanedwards3858]

What about people who automate their savings & investments (pay themselves first) and spend on the back end based on what we have left?

[@leilacavender4066]

I have used stainless steel since the day I got married and started cooking. I feel like it’s totally easy! But I don’t have one non stick for my morning eggs which I’m feeling convicted to switch to stone lol.

[@heidinoggle]

yes!!! i LOVE mules, but those cups are too much!!!!! (and i love the episode :p)

[@ParkDari]

With your first job no matter what start your retirement plan and put $50 a month into an emergency fund on auto draw from your bank account and then remember it is only for emergencies that’s it and just leave it there . 26 years went by before we needed that emergency fund big time , but when we did That $17,000 emergency was able to be covered easily . we do our emergency fund a little bit different. We keep 2500 in a high yield savings account and we put the rest in a tax sheltered fund that we can access in three business days that is why it is grown and earned more because we found very few things in life, at least in our life needed more than $2500 to fix

[@denisemckinney3973]

Budgeting works!

[@danieljohnson4418]

I watched the entire video. I still have no desire to budget. I'll continue to invest 15% and spend as little as possible without budgeting.