What Level of Crunchy Are You?
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Today, we're unpacking what it means to be crunchy, scrunchy, and silky on a budget. I had a friend that made her own deodorant. Are you guys still friends? Tide detergent. This is what we use. This one's become controversial. Do you use like the clean one or is it like the bright orange red bottle? Bright orange red bottle. Hey guys, I'm Rachel Cruz. I'm George Camel. And this is Smart Money Happy Hour.

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. This is a good one because we're going to dive in. There's a lot of trends happening and it's good, right? We're being healthier. Trying. More self-conscious of like what we're putting around our environment, I mean.

I mean, it's great, but it's very much a trend. So we're going to dive in. And what's worth it? What's worth the extra money? Cost of money. Some money. So while we're talking about that, what are we going to sip on, George? We are sipping on a Kentucky Flyer. And we're going to give you the rating and reveal the cost per glass at the end of the episode. So stick around for that. All right. So the term crunchy mom. I hear it all the time. It's a thing, right? So like define that. Like when you hear it, George, what are you thinking about? Well, my wife is in a crunchy mom Facebook group.

And let me tell you, I think there's a spectrum of crunchy moms. There's moms who are wanting the best for their kids. And then there's people who have, I think, lost their mind. And I think there's a, you know, there's a spectrum. Again, don't even know where my wife falls on there. Some days I don't know. Okay.

But I would say it's people who are very concerned about what they're putting in their body, what is in their home, what's affecting the environment. And this is everything from makeup to cleaning supplies to detergent, food. The ingredients. I mean, all of it, right? So it is. And then there's like levels of it, like what you're saying. And so there's different terms people are using. So you got crunchy, which again, it's like...

No food dye, cloth diapers. Essential oils are medicine. You don't even go dark in the door of a doctor. Western medicine. Can't trust them. Okay, so that's full-blown crunchy. Yeah, that's full-blown crunchy. You got silky, which is the opposite. So you got your red Doritos, your Coppertone, sunscreen, Clorox wipes. All the chemicals. You're just all in in 2025. Like, yeah.

We're all good, right? We're all going to die eventually. YOLO. Might as well have some Doritos in the old stomach while you go. And then you have Scrunchie, which I think is where most people would identify. They're teetering somewhere in the middle. Like you're doing your best to live, quote, clean, but also leaning on modern conveniences like occasional screen time flexibility for Bluey and Paw Patrol. Just me? For sure. Bluey. What a great show. And that's just screen time for me. Naughty, that doesn't count my daughter. You can.

Okay, so Whitney, where would you say that? She's crunchy. I think she's leaning over time, crunchier and crunchier. Yeah. But someone has to put a stop to the madness. Yes. And then sometimes she'll be like, I want Swedish fish. I have a craving. I'm like, you know, there's red dye. She's like, I don't care. Give me the Swedish fish. I don't care. Give it to me. So I think we all need to admit...

we all, no one's 100% all the time. It's the funniest memes of the moms that are like looking at like the ingredients at the grocery store. Have you seen those videos? It's like funny because it's like, oh, it has that. Nope, nope, nope. Those kind of oils. Nope, we're not doing that. No, nope. And then the next thing

The next second later, she's getting Botox, like in her forehead, like sitting in the doctor's office. You know what I mean? So it can go in the head, just not in the mouth. It's funny. It just depends on where the chemicals are going. I know. But it's like, yeah, we're all crazy about one thing. I do read a lot of labels. I am that guy. And I try to avoid the gums, the dyes, the bad oils. I do my best. I think y'all are crunchier than we are. Fair. Right? Just based on the fact that you go to Sonic. Yeah.

I think we win. Like, if you look at Chick-fil-A ingredients and then claim to be crunchy, you're out. You can't do that. Where I stand is, yes, I want to be healthy. And I really do believe that there are certain industries out there that are just making hand over fist money off of our ignorance. I mean, I really do. So I do think...

understanding what's going on is very important. But then it gets paired with reality, right? And I'm like, my kids love deli meat. When the rubber meets the road. Yeah, my kids love deli meat. What am I going to do? Like, they like milk and I'm not going to go milk a cow.

And just eat, drink raw milk. Yeah, I could, but I'm not. Like, I'm not. You have a garden. You're not far off. There is. From livestock. From livestock right around. Yeah, and even like my eggs, you know? I just get the Publix brand eggs, which is probably the worst. Are you a white egg person? What other egg do you do? Like the tan eggs. Oh, no. Yeah, no, we don't do tan eggs. I don't know what it is, but I see a white egg. It makes it feel like you're really, yeah, you feel real good about yourself with those tan eggs, but I bet those same chickens...

Can we just make this very clear? We are not experts when it comes to food or health or science. We stick to money. So we're going to give you unbiased opinions that are wrong, and we will get roasted in the comments for anything we say. That is true. I know.

But it is exhausting. I'm just laying out where we stand as people. George, you know, you listen to the podcast and you watch YouTube of Smart Money Happy Hour, and we're just the humans behind the microphone. That's what I was giving them, our human perspective. We're humans. And can I also just say, everything is going to kill us. In today's world, I feel like everything we do, buy, everything is just like, well, you know, that's bad for you. So that part, I have fatigue.

From just everything being bad for you. Oh, I have a question. Seltzer water, now bad for you. Oh, it's an aluminum can? Terrible for you. Forever plastics. So let's flip the script a little bit, okay? All right. So you got the Oregon Trail.

they're for sure cutting off chickens' heads and making chicken from chicken, like straight up. You know what I'm saying? What else do you make chicken from? I mean, just like they got real chickens. They kill that real chicken right there and they eat that chicken. I mean, like it's very much like there's no processed anything at the Oregon Trail. No, that's how they got the disinterview. Okay, so you got me. Okay, so we got pilgrims. We got Oregon Trail, different...

I know of those two groups. But like, think that time period. Okay. Are you with me? Yeah, yeah. Little house on the prairie. I'm doing real bad explaining this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anything little. And we are. We're milking cows. We're drinking the milk right there. Like, it's not... Got it? Okay. You got that. But then you got like, scarlet fever. Then you got... I mean, you got stuff killing you off a lot. Yeah. Childbirth back in the day, right? Like, still today, but like, for sure. Like, so like...

Do we take that risk but drink unpasteurized milk and eat a chicken an hour after it was killed? Yeah. Or do you live in today's world where you're like, all right,

Isn't that what I'm saying? You make a good point. I don't know what the point is, but you're making it. I'm debating. You're making it. Like, they had it good then in a certain way. Without access to modern medicine that could have saved them. Yet modern medicine is now killing us, so we need to go back to the natural ways. So that's what I'm saying. But I think I'd pick today. I think I would pick red Doritos. Got it. Over, you get polio. Yeah, that's right. 40% chance. Here's my point. I think we've romanticized polio.

that time of life to a degree of like, oh my gosh, everyone was so healthy then and natural then. And now villainize today's world because of... Ultra processing. Processing all the things, yes. Which again, I'm not disclaiming that that's not true. I think those things are happening. But also we get the benefit of living longer because of like health and right? Yeah.

refrigeration yeah they used to use salt did you know that salt is what they used to preserve yes yeah yes fascinating I did there's a lot of references in the bible to salt because of that it was a major mineral it was a magic mineral that was used used to keep food fresh okay

All right, let's talk about budget-friendly ways to be a little... Let's do that. Shall we play a little guess the price? Ooh, that would be fun. The differences in like the standard process, bad for you thing versus the clean version. Love it. Absolutely. Here we go. We don't know the prices here. I guess Kelly's going to tell us. I do know. Thank you, Producer Kelly. Let's compare Lysol disinfectant spray with Mrs. Meyer's all-purpose cleaner. Okay. Okay.

Okay, I just had one bottle of the spray bottle. I'm going to go three bucks for Lysol. Oh, I was going higher. Okay. Five. Five was my knee jerk for a bottle of Lysol. Yeah, you're probably going four to five dollars. And for Mrs. Myers, I'm going to go six. You're going seven to eight.

Okay. I'm higher. I'm like higher than you a little bit on all these prices. All right. A bottle of Lysol disinfectant spray is $3.99. Yes. $3.99. You said $4 to $5. You said $5. I said $3. $4. She said $4 to $5. I know, but $3.99 is basically $4. Okay, I win. Wow. Keep going. And then Mrs. Meyer's all-purpose cleaner is $4.89. So not a huge difference between the two. Wow, okay. I went way more expensive. I actually make my own cleaner.

No joke. No joke. I had a Rachel Cruz episode about like homemade stuff that is cheaper than buying store. And it's like water, rubbing alcohol. Okay. This like...

soap thing it comes like it comes in a massive bottle but you only need like two tablespoons or two teaspoons okay um and then you do lemon um drops but um lemon oh no I'm not scrunchy like essential oil yes okay like a drop not like a true lemon squeeze a dropper uh like 10 drops or so shake it up look at that there you go that's clean I don't know

I'm proud of you. I cut off my counters for our Sonic dinner. Yeah, that way makes up for Sonic. Okay, next. Tide detergent. This is what we use. This one's become controversial. This is what we use. You use Tide. You're a Tide family. Yeah. Do you use like the clean one or is it like the bright orange red bottle? Bright orange red bottle. Okay, versus... But liquid, I don't do the plastic pod. So I get a point. Okay.

What does that cost for a Tide? Let me think. I know. I'm trying to think. It depends on where I get it, honestly. I think they're pretty expensive, like $11 maybe? I'm going like $10.99. $9.99. All right. Tide detergent for a 64 loads, $12.99. Wow. She's good. Man. Okay. Now on the opposite side, we have the clean version, Blueland Plastic-Free Refills. This is what the camels have now been using. Okay. Okay.

For 60 tablets, so it's about the same amount of loads. I know the price of this because I just bought them. They're about 33 cents a piece. So for 60 tablets, oh gosh, I'm going to go 22 bucks. Okay, I was going to say 19. 21. Yes. Wow, well done. Well done. Your boy shops. Look at you. What can I say? Look at you. Okay, ready for this? Yankee candle versus boiling water with cinnamon and orange slices. What?

So if you want to make your house smell good, the Yankee Candles. We don't do Yankee Candles. Well, I have heard like all candles are toxic to your household. If they're scented. Yeah, if they're scented. I think that's bad. Except soy candles, right? Soy candles, I think, are like the clean. The better for you version is soy candles. Okay, but a Yankee Candle. How much is a Yankee Candle? 20 bucks. I want to say 15 bucks. Depending if you get it on sale. $31. Oh. Wow, Yankee. They really think something of themselves. Okay.

Wow. All right. $31? Okay, and then you got orange slices of cinnamon. Boiling water, some cinnamon sticks and orange slices. I mean... Maximum, I don't know. I mean, five bucks will get you...

All of that and plenty for multiple uses. I was going to say multiple uses. So for a single use, like a few cents. You don't have a price on that. I do. Water is free. Well, you pay for the water. Five bucks. Oh. Nailed it. Golly, George. Well done. And you do pay for water. I take that back. Water isn't free. Fourth one comes at me. I don't know where you live, but I have a water bill. Okay, relax, bud. Okay.

Relax. Nitpicky. Okay, let's move to personal care. Ooh, this is fun. Okay, you got Maybelline Skin Tint plus vitamin C versus, ooh,

A fancy word. Ilya? Skin tint? Skin tint with SPF 40. Okay, I know for a fact my wife uses that one. She does, okay. So two points for Whitney on the clean crew. Well done. All right, we're going Maybelline skin tint. I mean, we're going $7.99. I have no clue what makeup costs. I'm going to say $9.99, Bob. $13.99. Yes. Wow. I think it's more pricier. Can I imagine Ilya skin tint? $47. No, I'm going $32. $48. Oh, my gosh. What?

Can I be honest? I threw out a number so outrageous that I was like, well, for sure it won't be. It's higher than that $48. Our budget's tight, y'all. It's tight out there. It's tough times. All right, next up, Rachel, we have Batiste dry shampoo versus apparently the clean version, Amika talc-free dry shampoo. I've always thought they were putting too much talc in our dry shampoos. That's where the issues are. I'm going to say $10 versus $20 on that one. Dry shampoo, $20.

versus 24. All right, so the Batiste dry shampoo is $8.99. Yes. Yes.

And the Amika talc-free dry shampoo is $28. What did I say? $24? Yeah. What did you say? You won on that one. I won the first one. You won the second one. Okay, okay. I got to know. It's crazy to me that taking ingredients out makes things cost more. Like you want aluminum-free, that'll be $2 more. You want talc-free. That's so true that you're putting less in there. What are they doing? Which makes you think, what the heck are they doing to the normal products? They're filling it with a bunch of crap they don't need to.

Yeah, to get the results, but then it's bad for us. I don't think anyone thought dry shampoo was like a natural thing in society. You know what I mean? True. What is in there? We don't know. We're not sure. Anything in a spray like that, it's got to be toxic for you. That was a thing like years ago, right? The aerosol. I love an aerosol though. She loves an aerosol, folks. Love it. All right, we got Happy Perfume by Clinique.

versus patchouli lavender roll-on fragrance. It's an odd combo. Patchouli's very intense. This is another thing about perfume, y'all. Perfume. Okay, can I be bougie for a second? So I look at like Chanel No. 5, right? That's been around since like the 20s.

I'm sure it's changed over time. That's getting bad. Like, do you know what I mean? It's been around since the 20s. But don't you think the recipe's changed over time? No, I think they keep it pure. I mean, it's from, it's from, like, France. It's like they keep a... Do you think there's a reservoir in France that just produces Chanel No. 5? No, they make it, but they make things. It's from the spring. No, I really do. That's, like, the famous thing. It's, like, been, like, the same, it's the same thing. It's the Chanel No. 5. It's, like, the classic...

Do you think they changed it? I think they change it to increase profits and make it cheaper for them and charge us more. That's, I don't, I didn't invent capitalism. That's just kind of how it works. But, but truly, who knows where that comes from? Yeah.

Imagine an old man's shoe. I don't know where they get patchouli from. Oh, man. I know. So I'm going to say the price. I mean, was it like $60, $70 for perfume? The Clinique perfume? No, no. Oh, no. $100? Oh, gosh. How nice is Happy perfume? Yeah, no, no, no. Is Happy a high end? I would go like $40. Oh. And then the patchouli roll-on fragrance. A roll-on feels like it'd be smaller. I know. But I'm still going to go $35 for the roll-on. Roll-on, I'm going $55. $55.

Okay. Perfume's expensive. In this case, so the Happy Perfume by Clinique is $45.50. Good job. Okay. And the Patchouli Lavender Roll-On Fragrance is $14.50. There you go. Okay. Because the roll-on doesn't have as much in it. And you have to smell like patchouli, so. It's an aggressive scent. You pay for it. I like it. You pay for it. Can I just say, again, one point to Whitney, she got me a clean cologne.

Yes. That doesn't have all the, I don't know what's in it. I don't think it lasts very long. I don't think it's very, it's not amazing. Then stay with you, yeah. But I feel better because like I'll put on the cologne and then I'll hold my baby. And then she's like, it rubs off onto the baby. Oh, wow. So now I got to worry about that. Yeah, that is, that'll keep you up at night. It's a tough life. Lastly in this category, we got to talk deodorant. Do you use it? No.

Yes. And you know what? I had a story on Instagram the other night. I can't even remember what it was. And I think I showed, it was something in my bathroom because I was showing something. And I used Dove deodorant and I'm going to hell because like, it's just, I got so many messages. I'm like, Rachel, you cannot use Dove deodorant. This is so terrible for you. Because of aluminum or what? I don't even know, y'all. I don't know. And I'm tired. I'm so tired. She's a Dove girly. Just leave her alone. Yeah.

It works. It works. It is one of the best deodorants. Okay, so on here we have secret deodorant versus native. I know for a fact secret is probably like three bucks. It's pretty cheap. Native, I know in my heart, is like $17. Okay, no, duh. Your deodorant is going to be eight or nine, like for a thing.

For one thing of Secret? I feel like Secret is on the cheaper brands. Oh, Secret. Why do Dove? Yeah, yeah. Dove's a little pricier for the Dove folks. You think so? Yeah. Is it a little bit? Okay. Okay, what is it? What's the price? I don't even know. The Secret deodorant is $5.99. Okay. And Native is $11.99. So it's legit double the price. I had a friend that made her own deodorant. True story. Are you guys still friends? True story. She's super. Talk about crunchy. I would only FaceTime with her.

You know what I mean? I just...

George. I feel like deodorant's one thing you don't want to skimp on. All right, we're getting back to the chickens. Remember when I talked about chickens earlier? Yeah. Wrapping back there. Eggs. Okay. This is a big one because eggs have gotten expensive. There was recently a shortage. Yes. Bird flu. Costco had a big thing. Did you see this? There was no eggs at, yes, at the grocery store, y'all, for days. Like, I could not get eggs. Yeah. And Kirkland eggs got recalled for other reasons. Oh, no. Oh, no. And the bird flu happened. So, like, eggs have been, we have white eggs in our house right now and I'm not happy about it.

Not good. This is so silly. Okay, go through all the egg categories. Okay, so this is very confusing. We'll lay it out for you. We'll switch off because there's a lot. This is an egg state of the union. We have cage-free. We've all heard that. That means eggs from hens that are freely roaming a building, a room, or an enclosed area with unlimited access to food and fresh water during their production cycle. This is regulated by the USDA. So that's cage-free. So that's cage-free. Then you got free range, and this is where eggs from hens...

that have some access to a small fenced outdoor area. This implies that chickens have access to the outdoors, but not all farmers actually let their hens roam freely. This is not regulated by the USDA, but cage-free is regulated by the USDA. So...

Cage-free, free range. Then you have pasture-raised. These are eggs from hens that have access to the outdoors. If the carton says pasture-raised and also includes stamps that say certified humane and or animal welfare approved, it means that each hen was given approximately 108 square feet of outdoor space as well as barn space indoors. This one's not regulated by USDA, so again, farmers are left to their own judgment. A

Little sketch there. Okay. And then finally, we have the classic, organic. The organic. What does that mean? So this is regulated by the USDA. Organic eggs must be free-range...

Gosh, I need a chart for this. Free range, but free range eggs aren't necessarily organic because they're not required to be fed organic feed. Wow. Got it? What a time to be alive. It's just so true. Okay, so let's do the cost between organic versus conventional. I'm going to go for conventional eggs, like you get cheapest of the cheap.

White eggs at your local Walmart is probably three bucks. And for the organic eggs, there's a wide range here because I know you can get great eggs at like Whole Foods for $4.50, but it could go upwards of $9. I'm going four to eight. I'm going three to nine. At Publix specifically, regular white eggs are $3.31 per dozen. Yes. Yes.

And organic eggs at Publix are $6.31 a dozen. Oh, all right. That's one point to you, one to me. There we go. I do feel like eggs are one of those things that have been like overinflated as far as people's imagination. Like, you remember when they're like, the price of eggs is out of control. I'm like, guys. No, but there was a season where it was, though. Do you remember that? Maybe, but I was shopping for eggs regularly, and the places I went, it was always like in

in the same range of... See, I remember it being more expensive. You know, Trader Joe's or whatever, Whole Foods, $3.50, $4.50, maybe $5 if I was getting the nicer eggs. But I think in people's minds, that was the thing holding them back was the egg prices. Yeah, okay. And I'm going to keep pushing these buttons because I'm feeling crazy right now. But here's the problem, right? Is that...

I don't think the issue, which everyone's going to get mad at me. I don't think the issue is like, did you get range free or pasture raised eggs? People just aren't eating eggs. Like eggs are good for you, right? It's a healthy thing. Like we're just not even eating that. We're eating, you know, McDonald's breakfast sandwiches, right? Like crunch wrap supreme. I think like we're putting our stress in other, like the stress should be just eating healthy. Eat an egg. Good protein. Have two eggs a day. Eat whole foods. Whole foods. Yeah.

All right, I'm checking myself to feel better. She got off her soapbox. Okay. Okay, so in general, the fewer and more natural the ingredients, the better, because that's what our bodies were made to process successfully long-term. Hope that's not controversial. We agree with that. I agree. The more heavily processed the ingredients, the less they start to look and function like their original God-created form that is meant to nourish us. Yeah, that's exactly right. So like cane sugar is better than conventional sugar.

coconut sugar is better than cane sugar, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And no sugar is better than all of that. That's right. But there are some great accounts. Like I do like Bobby. Bobby Parrish, the Bobby approved. Oh, I've seen this guy. Yeah, yeah. I mean, he's good. Like when you are shopping and I'm like, okay, great example. I switched tomato sauces at Costco.

There's like the Rao's, R-A-O, right? Versus whatever the other one is. And he flips the ingredients around. He's like, look, this other one, which is actually cheaper. There's nothing weird in it. Like it's a better choice, that tomato sauce versus the other tomato sauce. So I'm like, those switches I'm great with and we've done in our home. I'm proud of you. Yeah, but it counts like Bobby, like it was a great one.

Yeah, I just like the way he talks. It's so funny. He's like, best in class ingredients. No bad oils. No bad oils at all. And he's got his own app too now to like scan things. Oh, Sharon has it. So here's an app, again, not sponsored here, but Yucca.

Yes. Y-U-K-A. Yeah, is that the one that's the A-B-C-D? Yes, I've heard that one. Yes, and it'll grade foods. It really helps, especially with those with dietary restrictions. But I think the Bobby one, though, it gives you alternatives. So, like, if you scan something, it'll give you at the same store, like, yeah, just swap this and that, which is great, too. Very helpful. But we also need to be, you know, taking care of our bodies another way, like working out, walking. It's not the only thing in life to be thinking about. Yes, there are things that we can do, yeah. Okay, let's talk pesticides. Can we? Sure.

I love this subject. Have you heard of the Dirty Dozen? Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can you name? I feel like I can name one. It's things with like thick peels. Are strawberries part of the Dirty Dozen? Yes. Boom. They are? They are.

Yeah. This is the one with the thick peels though, right? And that dirty dozen? No, it's not. What's the dirty dozen? These are the things. Where it is dirty. You got to wash it. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you got apples, you got strawberries. That's why they named it dirty dozen. Yeah, sorry. Okay. And then there's like the what? The clean? Clean 15. Clean 15. That's what I was thinking of. So you got like bananas, you got avocados, you got onions. The things that you don't necessarily need to buy organic because it is the- They don't absorb pesticides apparently. That's right. Because they usually have like a pretty thick- Sweet corn-

Papayas, sweet peas, asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage. Sweet potatoes. A lot of things on there. Okay, so while safety with what we're eating is not only the important safety we need to look at, George, in our lives, we need to look at the safety of our information that is online. Digital safety, often overlooked. I mean, for real, our personal data is all over the internet, you guys. And if you don't know, just Google yourself and you can see. And all these random websites come up and they have your name and your address and

even like where you've worked. I mean, it's just crazy all the information they have on you. And so that's why I love Delete Me is because they go in and remove your information because there are data broker websites that collect your information and they take your information and they make money off of it because they'll sell it or trade in all this. And then what happens? You get the robocalls, the spam texts, and even worse, you could have fraud happen. And so we want to help protect you from the risks of online scams.

And so check out Delete.me. They've got a great deal for our audience. You can get 20% off any of their plans if you go to joindeleteme.com slash smartmoney. It's super affordable and I sleep better at night and I get way fewer spam calls and robotext. So my life is better. Your life is better. Go check them out. Make sure to check out Delete.me. All right, let's go clothing. There's some crunchy people out there with clothing. Oh, this one's harder for me. Can I just tell you right now? Oh, sure. I struggle with this one.

Struggle meaning like you're not good at it or you judge people that are hardcore about it? No, I don't. Well, both. Okay. Both. Because when you think about it, when we talk about like fast fashion and what's happening in the factories and it's sustainably made, and I feel like that's just marketing to say, we're going to charge you seven times a normal amount and make you feel bad.

Yes. To say that it was sustainably made. To say it, yeah, yeah. Just slap the label on it, yeah. So there was an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste that ends up in U.S. landfills every year. And that equates to 81.5 pounds of textile waste per person per year. So this fast fashion of like, we're just going to buy a bunch of cheap stuff and you went, I'm just going to...

Buying clothes on Amazon? That's what I do. And it's like, oh yeah, and then the next season it's like out of style. So you're like, that's fine. But I only paid like $15 for that sweater. So it's not a big deal, right? You don't mind just getting rid of it, tossing it, whatever. But I don't throw it away. I mean, I give it to places or people. So hopefully it continues on, but it may end up in landfills. Reduce, reuse, recycle. But this is a tough one for sure. Okay, but here's the fabric safety. Here's like the really crunchy. Are you ready for this? So really crunchy people, okay? Yeah.

They don't want polyester because it is a form of plastic. So if you're working out and you're sweating, it's getting into your skin and into your bloodstream. Spandex and mixed fabrics can do the same thing, can carry that same risk. So the goal is to have 100% one material. So 100% cotton, 100% linen, denim, wool, cashmere, whatever it is. Organic cotton is better. I wear 100% denim when I work out. Yeah.

It makes it easy. I don't have to think about it. So you're fine. Yeah, I threw out all my spandex. I said no more. Okay, I am curious with like Viore and the lemon and like all these like, you know, workout places. I want to go look at the tags now and be like, oh my gosh. Because I bet there is a lot of polyester in there. Well, again, if it's sustainably made, these clean fabrics, they're two and a half to four times more expensive on average.

And so there is a price to be paid. Can we just say it's a privilege to even be thinking about things like this? Like, ooh, can I shop for the sustainably made 100% organic cotton? That is a luxury in today's world. Yeah, that's fair. I would say that. That's fair. But what you can do, though, is buy secondhand.

You can find 100% cashmere sweater secondhand. That's right. Absolutely. There's some great websites. So there's a way. There's a way to do it on a budget if you want. It's out there. The fact that we're talking about fabrics, though. Do you know one of my favorite companies to buy stuff from? Because it's incredible. It's Cozy Earth. Cozy Earth. Quality. The sheets, the leggings, the joggers, the sweaters, the shirts. I mean, I have so much from them.

Because I went and bought a bunch of stuff because it's amazing. Like their bamboo stuff, especially the sheets. You don't have to worry about is this cheaply made? Is it sustainable? Yeah, it's good quality. I went to their website, Rachel. They're very transparent about how they make their stuff, the conditions. They personally ensure good working conditions. And so I really appreciate that about them. And if you wanted to get a better deal, they're giving our listeners a killer deal, up to 40% off.

their prices. And they know. They're like, hey, we know that we're more expensive than the, you know, Amazon, whatever cheap thing made of polyester. But they aim for long-lasting quality. You can tell that it's higher quality. It's softer. It's durable. It's so great. So it's a buy-it-for-life kind of purchase, especially because they have a 10-year warranty on their bedding stuff, which is amazing. Yeah, it's incredible. Yeah, so make sure to check it out. We'll put a link down below. Or you can go to CozyEarth.com, shop around. And then when you're checking out...

Use the code SMARTMONEY for a 40% off discount. So great. Be bougie on a budget. Be bougie. All right. Let's go car crunchy, shall we? Oh, I don't even know about this one. I'm so crunchy. We're crunchy. Oh, this one is very personal to us. It is. Because we drive electric cars. Electric cars. And people think that it's my, I guess this is me, virtue signaling about climate change because I drive. I don't. Hey.

Let the earth go the way it's going to go. My car is not, it's not going to be the thing that tips the scale. You didn't do it for that. No. Yeah. Well, and I've heard it's even worse. It's not environmentally, because the batteries like can't go anywhere and they end up in a landfill or something. Oh no, okay. So we're actually damaging the earth by driving Teslas. Yeah. That's what you're saying. So you'll never know my politics because I don't know what my car says about me. We're not even sure. Okay, and then Kid Crunchy.

Oh. So like we'll go cloth diapers. You know what I did with Amelia, our first, is I made her, I made baby food. I pureed it. Yep. What a mom. I know. And then didn't really with Caroline and then Charles, it was like pouches and jars. And have you seen the effect? But did you, have you noticed a difference in like their physical health or emotional health? Nope. Nope. Okay.

And I'll say this too. They were bottle fed, formula fed for, I don't know. They ended up great. I just think there's a lot of judgment either way. A hundred percent. Then people are judging you for not doing it this way. And I want to release, especially moms, I think they're bearing the brunt of the weight from this mom guilt. And it's other moms that are judgy.

It's so judgy. And so just free yourself. Do the best you can do with the resources you have right now. And you're doing fine. And we're all going to be okay. Like, seriously, we're all going to be okay. So let's just, like, chill, take a deep breath. And because of when we talk about comparison, especially with lifestyle and money, you know, the thing we always say, which is so true, is, like, you don't know what's going on, right, behind the scenes. You have no clue. You don't know. So we're not going to judge. Although...

We do judge plastic cutting boards now, Rachel. I had to throw mine out. And...

My nonstick pans. Oh, yeah. That's fair. The camel's life have changed. Let me tell you, stainless steel, they really touted stainless steel pans to be this life-changing. They're hard to cook on. It is so difficult. It's so hard. Like, just let it heat up and then splash. You know, I got the stone stuff from Amazon. I'll send you my link. But it's like a, not sponsored, but it's a stone material and it kind of acts like a nonstick. Okay. But very easy to cook on.

Have you heard about the cutting boards now? You have to go with the wood and the bamboo. I've always done wood cutting boards. Okay. I've never done plastic. And that was not a specific choice. Apparently, more can leach and the wood has natural antimicrobial properties. I think that makes sense. See, and that's... Okay, can I say this? I've learned so much against my will. Those are the decisions. Those are the purchases that make sense to me. Sure. Go get a wood cutting board. Like, that's fine. Yeah. But remember, I'm not going to milk a cow and just...

What about microwave? Do you guys microwave anything? 100%. Do you put anything plastic in the microwave? No, I usually will put it in a bowl. Yeah. Put it in a bowl for a ceramic or glass. Yeah, because also, my thing is, if you're taking it out of the refrigerator and it has plastic, then when you heat it, it is like you got to heat the whole thing. I don't know. It makes sense to me to put it in a bowl because it's more of a neutral thing.

so it's going to heat faster. I'm trying to heat up the whole thing with the container being cold. Like I even do it with glass. If I have a glass Pyrex, I usually will take it out and I will- And put it into a room temp glass. Yes, and I do it more for temperature. You really go the extra mile. Look how safe I am. So safe. So crunchy. Well, I did, so I use those microwave covers because I don't like the splash. I only use it for food that I'm eating, not for the baby's food. Put a paper towel over it.

Yeah, but sometimes the paper towel doesn't do it, depending on the food, or like will sop into the food. That's gross. And then I heard paper towels are now bad for you. What? Rachel, I can't make this up. No, y'all, stop. I love the paper towel. There's like chemicals in the paper towel, and so as you use it on your hands and the...

Well, shoot. We can't live anymore. But I will say, someone at a party accidentally turned our microwave on. It's at like foot level, you know, knee level. Oh, yeah. They turned it on with the cover in there. The cover melted because they accidentally put the microwave on for like 16 minutes and didn't know it was on until I smelled it. No. It smelled burning plastic. No. Yeah. That's not good. I think I saved our life. Yeah.

Yes, you did, George. It's exhausting. Yes, you did. This is a lot. I'm overwhelmed. We are overwhelmed. But all that's to say... So how do we wrap this?

How do people spend? Yeah, I think you can make some healthy changes that are reasonable, right? But you always still, there's a level of reality to our money and our life. And I think it's good to know that we have to live within that. So like, we're not gonna take on debt to create some like crazy lifestyle that we can't afford because that in turn will add stress, which is not good for your health either. So let's be wise. But I do think there are great alternatives to stuff that can be similar in price.

And it's just a smarter choice of purchase. And I think that's great. And I'm all about that, George. So make the swaps that you can make with the budget that you have. And over time, if you want to push it to the limit, you can do that with cash as you get to a better financial place. For sure. And don't judge others who can't or choose to not do the thing that you do. Yeah, that's right. 100%. Yeah. And if you need to budget...

that's going to be good for your overall health, I would say, because getting control of your money and doing all of that is so key to all of this. You can make room for the things that matter to you. That's right. So yeah, the budget is that. It is you getting to tell your income, hey, here's where I want you to go. And you get to decide that because you're an adult. So every dollar, we'll put a link down below, but you can check out our free budgeting app. Create your first budget for free and just kind of go down that road to help you make life choices and lifestyle choices that you want, just like this.

That one I think is non-controversial. I hope so. That one was stressful for me. I think the comment section is going to be juicy on this one. So like, again, should we say it again? We know. We know that there are bad things out there. We know. For sure. For sure.

And you know what? Just know that we know that we know you know. We know you know that we know. That we know. That you're offended at everything we said. You know it all. We don't. But we know that you know. That we know. You know, I can't wait to get educated by a stranger's comment on the internet. That's my favorite form of free education. They always let me know. They always. What I got wrong. Take it.

My wife does it enough. I don't need to hear it from a random stranger in the comment section. All right, George. Well, before we spill the tea on our guiltiest charge segment, what's in this? Is it all chemicals in there? It's all poison. These cherries are supposed to be terrible for you too. Yeah, those don't look like something God created. I'll tell you that much. The mint looks fresh though. Yeah, the mint looks wilty, which is how you know it's real. Yeah, it's good. Okay, what's in it? So this is a Kentucky Flyer. I'm going to, what's your rating on it?

I'm going to go eight out of 10. I'm going to go eight out of 10 as well. Oh, love it. Yeah. On the same page. I want a little more complexity, but I think it's a perfect whiskey sour style drink. It's really good. It's got rye whiskey, maraschino liqueur, which is like a cherry liqueur, lemon juice, and saline. Mixologist Michael made the saline. It was a good idea.

It was like one part salt, three parts water or something. It really elevates a drink. You'd be shocked because you're like, what are you going to drop some salt water in there? That's odd. But really good. It comes out to $2.52 a glass and highly recommend. If you like a whiskey sour, you will love this drink. It's like an elevated whiskey sour. So good. And it's up to you if you want to add in the chemical cherries.

That's what she wanted to do. All right, George. Now it's time for Guilty as Charged. And this is where our producer Kelly gives us a new guilty as charged question every week. And if we're guilty, we take a sip. So, Kelly. Have you ever told a white lie about being crunchy or not crunchy? All right, I'll go first. Okay.

Microplastics. We try to avoid them, and yet we still drink out of plastic water bottles every night. But when confronted, you won't catch me telling anyone that. Only on this show, in front of thousands, will I tell. But amongst my crunchy friends, I'm like, oh yeah, filtered water. Oh, gosh. And another thing, my wife, she doesn't like the dogs to drink tap water because she thinks it affects their allergies. So I have to get fridge water for the dogs. Okay.

And I think she has merit to it. I'm sure she's on the right side of history here. Our dog's life could be extended by at least a few days based on the filtered water, tap water. For sure. Yep. While they eat plastic toys all day long, it's the filtered water that's going to really help them. That's going to really do it. It's going to really do it. Not digesting, yeah, all the toys. I'm trying to think what mine would be. A white lie. I can't think of a specific one.

But I'm sure I downplay things like fast food. Like we don't eat a lot of it. See, I'm doing it right now. But I'm like, oh yeah, I probably don't just like share that with the world. If I checked your bank statement, how many fast food visits would I see in a 30-day window? Four? Yeah.

No way. That's impressive. Probably. Yeah, I'd say at least once a week we're doing like a Chick-fil-A or like a quick meal. Okay. Would you count like a drink at the Sonic drive-thru? I don't do that. Oh, all of a sudden you have judgment. Do you do that?

No, but I just thought that was something people do. They get the old Route 44 or whatever. Yeah, I know. I use it. Yeah, yeah. Coconut sunset water or whatever they drink. All this stuff, I know. All right. Yeah, that would be mine. I think we probably eat more Chick-fil-A than what like I –

Do you think four is a lot when you said wow? No, I think once a week is a normal amount. Okay. I thought it would be more than that personally. Oh, okay. That makes me feel better. Oh, yeah. That's it. Well, hey, if you guys enjoyed this episode, and I hope you did, and even if you hated it, let us know. You probably already have in the comment section. And for more budget-friendly food inspo, you got to catch our episode all about grocery hacks. It's titled The Number One Budget Buster That No One Can Avoid. It's coming up next. That's right.

And we'll also link it down below. Yeah, so make sure to subscribe, you guys, so you don't miss an all-new episode next Thursday of Smart Money Happy Hour. What's up, guys? George Campbell here. I know there's lots of influencers on social media telling you which cryptocurrency to invest in for your star sign or which tech startup is definitely maybe going to be the next Microsoft. But seriously, investing can feel confusing and stressful, and it doesn't have to be that way. That's why I'm pumped to be hosting Investing Essentials,

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