Celebrating Birthdays Without Breaking the Bank

George Campbell
What's up, guys? This episode is brought to you by our favorite budgeting app, everydollar. Rachel and I love everydollar because it is the easiest way to take control of your money, build the right habits, and make progress on your goals. You can download it for free on the App Store or Google Play today.

Rachel Cruz
Hey, guys, I'm Rachel Cruz. I'm George Campbell, and this is smart money happy hour. Cheers, George. Cheers.

Huh? You know that's a celebration in your mouth. Think about that. We'll see. Wow.

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. And today, instead of telling you our topic, we want to see if you can guess it based on a few musical hints. Sing it, Rachel. No.

Don't you do that to me. Why am I tasked with? Because you're the musician. Skater boy. Go.

George Campbell
Whoa. What does that have to do with anything? Go. Sing it. It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to.

Okay, there's your first hint. All right. Hint number two. Go, shawty. It's your birthday.

We're gonna party like it's your birthday. That's hint number two. Ready for hint number three? Last one. Oh, do it.

Rachel Cruz
Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday. So this episode is actually right in between me and George's birthday. That's right. Yours just happened about a week ago.

Mine's about to happen tomorrow. Happy early birthday to you and happy belated. Well, thank you. Thank you very much. This is fun.

I so appreciate this. This is like a joint birthday party, which has always been my dream. Nobody ever wants to do a double. Birthday party with me, Mary Kate and Ashley vibes, you know, 100% yes. I mean, we're going there, y'all.

George Campbell
Case of the epic birthday party. If you're a fan of the adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley, that's it. So just me. Don't act like you guys didn't buy that at the scholastic book fair. Oh, my gosh.

All right, nevermind. Okay, so we're gonna talk about how to have this wonderful day for you or the people you love without breaking the bank. It's gotten expensive, from Internet trends to birthday discounts and freebies. We've got you covered today. So regardless of whether it's your birthday or not, you will hopefully have one in the next twelve months.

We regularly, if all goes to plan, if the Lord permits, Lord willing and the creek don't rise, you will be born again. I will quote my, I will quote Caroline Cruz, my six year old. Well, happy birthday. Whose birthday is it, Caroline? Well, somebody has a birthday today.

I love that aspect. You know what? That's the kind of childlike optimism and joy we need. Yes. So it's always, there's a reason to.

Celebrate every day because it's someone's today. Or tomorrow or soon. And you can use these tips. And if you're watching this on your birthday, Rachel will send you love. Who sends her love.

Rachel Cruz
Oh. So what are we sipping on while we chat about birthdays today? We're sipping on a paper. Plain is the name of the beverage, and it's a beautifully colored drink here. Do you know if this is, like, a classic cocktail?

You know how there's, like, classic cocktails? It is considered a classic. It is. Okay. Yes.

George Campbell
It's a very old school drink. Okay. Very. I feel like it's a pretty bougie drink. And you're gonna find out what's in it at the end of the episode, and we're gonna give it our rating as well and reveal the cost per glass.

So stick around till the end for that. And as always, recipes in the show notes if you want to make it yourself. That's right. Well, George, are you excited about your birthday tomorrow? Yeah, I guess.

Rachel Cruz
Well, all right. I'm not really. Yeah, I guess I am. I'll be turning 35. Nice.

I just left that year. A big shocker to all of you, which we'll get into a little bit later.

George Campbell
What's up, guys? If you want to be better with money, your first step is to start budgeting with every dollar. This is the app Rachel and I both use. And trust me, it's great because it gives you everything you need to make budgeting easier, faster, and dare I say, even enjoyable. Yeah, I think you can say that, George.

Rachel Cruz
I mean, it's pretty enjoyable to have more money, right? And that's what happens when you're intentional with your spending. Guys, download every dollar for free on the App Store or Google Play today.

Do you know what's crazy, though, is that some people claim that there are good birthdays and bad birthdays. September 27 apparently is the best birthday. Cause of the alliteration. It's very easy to say it. September 27.

George Campbell
I don't think these people know how alliteration works. And then someone else. September 8 is the worst cause of the way you say it. May 8. May 8 when you say it like Forrest Gump mate.

I was born mate. That's it. Jenny. It's hard to say, that's fair. My birthday's in a movie.

What movie? Miss Congeniality feels apt. They said, yeah, it's when she's having her interview, and they say, well, describe your perfect date. And she says, april 25, not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket.

Wow. Well, calendar dates aside, birthdays on the Internet have become a breeding ground for comparison culture, and that always drains our wallet at some point. Yep, that's right. And if bachelorette trips weren't enough, now people are doing a 30 year birthday trip and a 40 and a 50. And it's like the partying and the celebrations continue on into every episode.

And would you agree this is largely female based? Like, I'm sure guys still do trips with the guys, but I feel like it's largely. Yeah. Women that want to celebrate other women. Yeah.

Celebrate themselves. I'll say. The only guy. The only guy trend I see that, I'm like, okay, I get it. Is after a bunch of guys have kids, and then that last friend has a kid, they're like, hey, let's go for a weekend before he has a baby.

Oh, I didn't know about that. And just, like, enjoy, because we know what he's about to interact. Yeah. So, George, do you have a memorable birthday in your history of birthdays? Yes, we watched Spider man at the movie theater with all my friends and then went to the skate park after the original Spider man.

Rachel Cruz
How old were you? I don't know. Ten? Okay. I mean, is there a better birthday seeing the original Spider man in theaters with all of your best friends and then going skateboarding after?

Okay, when you say original. The OG. The first actual real person, or what. Year was that, guys? Toby Maguire.

George Campbell
99. Tobey Maguire. 99. Tobey Maguire. Cause there's a cartoon Spider man from, like, the seventies.

Rachel Cruz
I don't know if you. No, no, no. I was not alive then, so I figured. So I was trying to. Me and my bfF's, we were into the old stuff.

George Campbell
Rachel. We liked the four by three, you know? We weren't into the whole 16 by nine movement. No. We watched Spider man with Tobey Maguire.

Rachel Cruz
Yes. And Kristen Dunst. Yeah. Kirsten Dunst. And that was the upside down kiss.

That was the famous kiss scene. Very edgy for a fifth grader to watch in theaters. Wow. That's when I became the cool kid in school. So, yeah, me and my, like, three friends, we went, and it was awesome.

Okay, how about you? It was fun. My parents threw me. I'm trying to think what. Which how old I was?

I think I was 8th grade. A surprise birthday party. Wow. Yes. Were you actually surprised, like, all your friends?

Oh, I was. I was completely surprised. Yep. Wow. Yep.

I was at a friend's house, Jessica, and we were going to the movies, and we, like, got dressed, and. And then my dad called her house and was like, hey, will you stop by? Cause I need you to drop something off before you go to the movies. And I was like, okay. So I remember going in the house, and I just, like, laid it on the stairs, and they were like, rachel, come here.

I was like, what? We're late. He's like, come here. And I open our playroom door. And almost, like, majority of the 8th, I mean, they invited probably, like a hundred kids.

Like, a lot of kids from my school were all there. And it was the. It's the weirdest feeling. That's really epic when you have, like, that, when you have a surprise, it's such a weird, like, reality show of, like, oh, my gosh. Like, how did people know it was weird?

George Campbell
Yeah. Did you give them a big show with your reaction? Oh, you know me. I'm so dramatic.

Yeah. Like, 8th grade Rachel hasn't changed much. No, still basically the same. I look back on stuff, I'll be like, why am I so dramatic? I'm so facial.

Yeah, that's where you put all your effort. I have a lot of this. Let's help people avoid the overspending on the birthday. Cause there's a lot of great financial things that happen on your birthday. Yeah, there's a lot of financial perks when it comes to birthdays.

Rachel Cruz
I'll give you one that I love. All right, I'm gonna skip the ice cream one. I'll let you do that. Cause I don't care for ice cream as much. I'm gonna go.

Kendra Scott. Oh, the jeweler. You get 50% off an item during your birthday month at Kendra Scott. Now, that's a reason for birthday month. You get 30 days to buy an item.

Yes. Love it. That's a good one. All right. One of my favorites is Jenny's ice cream.

George Campbell
If you're blessed to have one nearby at the scoop shop, you get up to three scoops of ice cream completely free on your birthday. On your birthday. I think they've expanded it now to where, if you have the app and the rewards thing, it's not just on your birthday, but within a time span around it. So I like those. Get any free Starbucks drink on your birthday.

Rachel Cruz
If you're a rewards member. That's a tradition in our house, which is. Yep. And go. You know, Venti, you gotta go big.

Anytime someone gets, like, get a shot. Get it. Don't get, like, a tall black coffee. You wanna get the craziest, most expensive drink you'd never pay for because it goes to zero. All free.

Yeah. So sometimes I overdo it. I get, like, a $12 drink. Like, add seven extra shots of espresso. Go in, go.

George Campbell
But then it becomes disgusting. So here's another one. Sephora for you. Sephorans out there, you get a free mini cosmetic set or 250 bonus points to put toward another item. So that's probably not gonna cover the full price.

But if you're a big Sephora fan, it's a little perk. Yep. And Ulta has some great, great perks. So they actually double your rewards points during purchases during your entire month, and you get an extra gift. So, I mean, I'm telling you, I think it's.

Rachel Cruz
I think this is a good one. Our writers have. She scored multiple free $60 makeup palettes before on her birthday. So you can kind of play it. All right.

George Campbell
Game in the system, sav. We love to see it. It's the way to do it. The way to do it. And for the guys out there, if you're not into makeup, chick fil a something for everyone.

You get some perks based on your membership tier. Anything from a free cookie to a brownie, even up to a full entree, depending on how loyal of a customer you are. Uh huh. So that's a fun one, but I think there's room for improvement. I feel like they could do better.

Like, I'm not going to chick fil a for a cookie. Give me a meal. Great chocolate cookie. It's a great cookie, but give me a meal. Give me some chicken.

Rachel Cruz
Yeah, give me, like, a free breakfast sandwich or something. Biscuit. You know, DSW gives you $5 off if you buy a pair of shoes. I've used this one before. Yeah, this is great.

And I think about my kids. I'm like, if I have to, like, replace shoes, man, do it during the birthday month. $5 is $5. I'll take it. Jersey Mike's and firehouse subs.

Love these. Love both of them. Give you a free sub on your birthday if you sign up for their awards program. So that's a good one already. Like, that's a full meal for free.

George Campbell
So college kids, look no further. Olive Garden. One of your favorites. Rachel. Yes.

You grew up going to Olive Garden. You get coupons on your birthday month when you sign up to receive them. So, you know, you might have to sort through some coupons in your inbox to get a small discount here, but it could be worth it. Crumble gives members and app users a free cookie voucher on their birthday. That's pretty good.

I feel like the ones that are worth it is where it's completely free. I don't have to make a purchase. Yep. I just get a free thing. Anthropology.

Rachel Cruz
Yeah. 20% off any purchase, birthday month. Don't tell my wife. Which actually could be great. Cause some of their stuff is so.

It is pricey. So you could wait for that purchase during your birthday month, get 20% off. I think it's 20% too expensive anyways, so you're just getting it at a normal ripoff price. That's how I feel. Anytime my wife shops at Anthro, you know, it's fair.

That's fair. That's fair. It's fine. I used to work at urban Outfitters, which is owned by the same parent company. Oh.

George Campbell
So I would get 40% off. Wow. How much of your paycheck would you spend? All of it. Isn't that funny?

When you're 18 and you get a paycheck and it's not, you're making. I was making $8 an hour at urban Outfitters as a grown man. I was not 15. I was, like, 19. Yeah.

So it just all went to upgrading the wardrobe, I think, for my age. And you can't rent a car. What? The doctor said I would grow to 25. 25 feels like a solid.

I'm just saying, I wasn't, like. I didn't feel like a teenager anymore. You were. You were 19. I know, but I was in college, Rachel.

Rachel Cruz
Not a grown man. College educator. Sounded like you were working there last year, George. I was really waiting. I would.

George Campbell
I would. 19 year old George. Just figuring out the world. Okay, what's your number one pick for birthday freebies? It doesn't have to be on this list.

Rachel Cruz
I'm gonna. Can I do, like, a combo? Sure. I'm gonna go. Ulta and firehouse.

George Campbell
Oh, wow. Mm hmm. Little italian, little makeup. Something for everyone there. How about you?

I'm gonna go. Wasn't on this list. Oh. Pf Chang's was the showstopper for me. What was it?

Rachel Cruz
What's it? Free app, anything on the menu. Totally free. No purchase necessary. So I got the chicken lettuce wraps, which are fire.

George Campbell
Dollar 15 is what it costs, and it cost me zero. Wow. And I thought that'd be. That's be on your birthday or month. I forget the range.

I'm so nerdy. I had a list on my phone. But here's the thing. I made a whole video on my YouTube channel ranking the top birthday freebies with a tier list. And so you can go check that out if you want more on that.

Rachel Cruz
It's so great. Since Rachel, you have such a large social network that you've mentioned multiple times already. 100 friends at the birthday party. That's most people's entire graduating class. Do you have any affordable go to gifts for when the kids get invited to a party or when you go to a birthday dinner for a friend?

George Campbell
Like, what's your go to? Let's say Amelia's BFF birthday party? What do you get that kid? So my kids, when they were little, I feel like you could get away with more. So I would Amazon, like the same.

Rachel Cruz
There was, like, this unicorn garden light thing that the girls loved to make when they were, like, little, little, and they were like, $16 on Amazon, so I literally bought, like, ten of them. So whenever the girls have birthday parties, we just wrap that little thing and just hands it out. Cause it's great. My girls loved it, so I was like, that's nice. But now that they're getting older, they want, like, squish, melt.

Like, they want, like, now more specific stuff. So there is a toy store here in Brentwood that I. We. Yep, I'll let them. And I give.

George Campbell
You think the gifts are getting more expensive? I give them a dollar amount, and I'm like, we're not gonna go over x. Okay. But this place does gift wrapping for free. Oh, that's nice.

Rachel Cruz
So it's actually kinda nice. And it makes it. I think wrapping is half of the fanciness. Yeah. And you know what?

And it's great. So, yeah, so that's kind of what we do. That's our routine. And then for friends, man, I feel like I go more specific, but it's more, like, thoughtful stuff that you try to, like, put together something small. Cause I don't feel like they need, like, or at least the people that my friends in life.

I do think when people are thoughtful with stuff, like, here's one. You know, my snow villages, I was, like, obsessed with. So I had a friend who, speaking of strange hobbies, a snow village from eBay. That's sweet. I know.

And I was like, oh, my gosh. Cause I know you've been posting about it. Yeah, she knows I, like, love them. And I was like, your new obsession. She was so thoughtful.

So it's that kind of thing. I think the thoughtfulness, it doesn't have to be, like, high in price is way better. I like that. Yeah. Buying gifts for adults feels like a strange.

George Campbell
It's a different beast. Yes. And with guys, it's easy, you know, like, even, like, we went to Jade Warshaw's birthday, and I just bought, like, a good bottle of wine, you know, just something simple. I was like, I know they. I've been to their house.

I know they have some red wine. I was like, yeah. So for her ladies, you probably. Her and I, during the Ramsay show, one day in the break, we were talking about skincare stuff, and we both used the same lip balm mask. Don't gatekeep, sis and I got it for you.

We wanna know. I don't even know what it's called. Is it Laneige? Yeah. Yeah, it's Laneige.

Rachel Cruz
Yeah. Yeah. And we talked about it. And so I got her that. Cause I was like, we had talked about it.

That's true. So it's that kind of thing, if you can remember, which I'm not always great at. That's what makes it fun. I feel like, here's some life hack. I always go to Trader Joe's for my cards because they're $0.99 regardless of the cost.

If you do a card person. I'm not a card person. Well, if I wanna do a card, sometimes I don't. For an adult that I'm, like, is a friend, but not, like, super close where I have to write them a love note. I'm just like, if it was you, I would not.

George Campbell
I'll be honest. I just feel like you'll appreciate the gift. It's great. Absolutely. Cause you're gonna throw away the card.

You're not that sentimental. Yes, I will. Now, Winston, on the other hand, he would get a handwritten. And Winston keeps cards, and he's more sentimental. Yeah.

Rachel Cruz
It's so true. Wow. You know, it's so. Well, George, thank you. Well, he texted me this morning.

George Campbell
Are you gonna put that out there? Yeah. I'm not a card person. Yeah, not a card person. Like, even on my kids friends gifts on the back of the paper, we were just talking about, I write to so and so from Amelia.

That's all you need. Scrape. Mm hmm. Okay. These were very helpful.

Rachel Cruz
On the flip side, George, if you are invited to a birthday situation, a trip, or even a nice dinner, right? And you're like, it's not in the budget. What do you do? How do you navigate those kind of conversations? Well, this is.

George Campbell
It's kind of the boundary communication issue, and a lot of people have a hard time just even sending this text. Like, it's one of those texts that you write for a whole day, and you keep deleting it, rewriting it. So I would just say if I couldn't make it or it was out of the budget, just respond honestly and say, like, hey, I wish I could be there. I can't make that work. Hope you have the most special day.

I'll be celebrating you from here. And sometimes what I'll do is I'll just text them a $5 or $10 Starbucks gift card or something, and I can do that with the text. There's a little apple thing. You can do a gift card through a text message. Oh, yeah.

So I'll do that sometimes. And that's kind of a fun. Like, it's not about the amount. It's the fact that someone thought of them and then put a dollar amount with it. Someone even said, you're the only person to even, like, send me anything today.

Rachel Cruz
Yes. Okay. And I was like, wow, that was $5. I can get that in the budget. You know what I mean?

George Campbell
It's not about the amount. Yes. Yep. Yeah. I was out at a friend's birthday, and another friend couldn't come, and so she was like, hey, I'm gonna venmo you, like, you know, $15, and you buy her a cocktail, like, for her birthday on me.

Rachel Cruz
And I was like, oh, that's. Yeah, same idea, though, where you're like, golly, that's like a. That's a great idea, even if you. Know where they're going. Yeah.

George Campbell
And you can just send them a venmo. Or send a friend the venmo. You can call the restaurant ahead of time and say, hey, bring them out this drink on me. Yeah, that's right. I think that's a really fun, thoughtful thing to do.

The other thing that's fun, that costs $0. That is so thoughtful, if they're the sentimental type, is you text the friends and say, hey, can you send a quick 32nd video? We did this for our friend recently, you and I did. And they're like, hey, just send a 32nd video celebrating it was their 40th birthday. Just do a quick message for them.

And that cost us $0. That's right. Cost us 30 seconds of our time. And it meant the world to them to have this video of all of their friends wishing them a happy birthday from around the world. So that takes.

Rachel Cruz
Around the world. Around the world are popular. Oh, my gosh. He is every continent. So I think that's a very kind thing to do.

George Campbell
Again, that takes effort to go, like, I'm going to collect all these videos, maybe edit them together in imovie or something. But that's a really thoughtful thing to do. So good. What about when you're throwing the birthday celebration? How do you do that when you're trying to be financially responsible?

Cause, like, even just throwing a party can get out of hand. When you think about decorations and catering. I don't know what's, like, appropriate, but if I'm throwing a part, like, if I'm gonna, like, have a party, I'm gonna. I will expect to, like, spend some money. Spend it, yeah.

Rachel Cruz
And not expect people to pay for it. Right now, if we all go out to dinner or something, and it's like, you know, you text five of your girlfriends, like, hey, let's go out to dinner or brunch or whatever, I don't think I'd pick up everyone's tab in that way. But if I was like, oh, everyone come over for a party, I'm throwing something, I would expect to pay for all of that. Does that make sense? Yeah.

So that's how I think it works. Well, and another thing to do, and I've done this fairly recently. Last few years, we were like, hey, we're gonna get a big table at this restaurant, mexican place, not super expensive. Everyone pays for their own meal. And I said no gifts in the invite.

George Campbell
Like, hey, no gifts necessary. Just your presents. Yeah. And that kind of just. People still brought stuff.

Cause they wanted to, but it kind of alleviates the, like, okay, I'm just gonna show up, I'll pay for my meal, and that's it. Yeah. And we'll be good to go. And so I'm a big fan of that as an adult, for sure. As a way to kind of slim down on the price point versus buying, catering for everyone to celebrate.

Rachel Cruz
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. You know what my dream is? Tell me, man. I don't know if this is, like, a 40.

I don't know what this is. I. One of my favorite things when we do this at the Ramsey Christmas party, I love it. Is the silent disco. Yes.

George Campbell
Can you explain that to the people who don't know? Okay. Oh, yeah. So the silent disco is, you have these headphones, and they have three different colors, usually, or at least the ones I've experienced. There's kind of three stations.

Rachel Cruz
You can tune into blue, red, and you change it. And every station has a theme, so it'd be, like, pop or, like, old school rock and roll or, like, punk or country or whatever. They have genres, very specific genres. So if you see people with the green, you know, they're listening to, like, Miley Cyrus, and they're all. And everyone with green is singing and dancing to the same song, but then everyone in blue is listening, rocking that.

George Campbell
To a different song. Yeah, like. I don't know. I don't know. I'm blanking.

I'm not blank 182. All the small things. Me and Winston. Maybe it happened. I don't know.

You decide. And it's so. It is. It is so fun. So I do have a dream.

That's a dream. That's your birthday party. I would. And I'd have some paper airplanes. Yeah.

Rachel Cruz
And, like, a massive room with, like. And I would invite every. I would. I would, like, make it big. I would invite people from all scopes, like my kids, friends, parents that I know, just, like, from there.

George Campbell
Oh, wow. To work people. What about, like, mortal enemies, exes even? I mean, would that be fun? No, probably not.

We were like, everybody. I was like, but do you know what I mean? But make a big. Have it big. So I don't know.

Rachel Cruz
I want to do that one year. Why not? That's my dream. Maybe we should make a sinking fund and start saving towards it. Winston, if you're watching, which I know you don't, take a hint.

That sounds like a dream birthday. What would be your dream birthday? As we close out my dream birthday? One where everyone's just happy and everything on the menu was to everyone's taste. That's always my dinner.

George Campbell
I think food needs to be involved. Food, like, great food and drinks. Okay, so, like, a great taste, like, a fun, high class. We don't want, like, if money wasn't an option and you could just, like, go big. Oh, man.

Rachel Cruz
What would you do? Oh, my gosh. Probably. I think I'd go back to my childhood. I would love for all of us to, like, see a movie, maybe then go to a comedy show, and then, like, go to a cool cocktail bar after.

Okay, that's great. I think that would be really cool. I think that's realistic with money these days. I was thinking, like, a european trip, George. No, I feel like traveling with friends is too stressful.

George Campbell
We've been there, done that. Not for me. You know, different schedules. Yeah. They have to be the right people.

Rachel Cruz
I agree. Exactly. But you find that right person. So. And I also don't have a lot of.

George Campbell
I don't have a ton of friends. Kind of keep it slim. Don't feel bad for him, y'all. He does. Well, she's like, fight Amelia's teacher's cousin.

Rachel Cruz
I met her once and she was so nice. All right. Okay. So what are some of our takeaways, George? Number one, Rachel has a lot of friends.

I know. I think number one, it's amazing is don't ruin your financial progress because of birthdays. Okay. This is like gifts or throwing them or having to go somewhere. Like, just be safe.

George Campbell
Depending on your financial season. It looks different when you're in debt. Yes. You may not have the big blowout birthday with the white bounce House one day. You do?

Rachel Cruz
Yeah. And that's okay. And, you know, small gestures. They don't have to break the bank. And I think they're more meaningful.

And as our friend Jade Wardshaw said during the Christmas season, adults don't need to buy adults gifts. So she was big on, like, don't feel the need to, like, buy a blender for Aunt Rita. Yeah. If she needs a blender, she'll get a blender. Right.

So birthdays, I know, are different, but they are adults. So, like, we have jobs now, but they are adults. We're not children who need people to buy things for. That's right. Yep.

So just be talking about. Another thing I do take away is I create a sinking fund just for gifts. So every month we put away, you know, the $100 that by the end of the year we have 1200 bucks that we just know is there for gifts. Christmas and birthdays every day. Christmas and birthdays, everything.

George Campbell
So we just know we have money sitting there for gifts. That way it doesn't become a stressful, like, oh, gosh, it's Joey's birthday this month. What are we gonna do in the budget? You just have the sinking fund and you're saving for that over time. I love it.

Rachel Cruz
So good. So good. And again, yeah, there's. I think overall, people just. They do love to feel loved and celebrated.

Right. So it doesn't matter the environments. It's more about your presence and quality time. It really is. It sounds cheesy, but it's true.

It really is. Yeah. The memories I have are not from, like, remember that time they did this? It was just like the stories. The love of the people that.

Yeah. You love. And I, you know, I'm gonna throw a link in here, George. Oh, you okay about that? Yeah.

Cause my newest kids book is all about gratitude and content. Yeah, but I'm glad for what I have. No, I'm glad for where I am. My new book. Oh, the new one.

The new kids book, George. That's out. Oh, my God. And my whole thing with writing, it was like being grateful for the things that money can't buy. It's the punchline.

George Campbell
I love that. So that's kind of like the adventure they go. So the first one was all about contentment? Yes. It's like, I don't need all this stuff.

Rachel Cruz
Yeah. And this one's gratitude. And this one's more like, I'm grateful for all the stuff that's priceless. That's right. Yeah, but they have to figure it out through an adventure.

It's really cute. It's really fun. And, George, I'm grateful for you. So I have a little surprise for you, George. You do?

I do. A little happy birthday treat. Oh, thank you. You are so welcome. I don't know if this is gluten free.

Probably not. Nobody thought about can handle. I promise it's gluten free. Well, I have a little treat for you, Rachel. What?

Wait. Oh, not so fast. Not so sneaky, ya boy. Y'all are so messing around. Did you know I was doing this for you?

George Campbell
May I do the honors? Please? We drive electric cars. We use electric lighters. That's the kind of people we are.

Rachel Cruz
Oh, my. And it worked. Thank you. Do you have a ukulele? Stop it.

George Campbell
George and I thought we'd have a little sing along since you love singing. I'll move my mic out of the. Way and you're gonna lead us. This is for you, right? This is Rachel's.

Rachel Cruz
Okay, so we sponsor switch? Yes. Crazy. Oh, my gosh. Look at us.

Look at us. And we're gonna sing a little song together. We're gonna have the team sing along. Yeah. Everyone else can sing, too.

All right, here we go. You ready for this? Yeah. George, look it.

George Campbell
Is it. Happy birthday happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday, dear Rachel. And George.

Happy birthday to you oh, my God. The happy. Look at you. Let me try.

Way to bring the mood down. Happy birthday. That's pretty good. Can I teach you one chord? This is probably all the chords Taylor Swift knows.

Ready? I am kidding. She knows four. George, just put a finger right there. Okay.

Nope. There we go. Now scrum. That's a c. That's a c.

How did you mess that up? She's holding it upside down. You're holding it upside down. I'm left handed. Well, that's a problem for Rachel.

There we go. Okay. Yep. Right there. Yep.

Rachel Cruz
That's a c. I'm so musical. As in, see you at Rachel's birthday party. We'll see you next time, Chuck E. Cheese.

George Campbell
Wait, did you do a birthday party? Chuck E. Cheese for the kids? Yeah, they love Chuck E. Cheese.

That's great. Where a kid can be a kid. Should we? Yeah, you guys should blow out the candles. Whoa.

Didn't get to make my wish. I wish for a more generous co host so that doesn't blow out my candle. I'm so sorry. No, that's fun. Cheers, Rachel.

Rachel Cruz
Cheers, George. Happy birthday. Two birthdays. May you have many more. Oh, you as well.

George Campbell
And may you have your dream silent disco party. I do. You'll be invited. I hope so. You're inviting literally strangers off the street.

Rachel Cruz
Wow. It'll be great. It'll be great. The team really pulled a fast one. They were like, Rachel doesn't know, George.

We just put it in your name. You sneaky snakes. You knew good and well. We should have known. That's some tomfoolery.

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Oh, my gosh, George. Well, it's almost the end of the episode, and we close out every episode. With guilty as charged. And this is where our producer, Skin Skylar, gives us a new guiltiest charge question every week. And if we are guilty, we take a sip.

Skylar, have you ever been gifted something that you hated. And you had to pretend that you liked it. Oh, gosh. That I hated. Hated wedding gifts would, like.

That's where most of that is. Okay. Yeah. You can say a wedding gift. Mm hmm.

George Campbell
Yeah. Do you have a specific wedding gift in mind that you hated? Yeah. I'm always just nervous that people, like, watch this, you know what I mean? And I'm like, I don't want to, like.

I know. That's what I can think of. I know. I mean, I doubt they would. It's 15 years ago.

Rachel Cruz
They probably don't remember. It'll make them more self aware. I'm so nervous. Yeah. I'm gonna go like.

George Campbell
Like, some of it was from fans, some of it was from family, all. Of which could be. I'm gonna go, like, a vase flower pot genre. Oh. And it was just something, you know, it was something.

That's fair. Yeah. Yeah. I think, like, one of their family members was, like, into glass blowing or something, and it was. Yeah.

Rachel Cruz
Not, like, aesthetically pleasing. We'll just say that much. It was great. It was great. Wow.

George Campbell
I've gotten some. A few. Not a lot, but a few handmade gifts from people. Yes. Some even fans not of this show, but in general.

Of course not. No. And they just. They were very thoughtful, nice, sweet gifts. There's a lot of camel.

Just paraphernalia around our house. I do bet people do that a lot. A lot of camels. A lot of camels. Things that say camel.

Things that are camels. And I'm into that. We got a Picasso, you know, line art that I chose. Yeah, that's my. Which, you know, when he died, 1973.

Rachel Cruz
And you'll never forget it. You'll never forget it. I don't know how you could at this point. All right, George, you finished your drink first. Me?

No, I think I. I think I did before you cheated. Almost spilled that one. Well, I thought it was great. You didn't even finish your sentence.

George Campbell
This was really, really nice. So this was a paper plane. Not our paper airplane, which you said earlier. Forgive me. Mm hmm.

Rachel Cruz
Sorry. I don't know the difference, truthfully. Yeah, but a paper plane. There's a difference. All right, here's what that is.

George Campbell
Bourbon, aperol amaro, and fresh lemon juice. $2.89 per glass is what it costs. Okay. And it's one of mixologist Michael Redish's favorite drinks. Oh, is it really?

Rachel Cruz
It is. And he nailed it. It's sweeter than what I would predict he would love. Yeah. I'm wondering what adds the sweetness for all, I guess.

Yeah. Yeah. That's great. I loved it. I'm gonna go ten out of ten.

George Campbell
I couldn't improve on it now. You said you wouldn't. I'm going nine out of ten. Okay. All right.

I feel like that's a win. It was good for both of us. All right, get the recipe in the show notes and give it a try this weekend and thank us later. It's closing time, so if you enjoyed this episode, make sure to leave a review. It is always helpful to hear from you guys.

Rachel Cruz
We love it. So thank you. Subscribe to the podcast. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next Thursday on an all new episode of Smart Money. Happy hour.

Wait, that was so bad.

Celebrating Birthdays Without Breaking the Bank

Primary Topic

Episode Summary

Main Takeaways

Episode Chapters

1. Introduction to Birthday Savings

2. Maximizing Birthday Freebies

3. Budgeting for Gifts

4. Practical Advice on Birthday Budgeting

Actionable Advice

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Transcript