"Your dog does not deserve it": Ramit Sethi audits a 154% budget
Addison and James arrive with no savings, a pile of debt and a marriage at risk, and their two Bernese Mountain Dogs end up in the frame.
I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 101,869 views a day, 15 times a normal first day on this channel (6,999).
"We spend 154% of what we make. Will we ever stop drowning?"
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- 1:50The budget review: groceries and dining near $3,400 a month, fixed costs at 154% of take-home pay.
- 3:38Sethi reads Addison's application, which says they would likely divorce if their finances do not improve.
- 9:03Why earlier budgets failed: a grocery limit under $150 a week proved too strict to keep.
- 23:35James admits he has misused the word "afford," spending against income he has not earned yet.
- 34:44The full picture: net worth around minus $393,000, debt above $428,000, zero savings.
- 41:33Pet spending tops $1,000 a month, and the couple's two Bernese Mountain Dogs appear on screen.
Ramit Sethi's channel already runs well above most money channels of its size. On an ordinary day it draws nearly ten times the views of The Graham Stephan Show, which has a similar subscriber count. Even by that standard, his newest full episode stands out: close to 90,000 views in its first 18 hours, against a first day that usually stays under 7,000.
The couple is Addison, 39, a PhD student and consultant, and James, 43, who works in garage door sales and service. Addison wrote her application at four in the morning and put the stakes plainly: if their money life did not change, they would probably divorce. Together they owe more than $400,000, have nothing saved, and their fixed costs come to more than their take-home pay.
James is candid about how they got there. He has been counting on commissions that had not arrived yet. "You can't plan a life on vibes," he says. Later, when Sethi presses him on the word "afford," he stops short: "I think I've been using that word wrong my whole life."
Sethi does not let the story rest on one partner. Addison describes herself as the household's safety net, but he points out that both of them buy on impulse and then help each other justify it: restaurants, Ubers, concerts, shopping. The pet budget gets its own moment. Addison brings Bacca and Rainbow on camera, and Sethi tells them directly that their spending is not something they have earned.
The episode carries several sponsor segments, and the budgeting app Sethi uses to go through their accounts is one of its sponsors. The same title also appears on a shorter cut, alongside a clip about the $30,000 Addison has spent supporting James. In the comments, viewers keep coming back to Sethi's scolding of the dogs and to the habit of celebrating good news with spending before the money has arrived. Many also say they prefer this remote-call format to the studio.
Sethi sums up the couple in one line: "They do not have an information problem. They have a behavior problem."
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What viewers say
That “things are about to get better, let’s spend money to celebrate” habit is such a trap.
@leslie-welchSee it on YouTubeI lost it when Ramit talked some truths to the dogs! Well done, Ramit! 😂 ❤ 💪
@thetoynerdcoSee it on YouTubeEven the dogs got yelled at!
@elsabenitez1238See it on YouTube
4 more comments
Zoom calls are a lot more honest & straight forward.
@Marlon.Silva18See it on YouTubeAlmost half a million in debt and none of it is a mortgage... Jeez...
@IB9039See it on YouTubeOne thing I can say about Ramit. He holds the sexes accountable. None of that Men are from Mars Women are from Venus so it’s ok nonsense. Everyone is held accountable for their decisions. I appreciate that so much.
@javanbass6340See it on YouTubeENJOY THIS FORMAT SO MUCH BETTER RAMIT!
@FrenchGirlInUKSee it on YouTube
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- Channel
- I Will Teach You To Be Rich
- Subscribers
- 1,130,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 1,444,589
- Channel views, pace per day
- 194,315 (on a normal day: 175,019)
- Video published
- October 13, 2026
- Video views so far
- 90,281 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 101,869
The numbers
The full episode opened far faster than a typical Ramit Sethi upload, on a channel that already draws a large daily audience.
💡 Test your knowledge
Finish James's line from the episode: "You can't plan a life on..."
James says "You can't plan a life on vibes" when he admits he relied on wishful thinking about his income.