During a visit to our accountant in 2009, I was introduced to the book The Total Money Makeover, written by Dave Ramsey. After my husband and I had given our accountant our tax information, he reached over grabbed this book off his bookshelf and told my husband and I we should consider reading this book. While most people would have taken that as a hint, especially since it was coming from an accountant, we put the book on a bookshelf where it has stayed ever since.
Recently our daughter’s daycare offered a free course on Dave Ramsey’s, Total Money Makeover, which we declined again. I mean we don’t have time to figure out how to save money. We both have full-time jobs, my husband is a pastor so that consumes a lot of time, I’m going to school full-time, we have three children that all require a lot of time and two of them play a double header softball game two nights a week in a town 45 minutes away. We can’t commit to going to a class one night a week for six weeks. Now, looking back I understand how irrational that statement really was, but it all made good sense in my head at the time.
I’m recently became very interested in accepting Dave’s challenge and doing The Total Money Makover. I have several family members and friends who have accepted the challenge and results that they are seeing are unbelievable. We have a set of friends that has paid off almost $14,000 worth of debt since September. They have changed the way they eat, shop, and spend money and are happier now than ever before.
I don’t know what the entire book entails but I can’t wait to jump in and beginning reading and working towards a debt free life for my family so that one day we can pay cash for college and those three weddings that I know will eventually come later down the road.
Anyone that has accepted the challenge or read the book let me know your thoughts and what your struggles were when you began your challenge.
This is a topic that i didnt see coming so I like the suprise. I have never heard of this program but couldnt amagine how i could be differnt than the other money save, get rich quick, or secerets of the milliore type books. I just have never seen any good ideas or thing that we couldnt do ourselfs. I have read things of this calliber and they had money saving ideas like "stop paying home owner insurance and save money" while that would save money it may bankrupt you if something happened and the other things are idea that we know but dont have the abily and or will power to maintain. Stop eating out, cut the cable to basic, lose the smart phones and video games. These are things we know are money pits but still do to keep our level of sanity. They are short term soultions, like the adkins diet, and will get you rich becuase like normal american when we get out of debt we just get back in, alway living 110% of our means. Just think about it if you got out of debt say payed of your credit cards you would be like i need a new car. Just the way we are in the Capilist society that we live alway srtiving for bigger and badder stuff
ReplyDeleteI actually bought this audio book on iTunes, and was very excited to start my "Total Money Makeover". I had heard of Dave Ramsey and saw him in one of the morning shows before going to work. He had a lot of great ideas and was very impressive, so much so, that I was hooked and just had to buy the book! I had just started in the Administrative Leadership program with Liberal Studies, and was reading and writing a lot, and thought an audio book would be a nice change. I also thought I would never read the book, especially after all the reading and writing that is required for the classes that I was taking. I had downloaded the book and two weeks later, I still had not listened to it. I had every intention to, but life got in the way. Finally, about a month later, I sat down to listen to it and it was actually read by the author, Dave Ramsey. Now after about 5 minutes of rants, I had to turn it off! I was very disappointed. It seems that every other sentence he was ranting about something. It was very hard to follow him, and I actually had to turn down the volume in some parts! I wish that I would have bought the actual book and read it. I may still do so.
ReplyDeleteI would be very interested in some testimonies from people who have used his methods.
Chenae,
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you and your family! It is not the "norm" for most Americans, but it is so much easier to sleep at night when there are no financial worries.
I also took Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover" a few years back. What a great learning experience.
Dave is right on the money when it comes to dumping debt, paying cash, and having fun when you begin to make it work.
As a result, I am financially in so much better shape and am perfectly happy driving my car with 300,000 miles on it. It still works safely and gets me to where I am going. I will always pay cash for my cars from now on.
That is so neat that your family and friends are on board with you also. You can encourage an help each other.
I hope you will be able to pass this wonderful way of thinking about money on to your children.
Debra
Dave Ramsey is my hero! I am so glad you have jumped on board to a debt free life also. Whew! It is so much easier to sleep at night when there aren't so many money matters.
ReplyDeleteI took the Total Money Makeover a few years back and it was such an eye opener.
Dave is right on the money about spending, dumping debt, savings, giving, and having fun with our money.
I am in so much better shape financially and now I love my car with 300,000 miles on it. It still gets me safely to where I am going. I have an account for a new one when the need arises.
I think it is so cool you have friends and family that have joined in with you. It helps to hang with people with the same ideas.
I hope you will pass this on to your children, what a great thing to learn as a lifestyle.