Are you working towards the goal of being debt-free? Are you a Dave Ramsey baby steps fan? You’ll love this humorous and heartfelt look at why youmight choose to keep driving that old car,eat rice and beans, and more!
It all began nearly twenty years ago for us, when we were mentored by a sweet older couple who were affiliated with a program called Christian Financial Concepts. We learned to love Larry Burkett and his challenging but life-changing books.
From there, we developed a steady appetite for books and resources by Crown Financial Ministries and Howard Dayton. Dayton’s book “Your Money Map” isone we’ve recommended to young couples time and time again.
Then we discovered Dave Ramsey, Total Money Makeover, and Financial Peace University. And Dave’s app — oh boy, have we loved Dave’s app — with the Dave Ramsey Show. It’s like free TV online, every day, about all things money.
Here’s my humorous but heartfelt list of13 things Dave Ramsey baby steps fans wish you knew.
Enjoy!
You might also like:
- Dave Ramsey Budget Forms that are a Lifeline When You’re Trying to Simply Stay Afloat
1. We’ve disconnected, cancelled, and sold so much stuff that the kids think they’re next.
(Just kidding… but our emergency savings is fully funded and ready for Murphy when he visits.)
2. We’re not driving a hoop-dee because we’re poor.
We’re driving it because it’s paid for in full and we’re saving up to pay allcash for a nicer, newer one. We plan to never have a car payment again.
3. Although it may look like it, beans and rice and rice and beans are not our favorite food.
If you’d like to have us over for a more extravagant meal while we pay off debt, we’ll gladly accept! Steaks, anyone?
4. You might think our budget seems too restraining, but to us it’s our Declaration of Independence.
We declare that we’re going to be independent from the chainsof debt!
5. We know what it’s like to build a mammoth snowball, even in the middle of the hottest summer.
Smallest to largest! We’ve got this!
6. We’re getting good at saying “no” to unnecessary things today.
We’re going to bereally good at saying “yes” to the most important things later. It won’t be long now!
7. We may be grown adults but we still look forward to getting our weekly allowance.
8. The BMW next door is no longer a status symbol to us.
The paid off mortgage is what makes us swoon.
9. Our chosen home may not be the one the bank tells us we can afford.
But — the bank won’t know what hit them when we have it paid off in ten years (instead of thirty…or never).
10. We consider how spending affects our time.
Peoplesaytime management is important, but seldomthink about what frivolous spending costs them in time. We won’t succumb to the pressure of immediate gratification. Time is one of our most valuable possessions, and having the freedomto giveour time topeople and causesthat matter is important to us.
11. We’ve learned to see advertising differently than most people.
Advertisers are paid big money to convince us to part with our money, and that causes us major separation anxiety. Just say no.
12. Really, we know it’s not our money anyway. It’s God’s money.
We’re just managing what He’s given to us to the best of our ability.
13. We’re beyond thankful that we’re able to choose to live this way, because one of our biggest motivations is to be able tolive on less so we can give more.
Our story isn’t finished! You can read our update here: We’re Debt Free! Our Story Of How We Paid Off Our House.
Are you debt-free or working towards being debt-free? Working on Dave Ramsey baby steps? What would you add to this list? I’m sure you have some great ideas!
New to my web site? I like to write about ways to get out of debt, save money, and live well on less. Here are a few moreways you can save money:
- Cook at home instead of eating out.We used to waste so much money going out to eat! Try a program likeemeals (the link takes to you a free 14-day trial) to help you create simple, inexpensive meals at home. You’ll save MORE money on your groceries each month than the small amount you pay for their service.
- Switch your cell phone service to a low-cost, lesser known carrier such asRepublic Wireless.One of theirunlimitedmonthly cell plans isonly $15 per month!
- Find ways to earn side money from home, such as working as a virtual assistant to bloggers or bystarting your own blog.That’s what I did, and now I get to work from home while I help others! It’s a win-win!
Tools We Recommend:
Personal Capital:Personal Capital is much more detailed than Mvelopes/EveryDollar/YNAB, and is more centered on helping you with your investing rather than your budgeting.You can track your net worth, cash flow, investments, retirement planning, and more. Personal Capital pretty much picks up where Mvelopes has left off. They even offer a free version of their services.Check them out here.
SoFi Loans:I’ve not personally used them since we’re debt free, but I’ve heard so many good things about them! If getting a loan is unavoidable for you, or you need to refinance student loans, be sure to check them out. You canapply onSoFi’s website(<–this link will also get you $100 cash bonus when your loan is funded)by setting up a simple account and then entering information about your education, employment, and income.Read our SoFi loans review here.
