Budget. Oh yes, I said it, the dreaded B-word. Maybe for you it’s not so dreaded, or maybe you never speak of it, much less think of it. I personally got all tense and fidgety when Brian finally succeeded in sitting me down to go over it last night. I remember the struggle of making ends meet while I was a kid, and the chills running up and down my spine when mom told me we were “in the hole,” which I took to mean we were literally going to be thrown into a big, black gaping hole. (I also thought my mom was going to boil me alive in a pot on the stove when she told me I was “in hot water” for ruining her laundry hamper… yep.)
A few things have helped me to overcome my fear of finances:
- Brian is actually good at math and using excel. That makes it much easier for me, since then all I have to do is offer helpful suggestions (We have how much for clothes each month?!), and thoughtful insights (Where’s the shoe fund?).
- Knowing that God is taking care of us, and He loves us. He cares for even the flowers and the sparrows! Read Matthew 6 for a amazing reminder of His concern and provision for us.
- Dave Ramsey’s book, The Total Money Makeover.
Instead of promising the normal dose of quick fixes, Ramsey offers a bold, no-nonsense approach to money matters, providing not only the how-to but also a grounded and uplifting hope for getting out of debt and achieving total financial health.
Ramsey debunks the many myths of money…and attacks the illusions and downright deceptions of the American dream, which encourages nothing but overspending and massive amounts of debt….
The Total Money Makeover is all about “renewing your mind,” using God’s ways of handling money (over 800 scriptures deal with money) to be “transformed” (made over). It’s a plan to stop being “conformed” to the ways of the world and as ridiculously broke as the rest of our culture.
And this isn’t theory. It works every single time. It works because it is simple. it works because it gets to the heart of the money problems: You.
Brian and I are lucky, because we’ve never had credit cards, so we haven’t been sucked into that cycle of credit card debt. But, we have gone to college! And that means loans, loans, and more loans. Also, we have a car that isn’t entirely paid off. It adds up to about $30,000. But with the plan we have in place, we hope to be debt free in about two years, and still have a decent sized emergency savings fund. It may mean some sacrifices ( Traveling back to Iowa to visit is not in the budget. It just couldn’t fit), as Dave says, “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.”
Here’s a few crazy but true stats from the book:
- 90% of people in our culture buy things they can’t afford
- 88% of college seniors have credit card debt- before they even have a job
- “Car payments are a way of life: you’ll always have one.” “Staying away from car payments by driving reliable used cars is what the average millionaire does.”
- “You should get a credit card to build your credit.” “You won’t sue credit with your Total Money Makeover, except maybe for a mortgage, and you don’t need a credit card for that.”
- “You need a credit card to rent a car, check into a hotel, or buy online.” “A debit card will do all that.”
- “The debit card has more risk than a credit card.” “Nope.” He explains that if you run it as credit, you will get the same protection as companies offer credit cards. You can read the policy on Visa’s website.
Dave Ramsey is a genius. We haven't officially done the Money Makeover, but i learned a lot of his principles in a seminar i took at my school. But i'm starting to feel like we should put more of his concepts in place!
As far as your header, when you set it up on blogger, did it shrink to fit? Maybe that's the issue.
We have no money to make over, but when we do, I'm going to take his course.
xo Erin
…About the header, I tried it both ways actually and neither went all the way across. I emailed the designer, so maybe she will help me.
What I like about Dave Ramsey's concepts is that they are so counter-cultural. They get back to how people used to view money and definitely how the Bible advocates using money.
Love the book…hard to live his way, but rewarding! If I hadn't followed his advice and gotten the $1000 savings before working on paying down my student loan, I'd probably have had to rely on my credit card this summer as a drunk driver hit my car.
I love Dave Ramsey although I've never read this book. I read a lot of his articles online though and he's on talk radio a lot. As for the myths…we don't have a credit card either and I already knew all that :-P. But I am trying to convince Paul to save up for our next car instead of getting a loan. For some reason he is stubborn about saving up for other things INSTEAD of a new car. Of course, he is convinced that he can keep fixing ours for the next 10 years or so…
Oh…and you were such a literal child! How cute!