Dave Ramsey is The Man

I am so very blessed and feel so fortunate that I am going to be a stay-at-home mommy. I am really looking forward to waking up to my sweet angel everyday and being able to devote all my time and attention to her. My mom stayed at home with my brother and I for nearly the first decade of my life, so I know how invaluable it can be. I LOVED being at home with my mom. She was able to volunteer at my school, go on field trips, come eat lunch with me, and do the special things that staying at home allows time for. Knowing how special this time is, I'm glad I will be able to stay at home and enjoy it. However, Will and I are not ignorant about how this could affect our lifestyle. We know that babies are costly, as is living in these economic times. Staying at home may call for some sacrifices (see ya, Starbucks), but we feel that those sacrifices are worth having a parent at home with our child. Daycare was not an option we cared for (though understandably necessary for others.) We just came to the decision that this is what would be best for our family. Enter Dave Ramsey. I'm sure many, many of you have heard of Dave Ramsey before-- he is nationally renowned for his financial prowess. He is the finance guru for those who want to "live like no one else." He is an author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker about all things finance. Dave knows what he's talking about-- he was a millionaire by 26 through real estate brokering, and then bankrupt by 36 as the Tax Reform Act of 1986 put real estate in a nosedive. After turning to Christian financial expert Larry Burkett, Dave soon found himself out of debt and taking on a new career. Dave Ramsey is now a Christian based financial expert, also. Larry Burkett's death caused the torch to pass to Dave and he hasn't looked back since; helping people all over America to get out of debt, budget their finances, plan for their retirement and children's college funds, investments, and more. Dave's classes are called Financial Peace University, and can be found at just about any local church nationwide. Will and I thought signing up for this course would be a good idea, so we signed up for the thirteen week class at our church and we are now 3 weeks in. People told us that we wouldn't regret it, and we haven't had a complaint since. Dave Ramsey's classes cost $100 for your WHOLE FAMILY to take the class. The $100 is actually for your kit-- a workbook, Dave's latest book, CDs of each class, a leatherbound "envelope system" pocketbook, and more. It's only one kit per family; and the best part is-- you are now a lifetime member. If years down the line, you feel like you need a refresher course-- you can take the whole class over again free of charge. They also have an online system to help track your finances, watch Dave in his videos, etc. Now that I'm finished touting Dave Ramsey, I just have to say-- I think this will be one of our best moves in our marriage, EVER. Dave tells us (and we all know) that money is THE biggest cause of divorce in America. Since Will and I have gone down to just one paycheck, we haven't been immune to the occassional argument. I can see where this becomes a problem for some people and marriages. I was once a "free spirit" (as Dave calls them) and bought what I wanted, when I wanted, and didn't worry about it. I have never experienced the term "buyer's remorse." My husband is also a "free spirit." Since the upcoming arrival of the baby, I have become what Dave calls a "nerd." I threw all my bad spending habits to the wind and put our bank account on lockdown. I feverishly began paying off all our credit card debt (it's nearly paid off, too-- 2 payments to go and we are debt free!) This did not amuse my free-spirited husband in the least. My first clue was he began referring to me as "The Wells Fargo Führer" and "The Bank Nazi." I actually can't blame him-- I've always paid the bills, so he really had no idea what our lifestyle cost us monthly. But now, Dave has taught us to become a team-- the free spirit and the nerd must UNITE, agree, and promise to stick to THE PLAN. We have begun to do the bills together, and I am happy to say that I think the lightbulb is coming on for my free-spirited hubby. Not to say that he's going to turn into a nerd-- he's not-- but he is definitely getting better control of his wants (and realizing they aren't needs) and being more successful at delaying the instant gratification that I think most Americans have become accustomed to. As Americans, we buy what we want and worry about how we're going to pay for it later. You can't live like that if you want to be successful financially. These are all lessons that we are slowly learning and implementing into our everyday life. It's not an easy process and it doesn't happen overnight-- Dave promises you that. But, just as with anything worth doing, if you keep trying, you don't give up, and you COMMIT-- it WILL happen.
Dave Ramsey has seven "baby steps" to financial freedom:

• 1. Have $1000 in an emergency fund (and it's for EMERGENCIES-- pizza is NOT an emergency!!)
• 2. Pay off all debt (excluding your house)
• 3. Have 3-6 months of expenses in savings
• 4. Invest 15% of income for retirement
• 5. College funding 
• 6. Pay off your home early 
• 7. Build your wealth and give! 

Following the baby steps helps one to not feel overwhelmed so that they can be successful in their financial life. I love that Dave uses the Scripture to get many of his points across. The Bible speaks often of things that we can contribute to our financial lives. Joseph interpreting the Pharoah's dream, the Proverbs that speak to us of the behaviors of fools and the wise, that hard works are rewarded. Scripture reminds us that a man and his wife are one and should act as so, and that if we carry His commandments in our hearts, then we shall never be led astray; among many other pieces of Scripture that help to shape our lives not only financially, but also emotionally, and within our marriage, and so many other ways. I feel that using our faith helps to strengthen our finances, and using our finances wisely helps to strengthen our faith. It's a win-win situation for us. I was so very fortunate that my parents taught me good financial practices early in life, which Dave highly recommends. Of course, as a teenager and young adult, I had some stumbles (and a few cut up credit cards), but the lessons I learned from that helped to shape the person I am today, and I've been financially responsible for at least the past fifteen years. I understand the repercussions and the benefits of being financially wise. I was proud to know that even without knowing Dave, my parents followed many of his suggestions for teaching your children about money. I feel that is SO very important, and teaching my child about money and finance is my job as a good parent. If not me, who? I don't want Visa and Chase Bank teaching her, that's for sure. If I don't have a plan for teaching her about money, Visa will DEFINITELY have a plan, and at 22% interest at that. If not now, when? It's not the job of her teacher, school, or future spouse-- it's my job. I will do anything to save my children heartache down the road, and money can definitely cause more heartache than it's worth if not taught. I'm glad to know even more than before now, so that our child can grow to be a finance whiz, and never have to worry about some of the things that young adults today worry about because of financial mis-steps. There is even a Financial Peace Junior for kids! Dave teaches the giving, saving, and spending steps from a young age. Here's a great way to start out your children Dave Ramsey style:

I'm excited to one day implement this into our little girl's life, so that from a young age she can know the joy of giving, the security of saving, and the fun of spending in the right ways. These three things are all essential to a healthy life. Thank you, Dave Ramsey, for showing us the way!

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