Well Dave Says...

As I have mentioned, Adam and I are now taking part in "Financial Peace University" - the Dave Ramsey financial planning thingy. In his DVD's he made a joke about how couples fight about finances and how everyone hates him because one spouse will alway say "well, Dave Ramsey says..." (Maybe you have to see the DVD to get the full effect of this humor) Anyway, I caught myself actually saying it to someone this morning and so I just had to write about how this whole experience is going.

Dave's motto is "live like no one else so that later you can life like no one else". Yeah, sounds a lot better than what he is REALLY saying "live like no one else a bag lady/hobo during the prime time of your life so that later you can live like no one else be rich when you're old and can't do anything with the money anyway. No, I joke about Dave but he is really onto something here. He really gets Adam and I fired up about this whole process and we have been sticking to it so far this month.

The premise is this - budget for every single dollar you make. Make a cash flow plan showing where every dime of your money is going each month and don't vere from the budget! You even have to put certain categories' money into envelopes so that you are SURE not to spend more than you alloted. Now, do I like going to the grocery store and getting out my white envelope labeled "groceries"? Hell no. Do I like shoving the pennies and dimes into the Kroger self check out machine while people glance at me with pity filled eyes? Not at all. But, I'm hoping in the long run it we will be rewarded.

So you're probably wondering "that all sounds well and good, but what happens if you go to the store and you forget your envelope?" Easy. You leave the store and go back home and get it. I kid you not. Dave says to. When you think about it, it makes sense. If I am out running errands and happen to make my way into a clothing store and find an amazingly super cute top but don't have my "clothing" envelope, I can't buy it. And unless its the most amazing top that has ever been constructed, I am not going to go all the way home, get my envelope, and come back to the store. Genius idea really.

So basically the whole plan is going well. We really enjoy watching the DVD's (the guy is actually REALLY funny and entertaining) and they are SOOOO informative. I never knew a lot about financial matters (aka investments, insurance, ect.) and he fills you in on all that. I would definately reccomend it to anyone who likes the idea of being wealthy. Yeah. That should just about cover everyone.

A brief warning though....you will want to kill your spouse. My blogging friend Brittany said that Home Depot should pass out free marriage counseling with each paint sample - I will say the same for this program. I think it should come with a coupon book for everything from marriage counseling to 50% off garbage bags, rope, and shovels. I mean when Adam and I had our first budget meeting, I was scared one of us wasn't coming out alive. However, we got through it and if it's not for the best in the long run, I am going to go hunt down Dave Ramsey and kick him in the balls ever so politely explain that his program is crap and now I'm divorced with a lazy eye because the computer we were throwing at each other hit me in the face.

Anyway, I'll keep you updated as to who dies first how its going. Happy hump day everyone!