Jun 16, 2010

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!

6 comments:

The Andersons said...

I think y'all are very smart! Kevin has read a Dave Ramsey book and enjoyed it. While we don't do the Dave Ramsey program, we do have a monthly budget that we stick pretty closely to, too. One of these days, we'll be happy we are living like we do! Hang in there! :)

Susannah said...

Ha! I have heard a lot of couples in blogland talk about this and how it really works for them. I am interested to hear how it goes for y'all. So, do you literally sit down and say, OK we have 3000 dollars each month-so 400 for groceries, 100 for gas, 500 for utilities, 1000 for mortgage, leftover for extras?? Is it just a glorified budget??

Cherry Berry said...

We really need to get in to this. My husband's uncle gave us the Total Money Makeover book for Christmas the year before last, and I have skimmed through it a time or two. I keep saying that I'm going to read it, but I never make time for it. Maybe getting the Dvds would be better that way Adam (my husband is Adam too!) can watch them together. I hope it works for y'all and keep us updated!

Jessica said...

Susannah - its more than that really. He teaches you HOW to deal with your money. Yes, he talks about budgeting each month (his way is VERY detailed which is good because it covers things you don't even think about), but he really teaches you HOW to deal with money. How to invest it, how to spend it, and how to give it. He goes into detail about how you should/shouldn't buy things, what types of investments are best, and teaches you the ins and outs of so many financial things people typically don't understand like how credit companies work (interest, loans, credit cards, etc.), info on insurance, and lots of others! Its really great!

Brittany said...

This is awesome!! I am always looking for a good excuse to kill my husband! We argue so much over finances. I think we will have to try this out. But first I'm going to make sure you're the one who comes out alive!

The Andersons said...

Hi......our blog address is now http://kevinandhope.blogspot.com/. Just wanted to let you know so you can update it on your blog list. :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Total Pageviews