Last week we had the good fortune to see Dave Ramsey Live. I bought the tickets for Matthew for his birthday, and what a wonderful experience it was. I cannot even tell you how motivating this guy is, not to mention that he is probably one of the funniest guys that you could ever encounter. We were literally in tears we were laughing so hard! If you ever get the chance to see him live, do it. You won't be sorry.
The current statistics in our country are shocking. They're unbelievable. They're infuriating!
Here are just a few to consider...
*70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
*68% of Americans could not cover a $5000 emergency without going into debt
*The average American household has $91,000 in consumer debt, (That doesn't include your home mortgage!)
*In 1929, only 2% of homes had a mortgage. By 1962, only 2% DID NOT!
*28% of Americans spent more time watching reality TV last month than they have spent planning for their financial futures... EVER!
If you've never read a Dave Ramsey book, do not walk, RUN, to your nearest library or bookstore and get one. Unless of course, you do not have any areas of your financial life that could use improvement, in that case, perhaps you should pick up a book on HONESTY! ;)
Our book of choice is Total Money Makeover. In this book, Dave details exactly how to get out of debt, stay out of debt, and build wealth like crazy. He lays out his plan in "Baby Steps", and gives specific advice on how to do each one.
Matthew and I began Total Money Makeover back in February 2009. We're embarassed to admit that it was the first time that we'd really sat down and talked money. We'd always been fortunate enough to just be "okay". We immediately completed Baby Step One, (Save $1000 FAST) Since then, we've been working on Baby Step Two, (Debt Snowball). Since we started, we've paid off off 7.1% of our overall debt (Including our home mortgage, real estate, car, student loans, and consumer debt). We're super proud of our accomplishments so far, and we're looking forward to paying down the rest of our debt. One day, (not so long from now) we're going to be DEBT FREE! We have a plan, and every dollar has a name. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you have a budget and focus on the future.
We have big plans, BIG PLANS I SAY!! Our next car... We'll buy it with cash! Our next home... We'll buy it with CASH! We know these goals aren't normal... Normal is broke. We want to be WEIRD!
Sound Crazy? Read the book.
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