I have no problem with the "peace of mind" approach. However, you have to realize that it comes with a cost in many/most cases. Its all a matter of priorities.

 

Everything comes with a cost. He cautioned against making your decision with all head and no heart.

 

Another of his sayings that I like comes when callers come in and how are you doing, he replies, "Better than I deserve."

I have no problem with the "peace of mind" approach. However, you have to realize that it comes with a cost in many/most cases. Its all a matter of priorities.

 

This sums it all up nicely. :thumb:

http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Cover_Story/2007/05/31/The_Gospel_According_to_Dave/index.shtml

 

Ramsey does have detractors—people who think he’s arrogant, who critique his financial information as overly simplistic (or wrong), who note his generally right-wing views. He has largely avoided scandal, the exception being a 2004 episode in which several Gannett papers (including The Tennessean) dropped his newspaper column because the names of letter writers were fabricated.

 

But even then, there was no Dave Ramsey backlash, mostly because of the way he handled it. (The staffer involved had already left, and Ramsey took responsibility and offered to refund the papers’ money.) The truth is, for a person as opinionated and exposed as Ramsey is, he attracts relatively little vitriol. Ramsey is on a different kind of crusade than most of talk radio, and while religion and to a much lesser extent politics are a part of it, his evangel is mostly a platform of commonsense penny-pinching, applicable to all.

 

.....

 

Ramsey says what he is really selling is transformation. “I’m convinced of the unstoppable potential of people when they get on fire for something,” he says. But transformation is a tricky business. It requires gearing people up for not just a tinkering of their lifestyle but a full-scale marshaling of their interest, discipline and stamina. Ramsey believes that changing your behavior with money is not complicated, but it is difficult, painful and ultimately an act of redemption. This is his sermon, one he preaches over and over and over again.

I finally gave his radio show a shot tonight. I always turned the radio off after Drew Deener's sports call in show because I didnt see how a show on money could keep me interested.

 

Boy, was I wrong. The guy is great.

 

I will listen a few times a week from now on.

Where can I hear his radio show at? If one could suck it up and do what he preaches for 2 years, he would be all set for life.

 

The Dave Ramsey Show can be heard daily 2-5pm

 

in Pikeville on 900am

and

in Prestonsburg/Martin/Paintsville on 960 am and 104.5fm

If you have never seen him live do yourself a favor and go.

Starting Jan. 1, my family and I are going to start the Ramsey plan. I'll report each week or couple of weeks to let everyone know how its going.

Starting Jan. 1, my family and I are going to start the Ramsey plan. I'll report each week or couple of weeks to let everyone know how its going.

 

Its August...how is the plan going Wireman?

What if you can't afford the book?:bunny:

 

Check it out from your local library...it's free.

Its August...how is the plan going Wireman?

 

Its going great. We have more money than we've ever had now and we are aggressively paying those "stupid" debts off that we accumulated during college and shortly thereafter. This plan really works and can be modified to fit any family that trully wants to have money. :thumb:

Its going great. We have more money than we've ever had now and we are aggressively paying those "stupid" debts off that we accumulated during college and shortly thereafter. This plan really works and can be modified to fit any family that trully wants to have money. :thumb:

 

That is good to hear. I really struggle with this plan only due to my job being commission only and my wife being in a cash business/self employed. Some months are great, others average and then you get the Ramon Noodle/PbJ months so its hard to consistently stick to a budget.

 

I can see though where if you have a set amount you gross monthly how it would just take a lot of self discipline and doing without for a while.

 

My goal is to get liquid by selling an investment property my brother and I own that has equity. Pay off small amount of cc debt incurred over last 12 months and then set aside the 4 month Security blanket. At that point I think it will be easier to set a budget and stick to it. This all while still putting 10% in 401K where company matches up to 4% and also setting aside small amount in mutual fund acct/529 plan.

 

But it is very hard having 4 kids, housing expenses/care, food bills, etc. I am noticing the cupboard and refrigerator is empty alot sooner than it used to be with a 14/13/8/2 yr old.

Here's my story, not that you asked or care. :lol:

 

Well, I'm $1618.42 away from being totally debt free! I should pay that off in 2-3 months, but school registration just killed my payments for this month. :madman: I owed $13,502 on January 1st this year.

 

I listen daily to his show, but I don't exactly follow his program though. His ideas are mostly common sense though. I follow what I called a "modified Dave Ramsey" program.

 

Things I don't personally agree with are his beliefs on private schools (he says they're a waste of money), and selling all your toys (I'd been debt free years ago if I had) and credit card use. I used credit cards to juggle massive debt around for years, using 0% cards mostly, and paid only $237 in finance charges on roughly $18,000 in 7 years. (I only transfer balances though, and don't usually use the cards otherwise.) That is a very good return for carrying that amount of cash, but I had to open many credit cards to do it, which he dislikes.

 

I agree with his idea of personal sacrifice. I sacrificed things like home repairs (haven't had a furnace for years), I eat Rahman noodles almost daily, but don't force my daughter to since she is an athlete. I've cut my hair for years, but am not worried how I look per se, so that's no biggy. Stuff like that is easy for me now that I'm older. To his dismay, I chose to keep the boat, GTO and Jeep, though I haven't used them for a few years (to pay debt), in hopes I can enjoy my hobbies once I have extra money.

 

Bottom line, if you do anything toward getting debt free, you're headed in the right direction. His plan is a great one, or you can choose pieces from it, like I did.

 

My goal is not to stockpile money for the end of my life like he suggest. I hope to die somewhat broke honestly, as my kid wil be fine on her own. She knows I'm leaving any money I have to charity, not her. I just want to buy the very few things I really need with cash, and not ever to rely on anyone else for funds. That is my "peace of mind". Good luck with everyone else and their financial freedom plans. Maybe I'll come back to this post with my non verbal "I'm debt free" scream in a few months.:lol:

Here's my story, not that you asked or care. :lol:

 

Well, I'm $1618.42 away from being totally debt free! I should pay that off in 2-3 months, but school registration just killed my payments for this month. :madman: I owed $13,502 on January 1st this year.

 

I listen daily to his show, but I don't exactly follow his program though. His ideas are mostly common sense though. I follow what I called a "modified Dave Ramsey" program.

 

Things I don't personally agree with are his beliefs on private schools (he says they're a waste of money), and selling all your toys (I'd been debt free years ago if I had) and credit card use. I used credit cards to juggle massive debt around for years, using 0% cards mostly, and paid only $237 in finance charges on roughly $18,000 in 7 years. (I only transfer balances though, and don't usually use the cards otherwise.) That is a very good return for carrying that amount of cash, but I had to open many credit cards to do it, which he dislikes.

 

I agree with his idea of personal sacrifice. I sacrificed things like home repairs (haven't had a furnace for years), I eat Rahman noodles almost daily, but don't force my daughter to since she is an athlete. I've cut my hair for years, but am not worried how I look per se, so that's no biggy. Stuff like that is easy for me now that I'm older. To his dismay, I chose to keep the boat, GTO and Jeep, though I haven't used them for a few years (to pay debt), in hopes I can enjoy my hobbies once I have extra money.

 

Bottom line, if you do anything toward getting debt free, you're headed in the right direction. His plan is a great one, or you can choose pieces from it, like I did.

 

My goal is not to stockpile money for the end of my life like he suggest. I hope to die somewhat broke honestly, as my kid wil be fine on her own. She knows I'm leaving any money I have to charity, not her. I just want to buy the very few things I really need with cash, and not ever to rely on anyone else for funds. That is my "peace of mind". Good luck with everyone else and their financial freedom plans. Maybe I'll come back to this post with my non verbal "I'm debt free" scream in a few months.:lol:

 

Thanks for sharing. I also follow a "modified" Ramsey plan. The bottom line is the same, but I refuse to totally shut down my life. We still took a vacation this year and we still like to do things with and for the kids. The basics are still the same, though, and its working.

My wife and I started following Dave's system about 3 years ago.

 

We have paid off over 15 thousand dollars in CC and student loan debt.

 

We now have one CC, and we pay it off every month.

 

The only debt we have is our house and cars.

 

We buy nothing with credit, if we don't have the money in our checking account we don't buy anything.

 

We have an emergency fund set away of 3 months salary for me and my wife.

 

I Love Dave Ramsey!

 

AWESOME!!! I would love to try this. I just have to get FF on the wagon. We dont have huge debt but saving is the issue. I am going to look into this.

AWESOME!!! I would love to try this. I just have to get FF on the wagon. We dont have huge debt but saving is the issue. I am going to look into this.

 

Paying yourself first is the key and very hard. With the state of the economy I think you are going to be seeing a lot of people having to use CC's as a necessity and that is what is sad.