**updated**-Dave Ramsey anyone?

There are a few different amazon cards, pay attention when you sign up for one. I have the one from Chase, gives me 3% on amazon, 2% on most everything else. I recycle the points every month or so as statement credit. I also carry a Discover card, had that since 1991. That used to be pretty good for cashback, but has now changed to a convoluted system where you have to sign up quarterly for 5% cashback on varying categories (gas stations, restaurants, amazon, grocery stores...).
 
My wife and I are about to jump on this train. I am tired of getting on track and then falling off. Our problem as of lately are medical bills, both my wife and I have had multiple doctors visits lately and now it looks like my daughter is going to need to see a specialist and possibly need surgery, so there's that. My wife's car is almost paid off and have convinced her to stick with it for a while even after its paid for so we can save that money each month. We don't have MUCH debt outside of our mortgage but I know that if we keep going down this path we have been on for a while, its not going to end well. Wanting to get one of Dave's books and really try to get ourselves in a good place. I think if we can work hard at it for the next 3 years or so, when my daughter starts school, we will be relieved of having to pay for daycare and will have those habits in place already.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
My wife and I are about to jump on this train. I am tired of getting on track and then falling off. Our problem as of lately are medical bills, both my wife and I have had multiple doctors visits lately and now it looks like my daughter is going to need to see a specialist and possibly need surgery, so there's that. My wife's car is almost paid off and have convinced her to stick with it for a while even after its paid for so we can save that money each month. We don't have MUCH debt outside of our mortgage but I know that if we keep going down this path we have been on for a while, its not going to end well. Wanting to get one of Dave's books and really try to get ourselves in a good place. I think if we can work hard at it for the next 3 years or so, when my daughter starts school, we will be relieved of having to pay for daycare and will have those habits in place already.
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I picked up one of his books about this time last year. Debt free other than our mortgage as of June this year. Totally worth it man! Looks like you're fairly local. Happy to lend you the book if you're interested.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
My wife and I are about to jump on this train. I am tired of getting on track and then falling off. Our problem as of lately are medical bills, both my wife and I have had multiple doctors visits lately and now it looks like my daughter is going to need to see a specialist and possibly need surgery, so there's that. My wife's car is almost paid off and have convinced her to stick with it for a while even after its paid for so we can save that money each month. We don't have MUCH debt outside of our mortgage but I know that if we keep going down this path we have been on for a while, its not going to end well. Wanting to get one of Dave's books and really try to get ourselves in a good place. I think if we can work hard at it for the next 3 years or so, when my daughter starts school, we will be relieved of having to pay for daycare and will have those habits in place already.
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It's an evolution, don't feel bad if you fall off the train, your finances will ebb and flow, but it's good you recognized it and are self correcting. If it makes you feel any better, my wife loves this time of year (complete opposite of me), so it's nothing for her just to start spending a couple hundred dollars a day on pure and utter crap/eggnog/decorations/etc. Coupled with the fact she's trying to launch a new business. I've put her on a cash basis with envelopes, each individually marked...groceries, business expenses, gas, lunch money...doesn't matter, when it's gone it's gone. When New Year's is done, she'll get card privileges again, but in the interim, we know better...so we're making the adjustment.
 
We started it just last month, and my wife has started picking up catering work for the company she used to work for before we had the girls. Hoping to pay all our debt down, except mortgage, in two years.
 
NCJeeplover said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this. Most people think I'm crazy!
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I feel ive outgrown most of the snowball/debt correction principles he recommends or have more knowledge than most of his ideologies, but the envelope trick is one I still incorporate in my life when it comes to finances. We start feeling fancy and our expenses start to bloat more than I like, it’s time for a hard reset, and out come the envelopes. It’s easier to correct a $100/wk problem than a $1000/wk problem.
 
I got married on October of last year, and my wife and I both had a bunch of debt, especially after funding the wedding. We both read Dave's book on our honeymoon and started working his program in November. Over the last year we paid off $37,847 in debt, and are well on our way to being debt free other than the house. We don't follow the book exactly, but adapted somewhat of a modified version after some trial and error to find what works best for us. We're definitely still a work in progress, but we've come a long way.
 
There is one overarching point I think is important and I want to emphasize a bit. Dave's "plan", outlined through his baby steps, are a GREAT starting point to financial independence and financial peace. However, they are just that...a STARTING POINT. I do not, whatsoever, think that his views are a be-all-end-all methodology to get out of debt. I did not follow his plan to a T, and I know a lot of people in the same boat. It's all about what works best for YOU and how you deal with money.

For me, I'm just a tight sumbitch! My wife says I squeak when I walk. As long as the bills get paid and I have a little money for truck parts and/or things that go bang...then I'm good. I treat my credit card just like my debit card; if I know I don't have the cash in the bank to pay for it right then...I don't buy it...period! And then the credit card gets paid off, in full, at the end of the month. My wife buys nearly all our kids clothes at Goodwill (and not at all to boast/brag but simply trying to make a point of living within your means and figuring out ways to cut expenses out of your life...b/t the two of us we make pretty good money (not a shit-ton by any means but we're blessed)). There are tons of ways to cut costs in your household if you'll really start looking. What's actually kinda cool (and most definitely geeky) is once you start getting into it...it somewhat starts to become a game and you just start looking for more and more ways to cut unnecessary shit out of your life.
 
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I’m glad this thread is encouraging people. It’s been one of the best things I’ve done and love to share it with people. It’s a constant battle though once you are debt free.

@Cherokeekid88 get that car paid for and keep on going. I don’t understand the thought process of paying a vehicle off and then being ready to buy another one, seems crazy to me but I know a lot of people that do it.
It’s nice not having car payments. I’m resisting the urge to go buy my dream truck. I hope it sells soon cause I have to ride by and see it every single day. The payment on that truck would cost more than a wheeling trip each month so that’s what keeps me away.
https://www.truckranch.net/details/used-2011-ford-f-350-super-duty/59537792

There’s a part of me that thinks “I’ve done well, and done without, I deserve this truck and can justify it” but that’s just ludicrous really so I keep avoiding it. But I have to ride by it EVERY SINGLE DAY on the way to and from work!
 
77GreenMachine said:
I’m glad this thread is encouraging people. It’s been one of the best things I’ve done and love to share it with people. It’s a constant battle though once you are debt free.

@Cherokeekid88 get that car paid for and keep on going. I don’t understand the thought process of paying a vehicle off and then being ready to buy another one, seems crazy to me but I know a lot of people that do it.
It’s nice not having car payments. I’m resisting the urge to go buy my dream truck. I hope it sells soon cause I have to ride by and see it every single day. The payment on that truck would cost more than a wheeling trip each month so that’s what keeps me away.
https://www.truckranch.net/details/used-2011-ford-f-350-super-duty/59537792

There’s a part of me that thinks “I’ve done well, and done without, I deserve this truck and can justify it” but that’s just ludicrous really so I keep avoiding it. But I have to ride by it EVERY SINGLE DAY on the way to and from work!
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Find the same thing with 200k miles for $19k. They are out there. Autotrader sends me a search alert for new ones every morning ;)
 
77GreenMachine said:
I don’t understand the thought process of paying a vehicle off and then being ready to buy another one, seems crazy to me but I know a lot of people that do it.
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Trade in value...say you bought a $40,000 vehicle, paid it off early...it's still worth $20k. Trade it in, get yourself a $60k vehicle for the same payments as the $40k car. Cash poor, car rich. Oversimplified, maybe...just save the money and pay cash next time, true...but should and do are different things.
 
We were on it for a while, got sidetracked. Now with everything going on with my wife's job we are back on it. We have a decent amount of debt from student loans and one credit card but thankfully we aren't in as bad a position as other people I know. We have a plan, we both are committed to it, just got to apply it. I think I've finally reached the point where my wife understands just where the money goes for bills(I pay the majority of them), she has her bills to pay but has a lot more discretionary funding. I keep telling her, we have a beautiful house, nice vehicles(my truck is paid for), food, and we can go/do what we want within reason. It can be tough when we see other friends our age going overseas, newer vehicles, etc etc but I keep telling her that we are doing just fine and we are happy. So far its working. It will take time and effort but anything worth doing is.
 
77GreenMachine said:
I’m glad this thread is encouraging people. It’s been one of the best things I’ve done and love to share it with people. It’s a constant battle though once you are debt free.

@Cherokeekid88 get that car paid for and keep on going. I don’t understand the thought process of paying a vehicle off and then being ready to buy another one, seems crazy to me but I know a lot of people that do it.
It’s nice not having car payments. I’m resisting the urge to go buy my dream truck. I hope it sells soon cause I have to ride by and see it every single day. The payment on that truck would cost more than a wheeling trip each month so that’s what keeps me away.
https://www.truckranch.net/details/used-2011-ford-f-350-super-duty/59537792

There’s a part of me that thinks “I’ve done well, and done without, I deserve this truck and can justify it” but that’s just ludicrous really so I keep avoiding it. But I have to ride by it EVERY SINGLE DAY on the way to and from work!
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Damn. That price is high as hell.

I bought mine in 2014 for the same price. Same color, same year, same engine. Just a Lariat instead of King Ranch. And it only had 90k miles.

I’ll sell ya my truck for half that price. It’s a 2011 F-350. Same color and all but not King Ranch. :D

5FCD0E99-D30B-427D-872A-384C73C02D28.jpeg
 
77GreenMachine said:
I’m glad this thread is encouraging people. It’s been one of the best things I’ve done and love to share it with people. It’s a constant battle though once you are debt free.

@Cherokeekid88 get that car paid for and keep on going. I don’t understand the thought process of paying a vehicle off and then being ready to buy another one, seems crazy to me but I know a lot of people that do it.
It’s nice not having car payments. I’m resisting the urge to go buy my dream truck. I hope it sells soon cause I have to ride by and see it every single day. The payment on that truck would cost more than a wheeling trip each month so that’s what keeps me away.
https://www.truckranch.net/details/used-2011-ford-f-350-super-duty/59537792

There’s a part of me that thinks “I’ve done well, and done without, I deserve this truck and can justify it” but that’s just ludicrous really so I keep avoiding it. But I have to ride by it EVERY SINGLE DAY on the way to and from work!
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As far as the wife's car. I bought it with the intent that we would keep the miles low and keep in clean. we bought it brand new in 2013 and currently only has 53k on it. At that time, having a child wasn't in our plan and now that we have a daughter, getting her in and out of this mazda is a pain, but is a pain that I can deal with if it means, keeping that car another 5 years and possibly only having 100k on it or less. My wife sees are her friends at work getting SUV's and new cars and she just gets that fever, which I understand, but have finally convinced her to just keep what she has for at least a few more years.
 
rockcity said:
Damn. That price is high as hell.

I bought mine in 2014 for the same price. Same color, same year, same engine. Just a Lariat instead of King Ranch. And it only had 90k miles.

I’ll sell ya my truck for half that price. It’s a 2011 F-350. Same color and all but not King Ranch. :D

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I was pretty sure you had the same color scheme. I actually prefer it without the King Ranch.
As for the price, it’s high and he admits it. I somewhat know the guy. We bought our van from him. I was chatting with him the other week about the truck and he admitted he priced it high because it’s semi-rare in color, and mainly because before he ever cleaned it up and listed in he was getting tons of calls and people coming by asking about it.
I’ve always loved odd colors, and while that’s not exactly odd, it’s not common, and I think it (and yours) is absolutely beautiful!
 
jeepinmatt said:
Find the same thing with 200k miles for $19k. They are out there. Autotrader sends me a search alert for new ones every morning ;)
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Im not in the market for a truck, and realize that’s not a deal by any means. It’s just a truck that catches my eye like no other and happens to be 2 miles from my house lol. I’ll be glad when it sells so I can quit picturing myself in that truck.

UTfball68 said:
Trade in value...say you bought a $40,000 vehicle, paid it off early...it's still worth $20k. Trade it in, get yourself a $60k vehicle for the same payments as the $40k car. Cash poor, car rich. Oversimplified, maybe...just save the money and pay cash next time, true...but should and do are different things.
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I can see where that would appeal to some (most) people. I’m just such a tightwad and don’t care so I tend to literally drive something until it isn’t reliable anymore and I’m forced to replace it.
 
As someone who has followed Ramsey's advice to debt free 2x and been a counselor for FPU and helped ~50 families I think its a great program. I also agree with @UTfball68 and some others I dont currently follow it, really at all.

I can offer 1 piece of advice though I hope I can communicate.

Cherokeekid88 said:
As far as the wife's car. I bought it with the intent that we would keep the miles low and keep in clean. we bought it brand new in 2013 and currently only has 53k on it. At that time, having a child wasn't in our plan and now that we have a daughter, getting her in and out of this mazda is a pain, but is a pain that I can deal with if it means, keeping that car another 5 years and possibly only having 100k on it or less. My wife sees are her friends at work getting SUV's and new cars and she just gets that fever, which I understand, but have finally convinced her to just keep what she has for at least a few more years.
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This last part is scary to me. One of Dave's often used lines is that the #1 cause of divorce is money fights and money problems. One of the reasons we stopped being FPU counselors was we personally watched 3 couples we were friends with in our church get divorced at least in part BECAUSE of, or at least triggered by, FPU.

Account balances are symptoms not problems.

If you can not change the mindset completely away from being pleased by possessions or comparing your stuff to friends I would strongly discourage you from going down the path. Its almost better to be blissful and ignorant than to be knowledgeable and at odds. It can lead to arguments and resentment.

One of my favorite quotes that 100% is pertinent here is Roosevelt's assertion that "Comparison is the thief of Joy"...it applies to so many aspects of life but none more relevant than financially.

Finally if you guys are committed to this, I'll go one step further than the offer above.
PM me your mailing address and Ill buy you the 2 books and have them sent to you as a pay it forward - someone did the same for me. Call it a Christmas gift.
 
77GreenMachine said:
I was pretty sure you had the same color scheme. I actually prefer it without the King Ranch.
As for the price, it’s high and he admits it. I somewhat know the guy. We bought our van from him. I was chatting with him the other week about the truck and he admitted he priced it high because it’s semi-rare in color, and mainly because before he ever cleaned it up and listed in he was getting tons of calls and people coming by asking about it.
I’ve always loved odd colors, and while that’s not exactly odd, it’s not common, and I think it (and yours) is absolutely beautiful!
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the color is one of the main reasons I bought this one. I was looking for months and had decided on the pearl white King Ranch when I found this one. Shipped it in from TX. While it’s not rare, it’s not a common color. I’ve only seen 2, maybe 3 others in person. The newer ones have an odd color, more brown than bronze and it just doesn’t look right.
 
Ron said:
#1 cause of divorce is money fights and money problems..
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This is probably the biggest reason I’ve waited so long to get engaged/ married.
I’ve had to work/ go into debt to get through school. I have a pretty good chunk of debt because of it, not as much as some thankfully. my gfs parents paid for her school, she’s never lived on her own and hasn’t had to face the “real world” so to speak.

This year I’ve payed off over 10,000 of my school debt which has been hard, living on my own shits no cheap.

She still doesn’t realize when I say I’m broke I’ve got 100 bucks in my bank account and my small amount of savings.

When she is broke she has less than a grand in her account and who knows how much in her savings


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