This is kind of a weird podcast for me because if you’ve listened to any, you know that I’m all about positive thinking, an optimistic mindset, and just going for things. I can’t even tell you how hard it is for me to sit down and look at spreadsheets and budgets, even calendars, because, I just don’t operate that way.
So there’s this guy…maybe you’ve heard of him. Dave Ramsey. If you haven’t, you might be hiding under a money rock, seeing that he’s written tons of stuff on finances, but it’s okay and you’ll know him after this podcast!
Do you guys actively manage and budget your money? I’m the type that wants everything to work out and just assumes it is. I titled this “The Money Makeover that I Avoided” because that’s exactly what I did. For years, I thought reading that book was for people who didn’t know how to manage money, and I was too smart for that book.I was too smart for Dave in general, he seemed so old-school.
Until recently, my boyfriend who works in finance told me I really have to start budgeting and watching my cash flow. Those words were worse than eating a gluten-free pizza. I had once recently because I was on a cleanse and it was truly terrible.
I discovered Hoopla, an app to check out library books about this same time, and lo and behold, Dave’s book topped the list. In the midst of all my denial and opposition, I decided I would finally let my guard down with Dave and give him a chance. Tens of thousands of people who attribute their success to him might have something, right?
Spoiler alert: WOW! The short book was nothing short of amazing and profound and most likely, life-changing. In short, he’s all about getting out of debt and staying there – aka not borrowing any more money – forever. A very odd suggestion in this day and age, right?
But as I listened to the book (it was under 4 hours), everything he said made perfect sense. The way we are trained to think debt is necessary, the way most of what we have is us trying to look good before we actually have the money, and the reality that actually having money and no debt is an incredible feeling. Duh! Right?!
In the book, he goes through a series of steps that work for absolutely everyone. I want to take you through them quickly so you can see if you are on track or maybe should listen to the book.Even if you think you are a master (or better than most) at money, that’s not saying a lot since most everything is pretty terrible. Do you know anything without debt – I’m talking mortgage too? Isn’t that crazy to think about? So, I hope you’ll actually take these steps to heart and think about them, talk about them, and hopefully implement them! As a note, some things don’t pertain to my beliefs. For example, I probably wouldn’t start a college fund for my kids because I don’t believe college will be as important in 20 years, and if it is, they can learn to pay for it themselves, as I did for the most part. Also, I have particular investments I like to invest in from what I’ve studied.
Before we start, I also want to mention mindset. Obviously, I think mindset is huge on the route to wealth, but what I learned when I gave into practical steps as well, is that having a plan and working towards a goal helps maintain the mindset. Personally, I was having a really hard time being positive when everything was out of line, but continuing to tell myself that I had to be positive or else. It was incredibly frustrating. Literally, the moment I read this book, and began and implemented his plan, I was able to easy maintain my positive and optimistic outlook on future finances. Hopefully that helps explain my method a bit more!
- Baby Step 1: $1,000 cash in a beginner emergency fund
- Baby Step 2: Use the debt snowball to pay off all your debt but the house
- Baby Step 3: A fully funded emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of expenses (Depending on your work)
- Baby Step 4: Invest 15% of your household income into retirement (I use Betterment)
- Baby Step 5: Start saving for college (I won’t do this one)
- Baby Step 6: Pay off your home early
- Baby Step 7: Build wealth and give generously
Let me know if you have or will be following this plan!
Have the best day ever!!!
Thanks so much for listening!! I would love if you’d leave a review & subscribe on iTunes…HOW TO LEAVE A REVIEW FROM YOUR IPHONE: 1. Open podcast app 2. Search for “Passion Design Project” 3. Click on my Podcast 4. Tap Reviews & tap “Write review”
Find out more on my website at www.PassionDesignProject.com
Join me on Facebook at Passion Design Project & Subscribe to the Newsletter to get podcast updates!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS