Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Total Money Makeover

So yesterday marked the first day of starting Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.  TJ and I have always agreed on how we spend our money.  We each have our own expenses.  And luckily I have no debt.  So I plan on helping TJ, not financially, but more so keeping him on track and dealing with the debt collectors.  We are sick and tired of being sick and tired.  We may not be married yet, but we want to start investing in our future, and if not for that then just for ourselves.  We made our budget for the month and will do so each month.  We will put together a $1000 Emergency Fund fast, then work on paying off the debt.  We were so happy about making a budget.  We want to control how our money is spent, and how much.  We give ourselves an allowance of $20 every two weeks and that is for anything we want!  So I budgeted for food, and we get about $14 a day to spend on dinner.  If we spend less, that surplus goes into the Emergency Fund as extra.  I am reading the TMM right now.  I am a little more than halfway done.  I have learned and extensive amount of information.  It can be a little overwhelming, but as Dave says, "You have to live like nobody else, so later you can live like nobody else."  It makes sense!!!  DOY!  And TJ and I live a very frugal life, and this plan is going to jumpstart our life and we should be fast ahead than everyone else.  No debt.  No new car payment.  No new house we can't afford.  We are very grounded and we both know what we can afford.  I AM NOT SAYING WE DON'T DAYDREAM or WISH FOR NICE THINGS, but the reward of being smart with money is so much greater that having car payments, house payments, medical payments, etc. for the rest of our lives.  And we want to retire early.  I want to help my parents and repay them for everything they ever did for me and my sisters.  I want to send them on their dream vacation.  I want to pay for their mortgage (Bucket List item =]).  I want their retirement to be easy.  I love my parents so much, and I want to give so much back to them even if it means a few Christmas presents will be cheap.  Maybe one Christmas I can pay for the whole family to go a CRUISE for Christmas.  Then it will be worth it.  For now, FRUGAL is my middle name.

Thank goodness I found someone who has the same ideas on money and allows me to be the budgeter and the one in charge.  I may be in charge, but we discuss every payment and everything we buy and do the math for a budget.  I love him so much and appreciate him more and more each day for it.
So 50% of marriages in America end in divorce.  75% of those divorces are from money problems and not being able to agree on money. Just a little "did you know" fact.

I am ready for this.  I am ready to live like no one else, so later I can live like no one else.  Let's get this Total Money Makeover going!!!


"Broke people giving financial advice is like a shop teacher with missing fingers."
-Dave Ramsey

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