If I Were Debt Free…#98
2008 July 8
Call Dave Ramsey. We may or may not get to scream it on live radio for millions to hear, but at least we’ll have tried. Those of you who have been following along for a while, know that Dave Ramsey has been a huge part of our journey, particularly the intensity with which we chose to move. Listening to the debt free calls that came in every Friday was a huge inspiration. I imagine there’s another young couple out there with a few kids and buried by the hopelessness of their financial situation. My hope is we can pass along the some inspiration to them.
Have you ever had that nagging feeling that there was something more to do with your life? I don’t remember exactly when it started for me...
Hey there :-)
I stumbled upon your page via one of your wife’s DiaperSwappers posts… My husband and I are one of those aforementioned couples you speak of. Our debt is consuming us. We have begun the journey and are doing okay thus far, but we really need guidance. Well in all honesty, we really need a little hand-holding and need to be told what to do by someone who has lived it. We get all kinds of well-meaning advice, but never from anyone who knows what its like to have tens of thousands in debt. I’ll definitely be looking out for this Dave Ramsey fellow, and searching your archives. Cheers!
@Shan (i sent this in email too)
I’m very glad you stumbled across my site. If there is anyway we can help, let us know. Dave Ramsey is definitely a good resource to help you through this. To get your head around it all, I would recommend listening to the his radio show. It’s real people calling in with real problems. You realize you’re not alone, and the advice he gives them will help you. He may come off a little brash, but it’s his attitude towards debt that has kept me straight. He does one every day starting at 2pm est, and you can hear it online at http://www.daveramsey.com/tdrs
And although you didn’t ask for it straight out, if I could give one piece of advice to anyone asking, I would say it’s ALL about sacrifice and hard work. I don’t know your circumstances, and you may be doing all that already. But we literally went to the bare bones of life-no extras like eating out, movie rentals. we had an $80 budget to feed a family of 6, we got rid of a cell phone, we didn’t buy birthday presents, we said NO a lot to ourselves and others. And I got a second job to attack a money problem with more money. You feel like you’re going to explode with emotion at times, but if you believe it’s all worth it (and I do), then it becomes a joy even in the pain.
So! hope i didn’t scare you by the long response to your comment. But we are definitely here to serve you. If you have any questions, or just need a cheerleader, let us know.
Great response Nate. You’re right that even listening to Dave’s show will increase your excitement to keep up w/ all the hard work.
I had someone last night ask me how they say “no” to people when they ask them out for a couples night. I’ve simply changed my attitude about what couples night is. Now we gather at my house. Each make a dish. Play cards. Get a free movie from the library. It’s much more fun and costs NOTHING!
It took a heart transplant for me & hubs to really get into it.
Good luck Shan!