For awhile in my life, I was a Dave Ramsey nay-sayer. I worked in an industry with a very low opinion of his tactics and methods. They had valid reasons for their dislike of him. But I was just a band-wagon jumper. I did not have any real reason for disliking him, but I did.
In preparation for marriage, our pastor told us we could cut out one of week of pre-marital counseling if we went through Financial Peace University (FPU). Seemed like a fair trade–one week of pre-marital counseling for nine weeks of FPU. (I am sure this is what Jordan thought as well..) I figured I might as well give him (Dave) a shot and at least have a solid reason for my dislike of him. Plus, I knew Jordan and I needed to talk about combining finances and budgets and all those money issues before we got married. Thus, we signed up for Financial Peace in January.
After nine weeks, I have to admit, I am still not his biggest fan nor do I think his way is the best way for everyone. I do think some of his principles are rock solid, but I also think some of his principles are plain hogwash. That’s life though. I don’t take every piece of advice my financial guy gives me either. What I will say is FPU was a game changer in my personal life and I believe in our marriage as well.
Game Changer #1: Switching to cash. Do it. I dare you. And I promise you, you will save money. Because at the end of the day, I don’t like to spend my cash. I will pack a lunch and sit at a restaurant to save my allowance. I think twice about shopping, what I am purchasing, and how often I eat out. We cook a lot. We spend time together at home and the TV we paid cash for just sits there collecting dust because we won’t spring for cable or rarely the $1.49 a Redbox movie costs (I mean, who’s allowance does it come out of??).
Game Changer #2: Sticking to a budget. We created one. I made this spiffy Google Doc spreadsheet that is color-coded and full of formulas (insert nerd here). BUT the key is, we stick to it. Most of our bills are automatically deducted and for everything else we switched to cash. I never worry about over-drafting our account and we have been able to save a crazy amount of money. This is not to pat us on the back by any means (especially because we aren’t following Dave’s steps in order), but to say that I never realized how much the little purchases added up until I cut them off.
Game Changer #3: We are able to be generous. Perhaps my favorite part of going through FPU was the fact it opened up lines of communication on our finances and allowed us to align our priorities. We save a lot, but we also give a lot. Our finances are not a source of contention or stress in our marriage-they are a source of joy and we have been able to use them to bless other people in our life.
At the end of the day, I am glad I gave Dave a chance. I have been able to spend the last 3.5 months of marriage enjoying life and not stressing over finances. I have been able to find joy in experiences and not in stuff. And we have been able to meet needs and pay off debt and save money in ways I never thought possible. If you have never attended Financial Peace University, I would challenge you to find a class and sit through it with an open mind. It may not solve all your problems, but it may just save you from making a few more.
