Beautiful Life of Zig Zag Zoom

All in 2008 seemed bleak. The economic crisis that faced the world was painful to watch but I muddled through. The Presidential race did not turn out very well and it was politics as usual among promises of change. There were wars and rumors of wars. Many lost their jobs as we taxpayers bailed out the rich. McCain, Obama, Clinton, and Bush all approved of the monetary rape that we took. Looking for a job had little success and the stock market crashed like nothing we have seen.

I clung to my marriage and tightened my belt. I fought harder to clear up all of my debt. I listened to Dave Ramsey to inspire me most. It was a struggle and so many lost. However, as Americans we suffered though the loss. We brushed off the dirt that our Government threw on us and we swore it would get better and for many it got worse. It was a bit of a pickle but we will survive.

With all the bleak we suffered in 2008, we know that we have much to be thankful for. I want to take this chance to wish all of my friends a wonderful healthy and prosperous New Year!

I recently heard this on the Dave Ramsey Show and I thought with recent events and to go a long with what I have been posting about, this would be most fitting!

This is what America is all about. This what our fore fathers wanted and this is how we did what we did in our short history as a nation. Do we still want it? I know I do!

I Do Not Choose to Be a Common Man

It is my right to be uncommon—if I can.

I seek opportunity—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.

I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.

I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say, “This I have done.”

By Dean Alfange

source: http://daveramsey.com

*Originally published in This Week Magazine.
Later printed in The Reader’s Digest, October 1952 and January 1954.

There are many people who live paycheck to paycheck and always wonder where there money goes. I have always been one to write down all my major monthly expenses each month. However, up till a few weeks ago, I never wrote down our dining out money, gas money, or any monthly left from paying the bills.

I am now a huge proponent of writing down everything. Karen and I have devised a budget that includes a weekly allowance for both of us, grocery money, eating out money, miscellaneous money, and gas and car expenses. With the exception of gas, which we pay at the pump with our debit cards, everything else is cash only. I carry an envelope for each kind of money and pull the right one out each time we need to purchase something. Dave Ramsey says it is harder to spend cash and he is right. It is much harder to part with money than with a debit card or credit card. Every dollar is earmarked and we try to stay with in our budget.

We are not perfect but we do seem to be more conscious of our money. We know how much we have and if we run out, we have to wait till the next payday. We both get paid bi-weekly so we fill the envelopes every two weeks. We do borrow back and forth but if we borrow from one envelope, we know that that category is short for the two weeks and we do not go and get more.

I am here to tell you that if you budget out every dollar before the month begins, you will have more money than you thought you had. Any excess goes straight for debt payoff. It also causes you to avoid high price stuff and look for the bargain in everything. No more value meals at McDonald’s, we go straight for the dollar menu. Drinks in diners are now water not the $1.50-$3.00 sodas. It takes some getting use to but we are working toward a long term get out of debt goal!

The key is for the whole family to be on board and stick to the plan. If the the plan is not discussed and agreed on by all, it will not work. Communication is key to successful money management and it makes a much healthier marriage.

Get on board and get a budget done. it will be the smartest decision you ever make!

I am glad to see that Dave Ramsey really does try to include all emails on his show. My wife sent an email a few nights ago and we assumed that it did not make it on the show that night so it would just get pushed aside. To my surprise, I was watching his show tonight on the Fox Business Network and at the end of his show, he read my wife’s email.

Karen was so excited but missed the show so now she is staying up till one in the morning so she can see the show. She is quite goofy that away. Dave has such common sense and approaches it in such a folksy down to earth way that he appeals to many and pisses off some too. I am just glad he was able to inspire Karen to jump on board the get out of debt wagon!

If you have not seen or heard of Dave Ramsey, I suggest you check out his website to see what he is all about. Better yet, tune into his radio or TV show to see him for yourself.

What would be your ideal life? The one thing that leads to all roads is being debt free. You are limited if you spend your whole life living paycheck to paycheck while making someone else rich. My new goal is to end the cycle and become totally debt free.

As my core basis, I am taking the advice of money guru Dave Ramsey. I am in the midst of reading his book, The Total Money Makeover. I have always been good at handling my money but I have never been great. I have decided it is time to take on the mountain and win. My wife and I are fortunate in the sense that we have very little credit card debt. However, we owe a huge amount for student loans. We have no car payments and the only other debt we have is a home equity loan (no first mortgage). The credit card is going to be paid off by mid-November and we are attacking the student loans with all we have.

We own an old farm house that we can live in for a while but our goal is to either build or place a modular on a separate 75 acre piece of land we own. We would love to do this right away but we have to get debt free first. It will be tight living for quite a while but the end will be worth the effort.

Our key was to budget everything on paper and stick with it. I now carry envelopes in my wallet earmarked for the different things we do. When we go out to eat, I pull out the envelope and if there is enough we eat good, if it is low, we eat cheap. We have been on a solid budget for a month and it is hard to believe how much money we were spending and not even knowing where it went. I always paid bills and expenses first but the rest was free game. Now, we are on a tight budget and all excess goes to the debt. We paid off three thousand in a month and we are on a roll. I will share with you here when we get closer to our goal.

In these times of economic turmoils, it is important to get your own finances in order. How do you feel about getting debt free? Please share your own advice, plan of action, or opinion by leaving a comment.

I have always enjoyed watching the Dave Ramsey show. His advice is clear and precise and seems to have helped a lot of people. He is straight forward and to the point in a almost folksy way. If it is stupid, he will call it stupid.

The information he provides is not really rocket science, it has been said before and it makes logical sense. The key to following his advice is that the person has to have will power and be able to commit to getting out of debt and taking control of their own finances. Many financial wizards have said the same things but it is personality that i believe helps to get his point across.

If you find yourself lost and in need of help, I highly recommend watching his show on the Fox Business Channel at 8 PM EST or listen to him on talk radio. You can also listen to him on his website . He also allows both emails and phone calls but those are often backed way up so you may or may not get through.

His website also provides some information  on getting out of debt. However, a large part of his site is dedicated to selling you a product. I do understand that he is in the business of making money but I do have a problem with how much his website is trying to sell. For a man who is dedicated to helping people become debt free, I am surprised on how much he is trying to sell to the people who need his help the most.

Listen to his advice, read all you can  for free on his site, and borrow his books from the library. He is a smart man with sound advice and following his advice will help lead you and your family to a debt free life.

If you have taken his advice and have become debt free, feel free to post your story here by leaving a a comment. Either positive or negative, I would love to hear how you feel about Dave Ramsey.