Posted by Tony Russell on August 31, 2010
Total Money Makeover
Posted in: Uncategorized
The two books Im reading and listening to right now are The Total Money Make Over and Rich Dad Poor Dad. There is no doubt they can change a persons life IF they will follow what is in them.
My biggest mistake has been consumer debt (CD). CD is not just credit cards…it comes in the form of those 0% loans that turn into the we just buried your ass in high interest rate loans debt. I didnt just buy junk with these loans.
I got braces for Libby, saved my dogs life at the vet, and got a new pair of glasses. So it wasnt that I didnt need those things…the problem is that I didnt PLAN for those things. In other words, I live to high on the hog as we say back home. Im not saving any money for when emergencies pop up. Dont get me wrong, Im able to pay my bills and even have some nice things. The problem is that I have just been winging it and not saving ANYTHING.
As Dave Ramsey says, my money has been managing me instead of me managing it! And that leads to a major mess and major stress! Send some positive thoughts my way as I try to change some bad habit$.
Written via my iPhone so please ignore errors. 
Hi there
My family had started this plan then came a big move & the like so have “fallen off the wagon” so to speak – I actually looked at the book & workbook this morning thinking I need to get my butt in gear again SSOO you have encouraged me to do this!!! Look forward to reading what you have to say in the future!!! Do you know that he also has a website?? http://www.daveramsey.com – that is VERY VERY helpful!!!
Tracy Harris
Anacortes, WA
Comment by Tracy Harris — August 31, 2010 @ 10:27 am
I think its something we all fall victim to at one point or another, its hard to break those habits, for me, i had to do 2 things, because of my income I had to find a way to avoid paying uncle sam each april, I consulted a financial planner at American Express he walked me through (because I know so little about investing etc…) a plan to help save money, put it where it needs to go etc. etc. I started this when I was single mom with a 5 year old. I opened a 529a account for her so she would have some money for college she graduates next year…. where does the time go…. anyways then he asked me about my goals I wanted a new car and a house…. Ive since obtained those as well as a husband. and we had a few things that came up that really strapped us for some time, we were lucky enough to get our home loan restructured to get the interest rate and our payments down to a more manageble amount, also we have put all our cc’s on the table….. cut up the useless ones…. set 2 aside for emergency..and they are put in the safe and will only be used for emergency reasons, restructured our budget so everything gets paid ontime, and both of us know whats what we have a desk calendar that the bills get listed on so we know what is going to happen each payday we pay the bills first then go from there, we contacted the credit card people who up’d the interest rates and made arrangements to pay a certain amount higher than the minimal, if they would reduce the outrageous interest. we have made a personal goal to get the credit cards down to zero and not using them. we are bout half way there for that goal. we managed to save for a much needed vacation in april, and we are slowly feeling the relief of that consumer overload off our backs the best thing we did was set down make a plan together and both stuck to it.
Comment by Julie — August 31, 2010 @ 11:20 am
Good Luck Tony. I just downloaded Total Money Makeover last week to my i-pod. I have several friends that LIVE life now (to live life later) with the help of Dave Ramsey’s book. This is truly a challenge for me and look forward to sharing my success with others. Keep us updated and I will be happy to do the same! Happy Living!
Comment by Holly Nelson — August 31, 2010 @ 11:25 am
Hi Tony,
My husband and I just started the 3 yr plan w/ Dave Ramsey. It’s been tough not having the cards. But it’s also a huge relief off of our shoulders to see the balances get paid down and know that we won’t have them ever again. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to hearing how it goes along the way.. Lisa
Comment by Lisa — August 31, 2010 @ 11:57 am