Currently, I feel that my wife and I do a pretty good job with our money. We invest in index funds for our retirement, we are close to paying off our house, and we have paid off all of our non-mortgage debt. We are even working together with our money to budget for our goals, values, and dreams. Aren’t we just perfect with our money? Of course not! Although we do a great job with many financial things, there are many things that we can do better. Sometimes we blow through our budget or argue about how money should be spent. Other times, we don’t even talk about money and try…
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Life Before Budget vs. Dave Ramsey
Over the past 20-25 years, Dave Ramsey has always stood as a powerful voice against debt. Using his radio show and consistent teachings, he has helped millions of people gain control of their money and stay out of debt. To me, he is a financial hero because of all the people that he has helped. Even this humble blogger and my family have traveled down to the Dave Ramsey Show studios in Nashville, Tennessee to scream, "I'M DEBT FREE," after we paid off all of our consumer debt. We certainly are fans of Dave Ramsey. One of the things that I love the most about Dave Ramsey is that he…
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Saying Goodbye to $383,530 in Debt
Just 7 years ago, my family and I had a HUGE amount of debt! Although we had modest salaries, we made decisions that led to us to accrue $442,500 worth of debt! As debt guru, Dave Ramsey, says, we were "up to our eyeballs in debt!" Being in this much debt was very difficult. Although most of it was low-interest and "good" debt, we certainly didn't feel very good about it. After all, we were paying around $40 per day in interest payments. Since my wife and I were making under $40 per hour at our jobs, the first 1-2 hours of each day went to paying interest. Whether the…
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My Number: How Much Money I Pay in Interest Every Day
Over the past 17 years, someone has stopped by my house and taken between $7 and $40 away from me, every single day. Not only have I allowed this to happen, but I have even invited this to happen! Why would I do this? After all, I consider myself a rational person in most areas of my life, including money. I even like having money.
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Christmas is Coming?
"Twas the night before Christmas …" Well ... not quite ... but as I look around at all of the beautiful decorations in stores and on houses and see the first snow here in Michigan, I know that "Winter is Coming" and Christmas is almost here.
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How to Buy a Car Using Craigslist
I don’t think of myself as old, but maybe I am because I remember classified ads. You may know of this antiquated way to sell goods and services too. You may even remember browsing through them in the Sunday paper while looking for a used car or an antique table. Like me, you may still browse through them from time to time, although you never really buy anything.
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Almost Everything is a Choice
A few months ago, I spoke to someone who is looking to buy $89,000 worth of windows for her house.
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Living a Great Life … With the Help of Money
At Life Before Budget, my goal is to work towards Living a Great Life ... With the Help of Money. I realize that money is important, but it should never be The Goal in Life. My mission is not to make as much money as possible, or to save one million dollars, or to travel around the world. Instead, my mission is to Enjoy Life and to encourage my family and those around me to do the same.
