Dear Dave Ramsey,
I feel like we should talk. Not just chit chat, but TALK talk. As you may or may not know, Lover and I recently incorporated your debt solving antics into our lifestyle. With our law school loans making us feel like we had been punched in the stomach, we felt it necessary to try and dig ourselves out of this hole we’ve created for the sake of “an education”. I will admit, I can’t entirely blame our debt on law school. There were a few (hundred) trips to Target that MAY have played a small role in the money issue that we now have.
Although I know this program you have us doing is for a greater good, it’s really a thorn in my lifestyle. To be completely honest, I’m not a big fan of keeping my money all budgeted evenly and tucked away in white envelopes. It makes me feel…well, budgeted. I don’t like when I have to go to the gas station and thumb through all my 12 envelopes to find the “gas” envelope just so I can pay for my fill up. It’s kinda embarrassing. And my “allowance” envelope? Well, the problem with that one is that it never has enough money in it. I always spend my allowance in like, the first 3 days and the rest of the two weeks I’m left wandering parking lots looking for loose change just so I can get a route 44 ocean water during Happy Hour at Sonic.
I would have to say that my very least favorite part of using your technique is having to plan ahead. I hate planning ahead. I hate budgeting my money and then having to withdraw all of it. I hate having to go to the teller and ask for 4-100’s, 2-50’s, 6-20’s, 3-10’s and 4-5’s just so the money is divided perfectly in their individual envelopes. I hate having to make a grocery list. I never used to use a grocery list. Now I can’t even walk INTO the grocery store unless I have a list, and not only that, but I have to USE the list. I hate having to write down the price of EVERY item that goes into my cart and I ESPECIALLY hate having to pull my cart over when I’m done shopping and ADD UP EVERY ITEM to make sure my total is STILL within my budget. I usually try to hide in the dog food aisle to do that because I’m SOOO embarrassed. Ugh. Who DOES that?!?
Okay, Okay, I will admit, we are seeing some wicked results. We’ve only been using your system since January and we’ve already been able to pay off one credit card which DID make me feel like a rockstar. I guess if you want something bad enough you’ll do whatever it takes. Even if it means telling your BFF’s you can’t go to girl’s night out because Dave Ramsey won’t let you. I know once this is all over, I’ll be so thankful that I stuck to it and sacrificed so much (like those Jessica Simpson black platform pumps I wanted SOOOO badly). I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to have absolutely NO debt. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll EVER know that feeling.
Anyway, I started writing this letter because I was annoyed and tired of using your debt solving plan, but now that I think about it, I’m just grateful that I HAVE a plan. Thank you, Dave Ramsey, for being the jerk that you are. I love that about you.
Your new BFF,
Jessica Lowe
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Jessica is a TEXAN. She’s also a mother of 5 (4 boys and 1 girl) who has been married for 11 years to a super hot US Marine that she likes to call, “Lover.” She and her family live aboard Camp Lejeune in NC and they fantasize about the day they can move back home to the great state of Texas and build their dream home. She writes on her personal blog about other crazy adventures at www.thelowefamilynews.blogspot.com or you can hear her craziness live at the HunDuddle Hussy.
