Elizabeth Cristina Wriston
Cash is king. In life, I have learned the hard way that credit is taboo. I left home at the age of seventeen to join the Air Force and I was offered credit everywhere I turned. Needless to say that after five years I was in debt up to my eyeballs with no way out. My savior in the money world was Dave Ramsey.
The book that changed my life was “The Total Money Makeover” by Dave Ramsey. After reading this book I learned about saving money, having an emergency saving, using a concept called a debt snowball to pay off debt and become debt free. He teaches you that cash is king and that credit is a no go. For me, it was an eye-opener on how much stupid debt I had in my life.
Examples of my stupid debt were credit cards, Rent-A-Center, car payments, Aaron’s, payday loans, etc.The list just goes on and on with stupid debt that had me in shackles. I was a slave to debt. Debt owned me.
The year was 2006 when I found Dave Ramsey and the year I became debt free was 2016. During this time I learned to eat beans and rice and rice and beans. I learned to get rid of my stuff that I had purchased on credit. I learned to buy from Craigslist and thrift stores. I got a used furniture, a used refrigerator, I sold my cars that I had on loans and learned to live with cars that were not new but were paid for, I bought old school tube televisions, the big ones that were heavy as heck to carry! No more cell phones on credit, no more payday loans.
If I didn’t have money then I did without. It was a very hard way of life to get used to but in time the end game is worth it. To not owe anyone money for anything is an amazing feeling. Not an easy road to go but it can be done. Anyone can do it and anyone can be debt free. To live this lifestyle you have to make a commitment to yourself and it’s a total mental makeover.
I personally think they need to have Dave Ramsey’s programs in schools so children can learn from a young age what money looks like and how your life can be with and without credit. Teach them to be frugal and how to save and how to pay cash. Teach them to always be generous. Dave always says that a paid off home is taking the place of the new Mercedes in the driveway.
There is such a thing as biblical money management. God provides everything to us and he allows us to manage it. You need to learn to be generous when you give it comes back to you tenfold. Live within your means. Save your money! Keep out of debt. Be happy with what you have. Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’s, it’s not worth it. Stay on a budget and stick with it. And lastly work hard. When you toil and sweat for everything in your life it is more valuable than when things are handed to you. Tithe. When you go to church tithe whatever you can, don’t look for someone else to do the tithing for you.
Check out Dave Ramsey’s site here where you can view his courses and books that he has. It’s a small investment for your financial future a life changer. Also here is a link to Dave Ramsey’s radio show I think it’s worth listening to. I frequent his show often.
