Hi All

As promised we are starting today.

I have been looking at a couple of other frugality websites and they don't seem to like Dave. So I thought to kick us off

What do you think of Dave Ramsey?

I think the guy is okay. I love his program, but I personally don't agree with everything he says. I do mix and match a between his and other financial people. I do think that on his radio program that he has is very good. I listen as often as I can. I do think that he has a little to much for sale, but that is me.

Let me know.

Kellie

We used alot of Daves plan to pay off all our non mortgage debt(over46K). I love listening to him! The tape set was wonderful!! I absolutely love how he is no nonsense and blunt! Like today a guy told him he could easily afford to pay 2500 on two homes with a take home of 5000. Dave told him he was nuts to pay half his take home on morgages.

I didn't agree with all the plan so we didn't stop Dh's 401K. We didn't get second jobs and we didn't stay with the full envelope plan.

Seems like an okay guy. I've never heard the radio show. I've only read Total Money Makeover and visited his website.

As with any plan like his, as long as people follow it in moderation, I think they'll be fine. All parts of the plan won't work for all people. You need to take it and make it your own.

Still don't have the book! I have read FP Revisited and listen to his radio show on occassion.

I agree Kellie - sometimes he "sells" too much. He is very entertaining though and I enjoy the encouragement of listening to him.

Things I don't necessarily agree with - working two jobs if you have small children - they need their parents at home at least part of the day! I also don't think single mothers should always sell expensive cars and drive clunkers that may be unsafe or unreliable.

But I am quibbling. I love the no-debt philosophy. In my own life, paying off our house before our son started college enables us to pay cash as we go for his education and he doesn't have to take out any student loans.

Still struggling trying to put a budget together.

Debbie

I like him and his philosophy.:):

I think Dave is very motivational and gives us the sense of urgency when it comes to making good money decisions. I have read the Total Money Makeover and listened to it on CD from the library. After I became familiar with his materials, I ended up buying the Financial Peace University (PFU) package from his website. At first I thought $150 with shipping and handling was an enormous amount of cash for FPU, but when I realized that 13, 2 hour classes came with it, it made me feel like I was getting more value for the money. Plus, I will get to really put the principles in practice....my class starts in September....

Andrea

I have some books and one tape that I listen to on my way into the city before I go shopping. It gives me a real kick in the butt! When I'm house cleaning or baking I listen to the archives of his show online. There are too many comercials that go on forever! All in all he has a great message and we are working through baby step two. I wish I could budget for Financial Peace University but I just can't right now. I feel like there is more than enough info in his books to do the program. Beans and rice, rice and beans........my hubby hates that......he's a meat eater!!!!!!!!

I like listening to his shows. We don't do everything he suggests, but it is food for thought, so to speak. We are still in DH's 401K. I didn't sell my Buick Rendevous either. Overall I do like his concepts, and if I had known about him awhile back and his teachings my life and my financial decisons would have been better.

Oh thats another thing we didn't do either was sell the two cars when we had loans on them.

Another that likes most of his ideas and philosophy but there are certain ideas he has that I do not follow. Imparticularly putting off retirement saving, it makes no sense at all to stop all retirement contributions especially if you are getting a company match. I don't know maybe it's because my Grandparents were so poor, but at any age it is more important to put aside a bit of money for retirement than it is to pay down debt.

I also refuse to drive around in a clunker. I am keeping my car (another driver of a Buick Renedevous here). I'll have it paid for in August of next year and like the security of having a car that is reliable. I've had clunkers before and it always stressed me out not being able to rely on my car to get me from point a to point b. That being said, if I had it to do over again I probably wouldn't have bought the car, but I'm will to pay whatever stupid tax I have to now.

I also debt back and forth about my student loans. They are at a very low interest rate (2.885%), I refinanced when they were low and I don't own my own home yet. I haven't quite decided whether I will pay them off before or after I begin saving for a down payment on a house or not. I'll cross that bring when I come to it though as I'm a few years off from having to make that decision.

And getting a part time job may work in some cases and quit frankly I could if I wanted to give up all my spare time. But I feel it is more important to try and lead a balanced life while trying to pay down my debt. And rushing around after work to get to another job doesn't appeal to me at all. That being said, this is another point, I debate back and forth on. I'll re-evaluate in a couple of months and decide then if I'm making enough progress with the plan.

But other than that, I like the idea of putting aside a bit of money for emergencies then focusing on paying down as much debt as possible. And I think the most important thing about this plan is that it makes you think about the way you spend money and the ideas you have about it. For instance, I just asumed I would always have a car payment and I've heard my parents say that more than once. It's nice to actually have that old thought proven wrong.

I have just met Dave, so I don't have an opinion yet. When I discovered we were going to do the book group, I ordered the book from Amazon.com. I have just opened it up and begun to read. I am eager to hear everyone elses opinions.

I have been following the Dave Ramsey plan for a few months. It has really made a big difference in my life. I am trying to follow the plan as closely as I can. I really believe if his plan is followed that you will gain financial independence.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Dave!

After we read "Financial Peace" dh and I started our journey to get out of debt. We've tried the mix/match philosophy, tried doing it our way. . . all to no avail. When we follow his principles and baby steps, we see results.

We have a long way to go, as we started out with monstrous sized debt-- but we're seeing progress.

I have recently started following DR. We are using most of his plan but like others have said
1. We didn't stop retirement
2. We have long commutes so we need good cars
3. When I started BS 2 we paid a chunk to a high interest card. We are now paying the smallest and hope to have our first card paid off mid Sept.

Overall I think he is very inspirational. I really like his show.

L Rose

I have been really motivated by reading and listening to Dave Ramsey. I think most of his advice is common sense. I remember when I learned of Amy D many years back she was the one that motivated me and introduced me to the meaning of frugal.
We have made tons of STUPID mistakes but I believe without being inspired we wouldn't of turned our goals around and kept on spending and charging away.
CC FREE and very Happy.

I love his zest for life. I love that he is a family man and a Christian. I also love the fact that he's been there.

A lot of his advice is common sense. I don't think it's one size fits all, though. That's where the personal finance comes in.

It's a good plan for someone that doesn't have one. If nothing else you can gain something from his teachings, use it to fit your situation.

So far we've eliminated $38,000 of debt in 10 months doing what he says, so it's working for us. :)

DH and I have just started Dave's Plan. We are still in the process of making a budget. We had not heard of Dave before I joined the village. We were floundering.
We seem to think that working Daves plan is "doable" for us. It will be interesting to use his techniques.

Dh and I are attending our last class of Financial Peace University. We have loved it. It has really helped us see how we can save better for our retirement. Yes, it is common sense, however, isn't it sad that obviously so many people do not have common sense? :)

I also love the fact that he is a Christian and the importance he places on communication and working together in the marriage. I love the insights that he gives on insurance as well.

Dh and I really like Dave! I loved listening to him on the radio but recently the radio station pulled his show so now I can't hear him:(

I believe that he offers structure and good advice that anyone could either follow completely or work into their own situation.

Dh and I really like Dave! I loved listening to him on the radio but recently the radio station pulled his show so now I can't hear him:(

I believe that he offers structure and good advice that anyone could either follow completely or work into their own situation.

You can listen on his website:doh2:

I find Dave very motivational..we use a zero-based budget, have no CC's, and only shop with cash. I also didn't stop the retirement contributions and kept my new car(have since paid it off though.) I agree with most here-everyone needs to find the method, that works for them.

I love listening to Dave Ramsey. He gives me alot of motivation. Sometimes when I don't think I'm doing as good as I should and after listening to his show I come away very motivated. The only thing I don't follow ithat he would like us to do is not to contribute to your 401 (k)'s until you pay your debt off (only debt I really have is my car payment and my house payment). I started late in life with my retirement and with my employer matching us I don't want to give this up.

We also just started with DR. I like his idea of being "gazelle intense". That has really motivated us to stop and think about what we are spending.
I agree about not stopping retirement and we also drive a distance to work, although my car is one of the first debts to be paid in BS2