Honored to be Here on Frugal Village

**From Debt to Set** · 07-13-2011, 11:01 PM

Hi Everyone,

I was on the internet tonight and came across Frugal Village. What an amazing site. I am seriously in awe of what's going on here and wanted to be a part of it, so I decided to join.

I have a confession. Not only do I have a Ph.D. in Psychology, but also DUMB! The Ph.D. in DUMB took longer to attain than the one in Psychology. Go figure! But, I am trying to get rid of the latter so that we can right this ship, enjoy life, and give back to those in need.

About 8 weeks ago, I came across Dave Ramsey by complete accident and it has changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. It was Sunday, May 8th and I was on the computer looking at iTunes for podcasts. Up to that point in time I had never even downloaded any podcasts. I know. I know. Pretty goofy of me. I must have been living in a cave. They are so awesome and are a great way for me to save money on workout music.

While looking at the various podcasts, I came across Dave Ramsey's and listened to one. I was hooked and have not looked back since. We have paid off $11,409.03 in debt since then. We got rid of cable, a rented garage, 2 small student loans (still have more of those for sure), and cut our car insurance (we were way over insured). This resulted in our monthly budget being cut by about $348.97. We cut our grocery budget from, for instance, $768.04 in January to $300 in June. It sounds drastic, but all we did was start shopping with a plan and no longer treated our pantry like a pantry. We let the store be our pantry and only buy what we absolutely need. We also cut our eating out budget from, for instance, $294.76 in January to $0 in June. As Dave Ramsey always says on his radio show, it feels like we got a raise.

Wow it has felt good to realize we are in control. We decided that we were no longer going to wonder where all our money went at the end of the month. We made it behave by saying: "Sit Benjamin ($100), sit!" Surprisingly, it did. We have cut our lives to nothing and are living on "rice and beans, beans and rice." Sure it has been difficult at times, but my girlfriend and I are making it and growing closer as a result. It has been an uplifting experience to say the least.

In addition to the financial benefits that have resulted from coming across Dave Ramsey, it has spilled over into other parts of my life. Now that I have the time back that I used to devote to the TV, I now have a blog documenting our journey to financial freedom (From Debt to Set: Our Journey to Financial Freedom), devour books like a person does food at an "all you can eat" buffet, and am trying to realize my potential as a human being. Life is short and I want to do great things. If that means spreading our story and helping others not make the same mistakes as us, then so be it.

I am very happy to be a part of this forum and look forward to hearing from you all and commenting on your posts.

In the process of going from debt to set,

-Steven

**Debbie-cat** · 07-13-2011, 11:08 PM

Hi and welcome Steven! Make yourself at home. There are alotof great people here.

**Syn D** · 07-13-2011, 11:13 PM

Steven!!

Great site.. Great people..

**From Debt to Set** · 07-13-2011, 11:16 PM

Hi!

Very nice reception. I appreciate it.

Seems like a great place to discuss anything and everything. I am very glad I found it.

In the process of going from debt to set,

-Steven