How This All Started

Last year was a tough year for America economically speaking. Due to the downturn many people began to reevaluate their budget. For some this was the first time they had ever thought of a budget. There is no denying that we as a country are spending at astronomical rates while saving on average 7 cents for every dollar earned. Clearly, we need a plan.

Now for the good news...there are plans already out there that you can plug into. Our family's personal favorite is Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. I shouldn't say my favorite, I often find myself cursing his name when I made (yes past tense) my weekly trip to Target. I still make a couple of trips to Target a month, but the bill is not 3 digits to the left of decimal like it used to be. I digress. Dave has very basic principles for money management. I can't promise you will like them, but I can promise you they will work if you stick to the plan.

I could say a great deal about Dave & his plan but I will stop...for now. The website for all things Dave is: www.daveramsey.com check him out. One interesting tidbit--he despises credit cards & does NOT accept them on his website. You have several options when ordering the book: Dave Ramsey's website, local bookstores, the local library or my favorite, buy it used on a website! This is a book that you will refer to frequently & want to mark in if you are like me(which is why I suggest the used book option).

Dave Ramsey is also the father of Financial Peace University. This is a 13-week course taught often times at local churches. Dave "teaches you to achieve your financial goals by eliminating debt, saving for the future, and giving like never before." (from DaveRamsey.com) I love that about Dave-Give!

Another financial guru that I absolutely LOVE is Clark Howard. Clark is my hero & has saved our family a lot of money over the years. There was a time when Chris called him my 'boyfriend' because I talked about Clark so much! Clark & Dave are different in their philosphy. While both emphasize savings, Clark is fine with using credit cards, as long as you are sensible & pay them off monthly. Dave, as I previously stated, despises credit cards & encourages you to pay them off & get rid of them. Clark highly values the credit score & Dave couldn't care less about a credit score.

My advice is to pick at least one financial guru that is not encouraging you to take risks you can't afford to lose, and stick with it. Clark's website is www.clarkhoward.com be careful to spell his name correctly, there are other sites that are close, but not his official site.

Now that I have shared my thoughts on those I trust & follow, I'm sure you have some of your own suggestions that I would love to hear about. Please feel free to comment!