*The Dave Ramsey 'Baby Steps' Thread*

[ThereYouSeeHer]

if you have at&t as your carrier check into the aarp discount. we get something like $10 per line for it and another $10 per line for doing direct pay from our checking account-it adds up.

Ooh, nice! We don't currently have AT&T, but that's good to know if we're ever looking to switch. Thanks!!

 

[sorahl1]

Just found this group My wife and I sort of did the Ramsey system. we love him. We are debt free, one kid thru college, one in college, don't owe money to anyone. Its just the daily/monthly life that kills us Retirement is set up great, we just need to survive to get there Oh the other pain point for us is my van is getting old but praying it holds on long enough to save what we need for the next car..
one area we never subscribed was the credit card thing. always felt guilty about that but.. we never carry a balance. We don't spend more than we need to (because of my wife's constant restraint of me )

 

[AJollyHoliday]

Just found this group as well! My DH and I started our debt free journey in 2017 and paid off our debt (aside from our mortgage) in 2018. We have completed steps 4 and 5. We were working on step 6, paying off our mortgage, but we had to stop paying extra on it at the moment. Our DD goes to a private school and we do not qualify for financial aid so we have been cash flowing that. Go figure, not having debt has played into our ability to afford the school. While yes, we can "afford" it, it is still quite tight. Thank you EveryDollar for helping us to track our spending. After doing it for so long, I feel like it is muscle memory and I have a sense for where I am in my spending and saving. Our financial planner constantly stresses to us how good we are with money and savings. You really only know your own finances and so it is interesting to hear his perspective. Once he asked me if having multiple savings accounts and budgets stresses me out and I said it is the complete opposite! It brings me peace.

I will never go back to being in debt!!

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

Just found this group My wife and I sort of did the Ramsey system. we love him. We are debt free, one kid thru college, one in college, don't owe money to anyone. Its just the daily/monthly life that kills us Retirement is set up great, we just need to survive to get there Oh the other pain point for us is my van is getting old but praying it holds on long enough to save what we need for the next car..
one area we never subscribed was the credit card thing. always felt guilty about that but.. we never carry a balance. We don't spend more than we need to (because of my wife's constant restraint of me )

Just found this group as well! My DH and I started our debt free journey in 2017 and paid off our debt (aside from our mortgage) in 2018. We have completed steps 4 and 5. We were working on step 6, paying off our mortgage, but we had to stop paying extra on it at the moment. Our DD goes to a private school and we do not qualify for financial aid so we have been cash flowing that. Go figure, not having debt has played into our ability to afford the school. While yes, we can "afford" it, it is still quite tight. Thank you EveryDollar for helping us to track our spending. After doing it for so long, I feel like it is muscle memory and I have a sense for where I am in my spending and saving. Our financial planner constantly stresses to us how good we are with money and savings. You really only know your own finances and so it is interesting to hear his perspective. Once he asked me if having multiple savings accounts and budgets stresses me out and I said it is the complete opposite! It brings me peace.

I will never go back to being in debt!!

Welcome to both of you! I love how people pop into this thread to share how the Baby Steps' financial principles helped them break through debt and plan for the future!

We're in a similar boat. Debt free, but college and the monthly grind still makes everything tight. However, I am thankful we learned all this many years ago. We are so disciplined today because of it!

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

Wrapping up March!

--No changes in the Baby Steps.

--Dug deep this month and turned in our coins at Coinstar, haha! We love getting a no-fee gift card to Amazon, and then using it for household purchases.

--Still saving for upcoming bills and expenses.

April budget is set!

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

April wrap-up...

--No changes in the Baby Steps.

--We were hoping our push mower would last until we were ready to buy a riding lawn mower, but unfortunately, it had other plans. So, our savings took a sizable hit to get a new one. For now, we will have to continue to push mow our almost 1.5 acres. Blue skies and sunshine guaranteed, I guess!

--We really buckled down with groceries this month, and it helped. Instead of going to the store on an as-needed basis (which usually leads to just getting takeout), we committed to intentionally going at the start of each week. We also rotated grocery stores each time, just to mix it up. It's been interesting to re-explore products and prices at different stores, which actually helped reinforce why we like shopping at some stores over others.

--Other than that, always trying to get ahead of future bills and expenses!

May budget is set!

 

[Sadeesmom]

For now, we will have to continue to push mow our almost 1.5 acres.

At least this doubles as a workout, right? So you're staying healthy while saving money!

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

At least this doubles as a workout, right? So you're staying healthy while saving money!

That's honestly what I have to tell myself with every step, haha! Over and over, "I am getting exercise. I am enjoying nature. I can do this. A riding lawn mower is a want, not a need..." It's a lesson in contentment for sure!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

April wrap-up...

--No changes in the Baby Steps.

--We were hoping our push mower would last until we were ready to buy a riding lawn mower, but unfortunately, it had other plans. So, our savings took a sizable hit to get a new one. For now, we will have to continue to push mow our almost 1.5 acres. Blue skies and sunshine guaranteed, I guess!

--We really buckled down with groceries this month, and it helped. Instead of going to the store on an as-needed basis (which usually leads to just getting takeout), we committed to intentionally going at the start of each week. We also rotated grocery stores each time, just to mix it up. It's been interesting to re-explore products and prices at different stores, which actually helped reinforce why we like shopping at some stores over others.

--Other than that, always trying to get ahead of future bills and expenses!

May budget is set!

That is rough. Growing up we had 3/4 acre and always had a riding mower and a push mower to get in close to the house and around the porches and trees. Sometimes though, when it was in need of repairs, we had to use the push mower for the whole thing. Ugh in that stifiling heat.

Dh & I have a smaller property but I think if I had to do 1.5 acres now, even with my full belief in the "if you don't have the money for it you can't afford it" mentality, I would have been looking for a 0% interest or maybe divert our snowball away from other goals for while to be able to buy one.

The good thing is that your push mower will still get some use even after you get a riding mower some day.

 

[barkley]

The good thing is that your push mower will still get some use even after you get a riding mower some day.

ABSOLUTELY!

we own 10 acres and our push mower is still the BEST for some areas vs. our rider. our push can be used on areas our rider cannot and therefore provides removal of brush that protects our home.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

That is rough. Growing up we had 3/4 acre and always had a riding mower and a push mower to get in close to the house and around the porches and trees. Sometimes though, when it was in need of repairs, we had to use the push mower for the whole thing. Ugh in that stifiling heat.

Dh & I have a smaller property but I think if I had to do 1.5 acres now, even with my full belief in the "if you don't have the money for it you can't afford it" mentality, I would have been looking for a 0% interest or maybe divert our snowball away from other goals for while to be able to buy one.

The good thing is that your push mower will still get some use even after you get a riding mower some day.

ABSOLUTELY!

we own 10 acres and our push mower is still the BEST for some areas vs. our rider. our push can be used on areas our rider cannot and therefore provides removal of brush that protects our home.

Yeah, we assumed we would still need a working lawn mower, even if we buy a riding one. So, at least it doesn't make the purchase feel like a complete waste!

Although we wouldn't finance, we will dig from somewhere else, if we need to. Technically, we have our emergency fund. However, since this isn't an emergency (and because it just took us almost 2 years to replenish it), I really don't want to pull from here. Then, we have our college fund. However, next semester's bill will be due soon, and I don't know if there is enough time to save up again if we drained it. Finally, we have about a 1-month cushion that we keep in our checking account (as a personal version of overdraft protection or for unexpected bills). This would be the most likely source, but we would need to be very careful and put it back as quickly as possible.

We were trying to wait until at least Memorial Day to see if there would be any sales or incentives. At this point, the weather is going to be the biggest reason as to when we take the plunge or not. Excessive heat or even rain would make us purchase sooner than later.

 

[barkley]

At this point, the weather is going to be the biggest reason as to when we take the plunge or not. Excessive heat or even rain would make us purchase sooner than later.

the weather here has been nuts! we've had lovely weeks with temps in the 70's so everything started blooming and growing-then we plummet back down to freezing, then it's warmer but endlessly raining. mow one day and a few days later it's fluffy again! yesterday we had beautiful sunshine with intermitant rain, graupel, hail and light snowflakes-welcome to the month of may

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

the weather here has been nuts! we've had lovely weeks with temps in the 70's so everything started blooming and growing-then we plummet back down to freezing, then it's warmer but endlessly raining. mow one day and a few days later it's fluffy again! yesterday we had beautiful sunshine with intermitant rain, graupel, hail and light snowflakes-welcome to the month of may

What the heck is graupel?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Yeah, we assumed we would still need a working lawn mower, even if we buy a riding one. So, at least it doesn't make the purchase feel like a complete waste!

Although we wouldn't finance, we will dig from somewhere else, if we need to. Technically, we have our emergency fund. However, since this isn't an emergency (and because it just took us almost 2 years to replenish it), I really don't want to pull from here. Then, we have our college fund. However, next semester's bill will be due soon, and I don't know if there is enough time to save up again if we drained it. Finally, we have about a 1-month cushion that we keep in our checking account (as a personal version of overdraft protection or for unexpected bills). This would be the most likely source, but we would need to be very careful and put it back as quickly as possible.

We were trying to wait until at least Memorial Day to see if there would be any sales or incentives. At this point, the weather is going to be the biggest reason as to when we take the plunge or not. Excessive heat or even rain would make us purchase sooner than later.

Maybe they will have a price drop for fall clearance or you can see if people are selling any second hand.

 

[barkley]

What the heck is graupel?

graupel forms when droplets of supercooled water glom onto snowflakes and result in an icy coating it's like a snow/hail hybrid.