One
of the biggest changes for me when Chris and I got married was the
combination of our finances. I had never done something like this
before and knew it would be a challenge. We officially
combined everything the month after we got married, and for the first 6
months Chris was in control. I’ll admit, I had no idea what was going
on. He tracked what we were spending and he made sure the bills got paid.
Shortly
after the new year I looked into Dave Ramsey. I had some friends tell
me about Dave’s class in the past and always thought it would be a good
resource. I figured now was a great time for Chris and I
to get on the same page. So I signed up Chris and I for the 9 week (we
met once a week for 9 weeks) Financial Peace University class at a
church nearby.
I
was eager to participate and learn, Chris however was just along for
the ride. I did a complete 180 in the class, from not knowing anything
about how we were spending our money to wanting to
know and calculate where every single cent went. I was 100% on board
with what Dave was teaching and wanted to implement his ways right
away. I got crazy obsessed looking at our credit card statement and
bank statement daily. Chris, not so much. I think
it is safe to say we had our first couple of big fights over this and
our finances in general. We were not on the same page. There were many
times I regretted signing us up for the class, and wished we could just
go back to the way things were.
But
thankfully somewhere along the way (probably right about half way
through the 9 weeks class) Chris got on board. He realized that this
plan would work best for our long term dreams and goals.
We talked about our big dreams and how we would spend and save our
money in our married life. We had some truly amazing conversations that
brought us so much closer, and gave me moments of falling even more in
love with my husband. We put together a plan
that at the end of 3 years would leave us debt free (except the house),
have 6 months of living expenses in a savings emergency fund, and a
fund to buy a new SUV with cash.
Things
were looking up. We had a plan and we were putting it in motion. We
both felt great about where we were going. We “graduated” at the end of
May and even though the course started off
incredibly bumpy ended with smooth sails ahead!
Then
life happened. It’s a long and personal story, but by the beginning of
July Chris was without a job, and is currently still looking for full
time work. So everything is currently on hold.
Thankfully we kept more than the “allotted” $1000 in savings that Dave
recommends while you are in the debt snowball phase, and have yet to
touch what is in savings with just my income, his unemployment, and the
help of both of our parents. I know we’ll be
ok, and I’m so thankful that we took the FPU course to set up our
monthly budget, and truly learn where we can cut back.
These
past few months we’ve relied on one of our wedding gifts as our perfect
date night. The gym girls group, individually got us a monthly date
that we’ve been opening up on the 5th
of every month. We’ve had some great dinners, we went to a Rockies
game, a comedy show, the Botanic Gardens, etc… So with those, we’ve
still felt like we have a life!
I
would highly recommended the course regardless of where you are
financially. We learned some great tools and I look forward to
referencing the material in the future. If anything check out
Dave’s website as that alone as some great pieces of information and is
super user friendly.
4 comments:
Oy, finances are a pain. Tyler and I both had virtually nothing when we got married. When we moved up to Rexburg, his job fell through and we were both jobless! It was really terrible, but we learned how to live like paupers. It seemed like a curse, but now it seems like a blessing. We still don't have alot, but we are glad we already learned how to be frugal fast! It makes our tiny budget seem alot more roomy. Good luck, and I hope Chris finds something soon!
I'm so sorry about Chris's job! How awful for you both. My father-in-law just got forced out of his job ad he's 63 and wasn't planning to retire until he was 67 so it's derailed some of their plans but luckily they had their house paid off before this. I'm sooo on board with Dave Ramsey. I haven't taken the class but I know the basic outline and we've been able to pay off one credit card completely that way. It's an amazing feeling! I hope things start looking up for you guys soon.
I know my perspective is controversial, but I was raised by a single mom who never received a dime in child support. Anyway, to make a long story short, because of the financial struggles I saw my mom go through after a divorce, I think all women should have some finances that are separate from their spouse's.
I take care of all the finances and I am terrible at math. Why you ask???? No clue. None. Somehow bills get paid, unless I forget (which DOES happen!) I am going to look into this program!! Thank you.
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