The Total Money Makeover

We were given a copy of Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover, for a wedding gift last month. I try to listen to Dave Ramsey's radio show whenever I get the chance, and I like his down-to-earth, straight-forward style, so I was excited to read the book. I thought it was an excellent wedding gift, by the way, since it gives us the opportunity to start our financial life together with a plan and goals for the future. Obviously, we've had a lot going on, but now that things have started to settle down, and with Bryan out on the trail, I curled up and cracked it open last night. I read more than half of it in one sitting.

I have always read the ensign articles or conference talks on getting and staying out of debt, and I consider myself to be pretty good with money. But reading Dave's book last night was like being hit over the head. I'm not finished with it yet, but I'm far enough in to know that I love it! It basically lays out the myths about money that our society teaches us even as kids, and helps to dispel the myths with simple truths. It also outlines a proven and simple strategy for getting out of debt and building wealth...and follows that up with real-life success stories of families young and old, of all different incomes, backgrounds and levels of debt that have paid off all their debt, including their mortgage, using this strategy. The main mantra of the book is, "live like no one else now, so you can live like no one else later." Basically, be willing to make sacrifices now (in a buy now, pay later society) in order to be in a better situation down the road.

Other than the house and car, we don't have much debt, but I can appreciate that without a plan, we're probably not building much wealth. Oh, we have a 401k, and a couple of savings accounts. But where are we headed, and what are the goals? He lays out a plan and talks about the importance of understanding and making money a priority. In case you couldn't tell, I'm really excited about all of this, and more excited to set some goals for the future of our money. In my humble opinion, no matter where you are with your finances, whether you're swimming in debt or sitting on savings, this book will be an asset to you, and if you haven't heard of it, I wanted to share! You can get a used copy on amazon.com for $10.