Posted on 04/20/2015 3:48:19 AM PDT by CptnObvious
Dave Ramsey always says the phrase "Live like no one else so you can live like No One Else" on his show. And anyone who listens knows it's about eating "beans and rice and rice and beans" and till you overcome the debt lifestyle. But what's not talked about is the other side - where you've made it and are living "Like No One else". What's that like and what kind of thinking happens on that side of the fence?
Having just come back from Two Weeks in Oahu, I was thinking about it. How did I get to this point? What adjusted my thinking from counting every nickel and dime toward debt to saving and having fabulous vacations guilt free?
Well, I remembered thinking after baby step 2 (including killing the mortgage)- "If I'm not careful I'll slip right back into debt", "Something could happen and I'll be right back into that mess". True, I had the emergency fund and saved three months (out of three to six months of living expenses) and seen that work for me. But I knew expenses were looming. The furnace and A/C was 30 years old and so was the house (and you say 'what the heck does this have to do with travel?').
So I opened a savings account I called "Long Term Home Expenses" and fed it with automatic transfers from my paycheck. In a year I had a thousand dollars and saw some results. Then I thought "my wife is an ER nurse" and she needs good vacations; 'You live hard so you play hard' is was what I said to her.
So I started a Vacation Savings Account but didn't have a whole lot of money coming in at that time. So I only made the automatic transfers $5 a month (just to start it). We saved overtime and added the few dollars from this account to pay for a nice meal while there.
When raises happened or I found better ways to budget, I increased the vacation transfers higher and higher. One year we vacationed on nothing but what was saved and I remembered the wife saying "it was a guilt free vacation". In the old debt lifestyle it was all on credit cards; now it was all through savings (Viva La Differonce!).
This vacation for two weeks in Oahu was our 20th Anniversary and we kept throwing overtime on top of full vacation savings to make it happen. It took a couple of years of savings and now "We were Living Like NO ONE ELSE". And what was the secret?
Thank you Dave Ramsey (and thank the Lord above even more) - it was those little saying "three to six months in savings". That's right that little word Savings made all the difference. It's the legacy of the debt free lifestyle that pays off dividends for the rest of your life and your families life.
It's not that you have money all over the place. It is the thinking behind it all that makes "Living Like No One Else possible".
Those $5 transfers to vacation savings was just a dream. No, it was the one of the most powerful things I had ever done.
Love That Dave Ramsey Guy - BUMP!
I haven’t been listening to him much anymore, so I am very lazy on posting his stuff....
Wip me with a wet noodle!
So very well said!
Good question. The answer is God. We return a portion of what He has given of our increase out of a grateful heart. This portion, one tenth, was first given by Abraham to Melchizedek and is the minimum standard which we strive to exceed. Melchizedek is believed to be Shem who may have been a priest after Noah (a Preacher of Righteousness according to Hebrews).
Priests were supported in ancient times by these tithes and offerings to God. And in the New Testament this is in support of the Good News of Christ (the Gospel). If you do not have a church supporting the Good News of Christ, then I wholeheartly suggest giving through good works ministry that does the mission of the Good News. If you do have a church that preaches the Good News - then support it fully with at least 10% so the minister will have a living and support the churches missions.
My favorite Good Works ministries are to the Young, for that I believe can have the greatest impact. Compassion International is fantastic in that you can pour the good news into the children you support through online letters. Here in the US, I've given to Younglife Campership. Many young people receive the Good News at Younglife Camps and write letters back thanking you for what has blessed their lives immensely.
If you have no church preaching the Good News, then I would do something for the poor, the widows and the orphans (this includes the young IMHO) that spreads the good news the most.
It is one of the Best Kept Secrets of Being Wealthy and Giving.
Not being snarky at all; I give a lot in taxes to the “ poor” (in the form of taxes”). I also give ‘some’ money to the various charities who only give 2-3 % of my donated money to the kids I WANT to help. Is that my ‘tithe”? I left the Family Clinic the other day with my disabled buddy and gave a bum $10.00 to get out the cold. My question is...Do I have to give up 10% of my money to every reprobate that won’t get off his ass, is too mentally impaired or physically impaired or just doesn’t give a shiite? I Think tithing is, in this country (capitalist, thank God) is another way people can steal our money. I ONLY give to Hillsdale college anymore. Is that tithing?
I've worked in three hospitals..where it was "assumed" you would give to the United Way..and if you didn't they wanted to know why.
The first place I encountered that...I just chucked the notice, that was in my box... into the trash can. Someone saw me do that...and told me I was in trouble. As the Dept. had 100% compliance. I just laughed.
The second place I encountered the same thing....I made sure people saw me wad the notice up and toss it in the trash. Someone said you can't do that. I said...yeah I can, and I just did. Ha!!
The third place was no different...except we had memos..telling everyone they need to give..and it needed to be 100%, of all employee's. I wadded up the notice...that was stuck in my mail box...and threw it in the trash...right in front of 2-3 fellow employee's. They were aghast!! Like I'd broken some law, or something!! LOL!!! I just laughed at them.....
The United Way...is a joke. No more or less than the United Nations is a joke.
I'm surrounded by idiots..........
I know people that give hundreds of thousands of dollars away every year. They aren't well known..and very humble.
I know people that give WAY more than 10% of their time and labor every year. They aren't well known..and they are humble.
There are many ways to give....and one doesn't have to give to a church to do it.
God knows our hearts and minds.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
Same here. In the AF in 1970 we HAD to donate to the UW. I looked and looked for something that wasn’t for the Black Colorectal Cancer Fund, the Black college Fund, or the Black Children’s Fund. I was 19 and had figured it out. The TI’s bitched at me and I wouldn’t budge. Told those monkeys “ You make them quit attacking me, I’ll buy them all some amphetimenes.”
Maybe I’m harder than you. I give to my cats, my grandaughters ferrets, the neighborhood dogs and THEIR cats but I don’t give Shiite about people anymore.
No worries, Bro..........
Can anyone recommend the one book to begin with by Dave Ramsey to someone who’s never read him before?
Anyone is quite good, but my suggestion would be to start with THe Total Money Makeover.
The Total Money Makeover.
If you won't give to a local church, then make sure your giving goes to those who can't repay you in this life. Try Operation300 or any childrens hospital. Give to the local Shriner Hospital or McDonalds House. Set up Coverdale education accounts for your grandchildren.
Like many others, I have fired United Way, almost all animal assistance groups and many well known religious groups. I do keep tithing to my local church. I recommend that you find a religious body to join that you are comfortable with.
Giving and be generous is a way of life and a state of mind, never something to garner the attention of others.
Thank you!
Thank you!
LOL! As long as you’re working the plan, you don’t need to listen every day!
I’d like to add two additional “immediate need” type charities that are in just about every community. Look into supporting your local food bank or Meals on Wheels organization. The need is great in many communities.
Give to Lifewater, which provides clean, safe drinking water to the third world.
You know, places where people crap in their drinking supply, and get cholera.
“Can anyone recommend the one book to begin with by Dave Ramsey to someone who’s never read him before?”
I would highly recommend “The Total Money Makeover.” It is a very easy read and you will feel like it is simply common sense.....
Learn the “7 Baby Steps” and stick to them with all of your committment. They will change your life!
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