The reason you should use debt is because you think you will get something better in return for the money you pay in interest.
I don’t see that in 99% of personal debt. It’s mostly to satisfy a desire for more immediate gratification.
“I don’t want to wait until I save the money for this $30,000 car so I will pay someone $42,000 for it”
If you can pay $200 a month to pay off a new roof, why couldn’t you have paid $200 a month into a savings account to pay for the eventual problems? I’m amazed at the # of people who don’t save money because they can use debt.
I would never pay somebody 200 a month to fix my roof. Nor would I buy a 30k car if I couldn't afford it. Those are abuses of credit. And people like that need a Dave Ramsey in their lives.
I remember the roofing supplies on credit particularly well. Several of my kids were teens and had jobs at that point and they could've given us the money. The roof was damaged during the same time frame several large unforeseen expenses had come up. My wife wanted us to get the money from our kids. I didn't feel it was their job as minors in my household to put a roof over their own heads - although I had no qualms about making them get up there and help me fix it. ;)
There are a lot of things that can be purchased used very cheaply - like clothes, appliances, and furniture. There's no excuse for putting most things on credit. But when you have kids things come up that you need cash for. And an emergency savings can disappear over night in broken arms, athletic supplies, car repairs and school fees.
I know a Ramsey true believer would say the kids can't compete in sports or school activities if you need your savings to fix a busted hot water heater, but this is where we would need to agree to disagree. I see all of them as essential.