FINANCES!

Definition:  the management of monetary resources and revenue

Do you have your ducks in a row?  Nor do I.

Oh!  What’s that?  You do?  Then leave a comment with the most important principle that’s helped your financial health, and share the wealth, so to speak!

For those who have been hammered in this area, I’ve tried this and that, and especially in light of the chipped bank cards (debit and credit), I’ve found the greatest success in paying with cash.  Pretty hard to overspend when there’s simply nothing left in the wallet!  And, it’s immediate for deciding about purchases.  You either have it or you don’t.

I was gifted at Christmas with a ‘get out of debt program’ book by best selling author Dave Ramsey.  First, I went online looking for critical reviews.  Not interested in wasting my time on a hocus-pocus smoke and mirrors detour all in the name of making the author a buck.

What I found was nothing.  No critics.  Wow.  The method is a deceptively simple approach.  Get real with what you owe and where your money goes.  As fast as absolutely possible, build a small emergency fund, however you can do that.  Use your imagination (yard sale?).  Then commit to paying off your bills, smallest first as quickly as possible.  If it’s doable pay more than the minimum.  Once paid, take what you were paying on that bill and add it to the payments on the next smallest bill.  Continue on.  He calls it the snowball effect..  And then save a healthy emergency fund, because we’ve all punctured a tire and needed to replace the entire set.  Or the dog swallowed your kid’s retainer.  Life happens!  And better to have the cash to weather the storm than plastic.  Meanwhile , at the same time you’re doing this über practical program, go ahead with all your superpowers to move your life along in the organic way you know it’s designed to.

One caveat.  And it is not a deal breaker, just a heads up.  The man professes freely to faith.  We’ve become accustomed to considering all the horrors committed in the name of faith that I suspect we’ve become rusty in seeing how many acts of genuine kindness and caring are perpetrated under the same banner.  After all, goodness and kindness are our nature.  If you’re interested, visit his website.  Lots of free resources.  Even an online tracker to get you set up and underway, if you choose.  Here is someone who is living debt free and has invested for wealth building.  It’s actual sanity.  I’ll have a slice, thanks.  You?  This is seriously one nut so many of us have to crack once and for all.

Will be sharing my adventures down this path.  Will you share yours?  What helped you get a handle on the money thing?  How do you feel about debt?

I’d so love to hear!

photo thanks to pixabay.com