Dave Ramsey has helped transform millions of lives with his financial advice and debt elimination methods. We’ve been through the class but still choose not to follow his methods. Keep reading to discover our reasons.
“Live like no one else so you can live like no one else!”
Have you heard that Dave Ramsey quote?
Dave Ramsey and his financial advice have changed hundreds of thousands of lives. He has helped countless numbers of our friends find freedom from debt or at least freedom from piling on more debt.
But we aren’t following.
We took a Dave class. We know the steps. We understand the work needed to make it happen.
But we aren’t following.
To be fair, we don’t have any credit card debt. We can pay our bills each month. We have a budget. Our debt is our house, our van, and student loans. Is it more than we want? Absolutely! But are we busting our butts to get rid of the debt as fast as possible? Nope.
We made a decision as a couple to take the slightly longer road to financial freedom. We are paying down our debt. We’ve already paid off a few student loans, several credit cards, and one vehicle since we’ve been married… but we aren’t going at a gazelle pace. Why not?
Why we aren’t following Dave and paying off debt at a gazelle’s pace
1. Paying off debt can become an obsession
Yes, we want to be debt free. Don’t get me wrong! But I’ve seen people posting on social media where their sole focus is debt elimination. They make all choices based on whether or not it affects their debt goals. They will do anything and everything to make a dollar to put towards that goal and sacrifice things that could be beneficial simply because it would take a little away from their funds.
It feels like a slippery slope to go from using your resources wisely for paying down your debt to putting all your focus on this one thing. The goal of debt free becomes an idol and that is not what God wants! It’s like when someone focuses on a certain number on the scale and will do anything to achieve it. Rather than focusing on good habits – eating healthy and exercising – they slip into unhealthy habits to hit that number.
We are focusing on the good habits, and not on the number at the end.
2. Our current needs take precedence
We have lived on one income for the last ten years… and before that we made even less with two incomes. While we still don’t rake in the dough (again, one income) we are at least at a place where we can pay all our bills, put a decent chunk into savings, and have a bit leftover each month.
Um, Katie… you aren’t supposed to put a bunch of money into savings until after you’ve paid off your debt. First you get your $1000 emergency fund, then you pay down debt, then you build your savings.
Yes, I know. But guess what. Even if we cut EVERYTHING “extra” out, we’d come up with maybe an extra $500/year to put towards debt. But by putting money in savings we are ready when oh, hey, Katie needs a bunch of dental work done and we don’t have dental insurance. No problem – it’s in savings. Or… um, our stairs are breaking and becoming unsafe, we should probably fix those. Okay, we have the money in savings.
The $1000 emergency fund would NEVER have covered the money we needed to spend over the last couple years on “emergency” issues. But because we are putting money in savings instead of towards debt we had cash on hand to handle all of that stuff and never once put something on a credit card.
3. We aren’t willing to sacrifice relationships
This is our biggest reason for not going at a gazelle’s pace towards a debt free life. We have five kids and we decided long ago that making time to be with each kid, one on one, is important to us. We take turns going on dates with the kids, often times to a restaurant or other establishment that requires us to spend a little money. We usually let the kids choose the location but occasionally we steer them in a new direction if it’s more money than we can do.
Are there free things we could do with the kids? Occasionally, sure. But we live in a frozen tundra so our outside activities are limited to about three or four months of the year. Sometimes during the summer we will pick up a less expensive meal and hit the park but because of where we live and the offerings we have we simply need to pay for activities. And we won’t sacrifice this time with them.
We also are very adamant that we go on dates with each other. We try for at least one date each month, but sometimes it’s a little longer in between. Sometimes these are movies, sometimes it’s dinner, sometimes we don’t have a sitter and need to have a date night at home with a special meal. Whatever it is, we aren’t willing to lose out on that time together because our marriage is too important to us.
And often the attempt to pay off debt comes with getting extra jobs. Because of Micah’s work schedule the only time for me to work would be on the weekends. Those few days are our family time and there is no amount of money that makes me want to put aside the chance to spend time with them. They are only this little for a short span! I’ll have plenty of years in the future to work if I need to do so.
I don’t doubt the ability of Dave’s plan to work for people. I know many that have paid off good amounts of debt by following his steps… but I also know people that have ended up in tears because they are pushing themselves like crazy to make a dent in their debt by taking on extra jobs and putting every penny towards their goal only to feel frustrated when they haven’t seen their kids or spouses in ages.
In a few years when all our kids are in school I’ll think about working a few hours during the day to have some more money for putting towards our debt. Until that point? It’s not worth it for us. We will continue on at, perhaps, a tired house cat’s pace. Faster than a turtle, mostly moving forward, but still taking breaks when needed.
Are you a Dave fan? Have you followed his baby steps or are you doing your own thing?
Sharing this post with others <3
Update on 2019 Goals – February
My Monthly Goals – {Update on September & Goals for October}
Menu Plan #8
Fantastic Easter basket fillers – for all ages!
Weekly Menu Plan #79 + a look at the weekly grocery shopping for our family of 7
I love these thoughts. We also don’t follow Dave, but I don’t question the wisdom of his process. We make other choices and so far, we’re doing well, too.
Yes! There is wisdom in his methods, like not buying things you don’t have money for, but treating them like hard and fast rules is too much.
I love this perspective! We’re in a similar boat for our family finances. There’s no way that we would stop putting money into savings too. The school loans will be with us too long to only have $1K available in the bank.
Thanks, Sarah! I totally agree. That $1k is a scary low number when you think about the what-ifs!
This is such an interesting perspective. We did the program several times, but like you lived on one income for many years. Because of chronic illness, I’ve been not working for many years. Living on one income meant countless sacrifices and always doing without many things…but we raised our kids, homeschooled, moved for work frequently and along the way had many exciting adventures. We do have too much debt, and my husband just lost his job as the company folded. I appreciated your perspective today, it was very encouraging
Oh, Christa! I’m so sorry for the financial uncertainty you are facing right now, but God’s got you, as you well know! It’s amazing looking back at how God provides, even when it doesn’t make sense on paper.
Heavenly Father, I come before you and pray protection and provision over Christa and her family. Bring her husband the job you have prepared for him and let them feel your presence during this time. I pray that you would be glorified through all of this. Amen!
I want to type “YES!” 100 times, but instead I’ll just do a little celebration in agreement 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 my husband and I also decided to not follow Dave’s way because for us, it’s not worth putting our entire life on hold for a future we aren’t guaranteed. We have a mortgage and student loans. That’s it. We live within our means but aren’t sacrificing everything to be debt free in a short amount of time. Who knows what tomorrow brings? Your point about a savings is also so spot on. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
Absolutely! I completely agree Kristina.
The biggest turn off for me to Dave Ramsey was the people who were following his steps. For many people, I have seen it become an obsession. First off, they become very greedy with their money, unintentionally of course, but they let everyone else foot the bill for everything. They are also not giving people because they are so obsessed with paying down debt, that they become money hoarders. What happens if you die tomorrow, before you can reach step #5, I think it is, the one where you are financially free and therefore can give to others. You will have left a legacy of being a money hoarder. Secondly, Ramsey followers become very judgemental of everyone else. There is a point where you can feel proud of yourself for paying off debt because, yes, that is a huge thing, but I have seen many followers in pride, judging others for any money choices they make. They feel like they are better than everyone else because of how great they are with their money. I think Dave Ramsey is very wise and has a lot of wisdom to offer. I take it with a grain of salt, but I hope anyone who follows him can be aware of their actions and how they view others.
Yes! I have definitely noticed pride becoming an issue with some followers. I agree that he has some great advice, but they don’t need to be hard and fast rules.
We’ve come to similar conclusions. We still have a lot of student loan debt and even if we gave up all the non-essentials (and in the past we really have) it would still barely cut a year or two off the loan length. Then my husband lost his job and we had to put the loans on deferment for six months. That stung, it basically ate up all of our progress by making extra principle payments and going without. Our oldest is 10, the others are 7 and 3. We have a limited window with them and part of me feels like some of the things we want to do with them have a ticking clock. I don’t want them to remember their childhoods as mom and dad always obsessing about money and working extra hours. I want to be debt free, REALLY REALLY do, but I’m not sure I’m willing to sacrifice my kids’ entire childhood to do it.
Yes! I fully agree with all of that! Thanks for coming by, Bethany 😀