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“To whom much is given, much is required.”
I never wrote a budget when I was single. Not that I shouldn’t have- it’s just that it was a whole lot simpler when it was just myself making decisions...
I lived in the city, drove a new mini, didn’t blow too much money on weekend trips, fancy dinners or booze. I would pay my regular bills and throw everything extra at debt. And I was able to pay off $40,000 of debt in 9 months with the help of my side hustle.
Things get more complicated with marriage. You merge incomes, spending habits, priorities…
James and I have always been wide-open books with each other when talking about money. It took him a little longer to embrace the value of debt freedom, and it took me awhile to understand the incessant need to upgrade to first class- but beyond that, we’ve always been quite on par with our thinking and long-term vision.
After being married for a year and making virtually no dent on the $55,000 of back taxes we owed, I decided to sign us up for Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University with our church as well as commit to AdvoCare’s Debtbuster program- the two really compliment each other.
We only went to 2 of the 7 small group meeting for FPU- not because the curriculum wasn’t valuable- it’s just that it was in Bothell, on a Thursday, during December, at 7pm. And we lived in downtown Seattle. Anyone in the greater Seattle area knows this is a death sentence for joy. It’s rare that I quit anything so this is really saying something about the traffic where we come from.
Regardless, I did apply Dave’s message about budgeting. So some of what I’m teaching here is a direct result of what he teaches, and some is what I have learned along the way.
I believe writing a monthly budget is CRUCIAL for hitting a major financial goal- whether that be debt freedom, saving for a down payment on a home, or funding a dream trip. (More on funding a big dream HERE)
Listen to this week’s episode for tips on how to write a budget that works!