Dave Ramsey~ Helped My Family Pay Off $89,000 in Debt So Far !

How many of you have heard of Dave Ramsey?  I was just recommending him to a friend yesterday and I was thinking that it's been awhile since I talked about him here.  If you aren't familiar with him, he is a financial counselor who encourages families to get debt free.  He has a radio show, a television show and several books in which he outlines his 7 steps to financial freedom (called baby steps). 

I can't sing his praises high enough.  He has gone from being a millionaire to becoming bankrupt and back to millionaire status again.  He has a no nonsense approach that has helped millions of families across the world! 

Here are Dave's baby steps:

1. Save up a $1,000.00 baby emergency fund.
2. The Debt Snowball~ list your debts from lowest to highest and start with the smaller one paying it off and use the money you used to pay on that one to put towards the next bill and so on until you eliminate all of your consumer debt (except for your house).
3. Fund your emergency account with enough cash to cover 3 to 6 months of expenses.
4. Invest 15% of your income for retirement.
5. Save for your kid's college.
6. Pay off your house
7. Build wealth and Give!!

My family has used all of the money we save at the grocery store to follow Dave's plan and so far we've managed to pay off over $89,000 in debt.  We're not done yet, but we should be done baby step 2 by October and already life feels different!  We get less bills in the mail. We have more money to put towards our goals.  We don't argue about money. 

I am hoping to pay off our house in the next few years and then stay home with my girlies!  What are your goals? If you want to read Dave's book. It's called the Total Money Makeover.  You can get it HERE. Let me know what you think of it.  I think it's so inspiring because he provides so many success stories in the book.  He also has a TV show and has a special show every friday called Debt Free Friday.  I try to never miss it because families who have recently become debt free (with or without the house) call in to tell their story.  I plan to call in when we reach that goal!

If you have had success with Dave's plan or would like to know more let me know!!