Why You Should Use the Dave Ramsey Method (2024)

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Why You Should Use the Dave Ramsey Method (1)

Why You Should Use the Dave Ramsey Method (2)

Do you ever feel like your finances are out of control? How about smothered by your debt? If so, consider taking a look at the Total Money Makeover program from Dave Ramsey. If you’ve never heard of Dave Ramsey, he’s an awesome financial guru who can help you get your finances on track.

Why You Should Use the Dave Ramsey Method

The Total Money Makeover system is set up to allow people just like you and me who might need a little bit of help getting things on track. It works by helping you to get on a budget and then walking you through Dave’s 7 Baby Steps to help you save for emergencies, get out of debt and finally build wealth. The system has help hundreds of thousands of people over the years live a comfortable, debt-free life.

To start, Dave makes you promise yourself that you’ll not take on any more debt. By promising this to yourself, you are setting a rule in your mind that debt is not acceptable. Once you make this promise to yourself, you begin your journey on the baby steps.

Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps:

  1. Save $1,000 emergency fund
  2. Pay off all debt.
  3. Save 3-6 month expenses in an emergency fund
  4. Plan for retirement by investing 15% of your monthly income.
  5. Save for college for your kids
  6. Pay off your home early
  7. Build wealth and give to others.

The baby steps program enables you to cover yourself for any emergencies while making sure that you’re paying off your debt and building your retirement. It can help you get on a budget and stay on your budget. It’s the perfect program for someone who is struggling with their financial life.

Even better though? Dave offers a free budgeting tool to help! Everydollar.com is founded on the zero-basedbudget and can help you visualize every cent that you have come in for income or going out as an expense. Being able to see every cent and being able to “tell” it where to go is a major foundation for the Total Money Makeover program.

All in all? If you’re in financial trouble or just want to plant your family on firm financial ground, give the Total Money Makeover a chance. You would be joining the ranks of thousands of others who’ve used it to remake their own bank accounts!

More Budget Tips

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How to Budget for People Who Hate to Budget

How to Build an Emergency Budget on a Limited Income

Money Saving Tips: Bad Spending Habits You Should Break

How to Trick Yourself into Saving Money

Stacy Barr is the face and brain behind the frugal living and personal finance blog, Six Dollar Family.Stacy loves helping others save and build a better life for themselves as she has done for herself. Find more personal finance tips, tasty recipes and or to learn more about Stacy visit her atwww.sixdollarfamily.com

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Lorna says

    I’m giving Dave Ramey money make over a chance because I need to get rite of my debt. I have a mortgage, one personal loan, 3 credit cards to pay off. I meet Dave Ramey at little America in Wyoming one year. And I should of talked to him about debts. I’m 122,000 in debt.hate it

    Reply

    • kritzia says

      Obviously wont be able to pay 30k in debt in a year if that’s what you make, but the plan will teach you how to budget your money correctly to cover all of your “needs” and still be able to pay your debt and eventually live debt free.

      Reply

  2. Nefeli says

    I love the envelope system 🙂 I started using this system just a week ago. Let’s see how it goes. I am greek, and some of us are having the philosophy “why save? What if we die tomorrow? we will take the money to our graves??” But not. Of course, money is not that important. Saving is the way to have money for a vacation, health problems, children, and in general achieve a better life. Either we like it or not (I don’t like it) World is all about money 🙂

    Reply

  3. Crafty Sundays says

    We are doing Dave’s plan and trying to pay off the house. I love the envelope system. I fought it at first but after you get over the initial fear of running out of money at the grocery store, it has worked great. I got sick of the ugly bank envelopes and decided to make my own pretty paper ones. I just recently started selling them on Etsy. I am trying to get the word out.

    If you have time please check out my Etsy store and let me know what you think.

    https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftySundays?ref=hdr_shop_menu

    Best of luck to you on your debt-free journey. You can do it!!

    Reply

  4. Kathleen says

    We started the plan in April (7 months ago). We are also on baby step 3. We paid off 70,000 dollars of debt! The first couple of months were rough coming to an agreement with my husband and making adjustments to the budget for things that were not working for us. It’s such a relief telling your money where it can go and having a plan. I don’t feel guilty for buying cloths and makeup anymore because we have it in our budget.

    Reply

  5. Emily says

    We are doing the Dave Ramsey plan! We were able to pay off $80,,000 in 6 months! It was a miracle because my husband didn’t even make that much a year and we started this plan a week before we moved! My husband said he wanted to do it and I fully supported him, but said could we wait till after the move? He said it is NEVER going to be a convenient time. So we started it right away! I am so glad we did! we will finish baby step 3 by December ☺. I highly recommend this plan!!! It will change your life, marriage, and so many things!

    Reply

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Why You Should Use the Dave Ramsey Method (2024)

FAQs

Why You Should Use the Dave Ramsey Method? ›

Ramsey advocates paying off your smallest debt first, then adding what you were paying towards that debt to the payment for your next largest debt. In this way, you eliminate the number of debts you have at a faster rate (even if your total debts aren't paid faster).

What are the three reasons to save Dave Ramsey? ›

There are three basic reasons to save money. First, we save for an emergency fund. Second, we save for purchases. Third, we save for wealth building.

What are some benefits of learning to budget now Ramsey? ›

Having a budget gives you permission to spend—guilt free! Because when you've got everything covered in your budget, you know there's space for spending! You won't worry about the electric bill not getting paid because you decided to treat yourself to a new sweater.

How did Dave Ramsey help people? ›

Ramsey experienced several years of financial recovery and began offering financial advice to couples at his local church. In 1988, he founded the Lampo Group, a financial counseling service, and in 1992 he wrote and self-published his first book, Financial Peace.

What is the purpose of Dave Ramsey's baby steps? ›

There's a way out of money stress: Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps. They're designed to be followed one right after the other to lead you out of debt and stress and into a life of saving and giving. Millions have worked this proven plan.

Do 90% of millionaires make over $100,000 a year? ›

Choose the right career

And one crucial detail to note: Millionaire status doesn't equal a sky-high salary. “Only 31% averaged $100,000 a year over the course of their career,” the study found, “and one-third never made six figures in any single working year of their career.”

What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings.

What is the David Ramsey method? ›

The Snowball Method refers to paying the smallest debt first, then the next smallest – and on and on until you are living debt free. Ramsey suggests lining up debts “by balance, smallest to largest,” then paying as much of the smallest debt as possible while making minimum payments on the rest.

What is the average household income Dave Ramsey? ›

“Good income is not a moral statement,” Ramsey explained. “Good income is relative to the average household income in America, which is $78,000 right now.” Real median household income in the U.S. was $78,250 in 2019 and fell to $74,580 in 2022, according to the Census Bureau. "You're not a bad person.

What are some benefits of learning to budget now? ›

Budgeting can help you set long-term financial goals, keep you from overspending, help shut down risky spending habits, and more.
  • Helps You Work Toward Long-Term Goals.
  • Can Keep You from Overspending.
  • Can Make Retirement Saving Easier.
  • Helps You Prepare for Emergencies.
  • Can Reveal Spending Habits.
  • The Bottom Line.

What are the 4 funds Dave Ramsey recommends? ›

That's why we recommend splitting your investments evenly (25% each) between four types of stock mutual funds: growth and income, growth, aggressive growth, and international.

How much is Dave Ramsey really worth? ›

At the age of 26, Dave Ramsey's real estate portfolio was worth $4 million, and his net worth was just over $1 million. 6As of 2021, his net worth is around $200 million.

What do Ramsey Solutions do? ›

Ramsey Solutions provides biblically based, commonsense education and empowerment that give HOPE to everyone in every walk of life. New York Times best-selling author Dave Ramsey created the company in 1992 as a means to provide financial counseling and education.

How to start the Dave Ramsey method? ›

  1. Step 1: Save $1,000 for your starter emergency fund. ...
  2. Step 2: Pay off all debt (except the house) using the debt snowball. ...
  3. Step 3: Save 3–6 months of expenses in a fully funded emergency fund. ...
  4. Step 4: Invest 15% of your household income in retirement. ...
  5. Step 5: Save for your children's college fund.

How does Dave Ramsey make money? ›

After getting married and moving back to Nashville, Ramsey began building wealth through buying and selling property. By 26 years old, he was rich — and had amassed a small real estate empire. He bought luxury cars, jewelry and vacations. By all appearances, he had achieved the American Dream.

What is the 3 saving rule? ›

This model suggests allocating 50% of your income to essential expenses, 15% to retirement savings and 5% to an emergency fund.

What are the 4 areas of investment Dave Ramsey? ›

That's why we recommend splitting your investments evenly (25% each) between four types of stock mutual funds: growth and income, growth, aggressive growth, and international.

What are the three savings? ›

Regular savings account: earns interest and offers quick access to funds. Money market account: earns interest and may provide check-writing privileges and ATM access. Certificate of deposit, or CD: usually has the highest interest rate among savings accounts, but no access to funds.

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