Monday was the day Maria and I have been waiting for. The day we got to go on the Dave Ramsey Show and do our Debt Free Scream! We practiced on our drive down to our long weekend in Nashville and again in the space of our rented bungalow in East Nashville (that time with Maria's … [Read more...]
We’re Heading to Nashville!
Maria and I are about to start packing our bags for our next trip. This time, we’re heading down to Nashville, Tennessee. We’re pretty excited as neither of us have been there before. But we have one big reason why we chose Nashville as our next destination. I’ll give you a … [Read more...]
Sinking Funds – Why You Need Them & Why We Love Them
In sharing our financial stories and advice, Maria and I get one question over and over again: “What are sinking funds?” We've talked about saving money before in a general way, but we haven't really discussed many of the specifics about sinking funds. Well, get out your pen and … [Read more...]
Lessons Learned at the Coinstar Machine
Maria and I have this coin jar that we put all of our change into (like many of you, I'm sure). We slowly fill it up with coins and when it finally reaches the top, we get to cash it in. The first time we filled the jar was a few months ago. Maria and I decided to take it to our … [Read more...]
Our Budget After Going Debt Free
Let me tell you something: paying off my student loans was a huge weight off of Maria's and my shoulders. It was our overriding financial goal for almost our entire relationship. We weren't saving any money and we kept our discretionary expenses in our monthly budget to a … [Read more...]
A (Very) Minor Drawback of Good Financial Management
As I'm sure you know, Maria and I have put a lot of effort into putting the good financial management practices from Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University into effect in our lives. I mean, we did just pay off a massive amount of debt. The results of these practices have been … [Read more...]
We are Finally Debt Free!
Maria and I have been working our butts off to pay off my $180,000 in student loans early and we are so happy to announce that we did it! WE ARE FINALLY DEBT FREE! We began our journey out of debt last summer, shortly after we were engaged. We invested in Dave Ramsey's … [Read more...]
Preparing for the Unthinkable: Wills & Estate Planning (Part 1)
Marriage is wonderful. The wedding day is a whirlwind of portraits and the ceremony and the reception and people and it is a ton of fun. You and your spouse should be thinking of the bright, happy and long future you have together. However, once all of that is over, you … [Read more...]
The Champagne Incident – Talking Real About Money
I recently found myself explaining our entire financial plan and philosophy to a stranger. The man knew a little about my background and asked many typical questions, but I could tell he didn't really believe me when I said that Rob and I never really fight about money, since we … [Read more...]