I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey. He gives smart no-nonsense information on finances, savings and more! It is practical and laid out for you very simply. I started out reading his book Total Money makeover! This book is a great start if you cannot afford to start with on of the Financial Peace University classes ($99), which we later did as well. The TMM book has forms in the back that you can copy and use to create you budgets and more. We got out of all debt except our 1 car and mortgage in 6 months. That was medical bills, credit cards, and our Line of Credit and vacation payments. It cleared up over $50,000 in debt and freed up $500 + a month in our budget and he pointed up towards having a savings account with $2000 in it. This worked out great because in the process of doing that I got downsized twice, and took a job making significantly less money. I am now in a lower stress job, closer to home, and though I am making less money I don't need to because of our lack of excess debt. Now when we either sell or pay off our Jeep Commander, it will be even better. We are currently leaning towards selling b/c we have 2 paid for cars with better gas mileage. He makes things seem so clear and simple. I Love it and am a HUGE Fan! Currently you can save on his website and get products for just $10. Go check it out. That splurge will save you $1000s I promise! Read it, its an easy read, or listen to the audios/watch the videos. My DH couldn't understand until he watched the videos and he ended up fully on board. Dave taught us so much. I wish I had found him sooner, we would have done so many things differently. If you are single, planning to get married or buying a house- this is a Must read for you before it is too late.
** I don't get any cutback for this, I just feel very strongly about it!
