Shopaholic meets Uncle Dave.

Whether you know me in real life or blogworld you probably know me well enough to have figured out I'm more of a spender than a saver. Some may even term me a professional consumer. I buy what I want, usually at the exact moment I decide I want it. Now, I do maintain a high enough level of self control to keep myself out of trouble - but until recently not enough to ever get ahead.

I am not however content to continue to be subpar. It is not enough to simply survive in the world, I want to conquer. For me success in the world of finances doesn't mean getting rich, it means being financial stable and secure. Ready even for the unexpected. Above crisis. Prepared. Or to simplify - it means not having to answer the question, 'if you had a 5,000 dollar crisis where would you get the money' with a sheepish - 'Call my Dad and ask to borrow?'.

The course I'm taking teaches to you to live below your means now so that later you can 'live like no one else'. It is important to me to be a good steward of what God has entrusted to me and I would be lying if I said that I have always cared about that. Honestly, I think for many years (mostly high school and college) I thought that being a 'good steward of my money' was directly related to' being lame and going without everything I wanted'.

Wrong.

As every consumers pet, I like to have the best, the newest, the now. The problem however is not what I want but when I want it. The Dave Ramsey program is teaching me that you don't have to go without what you want, you have to wait until you can truly afford it. Not afford it in the sense that there's enough money in your bank account, enough money in the right category. Can I go on a cruise if I want? Absolutely! But it must come from a budget category that holds vacations (ie: entertainment) and the money must be available before I pay for the cruise (not charged and later paid off or borrowed from other categories).

All you shopaholics out there are grimacing right along with me. Waiting. What a horrible, horrible concept. We love the instant gratification of having it before others, when we want it, and to wear or use the very next day! Am I right? So how am I ever going to learn to delay my desires until their budgeted and saved for? Another word we shopaholics hate - discipline!

I must learn to limit my spending to only a pre-determined amount. Stay tuned for updates as I try'n face facts on the catagories that are out of control.

Love,

B

Ps: Check at the bottom of my sidebar for a financial check up and see if you're on the right track. According to my plan, I could have over 6 million dollars in savings by the time I'm 65 (with the interest included). Don't you see why I like Dave now?! : ]