Frog Fat Be Gone Via Dave Ramsey

Spotting the banana-like fat composites in the  frog-dissecting experience with our son Ian in his 6th grade science course triggered the appreciation I was feeling as a lean, mean Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University 9-week graduate.  As part of his baby steps towards financial freedom, God’s way; steps one, two, and three include paying off all of your debts including mortgages and building a reserve of six to nine month’s income.  Dave highly recommends attacking your debt and prudent reserve building effort like a speedy gazelle, which necessitates getting rid of the fat in your spending behavior.

The foundation of Dave’s plan is the simple process of creating a new zero-based budget each and every month to review with your spouse—unlike the ones Joe and I used to make every three or so years to collect dust in a drawer.  Worse, our budgeting style leaded to a bloated lifestyle with plenty of accumulated excess “frog  fat” collecting in our metaphorical financial abdomen.

Yet, like Dodos we  followed  Dave’s directions to be amazed by the results.  I didn’t miss the gum I used to occasionally buy at Quick Trip or the more frequent family meals out.  With less “fat” the pace of our lives slowed down.  We consciously and selectively chose our entertainment. And the low to no cost ways of enjoying life like family bike rides, browsing art fairs, going to the park, and even not doing anything happily  took more hours of our free time.

We were less frazzled and our lives and bodies were less crowded by too much.  Impulse purchases were moderated by whether the item was listed under a budget category.  And Joe and I were much more relaxed around each other, with very few reasons to argue about money.

The Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip:  Think of one way your relationship could benefit if you were willing to reduce a little “fat” in your spending menu.