The tie between living simply and financial peace
Reading Time:
6 minutes
This giveaway is now closed. Check here for the winners!
Phew. I admit it… I’m glad Project: Simplify is over. Don’t get me wrong — I was so inspired by all your hard work, and I’m happy with the results in my own home. But after five weeks of writing about home organization, I’m ready to explore another topic. Plus, I still need to visit a lot of your websites and check out your before-and-afters.
Before Project: Simplify, we talked money. From redefining a budget, to reiterating why being debt-free means withstanding the tidal waves, to showing you how my family budgets, we covered a lot about the green stuff.
Today, I thought it would be fun to sort-of merge the two recent topics — organizing and money — and share why I think the two go hand-in-hand. How does having a simplified, more organized home help you manage your finances? And how does taking care of your money help you simplify your home? Do the two even have anything to do with each other?
I definitely think so. Here are 5 ways keeping your home simple and clutter-free helps you manage your money — and how staying on top of your finances also helps you create a more peaceful home.
PLUS, I’ve got a sweet giveaway at the bottom of the post.
1. When you keep your home less cluttered, you know what you have.
Have you ever bought something you knew you had, but you just couldn’t find it? Or even worse — you didn’t realize you already bought it until you found an item identical to something you just brought home?
When you regularly purge, you’re allowing everything you own to have a specific place. And when things have a place where they belong, it’s easy to keep inventory of everything you have. Knowing exactly what you have means spending less on purchases you don’t need.
Plus, there’s this weird thing that happens when you start purging — you sorta like not having a lot of stuff. You mentally weigh a potential purchase in the store — “Do I really want this thing to take up residence in my home?” It may look lovely on display at the store, but really, it just adds clutter at home.
2. When there’s a place for everything — such as the bills and financial statements — it’s easier to pay on time.
When bills and envelopes are scattered hither and yon, it’s really hard to know what’s due and what you’ve paid. Keeping a home with less stuff means your bills aren’t competing for attention.
Photo by Charlie
Even better — go paperless with as much as you can, and not only are you keeping your home neater, you’ve got your payment records at your fingertips.
3. When you’ve got a goal to be debt-free, selling your extra stuff brings you closer to your goal.
Choosing to become debt-free often means doing crazy stuff — selling your toys, ditching restaurants for awhile, maybe even selling a car or two. But an easier way to make a good chunk of cash is to sell those little things you just don’t need.
Craigslist, eBay, consignment shops, yard sales, whatever… Selling stuff means a wad of quick cash you can put towards debt (or any other financial goal), but it also means a less cluttered home. I’m a decluttering maniac and purge often, and I still managed to gather seven large containers of stuff for my upcoming yard sale.
4. When you create a monthly budget, you can afford those bigger, higher quality items that last longer.
This was a surprising one for me. When we started living on a monthly, zero-based budget where every dollar had a name, we noticed how much money we frittered away on lattes and magazines. So we made sure we had a “personal money” line item for both Kyle and me, and both of us could spend this money on whatever we wanted, every month. If one of us wanted a venti latte, we could spend this money and not blow our budget for the month.
This then meant it was easier to save up for bigger purchases because we were more mindful of those little “gazingus pins.” After we saved up for our fully-funded emergency fund, we saved up for a few more months and took a vacation to Paris. That trip meant way more to me than any random issue of Better Homes & Gardens.
And that trip didn’t add one iota of clutter to our home. We spent our money on fantastic French food instead of miniature Eiffel Tower paper weights.
5. When you talk money regularly with your spouse, your relationship is more unified (and your home is less cluttered).
As I find something I like on Amazon, I add it to my shopping cart. After I have a pile of potential purchases, I ask Kyle if he needs anything before I check out.
“Um, honey…,” I hear from the kitchen table. “Do we really need more school clothes for Tate? The school year’s almost over.”
I think for a second. “Huh — yeah, you’re right. Never mind. I’ll take that out of the cart.”
Kyle and I couldn’t have become debt-free, live on a monthly budget, or save up for specific long-term goals without talking with each other constantly. We have weekly family “business meetings,” but we also talk near daily about money. Nothing major — just updates or thoughts about our financial status. It’s a regular part of our life, so talking about money isn’t a big deal to us at all.
This means we decide on things together. Neither of us makes a major purchase without talking to the other. We both decide whether we need a new chair, more towels, or another board game for the kids. We don’t hold a senate committee on this stuff (nor do we have to shut down due to ridiculous indecision), we simply listen to each other and decide on a quick “yay” or “nay.”
Regular financial communication increases our marital intimacy on all levels. And we keep each other accountable from bringing in needless stuff to our home. Two minds are better than one here, and it helps us keep clutter at bay. It’s awesome.
Financial Peace University
I talk about Dave Ramsey quite a bit — here on the blog, in my book, Organized Simplicity, and in my real life, too. Two weeks ago I attended his EntreLeadership course. I guess you could say I drank the Kool-Aid, but this isn’t because I’m blindly following some guy with a radio show — it’s because Dave’s ideas are simple and they just make sense.
And because I’ve seen, first-hand, how his principles can revolutionize your financial life. I’m not a numbers person, and have never really been “good with money.” But by following his Baby Steps, Kyle and I are debt-free, we saved up for a fully-funded emergency fund in four months, and we took our first family vacation ever (with cash, of course).
And then, when we had to make a sudden move back to the States and set up a new home, it nearly wiped out our savings — but we didn’t sink back into debt. We stayed afloat. And I’m thrilled to say that as of last month, we replenished our fully-funded, six-months-of-savings emergency fund, and we’re back on track.
Yes, you’ve got to stick with it, and as Dave says, you’ve got to live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else. So far, it’s totally worth it.
I had the honor of meeting Dave a few months ago in Nashville, and today, I’m thrilled to tell you that his team wants to give FIVE Simple Mom readers a Financial Peace University membership!
FPU is a local, 13-week class hosted in tons of locations around the U.S. and Canada. For $109, you are enrolled in a local class that covers topics such as how to get out of debt, what mutual funds are and how they work, and what kind of insurance you really need. You’ll also receive a workbook, an audio CD library of all 13 lessons, an envelope system wallet, access to the Member Resource Center, and Dave’s best-selling book, Financial Peace Revisited. Plus, this is a lifetime membership — you and your spouse can always attend an FPU class anywhere, any time, at no extra charge.
FPU Giveaway!
Five of you will win a lifetime membership to FPU. Here’s how to enter:
Leave a comment on this post, answering this question: What is your biggest money challenge?
(if you’re reading this in an email, you must click over to the post to comment)
Additional entries
You can enter two more times — here’s how:
1. Mention this giveaway on Twitter, including @simplemom, @daveramsey, and the URL of this post — http://bit.ly/eFC3r7. Then come back and leave an additional comment on this post, telling me about your tweet.
2. ‘Like’ Simple Mom on Facebook and Dave Ramsey on Facebook. Then come back here again and leave a comment, telling me you did so.
This giveaway will end on 11:59 p.m. this Friday, April 15, and I’ll announce the winners this weekend. I hope you win!
The tie between living simply and financial peace
This giveaway is now closed. Check here for the winners!
Phew. I admit it… I’m glad Project: Simplify is over. Don’t get me wrong — I was so inspired by all your hard work, and I’m happy with the results in my own home. But after five weeks of writing about home organization, I’m ready to explore another topic. Plus, I still need to visit a lot of your websites and check out your before-and-afters.
Before Project: Simplify, we talked money. From redefining a budget, to reiterating why being debt-free means withstanding the tidal waves, to showing you how my family budgets, we covered a lot about the green stuff.
Today, I thought it would be fun to sort-of merge the two recent topics — organizing and money — and share why I think the two go hand-in-hand. How does having a simplified, more organized home help you manage your finances? And how does taking care of your money help you simplify your home? Do the two even have anything to do with each other?
I definitely think so. Here are 5 ways keeping your home simple and clutter-free helps you manage your money — and how staying on top of your finances also helps you create a more peaceful home.
PLUS, I’ve got a sweet giveaway at the bottom of the post.
1. When you keep your home less cluttered, you know what you have.
Have you ever bought something you knew you had, but you just couldn’t find it? Or even worse — you didn’t realize you already bought it until you found an item identical to something you just brought home?
When you regularly purge, you’re allowing everything you own to have a specific place. And when things have a place where they belong, it’s easy to keep inventory of everything you have. Knowing exactly what you have means spending less on purchases you don’t need.
Plus, there’s this weird thing that happens when you start purging — you sorta like not having a lot of stuff. You mentally weigh a potential purchase in the store — “Do I really want this thing to take up residence in my home?” It may look lovely on display at the store, but really, it just adds clutter at home.
2. When there’s a place for everything — such as the bills and financial statements — it’s easier to pay on time.
When bills and envelopes are scattered hither and yon, it’s really hard to know what’s due and what you’ve paid. Keeping a home with less stuff means your bills aren’t competing for attention.
Photo by Charlie
Even better — go paperless with as much as you can, and not only are you keeping your home neater, you’ve got your payment records at your fingertips.
3. When you’ve got a goal to be debt-free, selling your extra stuff brings you closer to your goal.
Choosing to become debt-free often means doing crazy stuff — selling your toys, ditching restaurants for awhile, maybe even selling a car or two. But an easier way to make a good chunk of cash is to sell those little things you just don’t need.
Craigslist, eBay, consignment shops, yard sales, whatever… Selling stuff means a wad of quick cash you can put towards debt (or any other financial goal), but it also means a less cluttered home. I’m a decluttering maniac and purge often, and I still managed to gather seven large containers of stuff for my upcoming yard sale.
4. When you create a monthly budget, you can afford those bigger, higher quality items that last longer.
This was a surprising one for me. When we started living on a monthly, zero-based budget where every dollar had a name, we noticed how much money we frittered away on lattes and magazines. So we made sure we had a “personal money” line item for both Kyle and me, and both of us could spend this money on whatever we wanted, every month. If one of us wanted a venti latte, we could spend this money and not blow our budget for the month.
This then meant it was easier to save up for bigger purchases because we were more mindful of those little “gazingus pins.” After we saved up for our fully-funded emergency fund, we saved up for a few more months and took a vacation to Paris. That trip meant way more to me than any random issue of Better Homes & Gardens.
And that trip didn’t add one iota of clutter to our home. We spent our money on fantastic French food instead of miniature Eiffel Tower paper weights.
5. When you talk money regularly with your spouse, your relationship is more unified (and your home is less cluttered).
As I find something I like on Amazon, I add it to my shopping cart. After I have a pile of potential purchases, I ask Kyle if he needs anything before I check out.
“Um, honey…,” I hear from the kitchen table. “Do we really need more school clothes for Tate? The school year’s almost over.”
I think for a second. “Huh — yeah, you’re right. Never mind. I’ll take that out of the cart.”
Kyle and I couldn’t have become debt-free, live on a monthly budget, or save up for specific long-term goals without talking with each other constantly. We have weekly family “business meetings,” but we also talk near daily about money. Nothing major — just updates or thoughts about our financial status. It’s a regular part of our life, so talking about money isn’t a big deal to us at all.
This means we decide on things together. Neither of us makes a major purchase without talking to the other. We both decide whether we need a new chair, more towels, or another board game for the kids. We don’t hold a senate committee on this stuff (nor do we have to shut down due to ridiculous indecision), we simply listen to each other and decide on a quick “yay” or “nay.”
Regular financial communication increases our marital intimacy on all levels. And we keep each other accountable from bringing in needless stuff to our home. Two minds are better than one here, and it helps us keep clutter at bay. It’s awesome.
Financial Peace University
I talk about Dave Ramsey quite a bit — here on the blog, in my book, Organized Simplicity, and in my real life, too. Two weeks ago I attended his EntreLeadership course. I guess you could say I drank the Kool-Aid, but this isn’t because I’m blindly following some guy with a radio show — it’s because Dave’s ideas are simple and they just make sense.
And because I’ve seen, first-hand, how his principles can revolutionize your financial life. I’m not a numbers person, and have never really been “good with money.” But by following his Baby Steps, Kyle and I are debt-free, we saved up for a fully-funded emergency fund in four months, and we took our first family vacation ever (with cash, of course).
And then, when we had to make a sudden move back to the States and set up a new home, it nearly wiped out our savings — but we didn’t sink back into debt. We stayed afloat. And I’m thrilled to say that as of last month, we replenished our fully-funded, six-months-of-savings emergency fund, and we’re back on track.
Yes, you’ve got to stick with it, and as Dave says, you’ve got to live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else. So far, it’s totally worth it.
I had the honor of meeting Dave a few months ago in Nashville, and today, I’m thrilled to tell you that his team wants to give FIVE Simple Mom readers a Financial Peace University membership!
FPU is a local, 13-week class hosted in tons of locations around the U.S. and Canada. For $109, you are enrolled in a local class that covers topics such as how to get out of debt, what mutual funds are and how they work, and what kind of insurance you really need. You’ll also receive a workbook, an audio CD library of all 13 lessons, an envelope system wallet, access to the Member Resource Center, and Dave’s best-selling book, Financial Peace Revisited. Plus, this is a lifetime membership — you and your spouse can always attend an FPU class anywhere, any time, at no extra charge.
FPU Giveaway!
Five of you will win a lifetime membership to FPU. Here’s how to enter:
Leave a comment on this post, answering this question: What is your biggest money challenge?
(if you’re reading this in an email, you must click over to the post to comment)
Additional entries
You can enter two more times — here’s how:
1. Mention this giveaway on Twitter, including @simplemom, @daveramsey, and the URL of this post — http://bit.ly/eFC3r7. Then come back and leave an additional comment on this post, telling me about your tweet.
2. ‘Like’ Simple Mom on Facebook and Dave Ramsey on Facebook. Then come back here again and leave a comment, telling me you did so.
This giveaway will end on 11:59 p.m. this Friday, April 15, and I’ll announce the winners this weekend. I hope you win!
Stay with in my grocery budget!! We are trying to eat more healthy, organic and local foods and it just cost a lot to feed a family of 6.
Our biggest money challenge is increasing our savings!
Sticking to our budget.
Sticking to the monthly budget and the categories that we allocate our funds to…..especially with the price of gas and everything else going up – I believe and know it can be done as I have seen people to it…..I need a good money mentor..
I like both Simple mom and Dave Ramsey on facebook.
Our biggest money challenge right now is paying off our debt. We feel like we can’t get started right away because my husband is in the US Navy, graduating medical school and we will have 2 months of NO income while he transitions from a stipend-paid medical student to salary-earning, active-duty medical resident. In addition, we’re moving DURING those 2 months. It seems overwhelming!
Good luck, Kimberly! My husband and I are both on baby step #2 right now and have had some things that slowed down our timeline (moving, having a baby, needing to replace an alternator/transmission/brakes on a vehicle, etc). Keep your eyes on the goal, keep outrunning the Cheetah!, and plan on paper! It is so important to save not only for the unknown, but especially for the known. If you know you will need money to move, etc. save it now instead of taking on additional debt. I think the most important lesson my husband and I have learned is that we have to stay focused and stay diligent, but also realize that the time line changes every now and again, but we will never let the debt picture get worse.
I already “liked” Simple Mom on FB…but now I like Dave Ramsey, too! :0)
Biggest money challenge: online shopping
Find amazing deals and it’s so easy to click a couple times…and the money’s gone.
The biggest money challenge we have is not eating out!
I’ve already been “liking” Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on facebook! 🙂
Our biggest money challenge is drawing a line when spending $ on our kids.
Tweeted! Great giveaway!
Becky B.
http://www.organizingmadefun.com
Organizing Made Fun
already ‘LIKE Dave and Simple Mom
I just “liked” Dave Ramsey & Simplemom on facebook.
Our biggest money challenge is figuring out the best way to save for the future
I like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey! Super!
Becky B.
http://www.organizingmadefun.com
Organizing Made Fun
Our biggest money challenge is keeping on budget with eating out. I’m pregnant and work over 40 hours a week and am usually too tired to cook when I get home. I try to cook at least 4-5 nights a week but days I work 10+ hours leave me zapped and out to eat we go!
Building our emergency fund!
Right now, staying within our budgeted amount for groceries is my biggest challenge. I’m trying to buy more local, organic foods and my 4 1/2 year old is suddenly eating like a grown man!
My biggest challenge is staying within my budget.
I like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
Just liked Dave Ramsey!!
I tweeted about the giveaway @breehester
Spending too much money on food & not enough money on others in need.
Our biggest challenge is my husband lost his job.
I don’t have a problem avoiding large purchases, it’s the 100’s of little purchases that I can’t seem to avoid.
Our biggest money challenge is communication. Money is an emotional subject for us and we use avoidance/denial when it comes to this topic. We are such good communicators in every other aspect of our marriage but this is the elephant in the room.
our biggest money challenge? we are missionaries living off support so being able to raise the amount needed not only to pay bills but to plan for the future gives me nightmares and sends me to the sad place.
Our biggest challenge is saving & investing for the future (college, retirement, house). Also how to work a zero down budget when monrhly income is not fixed (changes month to Month). Still Trying to find our system.
I tweeted about this. 🙂
My biggest challenge is being decisive about the budget! I’m terrible.
Sticking to our budget. We’ll take the time to plan everything out but after a few weeks we’re back to our old spending habits!
oh my gosh i hope i win! biggest challenge: income that varies month to month, even week to week
I liked Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook. 🙂
I just ‘liked’ Dave Ramsey. I’ve ‘liked’ Simple Mom for a while now!
Here is my tweet: Give-a-way @simplemom of 5 memberships to Financial Peace University by @daveramsey— http://bit.ly/eFC3r7
Establishing and following a realistic family budget! In order to save money for dreams and projects! Looking for a job that I can put my passion, use my abilities and bring income to my home!
Our biggest money challenge right now is just making enough to pay our monthly bills! We’ve already lowered everything to just basics, but having only one self-employed income is taking its toll.
Our biggest challenge is how to prepare for the future. Right now, we’re able to save and do a lot with our money, but within the next year and a half, we’ll go down to one income, have a baby, move overseas, and my husband will be getting out of the military (and hopefully get another job!)…so we just want to make sure we have our ducks in a row!!
debt. So so SO much debt. 🙁
being raised under many generations of family members in debt, being raised to think that’s normal and acceptable and now not having the resources or teaching to change what we’ve learned. We want to know how to teach our children something we’ve never learned.
My biggest financial challenge is resisting those little “treats” that do add up over time. Thanks for this giveaway!
Following on facebook! 🙂
already like both on fb!
I love Dave Ramsey, and we are debt free because of his snowball program!! Our money challenge right now is building back our emergency fund, which was depleted after the birth of our son. We hope to have it fully funded by the end of the summer!
I struggle with putting $ in savings and overspending on my kids.
To stick with it because it feels like small steps forward!
I already “like” Simple Mom and I just “liked” Dave Ramsey.
Our biggest challenge is just living life. There are so many parties and people who want to go out to eat, or people we meet that we want to have over and the expense of that adds up so quickly. It’s expensive to get to know people. If we were just staying home all of the time, we could eat very inexpensively, but this culture demands more. We’re not sure how to balance it all and still be welcoming and open our home to others. I know we don’t have to provide a gourmet meal, but the way we’ve been trying to pay off debt, there seems to be very little to offer.
I hear ya on this one! We have the same issue. Our friends seem to have endless cash to eat out, go for a drink, etc. And they likely do. But we live (happily) on one modest income and need to find ways to be social without spending so much money. Luckily, our friends also enjoy potlucks. Have you tried that? We used to have a potluck once a month, switching homes, with a group of friends. That died a while back, but now in the neighborhood we live in there are some seasonal potlucks and we’d like to do it even more again. Also, some of the simplest meals gathered around the table with friends have been my favorite. Soup or chili and bread, cheese fondue with some bread and veggies, sloppy joes, salads, and other meals that are easy to feed a group are so nice.
I like both Simple Mom & Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
our biggest struggle is writing the actual budget. I just mentally have a rough draft, not at all how Dave says to do it “on paper, on purpose”. We have still managed to get to step 4 even with the struggle.
Already ‘liked’ you both
Our biggest current money challenge is saving up to put at least 50% down on a home.
My biggest challenge is medical bills. My youngest has immune deficiency and I have cronic pain. Our medical bills are sky high and on top of that we have a morgage that we can barely pay anymore. We are currently trying to refinance our morgage, but that will only give us an extra $80 a month. Our other option is short sale. Till then my husband is working 6 days a week while I take any small job I can with the baby in tow to try to put some money in our savings. Thank goodness we don’t have any credit card debt and that our cars both are almost paid off.
I like both on facebook.
Our biggest challenge is paying off credit card debt.
Wow Tsh, what a great opportunity it would be to attend FPU. I bought “Organized Simplicity” and loved what it had to say, but didn’t really know how to apply it in my life. Then somehow I ended up on your blog not realizing the two were connected. Then when I read the “7 Baby Steps” on your blog, something clicked. I have been struggling to get my financial house in order for some time now, and reading a lot, but those steps just seemed to make so much sense! I am currently on Step 1 – $1000 Emergency Fund.
My biggest challenge is trying to change the way I feel about my money – not feeling like I am “depriving” myself if I can’t buy something. But your comment about budgeting is just telling your money what it can do for you – that helped. I still have a ways to go.
Thanks for the give-away!
Sigh. Sadly, the issue with me and my husband is a lack of consistency discussing money. Ah…that and we NEED a budget. I am salaried, but his income tends to be highly irregular, and I often feel like I’m overwhelming him with my requests to try figuring out some scheme for planning where our dollars should go. =/
Our biggest money challenge is the cost of child care, but we need child care in order to be able to work and get out of debt. But I feel that sucks sooo much out of what could potentially could go towards paying off our student loans. But it is what it is, and we just need to work through it.
And I just “liked” you and Mr. Ramsey on FB, Ms. Tsh! =)
I’ve liked Simplemom and Dave Ramsey for a while now on Facebook. 🙂
I have 2 big money issues:
1) Medical bills that will never go away but are always variable
2) A hubby that will trip over a dollar to save a dime
Oh boy could I use this product!!!
I already ‘like’ both of you guys on fb!
Our biggest money challenge is paying off debt and getting ready to send our oldest to college and not increase our debt by doing so!
I just tweeted about this!!!
My biggest money problem is sales. If it’s a great deal I can’t resist, even if we have one, or several cute somethings like it already. This has added a lot of clutter to our lives and not helped our bank account!
Oops, forgot to mention I like you both on facebook!
Our biggest challenge is making time to sit down and figure out our budget and then keep it updated in a timely manner.
Ok, just liked Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook. Thanks!
My biggest issues are impulse buys and staying within the grocery budget.
I know this sounds kind of obtuse, but it really is just never feeling like we will never ever get ahead. My husband makes six figures (and we live in an area with a high COL) but we never have anything left to save for our future after all is paid for out of the paycheck.
I like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB
my biggest challenge is not buying things on sale because they are a “good deal.”
My biggest challenge is following a budget
“Liked” simple mom on FB
“liked” dave ramsey on FB
Biggest money challenge: the little things that add up.
Saving money is our biggest hurdle. We always seem to think of savings as our extra money and can justify spending it. Sorry later.
I liked Dave Ramsey and Simple Mom on fb!
Biggest challenge is being able to actually do a budget. Our Income changes each month and find it hard to keep track because of that. Also we waaaaay oversepend on food budget each month.
Liked simple mom and dave ramsey on FB
My biggest challenge is being on the same page with my husband about finances. I’ve been listening to Dave Ramsey’s podcasts for a couple of years now and read one of his book (thanks to your recommendation) and I am wanting to go full force on getting out of debt and never taking out a loan again. My husband isn’t in complete agreement with me, so we’re moving much more slowly on our debt than I’d like. I’ve been thinking that we need to take Dave’s class together to hopefully be unified in our approach to our finances. Thanks for the chance to win!
I’ve “liked” you for a while on FB and I just added Dave Ramsey…I’ve been meaning to add him, so thanks for the reminder!
Our biggest challenge is definitely our inconsistency with communicating about money. It has become sort of a “hot topic” in our house and we tend to try to stay away from it. My husband and I are both trying to be better, but without effective communication, it is difficult to be working together in the same direction.
Also, I already liked both simplemom and dave ramsey on facebook!! 🙂
Sticking to budget is a hard one for us but i’d say it is probably tied with saving right now. Since we have worked hard to pay off debt which we finally did it has been a challange for us to justify putting money away when we look at the debit needing to be paid. Hopefully that will change now!
Mentioned your giveaway on Twitter
I liked you both on FB
Right now I think the biggest challenge is my husband! He refuses to set a budget or run purchases by me even when we’ve agreed on it.
Our biggest money challenge is that we don’t plan out our meals very well – it ends up costing us more more money than necessary.
I like on Facebook.
We don’t have a “real” budget which makes it tough to know if we can make bigger purchases like a new washer and dryer.
Our biggest strugal is simply dealing with our past poor choices.
Biggest challenge – Building up that savings again. Been a “0” balance for too many months. Husband laid off during the recession and then no one willing to hire for almost a year. ; (
Our biggest challenge is student loan debt!
The hardest part is the on and off employment that is the nature of our business.
My biggest challenge is creating a realistic budget and cutting out the small things that add up at the end of the month(coffees, teas, things of that sort).
Our biggest challenge would have to be constantly needing to wipeout our emergency fund before we can get it to $1000. Seems like some huge expense hits at the wrong time!
Oh, and I have already liked your page and Dave Ramsey’s! We are signed up for the Monthly Total Money Makeover website, but have always wanted to join FPU… but our budget can only afford the benefits of the website!
Figuring our how to recover after an event that knocks us out financially.
Our income is small, and our budget is bare-bones even during good times. My biggest challenge is sticking to it day after day, year after year, andnot letting living with less than others get to me.
I like Dave and SimpleMom!
6 kids! we love ’em like crazy, but they spendy little buggers!
thanks,
shana
liked you both on facebook and would love to attend FPU {just haven’t ever made it work yet. winning it would totally be the motivation we need}
thanks,
shana
My biggest challenge is the grocery part of our budget. Bottom line, we spend way too much on food! All those fast food lunches, sodas from the gas station, and countless grocery store trips add up.
Biggest Challange: Prioritising saving. Convincing my partner to pay into our savings on pay day, rather than ‘waiting to see what’s left’ at the end of the month.
Have tweeted! (twitter name @droversrunness) was already a ‘like’ on your fb page, but have gone and ‘liked’ Dave Ramsay’s page too. (Vanessa MacLeod).
Our biggest financial challenge is paying off of our bills. In addition to a ton of student loans for my husband, we have a lot of credit card bills from what can only be classified as our “young and stupid” days. But we have been living very frugally for the past 2 years or so and the end is FINALLY in sight, 3 more years and nearly everything will be paid off!!
The biggest challenge is sticking to the budget.
Tweeted! Simple Mom & Dave Ramsey.
I liked Simple Mom on FB.
Giving excuses to things we don’t need!
I have liked simple mom on FB!
I have liked dave ramsey on FB!
My biggest money challenge will be how to manage it all with less income. I am slated for layoff in July and if I do find another position, it will very likely be for less pay. This is perfect for me. Thanks for the great giveaway!
I have “liked” you on FB! Thanks again!
Our biggest challenge is SAVING. We’ve been debt free most of the time since we lived in Germany some ten years ago now. Paid off all our bills the three years we were there. But we’re terrible at saving, and with my husband retiring from the Army in just 12 months, we really need that safety net.
Our biggest money challenge this week is sticking to the budget when the cars break down and trying NOT to use the credit cards.
Our biggest challenge is that our income is very low and it comes in fits and starts. Sometimes weeks go but without any. So, it is difficult to go cash and have a budget whe nwe never know how much we make or when we will have it.
Our biggest challenge is sticking to the plan/budget!!
Tweeted! @reneecun
Liked Simple Mom and Mr. Dave on Facebook!Here’s for the win!
AGREEING on the budget and then STICKING to the budget!
Paying off debt. My husband and I rarely use our credit cards anymore but we still have a bit pile of debt to pay off, a big chunk of which is my student loans. Plus setting a budget is something we have a huge problem with.
Awesome giveaway!
Right now I would say my biggest money challenge is having the faith to tithe regularly when the money is just not there.
“Liked” Dave Ramsey on facebook!
I tweeted this http://twitter.com/txblond/status/57393253326127104
Biggest challenge: making exceptions to our budget… all. the. time.
Like you both on FB (Tiffany Muehlbauer)
Biggest challenge lately seems to be keeping my emergency fund funded. We’ve had a lot of little things come up that needed some extra attention and that killed the fund below our comfort level for a couple of months.
this looks like a very worthwhile giveaway.
Liked both on Facebook.
Our food spending was insane! Now I am using Pear Budget to track expenses and learning to use coupons to my advantage!
My biggest challenge is avoiding impulse buys!
Paying off that last bit of debt. Whenever we save just a little bit extra to pay it off, an unforeseen expense comes our way.
Our biggest financial challenge is spontaneous spending.
I liked your FB page.
Our biggest money problem is getting out of debt. We have ridiculous student loans, and we are trying hard to live on one income so that I can stay home and homeschool our children, but it’s hard!
I like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
Our church has these training sessions quite often. We have not yet made the committment participate.. maybe this would spur us on toward that goal! We do not have any debt except our house but we are a self employed family and I am sure the principles would do wonders for peace of mind!
Paying down our debt. We have a baby emergency fund, but now we have to pay down our debt. I feel great about the little stuff- finish the car, our credit cards. But my husband just finished law school and we had to go into a ton of debt for it and that number scares me. Sometimes I get discouraged and think that we should just keep paying the minimum-what does it matter? We’ll never pay it off! But those are only my bad days
I like you on facebook
I tweeted! http://twitter.com/#!/Jenidvm/status/57408485851271170
Ditto to sticking to the budget. Thanks for a wonderful giveaway!
Our biggest money challenge is food. We cook at home alot and pack lunches, but always seem to go a little over budget!
Our biggest challenge is trying to fit the future into today. We have the emergency fund, no debt, and a 401k, but no college fund for our kids. This worries us, but we feel our future (retirement) is more important.
1. Staying on our grocery budget and
2. fighting the idea that I am entitled to the things that my friends have.
Always a challenge:)
The kids’ activities – the expense can really add up.
Communication
My biggest money challenge right now is probably staying positive. We are on a tight budget, and it works, but every few weeks I start to feel deprived and tired. If my husband doesn’t stop me I will have everyone in the car and going to eat out on a whim and there goes the budget.
Eating healthy on a budget! My son is sensitive to processed foods, so we try to eat as natural and organic as possible, but it isn’t cheap!
I’m a lot better than I used to be, but I still have a hard time resisting a good clearance item at Target. 🙂
I Like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
tweeted! @scbusf
When unexpected things come up that take money which makes it easier to stay within the planned budget.
My hubby and I are on seminary, so the biggest challenge for us is simply cash flow! We are so blessed to be debt free besides our home, and we have awesome families who are helping to support us, however when we graduate from seminary and Lord willing are employed, we’re not really sure what to do next financially.
My husband and I are just finishing up leading FPU for the first time! Dave and his principles are great and have really given us so much freedom!
Paying off the credit card debt. We’ve had it as long as we’ve been married. When I stayed home to have and raise kids, we added $2-3K per year. We just discovered Dave Ramsey last year, and since then we’ve paid off half of our debt. I am now working full time so we can afford to pay off the rest of it.
Liked on fb!
I “liked” both Simple mom and Dave Ramsey on FB.
Tweeted Dave Ramsey and Simple Mom!
“Liked” Dave Ramsey and Simple Mom
My biggest challenge with our finances is balancing relationships and budget. I feel like I’m constantly confronted with the choice to stay within my monthly budget or accept an invitation from friends or family that will make me go over in some area (usually gas!). I highly value my relationships and want to continue to be generous towards them and yet be responsible with my money at the same time!!
My challenge is thinking “it’s only X dollars” which adds up so fast. Which leads to shifting money around to make sure everything is covered. Yuck.
Amen & amen!
My biggest challenge is staying in the grocery budget.
i spend too much on “little things”.
slstepec@hotmail.com
I like you both on Facebook!
Paying my bills!
We are pretty good at budgeting, but my personal curse is the little expenses like coffee that add up quickly and then before you know it, you are out of spending money.
My tweet 🙂 Check out this free gift from @simplemom, @daveramsey, http://bit.ly/eFC3r7.
What a great giveaway! I’d love to be a member of FPU! Our biggest financial challenge is paying off debt (and a close second would be sticking to a budget for an extended period of time!!).
My biggest financial obstacle is my husband and I working together in our budgeting and spending. It seems like we get paid and we each race to buy the things we want before the money is gone. Pretty stupid, I know!
Akso, I am a fan on Facebook.
I like Simple Mom on Facebook
You are Dave are liked!!
Liked you both on FB!
My biggest money challenge is trying to restrain buying for our new home-not things for the home necessarily but we want big things like a new screen room and pool-we want those so badly but we are saving for an emergency fund right now-although that is going so S.L.O.W. we just put our camper for sale in hopes to up our emergency fund quicker.
This sounds stupid, but our biggest financial problem is keeping our accounts updated. We have a budget that we follow, we’re just one debt away from being debt-free (other than the house), we have most of our bills auto-paid, and we use the cash envelope system for most of our weekly purchases. But my husband’s forte is not the tediousness involved with keeping track of our expenditures, and when my plate gets overloaded with out-of-the-ordinary life happenings (which has happened more often than not in the last few months), updating our financial records is the first thing that gets dropped off my plate! I know FPU can’t help with that, since it’s more of a discipline thing, but we’d still thoroughly enjoy and would benefit from the class anyhow. 🙂
Our biggest money challenge is staying on budget with groceries! It seems to almost always exceed our budget every month!
SAVING! – Since we also have a lot of debt that we are working to pay off, and it never fails that an unexpected expense comes up just when we start to get ahead.
I tweeted the post…@Raqi
My biggest money challenge is the fact that my hubby and I deal with money completely differently. I’m cautious about spending unwisely and want to “make like a gazelle” regarding our debt, and DH likes to spend big and thinks eliminating our debt is unrealistic – it would be hard, but not impossible. I really want us to be on the same page – I’d love for us to go through the FPU together. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
Our biggest money challenge is ourselves…well, patience that is! We are trying to do all the right things, but it takes time to see things grow the way we want them too.
I like both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook!
Living beyond our means. We aren’t in great debt, but have had a few financial struggles in the past 6 months that have set us back, and yet we keep buying things that aren’t necessities because we appear to be able to afford them.
I’m good at coming up with the budget, but sticking with it is really difficult for me.
The biggest challenge is getting my husband to stop using our credit cards.
Not eating out to save money!
My biggest challenge is communicating with my spouse about money . Thanks for the information and the give-away!
My biggest money challenge is actually creating a budget that I understand and can stick to! Fluctuating bills (like electric and water) throw me off balance!
Finding money to pay for home improvements! We are living in a fixer upper and it wears on my patience some days!
My biggest challenge is remembering that all those little purchases, $1 here and $1 there, all add up to real money!
I “liked” you! I really really liked you (and Dave) on facebook!
Hmmmm, my biggest financial challenge is organization. Finding the bills when I need them (“I think they are in this somewhere”)
Karen
the hardest money challenge is definitely being in total unity about how and when to spend our money. we started Dave’s baby steps in Feb, so I think we are still in the transition phase, but we still have some bumps to iron out. this post is perfect timing – I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a membership to Financial Peace!!!!!
Our biggest financial issue is the fact that we have quite a low income since I decided to stay home to be with our son. I don’t regret it, but we have to be VERY intentional about money–there’s NO wiggle room!
I liked both on FB!
Our biggest money challenge is trying to eat healthy. It is cheaper to eat junk.
What is your biggest money challenge?
Probably creating a budget that fits into my income and sticking to it. Not only do I have the normal student loans for undergrad and grad school, but I also have medical bills that stack up fast (despite having a Flex Spending Account) and they keep coming (the joys of having a chronic condition).
My husband owns his business which means we don’t know how much money we bring home every month. It is changing constantly which makes budgeting difficult. Dave Ramsey help us get through what could’ve a positive endeavor!
We are have no high interest debt and are going after that student loan as fast as we can. But we could be doing it faster if we could stick to our budget for more than a couple of months at a time. That’s always the hardest part for us.
Our biggest challenge is the little things. The one cup of coffee here, one extra pair of jeans there, etc. It REALLY adds up.
I love your blog! I just “liked” both your facebook fan page as well as Mr. Ramseys. I have always wanted to go through the Financial University!
I like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey and my biggest money problem is spending it. Debt free including the house. 🙂
I love Dave Ramsey… we have been following his steps, but never went through FPU. I would love to win one of the memberships! Our biggest challenge is getting out emergency fund fully funded. One step forward, three steps back it feels like.
My biggest money challenge is actually making the budget. I’ve been trying to get my husband more on board with Dave’s plan and think this would be great!
The biggest challenege is getting my husband to stop charging on the credit cards.
I am a facebook fan of you and Dave Ramsey!
I “like” both on facebook.
I tweeted! @SIDAC
To be honest, I’m on the very last week of Financial Peace University myself, but I’d still really love the kit to give away to a friend that needs it.
Our biggest money challenge going through this has been getting my husband and I on the same page. He is definitely the “free spirit” and I am certainly the “nerd” and so we tend to disagree on what lengths we need to “live like no one else.” Getting our eating out budget down to a number I’m comfortable with has perhaps been the biggest pain…
Liked you and Dave on Facebook!
Our biggest challenge is budgeting with an irregular income. I work a 9-5 and earn a stable paycheck, but my husband owns his own landscape and construction business. I am still trying to figure out the best way to budget and pay bills so that we can make it between my paychecks. It has definitely been trial and error.
My biggest issue lately is balancing my food money and my spending money. We have a few extra dollars each month for spending money as well, but mine is usually gone within a few days after getting paid while my hubby can save his for months to buy something really amazing…
Our biggest Money challenge is my husband’s job is 100% commission based so we struggle with finding the balance between, what to put away for those times when he is not bringing in income, and saving/paying down debt.
I “Like” Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook 🙂
Our biggest money challenge is actually prioritizing bigger purchases. We’re debt free except for a 15 year mortgage, and pay cash for everything. But right now we’re kind of in paralysis about how to decide what to do next–the new gutters, the kitchen repairs, or take the kids somewhere for a week? I’m finding I kind of miss “having” to do one thing or another. Bizarre, isn’t it?
Our biggest money challenge is knowing how much we should be saving every month and also building in an emergency fund while working toward paying off our mortgage.
Our biggest challenge is staying focused to stay on budget. I think it we could get through after a month or two we would be in a great rhythm but for us it is tough to make it through for a complete month. Thanks for this opportunity!
Liked Simple Mom and Dave on Facebook!
Our biggest money challenge is paying off my student loan. The amount seems overwhelming to me and I feel like it will take eons to pay it off. It is definitely a challenge to put any extra money we have on to the loan also.
My biggest challenge is the little bits of money (that add up big) that just “float” right out of my wallet. I want to spend less and save MORE! Why is it so hard for me?????
This is timely! I was just researching this morning about FPU, and so hopefully I will win here! The hardest thing for my husband and I is to take the extra money at the end of the month and actually apply it to debt. It seems like there is always something *else* that comes up, whether it is something breaking on our house or car, or an unexpected trip to see family…it never seems to be applied to the debt! I’ll have to hope I win with this one entry, deleted my facebook and I don’t have twitter!
My biggest challenge is sticking to a budget. I recently had a baby and began working part-time and took a huge pay cut. I’m still in the habit of spending money without thinking about it.
Staying on budget! We are debt free, have plenty in savings, and never go over budget but it is SO hard for me to find the right balance when I write the monthly budget! Im going back to cash envelopes I guess!
biggest challenge is retirement savings
The electric bills.
I liked “Simple Mom” and “Dave Ramsey” on FB 🙂
Liked Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on fb.
Biggest challenge?! Saving purposefully! We don’t have a large income, and it is about to get smaller, but we don’t have debt other than our mortgage. However, I find it hard to stash any remaining money away rather than fritter it away!
Biggest money challenge ATM is fuel. We heat the house with propane, and both have long drives to work. Changes in fuel prices over recent months have put a fairly serious strain on our budget. No money for more fuel-efficient cars, and our house is smack in the middle between our workplaces. :/
I liked “Simple Mom” and “Dave Ramsey” on Facebook! 🙂
Our biggest money challenge is getting our car paid off. It seems as though there is something that needs doing (hello roof) that squeaks that money our of our budget that month.
Also, like the blog and Dave on FB. 🙂
We are working our way through Dave’s Total Money Makeover right now! Our biggest money challenge is staying within our grocery/gas budget. Paying with cash has helped, but prices just keep jumping and we can’t seem to keep ahead.
My biggest challenge is NOT SPENDING! It’s true, I’m the spender and my husband is the saver. My name is Danielle, and I am a spender. It’s definitely a challenge that has taken time and self discipline to try to conquer. I always think I ‘need’ something. My husband is so good with money, and I wish he had time to handle the finances, but that is not the case. We’re working on it though! I’m trying my hardest to live a much simpler life these days, for my family’s sake (and for my own!)
I can name my two worst: Paper crafting supplies and clothing. My Etsy shop has lessened the impact of craft supplies on the family budget, but I still think I probably ought to be more mindful of my spending.
I already ‘like’ Simple Mom on fb. I ‘liked’ Dave Ramsey on fb.
Wow! Awesome giveaway! Our biggest money challenge is probably staying within a budget.
Right now our biggest financial issue is readjusting our budget since I went from working full time to part time when our son was born. We knew that we would have to make adjustments but we are having trouble getting used to our new budget!
I like Simple Mom on facebook.
My challenge is resisting a good deal. I was raised a bargain shopper but too many bargains add up to too much money spent.
I tweeted about your give-away… hope lots of people “stop by” and check it out!
Out biggest challenge is my husband and I getting on the same page about our spending, plus we like to take on projects which can get expensive.
Our biggest money challenge is food. It takes up the majority of our budget after the mortgage and we still don’t understand why! I just recently started couponing and am getting the hang of that, but still… its rediculous!
Credit card debt! I am a single parent and spent a lot of years tithing, but not trusting. I used credit cards to make up the difference instead of believing for our needs to be met. Now I have HUGE pile of debt!
Reading this post brought tears to my eyes because my husband and I are at the begining of this process and we are really struggling with it. We really just don’t know where to start with anything! We pretend to budget and get no where! Thank you for all of the great information and the giveaway!
My biggest financial challenge is finding the balance between spending to enjoy the present (for example, a trip) and saving for the future. And, I hate the idea of creating a budget but know it is something I need to do to help me work out the former.
My husband and I have wanted to take this course for a while. I’d love to win! I’d say that our biggest money challenge is consistency with the small things. We budget, but it’s very easy to fall off the wagon and start buying lunches every couple days and justify a little of this and a little of that until we’re off the rails.
Eating out is our BIG budget breaker. I despise cooking and am not good at it at all- even following directions. Therefore, when hubby gets home from works it is way too easy to just hop in the car and go somewhere to eat. UGH!!
What is your biggest money challenge? Ours is communicating about finances after many years of marriage when it has never been on the table before. Where does one start and how does one do it so there is no damage done to the relationship?
Our challenge is budgeting with a variable income and paying off debt.
I ‘like’ Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB. 😎
I “like” you and Dave on facebook. 🙂
I tweeted about this blog. tyger_nurse
This article brought tears to my eyes because my husband and I are at the very begining of this process and we are STRUGGLING! We just don’t know where to start period! Just yesterday I started checking out DR’s books to see which would help me best. So, our hardest part is the start. The ‘go!’ Thanks for allof the great information and this giveaway!
Paying off credit card debt!
None of my comments want to show up 8-(
Our biggest challenge is actually starting. We need a place to start instead of a disorganized mess of ‘starting over’ each month.
My biggest challenge is saying “no!” to myself at Target or wherever I’m shopping. That sounds super childish, but it’s difficult sometimes!
What isn’t a financial burden right now? The only moveable line in our budget that can make an impact is grocery/household things. And even if I eek that out to bare pennies, we’re still in the red every month. God is faithful. That’s the only way we’re surviving.
Our biggest challenge is building an emergency fund with 6 kids & a pretty limited income. Since november our fridge died, my daughter broke her ankle, another daughter had a massive allergic reaction & ended up in hospital & then my husband was laid off. Too much bad luck.
I really like shopping for my kids clothes and toys…which works against money AND clutter!
We live boom or bust – splurging when bonuses come in, and then scraping by when they run out until we get to the next bonus…
This is great! My husband and I have “Make a budget” in RED on our ‘To Do’ list for about a year.. we just didn’t know how to go about it. I just read your post on Dave’s 7 baby steps. This would be so great! Thanks! Thanks also for the inspiration to get organized– it’s an ongoing effort in this house with my 3 little boys, but with the sunshine I’m feeling motivated to clean out the clutter!
Twittered the contest @erinlthiele
The biggest challenge is getting my spouse on the same page. He’s a spender and I’m a saver.
Thanks for the chance to win such a wonderful prize!!
Our current biggest money challenge is finding money in the budget for a health insurance deductible for a recurring medical issue and replacement vehicle for when that time comes.
I like SimpleMom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook too!
Our biggest challenge is not having a set monthly income so budgeting seems next to impossible. Thanks for the opportunity to win something so helpful!!
Our biggest money challenge is setting up the budget part and then putting the extra money in places it needs to go.
I “Liked” Simple Mom on Facebook. 🙂
Keeping with it is the hardest part for me. I always want to give into temptation – new pillow covers, another kindle book, a coffee out…
Our biggest money challenge currently is increasing our income and creating residual income so that my husband can get his MBA (without going into $200,00o debt and loosing $100,000 in wages).
I think the hardest thing is getting my husband and I on the same page and thus our conversations are very stressful. Iwould love this giveaway!
I just “like”d you & dave on FaceBook. 🙂
Forgot to add our biggest money challenge– it’s knowing how to limit ourselves on the non-essentials so we can pay off student/home loans. We’ve heard for years about making budgets, but we’re lost as to the best way to do this and how to prioritize our saving goals. I’m super excited about these baby steps– they’re so simple I’m sure we can do it now that we have a little guidance. 🙂
Our biggest challenge… wondering where are money is going! Need to budget!!! Food/grocery bill for a family of 5.
I have liked Dave and you on Facebook!! Yeah
I like simplemom!
Our biggest money challenge is trying to get out of debt when we have two houses (one has been on the market for three years). It is killing us and I’m unable to stay at home with my one-year-old daughter because of it. We are frugal in many ways (really, more ways than is comfortable), but the house notes are killing us. We need help.
My husband and I also have a lot of different ideas about money, and we agree on very little. Like he needs to be a “homeowner” (what a misnomer when the mortgage company is the real homeowner) and I wanted to rent because I think a home is a ball and chain. So now we have two balls and chains and it’s causing major marriage problems. And that’s a problem.
I “liked” Simple Mom and David Ramsey on Facebook.
Little purchases that don’t seem to matter, but when done everyday… do ad up. That is my worst. Keep me away from Marshalls…. I go crazy.
I “liked” Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on fb!
My biggest money challenge has always been budgeting. Either I don’t stick to it because I impulse shop or my husband’s work interferes–either he doesn’t make as much as we had budgeted or he’s out of work=$0. We are so far behind on bills since my husband was laid off for 6 months. He’s now starting a new job and I’m hoping to get a budget established to get us caught up!
My biggest money challenge is the fact that our outgo is more than our income due to the building industry in the Atlanta area. I have to pick and choose what we’re going to pay each month. We have lowered our mortgage along with anything else that we could. I feel so overwhelmed that I can’t even think clearly and don’t know what action to take. I guess you could say, “we’re stuck.” My husband works 7 days a week and our daughter is in her first year of college. This is a terrible position to live in day in and day out, we just desire freedom and simplicity.
I “liked” Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook!!! 🙂
Our biggest money challenge is EVERYTHING! lol. My husband and I started out with a bunch of bad checks and an upside down car loan. 6 years later, with 3 kids and much better jobs, we are doing a little better, but we are terrible at saving, terrible at staying caught up. We live in an apartment and will be signing one more year long lease because we still can’t get into a house. I’ve been reading a Dave Ramsey book my mother in law’s boyfriend lent me. I’M READY! Please pick us!!!! 🙂
I already Like simple mom on facebook, and just liked Dave Ramsey on fb as well!
I agree–my challenge right now is keeping within my grocery budget and still trying to buy more organic and fresh foods. What a great giveaway–thanks so much!
I liked Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
Our biggest challenge is, like many others here, sticking to a budget. We keep meaning to go to a cash budget so that we know exactly what we spend but I can’t figure out a good way to keep the cash organized.
Our challege is trying to keep our grocery budget in check. Blessings!
I like both dave & simple mom
I need to keep to a budget but actually we are doing well otherwise. Pretty conservative by nature. Love your blog and I am a grandma! Also ‘liked’ you and Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
Living within or means. We aren’t deeply in debt, but we’ve had fininacial struggles in the past 6 months that have dug our debt way deeper than we like… and yet we still find the money to buy things that aren’t necessities…
I read Dave’s book last year and loved his simple plan and we’re currently on baby step#3
With 3 little ones and a hubby working 3 jobs our biggest challenge is staying focused on the plan and not give into convince things that eat money.
Though we are working towards paying off debt, it looks like it will take years to save a proper emergency fund… I am doing something wrong but I’m not sure what!!!
I think our biggest money challenge is our grocery budget. My husband and I were actually going to take this class in September, but we weren’t ready to pay for it yet!I “liked” your page on Facebook. I already “liked” Dave’s page. Thanks for the opportunity!
My biggest challenge is reducing the general “household” budget category: too many $1 items at Target’s Dollar Spot, clothes for me and our littlest that really aren’t needed, or an overabundance of seasonal decorating items. This also adds to the CLUTTER!
We don’t have an emergency fund at all and carry a business debt yearly.
Food! It’s hard for us to stay within budget because we like really good food. We eat out a good bit too.
Hi! I “liked” (and still do;-) ) Simple MOm & Dave Ramsey on Facebook!:)
Our biggest money problem is creating a budget that encompasses all of our needs and still finding a way to save!
I also liked Simple Mom && Dave Ramsey on Facebook!
My biggest problem is not driving through any fast food restaurant I drive by. I seem to have to stop at at least one a day. Of course there is food or something to drink at home, but it’s just so easy to drive through.
Dave Ramsey is awesome. We listen to him on the radio. My husband will jump up and down and kiss me good if I win this. I “Liked” simple mom and Dave Ramsey.
I think our biggest challenge, besides unplanned restaurant excursions, is prioritizing and goal-setting.
Dave Ramsey and Simple Mom have been on my ‘Like’ pages for a while now so I’ll just state our biggest monthly challenge. We are keeping two different households, my husband in Hawaii and myself in Colorado because of the military so we find it esp. hard to keep with a budget. Unexpected things come up on both ends regularly.
Adjusting the grocery budget to accommodate our growing family.
The biggest financial challenge in our marriage is that one of us is a spender and one of us is a saver. One of us is a risk taker, one of us is more conservative. It can create some conflict.
I like both Simply mom and Dave Ramsey on FB.
Coming up with a enough money to pay off our student loans each month in the debt snowball
I just liked Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook. Thanks for the opportunity.
I like both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook! Thanks for such a generous giveaway!
I like both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on facebook!
My husband and I love Dave Ramsey. His advice helped us create a family budget and experience financial peace. We read “Total Money Makeover” but would love to take the course.
Staying consistent. I find that I can save with no problem, but then I’ll slack for a bit and I see it affecting my savings.
I think our biggest money issue is savings. We need to learn how to properly budget and then stick to it so we can build our savings. So maybe that makes our biggest money issue our budget… 🙂 We don’t talk about money really and just kind of float along…we need help!!!
My biggest money challenge is working on ‘increasing my income’!!
First, want to say loved the post. So very true. Our biggest struggle is sticking to a budget because our income changes from month to month. We try to set our zero based budget on the “reliable” income of a bi-weekly paycheck…but, that leaves for very little wiggle room or splurging. So, when we get money from our at home business we tend to run through it all on those wants (and sometimes needs) that we’ve been resisting while sticking to our budget. We need to use this money to pay off debt so that we can start building our emergency fund. It’s a daily struggle.
Our biggest money challenge: I’m a spender, the hubs is a hoarder. It’s really hard for us to have conversations about what to do with our money. He almost always assumes I want it (I do). I almost always assumes he doesn’t. (He doesn’t). Money convo’s are so difficult we avoid them & then get more disconnected from each other money-wise. I want his help, but he feels overwhelmed. I want to “run the show” so-to-speak financially but I’m not doing great at it, also feel overwhelmed & have a penchant towards spending. It’s a mess. =(
I have already ‘liked’ both on Facebook 🙂
School Loans. Mine are overdue and both my husband and I have them. And since we just hit a deer on a major highway, we have then on top of a car payment…
I liked Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
Our biggest money challenge has been staying w/in our grocery budget.
Biggest financial challenge = credit card debt!
Our biggest financial challenge is preparing for the future. We have four daughters who are currently 6, 4.5, 4.5, and 4.5…. which means they’ll all be hitting college within a year of each other.
I literally woke up this morning with that sick, panicky feeling, worrying about money, and thought, “I’d love to do Financial Peace University.” So this would be AMAZING. Our biggest challenge is overcoming the habit of just letting our money happen to us – neither of us was raised with any financial training, and we are just now attempting to do the zero-budget for the first time. It’s a challenge to re-program your relationship with your money – and to do it before it’s all gone!
I like Dave Ramsey and Simple Mom on Facebook!
Sticking to our eating out budget! Planning the week’s menu helps a ton, but those weeks without a plan hurt so much! 🙂
I tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/Minister_Mama/status/57438236955516928
First, want to say loved the post. So very true. Our biggest money challenge is sticking to a budget because our income changes from month to month. We try to set our budget based on the reliable bi-weekly paycheck. But this leaves very little wiggle room for unexpected expenses or splurging. When extra money comes in from our home based business we end up spending it on all of those wants (and sometimes needs) that we’ve been stockpiling. We really need to put this money toward paying off debt so that we can start to build our emergency fund. It’s a daily struggle.
My biggest challenge is staying with in the grocery budget! 🙂
I have “liked” you both on facebook AND added you both to my blog page’s favorites. Does that deserve an extra vote??? =) lol.
And I already like you both on Facebook! Where’s the “love” button? 😉
Definitely our biggest money challenge is trying to build up any type of savings….there never seems to be any money leftover after bills, groceries, gas, paying down debt and variable expenses etc….
Our biggest challenge is staying on track! We’re trying to get better by writing down everything we want and really trying to stick to the list, but it’s easy to get distracted and go off the path.
My biggest money challenge is keeping the savings account balance I make. There always seems to be some emergency or unexpected need that takes the money away and prevents savings and I get defeated emotionally as well.
I “liked” you and Dave Ramsey on facebook 🙂
I liked you both on facebook.
Our biggest challenge is really knowing where our money goes. Thankfully we are not in debt (other than our mortgage), and I take money off each pay check and put it direct into savings, but we can’t seem to keep track of our daily spending very well so writing up an actual budget is difficult.
“Liked” Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook 🙂
Our biggest challenge right now is medical debt from the birth of my youngest. There were a lot of unexpected complications, and now we can’t pay for it. We don’t know what to do.
Our biggest financial challenge is paying off debt- school loans, in particular. We’re in the middle of graduate schooling (I’m finishing up and my husband is starting in the fall). We have 3 small children, so finding creative ways to make money is a big one for us!
Definately, the grocery budget.
Our biggest money challenge is the grocery bill!
I liked Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
We’re taking a 50% pay cut in June and are moving to a more expensive area. That is our budgeting challenge.
I like both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
Our biggest money challenge at this exact moment is rising prices from inflation! As the price of gas and food continues to rise, I have to up my budget for those items, and the money has to come from somewhere! Yikes! Not sure what we’re going to do if prices continue to rise, which I expect them to do. I’m afraid we’re all in for a few big (and bad) surprises! Blessings!
Tweet tweet! http://twitter.com/#!/DawnMHSH/statuses/57440221662416897
My biggest challenge is following through with the plan. My husband & I are on the same page about what we should be doing…but we can’t seem to get started…or we do start but then get distracted & don’t keep track. I would LOVE to win this!
Our biggest budget challenge is saving for retirement and trying to find extra money to save, because our mortgage increase just took over what used to be our savings.
Mentioned on twitter! @ner74
I “liked” Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on facebook! :0
I like you both. 🙂
My biggest challenge is remembering to balance our budget every pay period. We do almost everything electronically and I’m not always great about checking our bank account because of that.
My biggest challenge is keeping to a budget.
First, just want to say that I loved your post. So very true. Our biggest challenge is sticking to a budget because our income changes monthly. We try to set our budget for the reliable bi-weekly paycheck…but that leaves very little wiggle room. So, when we earn money from our home based business we end up going through it. Spending on all of the wants (and sometimes needs) that we’ve been stockpiling. We really need to be putting this money towards debt and then building our emergency fund. It’s a daily struggle.
Our biggest challenge is building up our emergency fund. We tend to spend our “extra” money on other things we want. So, I guess that’s our other biggest challenge — reigning in spending on wants such as buying books, eating out, etc…
Our biggest money challenge is finding money in the budget for an occasional babysitter. (We unfortunately live far away from family, in a part of the country where child care is very expensive.) Once we became savings hounds, babysitting became something we tended to skimp on. But we are finding that the occasional short break from the kids pays great dividends in terms of the health of our relationship. 🙂
Thanks for introducing us to Dave Ramsey, by the way. I learned about his program through your site and it has changed our life for the better. (As have many of the things I’ve learned through SimpleMom!)
Our biggest challenge is FOOD. Whether is the temptation of eating out, or trying to keep the grocery bill under control, it all boils down to FOOD!!!
Tsh! That picture is from when we were at BlissDom, right? I’m so glad you got to meet Dave. My husband would be thrilled if we won this.
Our biggest challenge is saving for emergencies—we seem to always have just enough to get by—and selling off what we don’t need. I guess that was two things, huh?
Definitely following a strict budget!
Tweeted about giveaway @amandagray825
Our biggest money challenge is our current debt: student loans, house and car payment, credit cards…
I like SimpleMom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook 🙂
We have conquered a good bit of our money struggles – much in thanks to encouraging bloggers and challenging ourselves to not spend money on frivolous items. But our one hang up is still our emergency fund. We are working hard to pay down school loans so it is hard for us to put money in the bank instead of toward our debt. I know we need to, but is so hard!
SAVINGS! I struggle with saving anything. I am a free happy spending kind of girl but I hate that I am this way, I really wish I could curb my spending and be a saver
just “liked” you and Dave on Facebook. (so, here’s my entry #2 :))
My husband is going back to school, but we still have debt from the first round of education. We’re not extravagant with our money, and we’re overpaying our loans, but being debt-free still seems far away. We’d like to move into a house in the near future, but we haven’t been able to save much for a down-payment yet. Sometimes I feel we’re doing really well with money, and other times I feel stressed out that we’re so far behind. The good thing is my husband and I communicate regularly about money, and we’re on the same wavelength. That’s a huge blessing!
…and I liked both SimpleMom & Dave Ramsey on FB. 🙂
Our biggest challenge is living in two different countries- more months in Ethiopia (where we work in a rural area running our self started ministry) and in the US supporting an aging parent and handicapped adult brother the rest of the year. We love our life and we finally have a budget that has merged the two worlds financially but we could us a bit of a push to bring it all biblically together so we are representing our best life in both worlds being the Light that God has called us to be. We support ourselves- with a fixed income from an annuity which is what allows us to live this extra-ordinary life-all the money we raise goes to our work! “To whom much has been given-much is required”- that basically means almost all Americans 🙂 Thanks for your accountable writing!
I liked you and Dave Ramsey on FB
oh my! i’d LOVE to win this! my biggest challenge is staying on track with our grocery budget – mainly b/c we are still trying to figure out what is realistic for our family of four while also trying to remain hospitable, which means budgeting more money for friends and visitors. i still find this difficult to balance, and tend to not invite people over for fear that i will go over budget this month. thanks for the opportunity to enter this giveaway!!
Eating out tends to be our weakness.
i like you BOTH on FB! Thanks!!!
My biggest money challenge is sticking to a grocery budget each week. And my book buying habit doesn’t help my financial situation either.
My biggest challenge is remembering that the pennies add up to dollars! I’ll think, “Oh, that isn’t so much.” But lots of those are.
I like simple mom and dave ramsey
Our biggest money challenge is keeping ourselves out of debt, building up a savings, stop eating out, and getting on a budget…we are a one income family since I stopped working 6 yrs. ago when I had our son and we now have a daughter too who is 4 1/2…with the high cost of daycare and what I would’ve brought home along with extra going to work expenses we decided to have me stay home and raise the kids…there are times when we feel we are starting to make headway and then something comes up and here we are facing the dreaded questions how are we going to make the mortgage this month, car payment etc…it’s a HUGE stress burden on my husband and myself…we are so wanting to get out of debt and ahead…
I “liked” both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on facebook!
And, I already liked you-lol. But I did like Dave and I twittered you both….
Developing and living within a budget – unfortunately our current spending style is somewhat zero based as well: When the checking account nears zero spending stops! Not very mindful way to live or use our financial resources – which is why 2011 is the year that my husband and I are on our quest to retrain how we live and spend. A hard thing to do after 20 years of marriage.
I tweeted this! I also liked you and Dave on FB! I would love to win this. Overall we do a good job with finances and have avoided any debt outside of a mortgage (and now a sm. car loan after 13 years of marriage:) BUUUT I think we could do much better. Just plateauing getting to the next step.
My biggest money challenge is not trying to keep up with my family who loves to give gifts that are beyond my budget. We try to give smaller, more meaningful gifts – but it’s hard to give less expensive gifts than I’m getting.
Said family also keeps perfectly beautiful homes (with gardeners and cleaning help) and it’s well . . . just not in our budget.
My biggest challenge is staying within the food household budget! I have already wiped out most of debt and I am well on my way to becoming debt free, but my grocery budget is SO hard to get a handle on consistently.
I’m just trying to learn how to save money on groceries.
My biggest money challenge is shopping at the Goodwill (it’s only $2!!!). haha! I’m a SAHM and I enjoy shopping during the day. It gets us out of the house and has interesting things to see. And buy…
Staying focused on the big picture and not “nickel & dime-ing” money away that could better serve me in other areas of my life!
Oh boy, where do I begin?
My biggest challenge is probably managing our bank accounts. That sounds silly, right?
But for the life of me, I just can’t figure out how to best manage our checking accounts with a debit card wielding husband who doesn’t keep his receipts and a check writing self who doesn’t use a check register. Ugh.
Do I pay bills online? Do I take cash out and stop using debit cards? Do I keep a check register and enter everything manually? Do I use a site like Mint.com? I’m soooo confused. 😀 (But seriously, I am.)
Thanks for this great opportunity, Tsh and Dave! I hope I win.
Heather
Just tweeted about the contest at http://twitter.com/#!/heathALL/status/57442808956600320 and liked Dave Ramsey on Facebook. (I already liked Simple Mom years ago! 🙂 )
Thanks for the opportunity!
Heather
I already LIKE both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey, but I would LOVE to attend FPU!!! Thanks for the opportunity!!! ( I haven’t attended yet bc I haven’t wanted to spend the money!)
Dave Ramsey is the man!
We have been following Dave Ramsey’s plan since 2009 after a year of marriage. Now we are debt-free, have a $10,000 emergency fund, have quite a bit stored away for a house someday, and are investing 15%! It’s a great feeling at 25 knowing that we have this much financial security.
I’m a federal employee and with the recent threat of a government shutdown, we weren’t even phased by it – we hardly talked about how it would affect us because we knew we could handle it! We knew we’d be okay and I was actually kind of looking forward to the time off to get things done! Thanks, Dave!! We recommend your books to everyone!
My hardest thing to do is to stay within the alotted amount for my groceries.
Paying off our debt is the biggest challenge, and staying within our grocery budget when so much of our money is going towards debt.
Dave Ramsey ROCKS!!
Falling for those last second purchases…especially when its yarn!
My biggest challenge is the monthly “unexpected” wrenches in my budget.
I’m tweeting this. accidentallyhs.
My greatest financial challenge is limited income – I’m a single mother of three, work (which means I pay childcare costs), parent creatively and live generously. I’m thrilled to be debt-free, have a small-ish emergency fund and yet still struggle to live the way I wish with the actual income each month. I would like to increase my income, but that demands greater expense in childcare and the balance doesn’t benefit at this point. Soon I will have some larger expenses like a new vehicle and decisions that need to made regarding home and school that I would love to have feedback about. Thank you!
Okay, I liked everybody on Facebook, but not twitter….I’m not on that.
Thanks!
food. I am good about not going out to eat. But the farmers market, I just can’t resist anything, so I buy everything.
My biggest problem is making a budget. My husband is self-employed and we have an inconsistent income which makes it difficult for planning. I would love help!!!
Liked both of you on Facebook and tweeted that hopefully thanks to the two of you we can be debt free and breathe again 🙂
Our biggest money challenge is school debt. We have been dwindling this pile of debt slowing over the past 9 years. I want it gone!!
Peter Walsh introduced me to the concept of organization being the key to peace and I have been riding that train ever since:-)
Our biggest challenge by far is sticking to the budget, and not overextending ourselves. We’re not good at saying “no” to things.
My biggest money problem is going out to eat and menu planning. I need to get better about cooking at home, I know it would really help the budget.
Planning and staying organized is tough for us. Variable income, two toddlers and a pregnant mama, and never enough time or energy to figure out how to change the current paradigm!
The biggest money challenge for us is frivolous spending. We can be so good and stick to our budget and then have a craving for take-out Mexican food and have to have it! Or Starbucks. Or buying little nick knacks for my little guy. Which also creates clutter!
My biggest money problem is keeping our savings from going back to zero every other month. We never seem to save enough to cover the extras.
I liked Simple Mom (previously) and Dave Ramsey (just now, should have done it before though) on Facebook.
Our biggest money challenge right now is that my husband has been out of work since August! We’re hoping he finds a job soon. We’ve done very well at staying out of debt while he’s been unemployed, pinching those pennies is not “fun” but it sure is nice to know that we don’t have credit card debt racking up either!
What is your biggest money challenge?
I think our biggest money challenge is having enough money to finish out the month due to spending way more then we should on eating out. I have problems keeping enough food in the house to feed three men and myself. I eat healthier then they do so I run into problems feeding them what they want so they get it at restaurants.
I also liked both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
Our biggest challenge is talking about money. We each have our pet purchases. We do really well for a while sticking to our plan and then get tired and fall off. Constant battle.
our biggest money challenge is impulse spending.. when we are out and about saying no to ourselves, eachother and to our 2 year old is difficult.. we need to constantly remember the bigger picture to curb these spending habits… i think having outside accountability will really help us as well as well as spending time together weekly to organize our finances..
I like Simple Mom & Dave Ramsey on Facebook
I tweeted!
Our biggest challenge is sticking to a budget. I get one started then I get sidetracked and then it falls apart. I liked simple mom and dave on FB. Thanks for the chance to win I really want to do Dave’s seminar.
I just liked Dave Ramsey on Facebook and already like you! Love getting your updates. Keeps me inspired to keep trying.
i liked simple mom and dave ramsey on facebook
Our biggest financial challenge is deciding whether to pay off our school-loans (which have a very low interest rate) or to save up to buy a house so that we don’t have to throw away money on rent anymore.
Our biggest money challenge is paying off our debt. From credit cards and medical bills to student loans we are bogged down on a monthly basis. We’ve recently made paying down our debt a priority. Thanks for the giveaway!
Having a meeting between me and my husband to discuss our budget.
I like Simple Mom and Dave
Not feeling resentful towards the budget.
Keeping under budget 🙁
Thanks for the giveaway
My husband and I have been going through a huge simplification process in our house and lives, it has definitely impacted our finances, in a good way, but I think that it is time for us to take the next step in the finance area, so we too can have a little more financial freedom, and take our “Paris trip.” I have heard lots of good things about Dave Ramsey, and am excited to take some of his classes! Hope you pick me!
My biggest money challenge is being on the same page as my husband. I’ve always been a saver, but he is not. We’ve made progress over the years, but some months are better than others.
Big problem, we don’t usually agree on how the money is spent! So we never have a sound budget to follow, which has us spending money haphazardly.
My biggest money issue is impulse buying. It gets me everytime!
Our biggest financial challenge is to stay within budget on food spending and put savings toward a car purchase next year
I created a post on Twitter about this giveaway!
http://twitter.com/#!/G2Gsk8
I liked you and Dave on my facebook. Thanks for the great giveaway!
I liked Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on facebook
My biggest money challenge is getting my hubby to rein in his spending! He’s nickel and diming us to death. Maybe he will listen to Dave, because he won’t listen to me!
I’ve been a Dave Ramsey fan for a long time. Our biggest challenge is how to pay off debt we have from a failed business. The money coming in is way less than the money that needs to go out.
I think our biggest challenge is the little things. They all just add up so quickly and it is one thing we really need to start tracking spending on better.
I liked Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB.
I already “like” Simple Mom AND Dave Ramsey on Facebook. That was easy!
Our biggest money challenge is greatly affected by commuting… We spend more than we would like on going out to eat. We need to do a better job of meal planning and packing lunches. I’m sure we’d see the payoff of that action quickly.
Our biggest money challenge is feeling like we’re really LIVING and enjoying life – really drinking life straight from the fountain! – when all of the things we’ve come to associate with living our life to the fullest (travelling, experiences, sporting events, concerts, theater, special musuem exhibits, etc.) keep us from fulfilling practical financial goals. It’s a constant struggle to be enthusiastic about living within our means, when it feels so often like we’re letting “life” pass us by.
I tweeted! I don’t know how to link to it, but I’m shanleysmommy on twitter
I “liked” you and Dave Ramsey on FB. Thanks!
These days our biggest money challenge is surviving. My husband lost his job at the beginning of the year. Though he has a new one we are barely paying our bills and not sure how long we can continue like this.
I liked Dave and already like Simple Mom on Facebook!
I told people on Twitter about the giveaway!
Biggest challenge – readjusting priorities and lifestyle after the choice to go from a two income household to a one income household.
I like Simple Mom on FB.
Our biggest struggle is saving for retirement and kids college funds on one income. We already live very frugally so finding extra money to put towards savings is challenging.
I have 2 big budgeting challenges. 1)staying within my grocery budget, and 2)spending too much on eating out. These two get me very month!
I like Dave Ramsey on FB.
Our biggest money issue is health insurance-husband’s a pastor, and I have been staying at home with our child (she has special needs that prevent me from working right now). Paying for indiv. insurance for the adults is one thing, but finding one that doesn’t take our whole monthly budget (literally) is impossible!
I already ‘like’ Simple Mom and now ‘like’ Dave too! Thanks for the great giveaway!
I tweeted and included the info you requested. I have heard so much about Dave Ramsey from friends, it would be a huge gift to win one of these! Been working hard on getting our finances in the right place–with savings for the future!
I “like” simple mom and Dave ramsey on Facebook!
My biggest challenge is groceries. I usually do all the shopping but sometimes the hubs has to make a quick trip for me and comes back with way more than I ask which doesn’t help. I coupon but I am not a super couponer. I found it was taking more of my time and joy than was worth it for our family.
We have problems sticking to our budget, especially
when big things happen. Our lives this year have been filled with murphy.
My biggest financial challenge is saving! I can typically stick to a budget & get by month to month but I never set anything aside for savings.
Our biggest money challenge is stretching my graduate student stipend each month as groceries and gas rise and rise in cost. (My stipend covers groceries and the cable bill, and that’s about it!) Right now, as I’m finishing up my dissertation and deciding when to defend, we are faced with evaluating the cost effectiveness of accepting one more year of (paltry) funding or finding me a full-time job.
I liked both Simple Mom & Dave Ramsey on Facebook!
Our biggest challenge… is keeping a float! We are a one income family home and even though I do my best weekly to keep all expenses to a minimum we still seem to come up short somewhere. We have college bill debt, moving debt, and our current one vehicle is on it’s last leg. So… I am very interested in the “Dave Ramsey method” and would love to find out how we can be debt free!! 🙂
Tweeted. (@boxingoctopus)
Our biggest challenge is keeping our house from falling apart…we live within our means and have savings but our house is a major fixer-upper. Deciding to fix it and stay or sell it and rent…that is our big question right now!
Our biggest money challenge is finding room in our budget for savings & college savings!
I find it so difficult to stop spending money on lunches. I pick up my oldest daughter from pre-k at 11:30 and it is the perfect time to go grab a bite on the way home or to a play date. This is my new goal….one lunch out a week on the weekdays. There… I said it…. now I have to do it!
I like Simple Mom on Facebook!
I tweeted about your blog post. (@DoulaLoveLou)
Liked!
I like Dave Ramsey on Facebook!
My biggest financial challenge is PERSISTANCE. My husband and I talk about ways that we can improve our living situation, but we have trouble applying and sticking to the things we need to.
I’m excited to say that this article in particular really helped re-motivate me. I’ve emailed it to my husband and he and I are going to discuss it and reevaluate and redefine our goals tonight!
Thank you!
Heather
Our biggest challenge is staying within our budget and saving.
Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey “like”d on Facebook!
Our biggest challenge is building up some emergency and retirement savings while
trying to make repairs to our house!
I’ve wanted to learn more about the Dave Ramsey system for a long time. I Love the idea of financial freedom. Thanks for the opportunity!
Forgot to include that my biggest financial difficulty is postponing large purchases until I can pay cash for them. 🙁
I like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on facebook. Thank you!
We’ve been holding back on several large purchases and the biggest challenge is to keep holding back until the savings fund for that item is fully funded.
Five years ago my husband was diagnosed with incurable lymphoma and was given 5 years to live. I didn’t want him to worry about budgets or spending during what I thought were his last few years on earth so I pretended we had more than we did and racked up quite a bit of debt that I thought I would be able to pay off with his life insurance. Not the smartest move but in my defense I was pregnant and hormonal 🙂
He’s still around, which is a good thing, but my biggest challenge now is paying off all this debt without worrying him.
I “liked” Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB! =)
Just “liked” Dave Ramsey on fb, already like SimpleMom!
The “misc” catagory always spells trouble in our household… when we learn patience we’ll have learned a lot more than saving.
Our biggest money challenge is the two homes we own. One is a rental because we just can’t afford to sell it and because the market is so much lower and we would have to take out a loan to sell it. So we are constantly trying to keep afloat with our 2 mortgages. And of course groceries because we have 7 children.
just “liked” you on facebook! should have done it a long time ago!
Internet shopping is my downfall… you’re only one click away from purchasing something… and then there’s the high of getting a package….
Our biggest financial challenge is staying on the wagon. We do really well and then get “lazy” and lose steam. What a great giveaway!
Liked you on Facebook!
I tweeted! @caffeinenut
Child care sucks us dry…
i think my biggest money challenge is sticking to a specific, dollar-for-dollar budget. it takes so much effort! but at the end of the month i always have major stress, because i’ve run out of money… again. i would love this class!
My husband is a teacher who has been unable to find a contract because he has so much experience. Our biggest challenge is trying to figure out if he should continue looking for a contract position, or if I should go back to work.
Retweeted from @tracy_negrete
Sticking to a budget & getting my hubby to use cash is our biggest challenge!
Liked you and Dave Ramsey on FB!
just liked you & dave on fb!
Updated Facebook likes – Simple mom & Dave Ramsey! Glad to know you are on FB! 🙂
tweeted~ @seriouslyahome
Awesome! I hate doing cash….it’s so hard to figure out change ect. at the till with two kids in tow…but when I use debit it’s so hard to control…..
My biggest money challenge is not eating our money. Not literally of course, but the temptation for eating out, or getting a coffee, or a treat. When we look back at our accounts its staggering how much money is wasted on fast food. We are making progress but we realize that in a way we are addicted and have to fight the urge!
Tweeted!
Finding new clients (that pay on time!) for our business.
Like and Liked!
Our biggest money challenge is living in an area where cost of living is very expensive and trying to save to buy a farm in the next five years.
I like simple mom and dave ramsey on facebook.
My husband and I are newlyweds, and our biggest challenge is being frugal while eating healthfully. We’re gardening as much as possible, but organic produce and other real foods aren’t cheap!
I liked you and Dave Ramsey on Facebook!
I like both of you on Facebook! 🙂
The hardest thing for me is the food budget. I am a college student and working two jobs to try to stay afloat and I think I spend way too much money eating out.
liked you both on FB! not sure why i hadn’t “liked” you before!
Our biggest challenge is discipline, really. We make a budget. Set out a plan to pay off debt in the least amount of time. But things come up we want to do. It’s hard to not eat out (my husbands a minister and we eat out a lot with members of our congregation) and before we know it…we’re sitting down trying to re-evaluate WHY we’re still in debt, etc etc.
I think if I educated myself more about financial management, I would keep myself more accountable to follow through with our plans!
Mine is grocery shopping! And getting to be fuel for the car.
Our biggest financial challenges are communication and not allowing our lack of finances to avert our focus off of God’s great providence and what really matters!
Our biggest money challenge is saving for the things we really want instead of frittering the money away on little things.
I tweeted about the giveaway!
My biggest money challenge right now is paying for gas!
My biggest money spending problem is drawing the line between pursuing my passions (whether it be photography or classic cars) to being responsible with savings vs spending. I think this is the biggest reason I haven’t been able to figure out what occupation I want to be in (recently graduated and not sure what job to go into)- I want to do something that I’m passionate about, but at the same time I want to be sure I’m not putting myself into a hole I can’t dig myself out of. I’ve heard such great things about Dave Ramsey’s teaching, I would love to give it a try!
I also like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB.
Liked SimpleMom & Dave Ramsey 🙂
My biggest money challenge is remaining patient while we continue to pay off our debts. At times, I begin to lose my motivation, but never want to go back to having so much debt.
In the quest for inner peace I now realize that my partner and I must first find financial peace. Both are so intricately linked and worthy pursuits.
Trying to get rid of all debt while adopting. Yikes!
Our biggest money challenge is the desire to “keep up with the Joneses.” We’re striving to live more simply and be content with what we have.
I like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB.
my biggest challange is my husband. He likes to just spend money but has no idea of anything when it comes to the bills. When we talk about money, it is always a fight. It is all very frustrating.
Like you both on facebook
I just wanted to respond to your post, not entering the giveaway. Yes, to a house less cluttered! I started clearing out 2yrs ago when we only contemplated moving, but thought I should get started. The more I took carloads to donate the better I felt – and the house looked better too. We did move 6mos ago and I’m almost down to just essentials. I’ll even keep clothes & items in tubs so I don’t have to look at them everyday. During the closet organization, I had lots of hanging space but purposely didn’t empty more tubs because I didn’t want the full closet look. I’m sahm and seriously wear the same 10 pieces!
A big “agree!” to Dave Ramsey. We already ahve his stuff and even before knowing about him we committed to paying cash for large purchases like cars. Granted we buy used and my hub is mechanically skilled, but whenever we decide to get a ‘new’ car, we need to sell the other and have cash for the balance. Our newest car right now is 10yrs old! And other is 16yrs!
If you ever do a giveaway for Dave’s business-entrepreneur program I’d love it since I’m about to open my biz.
Thanks, you have a great site!
Tweeted the link as well!
Our biggest money challenge is while we want to build up savings and pay off our house early, we still want to go out to eat occasionally, buy a new CD, etc., and we disagree on these occasional splurges.
My biggest financial struggle is getting my husband on board with any financial plan. He thinks if we have money spend it. This program would be awesome. A class over a book might be the saving grace.
I am an avid fan of Dave Ramsey! We just had our financial summit last weekend, sadly, we are slightly discouraged….I would LOVE to have this membership to get my sweet hubby and I back on track!!!!
My biggest challenge is meal/grocery planning. If we ate at home all the time, we would save so much!
Because we have a home based business, our biggest financial challenge is that we don’t have the same amount of money coming in each month, which makes budgeting more difficult.
I follow both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook!
BTW, our biggest issue is the goofy non-descript spending we do during a week..ugh!
Our biggest financial challenge is paying off the debt we incurred from my husband being out of work twice in the last two years for a total of 16 months! I feel like we’ve already cut everything but I know Dave could teach us a thing or two. LOVE Dave Ramsey!
Our biggest money challenge is trying to find a way for me to stay home from work as our family grows.
I am so guilty of the random, spnjtanteous purchases. I really tneed to curb those. We don’t live debt free – ie. mortgage and student loans – but we have no credit card debt, which makes me happy. Noe if I could just get rid of my student loans, I’d be happy. Need to start working on that.
Love this post.
I like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on facebook.
Our biggest challenge is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g our income AND making it fit into a budget! So discouraging! I LIKE Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey both in real
life and on Facebook!
Our biggest challenge is that it seems like every month there is always some big expense that comes up that we “need.” Then we say we’ll do better the next month but then it’s something else.
Like both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey!
my biggest challenge is paying down the debt, while learning how to be a single mom. BUT – with the Lord’s help, and some extra diligence, we’re making progress one day at a time! Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
Like many others trying to be good and stick to the budget we went through the trouble of figuring out!!
Our biggest problem is that we lived beyond our means for too long after college that now we have to live under? our means to be able to pay off debt.
biggest money challenge: knowing where to best put our savings while we wait for the house for us!
our biggest money challenge is he fact that my husband and I have different philosophies about managing money, from budgeting to spending, saving, etc. we just have a hard time agreeing on where our money should go.
i like simple mom on fb
Our biggest financial challenge: All those “unnamed” dollars that slip through our fingers every month. Just like God gives us enough time, he’s also given us enough money. We just need to work on our stewardship.
Grocery budget and all of the little (and not so little) purchases that sneak up on us.
Our challenge is savings vs debt pay off. We live within our means and only have house and school debt (lots!). We save for retirement an can save for spending goals like vacations, windows, etc., but have failed repeatedly at saving for an untouchable emergency fund even though we know it’s the logical thing to do. Reading about the baby steps on the blog is interesting – I’m going to run the numbers on putting a hold on retirement savings when I finish this post. I recently downshifted job wise, so now we are looking everywhere for ways to economize (without compromising our values).
one of my money problems is that i really don’t understand the big picture of our finances. it all seems very vague and abstract to me. i KNOW this doesn’t make sense. i’m just saying, it is all one confusing mess to me!
Biggest challenge: starting over again from financial *ground-zero* following a divorce.
i have already “liked” your page on fb. now i “liked” dave ramsey’s page.
My biggest challenge is finding time to keep Quicken updated so that we have an accurate picture of our spending.
Definitely the grocery budget, but that’s because we like to eat well. Knowing when spending is more important than saving every cent we have is probably my biggest problem.
LIKE both Simple Mom & Dave Ramsey on Facebook!!!
I have heard so many good things about Dave Ramsey lately that I know what to learn more. We are preparing for my husband to start his phd program so we are moving to a much higher cost of living area, going from two incomes to one, and I need to find a new job to make that one income. A lot of changes that need a lot of prep work financially!
Our biggest challenge is saving!!! Both my husband and I are spenders, we both borrowed from our siblings as kids because our allowance was already spent! 🙂 As you can imagine this has gotten us into trouble as adults. We are on the road to becoming debt free, we have put 2 1/2 good years into it and see an end to credit card debt but then we have to start tackling my husbands student loans! We can definitely use all the help we can get! I already “liked” Simple Mom but I have added Dave Ramsey too!
My biggest challenge is deciding whether to sell our property in our home country and buy one in our current host country.
Getting on the “same page” with my husband. He thinks paying off debt is impossible. I know we can do it, but if we cannot agree it will never be accomplished.
My biggest money challenge (really OURS!) is keeping communication open about the ‘tough’ stuff. He is hard-as-nails-‘tight’ about our dollars and I tend to be more lenient about spending. It’s also a constant prayer item.
I already like Simple Mom on Facebook, but I just now liked Dave Ramsey on Facebook.
I like you and Dave Ramsey on FB. I will try out his radio show today.
My biggest money challenge…well, I find it hard to save money on groceries when buying organic. It is also really hard to find coupons for fresh produce, organic meat, and organic food in general. We don’t have a huge grocery budget and most of our money goes to food.I constantly feel guilty for spending so much on groceries and non-toxic cosmetics but I also want to make the best decisions for our family. We hardly eat out or spend money on entertainment, but we also need to save more and tithe more. So that is my dilemma.
i put the tweet on twitter for the contest for @simple mom and @daveramsey. this would be a fantastic win! unlikely, but fantastic just the same:)
I already LIKE Simple Mom on Facebook – but today added DAVE RAMSEY to my LIKE list!!!
Thanks for this great opportunity!!!
Since the birth of our son one year ago, my husband and I have really focused our attention on career and life-planning and responsible financial management. We believe strongly that what we value (family; art; education) should drive our decision-making – and we’ve tried to spend our money accordingly. Even so, we have more to learn and I think Financial Peace University might be a great place to start!
Our biggest money challenge is not splurging on date nights or dinners out to eat.
Wow, this has come at the perfect time. I’m just finishing Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover” and there is a local class in our area starting on Sunday! Our biggest challenge is our debt – over 50,000, mainly from student debt, then home renos, then credit cards. It is so overwhelming, but after reading Dave’s book I feel hope for the first time! Thanks for mentioning Dave and writing about the debt snowball in your blog!
Biggest Money Challenge: Breaking emotional baggage tied with financial concerns…so I can think positively, instead of reacting negatively, to money and how to save and spend wisely.
Honestly our biggest money challenge is all of it. We have trouble planning long term, looking past the debt we are drowning in, controlling additional spending and saving. We need big time help!
Just posted on Twitter.
Tweeted @5Bradleys
I like Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB
Liked you both on FB! Thanks for the chance. 🙂
Biggest money challenge: wrapping our minds around our medical school debt and living on our tiny residency budget.
I already like Simple Mom!
I just “liked” Simple Mom on FB and was already a Dave Ramsey fan. 🙂
My challenge is keeping track of the budget. Also, I inherited a business with lots of debt 🙁
I just “liked” Simple Mom on Facebook.
We are a family of four living on one modest income. Both my hubby and I do occasional contract work, but it’s inconsistent. Our biggest challenge is not having enough income to meet all of our expenses. We are in a constant state of trying to catch up on even the basics.
groceries! But using cash definitely works!
My biggest challenge is having my non-working older brother living with me and not contributing to household expenses in any way, it makes it very tough to make ends meet.
Planning a budget. I don’t keep track of our spending and I just hope ends meet…at the end of every month!
biggest financial challenge? e v e r y t h i n g.
writing down a budget. sticking to the budget. agreeing on a budget. disagreeing on what is needed and what is simply a want. two different ideas on living. living beyond our means…
finance is the biggest thorn in our marriage side, largest stress i feel each day and biggest challenge to know how to grow my children wisely.
i have heard of dave ramsey and his seminar/books/radio show, but haven’t looked into it much. thank you for this opportunity!
My biggest challenge is keeping our food spending under control. We both love eating out and trying new restaurants, and it means we’re often over budget in that category.
My biggest money challenge is emotional shopping. It makes me feel good to buy new things, I need to find a new outlet. Haha! 🙂
WOW! What a great giveaway! I’ve been hoping to join a FPU class for a while now, but it’s never worked out. Good luck to everyone in the giveaway!
My biggest financial challenge is having the disciple to stick to the budget we set and also finding a way for hubby and I to tactfully keep each other in check as far as spending goes.
I like SM and DR on FB 🙂 Hoping to gain lots of good info from both sites!
And I tweeted about the giveaway!
biggest challenge is moving forward. we opened our own business almost 2 years ago and now our personal finances are upside down. i need helpwith a plan to get back on track…. financial peace…. PLEASE!! I’ve started listening to Dave’s show and LOVE it! we are so tight on money, the only way I can do FPU is to WIN it. Fingers crossed!! Thanks for the oppurtunity 🙂
i just “liked” you and Dave on FB 🙂
Biggest challenge is agreeing on large expenses with hubby.
my biggest money challenge is buying stuff we don’t really need at target.
Biggest money challenge is not knowing how to make the money we have work for us.
My biggest challenge is overbuying because I don’t want to run out of something.
And I “Like” both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook 🙂
This couldn’t come at a better time! I just saw Dave Ramsey Live on Saturday! I’m ready for FPU! I’ve liked both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB.
Salary cuts that have made it difficult to cover everything.
My biggest money challenge is debt. My income barely covers bills and minimum debt payments. Hubby is only able to work minimally. We have heard a few of the FPU cds, but would love to learn more!
The biggest challenge for our family is our food budget.
Our biggest challenge is not eating out.
Our biggest money challenge right now is paying off debt, so we could really use the membership.
My biggest money issue is excercising self control! Of course I want to buy cute things for my girls!!! I’m always frugal and I only buy things that are on sale, but I have become so much better about only buying what we really NEED instead of what we want since reading Dave’s Total Money Makeover recently. We are well into paying off our debts now and we can’t wait to become debt free in a few short years from now. Yay!
I “liked” both pages on Facebook 🙂
I like both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB.
Biggest challenge: paying down debt. Definitely.
Salary cuts!
I “like” Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on FB!
Our monthly income changes so frequently, due to my husband’s contract work and my availability as an occasional worker, that our biggest problem is setting a budget to begin with!
Our biggest challenge is paying off debt. My husband is always using his credit card for something and it drives me crazy! I’m trying to get him to put it in the safe and not use it anymore, but he’s not convinced yet. Thankfully that and our mortgage is our only debt, and compared to most Americans it’s a small amount. I’d still rather be out from under the credit card debt, though!
We’ve been blessed to be comfortable financially, so our biggest challenge is making and sticking to a budget that isn’t necessary to be able to afford food and shelter. I know we are wasting so much of a great gift!
Staying motivated to stay on a budget. We need to implement more regular conversations to stay on trach.
I tweeted!
Already a fan of Dave Ramsey on FB, but just went and “liked” Simple Mom!
I liked you both on Facebook! Thanks for the opportunity!
I “liked” both on Facebook.
my biggest financial challenge is the miscellaneous column that I never judge correctly. Birthday presents for kids’ friends, outgrown shoes, field trip money, crazy $200 Costco trip etc.
One of my favorite subjects! My top 2 for how organizing (your papers) puts you on the road to the good life.
More Money. Good records provide proof of agreements made and costs paid. Spend less replacing things you misplaced, repairing things you never had time to maintain or incurring late fees.
Less Chaos. If or when someone makes a mistake or official records are lost or destroyed, your records may be needed to support claims. Because nobody is perfect, keeping good records verifies agreements, transactions, ownership and personal wishes.
My biggest money challenge is actually sitting down and keeping track, EVERY DAY, of where my money is going. I want to budget every penny but some days I am plum too lazy to do it.
I SO want to win the FPU! 🙂 My husband and I both (in theory) want to be debt free, save, be on the same page, etc. etc., but our biggest obstacle is that we’re rarely on the same page! He wants to save when I want to spend and vice versa. So, regardless, we’re going to take Dave’s course (at some point) to figure out how to get, and stay, on track…
I liked both Simple Mom and Dave Ramsey on Facebook!
My biggest money challenge is falling for the clarence deals and going out to eat. I have a budget but I simply have a hard time passing up the deals or a nice meal out. So, in turn I don’t get to save as much as I would like. I try my hardest to save, use coupons, not live beyond my means. But…the biggest consequence of not missing out the clarence deal or eating out is that I don’t get to have the savings account with money saved like I should have. I have been trying to register for one of Dave’s R. classes but there are no locations near by offering them. Have been wanting to learn more about his teachings. What a nice gift this would be to me. Thank you!
Our biggest money challenge is being in sales. The inconsistency is VERY challenging. 🙂
I have “liked” you and I had already “liked” Dave so I couldn’t do it again. 🙂
Our biggest problem is sticking to a budget and not adding in those “little things” that add up quickly.
Preparing for retirement is a little overwhelming.–especially when one wants to save and the other wants to play. Also, I have grown children that aren’t taking saving seriously, and I worry about them and their future.
Living within our means. Groceries always break the budget; we love food and can’t seem to get that part of spending under control. With one salary, two student loans and a mortgage, things are tight overall.