I just signed up for Financial Peace University at our church this morning. It's a 13 week program put together by Dave Ramsey. I'm curious to hear what others' experiences with it has been. Has anyone here done it before?

Dh and I did it last year. I am very glad we went through FPU. We really learned a lot - I knew next to nothing about the various insurances, investments, etc. before taking this class. DH missed 4 of the key lessons because he had to go out of the country right after we started. He took the FPU book and CD's but wasn't able to follow along as well as we would have liked because of his work schedule. For that reason we are considering taking the course again (once you've taken the course once you can take it as many times as you'd like at no additional charge). Plus, we are at a point right now where we could use the extra bit of motivation :)

That sounds wonderful. I wish our church offered something like that.

Thanks for sharing your experience Karen. Btw, I love your av. :) I'm pretty excited to do the FPU. DH and I have covered a lot of ground in our marriage during the past year, and I think finances might be the last great frontier. My Christmas present is that he is going to attend without complaining. We'll see how that goes... ;)

I got your message tonight but figured it was to late to call since it was after 9:30. Give me a call tomorrow if you get a chance. Terry and I would be interested in taking the class if non church members are welcome.

I talked to the church, and they said it is open to anyone. I'll call you later with details. :)

how is this going Maryalene? I'm looking into it right now. What do you think so far?

Maryalene was helping her little boy get his pj's on one night this weekend and his hand flew up and caught her in the face. His nail scratched her cornea and she wasn't able to open her eye for a couple of days. I talked to her today and she is doing a bit better but is still trying to take it easy.

Maryalene was helping her little boy get his pj's on one night this weekend and his hand flew up and caught her in the face. His nail scratched her cornea and she wasn't able to open her eye for a couple of days. I talked to her today and she is doing a bit better but is still trying to take it easy.

OUCH!!! Did you decide to take the classes too? I've been reading the FP book that goes along w/the course and WOW, seems a little scary. But I guess the alternative (being in debt and broke for life) is scarier. lol

Hope her eye heals well.

I'm back online now. Took a couple days, but I can finally open my eye again to see and read. :)

We went to our first class last night. It actually started last week, but I came down with the stomach flu, and we missed the first session. Someone else is borrowing the week one dvd right now, but we were told that we could borrow it and watch it at home next week.

The program cost $96, and I think the materials they provide alone are worth the money. It comes with a copy of Financial Peace Revisited, a hardcover workbook for the program, a computer CD, an audio library of the program and an envelope system book.

The session itself was basically watching an hour long tape of Dave Ramsey. Last night's program was on creating a cash flow plan, and you follow along in your workbook as he explains things. I'm a big Dave Ramsey fan and personally, I would have been happy just to watch the tape and leave it at that. However, the man who is running our program felt the need to try to add on at the end, but I don't think public speaking is his thing. He kept shuffling through his paperwork looking for something to say and then saying things like "uuuuhhh, yeah, so balancing your checkbook is really important." My husband commented on the ride home that it's too bad we can't just get the tapes and watch them at home by ourselves. I think in theory that would be nice, but I told him, I thought the reality is that I'm not sure if we would ever be disciplined to sit and watch them on a regular basis and give them our full attention. I don't think the tapes are available independently of the class either.

So anyway, based on our first class, I am happy with the program. I think it is going to be worth the money we paid. The cash flow presentation seemed a bit overwhelming, but I think we'll work through the workbook pages on that a little at a time. And if this program can motivate my husband to be at least marginally interested in our finances, it will be priceless.

where did you buy your materials? I looked on his website and the package he was offering was 139.00 w/5.00 shipping. Did you get yours thru the ppl giving the class?

Ours came through the class. I didn't even bother to look at the website before, but it looks like this is what we got:

http://www.daveramsey.com/shop/Financial_Peace_University_Mem_P211C36.cfm?UserID= 2773715&jsessionid=42309501dc8b43482e7b

But ours was only $96. We wrote a check to the church and they ordered it for us. Maybe churches/organizations get some type of discount? Hmmm...

Your church can choose to charge less. I'm pretty sure they only charged you cost on the program if you paid $96.

You can get the program to watch at home on DVD, but it's about $300 that way, and you don't have the group accountability, feedback, and congratulations.

I'd love to find FPU in a secular setting around here, but I haven't come across one. So I just listen to the show and hang out in the My Total Money Makeover forums for support. ;)

reviving this thread. Prob won't take the classes for just a bit, but I wanted to get started on some of the stuff anyway. I'm trying to locate budget forms and what not. On his website you can print out a cash flow and quickie budget plan. Is there any other way to get a complete set of his financial forms? You can't even buy them seperately on his website.
Maybe I should ck ebay.

During the class, he says on the tape that you can make copies of all his forms and share with your friends. He doesn't care so long as you are not selling them. So I can mail you copies, but I won't be by a copier again until next Tuesday.

but I think ya new that already:)

We're trying to get things paid off as quickly as possible! Thanks, Tina

I just signed up for Financial Peace University at our church this morning. It's a 13 week program put together by Dave Ramsey. I'm curious to hear what others' experiences with it has been. Has anyone here done it before?

Maryalene,

Hi there.

I did not take the full course. (it was offered at a local church) I just inter-library loaned his book Total Money Makeover and used that to get going on his financial program.

We've been following it since Sept. 2005....so we are in our 5th month. We have our $1,000 savings. We have paid off SEVEN DEBTS so far on our debt snowball!! (I did get a part-time job to help snowball faster) We have been following the zero budget and using the envelope system. We use his forms each month to track everything.

We also have money set aside each month to pay for those quarterly/bi-annual/annual expenses so those are taken care of.

In Feb we should pay off another medical debt and by May have our last medical debt paid off!!!! (all of our debts we've paid have been medical except for one)

Then we will hit the credit card debt and should (God willing) pay that off by the end of the summer. Next we'll hit the one vehicle loan and the second mortgage. Then we'll only have the first mortgage left. We did not follow Ramsey on his advise to sell our vehicle that we have the loan on....we travel extensively for medical needs and felt we needed to keep at least one vehicle that was newer. (or other vehicle is pushing 200,000 miles and is of course paid for)

The huge increase in our monthly heating bill has slowed down the extra debt payments that we were making since some of my pay now has to go to keep heat on in the house due to the huge increase this winter. (ticks me off)

This coming fall I plan on working even more hours to try to get the snowball rolling even faster. Dh may get a big raise and if he does, we will be getting out of debt the rest of the way within a year. (not counting the main mortgage) And I'd be able to be a at-home mom again. (I miss it so much)

There is a real sense of freedom and accomplishment following Dave Ramseys suggestions. We do look at all his suggestions carefully and we have chosen to disregard him when we felt necessary...like with not selling the van which does have a loan on it. (but we will never buy a new vehicle again!!) We do also add in a Freedom account which is a technique we got from another financial planner but it is basically what Ramsey suggests anyway for dealing with those annual/bi-annual bills.

Honestly, this is the best thing we have done for our family and our financial future.

Hope this helped!!

Michelle

reviving this thread. Prob won't take the classes for just a bit, but I wanted to get started on some of the stuff anyway. I'm trying to locate budget forms and what not. On his website you can print out a cash flow and quickie budget plan. Is there any other way to get a complete set of his financial forms? You can't even buy them seperately on his website.
Maybe I should ck ebay.

In my post I mentioned that I just checked out the book from the public library. (I could not afford the class)

Michelle

Maryalene,

Hi there.

I did not take the full course. (it was offered at a local church) I just inter-library loaned his book Total Money Makeover and used that to get going on his financial program.

We've been following it since Sept. 2005....so we are in our 5th month. We have our $1,000 savings. We have paid off SEVEN DEBTS so far on our debt snowball!! (I did get a part-time job to help snowball faster) We have been following the zero budget and using the envelope system. We use his forms each month to track everything.

We also have money set aside each month to pay for those quarterly/bi-annual/annual expenses so those are taken care of.

In Feb we should pay off another medical debt and by May have our last medical debt paid off!!!! (all of our debts we've paid have been medical except for one)

Then we will hit the credit card debt and should (God willing) pay that off by the end of the summer. Next we'll hit the one vehicle loan and the second mortgage. Then we'll only have the first mortgage left. We did not follow Ramsey on his advise to sell our vehicle that we have the loan on....we travel extensively for medical needs and felt we needed to keep at least one vehicle that was newer. (or other vehicle is pushing 200,000 miles and is of course paid for)

The huge increase in our monthly heating bill has slowed down the extra debt payments that we were making since some of my pay now has to go to keep heat on in the house due to the huge increase this winter. (ticks me off)

This coming fall I plan on working even more hours to try to get the snowball rolling even faster. Dh may get a big raise and if he does, we will be getting out of debt the rest of the way within a year. (not counting the main mortgage) And I'd be able to be a at-home mom again. (I miss it so much)

There is a real sense of freedom and accomplishment following Dave Ramseys suggestions. We do look at all his suggestions carefully and we have chosen to disregard him when we felt necessary...like with not selling the van which does have a loan on it. (but we will never buy a new vehicle again!!) We do also add in a Freedom account which is a technique we got from another financial planner but it is basically what Ramsey suggests anyway for dealing with those annual/bi-annual bills.

Honestly, this is the best thing we have done for our family and our financial future.

Hope this helped!!

Michelle

Awesome Michelle!!! That is great to read. I can just hear the pride and excitment in your words.
I will pm you my address MA!!!

Thanks for the inspiration Michelle!!

I'll make some copies of the forms on Tuesday. If you PM your address momof2peewees, I'll drop them in the mail to you. I'll give you a set when I see you next Bobbi. :)

okay, well I just emailed dh to ask him to take the next available course. It starts 2-08. We've alread missed the orientation, but oh well, I'm sure someone on this thread can kinda fill me in on what that was all abt.
I don't knwo what DH is going to say. I know that he will do it, b/c I'm asking him to do it and he surely knows that it's for our future, yk. I just don't know how much he'll gripe abt it.
He's been kinda in the doghouse lately b/c he's take back up EverQuest and he has problems balancing his game and family time. So i think that will work in my favor too.


ETA: Just got an email back from him that said "How much is it gonna cost us" :hahaha:
Which translates into: Well crap, she's going to make me do it.

The only problem I forsee is he can be very stubborn abt some things (or maybe I"M the stubborn one lol), and I hope to goodness he won't be a butt abt it and not like the program just because he doesnt want to be there, kwim?

Q for those who took it - how christian based is it?

This is the email DH sent back to me:

If you want to do it, i suppose we can. I can't say that I won't be more than a little suspicious of something going on at a church by a christian writer on how to manage your money. I believe in God, but have little faith in christians.

In his defense, he attended church with his mother until he moved out and the chruch she went to is notoriously corrupt in the tiny town he grew up in - so he's had a pretty neg. experiance w/church.

I've just read the Financial Peace planner and while I saw some christian undercurrent it didnt seem overwhelming, kwim? Is that the way the program is too?

Q for those who took it - how christian based is it?

This is the email DH sent back to me:

If you want to do it, i suppose we can. I can't say that I won't be more than a little suspicious of something going on at a church by a christian writer on how to manage your money. I believe in God, but have little faith in christians.

In his defense, he attended church with his mother until he moved out and the chruch she went to is notoriously corrupt in the tiny town he grew up in - so he's had a pretty neg. experiance w/church.

I've just read the Financial Peace planner and while I saw some christian undercurrent it didnt seem overwhelming, kwim? Is that the way the program is too?


Hopefully I can help here.

My husband is not Christian. That is one of the reasons we did not take the full course when it was offered at our local Baptist church. The other reason was the committment to physically attending, as well as the cost of the program. It sounds like your situation is very much like ours was. (meaning my husband and I)

From what I understand when you take the courses (like you are all talking) that they are very Christian based. Ramseys book Financial Peace is also a lot more Christian in focus than his other book Total Money Makeover.

Here is what we did. (and if you read my response above, the program is working for us....we'll pay off another debt this month!!!) I inter-library loaned the book Total Money Makeover by Ramsey. I think it cost less than $2 for the inter-library loan fee. Your public library may have the book on their shelves. Because my dh is so busy with his demands at work, he does not read much. So, I read the book outloud a little bit each evening. The book has all the budgeting forms you need in the back. If something is confusing, then cross reference with his other book to fill in the blanks. For example the Total Money Makeover book did not have the actual envelope system. So, I filled in the blanks and went out and purchased one of those coupon-type plastic expandable folders (from Wal Mart for less than $3) and using that as well as regular old envelopes, we have our monthly envelope system going just as Ramsey teaches it.

It is possible to follow the program w/out taking the classes. We just were not going to be able to do it at all if we had to commit to the actual physical classes. Dh was not happy about attending a Baptist church, nor did we have the money to pay for the classes at the time, nor the time to attend and find babysitters etc.....So, that is what we did.

Of course you can also just buy the program from the website. But then again, for us money was a huge factor.

Anyway, I hope something I said helps you. If your dh will take the classes then that is wonderful! However if it causes a hardship in any way, shape, or form......you won't both be pumped up and committed to this. There is an adjustment phase (at least it was for us!) in getting use to the program but when you save up that $1,000....and then pay off that first debt on the debt snowball; well it is an amazing feeling.

Our viewpoint and feelings about money have totally changed. For example, with this years tax return, we just can't imagine going out and blowing it on anything that we think we need. Not after being on Ramseys program. That tax return is going on the debt snowball!! Before (reading Total Money Makeover) every year when our tax return came, we treated it like found money that entitled us to go out and blow it on furniture or other things we thought we needed, but really did not need, while still carrying on debt. Now our viewpoint is totally changed.

We also use to freak out when those bi-annual or annual bills came due. You know the ones...like car license and tax.....life insurance preimum....car insurance. We'd also not be prepared for when one of our vehicles needed work and repair. Now, we put aside a portion every month into sub-accounts for each of these areas and we have a separate checkbook for this money. When car insurance was due last month (we pay it twice a year), it was not a problem because the money was there!! Last month when my dh's car needed a new motor for the heater...no problem because the money was there in the "car repair" sub-account!! Now, the way we do this is from a different financial planner but from what I understand, Ramsey does teach the same principle. We call the checking account that we have just for these purposes our "Freedom Account" and even had that printed on our checks for that account. It truly is freeing us from a heck of a lot of stress that we use to have.

I hope you read this...sorry for going on and on and on. It is hard to not be psyched when something is changing our lives as much as this has and is doing. I can't wait until our debt is paid off and we can start investing our money!!!!!! And also hopefully coming to a day when we can really be very generous in giving money to others beyond our monthly tithing that we currently give. (that is my dream....to be in the place financially where I can just hand over $500 to someone who looks down on their luck)

:)

Michelle

Ok, Michelle, you got me hooked! I'm going to order it from the library too. I've heard about it before and we're already pretty good with money, but you are a great motivator! LOL.

Kerri

thanks for all the great info Michelle. Seriously, keep the stories coming!!! I'm going to go sign up for the classes tomorrow. I think the classes will be better for me, I learn better in a forced enviroment. Besides, I really want DH on board, afterall, we're planning for OUR future, kwim, and I don't think he will actually just read the book. lol
We were talking abt it last night and he's not really happy abt it. The cost, the time, the christian aspect but when I ask him sincerely to give me an alternative he's just like "I dunno." Geez, don't dig on my plan if you don't have one yourself!!!
I'll try to update as it goes. The class starts 2-08.

Oh I had to chime in cause I'm so excited to see other talking about what I call the Gospel of Dave.

This Christmas I got a bunch of Total Money Makeover books for my family. I just hope they all read them.

My husband was in deplorable fiscal shape when we got married. His debt/ income ratio was out of control. His mother was using his credit card and not paying on it and he hadn't a clue...very lost boy.

Anyhow, I strugled for the first couple years of our marriage till one day John found Dave Ramsey's talk show (can be listened to online linked from www.daveramsey.com ). That year our entire tax return went to paying off credit cards and we started the debt snow ball.

This year I payed off two credit cards, my husband's college loan, and three of my four student loans. In two months I'll have everything paid except the car...which we'll snow ball after a little break.

We considered the reverse snow ball tactic for getting a more "affordable car"...but kind of chickened out in that department...so we are still shamefully putting money into car debt. Dave would not recommend that at all.

We didn't do the envelope part, but I have a strict debit card only with prompt ledger recording policy...and we've just started making weekly meal menus to try and learn to micro manage the shopping a little better.


Anyhow...it feels great to be closer to debt free and I have to cringe at the thought of where we would have been without this valuable guidence.

Good luck with the course!

Ok guys, I am such a dope. I made copies of the forms and then forgot to mail them. They are at home right now, but I'll get them in the mail tomorrow. Sorry!

This year I payed off two credit cards, my husband's college loan, and three of my four student loans. In two months I'll have everything paid except the car...which we'll snow ball after a little break.
!

Wow Susanna! I am so jealous. Congrats!

Ok guys, I am such a dope. I made copies of the forms and then forgot to mail them. They are at home right now, but I'll get them in the mail tomorrow. Sorry!


hey don't worry abt mine since i'm doing the class. THANK YOU so much tho!!

okay, so my husband is *****ing, whining, moaning abt having to go so I'm going to tell him to stay home. We were having a very open discussion abt it last night. I was trying to understand his reservations and the best that I can come up with is that he is afraid our lifestyle will change too much I guess. Thing is, um.....what lifestyle? Our vacays in europe, our garage of BMWs? I think not. We live a mediocre life. We get our bills paid on time, we don't lack the neccesities, but if something major goes wrong, we're screwed. I even asked him if he was really unhappy before I got my pt job and we were having to really watch every penny. he said No. WTF?? You were'nt unhappy when we were on a tight budget, but now that we have a littel extra it's going to kill you to know that you can't blow it on what? What? really,d oes he even know where the money goes when it's gone? how many times have we both said "wow, where did that 100 go?" and we arent sure....piddled away...that's where it went.
sorry this is so disjointed, i'm just ticked off that we have such different views of money/futures.

okay, so my husband is *****ing, whining, moaning abt having to go so I'm going to tell him to stay home. We were having a very open discussion abt it last night. I was trying to understand his reservations and the best that I can come up with is that he is afraid our lifestyle will change too much I guess. Thing is, um.....what lifestyle? Our vacays in europe, our garage of BMWs? I think not. We live a mediocre life. We get our bills paid on time, we don't lack the neccesities, but if something major goes wrong, we're screwed. I even asked him if he was really unhappy before I got my pt job and we were having to really watch every penny. he said No. WTF?? You were'nt unhappy when we were on a tight budget, but now that we have a littel extra it's going to kill you to know that you can't blow it on what? What? really,d oes he even know where the money goes when it's gone? how many times have we both said "wow, where did that 100 go?" and we arent sure....piddled away...that's where it went.
sorry this is so disjointed, i'm just ticked off that we have such different views of money/futures.

edited becuase my smile did not work....lets try again

:hug:

I'm sorry about how this is a struggle. We did change a lot when we started Ramseys plan...but that is at the core of the plan. Radical change and giving up a lot in the short-term for the long term.

Someone else help me out here since I returned the book to the library months ago.....Ramsey's mantra is "If we live like nobody else, then we can live like nobody else." (I know that is not the exact wording...sorry!!)

Right now we are struggling but are glad we are following the plan. We don't have any wiggle room...for example last month I had to buy a new Norton anti-virus for our computer (our computer crashed) and also had to get the current Turbo Tax and it killed us. We literally don't have any wiggle room. *lol* But, the pay from the job I took on is usually put only toward the debt snowball to give it extra "oomph!" However, last month with those extra couple things (Norton/Turbo Tax) as well as how much higher our natural gas heating bill is, we had to use my income just to make ends meet which scared me.

Yesterday I sat down and got this months (Feb) zero budget and envelope system all ready for when dh gets paid next week. I did have to cut out a couple things like one of our yearly magazine subscriptions, entertainment money for Feb, and a couple other things but we should be able to meet all the basics on dh's salary alone this month. Really the increase in our gas/heat bill and also a increase in our prescriptions is squeezing us. We'd not been aware of all this before we started to track every penny.

It probably sounds horribly painful to your dh and it did to us but we were to the point where we don't want to be eating Alpo in our old age. (seriously) It becomes more like a game...seeing how fast you can pay down each debt and then really rejoicing each time one is paid off! But I'm not going to lie and say that you don't have to give up all those little extras that you probably don't even realize you are spending at this time.

For us...when we get the debt paid off we will be free to move into a more simple lifestyle. My dh may even go back to teaching school since administration is such a headache for what it pays. We can't even think of that now becuase we could not survive on a teachers pay at this time. (unless we went on public assistance) All my ramblings do have a point, I swear! It is not easy, but it will be worth it.

The alternative is to keep on slogging by month by month....forever and praying you have enough to retire on. Pray that nothing major happens financially.

We just could not live that way any longer so we had no other alternative. I guess we woke up in a sense.

I'm really sorry it is a trial. Would your dh do the course with you if you ordered the full thing (don't they have it on DVD or something?) just the two of you???

I'm off.......been thinking about you!

Michelle

thanks again Michelle for the btdt words of wisdom. We went to our first class last night. He had to miss part of it though, due to a work function that had already been scheduled months in advance.
He's warming up slowly. He was talking abt finances this morning! I was so happy, esp when it's a fact in our household that I make emotion based decisions and he tends to do some critical thinking before making a decision. Neither one is bad, but critical tihnking is better suited for $$ matters. Perfect example...we have a bike payment that is pretty low and then we have 5 ccs (don't know how that happened). We have the oppurtunity to pay off the bike in one big swoop. that's what I want to do, I hate having xK looming over my head. He made the point this am that we should pay off all the smaller CC bills that total roughly the same amt as the bike payoff, b/c when you add up the min. payments they equal way more than the bike payment. Um....DUH. I know I sound stupid, but that never crossed my mind, I just wanted to bike payment gone, then we could sell it and pay the CC w/the $$ from the sale. I think the money will snowball much better though his way.
He also is going to be great when it comes to investing. He's a major research hound. I think he's finally to the point that he might just actually admit that he will like investing when it comes time.
And I can totally see what you mean when you say it becomes almost a game seeing how much you can pay off and how fast you can do it. I can already feel it starting. One day at a time tho, one day at a time. lol

Can't you just sell the bike now? It's just going to keep depreciating. I seem to remember a call to the DR show about a boat the other day, and he said she'd be better off just selling it ASAP, and then covering any difference in the amount owed vs the sale with a small personal loan.

I :heart: Dave Ramsey.

Can't you just sell the bike now? It's just going to keep depreciating. I seem to remember a call to the DR show about a boat the other day, and he said she'd be better off just selling it ASAP, and then covering any difference in the amount owed vs the sale with a small personal loan.

I :heart: Dave Ramsey.

Good point. I'm suprised that he would suggest even a small personal loan. I don't listen to his show tho, so I only know what I've gleaned from teh book and program thus far. We'll be getting into the debt snowballing thing in the next 3 wks and that will prob shed some light on things and get us jumpstarted. I also think we have a better chance of getting a bigger sale price closer to the spring, when spring fever hits.

thanks again Michelle for the btdt words of wisdom. We went to our first class last night. He had to miss part of it though, due to a work function that had already been scheduled months in advance.
He's warming up slowly. He was talking abt finances this morning! I was so happy, esp when it's a fact in our household that I make emotion based decisions and he tends to do some critical thinking before making a decision. Neither one is bad, but critical tihnking is better suited for $$ matters. Perfect example...we have a bike payment that is pretty low and then we have 5 ccs (don't know how that happened). We have the oppurtunity to pay off the bike in one big swoop. that's what I want to do, I hate having xK looming over my head. He made the point this am that we should pay off all the smaller CC bills that total roughly the same amt as the bike payoff, b/c when you add up the min. payments they equal way more than the bike payment. Um....DUH. I know I sound stupid, but that never crossed my mind, I just wanted to bike payment gone, then we could sell it and pay the CC w/the $$ from the sale. I think the money will snowball much better though his way.
He also is going to be great when it comes to investing. He's a major research hound. I think he's finally to the point that he might just actually admit that he will like investing when it comes time.
And I can totally see what you mean when you say it becomes almost a game seeing how much you can pay off and how fast you can do it. I can already feel it starting. One day at a time tho, one day at a time. lol


I'm so glad you two are moving ahead. Please keep us all motivated as you go along through the classes?

Michelle