Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Talk money to me, baby

Mike and I attended our first Dave Ramsey "Financial Peace University" class last night. I read Total Money Makeover two or three years ago, but never got Mike to read it and never really made an attempt to go through the steps Dave outlines for 86-ing debt and building wealth. Every six months or so, I would log on to DaveRamsey.com, look at the list of classes near us, then move on to Facebook or some other site not nearly so depressing.

But a few weeks ago, I found that a class was being held at a Catholic church near us and I decided now was the time. I didn't really give Mike a choice to agree or disagree, though for the record, he didn't put up a fight.

We stopped on the way the class to grab some dinner, which of course made me feel guilty thinking about WWDD -- what would Dave do? When we arrived at the class, I was surprised at the number of older couples in attendance. At age 39 and 40, Mike and I were probably right in the middle of the age range. 

I saw that a DVD was set up and I worried that we were in for a long and boring two hours. Turns out that Dave is a pretty funny guy. (The professional writer in me wonders if he writes his own stuff.) Mike was laughing and seemed to be enjoying himself. We looked at each other with a been-there-done-that look when Dave said something about the transmission going out being an emergency. We had to introduce ourselves and give a brief statement about why we were there. Well, duh...

Anyway, as I was sitting there next to my husband who was clearly engaged in the subject, watching a DVD about finances of all horribly boring subjects, I felt a strange sensation. I was getting a little turned on! And though I do sometimes have a thing for bald men -- Patrick Stewart (of Star Trek: The Next Generation),  Sean Connery, Cuba Gooding, Jr. in "Jerry Maguire," Dave Ramsey's chrome dome doesn't really do it for me.

What had me going was the realization that Mike and I were on the same page, with the same goals, and the same desire to get a handle on a situation that was created over time by a bad economy, a layoff, destructive spending habits and a lack of vision. But here we were, ready to work together to achieve what will ultimately give us peace of mind and security. There was definitely something sexy about that.

After class, as we got into the car, I told him that the idea of paying off debt, building our savings, investing more and working on it together had me feeling a bit frisky.

"Really?," he said. "I just feel gassy," which he then demonstrated, as if to underscore his point.

Talk about a buzz kill. Maybe next week, I'll head to class with our budget and a bottle of Tums.

11 comments:

Amy said...

I swear you could write for me and vice versa! :) We did Financial Peace last spring. Needless to say, we haven't fared so well (long and overly dramatic sigh here), but I do LOVE the idea! And I have to agree that the idea of getting all that debt and junk out of our lives would be quite the boost to the libido...why don't our men get it?! :)

kimybeee said...

if my husband and i were to go the same seminar, jeff would be you and i would be mike! i would be bored and gassy too!!! lol and i too have a thing for bald guys and accents! i swear if i were ever face to face with matthew mcconahey(sp) and he looked me in the eye and said "yes ma'am" i think my knees would melt!!!

Sharon said...

We were the youngest couple in our FPU class last fall. By about 10 years, at least.
That first written budget was a pain in the a**! It took us forever, and believe Dave when he says "don't be surprised if you fight".
But looking back, I am SO GLAD we did FPU. We tried it on our own several times, but we only started to truly succeed w/ FPU.

Stick with it!
And yes, maybe offer your hubby some Beano. ;)

Fiorella said...

Love this! I think I'll see if there is a class near us. In the meantime, on the subject of bald, hot men (my husband is bald, and off limits, thank you very much!), how about Ed Harris? With those intense blue eyes and smile lines at the corners of his mouth, he does it for me!

Fiorella said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jessica McCoy said...

I have read Dave's book as well and joined the online group last year. I only paid for it for a month or so because it felt like a waste to be paying money while I was working to save money and reach the next baby step. We are currently on step 2 - paying off debt. We have made a lot of progress this past year and took about 20K of CC debt and financed it into a 3 year loan (and saved $100/month).

I've always wanted to go to one of the classes but haven't seen any in my area. It would be an awesome boost.

Good luck on your financial journey! Glad your hubby is on board... still working on mine!

Anonymous said...

I've never heard of Dave Ramsey. I think I will check him out.

Eternal Lizdom said...

This post totally had me cracking up!! Hahahahaha!!! I've always said that the thing that gets me going is when dishes and laundry are done... when he's been domestic, he's sexier!

Mary Jo said...

Amy I 100% agree!! This cracks me up - and I am glad you posted because I have been thinking of trying to get Jackson to attend, but haven't brought it up. Yet.... But maybe if he thinks it turns me on.. LOL!

Shelley said...

I loved this post. It was all good, but the last couple paragraphs were a scream.

Anonymous said...

Great post! Really good insight. It’s always difficult to discuss finances and share money in relationships. Thanks for your advice. I recently stumbled upon this blog like I stumbled upon yours. I think they offer some good points and laughter about the topic: http://burisonthecouch.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/dolla-dolla-bill-yall/

Thanks for the post! I’d like to see more like it.

-Cynthia