Back from vacation....part 3......Dave Ramsey edition

First off...a quick note about our budget blunders....I am probably being harder on us than I should be.  It isn't like we took extra day trips, went shopping, etc.  Broken kid's thing, groceries for parents....what are ya gonna do??  Stuff happens.  Dinner out and going on the day trip when we didn't save up enough for it....that one is on us.

So here it is....beside the traffic we sat in for hours, the hundreds of dollars over budget that we spent.....oh, and the talk with Mom and Dad (yet to come!)....the defining moment of our vacation.

G-man and I went out to dinner our last night at my Mom's (as previously mentioned).  After dinner, we wandered around Barnes and Noble (which, can be a very dangerous place!!!!).  We didn't buy anything (although it was way tempting....) and for the most part, he and I went our separate ways while we were in there.

He did check out the "self help" section, to find out why he is being an incredible selfish jacka$$.  He looked at some martial arts books, and the cooking section.  He did NOT look at the personal finance section.  I know this because it was part of a later....ahem....."discussion."

Another fight.  Just great.

We had a 6 hour drive to his mom's house (7 with traffic).  And instead of reading his fishing magazine, he picked up The Total Money Makeover that I brought with us (and for the record, I didn't bring it for him....I wanted to re-read it, in my spare time.....HA, spare time....I slay myself....).

He read some on our way home also.  Not sure if he was enjoying it, learning something, trying to score points with me....I don't care at this point.  I am just glad that he took a step.

We did discuss some of what he read.  Unfortunately, he hasn't gotten to the meat and potatoes of it yet, but we talked about what he did read.  He was somewhat delusional and actually said "well, we are doing most of this already."  Oh really.....do tell.

He talked about our HSA....which we don't have.....we have a FSA.  He talked about budget.....um, did you miss the part about zero balance, and that also means accounting for future expenses? 

He did find the life insurance section interesting.

And he told me we need to lay out all of our debt, and figure out what we are paying where.....and when we think it will be paid off.  *sigh*  Apparently he thinks I am just guessing at of this!!!  Hello??!!!  I did that a long long time ago!!!

But most of all....he finally got the idea that with some work....it is possible to be out of this mess in 3 years.  And be able to save more for retirement, and put aside money for college for Sassy (I am not forgetting Bossy....but his money is already taken care of).  Oh and yes.....maybe be able to live a normal life!!

Lots more discussion to come between he and I.  And he has yet to really get the snowballing idea.  Or the fact that he is going to have to sacrifice some.  But at least this is a start.