The Ramsey Show - App - What Are You Willing To Sacrifice To Win?

Episode Date: April 21, 2022

Dave Ramsey & Ken Coleman discuss: How to start the rest of your life after you graduate college, Worrying about making enough money to support your family, Deciding which debt to tackle first. ...Want a plan for your money? Find out where to start: https://bit.ly/3nInETX Listen to all The Ramsey Network podcasts: https://bit.ly/3GxiXm6

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Starting point is 00:00:00 I'm out. Live from the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, it's the Ramsey Show, where dad is dumb, cash is king, and the paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice. Ken Coleman, Ramsey personality, is my co-host today. Open phones at 888-825-5225. That's 888-825-5225. We help people build wealth, do work that they love, and create amazing relationships. Thank you for being here, America. Ken is going to start off this hour.
Starting point is 00:01:09 He's in Houston, Texas. If I were to push the right button, he would be. There he is. Hey, Ken, how are you? Hi, I'm good. How are you? Better than I deserve. What's up?
Starting point is 00:01:21 I'm going to graduate college in about three weeks, and I have a few uncertainties, and I wanted your opinion on planning, basically, what I'm going to be doing for the fall. To start out, I'm looking for a government or a state job. I plan on probably teaching high school or some type of education. And I'm in a unique situation right now where I'm fortunate enough to have a house basically paid off in my name. But my problem is, you know, as a new adult, I've always wanted to move out into my own space, and I know inflation is up right now, but I was trying to see if it's a smart idea to possibly rent out my current residency and look for a place to stay on my own, or if I should just stay put and start saving for something more long-term. Okay, you said you want to live on your own, but you have a house that's paid for. Who's living in the house with you?
Starting point is 00:02:32 My dad lives here with me, but it's like usually I'm here most of the time by myself. The reason I want to move out is just because of the area it's in, really. Where's your dad going to go? He has another place that he stays. He really just comes to visit weekly just to make sure I'm doing okay. Is the house in your name? Yes. Sell it? okay is the house in your name yes sell it where do you want to move to are you in a rough area or just an area you grew up in and you're
Starting point is 00:03:17 just looking for change i mean where do you want to go to and then how what's the cost of living analysis there how close is it give us a little bit more information there. Well, it's just a house I grew up in, but it's a low-income area, so it just comes with those types of problems. It's one of those areas where you can't just go outside and take a walk. Okay. You need to sell it. You need to sell it. You need to sell it.
Starting point is 00:03:48 Okay. It's not going to get better. You're not going to live in it. It's not going to be a great piece of real estate to own because of the area. You need to sell it and take the money and start your fresh life. So you're 22 or 23? Yes, I'm 22. I'm turning 23 at the end of the summer.
Starting point is 00:04:05 Cool. What's your degree in? Sociology with a minor in education. Okay. And why work for the state? Well, I know the state has, or not I've heard, no, but I've heard the state has good benefits and I want to do something in social work and help people. I know that's something I'd probably
Starting point is 00:04:28 or most likely find high satisfaction in as a career. Okay, when are you getting this job? Because you graduate in three weeks. Yeah, right now I'm in like the last three weeks, so I'm crunching down on my last assignments, and one of my sociology advisors is going to help me start, you know, applying for jobs. Yeah, you're like six months late on that. You should already be doing that.
Starting point is 00:04:59 Okay. What are you using for food money now? Basically, right now, I'm living off savings, and I wanted to basically do that until I had my degree and get something established on some ground, basically something of stable income. I've been trying to get my degree and then start living on a stable income. And once I started my stable income up, I was debating on whether it would be a good idea to, like,
Starting point is 00:05:36 move out and start living on my own off of that, or if I should just, like, stay where I'm at. No, you should leave. I've already told you that. You should leave and you should sell the house and you should buy a house that you start your whole fresh life over. You've been through something really traumatic that gave you a bunch of money. What happened?
Starting point is 00:05:59 Well, basically, when I was going through my mom's house tour. And that left you a bunch of money? It was me and a couple other family members, but it was... I'm sorry. It's okay. it was enough to um be say like secure somewhat um you know on my feet throughout college yeah yeah okay so here here's what um i was hearing the heaviness in your voice and then i hear you got a paid for house and a pile of money that you're living on in your 23. So I knew something was up. Those were my clues.
Starting point is 00:06:46 Okay. But the heaviness in your voice was my first clue. So, Ken, I think your voice is going to brighten up because your life is going to brighten up when this horrible event is put for as far in the rearview mirror as you can put it in the rearview mirror. Not to say it didn't happen and not to say it doesn't hurt. It does hurt, but you've been being defined by this for a long time, and living off the savings and living in that house is trapping you in this event. So I want you living on your own income and in a different house with that house sold as soon as possible to brighten your life up and to move past this horrible thing that has happened to you okay okay um i have one follow-up question now um i've had this thing
Starting point is 00:07:34 where um i haven't wanted to or specifically considered exactly what um area i wanted to have a house in because just go rent just go rent something yeah that's all for a house in because Just go rent. Just go rent something. Yeah. For a year until you get settled into your new job. And I want you to go ahead and start working on the new job as soon as you get off the phone. And we're going to send you a copy of Ken's book,
Starting point is 00:07:58 From Paycheck to Purpose. I would just add two things. On the living space, Houston's a really large area. a lot of nicer places. What I want you to do is go explore. Go literally drive around. I think you've been through a lot of trauma and you've been head down on this degree. Let's go explore a little bit.
Starting point is 00:08:15 Second thing is don't just rely on your college advisor to help you apply. I want you looking in those areas where you may want to live in. Where are some social working type jobs and let's begin to go investigate talk to people and meet some folks and see what's out there this is a fresh start that you need i wouldn't wait anymore i'd make it your full-time assignment go go go the best is yet to be we're going to send you a copy of john deloney's new book as well on your past change your future because that's exactly what we're talking to you about owning your past and changing your future, because that's exactly what we're talking to you about. Owning your past and changing your future. This is the Ramsey Show.
Starting point is 00:08:59 People all over the country are discovering a faith-based and budget-friendly way of meeting health care costs through Christian Health Care Ministries. Christian Health Care Ministries, or CHM, is a nonprofit organization that helps members carry one another's burdens with health care expenses. And they have successfully shared each other's medical bills for nearly 40 years. See if CHM is right for you by visiting chministries.org. CHM is a proud sponsor of Dave Ramsey Live Events. It is book launch week. Ken Coleman Ramsey personality is my co-host today. Dr. John Deloney's new book, Wow, Own Your Past, Change Your Future. I just gave away one a minute ago.
Starting point is 00:09:55 Is now available for purchase. John is out on the road again and doing the book tour thing. Very cool stuff. And we've got him on the line to check in in phoenix arizona dr john how's phoenix it is beautiful and hot how are you guys it is hot it is definitely hot this time of the year we're great what have you been doing today we did some radio stops and a stop at a local TV station, and now we are at a beautiful movie theater, the Majestic here, and we're going to spend the afternoon with the Dutch Brothers.
Starting point is 00:10:30 Having a good time. All right. Dutch Brothers Coffee is a wonderful organization, and they've been good friends to the Entree Leadership team for a long time, and they asked you to come in and speak, right? Yes, sir. Looking forward to it. Yeah, very cool stuff.
Starting point is 00:10:46 And tonight we'll be doing, John will be doing, a book signing there in Phoenix, Arizona, Barnes & Noble, Desert Ridge Marketplace, Tatum Boulevard, and that's at 6 o'clock tonight, Thursday night, April the 21st,
Starting point is 00:11:02 UKTR, KTAR listeners run out and see Dr. John Deloney. There'll be a bunch of folks out there, and John will be talking for a few minutes, I guess, and doing a little Q&A maybe, right? Yes, sir. We'll be talking for a few minutes, doing some Q&A, and then signing everybody's books and taking some pictures and just laughing and having a good old time. Very cool. Fun stuff.
Starting point is 00:11:20 Fun stuff. Well, the media has certainly accepted the premise on this new book the uh public certainly has it has sold we've sold tens of thousands of them in the pre-sale process and of course it officially went on sale on tuesday congratulations on having a big hit thank you so so much and it's not lost on me that uh the listeners here have just been so great and responsive. And so on behalf of me and all the team that worked on this and you, thank you all so much for your support and for picking the book up.
Starting point is 00:11:53 So the book is called Own Your Past, Change Your Future. Remind the audience what they get, what the book is about, what we're talking about there. Really, I get calls from all over the country and direct messages and emails. Hey, can I be your therapist or can I sit down and coach people or would you sit with me and my spouse? And really, this book is what I would say. This is two decades worth of sitting with people and really me having to talk to professionals myself along the way because I've had my own struggles and trying to figure out being a dad and reading the right books and talking to my wife. How are we going to figure out how to own what has happened to us?
Starting point is 00:12:30 And ask that one scary, terrifying question, what happens now? What do I do next? Right. And so that's what this book is. It's teaching us how to own what happened and then make the next right step. Own your past. Change your future. And we just had a young man on in an earlier segment, Ken and I
Starting point is 00:12:48 did, who obviously, we didn't get into the details, but obviously had been through a lot of trauma and had a huge financial settlement as a result, and it was weighing him down. The whole process was weighing him down. And we actually gave him a copy of the book because, you know, the whole idea of owning his
Starting point is 00:13:04 past and yet changing his future, not being defined by the event, the trauma. That's right. Maybe the most common thing I hear is I just feel stuck. I feel stuck, especially after the last few years. I just feel like I'm going through the motions. Me and my wife are just going through the motions. Me and my kids, me and my local schools, me and my local whatever, just going through the motions. How do I get unstuck? What do I do next? Yeah, that's what this book is for you if you're stuck. You know, John, I can't help but think that when readers get this and they understand what you've just said,
Starting point is 00:13:38 that at the beginning of the arduous process of trying to own the past, that's hard work, and you show people how to do it. But there's such a bright future on the other side, isn't there? Yeah, that's the thing that I really want to get through on this. This is a book about hope. This is a book basking in the light at the end of this tunnel. Most of us just don't realize we're in a tunnel, right? And you and I have talked about this just personally. We just come to accept that life, as we get older, the light just gets dimmer and dimmer and dimmer. And I'm just calling nonsense on that. There is hope, hope, hope out there.
Starting point is 00:14:09 And when you own it and then you can begin to take those steps into the light, man, such a great experience. It's true. No, wait. Don't walk toward the light. Not you, Dave. Don't tell people my age to walk toward the light, okay? Yeah, not you. Me and Ken can walk toward the light. Let me tell you something, Dave. Don't tell people my age to walk toward the light, okay? Yeah, not you. Me and Ken can walk toward the light.
Starting point is 00:14:25 Let me tell you something, John. If he says he starts seeing the light right now, you're going to see me tackle him, hug him, do something to get that light to go away. You call 911, Ken. You and I are young enough to walk toward the light. Dave needs to stay put. Close enough. Got a front row seat, baby.
Starting point is 00:14:49 Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. John Deloney. close enough got a front row seat baby uh phoenix arizona john dr john deloney the new book is own your past change your future he'll be signing it tonight at the desert ridge marketplace tatum boulevard barnes and noble be out there at six o'clock you'll laugh you'll cry you'll learn you can ask questions and of course pick up a copy of the book and get it signed by the author himself. His two PhDs, his 20 years of crisis counseling and working in high-stress scenarios has really given him some insight that will be helpful to any of us, regardless. A hundred percent of us have something in our past we need to own, that we don't need to stuff and act like it's not there. It's like a splinter. As our friend les parrot says he says when you bury feelings like
Starting point is 00:15:29 that they have a high rate of resurrection so uh yeah they'll come back up and they'll come back up in the worst possible ways and so getting getting on with your life by owning your past changing your future is what dr john deloney is all about so be sure and check him out john we're very proud of you, brother. Congratulations. I'm grateful for you, too, and for everybody listening who picked up a copy. It's been a humbling process, man. I'm really grateful.
Starting point is 00:15:53 Hey, John, tell those guys at Dutch Bros that Ken wants a bag of coffee. If you can stuff one of those in your suitcase on the way back, that would be great. Oh, I'm going to bring back. Yeah, I'm going to get a second suitcase. I'm bringing some coffee back. There we go. I'm going to pick back yeah i'm going to get a second suitcase i'm bringing some coffee back there we go pick up one of the flea markets just one just one for me that'd be great all right john thank you brother congratulations very very well done all right one of the most important types of insurance you can have is car insurance it's actually the law by the way most americans
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Starting point is 00:17:02 and homeowner's insurance. Get in touch with them. Go to RamseySolutions.com slash auto, and you can connect with a Ramsey-trusted ELP. Our question of the day comes from Blinds.com. Find out for yourself why Blinds.com is the number one online retailer of custom window coverings. You get free samples, free shipping, and new promos all the time. Use the promo code Ramsey to get the best possible deal. Today's question comes from Cody in North Carolina.
Starting point is 00:17:29 I was recently married, and we just found out we have a baby on the way. I'm in my second year of selling real estate, and my projected sales goal would provide enough money to pay the bills. My concern is whether or not I meet my goal. I have experience in plumbing and have an opportunity to go back into that field at $20 to $25 an hour. If real estate goes well for me this year, I could make much more, but I'm not sure if the risk is worth it. The downside of plumbing is I would always be on call.
Starting point is 00:17:54 Worrying about making enough money has enveloped my life. Which path should I take? Well, Dave, I don't know where you're going to go on this one, but I think Cody needs to stop worrying about what won't happen and focus on what could happen. This is a guy who you've got plumbing to fall back on, Cody. So there's actually nothing to really be afraid of. If for some reason, and I can't find a viable reason other than you just deciding not to be committed and convicted and get after it, meet those goals, you could fall back to plumbing. And the trades are very much hot.
Starting point is 00:18:29 They need qualified people. You could potentially pick up some side work plumbing as well. But I just don't think that's going to be necessary. I think you're fearful because all of a sudden, we've got a baby on the way, but you have a bright future. I'd focus all that energy on providing for that baby, not worrying about not meeting my goals. Is your goal realistic? Did you make zero last year and you set $100,000 as your goal this year?
Starting point is 00:18:53 Well, that would not be true unless something bizarre happens. So you need to ask yourself what has to be true for you to hit this goal. If what has to be true is reasonable, then you keep doing the real estate. If you're living a fairy tale, then you go do some plumbing for a while. You've got to feed the baby. This is the Ramsey Show. We'll be right back. Ken Coleman, Ramsey Personality, is my co-host today in the lobby of Ramsey Solutions on the debt-free stage. Alan and Anya are with us. Hey, guys, how are you? Great.
Starting point is 00:19:59 Doing great. Welcome. Where do you guys live? Long Beach, California. All the way to Nashville to do a debt-free scream. How much did you pay off? $690,000. Woo-hoo-hoo! And how long did this take?
Starting point is 00:20:12 Nine years, 11 months. Wow. Ooh, suspiciously like 10 years. Wow. And your range of income during the decade? We started right around $200,000. And last year, we were up over $400, um with a lot of overtime so now we're backing it back down again good for you what do you guys do for a living my goodness i i'm a um ramsey
Starting point is 00:20:34 certified financial coach and i operate heavy equipment in the port of long beach ah yeah both of you doing well congratulations thank you and you. And working a lot. Absolutely. Yeah, there was a whole bunch of people waiting on you. Kind of had a line back up there. I did my best. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault, but yeah, that was the deal, man. I always think of the same thing about all those ships that were lined up. Is that still the case?
Starting point is 00:20:58 No. Okay, good. You got caught up, huh? Yes. A lot of OT, though, huh? Absolutely. I bet. I bet.
Starting point is 00:21:04 So what kind of debt was the uh 690 000 is that the house um it was a little bit of everything we had a credit card we had a heloc we had a truck loan and we had um personal loan oh yeah we had a personal loan and then we had three mortgages three mortgages why not yeah yeah why not it's california absolutely all right so you're 100 debt-free debt-free house and everything everything we're looking at weird people i love it congratulations you guys and a decade of hustle and grind like you said it's a marathon yeah for real that's amazing so tell us the story What starts you on a decade-long journey to be 100% free? Our church, Arbor Road Church in Long Beach, was offering FPU, and they had free child care.
Starting point is 00:21:55 So we had a three and a seven-year-old at the time, so it sounded like a night off for me. So I said, let's do this. And I said, yes, dear. Yeah, good man. So free babysitter, that's the hook. That's the hook. Who knew? Yeah, there we go.
Starting point is 00:22:13 All right. And you go in there and you go, okay, my night off just turned into, uh-oh, I now have an assignment. Absolutely. Well, you know, it's all about the communication. That's, you know, that's you know that's the key to it really it's about setting that time aside and um being intentional yeah big deal congratulations so do you remember back 10 years ago the lessons there were 13 lessons
Starting point is 00:22:39 then um how far into the class before you went oh game on we got to do this um i'm pretty stubborn it i took the class twice okay so the second time yeah we're going through it how far okay about halfway through okay yeah all right all right kind of you remember the light switch going yes i do a little little yeah light bulb over your head cha-ching right. You remember the light switch going on? Yes, I do. A little light bulb over your head, cha-ching, right? Yeah. I remember those moments in my life at different things. Yeah. It's pretty incredible.
Starting point is 00:23:12 And so how long have you been a Ramsey coach, Anya? I started last year. I've led four sessions of FPU. Mm-hmm. And then I said, you know, I need to dig deeper into this and do the coaching. It's just what I need to do. Cool. Very cool.
Starting point is 00:23:31 It's obviously working, huh? Yes. Yeah. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you so much for all the help and the leading of this. And so you said the key to getting out is intentionality and communication. What about you, Alan?
Starting point is 00:23:44 What do you say the key to getting out is for me it was about legacy um i came from some challenges in my life and um if i can do it anyone can do it um and so to break that chain and to create a legacy that was my why changing the family tree yes For our listening audience, Alan is holding a classic that Dave talks about, has talked about for decades, the tortoise and the hare, the children's book. That's a good-looking addition there. I got to set you up. You brought that for a reason. You've been holding on to it.
Starting point is 00:24:18 Why does that mean so much to you to bring it today? Ten years is a long time. Yes, sir. Yeah. Slow and steady wins the race and um we're 40 years old when we started this and now we're positioned to retire inspired yeah you have zero debt house or anything you live in california hello i mean that's a big deal yeah that's a big deal you make really good money and you have not a payment in the world. Nope. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:24:46 It's a long run. It is. Long run. How's it feel to be free? It's amazing. Yeah. You know, knowing that he can work or not work, you know, he can retire early. We can spend more time at the vacation home in Arizona, spending more time with our gang kids as well.
Starting point is 00:25:05 Yeah, there we go. Game on. Yep. Good job, you guys. Very, very good job. Outside of the two of you, outside your family, who was the biggest cheerleaders? We have our kids here with us. My mom was a really big supporter.
Starting point is 00:25:19 We had a lot of friends who thought that it was a great idea for us. Yeah. Meanwhile, they're taking out new 30-year mortgages at our age. And so a friend of ours gave us a little gift of a unicorn when we paid off our first mortgage in 2019 because there really wasn't anyone around us, you know, doing that. So, you know, we've tried to encourage people. I mean, we can do it.
Starting point is 00:25:49 Anyone can do it. Absolutely. Southern California, it's such a rat race. Everyone's caught up like a hamster in a wheel. And concepts like peace, contentment, and freedom, they're foreign when you're on that wheel. And when you're on the other side, it's unexplainable. You said something, Alan, earlier that I don't want the audience to miss.
Starting point is 00:26:13 I'm just curious how you would explain to us. You said you had a tough past is basically what I heard. You had a really interesting past, and you said if I can do it, anybody can do it. What are you taking away from that? What do you mean? What do you want the audience to understand about that? When I, right after I met him, sorry, in the mid-90s, he was homeless. And.
Starting point is 00:26:38 Behind drugs and alcohol. and just knowing that just one foot in front of the other, support from those around you, anything's possible. Yeah. For a point in my 20s, I got into mountain climbing, and I found it's better not to look at the summit. Just look at what's in front of you, one step after another. Oh, wow. That's good it took
Starting point is 00:27:06 10 years but we're here you're on top of the mountain absolutely well i gotta tell you man when you come through that house sweet it is i love it congratulations man that's powerful man i'm fired up yeah i'm with you you uh you've conquered some serious stuff in your life this debt was it was just another one absolutely one more down i like it it's a warrior yeah we right after we finished the fpu class actually we had a major disaster at our vacation home in arizona and um a flood came through town that was about a hundred year flood and the water came up to the windows and you know so we got knocked down a few times along the way it's not an easy road but you just keep getting up you know you just keep doing it day after day yeah that's
Starting point is 00:28:01 powerful very good stuff you guys all right bring the guys in what are their names and ages so we have eight aiden who is 18 and we have aaron who is 14 all right perfect stuff yeah that's the three-year-old there now he's 13 i love it good stuff all right we got a copy of baby steps millionaires for you uh you probably already that with that real estate paid for in california how ordinary people build extraordinary wealth how you can too and also a copy of total money makeover you can give that away in your coaching and stir up a ruckus with somebody we're so proud of you guys you're amazing people what heroes thank you absolutely phenomenal thank you for sharing your story with us very nice 690 000 paid off in nine years and 11 months, making $200,000 to $400,000.
Starting point is 00:28:47 Alan and Anya, Aiden and Aaron from Long Beach, 100% debt-free. Count it down. Let's hear a debt-free scream. Three, two, one. We're debt-free! Yeah! Yeah! I love it This is the Ramsey Show We'll see you next time. Thank you for joining us, America.
Starting point is 00:29:57 Ken Coleman, Ramsey Personality, is my co-host today as we answer your questions about your life and your money. Brianna is with us in Orlando. Hi, Brianna. How are you? Hi, Dave. I'm doing well. Thanks for asking. How about you guys? Better than we deserve. What's up? I was calling because my husband and I were recently talking about our finances and whether or not we should pay our medical bills first or take care of the credit card debt and things of that such.
Starting point is 00:30:32 And he mentioned that we don't need to pay the medical bills because they are going to fall off in seven years. And I was like, well, I don't really think that's true. So we were debating on that, and I was said, well, let's just call Dave. And he's like, great. Great. Great. Oh, terrific. I'm taking you to the principal's office.
Starting point is 00:30:56 Great. Okay. Well, the answer is yes and no. Okay. The medical bills, the debt does not go away in seven years uh you still owe it morally and legally uh and they still can pursue you after seven years what the seven year mark is the yes part is it does come off of your credit bureau report if there's been no activity on it for seven years any credit that is at activity
Starting point is 00:31:26 it restarts the seven-year clock but all credit good and bad comes off of your credit bureau report after seven years except a chapter seven bankruptcy which stays on 10 years but that does not mean that you don't owe the money and it does not mean that they can't come after you legally and it does not mean they won't hassle the crap out of you or the stupid thing pop back up in some way just about the time you're trying to buy a house or something. So you do need to take care of them. Okay. How old are they?
Starting point is 00:31:57 Well, just about two years. So we're going to sit around on our butts for five years and hope they disappear? Bad plan, yeah. Okay. So how much debt is there? How much medical debt is there? $3,500. Oh, it's nothing.
Starting point is 00:32:17 What do you guys make? $55,000 a year. Okay. So it's tight. We're also paying 60, 16,000 on student loan debt. Um, we've got a little bit in a credit card,
Starting point is 00:32:33 so we're just also trying to look into buying a home for our family and we're growing. So yeah. And I'm going to stay at home mom and just want to help in some way, so I thought the best thing I could do is just kind of start tackling all this stuff. Okay. All right, so here's what the two of you need to sit down tonight. Put the kids to bed, and you're going to have to have a better dream than you've got.
Starting point is 00:33:00 Yeah. Your dream for your life is awfully small, and I want you to dream a little bigger. That's great, yeah. Because you and I both know you're too broke to buy a house anytime soon. Yeah, yeah. We're in a one-bedroom right now, and we were trying to do the live like no one else so we can live like no one else, but the kids just keep getting bigger.
Starting point is 00:33:24 So now what you've got to do is you have to get real serious about it. And it's not just cutting your lifestyle. It's now getting on a written budget and making every dollar behave, listing these debts smallest to largest, attacking them in that order. And he needs to be on board about that too. Right now it's just you doing it, isn't it? Yes, sir. Yeah. Right now, it's just you doing it, isn't it? Yes, sir.
Starting point is 00:33:47 Yeah. I can feel it. I can feel it. You're carrying the weight of it. You're the one trying to get this car started, and he's going, well, it does not pay the bill. They'll go away. So he's going to be looking at some extra work, and you're going to be looking at some extra work in and around you being at home with the kids. I don't know what that is. It could be something you can do while they're napping or something else. There's all kinds of ways to
Starting point is 00:34:07 create income. Ken, what are some of the best ways you've seen people create income in a stay-at-home situation like that? Well, we saw through the pandemic, Dave, a lot of jobs that bubbled up where they were all remote. And so now with the little ones, that does present some challenges, but it depends on the type of work. If it is customer service work, when she's on the phone with people and the kids may be going crazy, that would not work per se. However, if it's data entry or a lot of women are making really good money, Dave, now as remote executive assistants, and so they can do a lot of scheduling, a lot of things over email. I start to look at things like that for a stay-at-home mom where there are four or six hours, maybe even still two or three hours a night once the babies are in bed.
Starting point is 00:34:50 Now, that is going to be tiring. But on the other side of this is freedom. Stuck in a one-bedroom, a bill hanging on your head is tiring, too. Yes, it is. And, boy, that will motivate you to work those hours because then you start to go, why am I working all these crazy hours to get out of this one bedroom to get out of this paycheck to paycheck living that is so stressful because here's the thing what you're describing to us brianna is uh twenty thousand dollars changes your life that's correct you'd be dead free yeah now i'm just going to use twenty thousand
Starting point is 00:35:22 bucks okay yeah that's a part-time job for one year. Right. He makes $55,000, I believe she said. She did. Okay, so just to give you an example, Walmart right now, Dave, is advertising nationally on this. They're paying truck drivers starting at $90,000 to $110,000 a year driving a truck. Now, I'm not saying that's his career and his long-term life, but I'm saying, okay, what could we do for a year or two years to radically change our future?
Starting point is 00:35:51 And this is the hottest job market we've ever been in. So yes, we want to reduce expenses. We want to get on a budget. But what could he do to get serious to say, we're going to change our family tree and raise his income from 55 to 75 to 85? If she can make 15 to 20, we're going to change our family tree and raise his income from $55 to $75 to $85 if she can make $15 to $20, as you said, all of a sudden. In one year, you're free. One year. Not five with a thing hanging over your head later and coming back and getting you. 100%.
Starting point is 00:36:14 And if he's sitting in front of me right now, I'd tough love him. I'd say, look, bro, in two months or less, I could show you how to pay off that $3,500 medical bill in two months. Two months of extra work. You can deliver pizza. You're done. Walmart and Target are paying all shifts starting at $20 an hour. Amazon offering $20 an hour.
Starting point is 00:36:32 Fulfillment centers all over the place. And listen, if you have a pulse, they'll hire you. Yeah. So the entry level is what I'm trying to say is realistically. Even the pulse is questionable. I knew as soon as I said that. And you know what? If you've been to Walmart late at night, hey, all right, never mind.
Starting point is 00:36:51 But here's the point. There is an opportunity right now to go to work. Yeah. And gazelle intensity includes working a lot of hours. We talk to couples. We talk to individuals all the time on that debt-free stage over there. But that's the dream. See, the dream is $20,000 get you out of debt another ten thousand dollars
Starting point is 00:37:07 is your emergency fund now we're saving for a house so twenty thousand get you out of debt twenty thousand more get you in an emergency fund under down payment yeah and then before you know we funded our kids future yeah and and now we've changed our family tree and now we have a legacy so but that that you know and then you're and when you think like that your your whole spirit your body everything raises up and you have a different view and then you go 3500 is holding me back yeah it's nothing it's not 350 000 it's 3500 and but what that tells me is when that's overwhelming you that you're not above it you're not you're it's cool you're laying under it isn't it true and so there's this this perception thing
Starting point is 00:37:51 yeah and that's hope that's exactly right you know i think of uh i remember a few years ago dave my kid went to a youth group at vena church and they had this mud run and at one point he stepped in this really deep area of mud and i was watching and laughing. My wife's like, go help the kid. I'm like, no, he's got to figure it out. But the point was is I watched my son, Dave. He got stuck for a moment. And just like this financial stuckness, we're here on this call,
Starting point is 00:38:13 what he's doing is all he's doing is looking around him. He's always thinking, I'm stuck and this is awful and I'm embarrassed and whatever a kid thinks of in that moment. And that's what you're talking about. It's like, oh, we're month to month and oh, we'll just have to put the bills off. That's looking around ourselves when we're stuck as opposed to looking up going, okay, who can help me?
Starting point is 00:38:31 Is there a limb I can grab? And Financial Peace University and the budget and the baby steps are that helping hand to where you can essentially pull yourself out. That's what you've got to be focused on is how do I get out, not, oh, I've just got to stay alive. Yeah. Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Starting point is 00:38:47 Yeah. But when desire comes, it is the tree of life. It's the difference. It really is the difference. And so when you set a really nice, big, fat, juicy dream and you do it in high definition, HD, lots of clarity on what the dream smells like, what it feels like, what it touches, you know, the way it looks, the way other people see it. Then all of a sudden, everything starts to move for you. That's what's going on here, Brianna. That's what's going on. This is the Ramsey Show.
Starting point is 00:39:30 Did you know over 18 million people listen to The Ramsey Show every week? A lot of those people listen on one of our 600-plus radio stations across the country. To find a station near you, go to RamseySolutions.com slash show.

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