Our financial journey: The book

May, 2007

“Dave says buying a new car is like opening your window every week and tossing out a $100 bill,” I read to my husband from the passenger seat as we drove down the interstate.

It wasn’t too hard, from my position, to imagine those bills flying out his window, littering the highway.

I had checked out The Total Money Makeoverfrom the library and was reading it on our trip. This financial stuff excited me. This is what I had been trying to tell my husband all these years. This is what I wanted to do. I had to get him on board with me.

I read more:

“The average millionaire drives a two-year old car with no payments.”

Our three kids in the back of the van were silently glued to the DVD player, my husband was trapped behind the wheel of the car, this was my best opportunity.

“Taking on a car payment is one of the dumbest things people do to destroy their chances of building wealth.”

“You have to tell your money what to do or it leaves.”

“Do you want me to stop reading?” I asked.

“No, keep reading,” he said, staring straight ahead.

I smiled and continued.

I read to him about the budget, the emergency fund, the debt snowball and financial freedom. The more I read, the more excited I got. He seemed pretty interested himself. Were we finally on the same page? I felt sure we were going to start this plan the minute we got home.

I leaned back against the seat imagining no car payments, paying of our mortgage early, vacations, savings, college funds and giving freely to people in need.

Then my thoughts turned to beans and rice, no more shopping sprees, no vacations and grocery budgets.

Were we really ready to do what it takes to be financially free?