Okay, so we saw Dave Ramsey LIVE and he was a hoot! He had much to say... some old stuff for review, as well as some new thoughts.Something new we hadn't heard before, but resonated with both Mike and I and our plan for our family as it grows, was this following phrase:
"Act your wage!"
That Dave Ramsey, such a player of words! ;) However, there is much necessity for this phrase as Americans recover from the reality check that the economy ain't always flying high... and money doesn't always come easy! In the last decade or so we've seen some of the youngest generations hit generous levels of wealth... and they came by it pretty easy too! We've seen the "keeping up with the Jones'" trend skyrocket with the average middle class convincing themselves that they too were wealthy... remember when Tiffany's was a big deal and everyone didn't own a piece? Or when it was a big deal to have a Coach purse because everyone you knew didn't already own one... or seven!
The real deal is that, while some people could afford those things (at least while the economy was booming), many of them could not... but so many people were doing so well that many felt that they were entitled to do well too! So they kept spending... and spending... whether they had the money or not! Now, some people did have the money, and perhaps still do, but others are having a hard time adapting to the new economy. They can't get rid of their "Jaguar" (Dave's favorite story) and realize that they've arrived at a new lifestyle. They're spending like they've still got it... and heck, some of em' never had it to begin with!
Dave's point was, we need to force ourselves to be different... steer clear of the popular culture spending trends and avoid hopping on every new bandwagon that giddy-ups through town. If you can't pay cash for it... ya don't buy it folks! Stop trying to keep up with the Jones'... the Jones' are broke! They've got credit card debt up to their eyeballs!
Of all the messages Dave Ramsey left us with last week, this one sticks the most... not just for us, but for our family framework. We want our kids to have boundaries... we want them to value their dollar and learn that they can take their money to Rodeo Drive or they can find the same items, brand new with the tags on them, for pennies on the dollar at Goodwill! If our children have the choice to buy something they don't really need, or give to the church, we want them to make a choice that they can soundly live with... and perhaps, most importantly, we want them to act their WAGE! (or Daddy's wage, until they make their own!)
