"You've got to live like no one else, so later, you can live like no one else!" exclaims Dave Ramsey as he frolics around the stage in his usual getup: jeans and a blue dress shirt. Joe and I just glance at each other. It is quite one thing to listen to his crazy "gazelle intense" solutions to becoming debt free, and quite another to actually follow through with one of them.
When you listen to Dave's radio program or TV shows, you hear these stories of people who live rent free with a lonely little lady or in their parent's basement while painstakingly stashing every penny they can find into a savings account. I can think of a million things I would rather be doing than stooping to their level: starting with arranging rollie pollies in order of their size.
However, Joe and I want a home of our own. And I mean a real home- one that Martha Stewart would drool over when she walks in. A home that could be put on the front of a Southern Living magazine. One where I can waltz around in a dress and offer people cookies and sweet tea and a seat on my plush, leather couch overlooking our rolling hill country land. I'm dreaming- I know. I've been told over and over by countless people that my first home has to be a "starter home". One that, in my mind, has mice running in the attic, trim falling off the brick and a general odor of urine when you walk in. "Hey, it's at least affordable!" I can exclaim as my visitors hesitantly step inside with wrinkled noses. I have had that home. We've been renting it for the last three years, and I am more than ready to move on. We both agree- we want a house. But to have a nice house, you have to have a nice savings account, or at the minimum, a nice down payment.
So we have "stooped". We have found a lady who lives by herself, who will allow us to live under her roof for nothing more than the cost of taking the trash out and an occasional mow of the yard. This "lady" just happens to be my mother in law. I joyfully announced to everyone, "We're moving in!! And will soon have our dream house, complete with dream furniture!" The looks back from everyone who was told this did not mirror my excitement or joy. In fact, I have been given nothing but looks of pity and concern.
I have to say that the moving has been the part I have disliked the most. I started wrapping everything in newspaper and nicely labeling every box with what is inside. It has now, after two weeks of packing, and two days left to finish, turned into throwing everything including the neighbors cat into a box and writing "CRAP" on the top. Not to mention that we have to downsize from a 1700 sq foot house into two rooms. I am not a sentimental person: but have learned that everyone who has come to help me pack is. "Just throw it out!" I want to yell when asked why on earth I would toss a glove with the 1% chance I might find the mate later.
I have to say: I never want to see another box in my life. We have been drowning in so much useless stuff and unfortunately- it has all followed us! I will be sorting through this crap until we leave and it will need to be repacked.
However, so far, this dreaded move has not been all that bad. We have a nice new king size bed, complete with a coffee maker that wakes us up to the smell of Folgers in our cup. We have a private little 'living room' complete with a home theater and all the cookbooks I could ask for. I have curled up the last few nights on my couch with a cookbook and a fireplace DVD in the tv. It is cozy. Not to mention this awesome garden that I am going to be planning with my MIL...fresh food all summer! AND I can now share my food with another person! I have thoroughly enjoyed making dinner every night and having yet another person compliment my culinary capabilities. (Who wouldn't??) So as a remark to all you nay-sayers: I don't think this is going to be all that bad. In fact, now that we are living it, I wouldn't even call it stooping. Save your judgmental looks- and allow me to use another of Dave Ramsey's quotes. "If your friends that are broke aren’t making fun of you, then you are not on track. If your family says, “Look, they’ve joined a cult!” then you are right on track."
And although I know this will not always be a piece of cake, we are certainly going to be one of the success stories you see on his website. At the very least, you are always more than welcome to sit on my plush furniture and allow me to tell you "We told you so".
