This past Sunday Mike & I finished Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. FPU is a 13 week course that covers almost every financial detail one might encounter throughout their life.
Before I get too far in this post I have to say that I am not a Dave Ramsey fan. I have never been a fan of his and after 13 weeks of listening and watching him in a video I am still not a fan. His personality is a little to harsh for me (sorry Dave if you are reading this:)
However, I do believe 100% in what he teaches. Most of his teachings seem so simple, but for some strange reason people don't practice them.
When we first heard our church, Otter Creek, was going to be offering this class I knew I was not going to be taking part in it for a variety of reasons:
#1: I had never heard of FPU so it was of no interest to me. I don't know how I have lived in Nashville for 7.5 years and not heard of FPU, but I had no idea what it was.
#2: Once I found out it was a Dave Ramsey course I definitely knew I wasn't interested!
#3: The class was being offered on Sunday afternoon from 3-5. Sundays are busy enough I didn't need to squeeze one more thing in my day.
#4: I didn't feel like Mike & I needed to take this course. After all Mike is a Financial Advisor, we live on somewhat of a budget, we don't have any consumer debt, and we have some money in our savings. I thought we were doing pretty good.
Boy was I surprised when Mike came home from church one Sunday and said he volunteered to help with FPU and lead a break-out group. I told him "Have fun, I will be thinking about you during my Sunday nap:)"
Mike got home from the first class and said he really thought we would both benefit from the whole class series and he would appreciate it if I would start coming with him. Being the good little wife that I am, I reluctantly agreed to the sacrifice of my Sunday naps for the next 12 weeks.
Now that we have completed the 13 weeks of lessons, I think this is a class that everyone should take. I wish it were mandatory for people in their late teens and early 20's to take this class in hopes not to make mistakes that will hinder them financially for years. One of the great things about the class is no matter your age, how much debt you have, or how much (or little) salary you make this class gives you steps and plans to eventually live debt free.
I wanted to share a few things from FPU:
The Basics: Creating a monthly budget, paying off debt, & saving. I feel like Mike & I had this category under control before the class, but hearing others stories made me realize that these things that I think are routine & simple can seem like mountains for others to overcome.
Kids & Money: This was talked about in lesson #2 entitled "Relating with Money". This lesson really opened my eyes to the fact that children do only what they know. If they see mommy & daddy swiping plastic and buying everything they want when the want it, they are going to do this too. If they aren't taught how to save money, what debt means, how to be financially responsible, there is a good chance they will be lost once they are on their own.
In this lesson Dave gives you tools & ideas on how to introduce your child to money & what to do as they grow older and can handle more responsibility. This chapter made me realize that once Mike & I have children, it is a clean slate. They can be taught properly how to live financially at peace. What an amazing life lesson to be able to teach your children!
Giving: The very last FPU class is entitled "The Great Misunderstanding: Unleash the Power of Generous Giving." The 3 things I got from this lesson are:
#1: We will not have more if we hold on to what we have tightly with a closed fist.
#2: We are just managers of what the Lord has given us. Everything belongs to & comes from Him.
#3: The difference between a tithe & an offering.
What a way to end a class series on finances!
