Thursday, January 7, 2010

FINANCIAL PEACE

The following is a post written by my bloggy friend, Kelsalynn, over at Kelsalynnfitlog. Her blog title states, "My path to becoming financially and physically fit." I have been keeping up with her progress and it is so amazing! One comment that she posted really stood out. Here it is:

"I remember reading that once you have an emergency fund in place, things are no longer "emergencies", they're simply inconveniences."

I have thought alot about that phrase ever since I read it.

Then today, I read this blog post of her's, and asked for her permission to put it on this blog. It makes alot of sense and really explains the above comment. Read it and let me know your thoughts on the subject!

Here is her blog post exactly as she wrote it:

"The title of Dave Ramsey's program is "Financial Peace University." You essentially go to class for 13 weeks (1 night each week) and learn how to manage your finances.

The name never really meant a whole lot to me.

Until now.

Yesterday, if you didn't already read, Michael was stranded on the side of the road because our car would not go. It would start, but it would not accelerate. We called our buddy Phil who in my book, is a genius when it comes to cars. He diagnosed it as a fuel pump almost immediately. There was an AAMCO right around the corner so he towed it (he drives a Hummer) there for us to have them do a diagnostic just to be safe. Sure enough, it was the fuel pump. AAMCO wanted to charge us almost $500 for the part. Next door was an Auto Zone so Phil and Michael walked over and saw that the fuel pump is actually half that. They asked AAMCO if they could buy the part from Auto Zone since it's half the price and still pay them to install it. AAMCO said no.

Stupid AAMCO.

So, Michael and Phil paid AAMCO for the diagnostic, bought the part from Auto Zone, then they towed the car back to Phil's house where he replaced the fuel pump for us. We gave him $150 to thank him. All in all, we spent around $500 for parts, labor (Phil), and the diagnostic. (We also bought them dinner and we're buying their IMAX theater tickets this weekend).

It's almost embarrasing to think about how I would have reacted to this situation if it had happened 2 years ago. I would have thought, "Where are we going to get $500?" or "I guess put it on the card and we'll pay it off next month." or "Ugh, we don't have $500." Not only that, but I know 2 years ago I would not have been able to give Phil, our friend who helped us, any money...and especially not cash on the spot. I would have wanted to, but probably would have been so worried about how much it was already costing us, that I would have given him very little if any.

Yes, I have to admit, I probably would have freaked out over an unexpected $500 expense.

And now, my reaction is simply a shrug of the shoulders. It was slightly inconvenient initially but the end result was that we spent the day with some good friends. Repairing the car and dropping $500 was simply a side note. We are able to cash flow this as if we were out buying a soda from a vending machine. And even if we weren't able to cash flow it, we have an emergency fund!

To me, this is what Dave had in mind when he created his program. He wanted people to feel what I'm feeling right now. A sense of relief, serenity, and peace that we have the means to tackle anything that arises so there's no need to worry about it today or even tomorrow. He always says that your income is your best tool and when you're not sending it all out in debt payments and you have an emergency fund, very few emergencies actually arise and all you face are small inconveniences.

That Dave, he's one smart cookie."


Comments anyone?? You know I welcome them!! :)

*A.Marie*

8 comments:

  1. You know where we are right now, with Clay laid off and our emergency fund depleted when I had my dental work last fall, but I have to agree wholeheartedly. When you have money set aside for the unexpected, you can deal with it so much more calmly when it does happen.

    You know, this applies to other things besides money. When you have solid healthy relationships, a (fairly) clean and organized home, a positive attitude instead of a negative one, etc....then you're able to handle just about anything life throws your way. When those things are in disarray, so is your life.

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  2. I love your comment, Annie Jones. You are so right. This can apply to more than just money; I never thought of that until I read what you wrote!

    Except for hubby having work, we are right where you are right now with our emergency fund. Our savings have almost been depleted due to medical, and now we have teen son's knee to pay for. Not having alot in savings makes this just so much more stressful. When we had more $$ in our account, I could handle it so much better!

    I am grateful that Hubs has work. We have had winters where there wasn't any work due to layoffs and money was TIGHT! It's still tight, but at least we have money coming in. For Now!

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  3. Just a quick note that I used your "I heart my Sister in Law" picture! Stop back to see! http://thefrugalkennedys.blogspot.com/

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  4. good post! my husband just got his hours cut at work, so i will need to tighten the belt a bit more (it's only temporary, 4-6 weeks, we hope).

    come by and see me sometime!

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  5. I spent my childhood watching my parents struggle needlessly, because they wasted so much money on hip new things...like a color TV in 1964, when they cost an insane amount, because they were brand new. So i'm a proud "cheapskate". And because we have compulsively saved money as long as we've been married, the kids are going to college debt free, and I can afford that $200 serpentine belt my winter beater just ate a couple of weeks ago. I'm with you; the cushion makes life much more peaceful.

    Thank you for stopping by and commenting on my blog. I hope you'll come back soon!

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  6. Hi, my name is Abby and I noticed your comment on my blog Steals and Deals and was wondering if you would be interested in doing a guest post explaining to our readers the benefits of contacting companies to get coupons. Please email me at ajcmeyer AT go DOT com. THANKS!

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  7. I so with this. Since I listen to Dave Ramsey. I now look at paying cash also
    kim

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  8. I found Dave Ramsey about 10 years ago on the radio and he changed my life forever. I had never thought about it much before because it is so commonplace to have credit card debt and debt on top of that too but thanks to Dave Ramsey's wise advice, I have been freed from the worries that used to plague me. It's not a question of how much money you have but how you use the money. A little can turn into so much more with good stewardship.
    Anyway, I loved your post.
    And thank you also for your most wonderful comment on my blog.

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