dave ramsey Im somewhat of a fan but most of it I don't agree what he might say but he really has good points also I still look at the web site and get a tip or two from it but at least I do agree with some things..

I don't care much for Dave Ramsay. I used to watch his show and I found him to be very rude to people and I stopped watching. Getting out of debt and staying out of debt is something we all know to do. Sometimes we get in over our heads through no fault of our own. I think he is someone who has made a fortune telling us something that most of us already know anyway. I get encouragement to spend less and be more frugal from sites like this one and frugal village and I enjoy it a lot more.

dylansmom:

Getting out of debt and staying out of debt is something we all know to do.

Some folks need the hard line to get them to realise where they need to make changes. Not everyone is like this though so a different method may work better for them.

I find Dave's system and comments are targeted at those who got themselves into debt through choices in spending so those who may have debts that are for necessities like medical debts may not find his harping on credit cards as useful as the person who can't stay out of the mall with a card in hand. The single mom working two minimum wage jobs in a high cost high unemployment area might also find his comments on "get a better job, get a second job" to be out of sync with her reality but there are a great many out there not in her position who may need to hear that.

 

 

dylansmom:

I used to watch his show and I found him to be very rude to people and I stopped watching. Getting out of debt and staying out of debt is something we all know to do.

What makes people bristle at the advice of people like Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman and Dr. Phil (and the list goes on) is they call it like it is and don't accept excuses or sugar coating the message. Some people respond well with a "kind gentle approach" and others need an "In Your Face" approach. Unfortunately the people that resist a harsh message are often the ones who need a rude awakening. I had a friend who listened to a particular preacher because he gave nice sermons. He told her what she wanted to hear and not what she needed to know. As a result, she built a home she couldn't afford and lost everything. She was given loads of comfort but no courage to face the fact that she was living beyond her means. Two years prior to her downfall I spent hours on the phone offering support and information only to have her take a passive approach.

dylansmom:

I get encouragement to spend less and be more frugal from sites like this one and frugal village and I enjoy it a lot more.

These sites are a very important part of adapting to a frugal lifestyle. My friend would have none of the advice offered here even though I talked up this and other forums. Deep down, she didn't want to see where she was making mistakes. Denial was the downfall.

dylansmom:

I think he is someone who has made a fortune telling us something that most of us already know anyway.

Its a sad commentary that we need financial gurus to wake people up and guide them through this maze of information.

Dave Ramsey does have that "in your face approach" when needed.  He also is very compassionate to those who have been through hard times with deaths of family members and such.  He gives away many books, and sends people to his Financial Peace University program for free.  He is very honest with people.  I am a fan and follower.  We would not be debt free and "living like no one else" if we didn't follow his program.  We'd still be "normal".  In debt and not having a clue.  Some of  his ideas didn't make sense at first.  Not have a credit card?  No "90 days same as cash"?  Pay off your house???  But I get it now.  And it does work because he gives a plan of how to do it.  The babysteps. Of course the Dollar Stretcher community has just been icing on the cake.  Learning so much from great people who "have a clue".