Hi and welcome to the Pride and Paychecks blog! I’m so glad you’re here. I’m Brandi, mother of two, wife to one, and lover of budgeting, books, bargains, and Bennets (if you know, you know). I started this blog as a place to share ideas, wins, and support about budgeting and personal finance. I would like to do my part to help others take control of their money without them having to give up their books, travel, or iced lattes.
My financial journey began in 2012 when my employer offered Financial Peace University to all their employees. If you’re not familiar, Financial Peace University is a 9-week financial course created by Dave Ramsey. Before this, I had never heard of Dave or this course. I’ve always been interested in budgeting and personal finance though and after looking into it, my husband and I decided to give it a try. Our youngest daughter was almost one at the time and there’s nothing quite like being responsible for tiny humans to push you into wanting to make better choices.
At that time, we had maybe $50 in savings, and we were drowning in debt with no plan or hope for getting out of it. Our total debt was $68,458 and included vehicle loans, student loans, credit cards, doctor bills, and even a 401K loan. Sound familiar? This is the case for so many Americans. We were “normal” as Dave Ramsey would say. But if this was “normal”, we wanted to be weird. So, we committed to the program and started the baby steps.
After saving up our $1,000 emergency fund (Baby Step 1) we went onto Baby Step 2, paying off all our debt except for our house. We sold everything we could, including both our vehicles, a camper, a boat, a four-wheeler, and anything else we could. We had unexpected expenses while we were paying off debt including a broken sewer line, adoption fees, car repairs, etc. but we stuck with the plan.
Overall, it took us 25 months to clear all our consumer debt (besides our mortgage). It wasn’t easy but it was so worth it! There’s a reason the course is called Financial Peace because the amount of peace we felt (and still feel to this day) after getting out of debt is hard to describe.
During our debt free process, and since, I’ve discovered a love for all things budgeting and personal finance. I even completed Dave Ramsey’s Financial Coach Master Training course! I’ve been sharing what I’ve learned with family and friends for over 10 years and now I’m here to share it with you, my new budgeting bestie! I am not an expert, nor do I play one on TV. But, I have found successful ways to save money, stay on track, and reach our goals. I’m not special either. I’m just an average mom and wife who wants to support other women in reaching their goals with honesty, humor, and zero judgment. If I can do it, you can too!
If something resonates with you, take the idea and try it out, if something doesn’t, leave it. This is “personal” finance which means just that, it’s personal. Everyone’s situation is different but hopefully, you’ll find some ideas that are helpful, or will at least get you thinking of different ways to take control of your money and reach your own goals. Let’s get started!