The Total Money Makeover

Over the past week, I have visited with several people around campus, and the number one stressor of those I talked to is money.

When I graduated from high school in 2008, a family very dear to my heart gave me the book The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. I had been reading chunks at a time and just recently finished.

The Total Money Makeover taught me so much! Dave writes, “The proven Total Money Makeover plan I teach has become very successful not because I have found the secrets of the rich. Not because I have some revelation that no one else has ever had about credit cards. Not because I am the only one with a ‘Debt Snowball’ plan.

Instead, this proven plan is having a national impact because I realized that to change your money thing, you have to change. You have to change your life. When you change your life, you will get out of debt, give and invest at an unbelievable rate.

When you read the stories in this book, you will not read about mathematics or magic systems, but about changed lives. You will read about transformed marriages and relationships. You will even read about people losing weight! Because when you change your life, you really change your life.”

I found this book very inspiring. It includes baby steps to getting out of debt, building an emergency fund, saving money, investing and giving. Dave Ramsey not only teaches about how to stay out of debt and handle my money, he includes God as part of the process and the importance of joyful giving.

Romans 12:2, which Dave includes in his book, says Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The Total Money Makeover motto is “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else. “ I believe this motto can apply not only to our finances, but to our Christian lives.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone, especially students and young adults!

Happy Trails and God Bless!

To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.