Dave Ramsey book review

“If you had a $1000 emergency, could you cover it?”

This is one of the many issues Dave Ramsey covers in his book, The Total Money Makeover. While I was blessed to have good financial advice from my parents, I know that this is not the case for many people in my generation. Their parents are deep in debt, which seems to lead to their children thinking that debt is the way of life.

Dave Ramsey dispels this myth, and many others, in this book. He gives several “Baby Steps,” that if applied, can help anyone out in the financial arena. 

I read this book about a year and a half ago. I loved it ! Dave is very straightforward and gives such practical goals that practically anyone can accomplish, or at least work towards.

He shows his readers how much excess and luxury most Americans consider “needs” or “necessities.”

One thing I learned from this book is to have, at bare minimum, $1000 for emergencies. I was shocked to read that a huge number of Americans could not even cover a $500 emergency (without a credit card).  He is very clear in defining an emergency- I remember one example he used was “a leather couch on sale is NOT an emergency!” I got a good chuckle out of this, but I realize how true this is. In my own life, it is so easy to get distracted with all of the stuff that surrounds me. Living in a big city- there are huge shopping complexes EVERYWHERE! But ultimately, none of that will make me happy. 

I highly recommend The Total Money Makeover for anyone who is tired of the cycle of debt, and never having any savings.

Have you read any of Dave Ramsey’s books? What did you think? I would also love to read More Than Enough, also authored by him. 

*Disclosure- while Dave Ramsey has no idea who I am, if you buy his book through the link at the top, I will receive approximately 40 cents commission. 🙂 Every little bit helps, right?