Life Before Dave

I came across a box of old paperwork while filling working through our basement shelves for the 40 Days 40 Bags of Clutter campaign. The papers were jammed into a diaper box, so I knew they were old. As I started looking through old bills and scanning the dates, I realized this was a lens into our  pre-Dave Ramsey spending habits.

Prior to living on a budget, we used to use our credit card for every purchase we made and then pay it off when the bill arrived. When I say everything, I mean everything! By the dates listed on the statements, we ate out at least weekly, shopped at high-end grocery stores occasionally, and regularly purchased clothes and household goods in large quantities. Twelve years later, I have no recollection of what we purchased, but I can certainly appreciate what that time in my life felt like.

I felt entitled.

I had done well in college and worked hard during summers and school years to fund that education. I had a career I enjoyed, and I poured my time and energy into being well prepared each morning when my students arrived. I had married a wonderful man who was growing professionally each year at the start-up company he worked for. We deserved a house even though we had nothing to put down and couldn’t afford even the closing costs. We earned the right to eat wherever we wanted, whenever that might be. Looking nice was a part of the cost of  a professional career that we must either embrace or be left behind.

As D.I.N.Ks (Dual Income No Kids), we out-spent our current budget in many categories and ignored the ones we most value today. Today when I took out a calculator and added up the money we had spent as two twenty-year-olds in the categories of eating out, entertainment, clothing and Target, we more than doubled what we allocate today as a family of five. Categories such as savings and investing don’t show up on a credit card statement, but I know there was very little future planning going on beyond getting the match at work.

While these statements didn’t surprise me, looking at the numbers in black and white of a life that we  once lived that doesn’t align with our values today is a bit jarring. It makes me grateful we accepted the invitation back in 2006 to read The Total Money Makeover.  The invitation came just as the wheels started coming off our financial plan back then. I’m humbled and thankful that we have found a way to make this plan work in our lives in the decade since.