Dave Ramsey Revisited

Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class back in January and we finished the class in April of this year. The class has helped a lot but as I get more experience with living with the program, I am getting some new perspectives on it. I think the program is great but the more I use it the more I am seeing the challenge of getting it to fit to real life. One struggle I am having is wanting to keep on track with intense debt reduction but seeing a need not only to have the emergency fund but having extra money both on hand and in the bank to help with all the irregularities and emergencies that do come up. The other thing is,a $1000 bucks that Dave Ramsey says to start out with is a good start but if unemployment strikes or something big comes up or several things come up at once, then that grand will be burned up really quick. The other irritation is that there is no such thing as a perfect month and at least my take on course was to have a tight budget that leaves little to deal with the hiccups that come along.
The second thing I have to wonder about is you must go and rice and beans, never go out and not have a life while on the plan. That also goes for no vacations. I have to wonder what happens to all the grandparents and grandchildren who live in other state. Sorry grandpa and grandpa, you do not get to see the kids unless it is on your dime. I being a bit over the top here but I can see some people doing this. I understand that you need to cut the lifestyle back to get your finances on track. Life and being a grown up requires a lot of sacrifice. Sometimes it requires the slowing down of debt reduction to see family. Dave Ramsey talks a lot about sacrifice. Getting your finances on a good footing is an important and good thing but there is also a lot non financial things that are important.
Dave Ramsey's course is really good and it is time for at least the wife and I to use that to do what is best not only money wise but the rest of our lives. the course gives a good framework to start from and give people ways to analyze the choices that face us all. It is not always clear. I am not saying our situation is totally unique but everyone's situation has different variables and it is a struggle sometimes to get a hold of. It is getting better and easier but sometimes it is frustrating when it does not go as well or as fast as you would like.

Life being easy was never promised.