Hello! My name is Charlotte. I have been a single mom (19 year old son and 16 year old daughter) for about two years now, and have spent a good bit of that time digging myself out of the debt associated with a divorce and seeking to learn more about personal finance. I kept hearing about Dave Ramsey and his Total Money Makeover so I decided to get the book. With my new found determination to spend as little money as possible, there was no way I was buying that book – so I went to the library. It wasn’t available and the waiting list was a mile long so I opted for the audio version. I felt a little bad about making Eva listen along with me but we spend so much time in the car that I decided she would just have to deal. I was surprised at how much I liked the book – and even more surprised at how much Eva liked the book!
Our family…
Since that time I have established my emergency fund, and paid off all of the credit card debt. I am working now on saving up three months of expenses and hope to have that done sometime soon (or at least in my lifetime). I have to save for retirement and that’s just a few short years away for me. I cannot tell you how much I regret not being better prepared for my future. All I can do now is make the changes that must be made and hope that my kids have pity on me when I am old!
Although I have a long way to go, the new year is full of new and exciting possibilities! Thanks for joining me here at Teens Got Cents as I continue to learn about how to properly handle money. My corner of this little site will focus on:
*Recovering from financial mistakes
*Specific ideas for helping your teen learn how to handle money wisely
*Saving and investment ideas for you and your teen
*Sharing tips and tricks from other parents who have similar financial goals for themselves and their family
I look forward to hearing from you about your journey to financial freedom as well as sharing ideas on how to help our kids manage their money well (or at least better than we have!)
I think its also important to realize that you don’t have to be in debt to get your finances in order. Its important to start as soon as you can (like Eva is). I am already seeing and hearing how they don’t need a budget or a financial plan because they aren’t in debt and when things are bad then they will look into it. Big Danger sign there. I think its important to realize that the best and wise use of your money is not to live however but to be wise stewards and know that it won’t always be sunshine and happiness. The rainy day WILL come…
Good point! I think that one of the reasons that the book resonated so much for Eva (and for me) is because it is a plan that anyone can follow. It will get you out of financial trouble but also prevent you from getting there in the first place. We also love that by learning these principles early, it means that you will be better prepared for difficult times and be more generous to others in the future. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!