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In a Financial Rut? Find New Friends…

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I’ve been listening to Dave Ramsey on my way to work and lately and he has seemed to often quote, ‘Within 10 years, your salary will be within 10 percent of your 10 closest friends. Choose wisely.’

The statement was always a bit annoying to me. What am I supposed to do, befriend expensive lawyers and doctors while kicking my sweet but underpaid school teacher friends to the curb? Um. I don’t think so.

This weekend, I was reading an old copy of the ever mature, wise, grown-up magazine… Cosmopolitan… which added to Ramsey’s statement. Cosmo agreed that our salaries would match our closest friends but went on to say that our attitudes about our finances and about our lives will also mirror our closest friends.

Hey Dave, maybe you should focus on the attitude – not the salary.

My sisters and I started paying debt around the same time. Not only are my sisters dedicated to reducing debt, they are efficient – and often funny to watch – frugalistas. Shopping with my sisters is like going shopping with the worst version of Dave Ramsey.

‘Yeah the dress is cute but debt is ugly. Put it back on the hanger.’

No, my sisters don’t make a lot of money but their attitude toward reducing debt is contagious and in the end…

isn’t that what matters?

The Post of Updates…

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I sometimes blog questions and ask for help from readers since I’ve been given great advice in the past. Here’s an update of some of the outcomes…

The Bartering/Jack Hammering post:

The concrete pad was 2’ x 2’ and had three 1 ½” diameter black metal pipes shaped in a triangle poking out. We checked with the city and they had no information on what it could be. After two hours of jack hammering, all we found was more concrete and more piping. A few feet down, the concrete narrowed to an 8” sloppy oval with the pipes still sticking out in a triangle shape. We cut off the tops of the pipes and buried the darn thing again. At least it’s nowhere near the surface and we didn’t find a septic tank, a bomb shelter, or Jimmy Hoffa.

The Wireless Router post:

My brother/roommate grew tired of my “endless” 8 hour search for the best deal and drove straight to Best Buy to purchase a new one. He’s addicted to online gaming for the Xbox system and has the patience of a 5 year old. He got the exact one he wanted – and didn’t ask me for a dime.

The Carpooling Dilemma post:

After the ‘Well, it would be nice if you offered to drive me once in a while’ comment from my co-worker, he simply stopped dropping by the transit stop. He made a few snarky comments like ‘How was the smelly bus this morning?’, which I ignored, and then he gave up completely. He hasn’t made a comment in a few weeks. I enjoy my free public transit and get some peace and quiet now.

I think that covered all the open ended questions. If you think of more, let me know!