Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps System has been followed by millions of people – my husband and I included. Learning and putting Dave’s methods into practice not only helped us get out of debt in under two years but also led to me starting this blog in an effort to share all I’d learned with others.
I quickly discovered how many other sites also wrote about their similar experiences.
Can’t get enough of Dave and his teachings? Check out some of these Dave Ramsey bloggers to see how their lives have also been impacted by Dave’s work!
Who is Dave Ramsey?
If you’ve somehow escaped the reach of Christian financial expert and money guru, Dave Ramsey, I’ll share a few important things about him and his long-time uber-successful radio show, the Dave Ramsey Show.
Ramsey often shares his personal riches to rags to riches story detailing how as a young adult real estate agent he made a bunch of money and proceeded to lose it all.
After filing bankruptcy he then took the first step to improve his financial situation by changing his financial behavior and working toward his financial goals of paying off all of his personal debt and managing money the smart way using what he refers to as “biblical principles”.
Ramsey’s common sense approach to managing money allowed him to increase his monthly income and net worth, achieve financial success, and become a wildly popular business owner.
READ MORE: How We Used Dave Ramsey’s Seven Baby Steps To Get Out Of Debt
Dave Ramsey’s Advice
Ramsey’s financial advice has helped a lot of people find a different path to financial contentment by teaching them how to become and live debt-free long term.
Dave Ramsey’s method – otherwise known as the Baby Steps System – teaches people how to get out of debt quickly using the debt snowball method.
According to Ramsey, the debt snowball method is the best way to get out of debt, whether it be student loans or credit card debt.
First, he suggests you stash some extra cash as a starter emergency fund.
Ramsey recommends $1,000 to give you peace of mind and keep you from utilizing debt to cover an emergency.
Next, organize all of your debt from lowest balance to highest balance, regardless of the interest rates.
And the last step is to get to work paying off the smallest debts first, then tackling the larger debts.
Make the minimum payments on all debts each month, and at the end of the month, use any extra money to make additional payments on the smallest debt until it is paid in full.
Continue in this fashion until all of your debts are paid off.
WHEN WILL YOU BE DEBT-FREE?
If you prefer a digital way to track your debt, this Debt Snowball Calculator is a great tool to help you get out of debt and reach your financial goals. You can track all your debts: credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, etc., and can be used as a debt snowball tracker or a debt avalanche tracker. This debt calculator is completely customizable and will calculate the exact date you will become debt-free (Instant digital download can be used in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel).
13 Dave Ramsey Blogs To Follow
To learn Dave Ramsey’s way of managing your money, simply pick up one of his bestselling books or sign up to take Financial Peace University.
Ramsey is a very polarizing figure. With his hard stance on financial hot topics, most people love him or they hate him.
His teachings have impacted our lives in a huge way, and I credit his ministry to getting us started on our own financial journey and getting out of debt.
I’ve shared many times about Dave Ramsey here on my blog because I believe his system works and works for the masses.
Over the years, we’ve tweaked some of his Baby Steps, but we continue to base the majority of our financial decisions on his framework, and I’ve been able to connect with many other ‘Dave Ramsey bloggers’ who have had similar experiences and share them on their own blogs
If you’re working through the Baby Steps System, it can be incredibly helpful and inspiring to read about the similar experiences of others – check out some of their websites and follow along to help keep you motivated.
Don’t Work Another Day
Forrest McCall is the owner of DontWorkAnotherDay.com, a personal finance, investing, and entrepreneurship blog dedicated to helping others live a life on their own terms.
His site focuses on helping others achieve financial freedom and quitting their day job, so personal finance is vital in their journey.
He believes that Dave Ramsey’s baby step formula can provide a good framework for those looking to reach financial freedom.
While some people may see Dave Ramsey as controversial, I think that most people can take some of his principles and apply them to their own lives. Even if you need to tweak the principles to fit your situation, his foundation has good footing.
FORREST MCCALL
Budgets Made Easy
Ashley Patrick, personal finance expert, and Ramsey Solutions Master Financial Coach is the founder and CEO of BudgetsMadeEasy.com and The Money Mindset Podcast.
She helps families eliminate debt using simple strategies so they can stress less and live the life they want and has been featured on numerous sites such as Yahoo! Finance, Fox Business, MSN, CNBC, and many others.
She writes about Dave Ramsey’s approach because it’s simple to follow with a clear step-by-step process.
It helped us pay off $45,000 in 17 months by helping us focus on just one thing at a time.
ASHLEY PATRICK
Cara Palmer
Cara Palmer blogs about ways people can overcome the stress caused by money.
She helps people who want to change the way they manage their money and become debt-free, and still have some fun while building a secure future.
She started her site, CaraPalmer.com, after digging her way out of debt by following Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps.
I was over $20,000 in debt and now I’m building wealth and securing my future by following Dave Ramsey’s financial principles.
CARA PALMER
Girl Talk With Fo
Fo Alexander’s site GirlTalkWithFo.com teaches women how to “dump debt & build bank” so that they can create the life that they want.
She teaches debt payoff strategies as well as budgeting, saving, and investing strategies.
I blog about Dave Ramsey because his work and resources were instrumental in me paying off $78,000 in student loan debt in less than 3 years. I share this information because I know that if the strategies are applied, they can work for anyone. I continue to follow Dave because I believe that he makes finances simple for the average person.
FO ALEXANDER
Money Smart Guides
Jon Dulin mentions Dave Ramsey a lot on his blog MoneySmartGuides.com.
His site helps people on their financial journey, from paying off debt to starting to build wealth so they can live their dreams.
He loves Dave’s advice for helping people get out of debt but feels his advice for investing can be a little misleading.
While his message about saving for retirement is great, the way he approaches investing and what he says you can expect to earn sets people up for disappointment.
JON DULIN
This Online World
Tom Blake is the owner of ThisOnlineWorld.com a personal finance blog that helps young adults make and save more money.
His site aims to help young adults make and save more money by using the power of technology and he frequently covers personal finance apps, passive income ideas, and side hustles people can use to improve their finances.
It doesn’t matter how much money you make if you can’t save and tackle debt! That’s why I like to refer to Dave Ramsey and his debt payoff advice to help provide a more complete financial plan for readers.
TOM BLAKE
Logical Dollar
Anna Barker is the founder of LogicalDollar.com, a personal finance site committed to helping people take control of their money and secure their financial future.
Her site provides advice on topics such as how to make more money, save more money, and invest so as to build your wealth for retirement.
Logical Dollar has used Dave as both a positive and a negative example in the context of money management.
There’s no question that he’s had a massive impact on plenty of people’s journeys towards becoming debt-free, but his “snowball” method of paying off debt can end up costing people thousands of dollars more when compared to the “avalanche” method. It’s for this reason that we’ve discussed him in both lights.
ANNA BARKER
Parent Portfolio
Jacqueline and Jonathan Sanchez are real estate investors who own a small real estate business that owns and operates investment properties in their local market.
They are also personal finance bloggers and have been featured in Business Insider, USA Today, and FOX Business.
Their site, ParentPortfolio.com is dedicated to helping parents build wealth while working a full-time job, and they help others understand their money and generate passive income through real estate.
Dave Ramsey highly promotes a zero-based budget, which we firmly believe in and frequently reference in our posts. Although we may not fully agree with everything he says, such as topics regarding real estate investing and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, we still believe he has sound advice for the average American. Some of his topics we agree with include “giving every dollar a purpose” and “living within your means”.
JAQUELINE + JONATHAN SANCHEZ
Money Tamer
Steffa Mantilla is a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) and has paid off close to $100,000 in debt following Dave Ramsey’s plan. She hopes to be mortgage-free within three years.
She started her site, MoneyTamer.com, after she and her husband paid off their consumer debt so that she could be a stay-at-home mom to her son.
Money Tamer is a personal finance blog geared towards women. It covers the topics of learning how to budget, live a debt-free lifestyle, saving money, and making money.
She continues to share her financial knowledge in order to help other families have more freedom to choose their paths.
Millionaire Before 50
Menard S., founder of MillionaireBefore50.com agrees with Dave Ramsey on his philosophy of paying off debt before investing but tends to disagree with some of his other teachings like his debt snowball system.
I have great respect for Dave and his stand against debt. Of course, I don’t agree with everything that he preaches, specifically, his investing recommendations. But, overall, his “baby steps” do make a lot of sense.
MENARD S.
Insurance Blog By Chris
Chris Huntley has been a fan of Dave Ramsey’s for years but became particularly interested in him when he started to blog about life insurance on his site InsuranceBlogByChris.com.
I devoured everything Dave had to say about term versus whole life insurance and it changed the way I did business. Most insurance agents make a lot of money selling whole life insurance, but I refused to sell it! I even launched a ‘whole life insurance rebellion’ predicated on Dave’s strategy to buy term and invest the rest. The rebellion was a big hit and actually got me featured in Nerd Wallet.
CHRIS HUNTLEY
Fiscally Sound
Anthony Kirlew runs FiscallySound.com and writes about Dave Ramsey from time to time because he believes his Baby Steps offer a great starting point for anyone who is trying to get a hold of their finances.
Sweet Frugal Life
Melanie N. loves to live frugally. She enjoys it so much, she started her site SweetFrugalLife.com where she shares frugal tips and money-saving advice.
The truth is though, she hasn’t always been frugal. She will tell you she is a spender at heart and has had to change her ways over time.
About 10 years ago I randomly picked up Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover book and it changed my life. Dave opened my eyes to how our finances could be if I started managing them better.
I love to talk about Dave Ramsey on my blog occasionally because I know his methods can change others’ lives, just like it changed mine. He teaches about money in such plain, simple ways and I love to share that with others.
MELANIE N.
Whether you love him or hate him, these Dave Ramsey blogs are serving up plenty of helpful personal finance content for your bingeing enjoyment!
Kristin Stones is the owner of Cents + Purpose, an online community dedicated to sharing practical personal finance content. Her mission is to equip women with the necessary tools and knowledge to take back control of their money and live a more purposeful life. She creates actionable content to help her audience achieve financial wellness using her simple approach to managing money - all learned through her personal experience of paying off almost $55,000 of debt in under two years.
