Living Like No One Else

"If you want to live like no one else, you've got to live like no one else" - Dave Ramsey


This quote was a bit confusing when I first heard it years back from my parents. Essentially it means that in order to some day live with the financial freedom that few people actually have you must make the sacrifices that few people are actually willing to make in order to get there. I grew up in a family where we lived like no one else as I have discussed more in previous posts. My mom recently divulged to me in that the 13+ years that she has worked at the elementary school she has NEVER ONCE used the vending machiene. Seriously, no one does that!

It is exciting to watch my parents begin to reap the rewards of being the "weird ones" who lived like no one else for so long. They don't live a lavish lifestyle - infact they still carry on living like no one else looking "weird", however they have a freedom to give like they never have before.


Philip and I have committed to living like no one else. If you look at our cars you can tell. LOL! Recently, the old Ford Philip drove back and forth to work died. We wanted to replace it with something cheap. When Philip was looking at cars he actually came across a couple of nice, affordable BMWs and even a MUSTANG for ONLY $4000. Technically we could have put the cash on the table and walked away with a relatively fun, affordable car but we decided that we didn't want to spend a penny more than we had to. So we bought this for $1100:



Let me tell you I drive into our drive way and am SO proud of this ghetto, horrible duct-tape-to-the-car license plate. When I was 16, I would have been mortified by this (though, remember that I drove a brown '79 Chevette that actually had a hole rusted in the front right bottom of the car --- the only thing that kept my feet from going Flinstones on Hwy 7 was a few layers of mud-caked, dusty old carpet --- don't worry, it was repaired after I had been driving it for awhile) - but I am so proud and grateful when I see the cars we drive in order so that we can continue in our marriage and educations 100% debt free. It's not easy keeping priorities / values in order (especially when they are different to most of the people around you) but it is rewarding at the same time. Most people would have paid cash for the Mustang. . . actually, no - most people probably would have taken out a loan and not bothered scouring all of the used car lots for weeks. . . But the Leres. . . yes the Leres attach their license plate with duct tape. Savings: $2900. Being married to a 1st Lieutenant who is willing to drive a beater car instead of a cool one like everyone else: priceless.

Don't worry - my car is "like no one else"'s as well - the heater has stayed on all summer. There is no AC in either car but when the heater doesn't turn off for the two hours a day that I spend in the car it does make me excited about someday being able to buget for a car that does have functioning AC ;) I laugh that when we drive together we have two options: talk inside a sauna or open the widows so that the temp is bareable but face the fact that the wind so loud that you can't hear each other or the radio ;)


You know you're on the right track when you get odd looks and people think (or say) "that's not normal." Good. Normal is broke.