911- We have an emergency!!

 

I am totally ignorant when it comes to electronics.

 

 

I am not very smart when it comes to cars either.

 

I am the person who can pick up the remote and all of a sudden the TV won't work. I am the person who logs onto the computer and it freezes. I am the person who picks up her husband's smartphone and an app won't work. I am THAT person! My poor husband....

 

HE (my husband) is very tech and car savvy- which I am extremely grateful for! Without his help, I would still be sitting waiting for my computer to start!

 

The other day, I was extremely thankful for his knowledge of cars.

 

I was headed into work for the night and got in the car just like I have done hundreds of times. I started the car, put my seat belt on, and put the car in reverse. That's when the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree! All of a sudden, all these icons and green and yellow lights started flashing!! "Uh oh!" I thought, "How am I ever going to get to work now?" In a complete panic, I called my husband from my cellphone (while sitting in the driveway), "Honey, you have GOT to come out! Something is wrong with the car. I don't know if I am going to be able to drive it to work!" While I am in a complete panic, he meanders out to the car, opens the door, takes it for a spin and says, "It should be fine. Just be careful stopping quickly 'cause your ohusdfhusdhufsdjsdfkjhdfskjh isn't working. I will take it to the mechanic in the morning." And with that, I thanked my sweet husband, got back into the car and drove off to work. Then, the next morning came...

 

Dave took the car to the mechanic. But before that, he warned me that he thought the repair could be upwards of $800.00! OUCH!! My frugal millionaire heart about had a heart attack! That was a lot of money! But, we needed the car fixed. And, so, I prayed. I prayed it would be under $200. Not sure why, but $200 it was.

 

Dave arrived home with the car and I woke up to prepare for another nightshift at the hospital. Still half asleep, I asked, "How much were the repairs?" "$129.00," he said. WAHOO!! The problem wasn't as big as we thought and all that had to be replaced was the battery! I was beyond thankful!

 

 

 

But, you know what? It would have been okay if it was $800. You know why? 'Cause we have an emergency fund. A key step, and actually the first step, in Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps to getting out of debt is to have an emergency fund. You never know when those hard times are going to come or when your car will light up like a Christmas tree! So when they do, you need to be prepared.

 

Having $1000 in an emergency fund should be a priority before getting rid of the debt. If you don't have the emergency fund and an emergency arises, you will just be putting yourself into more debt. Remember, debt is a bad 4 letter word and this frugal millionaire ain't sayin' that anymore!

 

911- we have an...oh wait, crisis averted, we have an emergency fund!!