Comments on: Cash = Affordability?

By: Weekly Personal Finance Reading Round-Up - SavingAdvice.com Blog

Weekly Personal Finance Reading Round-Up - SavingAdvice.com Blog — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:35:59 +0000

[...] Cash Affordability? [...]

By: Livingalmostlarge

Livingalmostlarge — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:12:14 +0000

No it’s a promise that once your debt free you can save and buy anything you want. And it’s affordable because you saved cash to do it.

By: disneysteve

disneysteve — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:38:07 +0000

I think this person hasn’t totally gotten with the program yet, though she is definitely on the right track.

At the beginning, she says, “We were normal, just like everyone else pre-Dave Ramsey. *Just about* everything we ever bought was financed, bought on debt.”

Then later, she says, “Why can’t we afford the Camry, Accord, or even Highlander/CRV that everyone seems to have?”

It hasn’t sunk in, apparently, that the reason “everyone seems to have” those things is that they are still financing all of their purchases and living under a mountain of debt.

Nobody needs a $30,000 car. Sure, some folks make a ton of money and can comfortably afford it, but the average American family shouldn’t be spending that much on a vehicle. I’m not a DR fan, but does he really suggest saving up $35,000 for a car? That’s insane.

By: Cash = Affordability? - Wise Bread Forums

Cash = Affordability? - Wise Bread Forums — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:09:37 +0000

[...] you save $25k to buy a new car, does it mean you can afford it? I raised the question in my blog here. __________________ LivingAlmostLarge [...]

By: Cash Affordability? - Personal Finance Forums

Cash Affordability? - Personal Finance Forums — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:40:11 +0000

[...] Does saving cash to buy an item mean you can afford? I started a poll on my blog about it here (please vote). But for example, just because I save $25k for a new car, but I only make $50k, does [...]

By: Carnivals of the week | LivingAlmostLarge

Carnivals of the week | LivingAlmostLarge — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:32:59 +0000

[...] This week the 156th Carnival of Personal Finance was up at Prime Time Money, with my post “Cash = Affordability“. Lots of great tips for the [...]

By: The myth of the debt-free lifestyle? « So Sick of Debt

The myth of the debt-free lifestyle? « So Sick of Debt — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:43:58 +0000

[...] June 13, 2008 @ 2:43 am } · { debt reduction } { } Living Almost Large recently asked some questions about cash equalling affordability. The post is mainly about whether [...]

By: Livingalmostlarge

Livingalmostlarge — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:39:16 +0000

It will get you a nice used sedan that isn’t luxury or even new. BUT what happened to the promise of everything once there is no debt?

By: inmomo

inmomo — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:06:28 +0000

You make a great point (whether you meant to or not)….that no matter how much money we have, we still want something more. You may have no debt, saving great for college, a “savings” fund for every possible big expense that may occur, a back-up emergency fund in case a of a BIG emergency, a great monthly spending plan……..and guess what, we still feel unfulfilled. Why? Because we can never fill “the void” in our life with money. No vacation or new car or new jeans or huge home will ever be enough. I’ve been living debt free for about one year now (mainly because of D.R.) and I’ll never go back. I see what you are saying though. Our household income is near $100k and we don’t have the money to live lavishly…why? Because our money is in all the right places, it’s not lurking around a nameless savings account, hoping to be spent on a new Plasma TV or a Wii! I find great satisfaction in that. You also have to build the nice luxuries into your budget. Simply putting in $75/month or so to save for vacations (or whatever) will go pretty far when you let the money accumulate.

PS- $15,000 will get you well-equipped, low miles sedan (Camry, Altima, etc.) I know because I have both.

By: The 156th Carnival of Personal Finance: Songs of Summer | Prime Time Money

The 156th Carnival of Personal Finance: Songs of Summer | Prime Time Money — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:31:50 +0000

[...] fromLivingAlmostLarge presents Cash = Affordability?, and says, “Can you afford something if you pay cash? Or are there limits to what you can [...]