The Warren Family Financial Summit means a free gift for you

It may be a little early for new year’s resolutions, but this year Bobby and I decided to institute the Warren Summit. The day after Thanksgiving, we sat down and discussed our financial priorities for 2016. While you might think that a boring way to spend Black Friday, it turned out to be an excellent use of our time.

Why did we do this? Well, back in 2009 we participated in a Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class at Grace Brethren Church. That class changed our lives. We got on the same page with our finances and started living on a budget. It was like we got a raise, once we started designating each dollar that came in the home to a specific purpose.

However, along the way, life got in the way. We had lost, or maybe misplaced, our “gazelle intensity.” That is what Dave calls it when you are so focused on getting out of debt, like it is life or death. Just like a gazelle is focused on evading a predator to live another day.

But Bobby found the CD’s from our class, which I began playing in my car as I drove anywhere. I started getting that intensity back and it is contagious. Bobby has it, too. So we decided the best way to figure out where we are going in 2016 is to have our Warren Summit. Here is what we did:

1. We took a few minutes to individually write down what we wanted to accomplish with our finances.
2. We then read out loud our list to each other, without interruption. (I’ll admit that Bobby did better with this than I did. I was trying to interject my opinion into what he was saying, instead of just listening to his list. I’m very thankful he is so patient with me!)
3. We then discussed the items on our lists, evaluating their attainability.
4. We compiled an “Agreed to Priorities, 2016” list based on our separate lists.
5. We both signed and dated the list and placed it on our refrigerator. This will allow for us to review it throughout the year, gauging how we are doing.

For someone who likes to have a plan, this is great for me. We have already accomplished the first goal on our list. (We began a little early with our priorities.) I am excited to see how things go this coming year. I also hope that we make this an annual event. It is kind of like what we did in 2009, but this time on a larger scale. Now we are not just looking at our monthly financial goals, but what we want to be different for us financially in a year from now.

Because I am so excited about what we are doing in our lives, I have decided to make available for free to my blog subscribers an ebook I have written. It is called “Joy in Budgeting.” If you would like a copy of it, please subscribe to my blog. Not only will you get an overview of the steps we are taking to have less stress and worry around our finances, but you’ll also be sure to never miss one of my blogs!

By the way, here’s a video of Dave talking about being gazelle focused with a gazelle out running a cheetah. That’s the kind of intensity we’re striving for!