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Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey pulled no punches on a recent episode of “The Ramsey Show” when he responded to a caller trying to decide how to tackle his last chunk of debt. Ramsey criticized not just the caller’s timeline, but what he sees as a widespread unwillingness to sacrifice in the short term to get rid of debt fast.

John, a caller from Atlanta, asked whether to sell a car he still owed $34,000 on or to just buckle down and pay it off. John said the car was worth about $31,000 and that he and his wife, who together make just over $100,000 a year, had about $10,000 in cash saved.

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John said he could put $7,000 toward the loan now, but Ramsey pressed him further, asking, “How much cash do you have?” John answered $10,000, and Ramsey quickly advised, “If I woke up in your shoes, I would put nine towards it and leave $1,000 in the account.”

When John hesitated and estimated he could pay off the other $24,000 in 18 to 24 months, Ramsey pushed back. “That’s wussy,” he said. “How about one year?”

Ramsey said if the couple lived on a strict budget, they could pay off the remaining $24,000 in one year or less. “[You’re going to pay] $2,000 a month. 24 from 100 plus or minus an extra job, plus or minus selling some stuff. And we’re talking no eating out, no going on vacation, beans and rice, rice and beans.”

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Ramsey expanded on this idea by using a hypothetical example of someone earning $175,000 a year with $75,000 in debt. He said that instead of dragging out the payoff over four years, that person should live on $100,000 for one year, pay off the $75,000, and be done with it. He mocked the idea that high earners can’t live on less, calling it a form of financial denial.

Ramsey told his audience that too many people make high incomes but refuse to cut spending long enough to eliminate debt quickly. “You’re whining about living on $100,000,” he said. “Get it done in one year or maybe, in six months.”

Co-host Ken Coleman chuckled and noted the strong wording that Ramsey used earlier, to which Ramsey replied, “I didn’t say he’s a wussy. I said that’s wussy. Wussified. It’s a lack of intense sacrificial involvement.”

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Throughout the show, Ramsey repeatedly urged listeners to stop stretching debt repayment over multiple years just to maintain comfort. “If you’re going to drag it out two years, I would sell it,” he said. “That’s too long. Trying to swim with a boat anchor around your ankle, it’s no fun. You end up drowning.”

The message was to fast-track the debt payoff by making short-term sacrifices, even if it feels uncomfortable. According to Ramsey, anything else is just making excuses. “Guys, I can’t help y’all with some of this cuz some of you are listening, listening,  and then still walk in here into the bear’s den,” he said. “And get called wussy by the way,” Coleman added.

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This article Dave Ramsey Tells His Audience They Are ‘Wussified’ And Are ‘Whining’ About Living On $100,000. ‘A Lack Of Intense Sacrificial Involvement’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com