{"id":147502,"date":"2025-09-10T22:07:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T22:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/147502\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T22:07:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T22:07:33","slug":"he-makes-350000-but-regrets-being-too-frugal-now-he-wants-jet-skis-and-time-with-his-kids-dave-ramsey-surprises-him-with-this-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/147502\/","title":{"rendered":"He Makes $350,000, But Regrets Being Too Frugal. Now He Wants Jet Skis And Time With His Kids. Dave Ramsey Surprises Him With This Response"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nick from California has done everything \u201cright.\u201d Seventeen years ago, right after getting married, he and his wife went through Dave Ramsey\u2018s Financial Peace University<\/a>. They\u2019ve followed the plan religiously since then.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ve been very disciplined,\u201d Nick said. \u201cWe’ve done this for so long, it\u2019s kind of become who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Life Built Around Saving<\/p>\n

Nick and his wife now earn a combined $350,000 a year. They have over $400,000 saved in Roth accounts and funds for their kids. They’re nearly millionaires and have no consumer debt beyond real estate and a $25,000 loan on a tractor.<\/p>\n

Don’t Miss:<\/p>\n

Still, Nick called into \u201cThe Ramsey Show<\/a>\u201d with a confession. \u201cI don’t want to miss out on memories,” he said. “I want to go buy jet skis and quads and I want to go do fun things that I did as a kid and make those memories with [my children] now, while they still like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

But their ultra-frugal mindset has made that difficult.<\/p>\n

The Tractor Controversy<\/p>\n

Ramsey quickly focused on the tractor debt.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou flunked FPU,\u201d Ramsey said. \u201cI thought you were a star pupil and became a millionaire, and then you went and financed a tractor<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick explained that he bought the $25,000 tractor at 0% interest. Thanks to a government grant and a tax credit, he believed it essentially paid for itself. He admitted to putting it on a line of credit, though.<\/p>\n

Ramsey wasn’t having it: \u201cThere’s nothing interesting about it. It’s pitiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Rachel Cruze, who co-hosted the show, reminded listeners that the $400,000 Nick has saved is largely in retirement accounts<\/a>, not liquid savings. When asked directly, Nick confirmed he has a $31,000 emergency fund.<\/p>\n

\u201cPay the tractor off today, honey,\u201d Ramsey said. \u201cOkay? Today. Remember, we\u2019re going back to FPU. I\u2019m taking you back to class.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened is, you got financial advice from the tractor salesman,\u201d he said, half-jokingly.<\/p>\n

And while Nick’s plan was technically clever, Ramsey reminded him that cash buyers still qualify for tax credits. Debt was never necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou fell off the wagon and fell off the tractor,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

See Also: Bill Gates Invests Billions in Green Tech \u2014 This Tree-Free Material Could Be the Next Big Breakthrough<\/a><\/p>\n

The Surprising Advice<\/p>\n

Ramsey took Nick back to basics: get out of all non-mortgage debt and restore the emergency fund<\/a>. Only then should Nick resume Baby Steps four through six: retirement investing, saving for college, and paying down mortgage debt.<\/p>\n

Once Nick cleans up the short-term mess, Ramsey said it\u2019s time to shift from being intense to being intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou make enough money to do some of the enjoyment things you\u2019re talking about in cash only,\u201d Ramsey said. \u201cNo rationalization, no government kickbacks, no 0%. We\u2019re just going to pay for it like your grandmother did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramsey also gave a personal example to illustrate his point. When Nick mentioned wanting to buy quads and jet skis for his kids, Ramsey said, \u201cI just bought several of those for the farm for the grandkids. That was fun \u2019cause I wanted to, but I didn\u2019t finance it at zero. I mean, I just bought it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it was a small percentage of our world. And you can do that, too,\u201d Ramsey added.<\/p>\n

Many Ramsey listeners feel stuck between building wealth and enjoying life. Ramsey said even high earners like Nick can fall into the trap of over-rationalizing debt.<\/p>\n

Read Next: Dump Your Financial Advisors. One AI Platform Manages Everything \u2014 With Zero AUM Fees. Book Your Demo Today.<\/a><\/p>\n

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